Should I work in retirement?

If you're worried about making your money last your lifetime, then continuing to bring in some cash through a job, even if it is part time, can be a huge help. Let's say you take on some work that gives you enough income so you're able to reduce your IRA withdrawals by $15,000 a year for 10 years. (As we mentioned, if you are over 70 ½ years old you must make a required minimum withdrawal each year. But we're talking about reducing your non-required withdrawals that exceed that minimum.)

Okay, so you delay making that $15,000 IRA withdrawal for 10 years and thus keep the money growing tax deferred at an 8% annualized rate. At the end of that 10-year stretch, your IRA will have nearly $220,000 more in it than it would if you had been withdrawing $15,000 a year instead.