The Retirement Newsletter: Should I launch a paid newsletter?

Issue Number: 4 — I have made a decision!

Nick

6 min readApr 24, 2024

Photo by Author — my favourite time of year — Bluebells in my local wood

Welcome

Welcome to issue number 4.

This week, the paid newsletter: Will I launch a paid version of this newsletter, or won’t I?

The answer might surprise you — it surprised me!

A paid newsletter

If you are a regular reader of this newsletter, you will know that I have been pondering creating a paid version for many months. My problems were whether I had anything to say that subscribers would pay for and what would be the main subject area of the newsletter.

I felt this newsletter — the Retirement Newsletter — didn’t warrant a paid version, as I didn’t see it as offering any intrinsic value. That is, the newsletter had no clear theme other than retirement in the most general sense. If you look at past issues, I have written about travel, tax, pensions, side hustles (a lot about side hustles), work and health.

I felt it was too broad for a paid version. After all, who would pay for such a mixed collection of ramblings?

So, that is a no. No paid version. But as I thought about things, I realised that I needed to ‘niche down’ and find a more focused area. After all, if somebody is paying for something, it should have value.

I needed a newsletter subject that addressed a pain point (and I’m not talking knees) in retirement. A newsletter that could help.

So, what could I do?

What could be the subject area of a paid newsletter?

Clearly, the paid newsletter would still focus on a theme related to retirement. Not to do so would be perverse after I’ve spent the last 150 editions (wow, I hadn’t realised that Issue Number 3: Now what? was my 150th — if I had known, I would have baked a cake) writing about retirement and building up a very moderate following.

But what would be the subject?

One of the re-occurring themes in The Retirement Newsletter has been side hustles. Therefore, I have decided to launch a paid sister publication of The Retirement Newsletter called The Retirement Hustle. The Retirement Newsletter will continue to be free, and The Retirement Hustle will be a paid newsletter.

The Retirement Hustle

Launching The Retirement Hustle newsletter is exciting.

There are many things to decide on, but having a subject area to focus on feels like a big step forward.

So, what are my plans? Who is my target audience? What will I cover in the newsletter? How will I deliver the newsletter?

These are all important questions.

My plans — mission statement

My plan, hope, is rather ambitious, and it is not to establish a newsletter (yes, you read that right) but a community. The community will be of like-minded retirees (or soon-to-be retired folk) who don’t want to spend their third act sitting on the porch (or sofa) watching daytime TV and the world go by the window. It will be a community of people who want to give back, engage and share their expertise, learn new things, keep their minds active and ticking over, and hopefully make a few bucks (quid) along the way.

My target audience — the community

The audience for The Retirement Hustle newsletter will be retired or soon-to-be retired folk who would like to do something fun, challenging, and different.

The idea is to build a community of people who can pool their experience and expertise to help support retirees and the soon-to-be-retired in creating fun and stimulating side hustles that hopefully bring in some extra money to supplement pensions.

What will I be covering?

I have nearly 30 years of experience starting side hustles, and I will admit that none (yes, none) have been successful. Over the years, they have made money to pay for skiing holidays (see Skiing — back on the slopes and other old hobbies) and some other fun trips, but nothing has ever stuck, nor have there been any consistent performers. And I know why. I have the experience, and I want to share it.

So, what will I be covering? Well, the first few newsletters on The Retirement Hustlewill cover:

What are side hustles and why you might want to consider setting one up
Why, in my experience, side hustles fail
What types of side hustle you could consider

I will then get into how I have set up my side hustles and how I am currently setting up some side hustles. I will also be exploring the tools I use and why.

Plus, there will be regular updates on the progress of my side hustles — that is, you get a peak under the hood to see how things are going.

But I don’t want it all to be about me. I want to build a community of people invested in the ideas and who want to set up successful side hustles.

So, come to The Retirement Hustle and start making a difference in your retirement and the lives of others. (That’s a bold statement, but why not be bold?)

How will I deliver the newsletter?

And this is where it gets interesting.

My plan for The Retirement Hustle is to deliver content a bit more experimentally. I also want to build a community of people to share ideas and experiences. And yes, I know, at the start, it will be a community of one (me), but if people join, we will achieve momentum and a thriving community.

The answer

The answer to the question: Will I launch a paid version of this newsletter, or won’t I? is…. Yes and no.

Yes, I will be launching a paid newsletter called The Retirement Hustle.

And, no, I won’t be launching a paid version of The Retirement Newsletter. My mad ramblings in this newsletter will be free for all to enjoy (if enjoy is the right word).

The Retirement Newsletter is already set up and is ready to go. It currently contains one free post inviting readers to join — The Retirement Hustle: Welcome! Issue Number: 1 — what is this all about?

Travel — Nostalgia Corner

This week, here are more stories from my first visit to Hong Kong and my tour of some local markets:

Hong Kong — Mongkok Flower Market 旺角花墟, Hong Kong — Looking to buy flowers in Hong Kong? This place was incredible, and the smell was beautiful.
Hong Kong — Yuen Po Street Bird Garden 園圃街雀鳥花園, Hong Kong — Visiting a bird market in Hong Kong. There were so many birds and so many cages.
Hong Kong — Fa Yeun Street Market, Hong Kong — A classic Hong Kong street market.
Hong Kong — The Ladies’ Market 女人街, Hong Kong — I wasn’t sure what it is a “Ladies’ Market”. Were they selling ladies? Were only ladies allowed to visit?
Hong Kong — Temple Street Night Market 廟街夜市場, Hong Kong — Where is Temple Street Night Market? I found a market, but it wasn’t very good. Later, a local told me I had been on the wrong street.

Next week, more on my first time in Hong Kong.

Next week

Next week, I will reflect on my first month (well, four weeks) of retirement. How has it gone? What have been the good, the bad and the ugly?

Thanks

Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter, and please don’t hesitate to share it with your friends or on social media using the buttons below.

If you want to say ‘thanks’ to the newsletter, why not buy me a cup of tea?

Until next time,