A 59-year-old woman who says she has “little savings and no pension” has revealed how flexible work helped her earn £6,000 in just two months.
Alison Goldsmith says taking on small jobs through a task platform allowed her to rebuild her finances after caring responsibilities set back her retirement plans.
Ms Goldsmith spoke exclusively to GB News about how flexible work has helped her rebuild her finances after stepping away from regular employment to care for her 94-year-old father.
The single mother from the UK, who has a background in marketing, retail and counselling and now works as a decluttering and organisation specialist, said the experience left her needing to rebuild financially after his passing.
In just a few months she earned more than £6,000 by completing a wide range of tasks, including removals, gardening, cleaning, deliveries and even creative costume making.
Ms Goldsmith said: “A removal or gardening job could be a one-off £100-200 while a decluttering or organising task could be over several days. The most I’ve earned from one booking is around £600 for a multi-day decluttering project.”
Flexible work is increasingly becoming a financial lifeline for people approaching retirement, particularly those who have experienced career breaks or caring responsibilities that disrupted their pension savings.
Across the UK, many women are turning everyday skills into flexible income streams as a way to cover rising costs or to rebuild financial confidence and prepare for later life.
Recent research from the local services marketplace Airtasker highlights how demand for flexible work is growing.
The study found that 36 per cent of people say everyday tasks and to-do lists prevent them from spending more time with loved ones. In 2025, UK task postings on the platform rose by 55.7 per cent year-on-year, while Tasker earnings increased by around 48 per cent.
Flexible work is increasingly becoming a financial lifeline for people approaching retirement
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Alison Goldsmith
While Ms Goldsmith has worked since she was 16 and expects to qualify for the full state pension when she reaches 67, she admits she started saving for retirement later than many.
She said: “The state pension alone will not be enough for me to live on and I’m very late to the party with little savings and no pension.
“Caring for my father set me back as I had to dip into savings that would otherwise have gone towards my retirement plans. It also meant I accrued some debt which I had to clear before beginning to save again.
“But find flexible work through Airtasker gave me a way to rebuild financially after a difficult period. It allowed me to clear debt first, rebuild my emergency fund and then start thinking about retirement savings again.”
Once her financial position stabilised, Ms Goldsmith began focusing on longer-term savings.
She is now building her ISA and has opened a self-invested personal pension (SIPP)
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Alison Goldsmith
She is now building her ISA and has opened a self-invested personal pension (SIPP), which provides basic-rate tax relief of 25 per cent on contributions.
“For tax efficiency and to have more control over my retirement income, I’m continuing to build my ISA and recently opened a SIPP,” she said.
She is also investing in an index fund over the next seven to ten years to benefit from compound growth.
Ms Goldsmith believes flexible work can offer a practical way for people in their fifties and sixties to rebuild financial security gradually.
She said: “Instead of needing a full-time job, people can decide how much extra income they want to generate each week and work towards that.
“For example, if someone wanted an extra £200–£300 a week, that might only require two or three tasks depending on the type of work. When I started, what surprised me most was how quickly small tasks add up.
“Jobs that pay £80–£90 may not seem like much, but completing several each week quickly becomes a meaningful income stream.”
Ms Goldsmith believes flexible work can offer a practical way for people in their fifties and sixties to rebuild financial security gradually
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Alison Goldsmith
For those concerned about retirement savings, she believes even small steps can make a difference.
“To anyone in a similar position to me, I’d say start small but start now,” she said. “Even a couple of tasks a week can make a difference over time.”
Ms Goldsmith is now aiming to semi-retire before 67. Flexible work, she says, gives her the option to continue earning occasionally even after reaching state pension age.
She said: “It helped me realise that retirement doesn’t have to mean stopping work completely. Flexible work allows you to scale up or down depending on your financial needs and your energy levels.”
Her experience also highlights a broader issue affecting many women’s retirement prospects.
Ms Goldsmith explained rebuilding financial security later in life has been challenging, but flexible work has made it possible
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Alison Goldsmith
Research shows women retire with around 36 per cent less pension income than men, largely due to lower lifetime earnings and career breaks for caring. Pension income for carers is estimated to be around half the national average.
Many carers are also unaware that they may be eligible for National Insurance credits while caring for relatives, which can help protect their state pension record.
For Ms Goldsmith, rebuilding financial security later in life has been challenging, but she believes flexible work has made it possible.
“Once I saw how quickly small amounts added up, it gave me confidence that rebuilding financial security later in life is still possible,” she said.