Series: Working Late

After nearly 30 years on the Chicago police force, Richard Piña, 69, now owns Rich's Den in Calumet City, Ill. He had other businesses during his police career — hair salons, a taco stand, a rooming house. "I don't want to say I was an entrepreneur, but I was a hustler," he says.

Sometimes you can't retire even if you want to. For Dian Sparling, a nurse midwife, there's no one to take over her practice. But at 71, delivering babies on call is harder than it used to be. "It would be horrible if I had to do this and stay up all night and I didn't love what I do," she says.

Elected in 1956, Wisconsin state Sen. Fred Risser is the longest-serving state lawmaker in the country. He may not use Facebook, Twitter or email, but he's gotten a lot done over the years. Considered an "institution within an institution" by some, he was just re-elected for another four years.

Janet Sims-Wood, 67, is like millions of other seniors still working in order to make ends meet. For the part-time librarian, the recession put a huge dent in her savings, so she expects she'll have to work as long as her health allows.

John David, 73, is one of the many faces of a growing group of Americans: seniors who work. The former TV producer switched careers in his 50s, becoming a fitness instructor. "This turned out to be the real calling," he says.