Over-50

Get in Those Gym Shorts - That Could Even Boost Your Post-Career Work Prospects

It seems inuitive among the aging. That is, the correlation between sustained aerobics and improved cognitive function among the aging. They have been grabbing their gym shorts and, even in COVID times, making it their business to work out. Lucky for them, some gyms have remained opened. No, it's not necessary to invest the big bucks in Peloton. 

In January, the Journal of Neurobiology of Learning and Memory published the research of Rutgers University professor Mark Gluck. Essentially, it documented that gut hunch.

Yes, jump into that atheltic garb and give it all you got. That will probably prevent the gray matter from going the atrophy route.

Interesting to think about: Regular exercies could up the odds of landing, holding and moving on to better work after your official career ends. Retirement, haha. Who believes that's possible any more. And those who did, notes the Federal Reserve, are returning to the workforce. So far, what's called "reverse retirement" is being embraced by about one-third of those who officially had retired.

Like most of Arizona, Sierra Vista is where the aging relocate. The cost of living is lower than average. Overall the weather is moderate. The pace isn't crazy metro area. 

The gym Buena Health and Fitness Center on Wilcox Avenue is always jam-packed with those over-50. They were there on their stationary bikes and doing some hard time on the trendmill before Gluck's research. In addition, the setting serves as a way to socialize. Often they swing on equipment right next to each other and chat up everything from sports to inflation. 

This is anecdotal, not based on a study: The gym is used more by the aging than the young. The latter who are there seem to be involved in preparing themselves for competitive events such as bodybuilding or marathons. 

Obviously, the very good news here is that the aging have gotten a hang of how to care for yourselves.

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Gas at More than 4 Bucks a Gallon - Circling Back to Counterculture

It's eye-popping. Each day for so many days the price of a gallon of gasoline keeps jumping up. And that makes day-trippers hesitatie to go the distance. And RVers might stay put until they figure this out.

Right now in Orange County, California, a gallon of gasoline is $4.05. That's the highest it has been since December 2019. In near-the-border town of Sierra Vista, Arizona, a gallon goes for about $2.73.

Why the increase? Because of the laws about air quality, pumps have to switch to the summer blend. That's more expensive.

Legally, that has to happen by April. Only now it's going down earlier.

Will prices level off? You don't know.

Meanwhile, some might be rethinking big. As with SUVs and the giants RVs. Small could become desirable again. Remember the VW Beetle during the Counterculture. The mantra was that whatever didn't fit in it didn't belong in our lives. 

In October 2020, after plenty of research, I went for the Smart Car. 

I get 40 miles to a gallon. That means, unlike my other aging neighbors, I can still take day trips. 

How to research going small? Check if local car dealers stock used Smart Cars. How more folks are going about this, though, is popping online and finding out what Smart Cars are available around the U.S. For a relatively low price, the vehicle will be shipped to you. Beforehand you get all the details. 

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Age and ABC - Has 60 Become Issue of Network Concern and 47 Means Okay, To Go? (Stephanopoulos and Muir)

Drama at ABC.

That's nothing new. After all, the network is a world of big money, big influence and big egos.

But this particular supposed dust-up, reported by CNN Business, could have an age edge to it.

Apparently, there's been tension between George Stephanopoulos, 60, and David Muir, 47. 

What is out there and accepted is that 60 is an issue. In general those doing the hiring and in charge of promotions and terminations take notice. 

On the other hand, 47 is not 50. 47 is still middle age. Not young old.

CNN Business tells us that corporate leader Bob Iger parachuted in to calm things down. Both on-air personalities were given long-term contracts. 

But, don't count on internal peace. Youth, even if it's not in the 20s or early 30s, tends to have the upper hand.

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

 

Be Executor of Family Member's Estate? - That Depends

Old-line television shows like "Perry Mason" had scenes in which family members challenge the provisions of an estate. Soon enough a murder is committed. 

Well, that drama can play out. But it might not be all that typical. At least not with small estates, that is, those with few moving parts and not a lot of financial value.

Your aging sister might ask you to be what is called the "executor" of her final financial affairs. That entails everything from carrying out the provisions of the will to filing her last tax return.

There is an emotional component to this. No, she doesn't have much. Her assets consist of an investment fund of less than a $100k on which she designated her church as beneficiary. In her apartment - she had opeyed her financial planner and sold the house years ago - there isn't much of financial value. But the little she has she holds dear. She wants what follows her life to be as orderly as what went before. She trusts you.

It's hard to say "no." That's even though this MarketWatch article, derived from Nerd Wallet, warns of the perils of being an executor. With a small estate, even those cautions apply. With a large estate, the takeaway seems to be: Turn it over to the professionals.

MarketWatch points out pitfalls.

• Hours put in and the long period of time involved in executing last financial wishes. You could be investing 540 hours of your time. The average period to complete the transaction ranges from six to 12 months. Is there a provision in the legalese which provides payment for you to carry out this task?

 

• Difficulty locating financial assets. You may be only a bit aware that your sister owned part of a horse farm in New Mexico. The portion was small. But it has to be settled. So, you have to become a sleuth and hunt through the documents. Then make contacts. Then find out the next steps. Sell the small interest?

 

• Danger of being sued. You duty is called "fiducirary." You could be accused by those who want a piece of the pie or are simply wary of not carrying that out. The example MarketWatch provides is not securing the premises after death and items are stolen.

In short, whatever involves money and the law is serious business. Ask yourself: At my age, do I want to deal with this business?

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Zoom - Yes, We Tend to Come Across as "Older"

Professionals, at least if they were determined to continue to make a good living, had down cold how to interpret the myriad signals of communications. Everything from the cloud coming over the boss' face in a law firm to the overly accommodating body language of the middle manager who (everyone knew) was due to be fired.

That was then.

Now, as The Wall Street Journal reports, WFH has changed much of that. It can be difficult to figure out what is going on in a Zoom meeting. The medium is still rather primitive. Much of the visual action isn't ready for prime time.

But, now only is there the challenge of struggling to "read" other members on the remote video transmission. There's also the angst involved in how you are coming across. Most of my communications and coaching clients are dismayed about, for example, "how old" they appear on Zoom. They particularly find that gravity has eaten into their chin line. 

So, what to do?

As always, play it safe. The fundamental in communications since the beginning of time is this: Those with the most power set the terms and conditions of the communications. Way back in 1956, sociologist Erving Goffman systemized that in his classic book "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life." He called the dynamics "the defintion of the situation." 

The good news about that is that Goffman hammers that much of that is intuitive. Even the uneducated residents of the village understand the necessity of shaping their interactions to align with how the power structure such as the mayor is defining them. Light tone? or serious? The villagers followed that lead.

The same reality applies to meetings while WFH. Let the power players establish everything from agenda to when to leave. Errors in communications are costly, no matter if they occur in-person or virtually.

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Equities Rebound - "At Our Age" We Can't Panic

It's hard: Not panicing. After all, so many of us have so many of our assets tied into the stock market.

But not making rash moves could ensure us a a shot at financial security.

After a very bad last week, The Wall Street Journal reports, "Stock futures and government bonds climbed Monday as investors awaited a slate of Federal Reserve speakers and data on the manufacturing sector."

If there is a strong recovery, there could be another run of the bulls.

Long term, equities in general represent building wealth. 

MarketWatch, which has come to mirror the ethos of "Jerry Springer" chronicles the tragedies of those who do panic. Today, a man called Quentin tells of his $80,000 loss. When the market was down, his brother told him to bail out. He did.

Sure, we may spot dogs in our investment portfolio. We talk it over with our financial advisor if we should sell them. We make a decision. Then we relax. There might be a some loss. So? It's the overall direction of our portfolio. 

Meanwhile, to generate more funds to invest, including in non-traditional assets such as gold and collectibles, we can embrace multiple sources of income. That move is the new hedge against employment volatility. Even well-paid professionals are insultating themselves with gigs, in addtion to their day jobs. Lawyer Kevin Ha, who has a full-time position practicing law, does 13 side jobs. 

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

What's Old Is New Again - Maybe Not in the Book Medium

"Sales volume of print books sold in the United States in 2020 totaled 751 million units, according to NPD’s analysis, accounting for an 8.2 percent year-over-year increase from 2019. NPD reports that these figures account for the best year for print book sales in the U.S. since 2010." - Jon Gingerich, Odwyerpr.com, February 26, 2021.

Top sellers ranged from the inspirational "A Promised Land" by Barack Obama to the expose "Too Much and Never Enough" by Mary Trump. 

The sales driver was COVID-19. Not only were we locked in. There came a tipping point in how much screen time we could or would absorb. We longed to go old-fashioned and read. Sprawl on the couch. However, many public libraries were closed for walk-ins. Books could only be checked out in off-putting ways. So, sure, pop again to buy books. They arrived right at the door. 

However, businesses and individuals who assume they are savvy about trendwatching shouldn't rush into planning to do a print book. As that adage screams, the past isn't prologue.

When COVID-19 pulls out of town the pent-up demand for activities outside the walls of the home is bound to explode.

According to Deloitte, reports AP, the coming of vaccines has boosted planning for travel.

Bad news for Peloton, gyms could reopen. The message is out: Sitting is the new smoking. In the UK that could be in April 2021. Don't count on gym rats to bring a print book to read during a complex workout.

In "South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom," SCOTUS ruled the reopening of churches in California, with some guidelines. Religious organizations are social. The congregations will be out and about singing in the choir, doing good works and fundraising in innovative ways. 

Print books could return to being a fading medium.

The circling back to a downward trajectory could be accelerated by podcasting. Talk is easier to do than the intricate systems of the print medium. Also it's more fun. And it can be absorbed in a mobile way.

I published a major article on Odwyerpr.com about podcasting trends in 2021. Sure, Obama has out there a bestseller print book. But recently what has been his media magnet is his Spotify podcast with Bruce Springsteen. It's called "Renegades: Born in the USA." 

There's more than that, though, to marketability.

Also, companies and individuals have to be more engaging on social networks, be they LinkedIn or Twitter. That requires thought leadership or going beyond the platitudes, along with catchy headlines. Embed old-fashioned soul in posts. What's sincere has become the new pull force. 

E-books? Glutted territory. 

White papers. They're back. That's because they are data-rich, straightforward and being developed by blockbuster brandnames such as those in management consulting and think tanks. The template is standard. Lean into it, like an old shoe.

 Meanwhile, advocacy platforms such as Vice and Abovethelaw keep the tone of communications, both internal and external, from excessive arrogance. 

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Meet St. Jude - 2021 Version of the Saint of Impossible Cases

After LOV, my 13-year-old dog, passed over the first week of January 2021 I threw in the towel. On just about everything.

Together, LOV and I had driven across the country from Toleo, Ohio to Sierra Vista, Arizona. That was mid-December 2020.

Sure, he had been diagnosed last June in OH with heart failure and was on two medications.

But, from my research I expected two more months, at least.

The first several days here in the land of the sun he rallied. Then it was all downhill. On the first Sunday in January, at 8:00 A.M. he asked me to let him go. Although I was new in town, on the internet I found a vet center which was open.

The grief was profound. 

As it should have been.

LOV game me love.

When my back went out he was there for me.

When I got lost several times on the route from the midwest, he gave me the look which said, "Just a setback, Mommy."

After breaks at truck stops like Pilot, we shared beef jerky in our tiny Smart Car. And lots of water for him and Diet Coke for me.

At the motels, it was like the sniff version of Disney Land. He had so many new square feet to entertain his nose with. 

Magical thinking took over. In the mild weather of AZ he could go on for years, right.

Oh, I accepted that LOV was gone. There was none of the denial to put off the pain of loss. 

Then, last week, in deep meditation, I sensed LOV. I also sensed Sarah, a cat which had passed over in 2004. Telepathetically the message was: We don't want you to be alone. Bring a senior cat into your life. 

This week I drove the 76 miles to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, in Tucson on West Roger Road.

"You can spend as much time as you want with the cats." That was what the volunteer told me, after I filled out the forms.

Oh, how I wanted to bring them all into my life. 

Then, at the end of room there he was. 

"Very loving." That's what a volunteer and a staff member both assured me.

He was a senior, like me. And had a weight problem, like me.

"Could I hold him?"

My arms felt so full of love.

The cat carrier, a used one, cost only $15. A staff member dug up one big enough to hold all 21 pounds.

The kitty litter pan, kitty litter itself and bowl amounted to peanuts. There was a large bag of Science Diet for no cost to take home.

The two of us could go right from Roger Road to his new forever home on South Carmichael Avenue in Sierra Vista. No need to stop for supplies. 

A free wellness check with a Tucson vet goes with the adoption fee ($50 for such a blessing). On Wednesdays and Saturdays, there are affordable vaccinations. 

There was no question. I named this new companion in my life St. Jude.

In the Roman Catholic religion, St. Jude is the saint of impossible cases. Some might recall that when comic Danny Thomas couldn't get his career off the ground, he prayed to St. Jude. The rest is history. In return for this miracle, Thomas created St. Jude Research Hospital for Children.

What my four-footed St. Jude brought back into my life is the capacityt for joy. Along with that has been the strength to go to the Nexts, whatever they are.

St. Jude's fav hang-out in his forever home is sitting on the top of the cabinents. Yes, he then opens the cabinets with his paws. Beyond cute. 

Already he feels safe enough to relax and allow himself to be hugged and kissed. 

I have decided to change the heir for my Edward Jones investment fund to the Humane Society of Southwestern AZ. I have been so blessed.

You too can leave the Society a little or a lot. Here are the details.

Or make a donation now.

Sure, you can consider volunteering.

We can all open ourselves to life, even after loss.

 

Granfluencers - Lucrative Influence Gigs Not Just for Gen Zers

"Web-savvy seniors called granfluencers are racking up thousands, even millions, of Instagram followers — along with mountains of money — by posting pics of themselves in scintillating outfits and other celeb-worthy snaps." - Ben Cost, New York Post, February 26, 2021.

One granny influnecer who is making out like a bandit is Ruth Elam. She is 92 and has an innate sense of showmanship. Her posing ranges from sporting feathers to outrageous sunglasses.

The promotional gigs she is hired for such as by Jack in the Box and Svedka Vodka gets her $9,815 a pop.

She is not atypical. Other grannies who know how to put themselves out there on social networks also are making a very good living. 

Takeaway: Don't let age limit your vision on how to never retire.

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Your Living Depends on It: Shaking Loose Feedback from Employers/Clients/Customers

"Some managers may be hesitant to have difficult performance discussions with employees amid the pandemic, thinking it isn’t constructive to deliver critiques when people are under so much personal and professional stress." - Tom Gimbel, The Wall Street Journal, February 25, 2021. 

The burden can be on you to push for the feedback you need - even if you anticipate some of it may be upsetting. 

As Dale Carnegie courses teach, approach your employer, client or customer in a friendly manner. A bit casual. Talk about sports or the better weather. Share tidbits about your workout program.

Then let them know that you need to know how to be as useful to them as possible. Therefore, you open the door to feedback. Add, in a relaxed way, that you are ready for the good and the bad and the ugly.

Yes, feedback, whether it's the good, the bad or the ugly, is usually one of those difficult conversations. That's because no one in the loop knows how the information will be received. Often what is intended as positive can be absorbed as negative. For example, the employer praises the worker for proofreading documents more thoroughly. Immediately the employee panics that there is a "bad mark" on the record for being slopply earlier.

The difficulty is increased exponentially in a virtual workplace. Even with Zoom, there is a lack of communications signals to assess how the conversation is going. Also, there can be ambiguity on how all the parties are "feeling."

Yet COVID-19 is changing so much. Uncertainty is the new normal. That increases exponentially the need for sustained input from employers, clients and customers.

Takeaway: Figure out how to shake feedback from those who determine how you make your living.

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)