Over-50

Abrupt Change of Plans and an Unwise Financial Decision - So?

Yes, I had already put down the security deposit on a one-bedroom apartment about 10 miles from the "scene of the crime" here in Toledo, Ohio.

The location was a crime scene - metaphorically - because from the get-go more than the average number of things went very wrong.

I was set. Right. On December 28th I could move in. That would be more cost-effective than going with my dream: relocating back to Southwestern Arizona. The reality was that the five years I had been living in OH represented a time of coping - sometimes just barely. Not enjoying life.

The tipping point on the decision to stay rather than leave came when I called around for estimates to move my furniture. No, Plan A was not going to be cost-effective. The furniture wasn't even worth what the vendors proposed. 

I returned to the drawing board. Could I really parachute into Plan B? That is, circling back to the Paradise of the desert.

On the internet I found an affordable apartment in off-beat Sierra Vista, AZ. It had been a mining town near the border of Mexico. In the middle of it is a military base. Weird little businesses have sprung up around the town, mostly to accomodate tourists going underground to visit the old mines.

Yes, I could lock in the entire apartment rental online. 

The drive would be four days, with motels at night.

Shipping my furniture would have cost a king's ransom. So, okay, I have to approach the move as a startup in life, investing in furniture again.

The apartment at which I put a deposit indicated it would only return $100. 

No, the decision, made abruptly, wouldn't be at all financially smart.

So?

Sometimes watching every hundreds of dollars or even thousands can doom us to unnecessary unhappiness.

On December 16th, my four-legged son LOV and I pull out of Toledo. AAA mapped out the southern route. 

And, tomorrow, the local psychic is picking up my furniture to donate to the needy he knows.

That will be sad.

The one thing which went right in OH had been the merchandise I bought, including the bicycle I loved. Only years of Buddhist training on non-attachment has gotten me to the point that I can let go of that. I hope the bicycle brings joy to whomever will be its next traveler.

What are "they" - the busybodies who watch others' lives - saying about my (sudden) change of plans? Age has given me the gift of not-caring, at least not very much.

Christmas Day? I will spend it with a friend I had left behind in Tucson, AZ five years ago. 

Takeaway: Go with intuition, not with what is supposedly a smart financial decision. Embracing the dream doesn't have to make any financial sense. 

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Out of Work/Not Enough Work? - Knocked Out of Your Comfort Zone

The universe might have given you a gift: unemployment or underemployment. 

 

You are knocked out of your professional comfort zone and "forced" to try out other ways to earn income. Maybe just temporarily. Maybe longer-term. 

 

An example of what you can experiment with? 

 

Consider standardized tests. That's a major industry in the U.S. We are a nation which assesses. 

For those of you who are analytical, this could be a source of solid income. 

Among the possibilities is tutoring for one or more standardized tests. 

They range from the GMAT for applying to business school to the LSAT/GRE for applying to law school. 

Often training available is for becoming a paid tutor. Sometimes that training is even paid.

Currently, Prep Scholars is hiring tutors for SAT/ACT, based in Cambridge, MA. Here is its help-wanted ad, as it appears on Craigslist - Sites, in the MA section, under "education." Starting compensation is $30 per hour. Once you're experienced, you will earn $50 per hour.

In addition, there are opportunities in:

• Grading standardized tests such as ACT essays by high school students.
• Creating questions for standardized tests. 
• Reviewing prospective standardized tests.
• Proofreading and editing standardized tests.
• Managing marketing communications for niches in the standardized-test industry.

Usually the compensation is above average.

Where to look for these opportunities? 

Craigslist - Sites frequently lists the contract assignments in categories:

• Education
• Legal (for the lucrative LSAT test)
• Writing/Editing
• NonProfit

Other online job boards which are not specialized (such as for engineers or public relations) usually will provide those kinds of assignments in the test category. 

 

This kind of work could prove to fit with your talents. Consequently, you could put together several gigs and acquire enough hours to make this comparable to a full-time position. Yes, some people make a good living tutoring in this way.

 

In addition, there is the old adage: Nothing gets you work like having work. In itself, doing these assignments could make you come across as more marketable. Since you are able to make ends meet you won't be transmitting desperate vibrations. That makes you more attractive to those hiring. Also, if you are performing well in your tutoring, your overall confidence will increase.

 

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Transcending Not Only Criminal Record, But Also Age: Felicity Huffman

Unlike fellow CollegeAdmissions "sinner" Lori Loughline, Felicity Huffman was properly remorseful. She played that well in court

Her persona was sad and her look haggard.

Later, in prison, the media dutifully reported that she was suffering emotionally. 

During her one year of supervised release, Huffman laid low. No getting caught in too many star snaps.

Now, reports Daily Mail, she, at age 57, has achieved a full comeback in her acting career. In addition to some bit roles, she will be in a television comedy produced by Aaron Kaplan's Kapital Entertainment.

That means she transcended both a criminal record and age. 

Meanwhile time will tell if she can regain the prominence of her role in the hit "Desperate Housewives."

Takeaway: Don't be a smartaleck when caught playing a privilege card.

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Aging - Is That the Big Bad Wolf Chasing Maria Bartiromo?

Is there a big bad wolf that Maria Bartiromo is afraid of? Sure seems like it. And the result is that she, like Greta Van Susteren, is deep-sixing her career,

Some recall how both on-air personalities at Fox stood loyal to Roger Ailes when he was first investigated for alleged sexual harassment.

The two had different fates. Van Susteren left or was pushed out. Her next job - it was at MSNBC - didn't pan out. And, now she's doing Sunday morning. That's "Full Court Press." It doesn't seem to be catching fire. She's not a Sunday A.M. kind of persona. Also, there is speculation that she had had a stroke. 

Well, Bartiromo held onto her position at Fox. But the issue is now: For how much longer?

Very recently, she has been vilified by media critics for her non-interview of Donald Trump about the election. Instead, as it's being positioned and packaged, she provided a platform for Trump to do his usual ranting. So much for her credibility. Essentially she let the interviewee control the interview. 

Is aging the big bad wolf Bartiromo seems to need to placate?

If it feels, looks and talks likes some entity is chasing Bartiroma, maybe there is. Could it be aging? In general, television is not kind to female on-air personalities. Fox, post-Trump Administration, may find her a vestige from the past. Therefore, a liability. The cable network will have to adjust to a new Administration. There probably will be many changes.

Like Van Susteren, Bartiromo could be gone. The odds are, if she winds up looking for a new job, its branding will represent several steps down. 

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Baby, It's Cold Outside - And, We're Saving a Bundle Retiring/Semiretiring in Midwest

The conventional wisdom is this: You go warm when retiring/semiretiring.

But, warm has become increasingly expensive.

With middle class folks unable to afford California any more, they fled to Arizona. That migration drove up the cost of living in the one-time Paradise for the aging.

The deep South isn't dirt cheap any more.

And, you would have to search hard to find a location in Florida that rents for peanuts or whose residential property is a steal.

Outside the United States? Gone are the days where you can be an expat making it on $700 a month. The exception might be bits of Eastern Europe. But good luck struggling to learn the languages. They aren't the Spanish and French you learned in high school.

Amid all those gloomy realities is a part of the United States which allows retirees and the semiretired to live within a budget comfortably - and happily.

That's the midwest. There, Baby It's Cold Outside. Also, there's snow. Tomorrow, residents of Ohio anticipate 4" to 8" and the beginning of a harsh winter.

But OH is among the states in the midwest in which the cost of living can be significantly below average.

For example, in the Youngstown metro area, at Hillbrook Apartments a studio is $545 and a one-bedroom $590. The apartments are large. All utilities, including heat, are included with the rent. Lake Erie is an hour away. Pittsburgh, 90 minutes.

In the Toledo Metro area, Maple Creek provides small one bedrooms, with private entrances, at $425 or $475 (the latter is renovated and has a microwave). The only utility that has to be paid is electricity. Canada is a doable day trip. University town Ann Arbor is an hour away.

Bitter cold only goes on for about three months. That's a short-term "price" to pay for low living costs. 

A New Yorker, I have been in the midwest for 5 years. My budget has allowed me to replace my aging car, start investing again and travel on weekends. This holiday I was at resort town Geneva on the Lake. I can also be more selective in the assignments I accept for my communications and coaching boutiques. Yes, I can "afford" to be picky.

Now and then I audit my finances. I play with the idea of going warm.

Admittedly, it's a burden to heat up and, if there is snow, dig out the car. "At my age," as the saying goes, I have to be vigilant walking outside if there is ice. Too often I change plans because I feel "It's too cold outside." 

Whatever decision I make, I will always be grateful for these years in the midwest which brought me financial security.

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Retirement - College Towns Meet Most of the Needs

A couple, five years from retirement, submitted their wish list to MarketWatch. On it are cultural-rich location but not too big a city, affordable health care and moderate weather. 

What meets just about everything on such a check list is the college town - at least one beyond the frigid midwest where the couple currently resides. Of course, that rules us iconic places like Ann Arbor, Michigan.

But there are plenty of others, ranging from Austin, Texas to Las Cruces, New Mexico. 

The culture is deep. Usually the university posts free lectures and hosts no-charge special events such as dramatic productions. Also, emerging movements frequently take root in college towns. Those present the thrill of fresh perspectives.

The counterculture began in those towns in trendsetting California, then spread eastward to Madison, Wisconsin and, yes, Ann Arbor, MI. By time "The Revolution" reached Manhattan university niches it was, well, fairly standardized. 

This particular couple has a substantial nest egg. Those who don't, though, might not be able to buy a house or even rent in the college town. No longer does genteel poverty prevail. Even the local thrift stores are savvy about the value a college town provides to non-students and cashes in with relatively high prices.

A compromise for retirees/semiretired on a tight budget is to settle in near a university in a location not blessed with an ultra cool brandname or particularly good weather. Take Toledo, Ohio.

At the end of December, I am relocating to an apartment complex I can afford with no draconian cutbacks on my budget near the University of Toledo. Actually I can peddle my bicycle there.

Another example, is Youngstown University in very affordable Youngstown, OH. At Hillbrook Apartments, a one-bedroom with all utilities (yes, heat too) paid is $590, an efficiency $545. 

Ann Arbor, where I spent seven years as a graduate student, and even nearby Ypsilanti, MI where I resided when employed by Chrysler, are currently too pricey, at least for me. Meanwhile, nearby university town Bowling Green, OH is affordable but there is always a waiting list for rentals. Juggling the endings and beginnings of lease dates can be too formidable for the over-50. That can result in paying extra rent at both locations.

Takeaway: You just might be able to find the Promised Land near a college rather than in a location totally an old-line college town. 

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8 Skills You Need Now, As Future of Work Bleeds into the Present

" ... 97 million new roles may emerge that are more adopted to the new division of labour between humans, machines and algorithms." - The Future of Jobs 2020, World Economic Forum, October 2020. 

That means that the creation of new kinds of work tasks can more than make up for the 85 million jobs which the World Economic Forum forecasts automation can eliminate by 2025. Such a scenario is welcome good news during these times of "double disruption" triggered by accelerated technology developments and COVID-19.

According to the World Economic Forum, the worker skills employers of the future need include:

• Critical thinking
• Analysis
• Problem-solving
• Self-management
• Active learning
• Resilience
• Stress tolerance
• Flexibility.

Among the buzzwords we'll all be hearing more often are:

 

Speed of disruption

Global reset

Public-private collaboration

Automation, in tandem with COVID-19

Upskilling

Reskilling.

 

Anyone who has searched for work or who feels insecure about current employment knows that the future is bleeding into the present. Thriving professionally requires time travel.

 

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

 

Knocked Out of the Box in Hollywood - Hang In, Do Career Transition, Float (choose option 3)

COVID-19, mergers and executives exiting for other careers. 

That's the new Hollywood story, reports The Wrap.  

In addition, as Variety hammers, the business model is shifting from the studios being in charge to personalization. The viewer is now at the center of the marketing and distribution processes. Massive layoffs are at all levels. 

The hopes for a comeback in the Hollywood loop have been blown up. As the pandemic goes on and on, folks have gotten out of the habit of leaving home and ponying up about 15 bucks to take in a movie at the mall. They'll continue nesting. There they will consume DVDs, streaming and even old-line broadcast television. New players providing such entertainment provide fresh competition for Hollywood as we have known it. 

Obviously, this industry joins editorial, hospitality, theme parks and myriad others in being disrupted. The result for all - and there will be more - is this: The workforce will have to find another way to make a living. 

An option is, of course, career transition. 

But career transition has two distinct drawbacks. Both financial, notes Forbes. 

One is that money usually is not coming in while learning a new skill. And, two, the training involves an outlay of funds. For instance, becoming licensed as a long-distance truck driver can run between $1,500 and $10,000, documents the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A law degree, calculates Nerd Wallet, can represent an investment of $130,000. 

In addition, once the training is completed, demand in the new field might have dried up. There had been a forecast of a shortage of truck drivers. Then, the recession overtook the industry. The new entries were stranded in unemployment and with loans from truck-driving schools.

Given the financials and risks of career change, there are some in Hollywood who will struggle to stay put. They might entertain magic thinking that they can hold on in a job or through assignments.

What could play out is the dynamic overtaking the collapsed field of editorial. Typically on digital job board ProBlogger, there are gig assignments (forget full-time jobs) for 2-cents a word. Here is a typical example from We Write Blog Posts. At one time, such an assignment might have been billed at 75-cents a word.

Given the extreme deflation in compensation, many content-providers in that niche would make a better living delivering pizzas for Marco's. 

One middle-aged man in Toledo, Ohio, burnt out from being a troubleshooter in IT, is doing just that. He not only had been able to buy a new car. He is getting estimates for extensive dental work. To his surprise and everyone else's, he is okay without a clear professional identity. 

And, that's the third option for those in Hollywood and others whose industry has been disrupted. That state of being might be called "Floating." 

Its advantages are clear:

• Money is coming in. Some declare the new game is about ensuring a steady stream of income. 
• No investment is being made in some possible Next.
• There is no compensation deflation. Many temporary gigs are in demand. 
• The opportunities are there to test out other lines of work. The former IT expert is having an inside look in fields such as food, delivery and customer service. Regarding the latter, the tips provide much insight.
• Anyone in that loop can develop multiple sources of income. Conventional career paths, for many, may be going kaput.

In the early 21st century, the lucrative executive communications industry tanked. After the Enron scandal, executives went low-profile. Then the post-9/11 recession cut budgets for any remaining demand for vendors providing ghostwriting and speechwriting. 

 

A coach recommended I "float." That included gigs in loss prevention, manning the front desk in a hotel chain and syndicated blogging. From those vantage points I could pick up on how the labor market was changing. I had enough information and insight to create a new startup. On that platform I have developed a career coaching service. Its special expertise is the displaced professional, along with new entries to the workforce. 

 

You may be able to pivot from your current unemployment or underemployment on your own - DIY. But if you discover you cannot, I am here for you.

 

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

 

 

Real-life Jobs Are Manpower Intensive - Virtual Whatever Isn't (be ready to be laid off and earn less)

There had been plenty of grousing about the kinds of jobs the Walt Disney Company operated in its theme parks. But at least they were jobs. And in the resort towns those entertainment empires created the kinds of employment which are ideal for the over-50. That ranges from real estate agent to hotel front-desk clerk.

In short, real-life is manpower intensive. COVID-19 closed down much of Disney's real-life businesses. Since last March, Disneyland in Anheim, California has been shuttered. 

So, it's expected, as The Wall Street Journal reports, the corporation is laying off 32,000 - with more job cuts due. 

Disney's core competence has shifted from creating happiness in its theme parks to streaming. Probably never again will it require such massive manpower.

In myriad ways Disney is a microcosm of the long-term shifts in labor demand. It's become a management platitude that the service jobs chopped during COVID-19 aren't coming back. Some of them have been transformed into other kinds of work such as in fulfillment and delivery. It's in those slots older workers can land on their feet.

About the compensation. The grim number is out there. ProPublica documents that those over-50 who are laid off have only one chance in 10 to every earn what they had. 

The solution? What has proved out are multiple sources of income. When one industry goes kaput, your ability to make ends meet doesn't. You just hustle for more hours at some of you other gigs.

Place your paid sponsored content on this blog. Here are 6 tips for search engine optimization (SEO) in 2020. Contact janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Career Transition - No Room for Certainty

You are in career transition. Few times in your life have you experienced such vulnerability. The former career path is over. As for the new way you will make a living, that's an unknown. 

The worst approach to career transition is to go into it with a fixed hypothesis. The example would be: Digital marketing is hot so that's what I will be become certified in. The step you take is to hunt up statistics which confirm the supposed demand (which don't take into account if you are suited for it). Then, you investigate programs providing affordable certification programs in digital marketing. And, you are feeling secure, for the first time in a long time.

That sense of security, of being comfortable, of finally being able to let go of the past will probably come  at the cost of your success. For instance, you may not be a good fit. Sure, demand is there but so is the talent. There could even be a glut. Is you feel for technology intuitive? The compensation could be too low for you to make ends meet. To support your family you need a higher weekly salary or project fee.

If you can delay the need to be comfortable you can use a whole different approach. Here is my book, a free read, on exiting traditional comfort zones. 

     

That mindset I label "Raw." You have no fixed idea about what direction you should be gravitating toward. You do not gather data which agrees with where you think you want to go and then put all that into neat boxes. You do not inform those who care about you that "now you have your direction."

Instead, you plop down in the total uncertainty.

Amid the flow of the world without any control over it, you simply sit there. You don't sort.

That flow is going on right in front of your eyes, that is if you keep your eyes open. You observe people who are similar to you who are making a good living. You ask for 10 minutes of their time. Then you ask for candor. The top issue is: What would I need to get where you are? You add, I have a hunch I can get there.

The flow is also happening on the help-wanted online bulletin boards. For example, on Craigslist - Sites you open every category of work. You analyze the requirements for each category. You ask yourself two questions: Could I do that? Would I be good at doing that and enjoy it? 

Flow also goes on at training centers. Make an appointment to talk with the admissions officer or guidance counselor. Ask about career paths such as substance abuse counselor or long distance truck driver. Sit in on course instruction. Talk to the students. Talk to the graduates.

And, let the flow move freely within yourself. What makes work not seem like work? Tap into that natural passion for what you could be doing to earn a good living without undue stress.

Where the Raw Method can transport you is to simultaneous career success and satisfaction. 

This can be DIY. If you sense you would find a guide useful, I am here for you.

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)