Over-50

Circling Back to Our Apartment Days - But, This Time, W/O the Extreme Interior Decorating

One thing more and more of us now have in common with Millennials is this: We are both apartment renters who we are unwilling to invest time and money making the property Martha-Stewart beautiful.

The Wall Street Journal reports that, yes, many Millennials are working from home. But they aren't rushing off to any of the home-improvement big boxes to fix up the place. Personal-Finance savvy, they get it that the apartment is the landlord's property, not theirs. If they beautify it, especially through long-term interior design such as painting, that will financially benefit the landlord, not themselves.

The advice from many financial planners for us Baby Boomers is to wait for the real estate to boom, then sell the family home. I did that in 2004. Since then I have been renting. And since then I haven't picked up a paint brush or gone to the art museum for wall decorations. You bet, I am in a Millennial mindset: Why enhance the landlord's property? And, no, I don't need pretty. Enough heat in winter, enough cold air in summer, and I am doing just fine. Bare walls? So? Less and less do we aging invite others in. The last time I hosted a dinner party had been 2005.

That perspective is way different from how we went about renting before we bought our first house. For us, having an apartment, especially w/o roommates, was a significant rite of passage. We were really out of our parents' homes and out of the dorm. Ah, personal freedom, at last. If the landlord wasn't one of those busybodies we could have lovers overnight and down-and-out friends from college bunking with us forever. It was days of heaven.

That feeling of utter liberation was universal among us. We treasured it. So, we pitched it to beautify our buddies' apartments. After the painting was done, out came the beer, wine and cheap eats. I recall our being so happy. 

Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way. From everywhere came the nudge to buy a house or at least a condo. Unless we had wealthy parents, that meant a mortgage. And that meant our carefree days were over. We had to worry about keeping the job and getting ahead as property taxes rose and the water heater went kaput.

Returning to apartment living does signal the embrace of a certain kind of freedom again. No longer is there the fear of an unexpected big bill for a basement which is starting to fill with water or a roof that is leaking. So, the money essentially is ours. And, none of mine since 2004 has gone to making the nest like something out of the glossy shelter magazines. It's simply a roof over my head.

Because I can afford that w/o needing roommates I am grateful. This Thanksgiving, as I hunker down in my apartment during social distancing times I will look at the walls which could use a coat of paint and feel good that age brings the gift of not needing much. That's what Roger Rosenblatt emphasized in his memoir "Making Toast." As I keep pivoting to new values with aging I reflect on the extreme contentment which comes from needing so little.

Indeed, someone might peek into the window from the street and mistake the digs for that inhabited by a  medieval monk.

There are my writing equipment, books, candles for prayer and meditation and a mat to get my rest (I have a bad back). That's it. That's the liberation from the ethos that we are our shelter.

Instead, I have become my own person (finally). Come to think of us, our generation really did take a bit of time to gain a real sense of self.

During the counterculture we were as conformist as during the Eisenhower Administration. Then came the careerism. Next we entered the worry-about-retirement box. 

A minimalist apartment becomes the symbol of having found ourselves after a lifetime of being lost. Millennials could escape that kind of rigid journey. 

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Not Only CAN You Change Your Life, At Your Age, It's Your Only Option to Keep Working

It's that fork in the road.

It may take the form of a layoff, forced retirement, collapse of the business you founded or the usual Chapter 11. 

Whatever.

You have to decide: Do you have what it takes to continue to bring in income from working. Or will you throw in the towel and just keep downsizing your expenses. 

In my experience as a coach I know one thing: Your ability to continue to earn (and learn) is all in your head. You decide whether you will keep moving on in your life or become stuck. 

If you opt to going on with your life, then you will probably have to change a lot of it. The good news, as Boston Magazine hammers, is that just about any human being is capable of setting in play personal disruption. That's not just for super people like Betty White who created a marketable professional identity based on being old.

From what I have observed, though, the majority wind up in a closed looping of regretting the past, not getting comfortable in the present and fearing the future (especially of running out of money). They are the kind of human beings executive coach Henry Cloud pines for in his iconic book "Necessary Endings." 

Here are the four major impediments which keep you stuck:

• People. More than anything, they can hold you hostage to the status quo. They don't want to change so they will pull out all stops so you don't change and leave them. The science of mirror neurons proves that we influence each other, cell by cell. 

 

• Memories of earlier success. Nothing fails like success. Believe you have other peak professional experiences ahead. They may be different from former ones. Instead of the high of earning the big big bucks I am deriving enormous satisfaction from helping entrepreneurs' startups get off the ground.

 

• Mandate to learn new skills. Those include the software necessary to apply for certain jobs. That training could cost peanuts online or even free. Research that. Most employers will only toss your application which claims you learn software fast. They want you to apply with certification that you have down cold that technology.

 

• Money. You don't take the necessary financial risks to get a new life off the ground. Relocating to Arizona, where there is less age bias in the labor market, involves spending money. You balk.

Full Disclosure: Next month I am pulling up roots, like the American pioneers, and heading west. That will set me back thousands of dollars. So?

The Future of Work is now. Ghostwriting on those issues and coaching for job search, transition, personal branding, re-entry after recovery and reputation restoration. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Some Things Just Don't Pan Out - Bob Dilenschneider's book "Decisions" Ranks 1,251,308 on Amazon

The toughest professional guidance I provide those I coach is the reality that many initiatives won't succeed.

An obvious example of that is Bob Dilenschneider's book "Decisions." It was published on December 31, 2019. Less than 11 months later it has plunged in Amazon's rankings to 1,251,308.

Dilenschneider operates a public affairs boutique in Manhattan. He had been the late Roger Ailes' personal public relations representative. Last month, he turned age 77.

Had Dilenschneider come to me for professional coaching, here are the five recommendations I would have put out there:

• Pivot from marketing through books. That succeeds only if the book will be a brisk seller. If it doesn't sell, in this era of Amazon rankings, it will put you in the corridor of public shame. Any book which doesn't catch fire can play out to be a liability.

 

• Ask all his constituencies what they need to learn as well as reflect on. Every major holiday Dilenschneider publishes in third party media what he considers an inspirational thought leadership piece. For me, most seem to have the wrong tone and content for our disruptive times. 

 

• Be committed to market differently - and keep changing.

 

• Experiment with other marketing strategies and tactics. Among them can be podcasting and paid newsletters such as Substack. 

 

• Update his website. The leading article on the homepage is dated September 2019.

It was as he aged, actor/director Clint Eastwood made the shift from B-Grade action films to artistic creations. "Unforgiven" is a classic. He had made his money. He was free to experiment.

Dilenschneider could also parachute into a transformation. (He's invited to a half-hour free coaching session. He can make an appointment at janegenova374@gmail.com.)

The Future of Work is now. Ghostwriting on those issues and coaching for job search, transition, personal branding, re-entry after recovery and reputation restoration. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Own It: "At Your Age" Your Abusive Childhood Is Still Getting You in Lots of Trouble (but, help is on the way)

The confluence of COVID-19 and a dicey economy is unleashing a tsunami of raw rage. That could reach from the client biting your head off to the murder down the block to parts of city going up in flames. 

But even in more tame times rage has cost society much. Also, individuals have lost their freedom. Jails and prison are packed with those who let their rage run its course.

In addition, my hunch is that frequently professionals with an abundance of potential get stuck because of rage under their internal floorboard.

Obviously, those anger management courses haven't been effective in reducing rage. 

However, help could be coming from a surprising source. That's Marlon Brandon. Last year, a new Brando biography- "The Contender" - was published by William J. Mann. 

The total dynamic of rage, from its source to simple ways to push it down (as Brando thought about it), is made so clear. No one needs to take Psychology 101 or tune into Dr. Phil. 

Here's what you will get from "The Contender":

• Rage can take shape because of an abusive childhood. The trauma of that may never go away. So much for the platitudes of healing. REPEAT: If you were an abused child, as Brando had been, you can be embedded with the kind of emotional setpoint that results in your throwing a punch after what others consider a minor assault on your dignity. 

• Own the rage. Through years and years of therapy and meditation Brand accepted that there was that force within him that it was his responsibility to control it.

• It's possible to create a DIY in your head to prevent the rage from rushing up to the surface - and getting you in trouble. As Mann notes, Brando was admired but not widely liked or loved. The tactic to manage the rage is analogous to what some anger-management courses teach: Find the midpoint in that powerful feeling. That is between being a doormat and exploding. Place the emotion at that safe midpoint. Then, stop. Think.  

If you are part of the post-book generation, however, the 624 pages could be too formidable to even order from Amazon or check out from the public library (they are open again).

That's the rub in this amazing resource for rage management. The author is a professor. Likely he leveraged researching and publishing this tome as a needed credential for his academic career. No surprise, although it's well-done and an engrossing read, it only ranks in the 200,000s on Amazon. It should rank higher.

Those with no intention of plowing through "The Contender" can grab onto this takeaway: Admit your childhood was that bad. Recognize when rage is building up. Push it down. Hold that position.

According to Mann, Brando finally did achieve peace of mind. That's what he chased. Not fame. Not even to create great art through his acting. 

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Your Career Is Over? So Is Everyone's

Careers don't exist any more. At least not among those who understand the new dynamics of the world of work. 

Instead of the career path, explains consulting firm Wallis Tower Watson, there is the portfolio of skills.

You keep adding to that portfolio and you remain employable. Stop adding and you're just another older professional who is unable to figure out how to land, hold and move on to better work.

If you're currently without work and are willing to think in different ways, here is a free read on all that Download Outwitting ageism.

Carrying a portfolio of skills is actually nothing new. Among tradespeople and blue collar laborers that was and is routine. I recall working in Spain teaching English as a second language and earning extra income in a tourist cafe serving coffee and Spanish sherry.

Over and over again I had great conversations with cooks, handymen, deck hands and musicians who never went without a meal. They had down cold how to acquire the right skills to pick up work fast - in a number of nations. Among their skills was being fluent in several languages. 

Adding to your skills doesn't have to be expensive. Certification and two-year associate degrees are low-cost in a community college.

When the long-distance trucking market bounces back, you can get licensed for under $7k. Or for free if you agree to drive for two years for the company which trains you. 

The most old-fashioned way is to tag along with an expert in a field and learn it. That could be a consultant or a landscaper. Many lines of work don't require formal licensing. 

Back in 2008, when I was blogging on legal matters, lawyers who were laid off asked me to provide help with their resumes, cover letters and interviews. Eventually, I was also doing guidance. Usually it's an emotional blockage which keeps those searching for work from finding it. By 2010, I had added career coaching to the portfolio.

More recently, I also put into the portfolio ghostwriting about The Future of Work.

Sure, if you have been forced off your career track, you should mourn. In "Necessary Endings," executive coach Henry Cloud recommends performing rituals which help you let go of what was. 

That can be useful too as you discover a skill which you used for four decades is no longer marketable. Most of my early career I had excelled in writing Corporatese. Then, no one wanted that tone and content any more. I packed up the car and my four-legged son LOV and spent a winter weekend by frozen Lake Erie. By Sunday morning I got it: That way of making a good living had been a long time ago. 

One more tip: Develop and keep expanding multiple sources of income. Millennials call them "side hustles."

The Future of Work is now. Ghostwriting on those issues and coaching for job search, transition, personal branding, re-entry after recovery and reputation restoration. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

 

Your Retirement Date Might Be Pushed Up to 61 or 62

"Most retirees said they quit working for reasons outside their control, such as a surprise job loss or health issues." - Russ Wiles, Arizona Republic, October 19, 2020.  

The fallout from COVID-19 has increased the odds that you will be forced into early retirement. The confluence of rampant ageism per se and the pandemic-generated job losses has lowered the retirement age to about 61 or 62. 

That means that if you are still employed you have to prepare emotionally, socially and financially for exiting your career.

If you are already unemployed you have to embrace the reality that your career is probably over. Sure, you can find work, maybe even in your own field. But the big money, status and brand identity are probably over.

There are two big pieces to this reality.

One is the difficulty of wrapping your head about this ending. In America, we are our careers. Give yourself time to grieve and to let go. Yes, be gentle with yourself. A useful read is executive coach Henry Cloud's "Necessary Endings." He doesn't underestimate what a brutal rite of passage transition can be.

The second is the money part. Reducing fixed costs and pulling back on discretionary spending usually are not enough. The odds are you will still have to bring in income. Here, a free read, is my book on landing, holding and moving on to better work, no matter your age or what's happening in the economy Download Outwitting ageism.

It's magical thinking to wait for some government entity or nonprofit to parachute in and "save" you from the challenges of redefining yourself and your lifestyle post-60. Essentially the burden is on you to put together a fresh platform for your identity and earning power.

The Future of Work. Ghostwriting on those issues and coaching for job search, transition, personal branding, re-entry after recovery and reputation restoration. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Aggressively Saving for Retirement - 1 Big Mistake

"Jewish members of Congress are facing anti-Semitic attacks on Twitter in the lead-up to the November election, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League." - Rachael Levy, The Wall Street Journal, October 6, 2020

The key targets in Congress are elite brandnames such as Chuck Schumer and Jerrod Nadler. A side target is that influential brandname George Soros.

The Twitter hate speech, which hasn't been removed from the social network, accuses them of sundry crimes against American society. On the list are nurturing civil unrest and attempting to undermine U.S. President Donald Trump.

But anti-semitism is embedded even in the hood. In the Americana midwest.

On the mean streets of Toledo, Ohio, I had been roughed up. Verbally. My vehicle was vandalized. There also had been old-fashioned standoffishness, that is, shunning. 

The irony? I am not Jewish. It was and is assumed that I am. 

I have a deep Brooklyn type accent. For those outside the New York Metro area, that's associated with being Jewish. In addition, because I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood, Yiddish words slip into my speech. Example: To refer to a pain in the neck errand as, "it's a schlep."

My body style and facial features are Eastern European, where many Jews have come from.

My complexion is dark, as with those from Israel. 

Since anti-semitism has become so rampant (think the terrorism in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) it's also assumed that I would attempt to conceal those ethnic origins (which don't exist). When I used to explain that I am not Jewish, there were smirks. Yeah, sure. Tell us another one. I have ditched that narrative. Let me be Jewish.

The solution?

For me it has been to relocate to a better neighborhood and social groups. I had been doing some aggressive saving for retirement (in five years). That's why I was renting in the hood. Research indicated it didn't have more crime than other spots in Toledo. I assumed I was being quite financially smart. Hahaha.

The solution for anti-semitism?

Maybe there is none. Growing up in immigrant tenements I recognized that oppressed human beings need to feel superior to and to bully those they feel they can get away with doing that. Irish Catholics, who were in the area before us, held back jobs. The top bully had been Frank Hague who had created an iconic political machine. 

In the new book "Humankind," Rutger Bregman asserts that essentially people are decent. He knows that's radical. So radical that he's featured in erudite programming on PBS. Well, the book didn't move the dial on my dark understanding of the human species.

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Yes, You Over-45 Are Being Forced Out of Job Market - But You Can Reimagine How to Earn a Good Living

"An uncomfortable amount of the 45-and-over crowd have been forced to take jobs at the Home Depot or take on gig-economy-type roles, just to pay the bills and get health insurance." Jack Kelly, "Ageism Is Forcing Older Workers Out Of The Job Market," in Forbes, October 2, 2020. 

The Forbes article on the challenges for the aging is, of course, not new news.

ProPublica put out there a while ago that if you are over-50, the majority of you will be forced out your job. Moreover, only one in 10 of you will earn comparable compensation in the next job.

The surging overall unemployment during COVID-19 has worsened the situation. That's all that is new.

However, sure, you might wind up doing a stint in Home Depot. I did just that in 2003 -2004. The collapse of Enron and 9/11 had created a perfect storm which killed off my boutique in executive communications.

To pay the bills I grabbed a contract assignment at Home Depot in loss prevention. Soon enough I transformed that into a full-time job at Home Depot (Yes, I received health benefits) - along with regaining my confidence.

The Next consisted of my setting up two new boutiques. One in digital marketing. Another in career coaching. Forever, I am grateful to Home Depot. 

The reality, and not just for the aging, is that careers are no longer linear. There are times when we do interim, low-paying, low-status work to pay the bills, maintain our Protestant Ethic and reimagine how we can make a good living. I outline some of that in this free read Download Outwitting ageism.

The rub is that we have to let go of what was. Here, also a free read, is my book on reaching beyond our comfort zones. The old-fashioned way of referring to that is "being flexible." Even during the boom 20th century, employment counselors advised those of all generations to be just that: flexible.

A current example of flexible is digital marketer and provocative book author Paul Chaney. Now, over-50, during his career, he has segued from permanent full-time jobs to self-employment to interim assignments to permanent full-time jobs to self-employment. 

Right now, Chaney is an entrepreneur with multiple lines of business. They range from publishing to digital marketing. He markets himself through social networks like LinkedIn and podcasting. 

During the past 18 months I also had to do exactly what I recommend to coaching clients: Let go. My niche in digital communications had become glutted. The demand for career coaching was increasing. As executive coach Henry Coach titles his book "Necessary Endings," I had to end the communications specialization. It was not easy. Understatement.

The must-have mindset for the over-45, at least if you want to keep working, includes these four assumptions:

• Working is better than not working. When not working you lose your sense of how to go to work, your skills and your confidence. You do not acquire new skills. When I was a security guard, I remained socialized to the workplace context. I continued to leverage my communications skills in managing customers, superiors and subordinates. I learned how to detect scams. Before I left, the brass had offered me a supervisory position.

 

• Gear up for multiple forms of income. This isn't just for those oppressed with age bias. MarketWatch featured 32-year-old full-time lawyer Kevin Ha. He has 13 side hustles, including food delivery. Any platform for earnings can collapse. 

 

• Any job is just one job. It is not your last job. You don't have to stay there, not in compensation, not in status, not in possible mobility. A job is a stop-off at which you earn income and become more marketable. Yes, jobs and gigs should be chosen with an eye to an overall marketability.

 

• Let everyone know you are willing to work and are looking for work. The over-65 handyman in my complex has three other gigs in addition to this full-time permanent job. His mantra is: I will do what you need, for pay. 

The platitude is that change is the new normal. But, as Buddhism and other eastern philosophies hammer, change has always been a constant. Impermanence is the fundamental of the human condition.

To roll with that, it could be useful to take in, free, Pema Chodron's YouTube "Fear and Fearlessness." Chodron, who had graduated from posh Miss Porter's, became a Buddhist nun when she felt the ground disappearing beneath her. The second husband announced he was leaving.

While we struggle to continue to make a good living, myriad times the ground will seem to be vanishing. The burden is on us to pivot to the next bit of financial and professional stability.

The work world has become unforgiving. You may be among those who have to reimagine your career. Affordable coaching.  Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Doomed to Retire Poor? - There's a Way Around That

According to research by the New School of New York City, reports MarketWatch, the majority of the current aging is bound for poverty. 

The reasons include:

Because of COVID-19, you are being forced out of your job before you're financially able to retire. However, even before the pandemic, ProPublica documented that half of those over-50 would be leaving their jobs involuntarily. Of those of you fortunate enough to land another job, the compensation will not match your former earnings. 

The job you lost may not be coming back, at least not in time for you to make ends meet now and in the near future. That applies if you previously had been employed in industries such as hospitality, transportation, retail and journalism. 

Hiring situation has worsened for you. All generations are competing for fewer jobs and gig assignments. 

To pay your bills, you are dipping into your retirement funds. Given the labor market, you may not be able to replenish that fund. 

But, you can pivot out of the dark destiny. As a career coach, specializing in the challenges of aging, here's what I recommend to clients:

• Never stop working. It doesn't matter where, when or at what. Here, a free read, is my bible on how to land, hold and move on to better work Download Outwitting ageism

 

• Be willing to change and keep changing. Here, also a free read, is my book on transporting yourself out of your comfort zones. 

 

• Downsize both fixed costs such as for housing and food.

 

• Downsize discretionary spending such as for recreation. 

 

• Invest. You are never too old to create and grow wealth.

The work world has become unforgiving. You may be among those who have to reimagine how you earn income from work. Affordable coaching.  Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Younger Retirees Probably Won't Receive What Older Ones Currently Are Getting Monthly

"Among the numerous adverse effects of the current crisis [COVID-19] is the steep incline in the expected insolvency dates for Social Security and Medicare’s programs, which are expected to run out of money in 11 years compared with the previous projection of 15 years." - MarketWatch, September25, 2020.

Younger retirees could find that the amount older retirees for Social Security and for Medicare are receiving can't be counted on. The haircut on Social Security could be 25%. Older recipients who are still alive then would also have to cope with the reduction in the monthly payment.

The reasons include:

• Less tax revenues
• Growth of the aging population
• Trust fund assets growing more slowly given lower interest rates.

Social Security could become insolvent by 2031. Medicare by 2024. Either or both can be catastrophic for the aging.

The prediction: Retirement will be partial. Here, free to read, is my book on how to land, hold and move on to better work, at any age Download Outwitting ageism.

Small changes can have big impacts. Results-driven career coaching.  Affordable rates (sliding scale).  Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com) Download UnleashingPossibilitywithJaneGenovaCareerCoaching