Over-50

Retirement & Relocation: For Quality Healthcare at Affordable Price, Research Italty, Spain

Inflation might be classified as officially low.

But don't try to sell that to financially struggling retirees and the semiretired. 

Frequently for them comes that brutal Ah-Ha Moment: We can no longer afford to live where we did our career. 

Their top two concerns, found a T. Rowe Price survey, are:

Quality of healthcare

Price.

For that combination they may be willing to relocate outside the U.S. After all, it's becoming well-known among the aging that unexpected medical bills not covered by insurance can result in bankruptcy. 

According to MarketWatch, two ideal locations for that could be Italy and Spain. The healthcare is high quality. Yet, a couple can make it on $2,000 to $2,400 a month, depending on the city chosen. The closer to the metro areas, the higher the cost of such necessities as keeping a roof over one's head. Yes, location matters a lot in terms of fixed expenses in any nation. Also, there are variables such as: Is public transportation adequate or does maintaining a car still have to be factored into a budget?

Relocating, even within the U.S., requires research. Yes, Ohio has the reputation for being low-cost. But there is a major difference in lifestyle possibilities between the two OH cities Youngstown and Toledo. 

The best research methodology, of course, is to visit for a few weeks - preferably several times. After all, cities and towns change with the times.

Visiting can be done during a couple's vacation from work. Yes, start investigating The Next years before actual retirement or cutting back on work.  One lawyer I coached took the family vacation in Barcelona Spain for years. That's where he and his spouse have retired. 

For outside the U.S. a good start for the research is provided by International Living.

As for the bare statistics about cost, simply key in the name of the location and keywords "cost of living." For example: "Barcelona, Spain cost of living." Among what will pop up on Google is this. 

As for questions about the actual healthcare, search the internet for material posted by real people who had experience with that. In addition, yes, visit.

Packing up and going to a location outside one's own nation without actually visiting beforehand can put retirees in the dire situation portrayed in the film "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."

A bunch of financially challenged British aging left their homeland to relocate in India to retire in a lodging sight-unseen.

Shock. The facility is broken down. It's managed by someone ill-equipped to oversee all the moving parts. And, work is hard to come by.

Another aspect of relocation to be prepared for is that the first or even the second try might not work out. I call that The Goldilocks Syndrome.

Folks move to Phoenix, Arizona. It's too hot. Then they settle in Toledo, OH. Too cold. The problem is that they hadn't realized that with aging they are more sensitive to weather. What was bearable at 40 might not be so at 65.

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Happy Birthday, Betty White

Role model of sustainability for all workers, Betty White has turned 98.

In addition, she has become the pragmatist about navigating the aging process. Her meme is: Getting older is not for sissies. 

What White has accomplished is positioning and packaging aging as a predicted rite of passage. It's like going to college is today and getting married was for Ok, Boomer.

All rites of passage are tough. As the movie "The Graduate" hammered, moving on from life-as-classroom to life-as-life is filled with uncertainty. After the Ok, Boomer received the college degree the journey forward was filled with nervous breakdowns, financial peril, and, yes, great success in the surging post-war economy. Many also realized they married too young. Divorce went mainstream. Their offspring had parachuted into therapy. 

This ritual also has no personal precedents. Ok, Boomer (along with members of the Silent Generation) is out here both struggling to find joy and getting it that he or she is going to die. Maybe soon. 

White has been there holding up the light of endurance to make that journey less scary.

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Richard Pryor - The Pain/Rage White Ok, Boomer Couldn't Touch (often not even in therapy)

The ABC special on Richard Pryor hammered his pain and rage. His family of origin was a "mess."

He endured and tried to channel into comedy what the white Ok, Boomer usually couldn't touch. Not even in therapy. Ironically, we were the first therapy generation.

How could we, the first gen to be able to attend college, admit how really bad it had been? Not allowed. Even the counterculture didn't open the door to embracing the pain and bellying up to the rage.

Instead we found work. How successful we, many from blue-collar backgrounds, had become in white collar career paths.

Now, of course, we who had been our work are struggling with a new kind of pain: fading professional identity. Not that we are "done." We are just no longer at the top of our game. We have to go on with the rest of our lives being ordinary. Extraordinary held the rage down.

Will Ok, Boomer break out in self-destruction as had Pryor? Already it's happening. In our age category, boozing is up. Suicide makes sense. 

Another option. Give touching the pain another try. Meditation can relax us enough to calm down and sit in the past.

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Social Security - Unintended Consequence

Often shade gets thrown on Social Security. 

It's positioned and packaged as a small bag of peanuts given to those who need more substantial fare.

But the reality is that for many who had long successful careers the amount of monthly paycheck can hose down the fire in the belly for work. That can be an unintended consequence for professionals who start receiving that guaranteed income and who also shift to frugality. Yes, it's plenty to live on. 

Come to think of it, the syndrome resembles unemployment compensation. Research and experience indicate that those receiving it often don't throw themselves into a focused job search until the payments were about to run out. 

Here's a telling anecdote. One woman I coached opted to take Social Security early. In her early 60s she was finding it difficult to land well-paying work. After the checks began rolling in, she just sort of withdrew. She had been her work. When she realized she could land decent-paying contract assignments if she changed how she marketed herself, she snapped awake. She did get an excellent assignment, then cancelled the Social Security. She might put collecting it until she is 70. 

Perhaps Social Security should be treated as funds to sock away for when it's downright impossible to work. Then professionals can continue being happily engrossed in work. 

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Harder to Make Ends Meet on Social Security

You're not imagining it.

Despite the boost of 1.6% in your Social Security check in 2020, you are having it harder to make it through the month. That's primarily because, as MarketWatch reports, that increase is lower than the current 2.3% inflation rate.

Inflation is being driven by the uptick in the price of keeping a roof over your head, gasoline, and healthcare. In the latter, the scary thing is the cost of medications. 

The good news is that there are solutions to bridge the gap between Social Security and what you really need to survive financially as you age.

Here are eight tips:

•  Work. Even a part-time job at a grocery store, fast food outlet, or call center can add $1,000 a month. Some jobs, such as call centers or grading standardized tests, can be done right from home. You can also start a very small business. There is no excuse for not continuing to earn income. Here, free to click open, is my book on how to land, hold, and move on to better work, at any age Download Outwitting ageism.
•  If you are keeping the family home, you have the option of co-living, that is, taking in boarders who provide skills and services you need. You get rent, plus someone to do the landscaping. Screen carefully.
•  Relocate. You probably can't afford to live where you built your career. To research different locations, just key in on a search engine phrases such as "Toledo, Ohio - Apartments for rent." That will give you a ballpark idea of the cost of living there. Also there are international locations. For those, key in "Ecuador - Apartments for rent." A starter guide for considering exiting the U.S. is International Living. 
•  Ask if businesses provide senior discounts. Usually you have to ask. That could be 10%, for instance, on a hair cut.
•  Consider if you need to own a car. Or can you get by on renting one now and then and Ubering it? According to NerdWallet, maintaining your own auto runs more than $8K a year, if you drive about 15,000.
•  Use the public library. That means you will never have to pony up the money for books, music, movies, and often even workshops in everything from digital to job search.
•  Senior citizen centers are worth checking out. They aren't what you imagine them to be. You could save a bundle on meals, training, entertainment, and wellness. Also you can enlarge your social network. 
•  Stop eating out, even fast food. Invite friends to a conversation over a cup of coffee. 

Radical frugality or minimalism is a growing movement. And not only among those eligible for Social Security.

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

End of Life Issues - A Matter of Perspective

The mainstream euphemism for "death" is "end of life issues."

Once totally taboo in hard-charging optimistic Americana, death has come out of the closet.

On conservative network television, there are commercials about end of life responsibilities such as not burdening loved ones with expenses. So, buy this kind of insurance policy.

The Wall Street Journal has an article about how those in their 80s view life now that the ending is near.

And, my classmates from pre-gentrification Jersey City, New Jersey Snyder High School openly talk about the reality that one day they will no longer be here on planet earth. 

Of course, just like most phenomena in life, that each one of us is going to die generates myriad perspectives. 

When I was growing up on the mean streets of Jersey City, some folks who had it even tougher than the usual amount in immigrant neighborhoods were matter of fact. When they died, that was that. Over. In addition, they didn't anticipate any blissful afterlife. There was not going to be any reward for the pain suffered playing the game after being dealt a bad hand.

In my doctoral studies at the University of Michigan, the history of ideas provided diverse points of view of The Next after departing this dimension. 

At Harvard Law School, the subject was compensation for wrongful deaths.

And, when I bunked in senior housing complex Bella Vista in New Haven, Connecticut, the talk tended to be pragmatic. Such and such an apartment would become available for your good friend once the current renter, well, you know. 

Currently, in my circle of fellow baby boomers (yes, there are silos among the generations), the tone of conversations about our own deaths is shock. We who had been so important for experts, ranging from sociologists to journalists, to analyze and struggle to understand won't even exist any more. That's unthinkable.

Meanwhile, we are already living our lives differently, anticipating they will soon enough go kaput.

Among the modifications:

•  Not adopting any more companion animals. From what we have observed, family and friends don't take good care of the four-leggers who become orphans. Current angst is: Not dying before our current best friends do.
•  Having an up-to-date will for the state in which we reside.. That's a nuisance since some of us have made mistakes in relocating. We saw Arizona as Paradise. We did wills there. Now they have to be redo them since we are back east, at least as far east as we can afford, e.g. midwest. 
•  Finally pulling out all stops on a bucket list. Sure, we could make it to age 110 and need to fund those years but why the hell keep saving? The tough nut to crack is overriding the ranting of financial planners about how much we must have so that we won't wind up homeless. 
•  Questioning every platitude. A fellow boomer and I concluded that, no, relationships aren't everything. If we have one human being to confide in and depend on we are indeed fortunate. Also, that's plenty. People can be a pain in butt. No, we don't welcome more photos of your grandkids on Facebook.
•  Speaking our mind. Extreme verbal editing had been necessary in the peak of our earning years. Success happens through other people. Now, there is little or nothing to gain from holding our tongue. 

Alongside the challenge of embracing that we are going to die is the irony that that might not come for a long time. We ponder: Do we really want to be here in our 90s and beyond? In a retirement community out west where I coached the aging who still wanted to work there were many stealth suicides. Old old age can be undoable for some.

For those who are determined to still earn a buck from working, here is my guide, free to click open, on landing, holding, and moving on to better work Download Outwitting ageism. "At my age" (as Millennials would say) I am still hustling about 50 hours a week. My mission is to able to wave goodbye to planet earth from my word processor. 

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Look at Your Siblings, Not (only) Your Parents - Harry & William, Anne Murga-Ring & Me

Does Prince Harry have a hunch that his brother Prince William might not be good for him? 

And, should I finger my sister Anne Murga-Ring for any and all whatevers?

Probably science can't provide much insight on that.

As experts on sibling relationships and their impacts Nina Howe and Holly Recchia point out, there isn't much research on those issues. Here is their article.

From Sigmund Freud on, much more attention has been focused on parents. No surprise, in support groups, the lion's share of the conversation about the family origin stays stuck on Mom and Dad. 

For three years, multiple times a week, psychoanalytic therapist David W. Harder and I probed my unconscious about parental influences.

It wasn't until years later that I had a lawyer access Harder's clinical notes and found out that from the get-go we seemed to be not a good fit. The tone and content of the clinical notes, which Harder initially refused to give me, indicated we probably were not on the same page. 

Had we been, maybe I would have searched any undertow for imprinting by Murga-Ring. 

The reality is that what's being called The Sibling Effect can endure longer than that of Mom and Dad. After all, most parents die years before we do. Siblings can outlive us. 

For many of us professionals, executive coaches have replaced the old-line therapist. Since they understand the dynamics of the world of work, their approach is comprehensive. I present a problem about a client. Usually they can supply unique insight. 

It was a coach who flagged me about the profound influences siblings can continue to have on us, decades beyond growing up under one roof. That's even if we no longer have a relationship with them. The last time Murga-Ring talked on the phone had been November 2003. Yet, she seemed to me to be hard-wired in my neurons. 

Can we shake The Sibling Effect? Prince Harry is leveraging several strategies and tactics. Those include a geographic to Canada. 

Since 2012, I have meditated. I learned the ropes at the Zen Center in New Haven, Connecticut.

We put on gray robes.

The mantra was "Clear Thinking, Don't Know."

There was no fee. On the way out, donate what you can.

In a workshop there on mindfulness, we were assigned work tasks and instructed to focus only on the task. Mine was window-washing. What I discovered was the Zen fundamental that nothing is good or bad. It just is. Washing the windows was just washing the windows.

There is the phenomenon of neuroplasticity. Through meditation and other practices we can rewire the brain. The Zen training, which I keep up daily, seemed to pull that off. My past with Murga-Ring is not good or bad. It was what it was. No longer exists an undertow dragging me into a sea I can't navigate. 

Can Prince Harry find release from the past? From my experience I have a hunch he will have to work at that.

Here, free to download, is my book on exiting a comfort zone. Often pain is the comfort zone. 

Smart global ghostwriting, with niche social networking know-how. Also communications coaching. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

Feelings, So Ok, Boomer - Bring on the Lawyers

It had to come to this: Psychologists are analyzing Harry, who at this time is still a prince but maybe not for long. Here's an example from Daily Mail.

The story is too big - the biggest in the UK since the abdication of King Edward VIII - not to parachute in all forms of expertise. 

But the input from psychologists could be the weakest link in providing insight for the scope of this disruption. After all, the discipline of psychology as a form of treatment for distressed human beings has declined from the heyday of Freudianism.

The Ok, Boomer such as myself invested years, multiple times a week, seeking clarity and inner peace from psychotherapists like David W. Harder, Ph.D.

That was then. 

Now, in America the Litigious, we know we can turn to lawyers.

"Court TV" has tutored us in the language of law, the strongest points of law, and the rules of evidence.

We can belly up to the bar feeling confident about pitching our beef to a law firm to take on contingency.

 In addition to seeking justice, plaintiffs can enjoy a high profile in the media. The classic example is Gretchen Carlson who sued Fox News creator Roger Ailes personally.

Since legal action is a slow-mover, that spotlight can linger a long time.

Incidentally, Carlson continues to be covered by the media. Meanwhile, what a good feeling is correlated with seeking what's right via America's legal system.

Also, along the way came Prozac, et al. from BigPharma. There were also mindfulness, executive coaches, 12-step programs, and psychics. 

During that brief moment when psychologists made it their shot at fame to size up Donald Trump, so many smirked. Who really gave a damn (except the writers and producers of shows like "Criminal Minds") how those inner gears operated. What we paid attention to were what the lawyers were up to. This was so much so that some contend that triggered the surge of applications to law schools.  

Prediction: The lawyers on both sides of the ocean will provide the perspective on Megxit and its implications. 

 

Smart global ghostwriting, with niche social networking know-how. Also communications coaching. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

Finished at 40 (with exception of Tom Brady) - AI Could Be Friend of Aging Job Applicants

The findings of several recent research studies scream one thing: Workers in America are finished at 40, reports MarketWatch.

Of course, there are exceptions to that.

One had been mega celebrities such as Tom Brady, number 12 in the Patriots. When he is a free agent he will have his choice of plum opportunities.

Another group who seem insulated from the brunt of age bias are brandname lawyers. They range from David Boies to Alan Dershowitz.

But a surprising result from the research of David Neumark at the University of California at Irvine brings hope to older job searchers. That research is published in the National Bureau of Economic Research, which you can read here. 

Neumark investigated the recruitment process at a restaurant chain. When interviews were conducted in-person those over-40 were 46% to 65% less likely to be hired.

However, when they were conducted through automated decision-making systems (yes, think artificial intelligence) the age bias didn't prove out to be a factor in hiring. 

There are two major implications from Neumark's findings.

One, as more recruitment is automated, age bias could actually become less.

Two, aging workers should opt to apply for jobs in which the screening is primarily done through automation. Sometimes automation kicks in end-to-end. That extends from submitting a resume to the actual interview, which is conducted online. Then, what comes in the email are the job offer and the date when the employment starts. 

Another insight from overall research is that more of the aging who need to make income are embracing opening their own businesses or becoming independent or on-call contractors.

As just-in-time hustlers, workers can learn about myriad kinds of new ways to bring in income. In addition, they might gain the knowledge and confidence to start their own businesses. For example, the dog walker for Wag might launch a comprehensive service for canines. That could include transporting them to the vet and groomer. Here, free to click open, is my book on making a buck, at any age Download Outwitting ageism

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

 For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

Transition - Before the Train Leaves the Station, Put Together Your Elevator Speech

In her 70s, Maye Musk remains a super model. 

In addition, she has become a best-selling author.

About a week ago, her book "A Woman Makes A Plan" was published. Immediately, it caught fire. Currently, it has the amazingly high Amazon ranking of 1,509. 

A central meme of "A Woman Makes A Plan" is the fresh opportunity that comes from starting over. Musk grabbed it during distressful parts of the her life and leveraged it as a platform for personal and professional success.

That's Musk's story.

Your own experience with starting over might not have been so rosy.

One major problem might have been this: You brought the past with you. Not only internally, that is, in your head, heart, and soul. You also didn't recognize the need to create a new "elevator speech." From the get-go that puts limits of possibilities.

Essentially the elevator speech is a short "commercial" which captures who you are and how that "who" can benefit others - employers, co-workers, subordinates, clients/customers, friends, neighbors, community groups, and other kinds of constituencies. 

The benefit could be as simple as uplifting their spirits and helping them feel better about themselves.

Or it could be letting them know you could be useful to them in their careers.

Ironically, the elevator speech is not about you. It's about them. That way of being other-oriented happens through the genius of well-done indirect communications. 

The elevator speech is all positive.

It requires an investment of your time.

And, you bet, you must put it together, fine-tune it, and practice it before you parachute into your Next. Remember you only have about 7 seconds to transmit the right message.

Advanced preparation prevents blowing it because once you're in-place you're overwhelmed. Such stress leads to blurting, disclosing negatives, and ignoring the nuances of human bonding. According to the researchers on mirror neurons, we humans influence each other, cell by cell. It's up to you to leverage that to your advantage. Otherwise you can become downright self-defeating in the new setting. 

Let's look at effective and counterproductive elevator speeches:

Effective: Isn't Cleveland special! (That level of enthusiasm puts you in the conversational driver's seat.) It's such a blessing to have a position with Jones Day. How the kids love their school.

Counterproductive: We're having an adjustment leaving Manhattan (That's an immediate put-down of Cleveland) But Jones Day made me an offer I couldn't refuse (You sound arrogant.)

Effective:  I'm here. Can't believe it. I was 6 years old when my family vacationed in Tucson. The rest of my life I made it my business to return. I want the kind of life you have. How blessed you are. 

Counterproductive: Los Angeles was such a rat race. Too much traffic. (That positions and packages you as a complainer.) I hope this works out better.  Does the heat get to you? (Listeners get annoyed that you didn't factor that in before making the decision to relocate.)

Effective. I want to hear all about you. (There is the Dale Carnegie fundamental of showing a sincere interest in people.) Can I treat you to a latte? (Free can't be resisted). Starbucks, I found, is on the corner. (You sound like you are making a real effect to make this home.)

Counterproductive: When I get settled let's get together. (No body cares about your state of being overwhelmed.) By then, I will probably heal from being unemployed from the crash in the legal market. (You brought the stink along with you.)

Sure, new starts can be brutal rites of passage. But that transition can be transformed into the adventure of taking on another identity. Graduates of elite colleges are willing to earn peanuts just for a shot at being hired for acting roles. Trying on another persona can be equally satisfying. Plus, the return on the investment could be extreme success, in life and work. 

Experts on building power relationships - be they dramatist William Shakespeare or sociologist Erving Goffman - hammer the importance of setting a face to meet all the faces out there. That entails putting together the right elevator speech. Then continually modifying it as time passes. 

After a year in Cleveland and at Jones Day, here is how that could play out:

Effective: Cleveland has been so good to us. But you know the needs more than we do. How can we make a difference? My two boys want to pitch in, too.

Ineffective: The long hours of work. I haven't even gotten to the museum yet. I shouldn't be annoyed but I am that my kids want me to coach their teams.

Takeaway: The most efficient route to success is through other people. It's your mission to talk your way in. 

Smart global ghostwriting, with niche social networking know-how. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.