Over-50

Style Is Back - Let's Not Come Across as Out-of-Date

" ... as we emerge from our Zoom cocoons, the time is ripe for reassessing our fashion choices and stepping up our wardrobes for a post-pandemic era ..." - Donna Bulseco, The Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2021.

The bad news is that how you dressed during the worst of COVID will label you now as out of touch. None of us over-50 needs that additional bit of lousy branding.

The good news is that you really don't have to trade off comfort. What is in currently also caters to feeling at-home in our clothes and shoes.

Today, I shopped with a 63-year-old woman who is gearing up to put herself back on the dating market again. So, of course, she got it that she needed a new wardrobe. Already she had her hair restyled. 

What's out, according to the WSJ? Here are some of the right-now no-nos:

Skinny jeans

Print-message T-shirts

Shapeless cardigans

Bucolic dresses

Invisible socks

Sustainable slip-on shoes.

What are the front lines of the in-crowd wearing? Here is just some of it:

Straight-leg jeans or the flared-denim style

T-Shirts with a picture

Over-the-ankle socks with punchy color

Eco-friendly flats

The Outer Layer with buttons or belt

Shirts with dress collar and elegant prints

Loose leg cargo trousers.

All this is especially important since those of us with jobs could be returning to the office. And those of us who own businesses probably will be meeting again with clients and customers. Our category - aging - took a beating during COVID. As the economy loops into recovery, we can turn that around with looking cool.

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

 

From Middle-Class Career Paths to "Bullshit Jobs"

"In his book Bullshit Jobs: A Theory, the late anthropologist David Graeber described a particular type of employment: 'If the position were eliminated, it would make no discernable difference in the world.' A bullshit job, he writes, is 'so completely pointless that even the person who has to perform it every day cannot convince himself there’s a good reason for him to be doing so.'" - Apoorva Tadepalli, The Atlantic, April 2, 2021.

So much prime real estate space in the media has been devoted to detailing how much the aging worker has been brutalized during COVID. For example, Bloomberg Law has pointed out that, as a result of COVID, 3.1 million over-55 are opting to take Social Security early and 1.4 million have embraced they will be working longer than they had evisioned.

Both groups will likely wind up doing "bullshit jobs." That's the most poignant development in how things are playing out for the aging in America.

Many of them have had Middle-Class career paths. Those were not necessarily white collar. The 55-year-old could have been a skilled tradesperson in a production facility, then sidelined into early retirement or a layoff.

Now that person can't make ends meet without income from working. But the only kinds of work he or she can land is the bullshit job.

That could be phoning people who don't want to be phoned about a service they don't want.

It could be grading standardized tests which never should have been made mandatory.

It could be deep-frying potatoes in a fast-food restaurant which is damaging the health of a nation.

Unfortunately, in my coaching the aging unemployed I have found that bullshit jobs proabably represent a likely step on the way to figuring out the real Next, post-career. Here is my book, a complimentary read Download Outwitting ageism. 

However, from that experience in a whole different labor niche, the aging can figure out how to put together a way of earning a living which is not the bullshit kind. For example, an in-house lawyer forced out of his job when he was in his late 50s was able to loop out of bullshit jobs. He resurrected his highschool love of music and began giving lessons. That provided meaning in his life.

Just when I was approaching 60, my industry collapsed. I took three bullshit jobs. They were lousy enough for me to motivate myself to learn digital communications. Eventually, I launched my own boutique for that. Later I added coaching. I haven't done bullshit work since.

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

We Young Old Have Been Working in The Caveman Economy for a While, Haven't We

A jobs bonaza: 916,000.

But, those looping into them likely will be on short time.

According to the Department of Labor, the median tenure for males in a job is 4.3 years, for females 4.0 years.

The turnover is both from voluntary and involuntary exits.

So, yes, more of the dynamics of the workplace had been mirroring those of BigLaw. Most who come won't be staying. From the get-go they should recognize that. Settling in is totally pre-digital.

The iconic guide for job search and transition - "What Color Is Your Parachute?" - puts it this way: We are in a perpetual search for work. That's the new game. Whatever you want to call it such as a career path or earning a living, it's in perpetual flux. 

The implications are huge. "What Color Is Your Parachute?" documents that it is those most skilled in hunting for work who receive the offer for the job or the gig assignment. Not necessarily the most qualified.

That circles back to the days of the caveman. The guy had to be very good in going out there and getting what he needed to fill his belly for that day. 

Therefore, a new survival skill for those in the U.S. is having down cold each aspect of that search for work. That extends from what kind of opportunities to apply for to how much to request for compensation.

What Willis Towers Watson adds is that the Future of Work won't be linear. One year we could be managing a fast food restaurant such as McDonald's. Next year we could be overseeing loss prevention at the retail arm of a Goodwill or Salvation Army. And our last full-time job or gig could be as a personal trainer. 

A reason why that will play out is that the concept of careers could go poof. Instead, hammers Willis Towers Watson, there will the necessity to develop a portfolio of skills and experiences. We carry that along. Not a resume of credentials. Call it The Caveman Economy.

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

Never-Stop-Working Syndrome: Old Hat to Former Middle Managers Pushed Out of Corporate in the1980s

The Wall Street Journal published a feature on the inability of remote workers to call it a day. Gone has been the concrete boundary between the office and home-sweet-home.

That is nothing new. At least for those of us former middle managers who were purged from Corporate America during downsizing in the 1980s. I lasted until 1987. Then, it was setting up a clunky destktop PC and noisy printer next to the kitchen sink. Of course, I took all my meals by the PC.

My work day began before I could change from PJs into my "writing sweater" and  blue jeans. Sometimes it was a total PJ day.

The work day didn't end until I had faxed all the assignments to clients. Then, as now, they needed the material pronto. Some, with tension in their voices, would say, "Well, I will wait until the opening of business in the morning for the edits on the report."  

I was scared. My whole generation was. We had planned on the gold watch from corporate at 65. Sure, some of us daydreamed about owning and operating our own enterprises. But, come on, the pay and benefits of Corporate America were too good.

If we could break away from our home office - euphemism for about 10 feet of space in the kitchen - it was off to Staples for supplies. That category chain was right on time in serving our generation of accidental entrepreneurs. This was the first time we would ever have to select business stationary and buy our own folders. Yet, as we did this we wondered if we would be in business long enough to use those purchases.

Here I am still a business owner and operator. And here I am still with no boundaries between work and whatever. Clients still are an impatient bunch. And now that business is truly global there are all those different time zones. To meet a deadline in Manhattan from my home office near the border of Mexico often it's smart not even to try to catch some zzzzs. Just knock out the work.

If and when employees return to a real office, there will be boundaries. But expectations for completing assignments will cross those boundaries. They will be completing material on the Metro North commuter train and in front of their laptops at home. Work has taken over the second decade of the 21st century.

A sign of the times, Stanford Graduate Business School professor Jeffery Pfeffer published the breakthrough book "Dying for a Paycheck."

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

The Gray Revolution - It's Kicked In

"Older Americans are beginning to rebel against a youth-obsessed culture. They want to be valued and accepted for who they are, embracing 'elderhood' as the next chapter after adulthood, and extolling the wisdom and experience that comes with aches and wrinkles." - Jonathan Burton, MarketWatch, March 23, 2021.

The growing push for diversity in the workplace has a catastrophic blindspot. That's the bias against the aging. I published an article in O'Dwyer PR on just that. And, in America, what's considered "aged" can begin at age 40.

Those perceived as "aging" are vulnerable to being forced out of their jobs. ProPublica documents that if you are over-50, the odds are you will not leave your job voluntarily. If you are fortunate enough to land another job, only one in 10 of you will earn comparable compensation.

Promotions? Probably you will be overlooked.

And, it's not unthinkable that members of younger generations will make aging slurs about you. And get away with it.

Finally, what's being called the "Gray Revolution" has begun. Those who are older have been getting that moment of clarity that, no, they don't have to take it any more.

Not that the war will be won any time soon. In America, a nation preoccupied with staying young, ageism is deeply embedded. Otherwise it wouldn't wind up as stories in the media that Warren Buffett, Rupert Murdoch and Clint Eastwood are still working. 

But battles can be won.

For example, there can be lobbying against the stealth language of bias in help-wanted ads. An example of that is a digital marketing firm which indicates only "digital natives" need apply. That rules out Baby Boomers and members of Generation X who picked up ecommerce on their own. You bet, bring this to the attention of the public on social networks, to Congress in emails and demonstrations in D.C. and to employers through boycotts.

Also, stop shooting yourself in the foot by buying into ageism. Usually that takes the form of apologizing for being "old." Instead tell those hiring the results you can get for them. That loops you out of the aging box.

Here, a complimentary read, is my guide on how to get, hold and move on to better work Download Outwitting ageism.

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

 

Another Reason You Can't Retire: Food Inflation

Millions of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers are on the fence about whether to retire and when.

After all, the kinds of work associated with a career have become more and more demanding. 

Put in more hours.

Learn new technologies.

Come up with innovative ways to get more done with less.

Always be on-call.

Also, hovering over just about anyone over-50 is the real possibility of being forced out their good jobs. ProPublica documents that the odds are not leaving employment voluntarily. In addition, once out, those fortunate enough to land back in on their career path have only a one in 10 chance of earning what they did previously.

But, financial reality is this: Most can't afford to stop earning income. However, earning income doesn't have to be from a career. Careers have shorter and shorter shelf lives. Income can come from full-time non-career jobs, part-time jobs, gig work and running a business. 

The latest data to come in reinforcing the folly of stopping income from work is food inflation. Bloomberg describes how that is playing out around the world. It's not only in the U.S. where there is sticker-shock at the supermarket. 

Yes, the situation is so severe that economic experts anticipate a wave of what is called "food insecurity."

So, how do you pivot from a career, which really no longer exists or has been petering out, to simply hustling for a buck?

The transition is only possible for those who can wrap their heads around the necessity of bringing in money from working - forever. Yes, let the whole notion of "career" go. This next phase of working is about funding the lifestyle you want. It's pragmatic. Totally. Status and all the other side trimmings have no place in this new focus.

A free read, here is a guide on how to find, hold and move on to better work Download Outwitting ageism.

How to actually start?

Get a cup of coffee and study the help-wanted ads on major employment platforms such as Craigslist - Sites. Check every category, ranging from business management and customer service to writing and gigs. 

Where is there a fit? There should be plenty of fits. For example, most can perform call center duties or take a full-time position in loss prevention.

Next, research on the internet how to do resumes and cover letters for different kinds of employment. One size doesn't fit all. A third-shift proofreading postion in a law firm requires a format and approach unlike what goes into a resumes and cover letters for delivering pizzas.

Then, it's show time. Get out there and demonstrate on paper for those hiring what you can do for them. The world of work in the 21st century is about getting results for employers and doing that better faster and with less budget than the competition. That is the tone of all work-search materials, including the approach of interviews. No longer do those hiring put up with a laundry list of stand-alone qualifications.

Age? Keep the experience to about seven years. Not only does that mask age. It also prevents employers from tossing an application since they assume they can't afford to take on someone with so much experience.

Rejection? So? It's the universe's gift to work-searchers. No response or a "no" provides data about what not to do or what to do or more of it. Be grateful for that indirect feedback.

The best way of becoming a 2021 hustler? Read the latest edition of "What Color Is Your Parachute?" Since the mid 1970s, it has been tutoring those who need work on how to compete for the type which pays the best and offers superior terms and conditions. 

In addition, observe others over-50 who are out there working. What seems to be their attitude? How do they present themselves? How do they handle the end of an assignment? 

And, put together a Listenting Post for news of who's hiring. That can be a little group meeting regularly in McDonald's or a get-together on Zoom. Most opportunities aren't advertised. 

Work, without the burden of careerism, can provide joy.

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

Black in America - Odds Are that You Will Never Be Able to Retire

"Many American households aren’t prepared for retirement, but Black Americans .. are even further behind than whites, according to academic and government data. The recent economic turmoil is likely widening the disparity." - The Wall Street Journal, February 22, 2021.

Overall, the majority of workers and business owners in America can't assume they will ever be able to "retire." That is, stopping completely laboring for income. The expected pivot is now to shift to some form of "semiretirement." That is, making the transition from the traditional notion of a career to simply being in the workforce or operating a business to earn income.

However, Black Americans might not even be able to ease off in how much they have to hustle for income after they age out of their careers. Pro Publica documented that most over-50 will be pushed out of their jobs. After that, those who are fortunate enough to land work will likely not earn comparable money. Only one in 10 will.

The Wall Street Journal points out the reasons for the inability of Black Americans to ever stop working. They include:

• Less inheritance passed down among the generations
• Greater amount of college debt
• Lower average income
• Lower percentage of home ownership (which can be an appreciating asset).

Black Americans who are aware of this possible pattern can, from the get-go, seek to build their wealth.

For example, they might attend the lower-priced state college versus the "college of their choice." That will reduce student loan debt.

Instead of relying for financial security on one job or operating one enterprise, they will make it their "business" to find and nurture multiple sources of income. Increasingly, side hustles are necessary for many of those in America to be able to save and to invest. Some of those gigs could wind up being the lucrative way to earn a living. Yes, be open.

They can tutor themselves in the real estate game. What could be smart is buying a multi-family property rather than a single-family home. What they learn as they earn from rents they could leverage to investing in other real estate.

Both married and single women, of all races and ethnic origins, had to realize their financial vulnerability as they age. An encouraging number have made progress on that learning curve.

The future of building wealth is changing. The burden is on anyone who has to work for a living to monitor where opportunity is and isn't.

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

 

Dale Evans and Roy Rogers Could Retire - We Can't

"If inflation is a threat to the stock market, we should be running scared. That’s because inflation expectations have spiked dramatically in recent weeks. The 10-year breakeven inflation rate — what the bond market currently is betting inflation will average over the next decade — is now higher than it’s been in five years." - Mark Hulbert, MarketWatch, February 20, 2021.

It's palpable: Rising prices for just about everything. Rent, buying a house, groceries and the new SUV. Simultaneously, the stock market has had some disappointing days recently. 

Obviously, unlike Dale Evans and Roy Rogers from 1950s TV, the aging can't plan to ride into the sunset, crooning, "Happy Trails to you."

And, as the Federal Reserve reports, at least one-third of those who have retired have boomeranged back into the workforce or started their own businesses. 

The tough nut to crack is how to land, hold and move on to better work. Here, a free read, is my guide on transcending the realities of ageism in earning income Download Outwitting ageism.

The good news is that nothing gets us work like working. Once we get the hang of selling ourselves to employers, customers and clients we sustain our marketablity.

The reverse is also true: Once we drop out of the labor force, our skills quickly atrophy. New technologies develop and we don't know them. Those hiring assume we can't learn them. Not working usually leads to not being able to work.

Of course, there is plenty of rejection. Even for gig economy assignments. So? The new game has become learning how to bring in income, no matter what.

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

 

Hell, Sell the House Now in Boom Market

As a career coach specializing in the over-50 I hear the regret all the time: We should have sold the house when the market was on fire. And rented until we were ready to retire and relocate where the cost of living was lower. Now we are stuck with a house whose upkeep is draining us and market value won't net us much.

Yet, some heading into retirement are still asking the experts such as at MarketWatch what they should do. Sell or wait.

The answer is: Sell.

During a real estate bubble, I made a killing on my house in West Hartford, Connecticut. I used the proceeds to pay off debt. That allowed me to have a fresh start in launching businesses. Also, I was freed up to move closer to Manhattan where I needed to be for my new enterprises.

My next door neighbor didn't opt for selling. He waited until he retired from his production job. That was too late. He was stuck in his house. Incidentally, he never did sell it. Both he and his wife died before the market bounced back. When it did it wasn't at the level of the earlier boom. His two children wound up with real esate that was expensive for them to maintain.

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

Becoming the RVer - The First 5 Steps

Living, along with traveling, cheap is among the factors triggering what is being called the "RV Craze."

 And the Polar Vortex of 2021 hasn't derailed that movement. According to KOA (kampgrounds in America), the adoption of RVing has increased by 42% this fall and winter. What a KOA survey uncoverd is that 55% of those RVing are Millennials. 

For those of you of all generations who remain on the fence about buying a RV (because of demand, it is difficult to rent one), The Balance details how affordable this adventure can be. 

Here are 5 must-dos before you take the next step in this embracing this dream.

Be prepared to research a possible purchase for at least 6 months. Used is lots less expensive than new. The objective is to find out what you decide you need and what are the price points for that. 

 

Also, I would add, investigate pop-ups. 

CamperGuide presents what to look for and the ones recommended right now. Crow Survival provides actual prices. Those can be less if you buy used. They range from the Leentu UTE for less than $7,000 to Raven for $18,990. At the high end is Alaskan 6.5 Cabover for $29,000. However, as demand soars, those prices can soar.

Consider a pop-up as a starter RV. 

 

Narrow down your adventure to specific locations. Those will determine what you buy. If your current plan is remote cold-weather areas, then that will require a RV geared for that kind of bumpy ride and equipment. 

In addition, take an audit what "home" means to you. The RV must provide a sense of home to you, not just travel which runs less than doing motels. 

Also, be clear about the availability of where you can spend the night or months and have a sense of safety. Many campgrounds are booked solid. Some attract undesirables. A must is to invest in becoming a member of the discount service Passport America. Currently, membership is peanuts at $44 per year. 

No, you really can't be totally "spontaneous." Otherwise you could literally be out in the cold, with no place to access the services you need. In addition to researching what's officially out there for campgrounds, develop a backup plan. Phone ahead to find out, for example, if the particular local Walmart allows overnight parking. Does the area welcome your parking in a remote field? 

Selling all your worldly goods may take longer and bring in less money than you anticipated. So, don't count on that tactic to finance your dream.Yes, you can usually post those items free on NextDoor and Craigslist. But in this dicey economy the used-goods market is glutted. Another option is going to consignment shops. 

There is a distinct advantage, though, to paying cash rather than financing your new version of home. 

What those I coach do in the preparation phase for this shift to RV life is to pick up part-time jobs and gig assignments in addition to their day job or operating their business. 

Moreover, they study the internet help-wanted ads, such as on Craigslist and in their specific lines of work, for locations along their route. It's increasingly common for RVers to pick up work while traveling. 

For example, they plan to remain the tourist season in places like National Parks and the Jersey Shore and do work, any kind. In winter, they can provide services to the elderly or food delivery.

Another option or an added option.is to create a form or forms of self-employment that is doable on the road. Nurturing multiple sources of income is the new survival strategy. I call that "mutt branding.

Among the approaches that have become lucrative for some is to create a paid newsletter on the Substack platform.

Squirrel away a hundred bucks to have the vehicle inspected. That's not a cost to cut. In the current housing market, budget-challenged Millennials skipped the cost of the inspection. Later too many discovered they had looped into a disaster. 

A common mistake for rookie RVers is to figure they can manage without their own bathroom. It turns out that is equipment which is most in demand. If you can't afford a RV model with a bathroom, hold off until you can.

Join RV forums. The RV community is usually cohesive and generous with information. You should access it. Among the message centers is iRV2 Forum.

 

Takeaway: It's what mom always said: Don't just jump into something. Do your research. And, boost the income coming in.

Jane Genova helps travelers feel like an insider, all the way around the globe. Contact her for assignments janegenova374@gmail.com.