What's Next for You?

new classes coming up!

I'll be presenting a three hour 2young2retire class especially for couples (1 member of a couple may attend!). I'll actually be  giving this class twice this fall, once at Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Universalist church in Charlottesville VA on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 1 and again at Piedmont Virgina Community College on Saturday  morning, Nov. 7.

2young2retire A Couples Conversation Course Description

 

Overview:

 

It Takes Two to Build A Life Together, that You Both Love Living.

 

The transition from full time work has changed!

For many of our parents, “retirement” was a male event, where the man had to adjust to not working and the woman had to adjust to having him home and making him lunch! 

 

Today’s couples have new challenges and new opportunities and you cannot plan your lives together all by yourself.

 

·       Our generation will transform retirement, making it our own, making it irrelevant. We are pioneers because no generation before has ever experienced what we will experience:

·       Longer lives

·       Healthier lives

·       Care-giving responsibilities: for parents, adult children and grandchildren

·       New kinds of families and relationships

·       Shifting attitudes towards work and meaning

·       Participation of women in the work force

·       Adapting and coordinating not one, but two retirement transitions

 

Content:

 

Based on psychological research on life satisfaction, attitudes toward retirement, positive aging, the science of happiness and surveys of Baby Boomers, the 2young2retire Couples Conversation provides couples:

 

• Key information that will make this life transition optimistic and full of possibilities.
• Three tools that are critical to creating and achieving a life both love living.
• A group process that demonstrates how to get the conversation going even if only one partner t attends the workshop.
• A group process that helps each participant discovers how to best adapt and use the tool with a partner.
• Resources that will encourage continued growth and change.

Please contact me if you or someone you know might like more information or would like to sign up. I'm at worldtree@cstone.net or (434) 297-3934

Many thanks, and be sure to go to www.ShirleyPaul.com  to read what my former students have said about the 2young2retire course!

Best,

Shirley

Employers welcome older workers

Here's an interesting article from an AARP publication. Find it at

http://www.aarp.org/money/careers/flexiblework/a2004-04-08-careers-clues.html

Clues an Employer Welcomes Older Workers

  Age neutral: All opportunities and rules apply the same to   everyone, regardless of how old or young they are. To avoid   future labor shortages, some smart employers are making their   workplaces more age neutral with respect to their policies and   benefits. They're using a number of different practices to   attract and keep older workers. They know that the U.S. workforce   will soon face labor shortages. When the baby boomers begin to   retire in 2011, there will not be enough younger workers to   replace them.

  These employers use creative recruiting to find qualified   employees of all ages. They hire, evaluate, and promote employees   in age neutral ways. And they train managers, supervisors, and   workers on how to benefit from age diversity.

  Clues to Look For

  If you're wondering how age neutral a current or potential   employer might be, look for these clues for the best employers   for workers over 50:

  Recruiting

• Job ads mention maturity, good judgment, and work experience.  
• Ads appeal to workers of many ages.  
• Ads are placed in publications, on Web sites, and with   agencies used by job seekers of many ages.  

  Training

• New skill training is offered to workers of all ages.  
• Different kinds of skill training are   available—classroom, individualized, mentoring, coaching,   job rotation.  
• Employer strongly encourages older workers to take part in   all trainings.  

  Health Benefits

• In addition to health benefits that include prescription   drugs, employer offers extras like long-term care insurance and   short- and long-term disability insurance.  
• Wellness is emphasized with health screenings, fitness   programs, and special classes.  
• Benefit packages are flexible, to appeal to workers of   different ages.  

  Pension Plans

• Employer contributes to employee retirement accounts.  
• Longer-term employees have defined-benefit pension plans.  
• Retirement saving incentives are offered, such as profit   sharing or stock options.  

  Alternative Work Arrangements

• Workers of all ages can use flexible schedules, such as   flextime, telecommuting, and periodic time off for family   caregiving responsibilities.  
• Phased retirement lets older workers decrease work hours   gradually.  
• Retirees can return to work part-time when needed.  

  How Can You Benefit From Age Neutral Trends?

  If you are searching for a job, use the chart to negotiate with a   new employer. Ask about age neutral benefits before you sign on.

  If you are employed, use the chart to suggest and request age   neutral benefits. Refer your employer to the AARP resources   below. The examples might be just what your company needs to   start making some changes.

  These age neutral benefits can help you make the transition to   the next phase of your work life. And they can keep you at work   when your employer needs you.

articles of interest

Freedom to Work.

As you probably know, between age 65 and 69, you can continue to receive Social Security benefits even if you are working, thanks to the Senior Citizen's Freedom to Work Act of 2000 signed by President Clinton. If you need a refresher course on the pros and cons of Social Security benefits – whether to take them at 62 or wait until your 70th birthday – here's a good one. The Elder Law report: http://www.elderlawanswers.com/resources/article.asp?id=5730&section=4&state=

For the Freedom to Work Act: http://www.sva.com/downloads/soc_sec_changes.pdf

Quotable -  Former Governor of Delaware, Russ Peterson: "I've had about 15 careers. To my way of thinking, retiring is not the end of a career, it's just the opportunity to start another career." Peterson, 90, was speaking at the opening of a new Jewish Family Services program aimed at people 50 and older, called GEM for Growth, Education and Mental Fitness, see:
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061002/NEWS/610020335/-1/NEWS01

Passing along useful, web-based tools; here are two more 2young2retire picks....

Seeking business ideas? The hottest franchise opportunities could be an indication. http://yahoo.fransol.com/index.cfm/fa/ypss

Resume writing is an art form that requires you to put your best foot forward without an unseemly overstating of your accomplishments. All of us could use some help in striking the right balance, and this site does a pretty good job: http://www.nextsteps.org/resume/resquiz.html Fun and lively (isn't that what business should be?), StartUp Nation offers a bunch of templates and tips: http://www.startupnation.com/index.asp

Altruism is alive and well in the Boomer population. One-third are volunteers, according to this report: http://www.getinvolved.gov/pdf/boomer_vol.pdf

Check these out and enjoy,

Hugs,

Shirley

Not So-New "Retirement"

Hi gang...here's a study that is very pertinent to what wer're talking about -

A study from the Vanguard Center for Retirement Research released recently is further evidence that retirement is more marketing concept than reality. “Worried You Don’t Have Enough for Retirement?” (from AARP The Magazine) is pretty typical of the advertising for financial advice and portfolio management that targets this age group. The Vanguard survey of 2,474 individuals age 40 to 69 indicates that “The conventional view of retirement — working full-time until a set date then shifting to full-time leisure –- does not match the experience of many older Americans.”   Ergo, the so-called “New Retirement” of baby boomers that blends work with leisure is not so new. Some other nuggets of interest from the study:    

* According to the Social Security Administration, 45% of people 65 to 69 are earning income from work, as are 25% of people 70-74.    

* Downshifting, as in changing one’s relationship to work, is more typical than an abrupt end to work.
 
*  6 in 10 people define the word “retirement” as some combination of work and leisure.    

* Self-employment is the second most popular option among the “Never Retire” group.

*   Implications for financial advisers: more complex and customized help needed.    

*  Implications for employers who want to hang on to their experienced talent: phased retirement in demand. Our choice and recommendation is for a balanced portfolio of work, service and leisure in later life.

I'd love your comments! What's YOUR family's view of retirement? How's that impacted your view?

Boomers, Take Notice!

What's next for you? Ready to retire from your career? You could be facing a span of years equal to your entire working life. You're too young to retire from life and you always will be. So, what's next?

My    2Young2Retire   course tackles key issues: money, work,volunteering, wellness, with a focus on your possibilities. Spend 6-8 weeks among other like-minded people in my powerful workshop, either face-to-face or in teleclass format, and you'll be prepared to shape a future based on the choices that matter to YOU.

Don't let life happen to you while you're busy making other plans. Join me in a discussion of the issues that people age 50+ face. Your next life is waiting! Post here with your questions about  where you WANT to be headed in the next half of your life.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Shirley
www.ShirleyPaul.com