SemiretirementYourWay

  The "it" in Greenwich Village in the late 1950s was music. And from being there with like-minded passionate artists emerged Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday and The Weavers.  The same phenomenon of being there together produced the greats in tech, finance and law. Back then, that was cheap. Now it isn't. But to be part of the big-bangs currently you might have to be based in regions with a high-cost of living area (HCOL). As a expert on HCOL and LCOL (low cost of living) I am recommending that for some career paths it's downright necessary to, as they say, spend money to make money. That is, be based in HCOL to jaw-jaw in person with those moving towards disruption. For the semiretired it could be downright smart to exit HCOL for LCOL. Here is my article on HCOL v LCOL, published in O'Dwyer's Public Relations. In career coaching, I encounter such regret among aging professionals that, when starting out, they opted for LCOL instead of risking it all in HCOL. Their f...

 Usually the Big Relocation was the difficult decision that you didn't have to deal with until you retired. Then you would pull up roots and manage the tradeoffs for a lower-cost of living lifestyle. In 2014, you could have gotten a one-bedroom in sun-drenched Tucson, Arizona for about $500 a month. Or much less in Ecuador.  However, fewer of you want to or can afford to retire. So the decision has more moving parts since you're still working for income but know you have to downsize your fixed costs.  In this article, published today in O'Dwyer's Public Relations , I discuss the pros and cons of relocating from HCOL (high cost of living) areas such as coastal cities to LCOL (low cost of living) regions such as the midwest or even beyond the borders of the US.  The decision still isn't easy. However, a growing risk for the over-50 is homelessness in major cities. About 30% of the aging are homeless. And in 2024, homelessness surged 18%.  Affordable Career Coach ...

42,345.75 USD ▼  -646.46 (-1.50%) today December 30, 10:08 AM EST   ·   Market Open  

 Some LCOL (low cost of living) areas have attracted two very different groups. One is the retiree. The other are those still needing or wanting to work for income. The result can be the hardening of two cultures. The retiree usually assimilates into a new lifestyle of hobbies, focus on health and enjoying family (if there are members are in the area). They have no interest - and rightly so - in hearing about the daily ups and downs of workers or entrepreneurs. However, they can be disappointed if the hustling element doesn't have the time to participate in their non-commercial pursuits.  In contrast, we still-in-the-game have to be fully engaged in what we do. There's a glut of just about every kind of expertise. Competition is dog-maul-dog. Of course, it's so helpful to interact with others who can provide insight and support about our work challenges. Also don't we need to share the euphoria when things go well! It takes time in this kind of community to put together...

  It's a cringe. And it could knock you out of the box during a job search. That is, out-of-date ways of saying things. That's because you come across as "old." Not that you want to revert to Gen Z slang. That also can make you sound "old" because the gestalt is: They're trying way too hard. Not cool. It was a shocker to find 20th-century term "mixed bag" in an article in Yahoo Finance : "This year was a mixed bag for the large automakers" After all, media is on the defensive, struggling to attract the youth demographic. The 18 to 34 group has fled to social media and social networks.  So, what else linguistically positions and packages you as not in sync with 2025? Here is what I had found: Spirituality. The in-lingo is "wellness." A few of the shops in this town focused on spiritual matters have shuttered.  Revolution. It's all about "disruption." Revolution is back in Bob Dylan's time. Revisit that time ...

  Homelessness is up 18%. Already 30% of those without a regular roof over their heads are age 50 or older.  That percentage of the aging as homeless can rise. See, here's what is happening. Those of us who had been alert to the perfect storm of inflation, brutal cost-efficiency campaigns by employers and the usual age bias assumed we were quite smart exiting HCOL (high cost of living) areas. Those ranged from the New York Metro area to Southern/Northern California. Sure, it was an ordeal leaving our friends and routines behind.  But leave we did, relocating to LCOL (low cost of living) areas like Tucson and Cleveland. That provided a release valve on financial pressure.  Also, since those LCOL regions weren't the dream locations for the hyper ambitious, it was easier to find work, full time and contract. After I pulled out from New York Metro on I-95, heading west to Tucson, my fixed expenses were halved and business for my boutique increased 60%. Within 18 months ...

 'Tis the season for nostalgia. Sweet memories from the past. I recall those intense friendships from college days. But if I cave to the memory I could be tempted to reach out to those no longer caught in that force field. A more dangerous impulse, at least if you're looking for work in 2025, is to let that mindset stuck in the past seep into how you approach a search for a job or contract assignment. Those hiring want to know what you will do for them in the present - and better, faster and more affordably than those also chasing that opportunity. As Eminem hammered: Get lost in the moment. You only have one shot. Present yourself totally 2025. The success you were in 2014 or 2020 was a lifetime ago. Here is what I publish on nostalgia and job search on Substack. Affordable Career Coach Jane Genova provides end-to-end career services, ranging from diagnosis of the challenges and fix-it strategies to preparation of resume/cover letters/LinkedIn profiles and how to gain control ...

  Both the well-meaning and those with commercial investments in Bob Dylan struggled to keep him in the folk-singer box. Despite any bonds he had with them Dylan had the professional strength to break away. In itself that significantly extended his career runway when the music scene was mutating. For instance, the British Invasion - the Beatles - had arrived. That ability to change is  the takeaway from the Dylan biographical film "A Complete Unknown." Sure, there remained a market for the folk songs which had been Dylan's signature. But he wouldn't have been able to capture new market share as others crowded onto the stage.  The poignant part of the stagnation of the professional lives of aging players is their refusal to develop into a 2.0 or 3.0 or maybe a whole different entity.  Diane Sawyer could have incorporated more energy and engagement in her presentation style.  More recently legal analyst Dan Abrams should have done that.  Elton John had lost h...

America has been known as youth-oriented. Advertisers, for instance, scrutinize the numbers for the 18 to 34 demographic. So, it's expected, though not condoned, there will be age bias in hiring, promotions and making a list and checking it twice for demotions/terminations. That's even happening at large law firms in America. Seasoned equity partners, yes equity partners, are being ousted in "de-equitization." But with employer expectations focused on ramped-on productivity, creative application of new technologies such as AI and worker extreme flexibility, supposed ageism is not reserved to the US. On Reddit , an engineer in India with the MBA posts: " ... career anxiety regarding the longevity of my career after seeing my friends get laid off. I have been getting good interview calls in India but I wanted to know what the future holds. How to stay competitive in corporate india where ageism is rampant? ...  But wanted to know the experience of someone who is ...

 Dow Jones ended up. Our nest eggs aren't pounded more. 42,906.95 USD ▲  +66.69 (+0.16%) today December 23, 4:20 PM EST  ·  Market Closed Day Week Month Year 5 Year Max 10:00 12:00 2:00 3:30 42,400 42,700 43,000 Vol

With longevity and more staying in the workforce (because of need for money and/or need for stimulation) age is becoming less and less relevant. It's just another fact of your life.  Likely you won't get off the hook blaming your age for a professional setback. In this article published today in "O'Dwyer's Public Relations" I present six ideas on how to you can put together a strong comeback. And work for income into your late 70s and 80s. Affordable Career Coach Jane Genova provides end-to-end career services, ranging from diagnosis of the challenges and fix-it strategies to preparation of resume/cover letters/LinkedIn profiles and how to gain control of an interview. I specialize in over-50 work issues. My edge is a background in marketing communications. For a confidential complimentary consultation please text/phone 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com . Remote and in-person. 

Too many of those over-50 whom I coach fear homeless. Okay, 30% of the homeless are over-50. But by relocating from a HCOL (high cost of living) area to a LCOL (low cost of living) area like  several cities and towns in Arizona,  you can make ends meet with Social Security.  If you're not yet eligible for Social Security you can probably get by with contract or freelance work or full-time jobs. After all, the big nut to crack is the expense for keeping a roof over your head. Here are examples of those locations and the average monthly rent: Clarkdale - A bit over $700. Camp Verde - A bit over $600 Nogales - A bit over $400. And if you want a major metro area there's Tucson where rent is a bit over $1,000. There are also low-priced mobile homes. Here in AZ, unlike HCOL regions, bunking in a mobile home park doesn't carry stigma.  Can't afford to drive or fly here to check out the rental situation in-person? You can do it online. Just go online and key in, for example,...

  Boomer Nest Eggs have certainly been in play. Do we dare hope again that our nest eggs will hold out for the rest of our very long lives? 42,854.37 USD ▲  +512.13 (+1.21%) today December 20, 11:15 AM EST   ·   Market Open  

  The sophisticated could blow off a stock market "crash." That is, if they were young. The market always comes back - and stronger. Not so with us Boomers. Yesterday with the more than 1100 plunge we were thrown into panic. If this were a deep correction lasting years we might not be around to gain from the turnaround. Now we can relax a little. The Dow Jones swung back into positive territory. 42,475.28 USD ▲  +148.41 (+0.35%) today December 19, 11:16 AM EST  ·  Market Open

 Nest eggs under attack. Maybe grab a paid gig, any gig.  That's for now. Then the old adage will kick in: Nothing gets you work like having work. A better job will kick in.  Affordable Career Coach Jane Genova provides end-to-end career services, ranging from diagnosis of the challenges and fix-it strategies to preparation of resume/cover letters/LinkedIn profiles and how to gain control of an interview. I specialize in over-50 work issues. For a confidential complimentary consultation please text/phone 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com . Remote and in-person. 42,326.87 USD ▼  -1,123.03 (-2.58%) today December 18, 4:59 PM EST  ·  Market Closed  

  It is so out there that once you reach 50 years of age your career is essentially finished. If you are lucky enough to not lose your job, your mobility is stalled, not only within that organization but in your field of core competence in general. However, there is a path to extend that career: Start your own firm.  In this article in O'Dwyer's Public Relations I explain how to do that in the PR sector. In the late 1980s, when I was middle-aged and downsized out of Corporate America, I did just that: Start my own boutique specializing in executive communications. I remain self-employed, only in a different field. Affordable Career Coach Jane Genova provides end-to-end career services, ranging from diagnosis of the challenges and fix-it strategies to preparation of resume/cover letters/LinkedIn profiles and how to gain control of an interview. I specialize in over-50 work issues. For a confidential complimentary consultation please text/phone 203-468-8579 or email janegenova...

“I have 2 kids in college and alimony. My primary source of income is my career. Not investments. I can’t fade out.” That is just one of the reasons my career coaching clients give me for needing to dodge the semiretirement bullet. As Pro Publica documents, careers are shorter, unraveling around age 50. But for you there may be other reasons why you don’t want to or can’t be post-career. Here are just some: You are the brand. At Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett has to be fully Warren Buffett. Either you have to be all-in, or else you will be out. You have to see through the implementation of reset strategies. Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp is reinventing the law firm. As he admits, some moves are experimental .  Your career (or the   second or third) is beginning to take off. Digital strategist and content-provider Ernest “Paul” Chaney is evolving into an AI influencer. You are immersed in reputation restoration. An example is Leon Black who has begun to make progress...

  It was a dominant art form of the 20th century: the novel.  The odds were that you weren't going to graduate college without reading several as part of formal class work. And we sensitive students dreamed of publishing at least one novel.  Sure, novels are still being written. Elite publications such as The New York Times review them. The authors get to talk to sophisticated groups. Public libraries continue to spend taxpayer money to stock them. But, let's put it this way: The odds are that nobody looking forward to semiretirement daydreams about using some of coming extra time to pen a novel. Producing a documentary about how unique Jersey City, New Jersey was, pre-gentrification, is more like it.  Soon enough we might see the fading of another art form: the memoir. Already the market for those about lousy childhoods has soured. So, maybe the semiretired shouldn't plan to do one.  Affordable Career Coach Jane Genova provides end-to-end career services, rangi...

Hot off the publishing platform on Substack is  my guidance on how to manage a demotion.  Essentially the message is not to rage quit, especially if you're over-50. Baby, it's a cold white collar market out there for all professionals. But arctic blasts are blowing through for the those who are perceived as "seniors." You made it this far. The next phase for how to continue working should be on your own terms. Career Coach For Seniors Jane Genova provides a complimentary consultation about continuing to make a buck, at any age. Text/phone 203-468-8579, email  janegenova374@gmail.com  for appointment. Fees custom-made for your current budget.

  Nothing can send the signal that you are "old" as starting out to tell your story - especially about the high points of your former career.  If you go the distance on that and publish a memoir  such a narrative could even label you as a has-been who is struggling way too hard for relevance. In that category are the recent memoirs of both Hillary and Bill Clinton. We roll our eyes and wonder why they can't get it that it is time to pass the torch to a new generation of politicos.  Semiretirement brings the wonderment of a fresh start. That infinite possibility can be undermined if you circle back to storytelling. The public relations and marketing sectors, both in decline, might have gotten it wrong about "telling your story."  Think about it: We humans pony up the big bucks for therapists to hear our stories. One reason is that no one else wants to hear those. Self-help programs have been taking it on the chin because, sure, the members tell their stories but ...

 Joe Biden had devoted his life to being a progressive change-agent. That legacy is now tarnished or, as it is bluntly put: finished. Democrat political strategist James Carville classifies the situation as "tragic." The tipping point wasn't the controversial pardon of son Hunter. No, the tipping point kicked in when Biden decided to take a go at re-election. For centuries that decision will be fingered as the primary cause why branches of US government came into the power of conservatives. If Biden had come to me for career coaching - my special area of expertise is seniors - I would have honored his need for careful positioning and packaging of the reality of a one-term president. If early on he had declared not-running and he presented a noble but credible reason why, the spotlight would have shifted to the Democratic contenders - and off him.  As a lame duck he had the option to take on a low profile and only conduct controlled appearances. Like Barack Obama and Bill ...

One thing I know as a career coach for the over-50: If all those job applications are going into the ether with no response you are probably doing your search with an out-of-date resume. That yesterday ethos extends from the format to the language. Here is a simple-to-use cheat sheet for establishing a level playing field with all other generations in your applications.  You made it this far. The next phase for how to continue working could be semiretirement. Coach For Seniors Jane Genova will give you a complimentary consultation about continuing to make a buck, at any age. Text/phone 203-468-8579, email  janegenova374@gmail.com  for appointment. Fees custom-made for your current budget.

If you were clever and had good instincts about what gets attention and can change perception you could go to New York City and make a solid living in public relations. As long as you kept hitting, there was no "they" focused on forcing you out as you aged. Back then, the joke was: Hey, your boss is getting on your nerves. Walk across the street and get a better job. From Bliss to Collapse Yes, it was all so easy. But during the past several years the struggle to get a job and hold onto it has become as raw in public relations as in so many other industries.  Professional anonymous network Reddit Public Relations chronicles the frustration of those under-30, even with advanced academic degrees in the field, not even getting a single interview in their job search.  The over-50? They have mutated into a targeted class. Also, their prized expertise may be less marketable. That genius in relations with legacy media better learn how to influence the influencers.  Oh No, Not Ed...