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 ...

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 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 ...