Are you nearing retirement? Do you want to earn, save, and invest more to secure your financial future? If so, you aren’t alone! We never can predict how the economy will jolt our income or our quest to retire, so it’s up to us to build our future. A side gig may be your secret super power – and the internet is your secret weapon! With thanks to Valentina Wilson for contributing this article, she has collected several sites that provide plentiful opportunities to earn extra dollars. For additional inspiration, career coaches such as John Tarnoff, Wendy Mayhew, and Deb Gaut, can guide you throu ..read more

This year has seen annoying changes in employment, and once again those over 50 are taking the brunt of the unemployment chaos. If you haven’t been touched by unemployment, then it’s likely someone you know has. No matter your profession, all industries are affected by the pandemic and the economy. In the meantime, we are waiting for the employment outlook to turnaround. The good news: we will recover. The tough news: maintaining our optimism when employment opportunities and income are limited. According to a May 2020 Market Watch report, Americans 55 years and older are experiencing a 13.6 ..read more

This post is sponsored by Carla Baum of Meaningful Life and the content is based upon my opinions and experience. Visit my disclaimers and disclosures for more information. None of us wants to think about the end of life. Not unless we absolutely have to. When we are forced to, unfortunately, the issues become a last-minute situation which barely cover the depth of our desires. Or the wishes of someone we love. In a recent conversation with Carla Baum, founder of Meaningful Life, and following the death of my parents, I have a greater appreciation for the need of end-of-life discussions and ad ..read more

How many times in the last week have you heard commercials about retirement? Or seen an advertisement pop up on your cell phone, Facebook page, or LinkedIn account? Retirement advertisements are everywhere! And the typical question always asked is, “How financially prepared are you?” The purpose is to help you become financially prepared for your retirement years. They are all about money. Yet there is another side to retirement that few people are ready for. We are so focused on the financial aspects of retirement that we are blind-sided when someone asks about the personal side of retirement ..read more

Once upon a time, the traditional mentoring relationship was one where a wiser, older person helped guide a less experienced, younger person. The basis for this idea, along with the roots for the word “mentor,” go way back to the Odyssey.  In Homer’s epic poem, Odysseus leaves his household in the care of his trusted friend, Mentor, when he sets out for the siege of Troy. While Odysseus is away, things fall apart at his house. So the wise goddess, Athene, disguises herself as Mentor and gives advice to Telemachus, the young son of Odysseus.    Today, new college graduates ..read more

Seven months ago, I wrote, How Would You Rate Your Financial Health, following an employee health fair at a local hotel. The date was February 15, 2020. As health fairs go, this was well represented with physical health-related booths: diabetes care, assisted living centers, American Red Cross, and a CBD supplier, to name a few. I was unique as the only booth to discuss financial health. Of the roughly 100 hotel employees to visit the health fair, 67 visited my booth. Many attendees acknowledged my booth, yet breezed by, barely glancing my way. Their body language gave hints of discomfort abou ..read more

This month, two of my three cats were due for their annual checkup and shots. As many pet owners know, it can be a challenge to get our beloved pets to the vet. The situation is somewhat true in my household. My youngest cat, Schroughphie, is the calmest of the three. He is easy to round up and place into the pet carrier. However, it is Spooky the middle cat – who lives up to her name – that is the challenge. Any hint of abnormal behavior and she is off into the deepest, darkest recess in the house. Even the squeak of the pet carrier door can send her fleeing and hiding for hours. After a pre ..read more

Once you start exploring the many sides of financial security, one of the risk management options you may come across is ‘umbrella insurance’. As a recent subscriber to the free financial planning tool, Savology, I had never heard of umbrella insurance. Having elements of my mother’s panic-gene in me, I casually asked my partner, the everlasting smarty-pants, what he knew about it and if we needed it. “Why? Our deck umbrella costs only $80,” he said. “We can replace it if needed.” Ha ha. Upon initiating my research, I read an article supplied through Savology that outlined scenarios that could ..read more

Do you feel stuck? Do you know the cause of that “stuckness”? That feeling or cause is often related to limiting beliefs. We all have them. We all struggle with acknowledging and moving past them. One of mine I know and battle frequently is from this event in my life: From an early age, I always wanted to be a writer. During those early days, I had my father’s support and successfully wrote for the school magazine, the town newspaper, my local church, and was even hired to be my father’s editor in my teens. When it came time to enter college, I had it all planned – I would major in English and ..read more

School is in session! Or is it? If you are raising your grandchild, then you are jumping into some variation of remote learning like millions of other parents across the world. The situation is much more complicated with so many parents – our adult children -unable to work from home or coping with varying work schedules. As an example, my daughter is a nurse and she works rotating shifts. No two days are alike. Her partner works Monday through Thursday from 3am to noon and alternating weekends. My granddaughter’s school year opens August 18 with a hybrid learning program: all students are remo ..read more