This Week in Your Wallet: Delaying Retirement or Extending the Fun?
Can you retire? I say, “Yes, you can!” — though the question du jour seems to be, “but do you really want to retire?” According to a recent article in TIME magazine, workers who delay retirement might actually be happiest. “Working just two or three years longer can shore up your retirement security; it gives you the added benefit of staying busy, connected and relevant, all of which diminish stress and loneliness which are so damaging to mental and physical well being,” writes Dan Kadlec. I love this point of view, and not just because it’s a more positive take on the retirement conundrum we face in this country. Yes, people are staying in the workforce longer than ever, but an oft-forgotten segment of people are doing so because they love what they do.
In a New York Times article on the trend, a former hospital executive noted that he retired “two Thursdays ago,” yet has already traveled to Ghana with 12 nurses to provide expertise and teach at hospitals and clinics. “I want to make the world a tad better,” he told the Times. “I’m already working on a number of things to follow up on this Ghana experience.”
(If you’re reading this and still thinking, “nope, I just want a condo in Florida but I have no idea how I’ll get there,” I invite you to learn how you can retire with my Money School class on the topic. And speaking of Money School: classes are filling up, and I’m so excited that you’re excited! However, I don’t want you to miss out, so if you haven’t already, head to the Money School homepage and check out the full list of classes.)
How do you envision your career ending, if at all? Do you plan on staying in the workplace for money, or for love?
And now, here are the other headlines for the week:
Rocking the Job Fair
Speaking of working: I found this article in USA Today’s college section, but I think these tips on what not to do during a job fair can apply to adults of all ages. Courtesy of recruiters who have seen it all, here is a brief rundown of how to maximize your chances of success:
- Practice your elevator speech; you’ll need to be able to sell your best qualities in 15 to 20 seconds depending on the size of the fair.
- Do your research. If you’ve been out of work for awhile, you might be tempted to drop yourresume at every booth at the fair. Resist this urge — you’re better off investigating a handful of companies in attendance and wowing them with your knowledge.
- Follow-up. Just because it’s not a formal interview doesn’t mean thank-you notes aren’t warranted. Get the cards of the people you speak with and shoot them an email the next day.
Speaking Up on Leaning In
I know there’s been much written about Sheryl Sandberg’s new book/movement, “Lean In.” However, what I want to share with you today isn’t so much a review of Sandberg’s book as it is a highlight of some of Sandberg’s most practical takeaways, courtesy of Kerry Hannon for Forbes.com. Point #3 on this list particularly resonated with me: “visualize your career as a jungle gym, not a ladder.” Hannon writes of being struck by Sandberg’s message that, “Ladders are limiting. Jungle gyms offer more creative exploration. There are many ways to get to the top of a jungle gym. The ability to forge a unique path with occasional dips, detours and even dead ends presents a better chance for fulfillment.” Now isn’t that a fun way to think about a career?
Bracketology
We don’t usually talk about gambling in this space, but just for fun — and because I’ve seen so many articles on “winning your office NCAA pool” — I wanted to weigh in. Now, my college basketball knowledge starts and ends with knowing the name of my alma mater’s mascot, so I won’t be giving you my pick for the team that wins it all. What I will do, since I’m sure many of you are at least considering filling out brackets for a chance at the office jackpot, is pass along two articles that can help you strategize. The first is a video from Reuters, which advises (among other, more involved things) betting on the high seeds if you’re in a small office and taking some chances on long-shots if you’re part of a larger or national office — this will maximize your chance of winning points. The video also notes that you should stay away from emotional betting, a piece of advice that I think can extend to investing and just shopping in general. And finally, there’s this New York magazine piece, whose number one piece of advice is something that actually makes sense to me: “Do not pick a 16 over a 1. Ever.” Seems simple enough to me!
Have a great week — and happy March Madness!
Jean
