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Mary Lloyd's Articles

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Why Rich Guys Don't Retire If you've decided you don't have the funds to be able to retire, you're in good company. Many of the richest people in the world--Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates--are still working. What do they know that we need to learn? The First Challenge of Going Back to Work The hardest thing about going back to work once you've retired is staying committed to the idea. There are more options than when you were young--work, consult, or tighten your belt instead, for example. The first strong step toward getting on with getting back in the workforce is being sure that's what you want to do and then ignoring the other options. The Shape of Work -- Does it HAVE to be 40 Hours and 9 to 5? Is getting the work done within traditional work hours and at a company location really all that effective? Much of what we now do as work can be accomplished anywhere and at any time of the day using electronic access. Perhaps it's time to rethink how to get it done. Keeping Your Job--4 Good Things to Do You can do a lot to insure that you have a job. Start by finding the things you like about what you are doing—even if it's a job you don't really like —and appreciating them. Then do all you can to get really good at it and become the person everyone wants on the team. It's easier than you might think if you decide you want to do it. Creating the Characters for Your Everyday Dramas We want to believe all those awful emotional things that happen are someone else's fault. But most what makes us miserable is stuff we are telling ourselves. And we have all the power we need to change that. Using Your Pain Pain is one of the best tools ever for getting us to stop what we are doing, change direction, or otherwise modify current behavior for the better. Instead of telling yourself, "I should not be feeling this pain" look for what it's trying to help you do. The Psychology of Passive Income Relying on passive income is comfortable when the economy is running smoothly. But when things get bumpy, what can you do to keep your attitude calm and your outlook positive? Downturns are part of every cycle and we need to learn to cope with them. here are some ideas for doing that. Are You Wasting Your Experienced Talent? If you just keep your experienced workers doing the same thing they've been doing, you're wasting the talent and knowledge base they've been developing over those years—and taking a risk they will end up using it for someone else, either now or when they retire. Use them--to train the next generation, to solve the tough problems, to add perspective to development teams. The Colors of Retirement The attitude you use to plan and enter retirement makes a huge difference in the quality of your life when you get that far. Assuming you "can't" and letting yourself become invisible will give you a boring gray life. Addressing what you believe in and taking action that brings you joy and keeps you engaged will make retirement sparkle like silver. Laugh When It Hurts - Using Humor to Cope with the Downturn Humor isn't just for those lighthearted times when things are going well. It's an essential part of a good tool box for coping with the difficulties life sometimes brings. As we face the hard times and bad news of this economic roller coaster ride, use humor to help keep yourself centered. That's best done by laughing AT yourself and WITH others. And include some silliness if you can. How to Get the Most from Older Workers Winning the war on talent is about more than attracting the brightest and best from the current crop of graduates. Companies who recognize the value of older workers and strategically utilize their skills, knowledge, and experience can gain a major advantage over the competition. And the opportunities for cost-saving work arrangements might be better than you think. Use the Downturn to Have an Honest Conversation One of the best things to come out of an economic downturn is the time to talk—to your spouse about what both of you want for the future, to your adult kids about how they'd like you to fit in their lives, to your boss, coworkers and advisors about how you might shape your future work to more specifically match how you want to live. So while it's easier to find the time because things are slow, have some honest conversations. Time to Rethink Work and Retirement? The decision to continue working or retire has more options than we typically consider. When the economy gets scary, giving up work seems insane. But the chance to have all the fun retirement promises also has allure. Luckily, it doesn't have to be an either/or decision. You can add work to your retirement plans in ways that leave room for the rest. Using what you believe is important to choose the work you want to do is the key. Coping with the Economy - Take a Walk Coping with the Economy -- Take a Walk lays out the multiple advantages of including walking as part of your overall strategy for getting through the current economic crisis and whatever might come next. Walking provides mental and emotional pluses as well as burning calories and increasing cardiovascular health. Plus it gives you a chance to do something where your progress is obvious and immediate. Being a Quick-Moving Older Worker Remembering How to Jump Between Trains looks at the downside of having "plenty of time" to decide. Whether it's a layoff or retirement that slows your personal pace, it's important to practice jumping at new things rather than giving yourself copious amounts of time to decide every time. Otherwise, when opportunities you're yearning for come along, you may miss out because you didn't move fast enough, 5 Pluses for Not Retiring 5 Big Reasons NOT to Retire explains that retirement is not as good for you as the hype suggests. Your physical health, mental health, current job enjoyment, potential to find your dream job, and level of vulnerability are all improved by avoiding the leisure model of retirement. A better strategy is to find something you love and to do it for pay in a way that lets you enjoy your life now AND later. Older Hires -- Your Secret Weapon Four Major Reasons to Hire Older Workers looks at the real benefits of what experienced workers bring to a job. Usually, you get more than you pay for. They have better work habits. They help you expand your demographic appeal, and connect you to a market that is grossly under-served--people over fifty. That age group has two-and-a-half times the discretionary buying power of the younger generations. Hiring them helps you sell to them. How to Live with the Downturn -- Assess Your Stuff How to Live with the Downturn -- Assess Your Stuff looks at what to do with stuff you need to part with. It considers the options of selling it, donating it, recycling it, and just plain throwing it way and discusses when each is appropriate. Our pleasure in buying stuff makes our economy hum. But sometimes, you need to cull the herd and get back to keeping track only of what you really love and need. How to Say No How to Say "No" offers practical ideas on why, when, and how to say the most difficult word in the English language--"no." The article offers three rules: be honest, be authentic, and stay the course, and encourages the reader to assess whether "no" is the right answer early on and to look for the right reasons to say both "yes" and "no." How to Evaluate Your Consumption How to Evaluate Your Consumption helps readers look at ways they are spending money that they're not even consciously enjoying. If you don't even notice you bought it, maybe you didn't need it in the first place. We need to keep buying the things we appreciate as long as we have the money to do so. But spending money without having it make a difference is a waste no matter what the economy is doing.