Moonbeams

Retirement planning- Why we should plan our retirement

 
Retirement is one of the most significant changes you will ever experience and one of the greatest social experiments of our time.

Retirees today are much healthier, more active and can expect to live longer than they could in the past. In 1951 there were fewer than 300 centurions alive in England and Wales. By 2036 statistics suggest there could be more than 40 thousand. We are in a unique position and facing a future that looks nothing like our parents second half of life.

Unlike our parents, for whom secure jobs and pension-funded retirements were the norm, we need to be self reliant and self-starting. This is because changes taking place in Government policy and in the workplace are placing increasing pressure on us to take personal responsibility for aspects of our lives, which were previously performed by outside agencies such as health professionals, teachers and the Government.

Despite the significant changes taking place, we are living in today’s world, and planning yesterday’s retirement. If you are aged between 40 and 60, you are a guinea pig without knowing it. Let’s look at some of the reasons why.

•    It is anticipated that life expectancy will continue to rise. The population aged 80 and over in 1998 of 2.3 million will gradually rise to nearly 6 million by 2050.

•    Attitudes regarding health and well-being are short sighted. Our lifestyle habits such as diet, smoking and drinking, illustrate the extent to which we prioritise the present at the expense of the future.

•    When it comes to planning finances, our disregard for the future is blindingly obvious. Many of us are saving nothing or too little towards our retirement. Increasing levels of debt are being accrued and many of us are unaware of the difficulties we will encounter later in life, or are unsure how to plan for them.

•    Our retirement plans are reflections of those of our grandparents or parents but our chances of living a long life   are not. We’re living in the 21st century and planning a 20th Century retirement!

•    Because people are living longer, many of us are spending our retirement caring for older relatives.

•     As many parents now go to work, grandparents are playing a larger role in caring for grandchildren than previous generations.

•    The percentage of people in mid life who are divorced or separated has more than doubled over the past 20 years. This will place greater demands on people’s abilities to self manage their lifestyles. This was less necessary in the past, when the overwhelming majority were in stable couple relationships.

Up to now retirement planning meant, ‘Do you have enough money?’ because retirement planning comes from financial planners and life insurance agents. However there is increasing awareness that if we are going to be spending 25 years or more in this phase of life, we need to plan for it properly and well in advance. Unfortunately most people spend more time planning a holiday or buying a car than a 25-year retirement!

When approaching retirement we need exactly the same process of self-analysis and sound consultation that we would receive from a competent career advisor if we were going through a job change. As job changers need to generate career options in a clear and understandable way, pre retirees need the same option generation process but with slightly different, content and goals and an entirely different purpose. People retiring at any age need plenty of options.

Everyone approaches retirement from a different point of view.     Some of us will cope with it well, while others will approach it with uncertainty and even fear.

Nobody knows how long he or she is going to live and most people want a long and fulfilling life. This is an ideal, which few people achieve, but with planning and timely action, it is now attainable.
         
Personal retirement planning helps people extend choice and control in the transition from work to retirement, through coaching designed to help gain new perspectives and possibilities.

Your retirement will be as unique as your fingerprint. With professional coaching and effective planning you can transform how you approach retirement and the enjoyment and fulfillment you get from it.

Make the most of the opportunities it can offer and start planning now!

If you have enjoyed this post and are thinking about your retirement transition check out this interview with Ann Harrison. Available TODAY only

http://talkingprimetimewomen.com/st3ephia/

           

Retirement tip for Swofties.

Activate your ‘want’ list. What is it you have always wanted to do but never had time for? Start a list of your unfinished goals, whether it’s learning a language, travelling somewhere new or taking up belly dancing.Go girl!

If you have enjoyed this post and are thinking about your retirement transition check out this interview with Ann Harrison. Available TODAY only

http://talkingprimetimewomen.com/st3ephia/

Retirement tip for Swofties - Change your perspective.

 Understand that retirement is a relatively new concept. Before state retirement pensions were introduced and retirement began to be seen as a reward for hard work and as a right to an extended period of leisure, older people remained productive members of society, relied upon for their insight, wisdom and skills.The retirement landscape looks very different now.

If you have enjoyed reading this post and are thinking about your retirement transition check out this interview with Ann Harrison. Available TODAY only

http://talkingprimetimewomen.com/st3ephia/

 

Retirement tip for Swofties.

Make sure you review your finances. Living longer requires more money, to fund additional post work years. Consider options for a new career, set up your own business, plan a way to earn income from your hobbies or downsize your life so you can save more.

Best of luck!

If you have found this post helpful and are thinking about your retirement transition check out this interview with Ann Harrison. Available TODAY only

http://talkingprimetimewomen.com/st3ephia/

Secrets for Swofties - Five steps to manage your retirement transition

Retirement is a major life change like marriage, divorce and bereavement and while some life changes can be anticipated like getting married, others are unexpected like losing your partner. Change is hard. If it was easy, we would all lose weight, stop smoking, exercise and quit that dreaded job. However, it’s one thing to make a change but totally different to experience the transition that comes with it.

Change is an action or event. Examples of this are, divorce, redundancy and retirement. Transition is the psychological process we go through, the emotional and mental "reorganization" that we always go through when we make a change, no matter how big or small the change might be. The process is inevitable and not always pleasant. Sometimes we feel insecure about the decision we have made and our competence to follow through. We might also feel sad about the loss of our previous life and all that went with it.

So, if we use divorce as an example, receiving the Decree Nisi is the change, while the process of becoming a single woman, developing an independant life is the transition.

One of the ways to help us manage change and transition in our life is to think about a previous change we have been through, for example staring our first job, getting married or losing our mother or father. Think about a life change you have experienced and use the following five steps to see how you manage change successfully. You can then use what you have learned to plan your retirement.

1.       What feelings did you have before the change?

 

2.       What helped you come through the change successfully?

 

3.       How did you feel when the change was completed?

 

4.       What/who helped you to move on?

 

5.       What practical support were you able to make use of?

 

So my secret is, use past experience of how you managed change to help plan your retirement transition. Go girl!

If you have enjoyed this post and are thinking about your retirement transition check out this interview with Ann Harrison. Available TODAY only

http://talkingprimetimewomen.com/st3ephia/

                                                                

Are you worried about change?

The phrase “change is the only constant" has never been more apt than in the current environment where we constantly hear stories about cuts, increased overheads, competitive pressures and double dip recession.  How we deal with the changes, will really determine our success as independent women.

Now as I was wondering what message I could give that would inspire you to continue adapting and adopting new ways of doing things, I came across a powerful story that sums up how we should all respond to change.

I must point out that although I don't agree with the farmers tactics, the gist of the story is really important.

     THE WISE OLD MULE

 

    Once there was a farmer who owned an old

    mule that accidentally fell into the farmer's

    well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying'- or

    whatever mules do when they fall into

    wells.

 

    After carefully assessing the situation, the

    farmer sympathized with the mule, but

    decided that neither the mule nor the well

    was worth the trouble of saving.

 

    Instead, he called his neighbours together

    and told them what had happened...and

    enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the

    old mule in the well and put him out of his

    misery.

 

    Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But

    as the farmer and his neighbours continued

    shovelling and the dirt hit his back...a

    thought struck him.

 

    It suddenly dawned on him that every time

    a shovel load of dirt landed on his

    back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND

    STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.

 

    "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and

    step up...shake it off and step up!" he

    repeated to encourage himself. No matter

    how painful the blows, or distressing the

    situation seemed, the old mule fought

    "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT

    OFF AND STEPPING UP!

 

    You're right! It wasn't long before the old

    mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED

    TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF

    THAT WELL!

 

    What seemed would bury him, actually

    blessed him...all because of the manner in

    which he handled his adversity.

 

    THAT'S LIFE! If we face our problems and

    respond to them positively, refusing to give

    in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, we can

    overcome them and move on to a life of

    luxury.

 

    The adversities that come along to bury us

    usually have within them, the potential to

    benefit and bless us!

  

Remember to continue Creating Positive Change in your life as you move towards a new beginning.

 

Secrets for Swofties - Changing Career after 50

Longevity and the economic downturn are two of the reasons why more women over fifty than ever are changing their career. Indeed recent research undertaken by HSBC revealed that almost a third of the 21.3 million people in Britain over 50 are planning a career change.

I held a management role for many years and interviewed hundreds of people over the years. During this time I was frequently surprised by interviewees who only acknowledged and referred to skills related to the jobs they had done and skills learned formally in school, college, university or on training courses. However recent studies show that the emphasis on job-specific skills is changing and it appears that employers are increasingly recognising the significance of broader, more fundamental skills.

This is good news for women over fifty who are seeking to change their career as we have a whole range of experiences we can offer to demonstrate the skills employers are now looking for. Here are just a few examples of how you can demonstrate them. You will be able to think of many more

Managing the family budget (financial skills)

Project managing/ house moves, holidays etc. (organisation, planning and time management skills)

Going through divorce (well don’t you need to be able to negotiate, communicate, and have tenacity, patience and diplomacy? You get my drift!

Membership of PTA/ Committees (teamwork, communication, customer focus, co-operating skills etc.)

Paying bills and dealing with correspondence (administration skills)

Juggling with taking the children to after school activities (time management)

Now go get that job girl!

f you’ve enjoyed reading this post, and would like to know more about changing career and moving forward after fiftyplease join me for the FREE Telesummit, Talking Prime Time Women,  by going here http://talkingprimetimewomen.com/

Secrets for Swofties - 5 Easy Ways to Boost Your Income

According to research a worrying number of women will retire into poverty. It also costs more for one person to live in a property than it does a couple. Lighting, heating, TV license, phone line rental and contents insurance etc. cost almost the same for one as they do for two and we get a 25%, not a 50% discount on Council tax. It is therfore important to take action to maximise our income as soon as possible. Here are some asy ways to help you on your way.

                                                                

 
1.   Reduce your day to day spending. Keep a spending diary for a few weeks and you will soon find out where your money is going.

 2.   Cut down your essential bills each month by switching to an all-in-one package where you get your TV, phone and broadband from the same provider.Cut energy bills by ensuring you are on the correct tariff for your useage and region. Check out dual fuel options and pay by direct debit to maximise savings.Use a cost comparison site like

www.moneysavingexpert.com

www.moneysupermarket.com,

www.uswitch.com,

 3.   Get a pension forecast from the Pension Service (0845 3000 168) and boost your entitlement by making additional National Insurance contributions if you can.

 4.   Delay retirement for three years. You will be financially better off because you won’t National Insurance on your earnings and you will get bigger state pension payments for life or a cash sum of around £16,000. .Check out the leagal facts about working past retirement at www.direct.gov.uk/pensions

 5.    You don’t have to stay in your current job. Consider working part-time, changing career or setting up your own business. Alternatively you can create additional income streams by using existing skills or learning new ones such as mystery shopping, translating, having foreign students to stay during the summer, proof reading, cleaning, ironing or creating information products via ebooks or ecourses.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, and would like to know more about making money work harder for you and wealth creation, please join me for the FREE Telesummit, Talking Prime Time Women, I’m running soon by going here http://talkingprimetimewomen.com/

A Reason A Season and A Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you will know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usaully to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and forse you to take a stand. What we must realise is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you send up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When someone is in your lefe for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But only for a season. And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer  to Fall, the season eventually ends.

LIFETIME. relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person or people involved, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships, and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. Thank you for being a part of my life.

Brian. Chalker

If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, and would like to know more about change and transitions please join me for the FREE Telesummit, Talking Prime Time Women, I’m running soon by going here http://talkingprimetimewomen.com/

My wish for you....(authour unknown)

Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience and renewed strength. Where there is fear, I wish you love and courage.Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy.  Where there is self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience, and renewed strength.Where there is fear, I wish you love and courage.