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Visit the Social Security Administration In Your Community

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lunchbox for retirement fund tips in addition to Social Security benefits at lunch counter

There is an official day for nearly everything and today is no exception – August 14 is Social Security Day. 

As a human resources professional, I attend a few conferences each year. One of them is the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) annual conference. This year’s event was in Las Vegas which is still one of my favorite places to visit! 

Almost every conference has an expo hall of sorts and, before the event, I like to plan out my expo hall strategy. One of the organizations that I try to visit whenever they are present is the Social Security Administration (SSA). 

Now I know what some of you might be thinking. Really? Social Security? They probably have a dinky little booth tucked way back in the expo hall and they’re not giving away any good swag. And all of that would be true. But the reason I visit SSA booth is because it’s like visiting the Social Security offices without an incredibly long wait. And the people working the booth are super nice and accommodating. 

I’m not saying that visiting the local offices are a waste of time, but let’s face it, none of us want to do it. We only go there when we have to. Or, we just take care of everything online. Visiting the Social Security booth at a conference is different because I can have a proactive and helpful conversation with them.

For example, this year, I was able to pick up three small booklets on:

Retirement Benefits

Understanding Social Security Benefits

How Work Affects Your Social Security Benefits

I also received information about my Social Security online account and what I can find online about my benefits.

Would I have driven across town and waited in an office to pick these things up? We all know the answer is “no”. But I quickly and easily got them at a conference. And I was able to review them at my leisure. 

So, the next time you’re at a conference or community event and see a government agency like Social Security exhibiting, go up and chat with them. Take the information they have to offer. Then, read it! This will make you more educated about the benefits you’re going to be eligible for at some point. 

Manage Your Digital Life with These Three Tools

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Out of Print Sign digital life and technology

We recently published a list of cybersecurity resources from TechCrunch and Google. If you haven’t seen them, it’s worth checking out.

As technology continues to fill our lives, we need to find ways to manage it. I’m not talking about taking digital vacations, although establishing boundaries is a good idea. When we use technology, we open ourselves up to risk. Even when we do all the right things, it’s possible we will have personal information exposed. Today, it could make sense to evaluate whether or not you need some helpful tools to manage your digital life. Here are three tools that we’ve added to make our digital life more secure. 

Password Managers

Consumer Reports published this informative article on “Everything You Need to Know About Password Managers”. And this article from CNET will give you some suggestions for “The Best Password Managers of 2019”. Personally, Keith and have been using LastPass with good results. They offer a family plan so you can make sure that a designated person can access your information in case of an emergency. 

While it’s not a exactly a password manager, I also recently purchased a Google Titan Security Key. This device provides a super-duper level of two-factor authentication to your accounts. I must admit, I’m still trying to figure it out, but I believe it is worth experimenting with. Oh, and if you saw those recent articles about a flaw in the Titan Key, Google is replacing them. Just contact them.

Identity Theft Protection Services

It’s sad to say that in today’s world we must think about this…but we have to think about this. Identity Theft is an issue. A big issue. According to a study published on ZDNet, around 15 million people in the U.S. have been impacted by fraud. To safeguard yourself, you have two options: you can do this yourself OR you can subscribe to a service. A third option would be waiting for a company to provide you with the service for free after your information has been compromised. (Please detect the cynicism in my last sentence.) I found this article on Nerdwallet that could help you decide “Do You Need Identity Theft Protection Services?”. 

CNET also put together a directory of ID monitoring services in their article “The Best identity Theft Monitoring Services for 2019”.

Virtual Private Network

A virtual private network (VPN) is designed to protect your private web traffic from being snooped by outside entities. The purpose isn’t because someone is doing something sinister. But let’s be real, it’s kinda creepy to know that somebody could be snooping around in my web traffic even if it’s nothing more than cute lemur pictures, shoe sales, and Randy Rainbow videos. 

If using a VPN interests you, this article from CNET on the “Best VPN Services of 2019” might be helpful. 

I really don’t like being cynical about the use of technology, but I do think it’s important to be realistic. Technology isn’t going away any time soon. We must be responsible technology users which means finding tools to help us manage our digital lives. 

Do you need to do these things? Maybe not. Personally, I’m finding this is one of those topics where I regularly ask myself, “Can I do it? Yep. Is this the best use of my time? Not really.” Maybe I need to find some tools to help.

Planning, Goals and The One Question to Ask for Retirement

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Sign I Am Powerful in planning for retirement

Many years ago, I was interviewing for my very first management position. As I remember, the conversation went something like this:

Hiring manager: What would you say is your biggest weakness?

Me: I don’t do very much in the way of goal setting.

Hiring manager: So, what is your process for getting things done?

Me: I sort of think about what needs to get done then work towards accomplishing that.

Me: Oh, I guess I do some goal setting after all.

True story.

In my effort to think like a manager, I had made the mistake of thinking that goal setting was only that thing you did during your annual performance review (or around New Year’s). The hiring manager either took pity on me or was impressed that I had that epiphany, so he immediately asked me how soon I was available.

Fast forward to today. Sharlyn and I are working on an ongoing project when we discover that the company we had contracted with had made a sizeable error. For a few minutes, we discussed a number of different ways to address the matter. Then, at the same time, we both said, “What do we ultimately want to come out of this?”

That’s the question that identifies the goal and helps formulate the plan to accomplish it. Goals come in all shapes and sizes. When you realize that, planning and goal setting becomes much more manageable – regardless of the size  and scope of the project. And that is very powerful!

Once we know the result we’re looking for, is it possible to apply this thinking to something like our unretirement?

The BHAG – Business guru Jim Collins wrote about the Big Hairy Audacious Goal, which is the huge goal that we are planning to accomplish. For Sharlyn and I, it’s probably the same as everyone – having enough money for a comfortable retirement.

Plan Goals – In planning for retirement, there are several goals that help us accomplish the BHAG. Reducing expenses is a great example. So, we identified one of our large annual expenses – groceries – and put together a plan to reduce that expense. The plan goal was to lower grocery spending and we ended up cutting that expense in half.

Micro Goals – Some may call these short-term goals. In our example, there were many ways to cut grocery costs. Especially since, for us at that time, going to the grocery store was just walking up and down the aisles picking up anything we liked. One very effective solution was to plan our meals so all we purchased was what we needed for each meal.

While this was a very effective and helpful (and enlightening!) exercise, it’s no surprise that cutting grocery costs alone didn’t provide enough extra money for our BHAG of a comfortable retirement. But it was an important step in the overall planning process. And every step of the way, we ask ourselves what we want to accomplish because accomplishing all of those micro goals will add up toward the BHAG. 

Oh, did I get the job? No. But that got me started on planning for the next opportunity.  

Encore Careers – Part Four: Journal Your Experience

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Garden path as a metaphor for encore careers path

One of the takeaways I’ve tried to stress in this series about encore careers is that it is a path or process that takes time.

Whenever I’m working on a long-term process, I like to think about journaling as a way to keep track of my thoughts. Consider creating an encore career journal to help you document your decisions, skills, and future plans. Here are five things about journals to keep in mind:

  1. Pick a format that suits you. The great thing about journals today is that they can be paper or electronic. Use whatever works best for you. Personally, I love paper and like the idea of rereading my comments. It can help me make decisions. A Bullet Journal might be perfect for the task.
  2. Dedicate it to a single idea. If you already journal, then you might want to create a separate journal focused on unretirement or encore careers. That way all of your thoughts and ideas are in a single place. For a few years, I kept a secret board on Pinterest focused on “unretirement”.
  3. Stuff articles and reminders in them. This is kinda related to the last point. Whether you read an article online or via a paper magazine, you can cut/paste them into your journal. If you’re a visual person, you could create a vision board focused on your unretirement journey or encore career.
  4. Be flexible with your schedule. Because I suspect developing your encore career plan is going to take some time, a journal allows you to set it to the side when life gets busy and pick it up later. The important part is not to forget about it. That might be one advantage to a paper journal, it could stare back at you.
  5. Allow it to help you. What I mean by that is give yourself permission to not know everything. Your unretirement and encore career is a journey. Write down your thoughts and let them sit there. You don’t have to take action right away. At some point, you might want to share your journal with a family member or a retirement coach. 

Journals are an effective way to document your ideas, thoughts, and feelings about a subject. They give you time to think things through and organize information. Your retirement is one of the most important things you will do. It deserves a little planning. You’re never too young to start. 

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm in Maui, HI

Encore Careers Can Offer Independence

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NASA Vehicle Assembly Building United States Flag symbol of Independence Day

Today is Independence Day in the United States. And what better day to think about our own personal independence. More importantly for our retirement, does an encore career factor into it?

You may recognize the building in the picture above. It’s the NASA Vehicle Assembly Building (also known as the VAB) located in Cape Canaveral. This week, Sharlyn and I had the honor of visiting as a guest of the NASA social media team to watch their latest launch of the Orion capsule.

I’m happy to say that the launch was a huge success! But, on the drive to the Cape, I thought about everything that went into this launch. The years of planning and thousands of man-hours from NASA and their private partners. Personally, Sharlyn and I needed the independence to make the trip – in terms of both time and money.

In retirement, we get the time to spend doing the things we really love. But for many of us, the lack of money in retirement could limit our independence. Balancing our retirement stop-working date with our future financial requirements is something we all need to do.

So we need to plan for that! And an encore career could offer a solution. None of us can predict the future but we can plan based on what we know. There are many free resources from the Social Security Administration that can help. Spend a little time between the barbecue and fireworks and see how independent you can be in retirement.

We have often said that successful retirement needs a lot of planning. Knowing your financial needs and the limits of Social Security are important. Just as important is understanding your personal contribution to retirement finances. And that could go a long way toward your own independence.

Retirement Planning: 5 Reasons to Have a Stop Working Date

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park bench sitting, retirement, retirement planning, encore career

There’s an excellent read over on the Considerable blog titled, “How long will you be able to work?” Regardless of your current age, one of the questions that individuals should ask themselves is, “When would I like to stop working?” Picking a possible retirement date – and I do mean possible – allows individuals to have a starting point in their retirement planning. And that planning date is important for several reasons:

  1. Think about a Plan B just in case you need to retire before the date you’ve chosen. Let’s say you’ve decided to stop working at age 70. But something happens when you’re 65 and you might need to retire sooner. I hear stories of individuals retiring early to care for their health or the health of a family member. What does a Plan B look like? And can you kick it into gear should you need it?
  2. Consider having two dates: a part-time date and a full-time one. Instead of going from fully employed to fully retired, does it make sense to think about a phased strategy? You could transition to part-time at 65 and then fully retire at 70. Of course, I’m just throwing out ages here. You have to decide what makes sense for you. This could also make a lot of sense when trying to coordinate your retirement and your spouse or partner.
  3. Use a retirement date to map out the transition to an encore career. I know several people in their 40s who work insane hours and travel a lot. They love their lifestyle right now but at some point, want to find a different pace of work. Selecting a retirement date (or dates as in #2) could help with planning an encore or second career. Especially if that next career involves getting some additional education or a certification.  
  4. Reflect on how your retirement date impacts savings and spending. It goes without saying – but I’ll say it anyway, our decision to slow down or stop working impacts our finances. When retirement planning, we do have to think about how the bills will get paid and we can maintain our lifestyle. In fact, we might want to consider making some lifestyle decisions well in advance, so we can get used to them.
  5. Get yourself mentally ready for a change. I’ve always been a person who needs a full-plate of activity. I am getting myself ready for retirement to be a major change. It’s one of the reasons we started this blog. As you think about an approaching retirement date, ask yourself if you’re ready. Do you need to think about starting a hobby? I’m not joking. I do believe many people retire without a plan and get bored.

It’s very easy to simply pick the government’s age for collecting Social Security as your retirement date. But if I had a dollar for every person who turned 62 or 65 and said, “I’m not ready yet.” I would be retired right now. LOL! No one is holding you to that date. It’s simply a placeholder for planning.

And retirement planning is important.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby somewhere in North Carolina

Your 5 Day Plan to Use Instagram in Unretirement

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Instagram, social media, logo, retirement, Unretirement

We have been showcasing the use of social media sites to help with marketing in your encore career. Whether your goal is to work as a freelancer or you plan to extend corporate work, social media can play a significant role. Demonstrating your skills with these platforms could make you a more marketable employee. So far, we’ve talked about Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. If you haven’t check them out, you can find them here:

Your 5 Day Plan to Using Facebook

Your 5 Day Plan to Using LinkedIn

Your 5 Day Plan to Using Twitter

You might be wondering why you should pay attention to Instagram if you’re already using one or all of the social channels we’ve already covered. You will see as we explore Instagram, there are some very unique aspects to this medium. As such, there are many users who spend hours on their accounts – – far more than any other site. So, as any fisherman or marketer will tell you, you need to be where your audience is!

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a free photo and video sharing app where subscribers can upload graphics and share them with their followers. Instagram launched in 2010 and quickly grew in popularity with more the 1 billion registered users as of May 2019. They were acquired by Facebook in 2012 and are arguably the most popular social media site in operation.

The reason for the popularity? Images! The main focus of Instagram is visual, and this has attracted a huge amount of creativity. It allows users to get a glimpse of the lives of their favorite celebrities and engage with beloved brands at the same time they enjoy vacation and children photos from friends and family. 

You can sign up for Instagram easily and, like all other social sites, it’s free to create an account. 

Your 5 Day Plan to Learning Instagram

DAY 1 – Download the Instagram App. The whole idea behind Instagram is to quickly and easily share images and video you capture with your mobile devise. For that reason, it’s easier to use the mobile app which is available for iOS or Android.

DAY 2 – Start Following. Like most social sites, you have a feed that will showcase the people and brands you follow. At the bottom of your screen you will see a magnifying glass so click on that. Here you can enter names of people you know and follow elsewhere or topics you find engaging – like retirement. Just like with Twitter, hashtags will bring users with similar interests together. If you find an image you like, click on it to launch a window with all the posts within the hashtag. From here, you can immediately follow them simply by clicking “Follow” or click on their user name to see everything they’ve shared. After a short while, clicking on the magnifying glass will give you recommendations on people and brands to follow based on your interests and likes.

Day 3 – Engage, engage, engage. Social media is all about engagement and Instagram is no different. Now that you have people, brands and hashtags to follow, you are bound to find photos and videos you really like. If so, go ahead and click on the “heart” under the image. That will tell the person – and Instagram – that you like it. You can also post a comment by clicking on the “word balloon” or you can “heart” other peoples’ comments. Pay attention to the hashtags that your followers share. If you like their content, chances are good that their hashtags will lead you to others who share similar – but different – images.

Day 4 – Post a Photo. By now, you should be pretty comfortable getting around the app. You found some people to engage with and you want them to interact with you. It’s time to post a photo! Once you have a subject, take 2 – 3 photos at different angles. At the bottom of the Instagram app is a plus sign – clicking on that will bring up your camera roll where you can choose the best image to share. Click on the image then click “Next”. This will take you to an editing screen where you can quickly edit the shot before posting. Or you can quickly apply a “filter” which applies a preprogrammed set of attributes to your image. For now, just keep it normal and click “Next” again. In this screen, you can say something about the image (don’t forget hashtags), tag people, and add location information before sharing. 

Day 5 – Set Audience Goals. To be really successful at something, we need to have goals. As you can see with Instagram, like most social channels, success is centered around growing your audience. And growing an audience takes more following, posting and engaging. You can make your goal to follow 5 new people every day and follow one new hashtag every week. Set aside 20 minutes every morning to like images and share comments. And don’t forget to snap some photos and share them as well. Remember, there aren’t any shortcuts for this so just schedule the time. Before you know it, you will have a fun and engaging audience!

BONUS! Repost for Instagram. You may have noticed that Instagram differs from most social platforms in that they don’t easily allow you to share other people’s images. The idea behind Instagram is to informally let others get to know “the real you” through pictures. So, they want you to share YOUR pictures. Fortunately, enterprising app developers have created independent apps that will allow you to repost what other people share. Just look for them wherever you download your mobile apps.

Instagram has set itself apart from other social platforms by creating a unique and exciting ecosystem and remaining true to their brand. That should be a lesson for all of us! Another thing to know is that 80% of Instagram users follow a business brand. That shows the power of Instagram in brand marketing. Just think what it can do for your personal brand in Unretirement!