Consider Returning To Work As A Manager

In Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs the top most thing that a person will aspire for in his life is self-actualization. This is what everyone strives for and for most people who are already in their 50's, it is expected that they are near this point already. At age 50 most persons have already reached most of the typical milestones in their lives. They have sent all their children to schools, their children now have their own lives and it is now time for them to sit back and relax.

For some persons however, this is not the case. Over the recent years many baby boomers have been forced to go back to the workforce simply because they need to finance themselves, to support their day-to-day needs and to keep up with the cost of their lifestyles. Some 50-somethings also go back to work simply because they want to remain connected, stay engaged, and keep their minds sharp. Some simply want to go to work just because they are bored and would want to do something productive with their time. If you are currently in your 50's and for any of the reasons mentioned above, you would want to return to the work force to have gainful employment you will need to think hard and deep if you really have what it takes to go back out there.

Use Your Network

By now you probably have built a huge network of friends, former colleagues, children of friends and peers who you have met and worked with during the time that you were still employed. Do not hesitate to ask help from them because they can definitely put in a recommendation for you. Reach out and let them know that you are currently looking for new opportunities. 

Do Your Research

With the internet just within easy reach use the dearth of information right at your fingertips to look for job opportunities. Just recently the AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50 published their list of awardees. Head on to their website to check out the winners and try to see if your skills and qualifications match any of the job openings in those industries. The list varies from different industry sectors such as financial services, construction, the healthcare industry, educational institutions, and government offices. In the construction industry you can even go back to work as an engineering manager. This is highly possible especially if you already have many years of experience to back you up. 

Learn New Skills and be Flexible

It is an extremely competitive world out there. Remember that you are going to be competing with fresh graduates and young professionals so you have to start by learning new skills. There are a lot of online courses that you could take and you can enroll in vocational courses too. Stay flexible and learn how to adapt to changes because that will be the only way for you to earn good money even if you return to work at the age of 50 and above. 

Seize Opportunities

Considering your age, you actually have more experience and more knowledge compared to your younger counterparts. Do not hesitate to go for higher positions. You can even consider going back to work as a manager in your previous company or in the industry that you worked for. Remember that by this time you have already established a name for yourself so your previous employers will see you as somebody who is way more experienced than the younger employees who are also vying for a position in the management team.

Being in a managerial position has a lot of advantages. Now that you are 50 your company will be paying you a higher premium because of your past working experiences. You can earn good money, which will help finance you throughout your retirement years. There will be a lot that is expected of you which is why you have to be up for the challenge.

Going back to work at this age can be very beneficial for you in order to keep your mind sharp and your body actively engaged. While most of your peers are slowing down you are once again the workhorse that you once was. You just might surprise yourself knowing that you still have what it takes to become a great manager and to be a mentor to your younger colleagues. Now that's called self-actualization.

Author Bio
Joshua Turner is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to business. In this article, he explains the process of returning to work as a manager and aims to encourage further study with a OU Engineering Management Masters. 

How to Supplement Your Retirement with Income from Other People's Properties

Property in Europe (Photo credit: Images_of_Money)

Do you have fears about not having enough money for a comfortable retirement? Perhaps you are looking to invest in property, either to supplement your existing pension, or to become financially independent from the portfolio itself. What you may not have realised, however, is that you don’t necessarily need to “own” a portfolio in order to create cashflow from one. Read on and discover how my daughter Emily and I went from 0 to £5000 per month from properties we don’t actually own... 

Would Ownership Work for Us? 

We had heard a great deal about building a small portfolio of properties that we could buy cheap or finance, refurbish and sell or rent to up-and-coming young professionals. It sounded a good plan on the face of it but the problem was that we were quickly running out of cash. Since the credit crunch, lenders usually require a hefty 25% deposit. Even if a property could be obtained below market value, it was costing us around £21,000 per property. After all that investment, we were only making around £200 per month cashflow. At this rate, we realised that it was going to take a long, long time to become financially free, so it was back to the drawing board. We knew that there had to be another way. 

Single-Lets vs. Multi-Lets 

As I mentioned, renting the property out as a single-let property, namely when the entire property is let out on an AST, just wasn’t producing the cashflow we required. It was then, that we discovered how multi-letting a property, namely renting the property on a room by room basis, created substantially higher cashflow each month. It did not take us long to realize that multi-letting was the way forward. However, we still had the problem of stumping up the hefty deposits required by lenders. That’s when the light bulb moment hit... 

You Don’t Need To Own! 

We knew that multi-letting was the best was for us to maximise cashflow, but we still faced the same problem, namely raising the huge initial deposit. It then suddenly dawned on us. Why do we actually need to buy these properties? We knew that there must be struggling landlords out there who are looking for a guaranteed rent and for someone to manage the property for them. We decided to contact letting agents and make arrangements to rent the properties through what a corporate let. We would rent on a room-to-room basis to multiple renters who would be young professionals between the ages of 23 and 35. The agent would have a guaranteed rent, and we would take care of having minimal renovations performed that were necessary to make the house attractive to tenants. Initially we were met with scepticism and were even thrown out a couple of offices! But we persevered and within 6 months we had 9 multi-let houses in 5 months generating £5000 pcm net! 

Finding the Right Properties 

In our target area, we look to acquire properties that had a number of larger bedrooms, such as Victorian houses. Double bedrooms rent out much more easily than singles, especially if they have an en-suite. We normally look to pay the landlord around £200 pcm for each double bedroom in the house. So a property with 4 double rooms, we will rent off the landlord for £800. We then advertise the rooms for around £400 per room. After all cost, we aim to make £500 per month cashflow off each property. 

This system has been working out well for us and we plan on expanding our portfolio of rent to rent properties in the next year or so. We have created systems so that we only spend a few hours each week managing each property. It really has worked well for us and can work for you too. As Nike would say “Just Do It!” Francis Dolley is an expert on this unique rent to rent system and runs courses in the UK teaching students how they can successfully build a portfolio of properties that they don’t own, yet generate substantial cashflow profits each and every month.

Kill the Boredom: 2 Small Investments for a Relaxed Retirement

The retirement process is not an easy one, most people can agree on that. It is hard to prepare and accept the fact that starting tomorrow or next month or next year, you won’t have to do some of the things you remember doing since forever. And more, you won’t have to be as professionally active as before.

It is time to relax, to enjoy the results of your smart investments: a small business that generates steadily income, a nice family with the kids turned into grownups with families and responsibilities of their own, a small home, yet a paradise on earth. But here is the challenge: not having to do everything you did up until recently can receive sort of a boring etiquette. And because you’re entire life you were an active person, you can’t possibly accept the peace and quiet in your life. So here are a couple of small investment ideas to kill the boredom while enjoying a relaxed retirement.
 

#1. Interior Redesign

How much time has it been? Three years, five years or maybe ten since the last redesign initiative. While we are growing old, we also tend to grow tired of the same old theme. Every inch of the house is filled with memories of the kids, of the adult life, of the family’s ups and downs. But sometimes it is better to leave the past in the past. So why not try to add a fresh new touch and feel to the house?

Start by redesigning the interior. Here is an idea: brick design. Bricks give off a vintage, industrial feel. If you want to have fun, try redesigning on your own. It isn’t hard at all to order a couple of faux bricks and to cover old walls with new brick designs. Plus, it kind of looks cool and it is cost effective. Talking about ways to kill the boredom with small investments.

#2. Garden Redesign

Gardens are the business cards of the house. After retiring, you don’t know what might happen: maybe you need a change and want to move out or your children’s families need you closer. Who knows, maybe you want to sell the property to others so they can make memories of their own. And even in the event of keeping the house, a change is for the better. So why not investing in your garden? And we aren’t talking here about financial investments only, but also about investing your own energy into creating and maintaining your little paradise. But before you can enjoy your little paradise, here are three must have’s:

1. A  green yard can keep you busy during warm seasons. Green is always a good choice, not only from an eco, environmental point of view, but also from a psychological point. Recent studies provide proof that green spaces are beneficial for the elderly.

2. Flowers and plants always do the trick. First, you have to do a bit of gardening to maintain them fresh and alive. Secondly, they vary in colors and perfume, so sitting in the garden can easily turn into a natural aroma therapy session. Last, but not least, they will become the envy of neighbors. Planting flowers and taking care of them is an art itself.

3. A garden wouldn’t be the same without a relaxation spot. While kids enjoy tree houses and swings, adults prefer garden chairs and cushions. And if you want to add some personality to your garden, custom outdoor cushions do the trick.

Hopefully, these two small investments will kill the boredom in your life and ensure a peaceful retirement, where you can sit, relax and enjoy the beauty of the moment.

Small Business Ideas After Retirement

People often say that when you’re lucky when you’re retired. All you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of your life as it comes. Lazing around during the first few weeks after quitting your job is the life! No more worrying about deadlines or dealing with problematic clients or bosses. You must remember, however, that it takes time to adjust to life after retirement. 

As the month of doing nothing winds to an end, you realize that you’re itching to do something again, to be productive once more. Although man is hedonistic by nature, if you’ve been working all your life, then the tendency is you’ll keep working as long as you’re still able to. 

Since you can no longer do heavy duty, stressful stuff--too much is bad for your health and your age--the next best choice you have is to start your own business. If you have no clue what that business is going to be, here are some ideas to tide you over. 

Blogging 

If you enjoy writing and are good at expressing yourself through words, one of the most logical choices you have is to blog. If there is a certain niche you are passionate about, then that’s a good place to start for your blog. Blogging is a very lucrative business where you can earn from adsense and you can also start selling stuff on your blog once it has gained an online presence. 

A word of caution though, earning from blogging is going to take some time especially when there are so many blogs out there covering different niches. If you want your blog to stand out, choose a unique angle that you think will appeal to your target audience. 

Consultancy 

Choosing what business to start can be a challenge. To help you decide, why don’t you go back to the basics and start with what you know. If you have been around a particular industry for most of your life, then you know the nitty-gritty of that business. It would be practical for you to start a small consultancy firm and reach out to those who want to start their own business. This is what the father of a colleague did when he resigned as Chief of Operations of the company he was working for. He started his own consultancy firm and has served as a consultant to other companies and clients that he met during his previous work. He also helped rebrand old business to refresh their image and improve their online presence by being active on several social media networks. If you are looking for potential clients you can use the area codes at MyLife to help you search. It can also help you get in touch with old friends who just might want to join you in your new venture. 

Online Business 

Nowadays, the number of online consumers has increased and you can take advantage of this number by starting an online business. You can either sell merchandise or offer certain services that has not been offered elsewhere. The best part about online business is that you can operate from your home and don’t need to rent out office space. You can also work anytime and anywhere in your home. 

Keep in mind that competition is tough in the online market and you have to find a way to make your business stand out. You should also provide regular updates through facebook, twitter and other social media. You have to provide both online and offline promotional If you keep working steadily, your efforts are sure to pay off and your online business will take off. 

About the Author 

Based in San Diego California, Tiffany Matthews is a professional writer with over 5 years of professional writing experience. She believes in the importance of saving up for retirement, even if it’s still a long way off. Tiffany also blogs about travel, fashion, and anything under the sun at wordbaristas.com, a group blog that she shares with her good friends. In her free time, she likes to travel, read fantasy books, and watch movies. You can find her on Twitter as @TiffyCat87.