When You Retire, You Have Time To --

Retirement = Doing What You Want To Do

The tight bond between Clinton and Joe, two gay, black lawyers (one of them, married) is broken when Joe is reportedly found hanged. A suicide seems impossible to Clint, and Joe’s widow is acting cagey. Clinton Moore believes Joe Means was tortured and murdered, and that his and Joe’s shared obsession—investigating and fact gathering about cold case murders and assassinations—is the reason.

(short description of The Plan)

* * * * *

I've been doing what I love to do, all year long. Writing my book!

And now --

The Plan is out! I worked over a year on writing this book (as a retiree) and I am excited to share it with you. Real quick—here is how to get your free copy (this week only):

Go to this page

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/370902

Choose the download option.You will have a number of options, from a PDF file to something you can use on your Kindle, Apple or on your computer screen.

When you get to the checkout “basket,” use this code 

BR42M 

for your FREE copy.

I will appreciate your review! (Once you’ve read it.)

Thanks for your interest. It has been a wonderful journey writing this book and I hope that you enjoy the results. I am happy to share this event with you!!

Susan Klopfer 

What are you doing for retirement? Are you having fun? Please share your experiences here. Thanks, Susan

Merry Christmas from Cuenca, Ecuador

Please enjoy this Christmas video! We spend eight hours at the Christmas Eve Parade! What an experience. Happy holidays to all.

Susan and Fred Klopfer

Retirement Ideas That Work -- For Those Scared Sh*tless!

I am putting together a group of reference books for an eBook I plan to publish in mid December –

Retirement – It’s Not Just About the Money How to Have Fun, Get Healthy and Make Extra Money When You Retire

It is a going to be a fun and helpful book, I promise. 

Meanwhile, while doing my research, I have run into several wonderful retirement books that I want to share with all of you, and here is the first one:

Retirement ideas that work, by author Ken Bodnar

55 And ScaredSh*tless

Now, surely you can picture what its author, Ken Bodnar, had in mind when he wrote this eBook. Bodnar is an obvious Type A Racer who was facing what he believed to be complete ruination, if he did not come up with a chunk of change for retirement.

This is a great book. Bodnar shares his personal experience, and it is a rags to riches story about coming to grips with retirement. Anyone of us can read this book and come up with multiple ideas that work.

Bodnar writes briefly about moving to a less expensive place to live, something that Fred and I have already done. It works. We will make up the entire loss of our retirement account that we lost when Wall Street went South.

I also e-publish, another one of his topics, and this gives us an ongoing income.

Ken Bodnar is a type A racer, and many of us will never match his pace. He is a speed freak—

Nevertheless, there is something here in 55 And Scared Sh*tless for every reader, whether retired or still waiting to take the plunge.

Thus I give his book 5 stars.

It is a great read and I’ll be listing it in my references, for sure.

You can find it here -- and even download a free sample.

Susan

Quit Worrying So Much About Retirement $ Planning, Says Author, Blogger

Top THREE Retirement Tips For People Who ALREADY KNOW They will NOT have $1Million Saved Up by the time they retire

Retirement planning is NOT just

about hitting a number, says

author and speaker, Susan Klopfer

By Susan Klopfer, MBA

Retirement blogger and author

It will happen to each and one of us eventually, even today’s teenie-bopping, cell phone-texting teenagers.

We will grow old and retire!

If stopping work and having fun really is inevitable, how can we get ready now, so that we can live this dream?

Save more, work longer, put off social security.

Okay, okay.

These are three pretty good ideas we are given on retirement blogs, or by Rotary and Lions Club speakers who once-a-year offer their best retirement planning speeches.

We politely nod our heads when we hear this, of course, and then go home and get really, REALLY scared. 

So s-c-a-r-e-d that we do something silly – like putting off retirement for good or starting plans to find a job moving rock piles or greeting people at you-know-where.

Are you possibly ready for some lesser-known tips that are worth knowing?

If so, here is a look at 3 tips that retirement planners and advisers are telling us we should consider (I just learned that people do better with lists of 3 than 147 items):

     1. Stop paying so much attention to HOW much…

Isn’t it rather silly to spend time worrying about saving enough?  Especially when “enough” is an impossible dream?

You and I both know that most of us will never hit that $1million mark we hear so much about on television and from financial planners.

My spouse and I gave up on that idea years ago, when the stock market did its number. You are probably close to us, in this respect, than to Donald Trump!

One economics professor, Wade Pfau at the National Graduate Institute for Public Policies in Japan (and a frequent blogger on retirement), says there is no specific wealth number that will allow anyone to retire. Instead, he suggests, think about income stream, instead.

In other words, tart asking yourself how much income will you need to support your planned retirement?  After you decide on a budget.

(We have decided to limit our required income stream by moving to another country, where cost of living is 50 to 70 percent lower. We have planned a budget that fits our anticipated income stream—and it works for us.)

      2. Try thinking tax-efficient income.

 David Blanchett, a research consultant at Morningstar Investment Management, says that dividends, for instance, can be far more tax-efficient than bonds from an after-tax income perspective if they are qualified—that is, taxed at a maximum rate 15% vs. 35% for ordinary income.

Blanchett adds changing your withdrawal strategy to a “happiness” perspective, and ignore required minimum distributions rules. He says that common tax wisdom suggests drawing from taxable accounts first, then a Traditional IRA, and finally from a Roth IRA.

 “I think this makes sense and can definitely increase the available income, but it’s also important to have some ‘tax diversification’ with respect to withdrawal moneys,” Blanchett says.

3. Control your fears.

Plenty of spouses go through life not talking retirement fears (and sex), says financial planner, Andrea Bulen.

Do you or your spouse have fears about retirement that you haven’t discussed?

If so, start talking about them before it’s too late, she advises.

Robert Powell, editor of Retirement Weekly, published by MarketWatch, has put together a larger list  of  “10 Overlooked Retirement Tips,” that follow this reasoning. 

You can peek at his list here –

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-overlooked-retirement-tips-040110903.html

Now, go call the rock pile people, and tell them you are not going to be home for their phone call afterall.

You have too much fun coming up!

*****

Susan Klopfer, MBA, is available for speaking on this and other business topics. Contact her at http://susanklopfer.com

Expat Retirement Works Best When Differences Understood and Appreciated

Ready to retire and want to become an expat?

 After working nearly eight months months to get a special “pensionada” visa, scouting out the correct pet carriers to bring along her dog and cat, holding umpteen garage sales and finally selling her mission-style bungalow at a small profit – to retire in Paraguay as an expat – Bess G. flew off to retirement paradise.

By the end of three months, Bess returned home.

This native Californian never was quite sure how to tell others why her move did not work out, but accepts she made mistakes. Some days wishes she could take it all back -- her current dilemma is finding a new, affordable retirement solution. For the rest of her life, she will be living in a small apartment, she rationalizes.

Packing your bags, finding pet carriers, and leaving for a romantic spot in Belize, Spain, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, Ireland or elsewhere may sound quite exciting at first. After all, the notion of living the rest of one's life near the ocean or next to snow-capped mountains with new places to visit and new people to meet, is what captured Bess’s imagination in the first place.

While there are numerous stories of individual expat success (and failure), especially on retirement blogs and magazines, there there seems to be few formal expat studies revolving around retirees.

It may help, though, to pay attention to what some corporations have learned about placing workers in new countries -- turning their employees and often their families into expatriates.

One human resource manager believes that it takes a special person to make necessary adjustments, and that when business expatriates fail to adjust to a new county, they have often been selected by managers “in a knee-jerk reaction” to fill a new or unexpected vacancy on foreign soil, and failure is more typical than not.

Sharon Lobel in "Global Leadership Competencies: Managing to a Different Drumbeat" (Human Resource Management, Spring 1990) asserts that managers tend to choose the most technically competent candidates “even though the qualities that made candidates a success domestically won't necessarily make them a success internationally.”

With Lobel’s observations in mind, it is not surprising that a high expatriate failure rate has existed for many corporations. While studies of failure rates vary, it appears that between 16 percent and 40 percent of personnel generally return early, with aborted assignments occurring as often as 70 percent of the time in developing countries, she finds.

So, if talented, educated employees cannot make it in out-of-country assignment, it is not surprising that a number of retirees trying to become expats end up returning home, most likely angry and not understanding why they could not succeed (or simply blaming their failure on the country and its “weird” citizens).

One answer to expat failure comes from the field of anthropology – ethnocentrism – a word explaining why people from one culture often have a difficult time adjusting to a new one. This word comes from the belief in the superiority of one person over another, stemming from a variety of sources.

You may have seen ethnocentrism in action, or felt it. Some expats who have a strong awareness of it say they are embarrassed when a new retiree moves into their community and begins showing signs of superiority to the local people.

 Are you certain you have “better manners” than a poor person or someone from Mexico? Do some people who speak with an “accent” have “poor” English skills? Are your children “smarter” because they had a better (more expensive) education? Is American medicine automatically "better" than what is locally practiced?... 

For anyone answering “yes” to any of these questions, this probably signals that becoming an expat might be difficult, and here is why:

Ethnocentrism usually starts with the belief of superiority in one's personal ethnic group; it can also develop from racial or religious differences. Conscious or not, people who are ethnocentric think that they are smarter, better, even superior than others for reasons based solely on their background and heritage, a practice clearly related to problems of both racism and prejudice.

Those who have been educated to recognize problems associated with ethnocentrism, would likely find it easier to relocate and live among people who are “different,” recognizing that ethnocentrism takes place nearly everywhere and everyday on local and political levels, and that it gets in the way of really knowing and understanding people from other groups.

Unfortunately, many Americans are not very familiar with this term, or that since the beginning of this country’s conception, the United States has often thought of itself as more powerful, more economically sound, and just generally "better" than other nations. 

When traveling to other countries, unless one is very cautious, ethnocentrism often appears as “looking down” on people of other cultures or behaving in a superior way. Shouting in one’s own language, rather than taking time to learn the hosting country’s language, is only one example.

Ethnocentrism can be expressed through nonverbal signals that are automatic to the person sending them, such as standing too close or too far away from a person, waggling a finger at someone while speaking too loudly or interrupting conversation while using a know-it-all expression, or not taking into any consideration the communication mores or practices of the hosting country.

(Still questioning ethnocentrism? Consider that European ethnocentrism is still practiced today in schools where history courses typically focus on the history of the United States and Europe, largely ignoring other parts of the world.)

The person who is a successful expat typically knows that despite cultural differences, we are all still human. There is no critical difference between a Parguay citizen and a citizen of Thailand, and so forth. To survive as a stranger in a strange land – a visitor in a new land – requires education and enough personal depth to avoid unfair prejudices that result from ethnocentrism.

Dr. Ben van den Anker of Australia, a cross cultural consultant, advises “While it is tempting to daydream that all we’ll need to do is find a nice little cottage on a sunny beach somewhere and our lives will be complete, [social] research suggests that expats are happiest when they go out of their way to be part of the local community and also find an activity that they love.”

Perhaps now that Bess is back home, with time on her hands, she might consider trying again to become an expat, this time taking Dr. van den Anker’s advice for making out-of-country living successful: 

“All it takes is some understanding and appreciation of unfamiliar cultures and people who have something of worth to offer.”

If she does try becoming an expat once more, not only will Bess lower her retirement expenses, she could experience something unique that comes from moving into a new and different culture--learning to appreciate others in a new way and freedom from  the defines of ethnocentrism.
*****
To arrange for Susan Klopfer to speak to your organization on retirement topics, contact her at http://susanklopfer.com

Not Many American Workers 'Somewhat Confident' On Retirement Plans

JILL B, A JUST TURNED 64- year-old, pre-retiree, admits she is "a little afraid" of what's to come when the topic of financial security rears its head in friendly conversations.

"I probably would be more afraid if I actually KNEW what's coming," she nervously laughs.

Jill and her friends always thought The American Dream was supposed to include a comfortable and financially secure retirement.

"But many of us lost some or even a great deal of our retirement savings several years ago when the stock market crashed, and economic recovery never really came."

Some of Jill's friends, waiting to recover financially, were forced into retirement due to age discrimination by younger supervisors or for real medical reasons.

"Some of them are not as secure as we all had hoped to be," Jill says, adding she feels "lucky that I have kept my job, so far."

Jill is not alone in her fear.

ONLY ABOUT HALF (52 percent) of Americans recently reported to social researchers they are "very or somewhat confident" they will have enough money to live comfortably after quitting work, in an annual survey of American attitudes toward retirement and retirement security.

This finding comes from the longest running, annual fact-finding look at American attitudes, conducted every January by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), an organization founded in 1978 with a mission to provide "credible, reliable, and objective research, data, and analysis" on employment.

EBRI gets its money through membership dues, grants, and contributions and its financial base includes a cross section of pension funds; businesses; associations; labor unions; health care providers; insurers; banks; mutual funds; government organizations; and service firms, including actuarial firms, employee benefit consulting firms, law firms, accounting firms, and investment management firms, according to its online contact information.

Even with the continuing economic rebound taking place this past year, ERBI's survey findings ended up about the same as last year - with about half its respondents NOT feeling confident about retiring.

Joe L., also 64 (but no longer employed), is somewhat confident he will have a financially secure retirement. "I'm moving to another country, where I can live on less money," he says.

Trend toward financial insecurity

WHILE THE CHANGES were not statistically significant in this year's survey, the trend was definitely in the direction of greater financial insecurity, reports Merrill Goozner for The Fiscal Times.

Surveyors found "less false optimism in 2011 and 2012 than they had been in prior years," adds Mathew Greenwald (whose polling firm conducted the survey for EBRI), noting that increased awareness among those who are "not on track" to reach their retirement goals, and their confidence, went down.

Nothing new was discovered in how retirement security is viewed, and in fact, the 22 years that EBRI has conducted its poll has been "...an era marked by declining job security, disappearing defined benefit pension plans and constant questioning about the viability of government retirement programs like Social Security and Medicare," Goozner reports.

For Jill and Joe, early retirement was a significant goal for their parents. But even this outlook has changed: some 37 percent of workers believe they must work past 65, compared to 11 percent even as early as in 1991, state EBRI findings.

In the past year, at least half who responded in related polls, not conducted for EBRI, see saving for retirement as critical - "the number one financial issue for nearly half of Americans," according to Goozner.

Yet the EBRI findings report something different--that 42 percent polled gave the uncertain job market as their number one issue.

Americans not so concerned about retirement -- for now

"Retirement is not America's primary concern right now," said Jack VanDerhei of EBRI, in a recent news release. "Their concern is job security."

Both Joe and Jill also believe that Social Security and Medicare will provide less than what they planned for.

But again, EBRI findings do not match their skepticism.

Even with various politicians speaking out to curb Social Security and Medicare, EBRI polled workers showed more confidence this year than last, stating belief that current level of benefits would be there when they retire.

Some 59 percent asked about entitlement programs responded confidentially that Social Security would provide them with benefits at least equal to benefits received by retirees today, a significant jump of 10 percent points from a year ago.

While most of Joe and Jill's attitudes and experiences appear to resemble those of workers polled by EBRI, there appears to be one more difference, and that is in the possibility of seeking help through technology.

Both Joe and Jill say they are comfortable in looking online for help with retirement planning, and in using technologies such as smart phones and tablets.

But EBRI's January 2012 survey found few participating workers and retirees comfortable using such online technologies, including seeking out help from financial professionals online.

Hence, Joe and Jill's advice: Take some technology classes ASAP.

"Even better, ask sons, daughters and grandchildren for help," Joe adds.

"They are usually more tech knowledgeable than some experts, and cost a lot less per hour!"

* * * * *
To arrange for Susan Klopfer to speak to your organization on retirement topics, contact her at http://susanklopfer.com
*****

SUSAN KLOPFER,, author and speaker, writes on civil rights and diversity. Her newest books, Who Killed Emmett Till?" "Where Rebels Roost: Mississippi Civil Rights Revisited" and "The Emmett Till Book" are now in print and are carried in most online bookstores including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and in eBook versions on iBooks and Smashwords. "Where Rebels Roost" focuses on the Mississippi Delta, with stories about Emmett Till, Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, Amzie Moore and many other civil rights foot soldiers. These books emphasize unsolved murders of Delta blacks from mid 1950s on. She is also the author of eBook, Cash In On Diversity. Klopfer is an award-winning journalist and former acquisitions and development editor for Prentice-Hall. Her computer book, "Abort, Retry, Fail!" was an alternate selection by the Book of-the-Month Club.

Retirees Start New Businesses; Doing It Right

Business Plans Critical, Especially For Retirement Startups

By Susan Klopfer,

Author, speaker, blogger

“Sue” and “Betsy” develop their biz plan.

"I thought I left business and work and all of that snarly stuff - and now you want me to write down my business plans? To write down my goals? NOT!!"

Sue is a newly retired office manager turned blogger who wants to make a small business of what she is doing -- blogging about business.

She sees an eventual online bookstore, coaching and eBooks as her eventual dream. In fact, she would like to be wildly successful, now that she has the time and energy to help cover her retirement expenses. She only brings in a little over $700 through social security plus a small pension of $500, so how can she make this dream a reality?

Her friend, Betsy, believes they can work together and "come up with something creative that will make us some extra money." A little way into the process, Betsy is telling Sue they must first write some business goals and a business plan before actually starting ANY business.

Sue's reaction?

"Oh, dear. I just don't want to get soooo formal. I just want to have fun and make some extra retirement money."

So who is right? Plan (Betsy) or no plan (Sue)?

In a study of Harvard Business School MBA graduates from 1979, researchers found that ten years after graduation, the three percent who had written goals were making 10 times as much money as the other 97 percent combined.

Other studies over the years have produced similar findings. People who write down their goals are more successful. There is no reason these research findings would NOT apply to retiree businesses, as well.

Betsy wins. But, Sue could be a winner, too...

Business advisors, experienced entrepreneurs, bankers, and investors generally agree that you should develop a business plan before starting a business. Here is why: a plan helps you move forward, make decisions, and make your business successful.

However, not all business plans are equal and not every business needs the same level of detail. You might develop a simple straightforward plan before or as you start a business, and that might be enough for you. Start simple and then become more elaborate if needed - for example if you eventually decided to ask for a loan or needed to seek investors.

Consider a retired woman from New York who worked for a major communications company before retiring. Linda B. started her secondary financial retirement plan early by purchasing a small knitting machine to produce knitted headbands for skiers, complete with their company logos.

During her Norwegian childhood, she learned to knit traditional ski sweaters from her grandmother and actually started out knitting sweaters for several nearby Vermont skiers. The nature of imports changed in the U.S. and Linda found that she could not compete in price with similar types of sweaters coming into the U.S. from China. Because she started her business before her actual retirement, she had time to modify her existing business plan, finding a new, competitive product and was able to make needed, flexible adjustments.

"Where I grew up in Europe, we always had small businesses like this on the side. If there was an economic downturn, we had something to fall back on. I knew that my small business was perfect for adding to my retirement income, and would keep me connected. Having a flexible business plan, with goals, meant I could make this important switch, from sweaters to head band, and keep making money."

Linda also benefits from having a simple sales and expense forecast, a profit and loss report, so she can plan how to use and develop her resources. She might not need to create detailed cash flow, balance sheet, and business ratios. A simple plan is what she needs to keep going.

Linda started out with a mission statement, an easy market analysis (she used a telephone book to discover major ski shops that might stock her sweaters), and a break-even analysis, to provide an important head start to understanding her business. Her yarn cost was minimal and she actually found herself making more profits from the head bans than the sweaters.

Of course, not all startups are this simple. Most of us are not wealthy enough, especially going into retirement, to finance such expenditures as product development, packaging, retail fittings and signage, office equipment, websites, and sometimes months or even years of payroll before the sales start. Like Linda, we will not be working with bank loans or investors, both requiring more extensive business plan.

Betsy's suggestion to Sue for getting started is to develop a plan in stages that meet real business needs. She wants to add a basic sales and expense forecast, leading to profit and loss, as next phase. Adding business numbers will help predict business flow and match spending to income.

Here is what Betsy would like to see in their startup plan:

· Executive Summary

· Objectives

· Mission

· Keys to Success

· Company Summary

· Product Description

· Target Markets/Strategy to reach them

· Potential buyers, their needs, and how to reach them

· Competitive Edge

· Financial Plan with Projected Cash Flow

More sophisticated plans than Betsy's are based on the type of business, financing requirements, and business objective. Regardless, here are several more points to consider that come from  blogger Tim Berry at Bplans.com.

§ Even a one-person, small business benefits from written plans, because simply producing a plan is quite useful and valuable.

§ When others become involved, the need for having a written plan becomes even more important for communicating values, goals, strategies, and detailed implementation.

§ When you involve people outside the company, then you need to provide more background information and a written plan helps to describe company history and product or service features, for example.

§ A written market analysis helps spotlight opportunities that might not otherwise be obvious. For example, do you know why people buy from you? Who are your potential customers? How do you find them?

§ Do you sell on credit? This requires a more sophisticated plan than running a cash only business.

§ Do you do your taxes on a cash basis, or accrual basis? Hint:  If your business requires helps from a CPA, your business probably needs a more extensive business plan.

§ Need more money to make more money? Some banks will accept a less sophisticated business plan as long as the collateral looks good; a good bank wants to see a good plan. Professional investors will expect a business plan to provide solid proof including market data, competitive advantage, and management track records, along with comprehensive financial projections.

Tim offers even more ideas in his article A Simpler Plan for Startups.

* * * * *

No matter how you cut it, a business plan is critical to your business, especially if you are retired, because your cash flow has more limitations than when you were working and bringing in more money.

Even at the early startup stage, and even if you can keep it in your head, a plan is very important. Betsy was able to convince Sue of this importance, and before they made any purchases such as business stationery, telephones, renting a location, they sat down together and did a simple business plan.

As it goes, their friendship survived, and so did their retirement business.

Don't worry if you are not a 1 percenter -- you can still retire on less money and have fun, too!

Retirement should not mean depression and loneliness.

Retirement planning means far more than addressing money issues, Jane C said. The retired nurse expected to feel happy upon retirement, but found herself "just miserable nearly every day," instead.

As a medical professional, Jane knew that her own loneliness, sadness, loss of sleep and other symptoms are often described as depression, so she set out to fix the problem by discovering a proactive approach to retirement - finding something worthwhile to do while adding to her retirement income base.

Jane talked about the first months of retirement, missing her nursing work more than she could have imagined. Most friends, it turned out, "were people I knew through my job and I did not see them much anymore.

"My husband kept telling me to relax and enjoy our new retired life together, but I just could not seem to do it. I kept asking myself, 'what's wrong with me?'"

Finding a job as a paid tutor for nursing students turned out to be the best decision Jane ever made, and now she reports she is "anything from being depressed."

IT IS INTERESTING how many working people dream of having time off, think about what they will do with new, extra hours and how they will enjoy their retirement to the fullest - while they are still employed.
Yet, too often retirement planning, both formal and informal, does not deal with the unanticipated void that often comes when people leave work to become retirees. "I will never make the 1 percenters - I don't even care about having that much money. I just wanted to be happy in retirement," Jane said.

(What is a 1 percenter? The Washington Post says, "Taken literally, the top 1 percent of American households that had a minimum income of $516,633 in 2010.)

A typical working person's community consists of the people with whom they mingle at the workplace and the work-related events they experience during most days. So why would it not be normal for a retired person to feel like Jane, with a sense of loss and displacement, when a major part of their identity suddenly disappears?

Loss of work often represents a tremendous void for many retired people, and one growing solution is finding new work, whether paid or unpaid. If you are in this predicament, start thinking about the skills you used in your work life and how to share them with others now that you are retired (or even beforehand).

Another suggestion, coming from retirement planning experts, is to think about something that you always wanted to do, and come up with a way to achieve it. Perhaps you always wanted to play the guitar, write books, be a travel writer, cook Greek food. Each of these activities, especially for a retired person, is achievable.

Here are three more ideas that may help:

1. If you are good at building things, why not volunteer with Habitat for Humanity or another community organization that requires specific skills?

One California volunteer, a retired engineer, found life can exist after work by giving his time as a CASA volunteer, even though this required he acquire a new set of skills.

"I will never forget the first time that I met Jeremiah. He was waiting anxiously for me by the stairs of his group home. When I walked through the door, his eyes just lit up and he got the biggest smile on his face. He said, "You're going to be my CASA, right?"

CASA volunteers help meet the emotional and physical safety needs of thousands of abused and neglected children across the country, advocating on behalf of their educational, mental health, medical, dental, and family/sibling visitation needs.

They become a consistent and caring adult and advocate for the child in a one-on-one relationship that forms between the volunteer and dependent child, often the only stable relationship the child has while in foster care. To work as a CASA volunteer, start asking around your community, at the courthouse, library and other such places to learn if there is a local program.

Alternatively, google CASA on the Internet and find where the closest program is located. You might end up starting your community's first such program.

2. If math or science or foreign languages (music, grammar, reading) are your strength, how about tutoring a student in need?

With classroom sizes approaching 30 to 40 students, it is impossible for teachers of nearly any subject to provide individual attention to students. As the shortage of qualified teachers rises, and the number of students per class grows, many students will undoubtedly be left behind.This is where a skilled retiree can bridge the learning gap, as a tutor - voluntarily or paid.

What are the greatest qualities that a tutor can possess? First, the ability to empathize with students' learning needs, says a retired teacher, Sara T. "No matter how difficult a student is to teach, tutors need to have the ability to communicate the love and passion they have for learning. Successful tutors understand, are patient and trustworthy."

High intelligence is not required, but tutors must know what it feels like to not understand a concept," says the retired Spanish teacher who now tutors for extra retirement money. She found her first students by simply placing an ad in various local community newspapers:

"I am accepting a few new students to tutor mathematics and reading comprehension on a private basis. I can also help with homework. Students receive one-on-one help to excel to their full potential. I have over 25 years of professional teaching experience and have worked with children having difficulty in a school setting. Will provide references. Call (Sara's phone number) to learn more."

Word of mouth, due to her positive reputation, keeps Sara so busy; she has a waiting list for her tutoring services.

Successful tutors have the ability to convey key information to students of all ages. Here are several online places to visit to learn more about tutoring opportunities via the Internet:

Tutor.vista.com (choose teaching jobs from home), ASAPtutor.com (choose job openings), Kaplan.com (careers at Kaplan), Elance.com (view list of jobs/market your services), Guru.com (list yourself as a freelancer); ParliamentTutors.com (choose careers), and tutor.com (choose button, Become a tutor.com tutor).

Even when a student is doing well, a tutor, on or off liine, must desire more and work even harder to bring out the very best - not only from their students but also from themselves.

If they lack these key qualities, their students will not have the desire or motivation to learn:

• Be prepared. Before the tutoring session begins, make it a goal to learn something for yourself. Do not rely on information you taught in the past, but seek out research results and latest information.
• Be positive. No matter how bad or how good a student's academic situation is, be positive. Let students know they can improve.
• Be Personal. Take your students' learning personally, showing passion by communicating your faith in them and your commitment to see them learn and grow.
• Stand committed. Every teacher has his or her blind spots, so commit yourself as a tutor to staying open minded. Remember there are other points of view and better methods of learning. Know that you can learn from any situation - even from your own students.
• Be reliable. Besides being on time for tutoring sessions, do not fake a caring attitude, and do not make promises that you cannot keep. Parents and students have expectations, and when you are able to confirm what you say, either verbally or non-verbally, you are known to be reliable.

3. If you were a great salesperson in your working days (or always thought you could have been), look for stores and other people (online and offline) that sell products or services that you like and find out if there is opportunity for you.

A good place to visit for possible items and services to represent is Clickbank.com. This online business site offers tens of thousands of products for its affiliates and vendors, with up to 75 percent in commissions.

Say that Gale loves training dogs and creates an e-book called "Dog Training 1,2,3" and a simple Web site to promote her e-book. She still needs a way to attract customers and discovers ClickBank to be a unique online retail environment for digital products like her e-book. ClickBank also has more than 100,000 active affiliate marketers ready to promote "Dog Training 1,2,3" in exchange for a commission.

Gale works with ClickBank to suggest the retail price and the affiliate commission she wants to pay for "Dog Training 1,2,3." She submits her e-book to ClickBank for approval and pays the one-time $49.95 activation fee.

"Dog Training 1,2,3" is now live in the ClickBank Marketplace and available for ClickBank affiliates to promote. ClickBank pays Gale and her affiliates automatically for each sale that occurs.
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FINALLY, IF YOU ARE retired, lonely and bored, retirement planning provides a great opportunity to learn about something you have always wanted to know but never had the time to investigate. This may include investigating a topic that will lead you back to work for money or as a volunteer, perhaps as a sales person or business owner.

Volunteering, seeking employment by others or becoming self-employed - any of these options can be a perfect match for most retirees.

In today's retirement world, a third of workers age 55 and older who were laid off in the past 12 months and did not find a job said they were considering starting their own business, according to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey.

Further, the age at which entrepreneurs are more innovative and willing to take risks apparently is on the rise. Data from the Kauffman Foundation shows the highest rate of entrepreneurship in America shifted to the 55-64 age group, with people over 55 almost twice as likely to found successful companies than those between 20 and 34, and individuals between the ages of 54 and 64 represented 22.9% of the entrepreneurs who launched businesses in 2010.

Jane C., who recently developed depression over feelings of loss and displacement upon retirement from nursing, says she now finds this state of mind no longer exists even if she has left her profession and friends.


"Sitting home with nothing to do - or even going on cruises or going to retirement financial planning workshops - is not the answer."

By going "back to work," in her case a paid tutoring position, she quickly changed from suffering depression to becoming a happier, active person.

"And this is what I wanted all along in my retirement - to have a wonderful, fulfilling rest of my life," Jane said.

At Retirement Monologues – Where We Are Heading

“Lots of articles, seminars and “talks” are devoted to financial planning for retirement. So what about “spare time” and “usefulness” planning? Not a whole lot is mentioned about this part of the retirement equation.”

Not everyone desires to live a life of leisure like these television icons portrayed -- in fact, these women all continued to work in their profession of acting throughout their "golden" years.

So, I don’t know about you, but I am not interested in one more fact-filled article, important webinar or serious “talk” on saving money for my retirement. Or on investing, buying annuities, investing in bonds, or more. Yes – we will need a more money to help make our social security and other savings go further. Yes – we are paring down expenses in preparation for retiring, and will stick to our current pre-retirement budget for now.

But do you really think that a REALLY GREAT retirement depends solely on how much money you save beforehand, and on how much money you have to “live on” once retirement time arrives? Are you really planning to travel, go on ocean cruises and spend the rest of your time playing shuffleboard, going fishing, and babysitting grandchildren? Part of this sounds a little self-absorbed, and boring (except for the grandchildren). I do know that I would be driven absolutely silly if I did not have something important and fun to do besides going on trips, if I did not have something that keeps me engaged in the world, and something that adds extra money to our retirement household when I officially retire.

Lots of articles, seminars and “talks” are devoted to financial planning for retirement. Nevertheless, what about “spare time” and “usefulness” planning? Not a whole lot is mentioned about this part of the retirement equation. One can trim only so many expenditures, and save and invest only so much money before retirement arrives, and then when it finally happens. 


No matter how hard you try, you may not have a very good retirement “war chest.” But you still want your last years to have meaning, and to survive. This is the true focus of Retirement Monologues, helping people have the best retirement possible, financially, emotionally and actively. 

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Come'on.  Do we really NEED so much money to have a great retirement? Financial planning companies are great at scaring us to believe so. (I guess that one could be like a certain presidential candidate who builds car elevators for his seven houses, in his leisure time.) But I think there is more to life, and I am sure you do, too. Retirement years can provide the opportunity to find some real treasures in life, through activities that were never possible before.

So what can you do if you have already cut out as many expenses as possible from your retirement budget and you don’t have enough money coming in to handle your retirement expenses? Or enough money to do some added fun things, like take a trip or buy a new computer?

At the other end of the spectrum, perhaps your retirement budget is in tip-top shape, yet that does not keep you from wanting to earn more money as a retiree. Or from experiencing a new and more fulfilling life. 


But most of us will have spent nearly all of our lives working by the time we retire, and it can be tough not to have at least a small task, part-time job, etc., to devote time to during or even before retirement, since many years of self-worth and fulfillment have been tied up with professional work, leaving little time to explore the unknown.

Retirement Monologues will be delving into the expat/and related retirement issues (since our personal retirement plan includes moving to South America and living as expatriates) as well as looking at ideas that will help you  make money doing something interesting, before and during retirement. Here are some of the ideas we will investigate in the coming months, first some low-tech strategies:

How to be a tutor

There are many people who enjoy teaching and are in fact great teachers, but have had a career in something other than teaching because they could make more money. Have you always had a desire to teach? Do you want to earn some money during retirement while helping someone learn to speak English or another language? How to read? How to cook special foods? You can make a difference with tutoring during your retirement years and in some cases, make money as well. 


I know, for instance, a woman who holds weekly cooking classes, showing how to conjure up special meals with raw vegetables. People pay $25 for the cooking class and then have a fun dinner, eating their new foods together.

See if you can teach a class at your local YMCA, gym or youth center. Maybe you love working with kids and sports; why not coach a youth sports league? The money you make may not take your breath away, but you will be out and about staying active and healthy, and perhaps growing your retirement booty. We will find some people who are tutoring for fun and profit.

What about educating voters? Go out on the campaign trail and hand out brochures and information. As elections near, there are some opportunities to make some money going door to door for state and national candidates. Some organizations also hire people to go door to door. Being able to personally help out with a cause that you believe in is a great way to invest your time during retirement.


There are many possibilities in this category of teaching and tutoring -- and here is where we will start.

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How to Start a Business

Who says that entrepreneurs have to all be young, idealist college dropouts? Did you know that 55 to 64 year olds make up the age group with the highest rate of growth in entrepreneurial activity? The reduced cost of starting a business online rather than renting out office space and setting up a physical store front, can make the difference you need as a retiree-entrepreneur. 


We are going to speak with some folks who do just this – they are building a website business for their current money-making venture and planning ahead for retirement. The key is to start planning before retirement, and building a large following of customers and clients. The opportunities are endless -- from selling online stuff, from animal treats to zen products -- or perhaps selling services, from coaching to reading tea leaves. So many possibilities to explore!

How to Work with a Family Member

Is there a family member who already owns a business and who could use some extra help? What about spending time with them AND making some money to boot? Does your daughter need extra help at the law office? Does your hairdresser son need an extra hand? Is someone in the family selling vitamins and other such products? Could you be their new sales person? Why not see if you have any family members that own their own businesses, work from home, etc., and would be grateful for your assistance. You might not make as much money as you would doing the equivalent job somewhere else but the positive is that you will be able to spend quality time with a family member while helping them succeed. We’ll be blogging about this.

Here are some more ideas that revolve around use of the Internet:

Create specialty eBooks. Once you create ebooks, with the right marketing strategies and knowledge of social media, they could sell for you on autopilot, through word of mouth and continue to earn for you. I do this myself with three eBooks that relate to diversity and civil rights and sell my eBooks via blogging and other means, I hope they will bring me some income for life. I can pass down my eBooks to my child, and he can use them to make money, too – or even write some of his own to add to the catalog. I will be sharing with you what I know about eBooks.

Create your own e-courses.  Have you attended a Webinar? Have you shot a video?  Do you know how to use graphics and sign-making software? These skills are not hard to learn and if you have a particular knowledge base or want to spend time learning new information about something you have always been interested in, it is not that hard to create courses that can keep on teaching for you and bringing in revenue. Again, this requires learning how to use effectively social media (facebook, twitter and more) and requires that you have a high level of skill in the topic you choose. We will be investigating this further and sharing with you.

Create a blog that matters. This is a topic close to my heart. I have five blogs that “matter” on the topics of retirement, diversity and civil rights history, and use them to help sell my ebooks, print books and to acquire speaking engagements. I also represent an affiliate who provides a course on how to develop blogs that matter. Some blogs offer so much valuable information to readers that they eventually grow a big enough audience to attract a company that wants to buy the blog outright. The key for bloggers is that the blog not be all about you, but about a topic of high interest to a broad audience, where a buyer (or the person who inherits your blog) could hire other experts in your industry to run it after you depart. We will be writing more about blogs that matter and how to make them work for you.

Create a Web-based service business and then sell it.  Sometimes, in the course of pursuing your writing career, you get an idea for a related business you could start. Build the business and then find a buyer. It happens – and we will further investigate this strategy.

So here is where we will be going for the next few months. I hope that you will join us. Please add you comments and ideas... Susan


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