I was perusing the Internet today when I saw an interesting clip on Yahoo about a guy that had managed to ditch his $500,000 per year job. Of course I clicked on it. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know about the guy who traded in his half million dollar annual paycheck and what he traded it for? Here’s what I found out.

Pursuing One’s Passion

Gary Buslik graduated college with a degree in English…a subject he loved dearly, but unless he was going to be the next Stephen King or J. K. Rowling, it was a degree with few opportunities outside teaching. Apparently, his parents were concerned about the same thing. Not to worry, though. Gary was smart enough to apply himself in another direction and was able to create an extremely successful alarm company that averaged $6 million in annual sales and netted him a very nice salary. But, he simply wasn’t satisfied.

It wasn’t about the money, as he proved in 1997, when he sold his business for the measly sum of several million dollars . It was the job itself. This guy just really loved English and literature. You could say he had a thing for it. Eventually, he got a Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois and landed a part time teaching gig there, which he supplements by writing a few books on the side.

But what about his salary, you ask? He took a $486,000 a year pay cut to do what he loves and has never looked back. Wonder how he did it? Let’s take a peek.

• He sold his company. In hindsight, it would seem that he was pretty smart to sell his company quickly. If he had held out, he might have missed the boat due to the tanking economic climate. He took the first offer that appealed to him. When it comes to timing sales like this, luck has got a lot to do with this, in my opinion.
• He invested the proceeds from the sale. Instead of doing what most of us would do (read: *spend it*), Gary took the money he made from the sale of his business, paid off all his debt and invested the rest in low risk I bonds. These bonds are all but guaranteed to earn money as they are indexed for inflation.
• He didn’t touch the money. While it might be tempting for Gary to take his money out of his investments to use for a big purchase — say to buy a new car — he instead leaves it alone. (By the way, Gary is still driving a 1986 Mercedes Benz). By only withdrawing the amount of money he needs to use in order to supplement his meager income, he has assured himself a secure financial future and the ability to continue doing what he loves.

Find Your Dream Job: Love A Job That Makes Less Income

Of course, most of us don’t have a multimillion dollar company at our disposal to sacrifice in order to pursue our dreams, but there are many other lessons we can take from Gary’s story, which we can put to good use in our own lives.

• Always spend less than you earn. It is extremely important to understand the difference between needs and wants and to put money away for a rainy day. It’s important to stash funds somewhere reputable, say in top-notch high yield savings accounts. Of course, this will mean that you have to forgo a few luxuries, but when you know you could survive for an indefinite period of time on much less than you are making now, then it certainly provides peace of mind. Make a family budget and stick to it (check out our YNAB review for a great home budgeting tool that can help)!
• Don’t be afraid of investing. The truth is, the stock market scares the crud out of many people, but this is usually the case when you don’t understand how it works. And to be honest, investing goes beyond just rolling the dice at the NYSE. Open an account with an online broker and talk to a financial advisor who can help you invest your savings in a way that will make your money work for you.
• Stay out of debt. If there is any one vital step you can take when it comes to securing your financial future, it’s to get out of debt and to stay out of debt.

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Find Your Dream Job: Love A Job That Makes Less Income

There are occasions when a job promotion or job offer is unwelcome as it leads to a path that you are not willing or able to take. Strange as it may seem, in these difficult economic times when many people have been managing job loss or are facing a job layoff, there are still some gainfully employed individuals who plan to say no to their boss when receiving “good” news.

Of course, circumstances vary enormously from case to case; for example, a working mother may not want to dedicate more time to the job so she won’t deprive her children of her important presence. Her boss, if he/she is a good manager, will try to accommodate the good employee. Another case may be when the job promotion involves a complete change of activity; one of my teaching colleagues declined the position of assistant principal because he would have lost the daily contact with his students. He much preferred to remain in the classroom. Saying “No” to the boss is nevertheless a risky business which may cost the employee a great deal of social capital.

How To Politely Decline A Job Promotion or Job Offer

“To say no, even if it truly is the correct decision, is not risk-free and will cost some amount of social capital,” says Todd Dewett, author of “Leadership Redefined“. You therefore have to ponder your next move very carefully if you are planning to say no to a promotion. Nobody wants to be ostracized within the company, a phenomenon that occurs when the boss starts giving you the worst assignments to force you to resign (They could always fire you of course, but remember that they are also under scrutiny and getting rid of a productive worker may not sit well with the upper echelons). The following recommendations may help you soften the blow of declining a job promotion and may even give you a better opportunity to carry out your own professional plans:

1. Communicate with your boss. Make sure she is aware of your personal and professional plans and ambitions. Ask for frequent feedback without appearing subservient. Ask how you can become a more valuable contributor to the bottom line and offer timely suggestions.

2. Give your reasons. When the job promotion is offered, spell out very clearly and precisely why you’d prefer not to accept (for the moment). It may involve a change of city (or country) that would affect your children; explain how you could serve the company better in a different capacity. “Build a careful case for declining a career move, emphasizing the positive impact for the company,” suggests Canter, the author of “Make the Right Career Move.”

3. Be honest. Honesty with your boss is the best strategy. She will appreciate your candor and try to work with you to accomplish your own goals within the company. If you have a job offer with another company, then say so. Your employer may try to keep you by sweetening the deal with a counter-offer.

4. Find out why you are being promoted. Find out from your boss why you are being considered for a job promotion. Be extremely diplomatic about it and explain why you aren’t a fit for the new job at the moment. Give concrete and well-researched reasons why you may be more valuable in your present position.

5. Answer questions from your co-workers. They will be curious as to why you declined the opportunity; be truthful without revealing confidential information received from your boss.

6. Discuss the promotion with your family. Before turning down or accepting a job promotion, discuss the pros and cons with your immediate family; they will serve as an excellent sounding board and help you see the situation in a new light.

7. Look forward. We sometimes accept or reject a job promotion without looking at the long-term consequences. Will I have a new boss? In that case, who will this person be? Can I get along with them? What comes down the road if I accept the promotion, maybe 5 or 10 years later? Do I want to develop a career at this company or are there better opportunities elsewhere?

Accepting or refusing a job promotion is one of those life-changing decisions. On the one hand, we feel flattered that management recognizes our worth. On the other hand, the change may be detrimental to our personal plans for our professional future. So analyze all aspects very carefully before reaching a decision. Your boss will understand if you say that you want to “sleep” on it before deciding. This would show maturity and wisdom.

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

How To Decline A Job Promotion or Job Offer

I wish somebody had given me some advice when I first settled in the U.S. I landed here in the early 60’s. Instead, I had to fend for myself during the mini-depression of those days jumping at any opportunity to work. Then, of course, Uncle Sam came visiting (the draft was on) and I spent a few years in uniform hurrying and waiting as is the norm in any army. Whether you are just graduating from high school or college, you are facing the same difficult employment situation and there are a few facts you should know, “ye impatient youngsters.”

5 Career Planning Tips For College Graduates

1. The most important value is not to feel entitled. Just because you came out of a good school doesn’t mean automatic job offers will be piling up in your mail box. The opposite is also true; if you graduated from a regular school that’s not on the excellence map, do not feel that you’ll only get crappy jobs.

2. Focus on one particular skill. When I first arrived in the United States, I had no special ability and my English was suspect at best. As expected, the jobs I encountered were at the lowest level of pay and position, though I was grateful to have one at all. If you jump into the job market with only a general diploma, the same thing will happen to you. Develop one particular skill (we all have one at least) and take additional classes or training, even if you are already working. Some of my high school graduates (I am a teacher) have a knack for all things mechanical, so I advise them to concentrate on one particular area such as aviation, where salaries are higher. Another option is to join the Armed Forces or the National Guard and get a free specialization.

3. Find out what kind of jobs are in demand. Nowadays, there are at least three areas which are booming in the midst of the economic slowdown: health, education and government. You may already know that the Obama administration is pouring tons of money in green industries, in energy, and in the environment. If you have an interest in any of these, find out what the requirements are and start training. According to Yahoo! Finance, the best places to find a job are in metro areas with more than 200,000 inhabitants. As a recent graduate, it would be a lot easier for you to relocate, before you start a family and settle down. And where they have professional jobs, there’s also a myriad of technical jobs which don’t require a college degree. Time to find a career in these top cities?

4. Get information! Once you have zeroed in on the specialized area that you believe fits your skills, find out all you can about that industry. The internet is an excellent source of information, but you might want to talk to somebody you know who works in that area or who has recently retired. That will give you a head start on the competition; believe me, there are hundreds if not thousands of recent graduates who want the same job. Get serious about your search. Companies place a premium on intense and dedicated candidates who do their homework. Such job seekers are likely to be hired even over more qualified people who appear too relaxed.

5. Do not reject low-level positions. If you are offered a low paying entry job in your area of interest, by all means take it! I don’t care if you have to get in as a mail clerk. If you show strong dedication and continue to learn (e.g. via evening classes), your company won’t “waste” your skills or time for very long. Many very successful people who started at the bottom have reached high level executive positions. They’ve worked on studying all there is to know about their business and that’s what makes them so special and valuable.

Now go out there and hit the ground running. Time is money after all!

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

5 Career Planning Tips For College Graduates

For many of the unemployed (actually, around 1 million people), there’s the worry that when January 2010 rolls along, they will be losing their unemployment benefits. This is because extended unemployment benefits are scheduled to expire by the end of the year unless the government does something about it. What to do then?

A while ago, I wrote a post that discusses what to do if your unemployment check runs out. Here are some general ideas:

(1) Turn to your community, local shelters and churches for possible resources.
(2) Try to conserve your funds as best as you can by limiting your expenses to only necessary expenditures. Perhaps you need a budget!
(3) Keep your eyes out for any job opportunity that opens up; even if a job is not in your line of work, you never know if it can eventually lead to something else that works out for you later.
(4) Explore various ways to generate income and be resourceful (for example, why not consider a pink slip party?).

Right now, people are making do with any kind of work that earns them an income. It’s hard to be picky right now — and you shouldn’t be, especially if you’ve been hitting the pavement (for a job) for a while now. But keep the faith as this economy *should* turn around….eventually.

Let’s keep up with our financial education with these great reads for the week:

Personal Finance Articles

• The New Parents’ Guide: To get our finances in order, it’s important to develop a financial plan and set financial goals as a starting point.
• Wise Bread: What if you can’t get a bank loan? Well here are 8 other ways and schemes you can try, to help finance your fledgling business.
• Weakonomics: Here’s a comprehensive piece about money, gold and the FED, and why we should be concerned about the US dollar. Very compelling!
• Len Penzo: Is LifeLock’s $1 million guarantee a sham? Len explores what Lifelock offers and also shares some do-it-yourself identity theft prevention tips.

Recent Carnivals

• Festival of Frugality
• Carnival of Debt Reduction
• Festival of Stocks

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Unemployment Benefits Set To Expire Soon. What Next?

Jack Newman is 70 years old; he retired 5 years ago from his job as a construction engineer, happy to live on his Social Security benefits and some income from shrewd investments. However, in December of 2008, Jack and his wife Dolores discovered the appalling truth: they had lost 75% of their investments having dedicated too much to stocks and not enough to cash. Their only solution is to go back to work at whatever position they could find. This terrible situation is happening all over the country to tens of thousands of retirees who find themselves suddenly unable to stay retired.

Image from chinadaily.com

For those seniors facing this situation, we offer these articles and advice:

• Money Advice For Senior Citizens: An Economic Survival Guide
• Retirement Investments Hit By The Economic Crisis? Financial Options For Seniors
• Planning For Retirement? 5 Financial Tips For The Boomer Generation
• How Baby Boomers Can Earn Extra Income

As you can see, we’ve got lots of coverage here on financial issues faced by boomers and seniors. But for those interested in going back to work and wondering how to proceed, we have some tips for you below.

Back To Work: How To Rejoin The Workforce After Retirement

Step 1: Crunch The Numbers

This Wall Street Journal article says the following: Keep in mind that if you’re under full retirement age and collecting Social Security, $1 will be deducted for every $2 you earn above the annual limit, which is $13,560 for 2008 and $14,160 for 2009. There would be no limits for Jack since he has reached full retirement age, although in some cases there is a provision called “The Windfall Provision” which cuts your Social Security benefits if you receive retirement monies from a pension plan.

Step 2: Search Within Your Expertise

Since Jack is in good health and physically active (remember that the modern 70 is the old 60), he could very well go back to his specialty, construction. This is what the same WSJ article recommends: stick to what you know. Your strong background in any field is pure gold for many firms since they can leverage your extensive career experience to benefit them. Under federal law, no candidate can be rejected because of age, among other conditions, unless the job involves strenuous physical activity suitable only for younger people.

Step 3: Learn New Technologies

If you’ve been retired for 10 years or more, it would be a good idea to freshen up on the latest technology before looking for a job. Using a computer in some areas is a must, as is texting and IM (Instant Messages). Read some professional journals or magazines, take a look at what the required dress code is nowadays, and maybe talk to some younger colleagues to find out whether the lingo or jargon has changed. It might be convenient to seek a part time or consultant job at first.

Step 4: Go Back To School

As another option for seniors who want to get back into the workforce, there’s also this thing called “Plus-50 Initiative”. Here’s a description of the program from its website:

Plus 50 is a program for adults 50 and over, designed to support wellness, lifelong learning, and “creative retirement” through a variety of classes offered at the Western Wake Campus of Wake Technical Community College. This program is for “baby boomers” who are getting ready to retire or want to transition from their current careers to a new “encore” career.

The new “encore” career is of course a euphemism for people who have retired and find out they have to go back to work. You can check your local community colleges for similar programs. Someone who’s participated in this program is Roxanna Evans, age 68, who says she retired in 2002 but found out later that she would need to go back to work out of necessity. The great news? She got a job after attending the Plus-50 initiative.

Step 5: Check Out Back To Work Programs

There may also be back to work programs available for the type of work you are looking for. For instance, there are programs that facilitate the “return to work” goal for former nurses: because of the nation’s nursing shortage, there are more clinics, health care centers and hospitals that are encouraging former health care workers and retired nurses to consider returning to work. You can check out this site for more details.

Another association is busy helping senior citizens: The AARP pairs employers with retired individuals who are searching for work. Resources such as these can help you identify potential positions designed for older, more experienced personnel. So make sure you check all these options before starting to look for a job. They will help you shorten the process and prove to yourself that you can still show the young whippersnappers a trick or two.

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Back To Work: How To Rejoin The Workforce After Retirement

Another way to describe a “bad job environment“.

Whenever a group of people are asked to perform a certain task, whether in an office, in the National Guard or on a factory floor, some members manage to poison the atmosphere for everybody else. These persons have a serious underlying psychological problem which they try to solve by being rude and unprofessional. Sometimes they even vent their anger on the public they supposedly serve. Remember the “Soup Nazi” in the Seinfeld show? That’s an excellent illustration, albeit a bit exaggerated, of a toxic human character that enjoys humiliating or bullying unsuspecting people.

How To Deal With Difficult People Like Bad Bosses and CoWorkers

While you may be thankful that there are no job layoffs at your company, there could be other things you may want to be wary of at work: for instance, the toxic coworker. For some employees, facing a job layoff could be the least of their worries!

“Twenty-nine percent of respondents recently surveyed said they work with someone who is rude or unprofessional on the job,” according to Office Team. How you should handle a situation with someone unsavory depends on this “nasty” person’s position and importance in your team. If it’s your boss (and not the owner of your company), try to ascertain the opinion of your suffering colleagues. If they share your opinion, you may want to go above your boss’ head to place a formal complaint. It’s risky, of course, but take into account that if you do it respectfully, the company cannot engage in reprisals. They may even act to remove the offensive party since team morale affects the bottom line, just as a football coach is fired when the team doesn’t win.

“When colleagues dislike each other, it’s incredibly wasteful of everybody’s time, it leads to lots of misunderstandings and it has a terrible impact on the work atmosphere,” says Fiona Thompson of the English Guardian.

Revolution or Negotiation?

OK, so not everybody has the soul of a Paul Revere. The other option is of course negotiation. A colleague may well listen to reason if a couple of co-workers approach him/her to request a change in attitude. Self-protection is one of the most important traits in the human psyche. If your colleague still refuses to modify his/her behavior, you may want to consider how valuable this individual is to the group. If they are deemed to be star workers by management, your only recourse is to ignore them or to resign. If you are the one loved by your bosses, give them the alternative (ultimatum?): I can’t work with this person, make your choice!

Your Defense Strategies

If you have no alternative but to continue working with these obnoxious people, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself:

• Keep track of your work by offering frequent progress reports to your team leader. It will prevent the “credit grabber” from stealing your ideas and claiming them as theirs.
• Do not participate in water cooler gossiping of any kind. If the person tries to engage you, respond with positive comments and find a nice way to walk away.
• Try to analyze why you don’t like that person. You may discover that they just want some attention from you and that they can become very good colleagues if you listen carefully to their opinions.
• You don’t have to be friends with everybody in the team; all you need is to find a way to work together.
• Examine yourself. You may be the one expecting too much from others. Are you a little jealous or envious? Are you the one who causes the friction?
• Do not confront the “I have to win every argument” type of person. You’ll just waste your energies and make an enemy by trying to argue about things that are not that important to the success of the team.
• Pick your fights. Strange as it may seem, there is a time when fighting becomes necessary (Kenny Rogers anyone?) When matters are of crucial importance for the success of the company, fight with everything you have when you are sure your point of view is the right one. You may well earn a promotion out of it.
• Stand up to bullying. If a co-worker makes constant demeaning remarks about you or continues to harass you, do not hesitate to lodge a formal complaint with management. These people will never change and they have to learn their lesson. Just make sure you have documented every instance and word and use witnesses if you have any.

It’s Human Nature

Do not put up with unpleasant people. Let these people know, gently, that you will take stronger measures if they do not stop, such as lodging a formal grievance. You could also ask to be transferred to another department or to other duties in order to escape that pernicious individual. But the sad truth is that we always encounter unpleasant people in the working area; that is inevitable. Find the best way to deal with it, which might be to “grin and bear it.”

 
Image Credit: Threshold

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Dealing With Difficult People Like Bad Bosses and CoWorkers

Here’s a job hunting tip: how about thinking outside the box? Today, we explore an unconventional career opportunity: joining the armed forces of our country. What is it like? Our contributing writer, Rachel Strong, gives us a peek into what the National Guard is all about. She is the extremely proud wife of a National Guard soldier.

Image by The National Guard

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, all branches of the United States Armed Forces (Army, Air Force, National Guard, Army Reserve, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard) saw a dramatic increase in recruitment. But over the subsequent years, military recruitment has dwindled to the point that the controversial stop-loss program was implemented.

Today, with hundreds of thousands of jobs lost or looking uncertain each month and the world looking more and more dangerous, military recruitment has taken another upswing — even in a time of war. A career in the military will not only offer a paycheck, but also specialized training and even college tuition money (or student loan program pay-off) through the G.I. Bill. One of the easiest ways to serve not only your country but also your community, and still keep your day job as long as you still have it, is through your state’s National Guard.

What Is The National Guard?

The National Guard is the longest-standing military force in the New World; it started in December, 1636. Today, every state has at least one standing citizen-soldier Army National Guard battalion, and many have more than one, along with an Air National Guard as well. The Guard has helped fight in every war, and has been called upon to protect national borders; to assist in fighting wild fires, hurricanes, and floods; and to aid in search-and-rescues.

About Basic Combat Training
After signing up for an eight-year commitment, citizen soldiers in any state’s National Guard program are shipped to one of the Army’s five sites for Basic Combat Training, or BCT (not “Boot Camp” — that’s with the Marines and Navy). There, the citizen is transformed into soldier. You’ll have to meet physical tests and requirements (in the form of push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run) in order to pass BCT, and go through various weapons training, obstacle courses, and in-classroom training.

About Advanced Individual Training
Once trained as a soldier, the Guardsman will move on to the more specialized Advanced Individual Training (AIT): his or her “job” in the Guard. A Guardsman can specialize in any one of a variety of roles: he or she can become a religious chaplain, cook, intelligence officer, a musician in the Army band, a mechanic (both light and heavy vehicles) or anything in between!

How Much Do Soldiers Earn? Plus Perks of Joining The National Guard

So if you become a Guardsman, what’s in store for you?

1. You get active-duty non-combat pay starting at $1,400 a month (base).
During BCT and AIT, the soldier earns active-duty non-combat pay, which starts at $1,400 a month before additional allowances (such as family separation, housing, and clothing). While state taxes are withheld from a soldier’s active-duty pay, many states will exempt an active duty resident soldier from paying those taxes, making for a happy tax day (for more information, check your state’s tax code or speak with the local recruiter).

After a soldier returns from training, they return to their normal, civilian, lives: home, work, school, kids — only reporting for duty one weekend a month (earnings start at $175 for two days’ work) and two weeks in the summer (earning $1,300+). Unless called up to active duty by the state’s governor, a Guardsman will never have to use his or her combat or AIT skills except for the two-week refresher course in the summer… and to scare off any potential suitors for his or her daughter. Nothing says “Better keep your hands off her!” like meeting him at the front door in full combat uniform holding an M-16 combat rifle.

2. There’s a signing bonus.
Within 30 days of returning home after AIT, the Guardsman will find a nice deposit in the bank account: the first half of his or her signing bonus. Depending on the specialty chosen when the Guardsman enlisted, the signing bonus can be anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000: the amount depends on what specialties are required by the Army at the time. The second half is given on the Guardsman’s third anniversary.

3. Your college education and past student loan debts are covered.
Also, within 30 days of a soldier’s return or the one year anniversary of his or her enlistment date, whichever is sooner, the National Guard will begin paying for their college education (for up to four years of full-time college, up to about $5,000 a semester) and/or paying off previous student loan debts.

4. Your day job is protected.
While the soldier is required to leave work for initial training (six to nine months), deployment (up to a year), annual training (two weeks, usually in the summer), or weekend drills (about 36 hours), employers in the US are also required to hold positions open until the soldier returns. National Guard soldiers are guaranteed jobs when they return home. The Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) office on any military base is ready and able to defend a Guardsman’s job to the fullest extent of the law.

5. You get military discounts.
Other benefits of the National Guard include military discounts; many national and local companies still offer wonderful discounts for military personnel. Other perks include:

• the ability for the Guardsman and their dependents to use any base/fort/installation’s commissary and exchange (where food can be purchased at cost, plus a 5% restocking fee, while everything else is found at a greatly-reduced price)
• camaraderie and support for both soldier and family
• banquets and cookouts
• and the ever-fun “running around and playing soldier for a weekend, like when we were kids”.

6. Then there’s combat pay.
Especially in wartime, the risk of being deployed to a combat zone for a lengthy amount of time is real. However, there is a financial benefit for the soldier and the soldier’s family. With deployment comes extra training and extra drills, which are well-compensated. With deployment also comes combat pay. Many of these “combat areas” are also “tax exempt” areas, where federal and state income taxes will not apply, leaving more money in the pocket of the soldier, or those at home waiting for the soldier’s return.

Where To Go From Here?

While more and more people are leaving organized political parties and simply calling themselves “American”, I believe that being ready to defend your state and its constitution and being able to call your governor the commander-in-chief may be the most American thing anyone can do. More information can be found through this link or at your local recruiting office.

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

The National Guard: Jobs, Pay and Financial Benefits

Facing a job layoff? Maximize your personal productivity and you might just avoid the axe!

With retrenchment going on all around us these days, it’s time to think about how best to be productive at our jobs. After all, for those of us left behind after a layoff, we’re doing the work of more than one person. While we need to keep up with the pace of work that we’re left to deal with after layoffs, we should also think of those things that can help us emphasize our worth as valuable employees at our companies. Plus, to be brutally explicit, I should say that when we’re productive, there’s less chance of us getting the axe.

Do you ever wonder where the day has gone as you ponder over the unfinished tasks still ahead of you? Do you have days when it seems like you just can’t get anything done? One of the most common reasons we end up wasting so much time on unnecessary activities is because we’re not as organized as we should be. To see what we can do about this, let’s check out a few of these productivity tips. These particular ideas have actually worked out well for me!

6 Great Tips To Maximize Personal Productivity

1. Buy Post It Notes, Fridge Magnets or a Daily Schedule Planner.
Fridge magnets may seem cheesy, but they can be some of the most useful tools in your arsenal to help you raise your productivity level. Use these tools (along with post it notes and a planner) to plan ahead. You can also get into the habit of entering important reminders into your daily schedule. Anything that comes across as important to you, write it down and post it somewhere visible so that it doesn’t slip your mind. Here are a few free online calendars and personal planners you may want to try out for this purpose.

2. Get enough sleep.
By sleeping early and by getting enough sleep, you’ll be able to keep yourself awake, alert and productive during the day. Avoid spending too much time watching television or playing video games late into the night as these activities can easily infringe upon your valuable sleeping hours. We all need balance in our lives in order to function at our peak level. Some other tips to stay alert? If you’re always in front of the computer at work, try to avoid slouching; and take power naps during your lunch break in order to refresh your mind. Or how about drinking some tea? It’ll refresh your senses.

3. Stay Fit and Healthy.
Try not to overeat — especially at work. Not only will it make you fat but it’ll also make you sleepy at work, potentially interfering with your productivity. As much as possible, also fit in exercise into your schedule. This will keep your mind sharp while also helping you keep your desired body weight. Fight a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy habits with regular exercise and a good diet; remember that good fitness habits will keep you physically and mentally strong. So how about trying these ways to exercise for cheap?

4. Stay Positive.
Try to stay positive. If you have a habit of channeling negativity towards work (and life), you’re bound to set yourself up for tough days ahead; you’re dooming yourself to failure this way. By reminding yourself to stay positive before each day begins, you’ll be able to dictate the way your day progresses and what your mood and outlook will be for the rest of the day. Your positivity will also be an inspiration and influence to others at work and at home. So keep your chin up!

5. Plan Ahead and Stay Organized.
By planning ahead and staying organized, you’ll be able to take control of your life. For instance, if you budget your money and do some personal financial planning, you’re more likely to keep your mind clear of any worry and concern over your finances. A day without worry leaves you more time for activities and accomplishments you can fit into your schedule. And by being organized, you’ll become much more efficient at completing the tasks you face every day. For some ideas on staying organized, check out our article on how to organize your home.

6. Think Before You Act.
Haste makes waste. Do you agree? When you act hastily, you become prone to making errors. If you’re always in a hurry or in a rush, you’re not doing yourself a favor because you open yourself up to careless mistakes or even possible reckless, unpleasant consequences. And we all know just how a silly mistake can end up wasting our time and eating away at our productivity. Such mistakes can take time to remedy. So before you act on something, process it through your mind first, then do it right the first time! Sometimes, just a few seconds of thought can end up changing your life.

The basic tips we’ve described above can be achieved with the proper mindset and the right attitude. Try them out and see just how much more productive you’ll get when the mental cobwebs are out of the way. Realize that even certain small and simple actions can help alter the course of your entire day for the better and make a positive difference in the way you function. It doesn’t have to take much to maximize your personal productivity!

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Tips To Maximize Personal Productivity

How’s your work performance at the office or at your place of work? Check out these 10 work habits to see if you’re doing a good job and can expect to get a raise, a promotion or at the very least, a solid recommendation from your superior sometime in your future.

How To Get A Raise: 10 Ways To Get Promoted

1. Don’t procrastinate.
When you’ve got a lot of tasks on your plate, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. You may wish that you were somewhere else rather than sitting at your desk mulling over what to do next (of course, it’s different when you’re on the field with a more active / outdoor job, but this would have its own set of issues). But try to avoid procrastinating: tackle high priority tasks first. Or you can choose to tackle smaller tasks first, for the psychological boost afforded by quick accomplishments. Use organizational tools (e.g. free online calendars or personal planners along with a notebook) that can keep you focused on your work priorities. Then again, why not stop procrastination by knowing how much it can cost you?

2. Watch your email!
Think before you write and hit that send button! Many job stints have ended because of the tactless use of email. I had a friend who once played a prank on a coworker by pretending he was the CEO. He spoofed the CEO’s email address and sent a silly message to his coworker for fun, but he was eventually caught and tracked down. He almost got fired, but was able to beg hard enough to keep his job. Moral of the story? Be careful what you send out to your colleague(s). Your messages say a lot about you…and email is something you can’t take back once it’s released for the world to see. Here’s an example of poor use of email (you’ll get the gist).

3. Be respectful of your coworkers and colleagues.
You want to be friendly with your coworkers and friends at work, but not TOO friendly. When I was working the 9 to 5 here in Silicon Valley a year or so ago, it was easy to forget this rule, since software companies — especially startups — have a more relaxed atmosphere compared to their larger, more formal counterparts. But your boss is still the boss, and forgetting that they’re your superior and not just your buddy can have unwanted consequences. Don’t forget too, that romance at work can be tricky and complicated, especially when things go wrong.

4. Don’t abuse your work privileges.
Some companies have become more progressive about their policies and have relaxed some rules at work in order to encourage employees to become “happier” or more productive. Telecommuting and casual wear are some of the great perks we get at many job sites these days. Many employers now allow you to work at home some of the time. But it’s important not to push the envelope on these privileges: don’t abuse these benefits by deciding to camp out at home often, by leaving work early or by dressing down for your job. You may gain a reputation that nobody would envy!

5. Know how to network.
Rubbing elbows goes a long way. While socializing and joining team activities help build camaraderie, help develop trust and create a stronger work team, these actions can also raise your visibility within your company. True, lots of us have other lives outside of our jobs, but while you’re at work, doing a little networking can keep you in the boss’ (and company’s) radar. Socializing too much though, can be detrimental, so pace yourself when you’re mingling.

6. Be prompt.
If you’re in the habit of coming into work late, turning in your work late or being tardy for your appointments, you’re bound to aggravate your colleagues. You’ll need to keep your deadlines in order to be considered as trustworthy and reliable, or even “worthy” by your coworkers and managers.

7. Stay positive.
Who wants to work with someone who grumbles and complains all the time? Unfortunately, not all of us have been blessed with sunny dispositions, but you may want to crack a smile once in a while. It’s no coincidence that employees with positive, can-do attitudes and personalities go quite far in their careers.

8. Avoid negative talk about your company.
The online world is a tempting place to air your beef about anything and anyone. But when it comes to your job (this goes for family, friends and most anyone you know as well), you may want to be careful about what you share with others, especially in print. Your words can come back to haunt you, so be careful what you say and write about your boss, company or management.

9. Avoid office drama and heavy politics.
Playing some politics at work may be necessary to advance, but if you get mired in too much drama, it can turn ugly and distracting for you and everyone else around you. You’ll write your ticket out of your department if you decide to play a hard game of politics. I personally detest politics and avoid it like the plague — too much stress! To me, even the promise of advancement at work has never been worth the stress of dealing with office politics.

10. Be flexible and go above and beyond.
When we work hard and go the extra distance, we want to be noticed and eventually rewarded. The reality is that without a little bit of help from the other 9 tips we share here with you, going the extra mile may not be enough. If you’re flexible, wear many hats and offer to do more than your basic job requirements, you’ll still earn a great reputation. But to seal the deal and get the promotion you’re hoping for, don’t forget to network, stay positive and have a pleasant attitude.

The bottom line? Be professional. Great work habits should help you snag a solid performance evaluation and hopefully, a bonus, a raise, or even a promotion afterward!

This article is inspired by this piece, from Careerbuilder.com.

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

How To Get A Raise: 10 Ways To Get Promoted

Can baby boomers afford to retire?

Image by MinnPost.com

Affording Retirement

My best friend is 77 years old. He doesn’t qualify as a baby boomer and yet he shares some of their concerns. The house he bought 10 years ago — he was working in Central America as a lay missionary before returning to the U.S., no longer can offer him the nest egg he imagined would be left as equity.

The housing bubble burst 3 years ago, leaving millions of about-to-retire couples without the safety net of accrued home value. My friend bought his house for $150,000 in 1998 and saw its market value reach $200,000 in 2002. Today, the best he could get is around $90,000, not enough to cover what he still owes (the first 10 years of mortgage payments cover mostly interest).

As a retired teacher (for 15 years), my friend receives approximately $2,800 a month, including his meager Social Security check. His wife has suffered from several aneurysms requiring extensive surgery. Even with Medicare, his co-pay runs into the thousands of dollars which he is paying little by little. He cannot live on his retirement check alone, so he has started to cover absent teachers as a substitute. But you would think that he deserves the peace of retiring with a decent income.

How Some Baby Boomers Are Planning Their Retirement Years

Many baby boomers, like my friend, cannot afford to retire when they hit 65; they trusted that the booming housing market would provide them with a nice nest egg once they sell their home to get some liquidity. Instead, they’ve recently discovered that buyers are scarce and that the real estate value of their homes have plummeted. As a consequence, many older people are doing what my friend, an ex-teacher, is doing; they are looking for work well into their sixties.

So the point here is that for those of us thinking about the twilight of our lives, planning for retirement may very well involve how we should plan to earn an income well into our senior years in order to supplement the benefits we receive from our pensions or from our government. As it is, our savings and investments have been impacted greatly by the U.S. financial crisis and the recent stock market meltdown — so what can we do to keep ourselves afloat?

How Baby Boomers Can Earn Extra Income

Well, be prepared to see more baby boomers and seniors continuing their terms in the work force and deferring retirement. A piece by US News and World Report says that, “Retail jobs are the most common occupation for workers 65 or older, according to an Urban Institute analysis to be released later this month.” The figure is followed closely by farmers and managers of retail businesses.

The good thing is that many companies prefer older people because they are more trustworthy. If you have a special skill, e.g., business management, construction, teaching, engineering and the like, you should have no problem with getting a job, training other people or working as a consultant. Look at the median age on the CBS program 60 minutes; it must be well above 70.

Tip: If you intend to search for a job and you are over 50, make sure you learn how to be interviewed. Talking with a recruiter who is younger than you requires certain skills. Don’t come across as condescending toward the interviewer, or you’ll kiss your chances goodbye. Tell him/her what it is that you can bring to the company, thanks to your experience. Try out these job hunting tips as well; hopefully they’ll be of help.

Or perhaps you would prefer to work at home, as I do. Well, generational friends, you’d better start learning about computers, because that’s where the money is to be made. My mother learned how to use e-mail at the spry young age of 90; I believe that anybody can do it!

If you’re a senior who’s caught in this predicament, the key is to find work that you enjoy doing and to keep a positive attitude. Hopefully it won’t take way too long before the markets recover and help make up for the losses we’ve experienced in recent years. If you’re able to hang on to some work or if you’re able to start a business, receive extra income plus cut costs at the same time, you may find that your altered plans during your retirement years aren’t as bad as they may seem. In some respects, work gives us a reason to get out of bed and affords some meaning to our existence.

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

How Baby Boomers Can Earn Extra Income