We at FutureDecisions were quite amused by an article recently appearing on CNN Online regarding the definition of youth in Kenya. The government minister has proposed changing the definition of youth in Kenya to anyone from age 15 to 50! The current ceiling is 30. Apparently this change is politically motivated, but is being suggested in a way that makes it sound like it is for the betterment of a larger portion of the population who can take advantage of drawing money from a “Youth Fund”.If this happened in the United States would it mean that all the Baby Boomers below 50 would no longer be Baby Boomers by government edict?The reason that we mention this article at all is simple: Baby Boomers in the United States are redefining youth without any assistance from the government. More and more, we find Boomers that are in jobs that their parents would not have thought about having after they had reached age 50. When it comes to pursuing their passions, Boomers are being less constrained by their age than any previous generation. Part of this is the fact we are generally healthier than previous generations and, another important element, is that we have gone through a paradigm shift that has served to eliminate many of the restraints felt by others in the past.When determining how you want to spend the second half of your life the options and opportunities you have available to you are wide ranging. Do not limit yourself and your possibilities because you think you cannot do something or have not done it in the past. While it is important to be realistic, it is just as important to not limit yourself based on your past history or the past history of others.

Wow, this is great. The Sacramento Business Journal interviewed Karen and I and put an article about FutureDecisions in their October 20th edition. We are honored to have been featured and grateful to Kathy Robertson of the Sacramento Business Journal who authored the article. The article covers our Renivent Yourself Workshop for Baby Boomers and others and our workforce/succession planning services.
To read the article please click on this link and enjoy!

Wow, according to the Census Bureau the United States has now surpassed the 300 million population mark! Of that, 77 million are Baby Boomers! While the population is growing so are opportunities in the workplace, and Baby Boomers are in a great position to have their pick of the many opportunities opening up. As many of us contemplate changing careers and reinventing ourselves in preparation for the second half of our life we can explore possibilities that we may have never thought possible.

Do not limit the scope of your exploration into future careers, think outside the box and let your dreams become reality. If you don’t do so now when will you have such an incredible opportunity again? So, what are you waiting for, this is a chance of a lifetime! Talk to people who have successfully created new careers, speak to folks who are doing your “ideal job” and gain from their experience. You may have spent much of your life doing a job that was not your ideal one but it paid the bills and became “comfortable”, why settle for the same thing this time around?

We spend a lot of time with folks discussing the need to start planning now for a workforce shortage that is, not only imminent, but in reality is already here. Before providing more details about this phenomenon, let me share what one person we recently spoke with said about this matter. After talking for about 20 minutes or so he hit the nail on the head when he said, “This is a crisis whose time has come”. Indeed it has come; consider some of these numbers.
Over the next 15 years there will be a 24% gap between the number of available workers and the number of employees retiring. In other words, for every 4 people who retire there will only be 3 available to take their place! A number you may have heard before, but worth repeating-77 million Americans will retire over the next 7 to 10 years! On top of this there is the fact that many of those that would replace us, the Gen X’ers, have no desire to do so! We Baby Boomers are not role models of what the Gen X generation wants for their lives. They are not interested in working 50+ hours per week and then being laid off by some large impersonal organization. Gen X’ers read the recent article regarding Radio Shack firing several hundred employees via email and ask why they would want the same? Good question.
So what does this mean for employers and all those folks that are retiring? One thing that it means is that employers need former employees more than ever. Good news for retiring employees and maybe even good news for employers. After all, there is going to be a severe drain placed on employers as experienced employees retire, demographics will dictate this happening. However, those retiring employees will not want to just go off into the sunset for the most part. Many will want to continue working although perhaps not in the same job they previously held. An AARP study found that over 70% of people who retire want to do some type of work. It may not be in exactly the same field from which they retired, but retirees want to do something else. Many will have another 30 or more productive years ahead of them after they retire.
So, what to make of all this information? If you are preparing to retire and are planning the next phase of your life, then you have a whole wide world of opportunities open to you. The important thing is to plan for that time now, just as you have planned your financial future, you will want to plan your personal future as well. If you are an employer then you will want to be open to bringing back retirees to the workforce and you will need to be flexible to accommodate their needs and desires. They are no longer beholden to their employer and you are going to have to treat them accordingly. Ironically, in this respect, retirees are much like the GenX’ers- they are not going to want to work themselves into the ground. Time with their family, leisure time and balance are going to be the watchwords that will dictate this new generation of employees.