The April edition of “Inside Sacramento” has an article about FutureDecisions and more specifically our Reinvent Yourself Program. “Inside Sacramento” is a monthly publication that is widely distributed in the Sacramento area. The article by Bob Masullo, includes interviews with past and current clients, it provides some additional insights into what we do here at FutureDecisions.Click the following link: After Work to read the article.Our thanks to Bob and Inside Sacramento for including us in their publication, we are always appreciative when others recognize our company and the benefits that we provide to our clients.

At the annual meeting of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging last week, one message to boomers was this: “Get ready. You’re going to do much of the family care giving yourself – caring for your parents, helping navigate them through a sea of doctors, and often doing it long distance.”

“As a society, we’re totally unprepared for the aging of America,” said James Firman, president of the National Council on Aging. “We have our head buried in the sand. The whole health care system is out of whack in every way.”

There was some glimmer of hope offered at the convention. It was noted that in a few years we will have technology that will make doctors, nurses and boomers a touch screen away from frail elders thanks to interactive computers, monitors, cameras and sensors. This could provide enough information and assistance to delay the onset of falls and diseases, improving the lives of elders and caregivers.

Plenty of new ideas for where and how seniors will live at the ends of their lives were discussed. One trend getting attention is “cohousing” where either seniors or people of all ages come together “in community,” looking after one another (www.cohousing.org)

Also getting attention are the power and benefits of “civic engagement” – looking at aging Americans as an assets, with great contributions to make rather than as a burden.

Back to less positive statistics regarding care giving – the number of caregivers will only grow as the boomers and their parent’s age. The prognosis isn’t good. If you’re an older woman caring for your husband now, you have a good chance of winding up poor and alone. “Family care giving is going to mean the disruption of people’s lives,” said Emily Friedman, a health-policy analyst in Chicago who spoke at the convention. She notes that 20% of women caregivers under 65 have no health insurance, 46% of caregivers have a chronic condition themselves, and 50% of family caregivers live in households with less than $50,000 annual income. “When women become caregivers, they are 2.5 times more likely to end up living in poverty,” said Cindy Hounsell, executive director of the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement.

If family care giving is in your future, you should start preparing for the eventuality before it happens. A good source of information is the ASA and the National Council on Aging .

A recent article in the New York Times caught our attention. The Times analyzed census data, a feat that should be applauded in and of itself! However, we digress. Their analysis looked at data regarding the percentage of women in the United States who are married and single. The results are very interesting. In 1950, 35% of women were living alone. In 2000, 49% of women were living alone. In 2005, 51% of women were living alone!The reasons for this are many and varied. For instance, women are living longer as widows, are less likely to remarry after a divorce, and are living with a partner to whom they are not married. Prof. Stephanie Coontz, Director of Public Education for the Council on Contemporary Families, is quoted as stating, “Americans now spend half of their adult lives outside of marriage.” Coontz states that this phenomena is unprecedented in our society with the possible exception of major wartime mobilizations and when African American couples were separated during slavery. William H. Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution described the shift as “a clear tipping point, reflecting the culmination of post-1960 trends associated with greater independence and more flexible lifestyles for women.” He goes on, “For many older boomer and senior women, the institution of marriage did not hold the promise they might have hoped for, growing up in the ‘Ozzie and Harriet’ era.”On the other hand, 53% of men are living with their spouse. Frey states that this is because “women continue to outlive men, they have reached a non-marital tipping point - more non-married than married.”In addition, the data demonstrates that the proportion of married people, especially among younger age groups, has been declining for decades. Between 1950 and 2000, the share of women ages 15 to 24 who were married dropped from 42% to 16%! Among 25 to 34 year olds, the proportion dropped to from 82% to 58%!What does this all mean for our society? You tell us. From a practical standpoint more women are living lives that allow them a level of freedom that they may not have experienced in the past. At FutureDecisions we are seeing a greater number of women signing up for our Reinvent Yourself Program. These women are pursuing a course of action to assist them in becoming more self-actualized than perhaps they have been in the past. They are pursuing their dreams with an eye towards what they want out of life, not what others may want for them.These numbers are bound to change the working landscape; how remains to be seen.

Here in the U.S., people are spending everything they make and pushing the personal savings rate to the lowest level since the Great Depression more than seven decades ago.

The savings rate for all of 2006 was a negative 1 percent, meaning that not only did people spend all the money they earned but they also dipped into savings or increased borrowing to finance purchases. It was the poorest showing since a negative 1.5 percent savings rate in 1933. During the Great Depression when one-fourth of the labor force was without a job, people dipped into savings in an effort to meet the basic necessities of shelter and clothing.

Whatever the reason for the low savings, economists warn that the phenomenon exists at a particularly bad time with 78 million Baby Boomers approaching retirement age. Instead of building up savings to use during retirement, boomers are continuing to spend all their earnings. The savings rate has been in negative territory for 21 consecutive months.

Source: The Associated Press, February 2, 2007

While we at FutureDecisions cannot assist you with financial services we can help you in realizing your dreams when it comes to finding that perfect next career. Give us a call at 916-812-6033 or visit the FutureDecisions website and let us get you started on creating the life you love through our Reinvent Yourself Program!

FutureDecisions is proud to announce the introduction of a new service they have named, Next Steps. Next Steps supports clients in achieving their career goals by introducing them to tools and techniques that will assist them in finding a new position. Next Steps offers customizable tools and individual coaching that facilitates managing your career choices.The four basic elements of Next steps are:? Development of a communication plan in support of your new career objectives? Information on researching your target market? Developing and implementing a networking plan? Negotiating your next positionFor additional information on this exciting new offering give us a call at: 916-812-6033 or check out the FutureDecisions website.