Managing Money

When we were young parents, in the 1980s and 90s, coupon clipping was still a popular activity (some would say obsession!) I still remember looking through the newspaper for discounts on Tide and other staples…

If you were like most people, you probably spent a lot of time in your younger years worrying about your credit rating. After all, this one number had the ability to impact your mortgage, credit cards and car payments…

Do you remember the sense of freedom that you had the first time you got in your own car and turned the keys? The world suddenly became smaller as your mind raced with possibilities for adventure and exploration…

People love stories, especially when they reinforce our own beliefs and prejudices. This is true in life and in business. Well, today, I want to talk about one narrative that is not only killing our dreams as older adults but is also damaging our economy – the story of the young, hacker entrepreneur.

Like the protagonist of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” we have heard the story of what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur a hundred times. Read More

So, you’ve decided to start your very own side hustle? Good on you! From my conversations with hundreds of people in their 50s and 60s, I can tell you, without hesitation, that working as a freelancer or consultant is…

How do you picture your retirement party at work? Do you imagine a room filled with champagne, laughter and plenty of stories celebrating your greatness? Or, do you picture half-a-dozen distracted co-workers standing in the break-room drinking $5 prosecco from plastic cups, glancing periodically at their watches as they try to determine whether they have spent enough time to be able to make a polite excuse so that they can get back to watching cat videos or writing emails? Read More

In a previous article, I argued that announcing your retirement at work is one of the biggest financial mistakes that you can make. Not only can talking about your retirement result in lower compensation towards the end of your career, but, it can also limit your ability to work as a consultant, either for your ex-employer or one of the companies that you worked with in the past. Read More

Over the last 6 years, I have spent over $50,000 on freelance writing services. I have hired $100-per-hour specialists and $6 per hour transcribers. I have worked with some of these freelancers for so long that they feel like friends. Others have provided work so poor that I didn’t even bother to post it. Read More

Just before lockdown, I ran into a student whom I’d worked with a year ago. She was in the office of a local university where I coach PhD students on how to write their dissertations. She was there to pick up her diploma…

My first “real” job was as a waitress at a pizza joint in Boulder, Colorado. But, like many kids of my generation, my childhood was filled with odd jobs – delivering newspapers, babysitting and cleaning…