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Building Your Brand on Social Media – Part 1

Forget the stereotype of the tech-phobic elder calling their adult children from their flip phone for help with their AOL account. Now 82% of Baby Boomers have at least one social media account, with Facebook being the most popular with the over-50 set. Boomers spend an average of 27 hours a week online, which is actually two more hours than their Millenial children do.

As the aging population puts off retirement, they’re looking online for career help, for job listings, and to build their personal brand. They know that social media isn’t just for narcissistic twenty-somethings to post selfies, it’s a place where they can showcase their work, discover the latest info about their field, and network (31% of LinkedIn users are over 55).

If you’re ready to put yourself out there on social media, but don’t know where to start, we’ve put together a five-part guide for finding the platform that’s right for you, building your online presence, and getting the most out of your time there. If you’re already on social media but are concerned you’re not “doing it right”, we have some tips for you, too.

This week we’ll start with the basics. Take our quiz to see which platform is right for you.

SOCIAL MEDIA COMPATIBILITY QUIZ

1. If you asked me about my social life, I would say:

A) The more the merrier! I like to keep in touch with friends, neighbors, former colleagues and classmates.

B) I socialize only with my closest family and one or two friends.

C) Who has time to socialize? I am too busy working and networking with potential business contacts to go out for fun.

D) I’m shy, but I like knowing what’s going on in the world around me, as long as I don’t have to engage too much.

2. I would describe my familiarity with news and current events as:

A) I’m a news junkie! I want to know what’s happening when it happens, without filters.

B) I’m up on the important headlines. have a few trusted news sources and check on them a couple of times a day.

C) There are only a few issues that resonate with me and that I follow closely in the news.

D) To be honest, I’m more up on events in my neighborhood than global current events.

3. When I think about my favorite brands and products:

A) I am an evangelist! I like to stay up on the latest product developments and am happy to write reviews or recommend them to anyone who will listen!

B) There are one or two brands I use regularly, and if they have a new product or promotion I want to know about it.

C) Who cares about brands? I buy whatever is on sale at the store. I’m not “brand-loyal”.

D) I like to know what’s going on with brands I like, but I’m not likely to talk about them or recommend them.

4. When it comes to documenting my life:

A) No detail is too small! I can tell you what I had for breakfast last Tuesday, or the shoes I wore to my cousin’s wedding.

B) I like to have a record of the most important moments, to share with my closest friends.

C) I don’t have the time or the inclination to write down everything that happens to me, but I do want to share my knowledge and expertise.

D) I’d like a place to privately document the things that are important to me.

5. If I were back in high school English class and had to write about anything it would be:

A) Where to begin? I might write about the sunrise I saw while walking my dog, or the song I just can’t get out of my head, or that infuriating headline I read this morning. Do I have to choose?

B) Probably something really meaningful to me, like the anniversary of meeting my best friend.

C) I’ve always followed the news, so I would probably comment on the pieces that I thought were well written or that had a flawed premise.

D) Something safe and generic, like the change in seasons or something. I don’t think I’d want to share anything too private.

6. When I think of digital photo and video sharing:

A) I wonder how we ever lived without digital cameras and smartphones for capturing life as it happens!

B) It’s nice to have a way to document important events, but it can be kind of a hassle uploading photos and videos, so I don’t do it often.

C) Sharing personal photos and videos isn’t important to me, but having access to instructional videos and business training is.

D) I worry about privacy, so I don’t share photos or videos online at all.

7. I would describe my business network as:

A) A mix of friends and former colleagues. We get together for coffee now and again to stay in touch.

B) Not as robust as it could be. I don’t know where to start with the whole “networking” thing, though I do have a few people I can ask for advice.

C) Constantly growing and changing. My personal network is crucial to my career success.

D) Networking is like pulling teeth. I don’t really need to do it, anyway.

8. Giving advice and sharing recommendations:

A) Comes naturally to me. I love sharing my thoughts and answering questions about the things that are important to me.

B) Is an important part of my relationship with my family and close friends. We do it all the time.

C) Is crucial to my professional reputation. Establishing myself as a subject matter expert is key to my personal brand.

D) Isn’t something I feel comfortable doing, although I appreciate getting information from people I know and trust.

9. Visual pinboards or scrapbooks for gathering ideas and inspiration:

A) Are the greatest thing since sliced bread! I want fashion from my favorite magazines, recipes from my favorite yogurt brand, inspiration for holiday crafts…

B) Appeal to me and my friends very much. They allow us to collect and share everything from recipes to decorating ideas to fitness tips.

C) Aren’t really how my brain is wired. I prefer spending my time reading articles and blogs than looking at visual galleries.

D) Would be a nice way to gather my thoughts around projects and ideas, if I can keep them private.

10. My comfort level with technology and life online is:

A) High. I have multiple devices I use throughout the day, including a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop and/or a desktop computer.

B) Above Average. I have several apps/programs that I use and while I’m no Luddite, I don’t want to feel tethered to technology all day.

C) Average. I have one device I use to connect and a select few programs/apps that I use, and that is enough for me.

D) Low. I am concerned with privacy and don’t really feel confident that what I’m doing on my devices is completely safe.

If you answered:

Mostly As: You are ready to jump feet first into social media, if you haven’t already! Facebook will help you keep in touch with your closest friends and will also allow you to track activity from your favorite celebrities and brands. Twitter will keep you up on the very latest news, unfiltered, as it’s happening. You’re likely comfortable enough to share photos and videos on an online service like Instagram, or at least to use it to follow the latest images from your favorite brands and celebrities. You have a lot of great ideas to share with the world, so go ahead and create some pinboards on Pinterest, or document your latest project on a blogging platform like Tumblr or WordPress—you can synch them so your Facebook and Twitter followers will be alerted whenever you post something new.

Mostly Bs: You’re like most typical Facebook users, and limit your Friends there to family and people you know quite well. If you’re a visual thinker, you may want to consider branching out to the Pinterest and Instagram platforms for sharing photos of things that inspire you. A turnkey blogging solution like Medium makes it easy to connect with people who are already in your network, and share long form essays and journals.

Mostly Cs: You probably think you’re too busy for social media, but in today’s connected world it should be part of your daily routine. LinkedIn allows you to follow influencers and filter news items that will help you stay in touch with the latest industry news. You can position yourself as a thought leader by answering questions on Quora or blogging on your industry’s trends and news—consider a premium solution like Squarespace or WordPress so you can customize the look and feel and use a domain name that reflects your personal brand.

Mostly Ds: You’re concerned about privacy, and if you’ve been following the news lately, who can blame you? But learning how to use privacy settings on Facebook, Instagram, and other services can open up new ways for you to engage with other people and gain information about the things that are important to you. You may not be ready to post about your private life, but Twitter and blogging platforms offer easy ways to consume as well as create content. You may be wary of sharing photos and videos online, but services like Flickr and Shutterfly are closed platforms that allow you to share your content only with those you trust.

Next week we’ll delve into social sharing platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and talk about how they can be more than just places to connect with family– they can be part of your career-building toolkit, too.

The entire guide to Building Your Brand on Social Media is available as a download here.

Photo credit: Jeffrey Kontur on Flickr

3 Easy Ways to Achieve Your 2018 Financial Resolutions: It’s Not Too Late!

This article was originally published on New Retirement by Kathleen Coxwell.

According to a report by NerdWallet, in 2018 84% of people made financial resolutions. If you are among these planners, but haven’t quite achieved your goals, it’s not too late. And, it can even be relatively easy!

September, October, November, December… You still have four months to achieve your 2018 money related resolutions!

Here are 3 key tips for tackling the 3 most popular financial goals. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3…

3 Easy Ways to Save More Money

Saving more money is the most common money resolution. Here are three ways to make it happen:

1. Take Advantage of Catch Up Savings

Catch up contributions are the IRS’s way of making it easier for savers age 50 and up to tuck away enough retirement savings. However, according to a Transamerica Center study, only 52% of workers know about catch up contributions.

You probably already know that there’s a limit to how much you’re allowed to save in tax-advantaged retirement account such as IRAs and 401(k)s. Well, once you reach age 50, you’re allowed to make additional “catch up” contributions over and above those annual contribution limits.

Time to learn about catch up savings and start stashing away more money.

2. Imagine Yourself in 10, 20, 30 Years

Research suggests that our brains process our future selves as strangers. And, let’s face it – you are unlikely to save for the retirement expenses of a stranger.

To increase the likelihood that you save for your retirement, they suggest that you imagine yourself in the body of one of your own grandparents or great grandparents. Think about what this old version of yourself wants to do and where you are living. Consider this person paying the bills in retirement. By visualizing yourself in retirement – and writing down these thoughts to make them more real – you are far more likely to adequately prepare for being this older person.

Here are 7 ways to imagine your future in order to achieve your personal and financial goals.

3. Find Out How Much Retirement Savings You Really Need

We all know that the better and more concrete a plan is, the better the outcomes will be.

All research indicates that having a detailed retirement plan makes you more confident and encourages better financial habits — like saving more.

The NewRetirement retirement planner makes it easy to see the impact of saving more now. The system tell you exactly how much you will need for different phases of your retirement. And, you can easily see if you’ll be more comfortable or be able to retire earlier if you save more now!

3 Easy Ways to Reduce Debt

For many Americans, carrying debt into retirement is unavoidable, but the earlier you develop a plan to deal with it, the easier it will be to tackle – and the better chance you’ll have of being able to afford the retirement you’ve always dreamed of.

Here are three strategies for reducing your debt. Choose one that will work for you. (Not sure? Try out each of these scenarios in the NewRetirement retirement planning calculator — see the short and long term impacts of each option.)

1. Consolidate

If at all possible, you may want to consolidate your debt into a lower interest rate.

Consider taking advantage of low introductory credit card balance transfers. You may be able to transfer some higher-rate balances to a new card offering zero percent interest for a year. If you do, come up with a plan to pay off the balance during the interest-free period and make sure you don’t compound your problems by running up new charges on the old account.

2. Start Small — Be the Hare

You know the story of the tortoise and the hare? The following strategy gets you out of one of your debts as quickly as possible. This is a rewarding way to reduce debt because you can see results quickly.

Start with your smallest debt and pay it off as quickly as possible, all while making the minimum payments on all the other debts. When your first debt is gone, apply that payment to the next largest debt. Follow this pattern until all debts are paid.

3. Win the Race — Be the Toirtose

Most research indicates that the fastest way to get to the finish line of paying off your debt is to start with maxing out payments against the debt with the highest interest rate. It can take longer for your cash flow to free up, but if you want to get out of debt, this is what you have got to do.

Slow and steady wins the race.

3 Easy Ways to Stick to Budget

Budgeting is not anyone’s favorite word. However, this is a proven way to get ahead and financially and it’s the key to a secure retirement.

1. Keep it Simple

The Financial Samurai is one smart guy. Do you know what is his advice? Keep it simple.

Spend less, earn more, and invest all you can. That’s it. There’s power in that message, especially considering the source.

2. Spend Less on Big Ticket Items

If you save 50% on an item, that sounds pretty impressive. But if that item was a bottle of $1 shampoo, you really only kept 50 cents in your pocket. Not such a big deal.

However, saving 50% on your home, car or food. Well, that adds up.

The average person will spend over $2,000 a month on these categories alone! If you want to stick to a budget, spend less on the big things.

Here are 8 ways to save BIG.

3. Shop Around to Reduce Insurance Costs

Auto insurance and homeowners insurance are highly competitive industries. As such you may be able shop around and find a less expensive option than your current provider.

Some services may be able to help you find a less expensive option. Compare Auto Insurance and Homeowners Insurance rates.

NOTE: Perhaps the best way to get inspired to spend a little less each month is to look at what a more frugal budget will mean to your lifelong retirement finances. The NewRetirement retirement planner makes it easy to do this analysis.

Your Next Career is “all about the network” – John Tarnoff

Following is part 3 of an interview Next For Me’s Jeff Tidwell had with John Tarnoff. John came out of the entertainment industry where they ‘eat their young” as he says, and decided to get a degree in psychology and see how he could help people who were looking at reinvention after 50, specifically as it relates to work.

He wrote the book “Boomer Reinvention, How to Create Your Dream Career Over 50” and has a career coaching practice and is a nationally recognized speaker and writer on these topics.

In Part 1 of the interview, John discussed the four stages of a career, stopping ageism by being honest in our business interactions, the uncomfortable reality of finances over 65, and intergenerational interactions. In Part 2 of the the interview John discusses: Redefining Who You are in the Workplace, Introspection, Overcoming Fear, and The Three Tiers of Networking.

Listen to the full interview

The 3 Tiers of Networking

NFM: You mentioned Linkedin and networking becomes an important piece of this. And in this age of social media your public persona matters. I know you speak about networking and how that changes while you’re going through this process. Tell us, tell us how that changes and how you use your existing network and create a new one.

JT: It’s all about the network. It’s always been about the network. 85 percent of jobs are filled through referrals, not through resumes. It’s more so today than it’s ever been because the recruiting pipeline is overfilled with job applicants. And this is why those of you listening who are applying for jobs are finding that people are not getting back to you when you send in a resume. If you haven’t done this in 10 or 20 years, you’re expecting to get a call back and get an interview and it’s not happening and you’re frustrated and you want to give up. It’s because it’s all about the network.

One thing I would say about networking with people is that networking is not about taking. It’s about giving. And your job is to figure out how you can first give to the people in and around your network, whether it is putting people together, connecting people to one another, whether it’s supplying interesting information about your field. You have to be always be giving. ABG is my little acronym for that. This goes into the great value of trying to build a career at this particular point in history. Not only is social media a great way to connect to people, it’s a great way to brand yourself and to burnish your reputation for whatever it is that you decide to do.

This is why the last step in my process that I talked about, at the very end of the book, is about being a thought leader. And you and I are thought leaders. We are here because we are publishing content on a regular basis about this field. We are building our network, our reputation, and building our identity. So that at any point someone wants to go to Google and look us up, there’s going to be a string of information that all points in this one direction about what our expertise is. We’ve spent years establishing it and if you’re going out to develop a particular niche and you figured out what that niche is and how it relates to your business, then you have an opportunity and really a responsibility to engage as a thought leader.

I’ll tell you a little story about this that’s from my book. There’s a guy who I interviewed whose name is John and he is a financial advisor. Before that he was an industrial products salesman for many, many years. He used his day trading hobby as the basis of getting out of the very unstable business that he was in. When he got fired, he was ready to make the flip [to his financial advisory business]. He started a podcast. The reason he started the podcast was because he was reading some financial columnist on a Sunday and they made a statement that he really disagreed with. He was searching the internet to find someone who disagreed and he couldn’t find anyone. So he decided, “Hey, I’ve got a microphone. I can put out my own reply.”

And he did. He put this podcast together and then some friends of his said, “Hey, that was really good. What else have you got?” And he said, “OK, well I’ve got some other ideas.” So he started this podcast and within about 18 months he became one of the top 10 podcasts on iTunes in financial services. Because no one was saying quite what he was saying – and that drove traffic [to his business], right?

All of a sudden people are saying, “Wow, you know, this guy knows what he’s talking about.” The other thing is, he’s in the business of trying to get people to sign up because they trust his financial acumen and his judgment. Now he has podcasts going back, I guess at this point, it’s maybe two, three years, where you can, if you wanted to study his financial, predictive acumen and understanding of the economy, you could go back and listen to those podcasts and get a sense of how his mind works. If you resonate with the way he works and the way he talks, you’re going to sign up with him.

So that example applies to all of us in the businesses that we’re trying to do. How do you differentiate yourself? How do you stand out? Whether it is setting up a free blog on wordpress.com or blogger or using your LinkedIn profile, as I do, to clip news and then I post three times a week on LinkedIn, Facebook, and I engage in conversations with people about the news that relates to this business that I’m in. And then I blog. So I’ve got engagement going right and left that I can’t keep up with. It’s great because this is the world that I live in, that I love, that I’m committed to and I’m meeting people, getting other ideas, putting people together with one another. And I’m getting clients.

NFM: I call it “always be publishing.” The other side of it is if you begin writing and talking about what it is you’re doing, you’re actually thinking through the process of what you’re doing. It crystallizes things and your process and you get better as the days go by.

JT: That’s why I wrote the book. I had done this Tedx talk in 2012 about reinvention and the idea of the five reinvention steps based on my psychology background and my loopy business background. It was about how to recover from setbacks and all that. And then I started blogging and seeing clients in 2014. I thought, well, I’ve got to write the book because I’ve got to put it down [on paper], I’ve got to put this bible down [on paper] of what I do and what I know and share this with people so they have a clear sense of what they’re signing up for, etc. etc. So it all works together.

NFM: Let me put you on the spot then. What are the biggest barriers that people over 50 have for making their next move professionally?

JT: I think it goes back to the fear that you talked about before. This sense of fear of change, fear of taking entrepreneurial responsibility for their career. It really is about your willingness. To forgive and forget the past and really entertain the future from a completely open mindset. If you don’t have a lot of experience with career ups and downs, it’s going to be challenging.

I do think you should rely on the closest people that you have in your network. I divide a network into tiers, There’s a silver tier, which is basically everyone in your rolodex, (remember the rolodex?), who has some kind of relevance to your business. Your gold tier is the people that you have worked with, who you’re in contact with, who have direct relevance to what you want to do and could help you and people that you’re working with. You can have lunch with them and strategize. You can ask them for connections.

Then your platinum tier is this closely held Board of Directors level, really intimate, close friends. These are the people who you can call it 3:00 AM when you’re having a panic attack about what’s going on. Whatever that crisis may be these are the people who are going to really help you through. So you want to be able to cultivate these levels, these tiers in your network to get the support you need to reconcile the past, to plan for the future, to build yourself enough of a ramp towards your future incarnation, whatever that may be. It may mean you have to do some consulting on the side to take a job that’s maybe not particularly the best for you, but it puts food on the table for the time being.

You’ve got to be practical about this, but I think you always have to think and feel strategically that this has got to lead towards your own sustainable entrepreneurial practice. Whether you end up as a 1099 consultant at the end of the day or a W-2 employee, it doesn’t really matter. It’s about that value proposition.

Read Part 1 of the interview

Read Part 2 of the interview

Visit John’s Website: JohnTarnoff.com

A Next For Me Event – San Francisco

We convened our first public event in San Francisco on October 23, 2018. We enjoyed a luxe setting thanks to our partner WowFifty and the amazing team at Werqwise. Along with partners Sivernest, Age Without Borders, and New Retirement we had a fascinating cross section of companies working in what seems to be an exploding “industry.”

The presentations and guests concisely laid out the state of our 50+ generation. Then a very interactive and authentic conversation commenced about work, financial health, life transitions and purpose. It was heady, for sure, but by the end of the evening there was an enthusiasm and agreement that some sort of movement would evolve from all of this.

People were from all walks of life and in different stages of thinking about the future and what they would do about it today.

We were so pleased that members of encore.org attended. Their work in facilitating intergenerational connections is something we are in full support of. Check it out.

Encore.org is a innovation hub tapping the talent of people 50+ as a force for good.

It was also nice to meet a Fellow from Stanford’s Center on Longevity.

The mission of the Stanford Center on Longevity is to accelerate and implement scientific discoveries, technological advances, behavioral practices, and social norms so that century long lives are healthy and rewarding.

If you’d like to host or attend a Next For Me event – find out more here.

Watch videos from the event.

Chip Conley

The Modern Elder

Author of Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder

At age 52, after selling the company he founded and ran as CEO for 24 years, rebel boutique hotelier Chip Conley was looking at an open horizon in midlife. Then he received a call from the young founders of Airbnb, asking him to help grow their disruptive start-up into a global hospitality giant. He had the industry experience, but Conley was lacking in the digital fluency of his 20-something colleagues. He didn’t write code, or have an Uber or Lyft app on his phone, was twice the age of the average Airbnb employee, and would be reporting to a CEO young enough to be his son. Conley quickly discovered that while he’d been hired as a teacher and mentor, he was also in many ways a student and intern. What emerged is the secret to thriving as a mid-life worker: learning to marry wisdom and experience with curiosity, a beginner’s mind, and a willingness to evolve, all hallmarks of the “Modern Elder.”

Sally Abrahms

The Interconnectedness of Decisions after 50

Sally Abrahms is an award-winning writer focusing on 50+ topics including family caregiving, baby boomers, boomer and senior living and housing, and aging in place technology. She has contributed to the books ‘Not Your Mother’s Retirement’, ’80 Things To Do When You Turn 80′, and ‘Where We Live: 100+ Communities for All Ages’. She is a contributor to the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, AARP and many others on the topic of the gray tsunami.

She is also the author of ‘What Every Woman Should Know About Divorce and Custody’ and “Children in the Crossfire.

Karen Wickre

Taking the Work out of Networking

Silicon Valley veteran Karen Wickre is the former Editorial Director at Twitter, where she landed after a decade-long career at Google. An advisor to startups and a lifelong information seeker, she is a member of the Board of Visitors for the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University, and serves on the boards of the International Center for Journalists, the News Literacy Project, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. She has been a featured columnist for Wired.com and is a cofounder of Newsgeist, an annual gathering conference fostering new approaches to news and information. She is the author of Taking the Work Out of Networking and lives in San Francisco.

Many thanks to our co-hosts

Home Sharing for Boomers and Empty Nesters

Silvernest matches homeowners with compatible housemates for long-term

home sharing. By renting out their unused space,

homeowners can generate extra income and remain in their homes longer.

Age Without Borders

Showcasing Global Trends for Proactive Aging

We collaborate with clients on the cutting edge of the longevity economy.

Together, we are building a movement to redefine aging

as a commitment to never stop growing.

Social & Entrepreneurial work space for age 50+

WowFifty aims to bring your experience, knowledge and skills together

to do something meaningful — pursue a passion and make your dreams come true.

Everyone is worried about how to pay for retirement and wants to know “Do I have enough?” Most people don’t trust existing financial service providers for good reason — high fees, low transparency and misalignment.

New Retirement is a new way to organize your financial picture, see into your future, and explore all the opportunities to build the life you want to live.

Golden Gate Bridge photo by: Florian Plag on Flickr