One of the trends we've long covered is the desire and/or need by aging baby boomers to continue working past their traditional retirement age. Related to this is the growing trend of baby boomers looking to do something new work wise starting in their 50s.
For many boomers the main drivers for staying in the workforce or switching careers is a desire to stay active, engaged and have the opportunity to do something they have a passion for.
The other reason is financial. Simply put, a lot of baby boomers don't have the financial resources to retire.
But regardless of your motivations, before pursuring a new career or working past the traditional retirement age you'll want to do some research and planning.
The Encore Career Handbook, by Marci Alboher, is a great resource for helping with that planning. It's targeted at baby boomers looking for their next gig, with a focus on how secure encore jobs or start encore businesses that create social value.
According to Encore.org - Alboher's employer and a leading resource site on encore careers - about 9 million Americans are already in encore careers and another 31 million are considering it.
The goal of the book is to provide these folks a guide on how to find an encore career that combines personal meaning with a social purpose - and also provides a paycheck.
The book achieves this goal. It's full of practical advice for budding second careerers.
I particularly liked the sections on financial planning and networking. We're always surprised in our research how few baby boomers understand their finances. We're also surprised how many don't grasp the power and importance of networking in today's world.
The Encore Career Handbook is an excellent resource for those looking to work for or start a non-profit or socially oriented firm. But we think boomers and others who are considering a for-profit second career will also find it very useful.
We're also big fans of the work done by Encore.org and strongly recommend anyone considering a second career visit their site and review their information.
Another article worth reading on this topic is Over 50 and Under No Illusions, a recent article from the NY Times. It covers 5 late career job switchers.
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