Make Money as a Canva Affiliate [Full Roadmap]

Check Your Skills Before Looking For That Retirement Job

The process for getting a job is different than it used to be. The pandemic changed every thing. Employers and companies are selecting applicants with the right skill set.

Studies done by consulting company McKinsey & Company found in 2020 that 87 percent of companies were either experiencing skills gaps now or expecting to face them within the next few years.

Skills gaps could mean an opportunity for older, more experienced workers. While in the past employers might have been focused on whether an applicant had this or that degree, now they just want people who can do the job. Skills that you had in your old job might not be relevant these days.

So how do you evaluate the skills you have against the skills you might need? Do you have a LinkedIn account? Improve your profile. Add your skills, and use their tools.

What skills are employers looking for these days? Skills fall into 2 categories- soft skills and hard skills.

Soft skills are communicating with others, leading teams and projects, problem solving, mentoring newer workers, and critical thinking skills. Hard skills are the more tech like skills- computer skills, social media skills, etc.  Employers are much more interested in soft skills than they used to be. Before it was all about what degrees you might have, now they just want people who can do the job.

You might be tempted to just focus on your strong points, but learn new skills to make your self more valuable. Pathfinder- a LinkedIn tool can help you identify the skills you might need for jobs you want and help you find resources and courses to help you develop them.

I would strongly suggest you make sure your computer and social media skills are us to date. Older applicants are seen as not so tech savvy, so make sure you have those listed as well as the soft skills.

AARP is another place to go to check and improve your skills for you future or Retirement job. Their Skill Builder For Work offers information and courses to help build these abilities, and many of these courses are free. 

Once you've got the skills, get them on the resume. 

Focus on the skills they put on the job posting to see what is most important to your prospective employer. The skills that are repeated over and over are what you are looking for. These are the "key words." If you have years and years of experience, you might want to highlight the jobs where you have experience in the skills that the new job requires and don't go into so much detail in the jobs or areas where you didn't should you used these skills.

Image by 💙♡🌼♡💙 Julita 💙♡🌼♡💙 from Pixabay 

Baby Boomers: Should You Downsize?

My husband, Scott, and I downsized from a 3,000-square-foot home to a 400-square-foot casita almost two years ago.

We've never been happier.

Have any of you boomers downsized or are you planning to do so in the near future?

You're not alone.

Recently, there's been a cultural shift with more people interested in living minimally and choosing to live with less. And not just us boomers who may be empty nesters.

Part of the trend may be due to author Marie Kondo's popular book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing," which encourages minimalism by urging readers to get rid of things that don't bring them joy.

Then there was the whole "tiny house" movement. More and more people began choosing experiences, adventures, and seeing the world over a big house with a huge mortgage.

Although minimalism isn't exactly the same concept as the hippie movement in the 60s, you boomers may relate. Remember when many young people thought society had been corrupted by capitalism and the materialist culture it created? Although a more radical time, it dawned on many that while pursuing "success," people lost sight of the more meaningful experiences life had to offer.

Of course, this is a personal and important decision that's not for everyone. But why should you consider moving to a smaller home?

Why Downsize?

The pandemic made many boomers rethink their priorities.

After being separated from family during the pandemic, some wanted to move closer to their children and grandchildren. If their kids live where the cost of living is higher, a smaller house may make the move possible. If their children have large properties, tiny houses may be an option.

Some boomers lost their jobs or watched their retirement dreams fade as the pandemic raged on and were forced to look at other options. That may have included selling their large family home and downsizing to cut expenses.

In fact, money is a primary motivating factor when deciding to downsize, according to a survey in the article, "The Upside to Downsizing." When respondents were asked why they might want to purchase a smaller home, 59% of baby boomer homeowners said saving money was their primary reason for doing so.

Others, like myself, chose smaller digs as a lifestyle choice. True, Scott and I wanted to save more money for retirement, but we also wanted to live a simpler life to have more time for meaningful activities and pursue our goals and dreams.

The survey showed that desiring less responsibility and more freedom definitely played a part in the decision making. A third of boomers (38%), perhaps empty nesters, stated their previous home was simply too large. Another 36% claimed their larger home was too much work to clean and maintain. The survey revealed 22% wanted to reduce stress and 16% liked the idea of reducing clutter.

That was certainly the case with my husband and me. After my son was granted full custody of his children, we volunteered to move into our two-room casita and rent the main house to him and the kids. We had been considering downsizing for a while.

Turning 60, we wanted to make the decade count while we were still healthy enough to do so. By this time, I was tired of the responsibility of cleaning a big house. Fascinated with living a minimalistic lifestyle, we watched endless episodes of "Tiny House" programs on HGTV. It soon became apparent, we wanted to spend more time on meaningful activities and new adventures. In other words, a large home no longer served our needs.

Although, I have to admit, there was a bit of trepidation downsizing from a 3,000-square-foot home to a 400-square-foot casita. Would we really enjoy it? The answer is a resounding yes! We have absolutely no regrets and savor our newfound freedom.

My son's rent payment on the house covers most the mortgage and we split the cost of utilities. In addition, because we have less space to store possessions, we consume less. These changes have allowed us to save money and realize some of our dreams now and inch closer to other goals.

Since we downsized, we were able to achieve my lifetime dream of traveling to Africa. We just purchased a travel trailer and are having fun camping now and are one step closer to realizing Scott's dream of traveling the states together after he retires.

Without the responsibility of caring for a large home and yard, we feel our time is better spent in spiritual activities and volunteer work. Not to mention, I now have more time to work on my latest writing project - a book on writing in retirement that is currently in the editing process.

Perhaps author Sheri Koones put things in the proper perspective. She encouraged using the term "right-sizing" instead of the word "downsizing," which can feel like you're being deprived. Right-sizing focuses on what is "right" for you now - on what's really important to you - and finding a way to incorporate those priorities in your life. Right-sizing allows you to create the lifestyle you want with more money to enjoy it.

For example, maybe you want to relocate to a warmer climate. A smaller home can allow more time and money for outdoor activities like golf, tennis, or cycling. Perhaps you want to live in an exciting, bustling city within walking distance of restaurants, bars, theaters, and shopping and choose to live in a smaller condo or apartment.

Right-sizing can open doors.

The Downside of Downsizing

Of course, saying all this, there are some cons to downsizing.

In the survey, respondents cited having less space and privacy as the most difficult adjustment to downsizing. Interestingly, almost twice as many Millennials and Gen Xers complained about privacy issues than baby boomers.

Half the respondents admitted getting rid of possessions was a big challenge.

Moving, no matter the circumstances, is stressful and can be expensive.

If you enjoy gardening, you will probably have less space to do so. And if you love entertaining guests, a smaller home may get in the way.

My Tips to Downsizing

As one who has been there and done that, here are some tips for those of you who want to downsize like me:

* First of all, this is a big decision. Don't rush it. Consider all your options when it comes to downsizing with your lifestyle goals in mind. Do you want a smaller one-level home that allows room for friends, family, and those precious grandchildren to visit? Are you social and want to live in a 55 and older community that offers a variety of recreational activities? Or are you adventurous and want the freedom of a home on wheels like a RV, trailer, or tiny house - or maybe even a houseboat? Is it more important that you live in the city, or do you need a yard?

* Not sure what you want? You may want to rent an apartment or a tiny house before making a purchasing decision.

* If you are downsizing, it's important to consider just how small you want to go. Even 50 extra square feet makes a big difference in a small home. After purchasing our camping trailer, I realized that these 200-square-feet "tiny houses" or living full-time in a RV is not for me. I prefer a foundation under my feet. We are fortunate to have a separate room for our bedroom which allows us some personal space. Also, unusual for tiny houses, our fairly large bathroom actually has a double sink. Believe me, that makes a big difference! Give careful thought about what's essential to you.

* When it comes time to let go of your treasures, work on one room at a time so you're not overwhelmed. Remember, photo albums that take tons of space can be digitized. If you have collections, try to choose a few items that mean the most to you and either sell the rest, or perhaps a family member may want part of it. In my case, my son agreed to keep my treasured antique book collection in the main house. If you have an emotional attachment to certain items, you may want to consider storage options.

* You've probably heard this before, but it's true. Light colors and keeping clutter to a bare minimum makes smaller spaces appear larger.

* Make your outdoor space count. To help solve the problem of a lack of space to entertain guests, we fixed up the courtyard where we have room for two large tables. We use that space often for ourselves as well, for outdoor dining and extra living space.

* I soon found out storage is everything when you are living in a small home. Be sure to use lots of hidden storage and multi-purpose furniture.

Julie A. Gorges is an award-winning author and journalist writing about life after 50. Her blog, BabyBoomerBliss.net, was selected as one of the top 50 baby boomer blogs and her books, including her award-winning book, "I'm Your Daughter, Julie," are available on Amazon. To learn more about Julie, visit her author website at juliegorges.com.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Julie_Gorges/1755531

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10454782

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How to Make Money in Retirement (So Easy!)

 

AdSense For Mobile is a Great Way to Earn Money

AdSense is an advertising program run by Google. It is a revolutionary method to earn from a websites traffic. It is considered as one of the most powerful tools in a website publishers' arsenal. Google AdSense has been particularly important for delivering advertising revenue to small websites that do not have the resources for developing advertising sales programs and salespeople.

Many sites use AdSense to monetize their content and some webmasters work hard to maximize their own income. AdSense revenue is generated when a visitor to your site clicks through an Ad you have displayed. When the user clicks the image, he or she is redirected to the advertiser's website in the same way as regular AdSense advertisements.

The source of all AdSense income is the AdWords program which in turn has a complex pricing model based on a Vickrey second price auction, in that it commands an advertiser to submit a sealed bid (not observable by competitors). Combine it with affiliate products, maybe selling a couple of your own products and paid blogging gigs, and yea, $500-$1k per week is possible.

Website Content

Google AdSense for Mobile unlocks the potential of the mobile advertising market. As part of our ongoing efforts to develop new ways for users to find the information they need anytime and anywhere, Google announced today the availability of AdSense for Mobile, a program that contextually targets ads to mobile website content. Like its traditional AdSense program this will contextually targets ads to mobile website content. The system automatically reviews the content of publishers' mobile websites and delivers text ads that are relevant to the websites' audience and content. "With this program, advertisers can connect with the growing number of mobile publishers, ultimately providing users with an enhanced mobile experience that helps them find what they are looking for more quickly and efficiently on the go," said Google, as it yesterday announced AdSense for Mobile, a program that contextually targets ads to mobile website content.

Google AdSense For Mobile

Google says that AdSense for Mobile is intended for partners who have created websites specifically for mobile browsers, and who want to monetize their mobile content via contextual advertising. AdSense for Mobile is identical to AdSense for Web sites, which places ads on participating publishers' sites that correspond to the publishers' content. Google AdSense for Mobile is ultimate way to make money because this is a new product so there is less competition. However, AdSense for mobile is only out to certain selected publishers so far for their mobile platform optimized sites.

AdSense for Mobile gives the ability to publishing partners to earn revenue from their mobile websites through the targeted placement of mobile text ads. AdSense for Mobile provides a valuable way to connect mobile users with the right ad at the right time as they seek information on the go. AdSense Mobile text ads run on an auction model, in the same fashion to regular AdSense/ AdWords ads are offered.

"When you add the new AdSense for mobile code to your site," explained Alex Kenin, Product Marketing Manager for AdSense for Mobile, "we'll display relevant ads using the same targeting technology that you are familiar with for existing AdSense products. With that, Google is giving AdSense a free reign allowing publishing partners the ability to earn revenue from their mobile websites through the targeted placement of mobile text ads.

Conclusion

Mobile advertising tiny, but a potential goldmine. In fact, there are currently more mobile devices worldwide than personal computers and televisions combined. Mobile browser development is now bounding ahead. AdSense for Mobile is intended for AdSense partners who have created websites specifically for mobile browsers, and who want to monetize their mobile content via contextual advertising. AdSense for Mobile also allows AdSense publishing partners the ability to earn revenue from their mobile websites through the targeted placement of mobile text ads. Now, with the formal launch of AdSense for Mobile, Google seems to be getting into the transportability trend.

The various success stories of Google AdSense are much more than enough to make all webmasters of the world think of implementing this strategy to monetize their websites or blogs.

AdSense-savvy website developers, however, have developed their own ways to ensure that their AdSense income is high. AdSense website building has been a hot internet marketing topic over the past year, with numerous "systems" aimed at generating websites very rapidly. 

I would highly recommend anyone who is just starting to learn about AdSense and want to earn some income to use HyperVRE. The HyperVRE variables are placed in appropriate areas for optimal search engine optimization, placements for your AdSense ads, and visitor-friendly design for easy site-navigation. Find out more about the winning combination of HyperVRE FREE software and AdSense for Mobile [http://bazaar-dot.com/Adsense-Mobile.html]

Paul Rodgers specializes in marketing natural health and beauty products [http://mens-best-health.net]

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Paul_Rodgers/15656

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1911436 

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