Category Archives: Uncategorized

AS RETAIL JOBS SHRINK, WOMEN LOSE

Posted on by
Reply

#retail #RetailJobs #ShrinkingRetail #OnlineShopping

Stores are closing by the droves.
The people losing their jobs predominantly are women.
A report in USA Today’s Dec. 18, 2019, edition says many of the retail jobs that remain are going to men.
We can’t do anything about the shrinking retail business.
More people are opting to shop online, rather than go to physical stores.
Certainly, physical stores have value. Though many shopping Web sites allow customers to buy first, try it on and send it back, many shoppers enjoy trying things on in stores.
If you need to buy a mattress, you generally like to lie on different ones to see which one makes you most comfortable.
Stores also help the undecided shopper. You may know you need a new jacket, for example, but which one should you buy?
Web sites certainly encourage browsing, but you can’t touch what’s online. You need a store for that.
So, if you’ve been working in retail for years, and are now watching your job(s) slowly — or, in some cases, quickly — disappear, what should you do?
There are many vehicles out there that allow you to generate a new stream of income without getting a new “job.”
If you’ve been working in retail, you may have to change your outlook on what you can do.
Actually, you can work at these programs regardless of your age, education, background or experience.
If you are looking for something different that may change your life for the better, and want to check out one of the best of these vehicles, message me
Retail jobs aren’t the only ones disappearing. Almost every sector of the economy is changing because of technology.
You can’t stop that change, but you can change to help create a whole new life for yourself.
You just need to be open to looking at something you may have never thought of doing.
Change will happen. You have to decide how change will affect you, and how you will change so you can prosper as change occurs.
Peter

DOWNSIZING AND BUYOUTS: WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Posted on by
Reply

#downsizing #buyouts #JobLoss #SeparationIncentives
Your company has decided to downsize.
Perhaps it wants to eliminate a division(s) that it doesn’t see as part of the future.
It “generously” decides to offer some qualified employees a separation package, or buyout, to encourage them to leave.
Let’s say you are among those employees.
You want to keep working a few more years, but they have given you what you consider a generous offer. What should you do?
Most buyouts have certain things in common. First, what they are offering initially is probably the best you are going to get. There’s usually no negotiation for a sweeter package. More or less, it’s take it or leave it.
Secondly, you have to make this decision without all the information. You don’t really know, and no one will ever tell you, what YOUR future is if you stay.
There is usually a company option to reject certain employees’ applications for the buyout, but that rarely happens to an individual. If you thought you were indispensable, think again. If the company does not want a certain group of employees to take the buyout, it will not qualify them.
Thirdly, the decision rests on YOUR individual position in life. If you are financially able to take it, you may well be advised to do so. If you want to do something else, worry about that later.
If your job is eating you alive, or your boss is not treating you the way you believe you deserve to be treated, you may be advised to take it. Your life is not going to get any better, and could very well get worse, if you stay.
If you are not financially able to take it, you will probably have to suck it up and stay, and deal with what happens next.
Now, what if you could prepare for such an event ahead of time? What if you could spend a few part-time, off-work hours doing something that could potentially build your current and future wealth?
Though we are not talking about a second traditional job here, the concept involves a more pleasant form of work.
It turns out that there are many such vehicles out there for those who are willing to look for them. If you are open-minded enough to want to check out one of the best, message me.
Buyouts, downsizings etc. almost always come without warning. You walk into work one day, and an announcement is made.
If you could prepare ahead for it, you could walk away with a sweet deal and a smile.
If you don’t prepare for it, the decision can be much more difficult.
We used the term “generously” when we talked about such offers. Many workers simply get thrown out the door with nothing.
You can prepare for that, too. If you do, you could accept that situation with a smile, too.

Peter

HAPPY 2020! CHOOSE TO SEIZE YOUR NEW YEAR

Featured

Posted on by
1

#HappyNewYear #2020 #NewDecade #Make2020Prosperous
The year 2020 is almost here.
Depending on how you look at it, it’s either the beginning or the end of a decade.
Logic tells us that when we count forward, we begin at 1. With that thinking, the decade starts at the year ending in 1, and ends with the year ending in 0.
It’s only when we count backward – 5,4,3,2,1,0 – as we would when watching the ball drop in Times Square,  do we assign a count to the fractions between 0 and 1.
But, when we get into numbers larger than single digits, the numbers ending in 0 have countable value. That allows some to believe the decade starts with the year ending in 0 and ends with the year ending in 9.
Regardless of how you count decades, 2020 gives us a good place to start fresh, if a fresh start is what you need.
If you see yourself as already successful, 2020 should be a continuation of your success.
If the time leading up to 2020 has been disappointing, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate. Re-evaluation starts with feelings.
If you feel beaten, you are defeated. If you are motivated to overcome adversity, you feel challenged.
Some feelings cannot be chosen. If you’ve lost a loved one, you can’t choose how you feel. Grief is usually the dominant feeling, and it may never leave you. You can’t stop grief, you can only mitigate it over time.
But if you have lost a job or a house, you can choose how you feel and, by extension, how you react.
You can choose how you start, and end, 2020.
Whether you realize it or not, you don’t have to just mitigate losses – say, by taking a job that pays much less and learning to settle for less. But you can overcome those losses and change your life.
How? You can check out one of the many programs out there that, by investing a few, part-time, non-job hours a week, you can earn an income that could match or potentially surpass any that a job would give you.
To check out one of the best such vehicles, message me.
So, if you see 2020 as the end of a decade, you can use it to set the table for a very successful new decade.
If you see 2020 as the beginning of a decade, you can start building a better life that could last you for decades to come.
It comes down to choosing your feelings and choosing your actions wisely.
You can’t expect circumstances to change without you acting to change them.
It’s not what happens to you that matters, it’s how you proceed afterward.
Some events can elicit feelings you cannot choose. Others require you to choose how you feel, and how you react.
Choose to act. Choose to overcome. Happy 2020.
Peter

HOUSING COSTS UP, SALARIES DOWN

Posted on by
Reply

#HousingCosts #AtlantaHousing #HousingInAtlanta #AffordableHousing
One thing the economy has bolstered is housing.
Purchase prices and rents are going up.
Unfortunately, for many, salaries are not going up. In some cases, they are coming down.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has unveiled a 43-page One Atlanta Affordable Housing Plan, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporters J. Scott Trubey and Stephen Deere in the June 25, 2019, edition.
The mayor will have to marshal the forces of the city, state and federal agencies, as well as local businesses, developers and non-profits to make the plan work, the reporters write.
“Rents are going up in and around our city, but the increase in wages is not keeping pace,” the article quotes the mayor.
The 13 initiatives and 45 other items in the mayor’s housing plan will require dozens of pieces of legislation, which would be drafter as necessary, the article quotes Bottoms.
The plan will use $1 billion in public and private funds to create or preserve 20,000 affordable units by 2026, the article says.
The problem of affordable housing is not unique to Atlanta. Many areas, particularly those attracting new residents and businesses, are seeing housing costs go way up.
Older, lower-income neighborhoods are being redone – gentrified, if you will – making it difficult for longtime residents to continue to afford them.
It’s certainly progress to see investments to upgrade housing. Unfortunately, some residents who may have lived in a neighborhood their whole lives are getting priced out. Where do they go? It’s hard to know, but the Atlanta newspaper also reported more recently that there are many people with full-time jobs living in extended-stay motels.
It’s not an easy problem to solve and Mayor Bottoms is trying to at least make a dent in the problem in her city.
Another unfortunate thing is that the jobs that residents may qualify for are not located near where they live. That brings forth the issue of affordable transportation.
With some people living paycheck to paycheck with nothing put away for emergencies, an unexpected car breakdown can really set them back. Not only can’t they get their cars fixed promptly, they have no independent way, perhaps, to get to their jobs. It’s tough to keep a job if you can’t get to it.
Have you ever wanted to live someplace, but not be able to afford to? What if something came your way that would allow you to spend a few part-time hours a week in a venture that could augment your income, perhaps beyond your wildest dreams? If you are open to checking one of the best of the many such vehicles, message me.
Keeping a supply of affordable housing is not an easy problem to solve. Builders are constructing new housing for the higher incomes, because it’s better for their bottom line.
On top of that, because the demand is there, some of the older housing is getting remodeled, making landlords raise rents etc. It’s tough to have to make choices between food, necessary medication and housing with a limited income.
Hopefully, Mayor Bottoms will be able to pull off her vision in Atlanta. Officials in other areas have to find innovative ways to keep the cost of housing from ballooning out of the reach of many residents.
Peter

CAN YOU FIND AN EMERGENCY $400?

Posted on by
Reply

#EmergencyCash #MoneyInTheBank #breakdowns #PaycheckToPaycheck
Your (pick one: car, refrigerator, washing machine) breaks down.
To repair it would cost $400.
Do you have the cash, or could you get a loan that you could pay back quickly, to cover it?
Four in 10 Americans don’t, according to a Federal Reserve survey.
Jeanna Smialek discussed this in a New York Times article that was also published May 24, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
But the economy is good, you say. Still, a lot of folks not only live paycheck to paycheck, their paychecks have shrunk since they lost their job, presuming they’ve gotten another one since. Some have not.
It creates a chicken-and-egg issue. If your car is broken down, you have to bum rides, or just plain not get to work. In fact, the Atlanta newspaper published more recently an article about the number of working people living in extended-stay motels because rents have risen so much. For some of those, car troubles have been the cause.
Yes, people are selling things to pay for emergencies, the Times article says.
Since the Fed took the survey, the article says, household finances have improved. That’s the good news. Three-quarters of adults said they were “doing OK” or “living comfortably,” up from 63 percent in 2013, the Times article says.
So YOU are not in dire straits. But, you may not be living the life you want. You may not have the job, or income you want. You see others with the things you would want, and wonder: why them, and not you?
Sure, you may be able to pay your bills, or deal with an emergency repair. But you may want something more out of life, and are not really sure what to do to get it.
The good news is that you CAN get it, if you are willing to look at things that you may not have ever thought you would do. There are many vehicles out there that can allow people to live their dreams, even with a part-time, off-work effort. To check out one of the best, message me.
It’s tough to live for any length of time without your car, or key appliances. It’s hard to deal with increasing rents when your paycheck is not increasing, or even declining.
We’ve all heard the horror stories of people making the choice between food and necessary medicine. In America, no one should have to make that choice.
Instead, you should have the choice of doing something that will better your life, regardless of what your employer wants you to do.
You don’t need special skills, education or background. You just need to be open to looking at something different.
America is, and has always been, a great country. Opportunities abound for those willing to check them out.
If you are unhappy with your situation, and think there is nothing you can do about it, think again.
Then, ask yourself this: am I seeing all my options, or am I afraid to look for, and at, them?
The next big thing may not fall into your lap, but there are definitely options that will make anyone’s life better.
Peter

YOUNG ADULTS DIFFER FROM THEIR PARENTS

Posted on by
10

#YoungAdults #millennials #GenZ KidsAndParents
It’s not unusual for a younger generation to have different priorities from their parents’.

But usually most are optimistic.

Deloitte recently released its Global Millennial Survey of 13,416 millennials (born between 1983 and 1994) across 42 counties and 3,000 Gen Z respondents (born between 1995 and 2002) from 10 countries. Most are uneasy and pessimistic, according to an article Marie Patino wrote for Bloomberg. It was also published May 21, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The percentage of respondents who think that businesses are making a positive impact dropped from 61 percent in 2018 to 55 percent this year, the article says.

In other words, many of the kids don’t trust businesses.

Only about half of those in the two groups aspire to buy a house, the article says – something that likely was a high priority for their parents when they were young.

Only 52 percent of millennials surveyed said that earning a high salary was a top priority, the article says. It’s noble to want to have a higher purpose than just making money, and money doesn’t always buy happiness. But money can help one work through adversities in style.

Incidently, 56 percent of Gen Z’ers said earning a high salary was a priority, the article says.

In China and India, the article quotes the survey, Gen Z’ers were more optimistic about the future, while youth in major economic powers were pessimistic about the world and whether their place in it will improve, the article says.

It’s fairly easy to understand the pessimism. Perhaps the young folks have seen a parent, or someone they know well, forced out of a good job well ahead of retirement.

Perhaps they’ve come out of school with slim job prospects.

Perhaps they have witnessed atrocities, like school shootings, officer-involved shootings of unarmed people, or something else that triggers pessimism.

Certainly, older generations witnessed their share of bad news, but not nearly as much of the kinds of things the kids are seeing out there.

Regardless, there is still reason for optimism.

And, if you’re the kind of person who dreams of doing something great, for whom helping others is a high priority, there are many vehicles out there that can ultimately provide the resources to take some of those worries off one’s back, while enabling that person to pay it forward to others. To check out one of the best such vehicles, message me.

Certainly, there is much to be concerned about all over the world. Nearly everyone faces adversity at some point in life.

But bear in mind, if you are a young person who is pessimistic about the world, it’s OK to dream of a world you would like to see. It’s perfectly OK to dream of a very successful life for yourself, however you define that.

You have to be open, though, to perhaps doing something you may have never thought about, or considered doing. You have to be open to looking for, or at, something that could change your outlook on life. That something could be brought to you by someone you may not expect.

In today’s world, optimism sometimes requires effort. Don’t hesitate to put in that effort. You have the ability to improve your own lives. Go for it.

Peter

U.S. BIRTH RATE LOWEST IN 32 YEARS

Posted on by
6

#births #BirthRates #census #population
The U.S. is seeing its lowest number of births in 32 years.
So says provisional data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
A Bloomberg News article about birth data appeared May 16, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The article goes on to break down the data by race, method of birth etc., but doesn’t talk about why birth rates are declining.
There are a number of trends one could point to. Many people are postponing marriage for any number of reasons. The longer one postpones marriage, it seems, the less likely there are to be children as part of marriage.
Other data has pointed to an increase in both the number of single-person households, and the number of young adults who continue to live at home with their parents.
Also, there are money issues. College debt is at an all-time high. The more young adults owe for their educations, the more likely they will postpone buying homes and having children.
And, though the economy is considered good, not everyone has benefitted. Some younger folks have been laid off, and not been able to find work that pays what their previous jobs paid – if they have found one at all.
There are many solutions out there to the financial issues involved with the decision to have children. There are a number of vehicles out there that can enable young couples to devote a few part-time hours a week to augment – or even surpass – their incomes, To check out one of the best such vehicles, message me.
Though parents likely encourage their adult children to have children, having children isn’t for everyone.
Being a parent requires major responsibility. You not only have to support those children financially, you have to be there for them. In other words, being a parent involves lots of money and lots of time. Not everyone has the desire for and commitment to that responsibility.
It’s important, some say, that each person replace himself. The article says the birth rate is dropping below replacement levels.
So who are the future workers, if birth rates continue to decline?
First, as we now see, machines can replace humans for many tasks. Second, immigrants looking for opportunities are moving to the U.S. Regardless how you may feel personally about that, it’s reality. The need for those immigrants is plain to see these days, no matter where you look.
So how do you feel about having children? Don’t feel you have a duty to have them, regardless of how badly your parents want to be grandparents.
Have children because you really want to have children. Don’t have more children than you can afford. Try not to have “accidental” children, if you can avoid it.
There is no shame in being single, or being married without children. It’s all a matter of the kind of life best suits you.
Peter

JUST DO IT!

Posted on by
Reply

#JustDoIt #success #FindingSuccess #TakingOnTasks
Nike’s trademarked tag is “Just Do It!”
It can be interpreted two different ways.
If you have tasks that are unpleasant, but necessary, like, say, cleaning your house, putting it off won’t make the job go away. Just do it.
The sooner you start, the sooner you finish. The finish is the reward.
The second interpretation is probably more what Nike’s marketing folks had in mind.
It involves just doing something that will bring you success.
These success tasks may involve some uncomfortable things. An example might be a firefighter having to go into a burning building to save people.
In that case, there is no hesitation. No procrastination. He just does it, without regard for his own safety.
But you don’t have to be a firefighter, or any other professional who routinely confronts danger, to perform success tasks.
Nike undoubtedly was referring to athletes when it came up with its tag.
But there are other tasks you, or anyone, could perform that will bring you success. Indeed, some of those tasks could make you uncomfortable, at least at first. But they will not risk your life.
If what you are doing now is not giving you what you want from life, you may be looking for something that will.
If you are, there are several concepts and programs out there that can bring you the success you are looking for. All you have to do is be open to looking at them. If you like what you see, then just do it.
You may find the tasks involved are not what you are used to doing. Perhaps you never saw yourself doing this. But these tasks are not life-risking, but they can be life-changing.
To check out one of the best such vehicles, message me.
Anyone can find success if he or she is willing to look. There’s no need for special skills, training or a “big idea.” You just have to be coachable, and willing to perform the necessary tasks honestly.
The tasks may be simple. They may not necessarily be easy for you. But they will get easier the more you just do them.
Much of life involves tasks we hate. Many jobs can be difficult, boring or otherwise unpleasant. And all that unpleasantness may not reward you to the extent that it should.
If that speaks to you, explore your options. That may involve doing something totally different. It may involve checking out something you’d never dreamed would come into your life.
The first step to finding it is being open to looking. After all, when life presents you with lemons, lemonade may not be the answer. You may have to look for something sweeter.
You can settle for what is, or dream of what could be.
If you dream of what could be, you need a way to get you there.
You have to find that way, and when you find it, just do it.
Peter

FINANCIAL DEPENDENCE

Posted on by
1

#FinancialDependence #millennials #YoungAdultsStillLivingAtHome #jobs #employment
Many of us can remember as children dreaming of the day we could live on our own, without our parents’ rules.
For today’s younger generation, that is getting harder to do.
Janna Herron tackled this subject for USA Today, in article also published April 19, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Most millennials define adulthood as being on their own financially, but the majority still depend on Mom and Dad for money, even into their 30s,” Herron writes. She attributes that to a new Merrill Lynch/Age Wave survey.
“Finances are the No. 1 stressor in young adult lives,” Herron quotes Lorna Sabbia, head of retirement and personal wealth solutions at Merrill Lynch.
It’s not just the kids who don’t move out of their parents’ house. Some of them live in their own place, but depend on their parents for money to pay for cellphone service, food and groceries etc., the article states.
A quarter of all young adults have moved back home, while a third get help with rent or mortgage payments. Two in five who own homes get down payment money from their parents, the article quotes the Merrill Lynch survey.
The young folks are hardly high-fiving each other over this, the article quotes Sabbia.
What’s a young person to do?
First, let’s presume, as the article does, that young folks don’t like their situation. Sure, there are some who will want to live at home with Mom and Dad for as long as their parents are alive. But, for argument’s sake, let’s say most young adults WANT to be independent.
Second, let’s look at the reasons they got there. High college debt could be one. Getting a job that doesn’t pay enough to cover all their “necessary” expenses could be another. Living expenses for people today have risen far beyond those that their parents paid when they were young.
Finally, a lack of job security may deter some of them from really putting down roots. At the rapid pace of change in the corporate and business world, it’s hard to know where one may be five years from now. And, it doesn’t matter whether the person is good at what he does. A company, if it sees an efficiency or has an economic need, will lay off ANYONE.
So, let’s take the solution in steps. First, strive to be good at what you do. Be personable, kind, coachable and willing to do things outside your job description. Become a self-starter, if you aren’t already. You want to be in a position to get good recommendations if you have to go elsewhere to find work.
Then, be open to looking at situations that may be outside your comfort zone. There are many entities out there that can enable a person to spend a few, part-time, off-work hours doing something that is not a “second job,” but does involve work. The income from that could surpass any they would earn at a traditional job. To check out one of the best such entities, message me.
In short, you can’t control you work circumstances. If you like your job, stay as long as they will have you, or until you want to leave on your terms. But don’t bank on that job being there for as long as you want it. You have to have your eyes always open for new things.
For the young adults still depending on Mom and Dad to live, be diligent in looking for ways – cutting spending or earning more – to break that financial dependence. You’ll find your life will be so much better when you do.
Peter

NO SECRET TO SUCCESS

Posted on by
Reply

#success #WantingVsWishing #PersonalGrowth #WorkEthic
Many books talk about the “secret” to success.
Despite the title of the Earl Nightingale’s book, “The Strangest Secret,” there is no secret to success.
It’s all about desire, dedication and doing whatever it takes to be successful.
It’s simple, but not easy.
It has to start with WANTING something. That’s not just WISHING for something. The difference is the willingness to do what you need to do to get it. If you are willing to do what you need to do, you WANT something. Otherwise, you are just wishing for something.
Yes, there are things you may not be able to do. For instance, without the God-given talent and training, you may never become part of the Metropolitan Opera, no matter how badly you want to or how hard you are willing to work.
But there are other forms of success that are achievable. After you decide you want something, and that want is powerful enough for you to do whatever it takes to get it, you have to be willing to look for the right way to get it.
That requires an open mind. You may not be able to get what you want, doing what you are doing now. You may have to look outside your current box.
It’s like planning a big trip. You have to first decide where you want to go, figure out the best way to get there, then decide what you are going to do once you arrive.
Now that you want something, and you’ve decided to look for the best way to get it, then you have to commit to the right vehicle once you find it.
There are many vehicles out there that will get you to success. You just have to know where to look for them. To check out one of the best, message me.
Along with the wanting, looking and doing comes the growing.
Success is tangible, but achieving it also involves working on YOU.
It’s been said by many experts that if you grow as a person, through reading the right things, hanging around and listening to the right people and doing things that will improve you personally, success will find you.
Certainly, the path to success does not ascend in a straight line. There will be setbacks, there will be failures and there will be bad circumstances along the way.
That’s why the path to success may seem simple, but very likely will not be easy.
Your personal growth and the desire to get what you want will enable you to deal with those setbacks, because you are dedicated to the big prize.
So how do you define success for you? It shouldn’t be money alone. It should be based on what you can do with money, presuming money is in the equation.
If you have the talent and training to excel in the arts, music etc., money may just be a byproduct of your success.
Whatever you call success, much of your shot at getting it is how you train your mind. Desire, tenacity and work ethic are all part of your mental well-being.
So work on you as you work your success plan. A better you can be the difference between achieving success and not.
Peter