Work Wanted: Protect Your Retirement Plans in Uncertain Times

Product Author Bios

James W. Walker, Ph.D. is a leading consultant, speaker, and author on HR strategy and workforce management; former leader of The Walker Group HR consultancy; and former VP/Director of Towers Perrin’s HR planning consulting practice. He authored the award-winning text Human Resource Planning, coauthored The End of Mandatory Retirement, and founded the Human Resource Planning Society. He chairs the Board of Directors of The Friends of The Riford Center, La Jolla, California, which is redefining the traditional senior center to meet the radically different needs of baby boomers.

Linda H. Lewis, Ed.D., recently retired as a professor at Fielding Graduate University, specializes in human and organization development, management and leadership, and adult learning. Lewis was a senior executive in the corporate sector, heading corporate universities and human resources for Charles Schwab & Co., Kaiser Permanente, and The Travelers Companies. Her business experience is complemented by her ten-year tenure as a professor in the field of higher education at the University of Connecticut. Linda is an active partner and consultant in Alliance for Excellence, an international leadership development consulting firm.

“Work Wanted is a must-read for all boomers who see more than a finish line for their career! Jim Walker and Linda Lewis bring new light to the concepts of aging, work, and retirement in this great book.”

—Marshall Goldsmith, executive coach and author, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

“This book was perfect for me, a younger baby boomer. It helped me to create my roadmap to financial independence and addresses many questions I didn’t even know I had!”

—Carol A. Gallagher, Ph.D., bestselling author, Going to the Top

“The best resource available for professionals interested in planning their older years. Work Wanted makes a persuasive case that we can and should make paid work an important part of our older years. Most of us want to keep some attachment to the work world as we move into the retirement years, and Work Wanted tells us everything you need to know to do so.”

—Peter Cappelli, George W. Marshall Professor of Management, The Wharton School, and author, Talent on Demand: Managing Talent in an Age of Uncertainty

The Complete Action Plan for Every Baby Boomer Who Wants to Keep Working—and Thriving!

This is the definitive handbook for every baby boomer who wants, needs, or expects to keep on working! You’ll find practical, realistic, action-oriented advice for working on your terms, not someone else’s...reinventing yourself for your next stage of life...finding more meaning in the work you choose...protecting your finances and your lifestyle...and a whole lot more!

If you’re a baby boomer and a professional, chances are you will live far into your 80s or beyond. That means you’ll have 20+ more years to actively work and pursue your interests. Work Wanted will help you make those years as valuable as you possibly can. Packed with practical checklists, references, and case studies, this book is organized for action, not talk. Drs. James Walker and Linda Lewis first explore the myths, falsehoods, and obsolete “conventional wisdom” about aging and retirement that stand in your way. Drawing on their experience working with companies and individuals facing these issues, Walker and Lewis help you realistically assess the challenges you’ll actually face—from your real income needs to your changing goals. Discover why a growing shortage of experienced people will give you more workplace leverage than ever before. Then, learn how to implement an action plan to keep working on your own terms at your current company, if that’s what you want. Ready to move on? Work Wanted will support you in reinventing yourself, pursuing more meaningful work, acquiring new skills, and even mentoring your new younger colleagues. Whatever you want to do, this book will help you stay vital, happy, and healthy while you’re doing it...not just for years, but decades!

Transform the landscape of work and retirement, one choice at a time

• Chart your own future—and make it happen

Define the value you will add and the difference you will make...then do it!

• No more “Wal-Mart greeter” syndrome

Find professional work that is fulfilling, motivating, satisfying, and meaningful

• Choose the right options at the right times

Keep working, go part-time, phase into retirement, switch careers, return to school, or become a “free agent”

Table of Contents

About the Authors  xiii

Preface  xv

Introduction  xvii

Chapter 1: Boomers, Do Your Thing Again!  1

Chapter 2: Consider Flexible Work and Retirement  25

Chapter 3: Live Well and Pay the Bills  45

Chapter 4: Stay Healthy and Active  65

Chapter 5: Choose Meaningful Activities  89

Chapter 6: Pursue Personal Growth and Learning  107

Chapter 7: Take Advantage of Opportunities  131

Chapter 8: Engage Younger Generations  155

References  183

Index  207