Retirement and Working Part Time – Know the Facts

If you start taking Social Security before your full retirement age, earning more than $17,040 from work will reduce your benefits temporarily. Once you’re on Medicare, extra income could potentially trigger surcharges for parts B and D. Also, don’t overlook your required minimum distributions from retirement accounts once you reach age 70½.

After leaving a 40 hour work week behind, many retirees end up taking on part-time work even if it wasn’t part of their initial retirement plan. Today’s retirees are active and want to continue being productive in some way, it brings them a sense of value that they had in their long-time professional career. More than half of people ages 60 to 64 were working at least part time in 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the 65-to-69 crowd, nearly a third were in the workforce last year. If you find yourself among those who return … Read More

Back to school

It is the hottest part of the summer and your kids are out of control.  They sleep until noon and stay up until after midnight if you let them.  Most parents, and kids, too feel at least a little pressed for time around the beginning of the school year. So make a checklist to get your family through these dog days of summer and into the back to school mindset.

Crack the whip. Getting the kids back in a routine will help the first few weeks of school go much more smoothly.  Ease them into the new school year by reestablishing regular wake up and bedtimes that incrementally progress toward the school schedule.  If your house looks like a mess, a list of housekeeping chores can also help the kids, and grownups, get back on track.

Hold a scheduling party.  Attendance by all family members is required.  Bring phones, laptops, school … Read More

Promoted!

Your company just promoted you, and you’re a newly minted manager. After a well-deserved celebration and many congratulatory messages, you come face-to-face with one harsh truth that comes with your new role–the lack of empty time slots in your calendar.  In my experience, new managers tend to make one crucial mistake–trying to do it all. They attempt to keep up with their own workload while making themselves constantly available to their team. As noble as those intentions may be, working 15-hour days won’t make you a better leader. After all, no one does their best work when they’re overly stressed.  I learned this the hard way. As soon as I realized that my round-the-clock hours were neither conducive to my work nor my growing family, I made time management a priority. To prevent burnout, I implemented the following five strategies.

Learn how to say no
I get it, saying no to … Read More