For decades, young people were told college was the surest route to financial success as an adult. Get a degree, get a good job.
However, this formula seems to be broken. During the recession, jobs for recent college graduates were scarce, causing many to continue their higher education and sink deeper into student loan debt. With minimal wage hikes for some white-collar professions, not all college degrees are paying for themselves. In many cases, they can even be a liability.1
On the other hand, skilled trade industries continue to elevate their wages due to a shortage of available workers. Today’s high school graduates may find well-paying jobs with benefits right off the bat, particularly if they have motivation and well-rounded resumes. Perhaps most importantly, they must be willing to work hard and learn a new skill. These workers may not earn as much as a college graduate throughout their lifespan, but there’s also nothing stopping them from going to college later.2
The employment market continues to change, behooving job seekers to be more flexible with goals and expectations. For example, the construction and health/personal-care industries are expected to account for a third of all new jobs through 2022.3
Some cities in lesser-populated areas of the country are actively recruiting people to relocate and fill jobs in specialized labor industries. The city of Hamilton, Ohio, offers a $5,000 moving bonus to help pay student loans, while Grant County, Indiana, offers $5,000 toward buying a home.4
The trend is also positive for older workers. A new survey revealed 77 percent of employers believe workers age 50 and up as are more engaged in their job and offer greater experience and range of skills than their younger counterparts.5
The growing demand for older workers may be an important factor in your retirement planning. It may not be necessary to fully fund your nest egg and then retire “cold turkey.” Instead, many employers are starting to understand the value of flexible employment, both from an overhead cost to a productivity perspective. Therefore, older workers may be able to negotiate lower pay to supplement retirement income — delaying full retirement — via flexible work arrangements or contract employment.6
Some older people have also taken advantage of new community and online classes teaching coding and computer programming skills. Some are developing new skills to start second careers or use in volunteer opportunities. Learning a new hobby, such as making personalized electronic cards for family members, can help aging brains stay sharp.7
If you’d like help reviewing your retirement income strategy and discussing ways to incorporate earned income, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.
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Content prepared by Kara Stefan Communications.
1 Kavya Vaghul. The Washington Center for Equitable Growth. “The student loan crisis is fueled by a weak labor market.” https://equitablegrowth.org/the-student-loan-crisis-is-fueled-by-a-weak-labor-market/. Accessed June 16, 2018.
2 Jon Marcus. The Hechinger Report. April 23, 2018. “High-paying jobs go begging while high school grads line up for bachelor’s degrees.” http://hechingerreport.org/high-paying-jobs-go-begging-while-high-school-grads-line-up-for-bachelors-degrees/. Accessed June 16, 2018.
3 Ibid.
4 David Harrison and Shayndi Raice. The Wall Street Journal. April 30, 2018. “ How Bad Is the Labor Shortage? Cities Will Pay You to Move There.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-bad-is-the-labor-shortage-cities-will-pay-you-to-move-there-1525102030. Accessed June 16, 2018.
5 Joanna Hughes. The Job Network. “Hiring Trends Show Older Workers in Demand.” https://www.thejobnetwork.com/hiring-trends-show-older-workers-in-demand/. Accessed June 16, 2018. Eric Titner. The Job Network. “Trends that older workers need to watch for in 2018.” https://www.thejobnetwork.com/trends-that-older-workers-need-to-watch-for-in-2018/. Accessed June 16, 2018.
7 Vivian Marino. The New York Times. Sep. 22, 2017. “Some People Learn to Code in Their 60s, 70s or 80s.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/your-money/some-people-learn-to-code-in-their-60s-70s-or-80s.html?utm_sq=fs1lzdnev7. Accessed June 16, 2018.
We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic retirement income strategies and should not be construed as financial advice.
The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions. If you are unable to access any of the news articles and sources through the links provided in this text, please contact us to request a copy of the desired reference.
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