We’ve been sold a massive lie: that a corporate job equals security. Reflections Right now, platforms like LinkedIn are flooded with heartbreaking, multi-year job search manifestos. Millions remain trapped in the mindset that the corporate mothership will reward you with stability if you just follow the old rules. They’ve fallen victim to corporate Stockholm syndrome […]
Tag: Financial Strategy
A letter to Millennials and Gen Z
My writing usually targets Gen Xers and/or folks in their 50s and 60s near the end of their careers. But today, I’m writing a special letter to the kids and even grandkids of my target audience. Reflections The latchkey kids are aging, and the reality of their late career selves is a stark contrast. While […]
Financial Eggs in One Basket: Why Corporations Fear the Financial Backbone
Reflections As I was cleaning the farmhouse today, a task that always brings a sense of order to my mind, I found myself thinking about the bizarre advice I’ve been fed by others when it comes to professional reputation: “Don’t mention your side business. Hide your real estate activity. Don’t list fractional advisory roles. If […]
I Hope Retirement Didn’t Slip Out of Your Hands
Reflection Over the years, I’ve worked with plenty of professionals making really, really good money. Certainly plenty of people earning a comfortable $150,000-$250,000 per year. But executives aside, I’ve worked alongside and am networked with folks who, as sale representatives or consultants, have had a few back-to-back years earning mid- high-six figures. I wouldn’t be […]
Early Retirement: The Ultimate Career Flex
Reflection My LinkedIn feed can be a bit depressing these days. As if the layoff announcements aren’t enough, I deal with another sad phenomenon: Folks my age “career flexing” about the same stuff they’ve been posting about since their 30s and 40s. Careers have seasons. That I have learned. The same things that fueled […]
Sleep Better with an Escape Plan
A few months ago, I was a bit on edge. I knew that I was mentally done with my career and my husband and I talked a lot and dreamed together about “what’s next?” Yet I found myself feeling frustrated, like I was frozen with the pause button on, unable to move forward but not […]
The Energizing Effects of Corporate Doomsday
Reflections It’s a tough job market! It’s the spring of 2025 and layoff announcements are everywhere, including my department in my Fortune 200 employer. We’ve all seen the org charts updates, and a few things are clear: 1. there are fewer roles in the new organization than there are people and 2. there are roles […]
Late career: Don’t overstay your welcome
REFLECTIONS Timing your corporate exit A lot of factors go into deciding when to exit your career. Many of these factors, including financial readiness, are deeply personal. Many people just seem to have an innate sense of when it’s time to exit stage left. Others, however, persist well past their professional expiration date. Let me […]
Over 50? You really ARE capable of amazing things
REFLECTION I saw this poster this morning. It was 5:25 AM as I was heading in for my weekly weight training. It caught my eye. You are capable of amazing things. Yes, you are. I want to yell this from the mountaintop every time I read my LinkedIn feed, which is flooded with woe-is-me posts […]
Plotting Our Bold Escape
“You often feel tired not because you’ve done too much, but because you’ve done too little of what sparks light in you.” – Unknown Once upon a time, my career energized me. Sure, I always felt a bit like an outsider in the laced-up world of business, but I enjoyed my “well kept secret” of […]