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55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life
A practical plan for the millions of people in their fifties and sixties who find themselves out of work, unable to find a job, and financially incapable of retiring, Elizabeth White shows how to get past any blame or shame, overcome denial, and find a path to a new normal.
Elizabeth White has an impressive resume, which includes advanced degrees from Harvard and Johns Hopkins and a distinguished employment history. She started a business that failed and then tried to reenter the work force in her mid-fifties, only to learn that there is little demand for workers her age. For a while Elizabeth lived in denial, but then had to adjust to her new reality, shedding the gym membership, getting a roommate, forgoing restaurant meals, and so on. She soon learned she wasn’t alone: there are millions of Americans in her predicament and worse, exhausted from trying to survive and overcome every day.
In 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal, Elizabeth invites you to look beyond your immediate circumstances to what is possible in the new normal of financial insecurity. You’re in your fifties and sixties, and may have saved nothing or not nearly enough to retire. It’s too late for blame or shame—and it wouldn’t help anyway. What you want to know is what you can do now to have a shot at a decent retirement.
“This relevant and well-researched book will appeal not only to those 55 plus, but to the generation coming right behind them who may face similar issues” (Booklist, starred review). 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal is a must-have for anyone whose income has suddenly diminished or even disappeared. “Providing practical solutions with a focus on retirement and maximizing savings, White maintains authority with a realistic, empathetic tone throughout. This deeply useful work will resonate with aging readers of all income levels and situations” (Publishers Weekly). If you’re ready to get serious about feeling good again, this book is for you.
Elizabeth White has an impressive resume, which includes advanced degrees from Harvard and Johns Hopkins and a distinguished employment history. She started a business that failed and then tried to reenter the work force in her mid-fifties, only to learn that there is little demand for workers her age. For a while Elizabeth lived in denial, but then had to adjust to her new reality, shedding the gym membership, getting a roommate, forgoing restaurant meals, and so on. She soon learned she wasn’t alone: there are millions of Americans in her predicament and worse, exhausted from trying to survive and overcome every day.
In 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal, Elizabeth invites you to look beyond your immediate circumstances to what is possible in the new normal of financial insecurity. You’re in your fifties and sixties, and may have saved nothing or not nearly enough to retire. It’s too late for blame or shame—and it wouldn’t help anyway. What you want to know is what you can do now to have a shot at a decent retirement.
“This relevant and well-researched book will appeal not only to those 55 plus, but to the generation coming right behind them who may face similar issues” (Booklist, starred review). 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal is a must-have for anyone whose income has suddenly diminished or even disappeared. “Providing practical solutions with a focus on retirement and maximizing savings, White maintains authority with a realistic, empathetic tone throughout. This deeply useful work will resonate with aging readers of all income levels and situations” (Publishers Weekly). If you’re ready to get serious about feeling good again, this book is for you.
272 pages, Paperback
Published January 28, 2020
95 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth White
2 books7 followersElizabeth White is an author and seasoned nonprofit executive with domestic and international expertise in economic development, aging solutions, and gender equality. Ms. White earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Masters in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University, and a BS in Political Science from Oberlin College. She has written for Next Avenue, Forbes, Huffington Post, The American Society on Aging newsletter, Encore.org, and Sixty and Me. She has also been featured in The Christian Science Monitor and AARP Disrupt Aging newsletter. She resides in Washington, DC, with her daughter and grandson. She is the author of 55, Unemployed, and Faking Normal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
January 31, 2019
This book grew out of an essay that Elizabeth White wrote entitled “You Know Her,” in which she describes what it felt like to be suddenly downwardly mobile after her business failed. Her story struck a chord and the piece went viral. White could be anyone you or I know. She is a well-educated, professional woman whose business fails when the economy falters. Suddenly she finds herself one of the millions of people in their 50s and 60s who are out of work, unable to find a new job and not financially able or ready to retire. But this isn’t simply a memoir. This no-nonsense book offers a practical plan for getting past the shame or fear over finding oneself as “the person who used to be or once was” for the first time ever. She writes with personal honesty and valuable insight about how to crawl up the ladder rung by rung and find a path to a new normal. The book is a manifesto for the retirement income crisis we are facing in this country, but its more than that, it’s a practical guide and a reminder that it is possible to get your “mojo back.”
May 28, 2019
I found this book just when I needed it - three days after I decided to finally retire from my 42 year employment in the mortgage business. It is written in an energetic style, with good humor, good research, and great examples in the stories of others living their lives anew. Each chapter relates to all the others, however each stands alone. If you are toying with changing your housing, Elizabeth provides numerous options, with names and numbers of those who can answer questions. If you are wondering where to find groups of like-minded people, Elizabeth provides suggestions. More importantly, Elizabeth White has not only been there when her employment and income plans changed, but she identifies just when you might freeze in a bad habit, cannot lift your chin from the floor, or just do not want to be where your life has led you.
There is empathy and experience in this book. There are great expectations that each of us can and will forge our way through the next phase of our lives. And you believe Elizabeth...you believe her.
Read this book before you spend one minute feeling sorry for yourself. Just read it, write in its margins, highlight the good parts, then pass the word to your next friend.
My thanks to Elizabeth White for a great handbook. I shall keep it close, so I can check back on your suggestions.
There is empathy and experience in this book. There are great expectations that each of us can and will forge our way through the next phase of our lives. And you believe Elizabeth...you believe her.
Read this book before you spend one minute feeling sorry for yourself. Just read it, write in its margins, highlight the good parts, then pass the word to your next friend.
My thanks to Elizabeth White for a great handbook. I shall keep it close, so I can check back on your suggestions.
March 6, 2019
I am frustrated because this book could have been so much more!!! The first 100 pages are filled with complaining, meandering anecdotes, and urgings to not blame yourself for your predicament. Clearly, one needs to take SOME measure of responsibility, particularly if you were blessed with a high salary during your working years and achieved a decent level of education. The author misses a golden opportunity to explain how financial institutions cloak fees and push irresponsible retirement products. She does not go into any detail on what one should do fiscally when one finds themselves in such a dire situation and, really, the suggestion to start a Resiliency Circle seems laughable to me. How about figuring out what your assets and liabilities really are, what your bills are, what your strengths and weaknesses are? Towards the end of the book is discussion of Tiny Houses (with their loft beds and laying in bed "four inches from the ceiling") and a long section about retiring in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Arg. Much of the book suffers from the author's writing of her narrow experiences, clearly she is neither a DIYer nor cook, loves dressing up, and showed up to a camping conference wearing heels. I wonder how many websites and other links actually work. So frustrating.
October 6, 2018
This book was a combination of interesting and depressing to me. We are inundated in social and news media with success stories of people who gave everything they had to a business and became huge successes. We don’t hear as often about the businesses that didn’t suceed, and the impact on finances and lives. sobering for sure. I’m not a fan of the author’s suggestion of getting together with groups to navigate financial stresses, but that might just be me.
August 30, 2020
I found myself in the age group in the title, and laid off the week before I picked this book up. I wanted to understand if this was more of a guidebook or more of a motivational book. It is a combination. Much of the book is what I would call coach-talk, in effect a coach trying to restore the fire in a team that’s way down at the half. The author intersperses the motivational content with some specific content related to key methods she’s investigated to reduce expenses in order to eke out a life when dealing with a reduced standard of living.
Overall, I kind of liked the book, but there were two things I hated about it. First, the “coach-talk” started with the trope that the downwardly mobile middle ager is in the situation they are in because society made it so. The author repeats her message that “you are a victim, just like everyone else” many times. In actuality, the author’s own story and some of the others she uses for illustration seem to show how many otherwise smart people don’t plan for a future without a job with any rigor. As someone who has read dozens of books on FIRE (financial independence, retire early) and who actively planned for an early retirement, I know that people make choices on investing or spending their earnings, and in many or not most cases, people are agents of their own future. The author is focused on the spenders with this book. So I felt this wasn’t aimed at me.
The author also builds into the book a plan to use the book as a group discussion tool for those middle aged and under- or unemployed. Certainly that’s an interesting use, but I wasn’t looking to lead group discussions, and those sections didn’t help much with individual reflection. If you do think you can lead or join a group discussion of this book, then I think it can be a good blueprint for discussions.
As for the ideas for, let’s call it forced downsizing, the author describes some ideas that I haven’t seen described for older adults. Some, like renting out rooms, I’ve certainly seen before, but not in this context. Other points of discussion include borrowing money, moving to a less expensive country, communal living, and getting a freelance job. I found her ideas interesting and her list of resources for further investigation were also useful. I hope I don’t need these ideas, but it’s good to know there’s a place to find these thoughts laid out with a little motivational talk. Which may or may not make you mad.
Overall, I kind of liked the book, but there were two things I hated about it. First, the “coach-talk” started with the trope that the downwardly mobile middle ager is in the situation they are in because society made it so. The author repeats her message that “you are a victim, just like everyone else” many times. In actuality, the author’s own story and some of the others she uses for illustration seem to show how many otherwise smart people don’t plan for a future without a job with any rigor. As someone who has read dozens of books on FIRE (financial independence, retire early) and who actively planned for an early retirement, I know that people make choices on investing or spending their earnings, and in many or not most cases, people are agents of their own future. The author is focused on the spenders with this book. So I felt this wasn’t aimed at me.
The author also builds into the book a plan to use the book as a group discussion tool for those middle aged and under- or unemployed. Certainly that’s an interesting use, but I wasn’t looking to lead group discussions, and those sections didn’t help much with individual reflection. If you do think you can lead or join a group discussion of this book, then I think it can be a good blueprint for discussions.
As for the ideas for, let’s call it forced downsizing, the author describes some ideas that I haven’t seen described for older adults. Some, like renting out rooms, I’ve certainly seen before, but not in this context. Other points of discussion include borrowing money, moving to a less expensive country, communal living, and getting a freelance job. I found her ideas interesting and her list of resources for further investigation were also useful. I hope I don’t need these ideas, but it’s good to know there’s a place to find these thoughts laid out with a little motivational talk. Which may or may not make you mad.
September 11, 2018
I had high hopes for this book as I am in my 50s and having to start over in certain areas of my life. However, this book just didn’t do it for me. The book rubbed me the wrong way when the author discusses forming a Resilience Circle and using your group of friends to commiserate with. Some people just don’t have a circle of friends that can understand what may be happening and what do people do when they really have nothing to fall back on? Or have difficulty locating places that are affordable due to limited income? I was hoping for a more step-by-step guide and information. It may help others, but I’ll have to pass on recommending this book.
The resources seem to be valuable, however, and I will keep those for future reference.
The resources seem to be valuable, however, and I will keep those for future reference.
October 1, 2019
Don't let the "55" part deter you from reading this, because you might find yourself falling off the steady career trajectory earlier than that, as I did! This is a terrific analysis of how and why so many professionals in the U.S. have been knocked off the professional expressway, with careers relegated to side roads that have no entrance ramps to get back onto that expressway. If you think assets like prestigious degrees, stellar work ethic, international experience, or professional versatility will keep you gainfully employed the rest of your life, don't count on it!
Elizabeth does a great job of wrapping together her personal experiences, extensive research, and anecdotes from other professionals involuntarily trapped into the "gig economy": scrounging around for temporary consultancies and contracts and/or low-paying, part-time, non-professional jobs without benefits. The percentage of U.S. workers in the gig economy continues to grow every year, with computer automation, "outsourcing", and "independent contractors" all staples of current business planning to drastically minimize the number of employees who actually collect vacation days, holiday pay, health insurance, and pensions.
And age discrimination is theoretically illegal in the U.S., but employers continue to choose younger workers over older workers because of a perception they will have fewer health problems or fewer family responsibilities. Trying to demonstrate years of experience as an asset ends up backfiring because it shows you are old, your education is old-school, and your skills MUST be outdated (even if they are not).
Elizabeth offers no silver bullet for experienced workers who are trying to return to having a "real job", but she does offer a lot of great information, resources, and personal anecdotes to guide us towards more informed decision-making about personal and financial survival.
Elizabeth does a great job of wrapping together her personal experiences, extensive research, and anecdotes from other professionals involuntarily trapped into the "gig economy": scrounging around for temporary consultancies and contracts and/or low-paying, part-time, non-professional jobs without benefits. The percentage of U.S. workers in the gig economy continues to grow every year, with computer automation, "outsourcing", and "independent contractors" all staples of current business planning to drastically minimize the number of employees who actually collect vacation days, holiday pay, health insurance, and pensions.
And age discrimination is theoretically illegal in the U.S., but employers continue to choose younger workers over older workers because of a perception they will have fewer health problems or fewer family responsibilities. Trying to demonstrate years of experience as an asset ends up backfiring because it shows you are old, your education is old-school, and your skills MUST be outdated (even if they are not).
Elizabeth offers no silver bullet for experienced workers who are trying to return to having a "real job", but she does offer a lot of great information, resources, and personal anecdotes to guide us towards more informed decision-making about personal and financial survival.
February 10, 2019
This book contains lots of useful information. First of all it points out the problems many in an aging boomer population are beginning to face. Turning 50 has got me thinking about retirement and this book shows that I am not alone in having very little in retirement savings. Although I still have some time and am working on it, I worry about not having enough to retire on. This book lists practical advise. The only flaw would be that most of the advise requires the senior to be healthy to be practical. That is not true for millions of older Americans. It also doesn't address the crippling cost of medicine for many seniors.
It also gives practical advise for those living on fixed incomes and lists a plethora of senior services. I will be keeping this book as a reference book for when I get older.
It also gives practical advise for those living on fixed incomes and lists a plethora of senior services. I will be keeping this book as a reference book for when I get older.
June 30, 2019
Being laid off or otherwise jobless unexpectedly in your 50s would suck. This is a good intro to how to deal with it by adapting to your new, reduced circumstances and not beating yourself up about it. It also serves as a warning to younger folks. Beware, you might not have that high paying job as long as you thought you would. Plan accordingly. My plan is to get around the whole mess by being financially independent by my mid fifties. We'll see how that works out.
February 1, 2019
A highly informative book !
March 6, 2021
I'm not 55 or faking normal, but I am a stay at home mom and sometimes that feels like being underemployed, especially when I think about trying to re-enter the job market after a few years away. Also, I'm a champion worrier so I'm reading ahead to see what my future might be like and how to avoid it. This book changed my life and you will see why below.
Fair warning, this book may make you want to commit suicide (that's how I felt, anyway). Losing a job in your late 40's, 50's or 60's is bleak because of ageism in hiring, even if you're willing to take a massive pay cut. All of your contacts have either retired or won't stick their necks out for you because they are afraid of getting the age ax also and just want to make it to the retirement finish line. Many people in this situation spend too long trying to regain their old life and old sense of self. If you've given it a few months and haven't gotten any bites and you're burning through your savings, then you need to downshift your expectations and lifestyle immediately. Don't be too good to take a job that you think is beneath you or doesn't offer an equivalent to your former salary. You need income coming in or you will end up taking early social security and be penalized and not receive the full amount, which will leave you struggling for the rest of your life.
Bleh. Reading through the stories was thoroughly depressing, but it also got my mind turning and a little inspired. The book recommends developing multiple streams of income so that if one disappears you won't be left bereft and might be able to ramp up the others. I'm now trying to get a few creative projects off the ground and looking for other side gigs to ensure at least a small trickle of funds. Her other good piece of advice was to live "low to the ground." Cut out extras, minimize expenses, don't carry a lot of baggage. Now, my family was actually in the process of house hunting for a larger home and had made several offers on houses (lost them all), but after reading her book, I looked around our small house with the small payment and have reconsidered the move. The house is even set up well for a roommate situation (which she recommends) if the worst were to happen and I ended up living here alone and without my spouse's income. So I guess you could say that this sad book has changed my life since it affected a major financial and life decision.
Apart from the practical advice, the author provides an abundance of websites and organizations for seniors or people down on their luck. The book is worth having just for this information. There were also positive stories of people who have embraced the change in lifestyle and are enjoying a simpler life or a new hobby or residence in a new country.
One quibble I have with the book is that the author is sitting on a goldmine and admits it. She owns a rowhouse in DC, which she bought for a song decades ago and thanks to gentrification, is probably now worth a million dollars. When she finally sells it she will have a fully funded retirement. Congratulations to her, but it felt as if she wasn't really walking the walk in the end.
Fair warning, this book may make you want to commit suicide (that's how I felt, anyway). Losing a job in your late 40's, 50's or 60's is bleak because of ageism in hiring, even if you're willing to take a massive pay cut. All of your contacts have either retired or won't stick their necks out for you because they are afraid of getting the age ax also and just want to make it to the retirement finish line. Many people in this situation spend too long trying to regain their old life and old sense of self. If you've given it a few months and haven't gotten any bites and you're burning through your savings, then you need to downshift your expectations and lifestyle immediately. Don't be too good to take a job that you think is beneath you or doesn't offer an equivalent to your former salary. You need income coming in or you will end up taking early social security and be penalized and not receive the full amount, which will leave you struggling for the rest of your life.
Bleh. Reading through the stories was thoroughly depressing, but it also got my mind turning and a little inspired. The book recommends developing multiple streams of income so that if one disappears you won't be left bereft and might be able to ramp up the others. I'm now trying to get a few creative projects off the ground and looking for other side gigs to ensure at least a small trickle of funds. Her other good piece of advice was to live "low to the ground." Cut out extras, minimize expenses, don't carry a lot of baggage. Now, my family was actually in the process of house hunting for a larger home and had made several offers on houses (lost them all), but after reading her book, I looked around our small house with the small payment and have reconsidered the move. The house is even set up well for a roommate situation (which she recommends) if the worst were to happen and I ended up living here alone and without my spouse's income. So I guess you could say that this sad book has changed my life since it affected a major financial and life decision.
Apart from the practical advice, the author provides an abundance of websites and organizations for seniors or people down on their luck. The book is worth having just for this information. There were also positive stories of people who have embraced the change in lifestyle and are enjoying a simpler life or a new hobby or residence in a new country.
One quibble I have with the book is that the author is sitting on a goldmine and admits it. She owns a rowhouse in DC, which she bought for a song decades ago and thanks to gentrification, is probably now worth a million dollars. When she finally sells it she will have a fully funded retirement. Congratulations to her, but it felt as if she wasn't really walking the walk in the end.
May 29, 2021
This is clearly written for an audience older than me, but it's interesting to hear the other side of the story from the oft-villified Baby Boomers. Rather than sitting complacently on heaps of wealth as their juniors suffer, White argues that so many Boomers are stuck "keeping up with the Joneses" and have created an elaborate mirage of success where there is none.
I do know people in their fifties who have genuinely struggled in the job market. I meet a lot of them at the library, asking for resume and computer help. A lot of them ARE quite hard-headed. Won't learn new skills. A lot of them WON'T leave experience more than 10 years ago off their resume. They WON'T dress better, or take better care of themselves so they can look their best in an interview. They DO feel the loss of their luxuries and creature comforts quite keenly. A lot of them are their own worst enemy, by psyching themselves out before a job interview or before they even apply. Fifty, fifty-five, or even sixty is too young to be put to pasture. I always read with astonishment stories of people who are unemployed for a year or more and "just stopped looking" How are these people getting by? How are they not living under a bridge?
White speaks kindly and non-judgmentally to Boomers who are experiencing reduced circumstances, and urges them to put egos aside and perform the kind of lifestyle triage they need to keep themselves financially afloat. She correctly assesses that housing is the most draining need on anyone's budget and recommends "smalling up" that is, finding smaller, cheaper accommodation, up to and including roommate situations, that could be made more bearable by surrounding oneself with small, luxurious touches. She ends with a chapter on buying a tiny house, or moving to Mexico for cheaper healthcare.
An interesting read - definitely not for me (White admits she doesn't know very many Gen X'ers) but certainly a cautionary tale.
I do know people in their fifties who have genuinely struggled in the job market. I meet a lot of them at the library, asking for resume and computer help. A lot of them ARE quite hard-headed. Won't learn new skills. A lot of them WON'T leave experience more than 10 years ago off their resume. They WON'T dress better, or take better care of themselves so they can look their best in an interview. They DO feel the loss of their luxuries and creature comforts quite keenly. A lot of them are their own worst enemy, by psyching themselves out before a job interview or before they even apply. Fifty, fifty-five, or even sixty is too young to be put to pasture. I always read with astonishment stories of people who are unemployed for a year or more and "just stopped looking" How are these people getting by? How are they not living under a bridge?
White speaks kindly and non-judgmentally to Boomers who are experiencing reduced circumstances, and urges them to put egos aside and perform the kind of lifestyle triage they need to keep themselves financially afloat. She correctly assesses that housing is the most draining need on anyone's budget and recommends "smalling up" that is, finding smaller, cheaper accommodation, up to and including roommate situations, that could be made more bearable by surrounding oneself with small, luxurious touches. She ends with a chapter on buying a tiny house, or moving to Mexico for cheaper healthcare.
An interesting read - definitely not for me (White admits she doesn't know very many Gen X'ers) but certainly a cautionary tale.
September 7, 2019
Elizabeth White eloquently tells the story of the impact of age discrimination on hard-working, educated professionals -- those who’d been brought up to believe their education and experience would guarantee them a comfortable life.
Her own story is typical. She was fifty-five when the recession of 2008 hit. Losing both her consulting jobs, she remained unemployed for many years. She got a two-year job which took her to age sixty. And then, with no work in sight, she began to run out of money.
You know people who fit this pattern, she says. “Faking normal” takes energy. An acquaintance "lives without cable, her gym membership, or nail appointments. She’s discovered that she can do her own hair. She has no retirement savings, no nest egg. She exhausted that long ago…Friends wonder privately how someone so well-educated could be in economic free fall. She is still as talented as ever and as smart as a whip, but her work is sketchy now, mostly on-and-off consulting gigs.” (Pp 7-8).
What distinguishes this book from others, besides the heart-felt first person experience, is White’s detailed account of downsizing her life — the unglamorous economies, the $1.99 jug of laundry detergent, the mineral water replacing the $12 glass of wine.
“Small is not beautiful,” she says. “It’s living in a shoe box without windows or Wi-Fi and paying $1,800 per month for the privilege.” (P 13)
What bothered me as I read this book is the sense of inevitability. White writes (p 68): “Sure, a few of us will manage to find traditional w—2 jobs paying that long bread like before. But many more of us can expect months or even years of unemployment that deplete our savings and shake our confidence.”
The benefit of Resilience Circles wasn't obvious, except as a way to validate experience and emphasize that "you're not alone." It seems that these circles, with the exercises she suggested, would just be a way of exchanging uninformed experience. What's needed is an outside perspective -- someone who can make suggestions and provide insights that aren't obvious to those undergoing the process.
I would see this statement as an invitation to ask, "What differentiates those who survive and thrive in their fifties? Why do some aging professionals continue to find jobs that pay market wages and give them a comfortable lifestyle?"
At a certain point, your career is like a merry-go-round. it stops turning when you reach an age when you're unemployed, whether due to forced retirement, illness or layoffs. And you can't get back on. White encourages us to adapt to life off the merry-go-round. I'd say instead, try to find ways to stay on, even if you move to a different place.
From my own non-scientific analysis and observation, I'd say the winners get to continue rather than start over. They're in fields or companies that don't have an upper age limit. For instance, many lawyers continue practicing well into their 70s. But I met an airline reservations agent in her 70s, who's been with her airline over 20 years and is now part-time. I've heard about an 80-year-old bus driver in a major city. In my coworking space (which has people of all ages), I met a 60+ man who started a web design business.
I've also met many people who started businesses in their forties, fifties and sixties, beginning as a side hustle and then going full time. I interviewed a dozen of those people and created a product for my own business. White's chapter on entrepreneurship is one of the best, although the resources suggested seem more of a laundry list.
White seems quick to accept AARP as a helpful resource. Many people have become disillusioned with AARP, which seems to do little to help older people find meaningful work. AARP carefully stayed neutral in the last election, when there were clear differences in outcome for older Americans between the leading presidential candidates.
On p 105 White cites an AARP study saying, “more than 70 million older adults ages 50 and older suffer from at least one chronic condition…” What is a “condition?” A condition is not a disease and there’s quite a bit of controversy about how meaningful those diagnoses are. Read Gilbert Welch's books and articles on overdiagnosis. I’d like to see support for “better outcomes are tied to early detection, preventative are and how well we take care of ourselves…” In particular, researchers have questioned the value of bone density scans in avoiding fractures.
There's nothing wrong with scaling down. I admire anyone who's accepted adverse circumstances with grace and a positive attitude. But I'd encourage people in their 30s, 40s and 50s to plan for a life when they won't be able to find a corporate job that matches their skills and education. Learn the ins and outs of self-employment, whether you're walking dogs, serving as a personal concierge (running errands and shopping), being a virtual assistant or freelancing your skills.
At any age, before you reach the point of buying $1.99 containers of detergent, find yourself a good career coach or consultant. In this book, one man reports getting a free session from a life coach; she'd noticed him on LinkedIn and reached out.
“Sandy didn’t help me find a job," he says, "but she helped me shift my energy and reset my headspace," he says. Nearly everyone who's made the transition has worked with at least one consultant or coach. I know others who have gone to the Small Business Administration in their cities. The quality of coaches and SBA volunteer consultants will vary a great deal; you have to choose carefully. But start early and work smart.
If Elizabeth White had consulted a really good executive coach while she still had resources, she'd be in a very different place today. White herself could have developed a coaching businesses as her consulting jobs ended in 2008. She'd have slow going at first, but she could leverage her knowledge of how big companies work to help others. But of course then there'd be no article, no Ted talk, and book...and White herself will probably find herself a successful entrepreneur as her message seems to resonate with all too many people.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501196804?...
Her own story is typical. She was fifty-five when the recession of 2008 hit. Losing both her consulting jobs, she remained unemployed for many years. She got a two-year job which took her to age sixty. And then, with no work in sight, she began to run out of money.
You know people who fit this pattern, she says. “Faking normal” takes energy. An acquaintance "lives without cable, her gym membership, or nail appointments. She’s discovered that she can do her own hair. She has no retirement savings, no nest egg. She exhausted that long ago…Friends wonder privately how someone so well-educated could be in economic free fall. She is still as talented as ever and as smart as a whip, but her work is sketchy now, mostly on-and-off consulting gigs.” (Pp 7-8).
What distinguishes this book from others, besides the heart-felt first person experience, is White’s detailed account of downsizing her life — the unglamorous economies, the $1.99 jug of laundry detergent, the mineral water replacing the $12 glass of wine.
“Small is not beautiful,” she says. “It’s living in a shoe box without windows or Wi-Fi and paying $1,800 per month for the privilege.” (P 13)
What bothered me as I read this book is the sense of inevitability. White writes (p 68): “Sure, a few of us will manage to find traditional w—2 jobs paying that long bread like before. But many more of us can expect months or even years of unemployment that deplete our savings and shake our confidence.”
The benefit of Resilience Circles wasn't obvious, except as a way to validate experience and emphasize that "you're not alone." It seems that these circles, with the exercises she suggested, would just be a way of exchanging uninformed experience. What's needed is an outside perspective -- someone who can make suggestions and provide insights that aren't obvious to those undergoing the process.
I would see this statement as an invitation to ask, "What differentiates those who survive and thrive in their fifties? Why do some aging professionals continue to find jobs that pay market wages and give them a comfortable lifestyle?"
At a certain point, your career is like a merry-go-round. it stops turning when you reach an age when you're unemployed, whether due to forced retirement, illness or layoffs. And you can't get back on. White encourages us to adapt to life off the merry-go-round. I'd say instead, try to find ways to stay on, even if you move to a different place.
From my own non-scientific analysis and observation, I'd say the winners get to continue rather than start over. They're in fields or companies that don't have an upper age limit. For instance, many lawyers continue practicing well into their 70s. But I met an airline reservations agent in her 70s, who's been with her airline over 20 years and is now part-time. I've heard about an 80-year-old bus driver in a major city. In my coworking space (which has people of all ages), I met a 60+ man who started a web design business.
I've also met many people who started businesses in their forties, fifties and sixties, beginning as a side hustle and then going full time. I interviewed a dozen of those people and created a product for my own business. White's chapter on entrepreneurship is one of the best, although the resources suggested seem more of a laundry list.
White seems quick to accept AARP as a helpful resource. Many people have become disillusioned with AARP, which seems to do little to help older people find meaningful work. AARP carefully stayed neutral in the last election, when there were clear differences in outcome for older Americans between the leading presidential candidates.
On p 105 White cites an AARP study saying, “more than 70 million older adults ages 50 and older suffer from at least one chronic condition…” What is a “condition?” A condition is not a disease and there’s quite a bit of controversy about how meaningful those diagnoses are. Read Gilbert Welch's books and articles on overdiagnosis. I’d like to see support for “better outcomes are tied to early detection, preventative are and how well we take care of ourselves…” In particular, researchers have questioned the value of bone density scans in avoiding fractures.
There's nothing wrong with scaling down. I admire anyone who's accepted adverse circumstances with grace and a positive attitude. But I'd encourage people in their 30s, 40s and 50s to plan for a life when they won't be able to find a corporate job that matches their skills and education. Learn the ins and outs of self-employment, whether you're walking dogs, serving as a personal concierge (running errands and shopping), being a virtual assistant or freelancing your skills.
At any age, before you reach the point of buying $1.99 containers of detergent, find yourself a good career coach or consultant. In this book, one man reports getting a free session from a life coach; she'd noticed him on LinkedIn and reached out.
“Sandy didn’t help me find a job," he says, "but she helped me shift my energy and reset my headspace," he says. Nearly everyone who's made the transition has worked with at least one consultant or coach. I know others who have gone to the Small Business Administration in their cities. The quality of coaches and SBA volunteer consultants will vary a great deal; you have to choose carefully. But start early and work smart.
If Elizabeth White had consulted a really good executive coach while she still had resources, she'd be in a very different place today. White herself could have developed a coaching businesses as her consulting jobs ended in 2008. She'd have slow going at first, but she could leverage her knowledge of how big companies work to help others. But of course then there'd be no article, no Ted talk, and book...and White herself will probably find herself a successful entrepreneur as her message seems to resonate with all too many people.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501196804?...
October 8, 2020
This book showed up in a "surprise bag" of non-fiction during my curbside pickup (pandemic reference for future readers--assuming we ever get out of this...) at my local library. Am I ever glad it did. Although harrowing to be faced with the truth it is also comforting to know that many many people over 40 find themselves having to re-tool, downsize and hustle to figure out something else in order to make ends meet. It is tough. Gone are the days of reliable lifetime or long term work, pensions or social security. And who can really save for retirement in this economy where the middle class is disappearing, pays for everything and gets nearly nothing in the long run--not even a pat on the back. This reality is the elephant in the room that keeps people anxious and cut off: real concerns about housing, healthcare and retirement money. White encourages us to face the truth about where we are in our lives and what our financial picture realistically can be. While sobering, it is not hopeless. She writes with no-nonsense forthrightness and humor and leaves us with a sense of possibility rather than panic.
December 23, 2020
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read this book for free on Glose. This book was a real eye-opener for me and I learned a lot from it. I’m in my mid-60s and have been underemployed for the last several years. I didn't really give ageism a lot of thought until I read this very organized, instructive and informative book. Perhaps it’s vanity which has kept me from coming to grips with the fact that I’m aging. This book was a powerful reminder that I still have a lot to think about and a lot to plan. I thought this book was so good that I bought my best friend and I each a copy.
May 28, 2021
Loaded with advice around finding a side hustle, downsizing, cohousing, and more. It's stocked with references to hundreds of organizations that connect to all the themes she covers. Thorough and well-written.
February 2, 2019
The tone of the book was a bit depressing. While I'm sure it can be helpful to a specific population, I personally didn't find it that helpful even though I'm 55. I have definitely experienced ageism. I think improvement will come if government gets involved to regulate hiring practices.
April 2, 2019
This book is full of suggestions and cautions that so many Americans need. I particularly liked that she didn't constantly blame those who are suffering, but instead laid out a very factual narrative of the sad reality of the 3 legged stool that is meant to be our retirement when in fact most of it is broken parts of a dead american dream.
October 24, 2018
Elizabeth White has written an informative and helpful book for those who may find themselves middle aged and broke. The world has changed ,new jobs, new technology, and new skills. What do you do when you need a job and money at that age? This is a good book with resources at the end of it.
October 8, 2022
First, I should note that I dithered about the rating and decided to round up from 3 1/2 stars. All of the pieces are there: research, resources, anecdotes, solid writing, and even a personal connection from writer to reader.
Second, this book is depressing. Obviously the topic is depressing. To be past your prime, alone, suffering socioeconomically through little-to-no fault of your own, and trying to maintain your dignity by pretending your situation is not your situation...is depressing.
But the many, many, OMG-so-many quotes in the book are misery-making. It's not that they aren't apt or accurate, but I feel like the book would be only half as long if this snippets of misery were removed. It's excessive. (Again, not a single person's woeful tale is lacking merit or appreciation, but the volume is overwhelming.)
Third, the author has done extensive research beyond the anecdotal; I can't fault her research. But I wish her editor had helped her rearrange this book to maximize usefulness. The first 100 pages feel like a pity party; it focuses on getting people to gather together in resilience circles (support groups for people suffering in this way) to make psychological advances. With 40% of this book (and the first 40%, at that), it makes it easy to lose readers' attention. At least for me, there was nothing new there. It's a sensitive (if disorganized) therapy session.
The rest of the book focuses on actual, practical solutions, from getting financial resources (via government agencies and other organizations), to understanding, accepting, and circumventing age discrimination in the traditional workplace, to getting healthcare and support as an expatriate, to considering alternatives to housing insecurity.
Finally, and on a related note, there's nothing wrong with White's content. She delivers statistical and anecdotal research, advice, and resources which, had this been a series of blog posts, might have been entirely worthy. However, while this is important content (and yes, I feel the fear of the truth in everything she presents, right down to my bones), the organization of the book makes it a hard slog. (Imagine how numbing 24/7 news about the environment would be; eventually, you'd stop caring that the world was going to be destroyed and just give up.)
I feel as though a good editor would have had her set the stage with statistical evidence of the situations younger Boomers and older GenX are experiencing, peppered in lightly with anecdotes, and focused on practical solutions. Instead, she focuses on the anecdotal experiences so heavily that it feels like the book is a gripe session in a Facebook group, with White just one well-intentioned contributor.
I suspect the intent was to make readers feel like they are not alone in their experiences, and that has empathetic psychological merit. But in the way it's presented, with one sob story after another, the well of empathy runs dry. These aren't lazy ne'er-do-wells. They're people from the working and middle classes, failed by American capitalism, who largely did nothing wrong except age.
If you are experiencing (or fear you will be experiencing) the situations described in this book, having been left financially (and possibly socially) bereft due to career downsizing, divorce, or other situations not entirely of your making, there's good advice here on how to get past your emotional blocks, accept your situation, and begin to make changes. However, you may benefit from skipping around in the book and not feeling bound to read the entire book in order, as it would be hard to approach that method without becoming too depressed to finish it.
Second, this book is depressing. Obviously the topic is depressing. To be past your prime, alone, suffering socioeconomically through little-to-no fault of your own, and trying to maintain your dignity by pretending your situation is not your situation...is depressing.
But the many, many, OMG-so-many quotes in the book are misery-making. It's not that they aren't apt or accurate, but I feel like the book would be only half as long if this snippets of misery were removed. It's excessive. (Again, not a single person's woeful tale is lacking merit or appreciation, but the volume is overwhelming.)
Third, the author has done extensive research beyond the anecdotal; I can't fault her research. But I wish her editor had helped her rearrange this book to maximize usefulness. The first 100 pages feel like a pity party; it focuses on getting people to gather together in resilience circles (support groups for people suffering in this way) to make psychological advances. With 40% of this book (and the first 40%, at that), it makes it easy to lose readers' attention. At least for me, there was nothing new there. It's a sensitive (if disorganized) therapy session.
The rest of the book focuses on actual, practical solutions, from getting financial resources (via government agencies and other organizations), to understanding, accepting, and circumventing age discrimination in the traditional workplace, to getting healthcare and support as an expatriate, to considering alternatives to housing insecurity.
Finally, and on a related note, there's nothing wrong with White's content. She delivers statistical and anecdotal research, advice, and resources which, had this been a series of blog posts, might have been entirely worthy. However, while this is important content (and yes, I feel the fear of the truth in everything she presents, right down to my bones), the organization of the book makes it a hard slog. (Imagine how numbing 24/7 news about the environment would be; eventually, you'd stop caring that the world was going to be destroyed and just give up.)
I feel as though a good editor would have had her set the stage with statistical evidence of the situations younger Boomers and older GenX are experiencing, peppered in lightly with anecdotes, and focused on practical solutions. Instead, she focuses on the anecdotal experiences so heavily that it feels like the book is a gripe session in a Facebook group, with White just one well-intentioned contributor.
I suspect the intent was to make readers feel like they are not alone in their experiences, and that has empathetic psychological merit. But in the way it's presented, with one sob story after another, the well of empathy runs dry. These aren't lazy ne'er-do-wells. They're people from the working and middle classes, failed by American capitalism, who largely did nothing wrong except age.
If you are experiencing (or fear you will be experiencing) the situations described in this book, having been left financially (and possibly socially) bereft due to career downsizing, divorce, or other situations not entirely of your making, there's good advice here on how to get past your emotional blocks, accept your situation, and begin to make changes. However, you may benefit from skipping around in the book and not feeling bound to read the entire book in order, as it would be hard to approach that method without becoming too depressed to finish it.
April 24, 2020
I have no idea how this came to be one of my holds at the library. But it was. Perhaps it was some kind of reading group book, and I wanted to follow along, even though I'm not in any reading groups. Oh well....
So, anyway, Elizabeth White is dealing with a problem that many aging baby boomers are facing. Through out the 1980s and 1990s they were establishing themselves in what seemed to be good paying and stable jobs. But then they found themselves in the 21st century having been laid off some 10 to 15 years from retirement age, and not being able to find a job similar to the one they'd lost. Age discrimination, beginning in one's 50s, if not late 40s, is a real problem, but no one is doing much about it.
Then too, the nature of retirement support has changed. In olden days, people had careers that involved a decent pension when one retired. The pension would also be supplemented by Social Security. Pensions are all but a thing of the past, and many jobs don't contribute much to Social Security, if at all. One is supposed to do all the saving oneself. Well, there's the 401K, which is supposed to solve the lack-of-pension problem. But, it turns out that 401Ks only worked for a small minority of workers. One problem being that the workers didn't know how to manage them properly, or else the companies had hooked up with sketchy outfits to manage their workers' 401Ks.
I know 401Ks and their ilk from both sides. The one at the company where I worked for 32 years was pretty good and the powers that be had partnered with companies who were decent stewards of our funds. So, I came out ok with that one. After I stopped working, I took up being an adjunct professor at a local community college for two years. They required that some fraction of my meager earnings (my pay was equivalent to that of the school crossing guards in my town) be set aside for my "retirement". The problem with that was that the crooks who were "investing" my retirement savings charged such high fees that I was actually earning negative interest on my "nest egg". I'd have been better off had the college provided mattresses under which the adjuncts could deposit their retirement set asides.
Anyway, the point of the book is that there's a whole host of mature people who can't find jobs to pay their bills or fund their eventual retirement. So what to do?
This book is set up for a group discussion. Each chapter covers a topic of some sorts. Then at the end, there are a set of discussion questions or points. The idea is to read this book in concert with a group of other, similarly situated people. They make up what the author calls one's resilience circle.
This book didn't do a whole lot for me, in part because I don't fit the demographic. Yes, I did observe the reality of age discrimination by the time I hit 50 or 55. But, no, when my job ended I wasn't left without means to put food on my table and pay the utility bills. Also, this book appears to be aimed much more toward women than men. I don't fit that demographic either.
Then too, I kept having the problem that all those baby boomers, who suddenly found themselves in trouble, were somewhat responsible for their own problems. The generation that shut down the Vietnam War and preached peace and love, shifted to a self-centered generation that voted to support the fraudulent "trickle down" economics and Ayn Randian disdain for those less well off than themselves. And now those votes have come back to bite them in the butt.
Even so, I suppose this book might be of some use to those who did find themselves rather screwed at age 55 or so. It offers lots of ideas in an number of areas, housing, income supplementation, and so forth.
So, anyway, Elizabeth White is dealing with a problem that many aging baby boomers are facing. Through out the 1980s and 1990s they were establishing themselves in what seemed to be good paying and stable jobs. But then they found themselves in the 21st century having been laid off some 10 to 15 years from retirement age, and not being able to find a job similar to the one they'd lost. Age discrimination, beginning in one's 50s, if not late 40s, is a real problem, but no one is doing much about it.
Then too, the nature of retirement support has changed. In olden days, people had careers that involved a decent pension when one retired. The pension would also be supplemented by Social Security. Pensions are all but a thing of the past, and many jobs don't contribute much to Social Security, if at all. One is supposed to do all the saving oneself. Well, there's the 401K, which is supposed to solve the lack-of-pension problem. But, it turns out that 401Ks only worked for a small minority of workers. One problem being that the workers didn't know how to manage them properly, or else the companies had hooked up with sketchy outfits to manage their workers' 401Ks.
I know 401Ks and their ilk from both sides. The one at the company where I worked for 32 years was pretty good and the powers that be had partnered with companies who were decent stewards of our funds. So, I came out ok with that one. After I stopped working, I took up being an adjunct professor at a local community college for two years. They required that some fraction of my meager earnings (my pay was equivalent to that of the school crossing guards in my town) be set aside for my "retirement". The problem with that was that the crooks who were "investing" my retirement savings charged such high fees that I was actually earning negative interest on my "nest egg". I'd have been better off had the college provided mattresses under which the adjuncts could deposit their retirement set asides.
Anyway, the point of the book is that there's a whole host of mature people who can't find jobs to pay their bills or fund their eventual retirement. So what to do?
This book is set up for a group discussion. Each chapter covers a topic of some sorts. Then at the end, there are a set of discussion questions or points. The idea is to read this book in concert with a group of other, similarly situated people. They make up what the author calls one's resilience circle.
This book didn't do a whole lot for me, in part because I don't fit the demographic. Yes, I did observe the reality of age discrimination by the time I hit 50 or 55. But, no, when my job ended I wasn't left without means to put food on my table and pay the utility bills. Also, this book appears to be aimed much more toward women than men. I don't fit that demographic either.
Then too, I kept having the problem that all those baby boomers, who suddenly found themselves in trouble, were somewhat responsible for their own problems. The generation that shut down the Vietnam War and preached peace and love, shifted to a self-centered generation that voted to support the fraudulent "trickle down" economics and Ayn Randian disdain for those less well off than themselves. And now those votes have come back to bite them in the butt.
Even so, I suppose this book might be of some use to those who did find themselves rather screwed at age 55 or so. It offers lots of ideas in an number of areas, housing, income supplementation, and so forth.
January 9, 2026
I want to start this off by saving- I had the privilege of listening to Elizabeth live at a recent conference on aging and was really intrigued to read her book. When she signed the copy I purchased, I was elated. She is a strong public speaker, inspiring and has a great platform- I'm just not sure this book does her knowledge and expertise justice.
Perhaps it's because I am a Millennial, but the book ended up being nothing at all like what I expected. At some points I even felt disgusted-as many Boomers experienced a time of wealth that many generations after (myself included), will never experience again (or at least for a long time). This doesn't mean I don't feel sorry for their loss of income, home, friendships and more- we are all human and we all suffer. However, it is hard to feel bad for someone when their new "downgraded" life sounds like the kind of life everyone you know has been living their entire existence. The references she lists along with websites and supporting materials were the saving grace for this review.
First, I wonder what percentage of Boomers actually have had the experience of flying first class (not me!), spending thousands lavishly on designer items (I spent $200 on a frog purse recently (the most I have ever spent on a purse/shirt/dress) and felt guilty for weeks), living in 3000+sq ft homes (mine is 900sq ft and I'll never get a larger one), and so on. I was able to experience briefly how the "other side lived," when working for a steel mill - as the last of the unlimited company credit cards, free hotel rooms, and conferences in tropical locations faded away. (This was pre-covid by the way, and those things seem to be a relic of the past now). She mentions having to "downgrade" to shop at places like TJ-Max, H&M, purchasing $12 glasses of wine (UHM, I get excited when I buy a $12 BOTTLE of wine). My thoughts aren't intended to be cruel towards individuals (or Boomers) who live/lived this lifestyle, but it also seems to be completely detached from the reality of 99% of humans trying to survive in this world.
I work directly with hundreds of seniors in my community weekly, scheduling over 96 events each year for them to attend, sometimes they receive meals (Bob Evans or Red Robin, not top rated cuisine), occasionally get free items (donated medical supplies, clothes), or education - and many of them are on SNAP, do not have transportation, are excited about "Gas Station" wine and are overjoyed if I bring them a McDonald's coffee. Maybe this is an effect of living in the midwest and not in major cities where things like "Keeping up with the Jones's," matters more to (some). I do think it is extremely surprising to know of someone who lived their entire life lavishly, to suddenly have absolutely nothing to fall back on.
The question beckons- (medical and housing crisis aside) - while most of us were sitting with the rest of humanity in the back of the plane- why were those in first class not more self-aware of the impending future lifestyle they see most of us live every.single.day?
Perhaps it's because I am a Millennial, but the book ended up being nothing at all like what I expected. At some points I even felt disgusted-as many Boomers experienced a time of wealth that many generations after (myself included), will never experience again (or at least for a long time). This doesn't mean I don't feel sorry for their loss of income, home, friendships and more- we are all human and we all suffer. However, it is hard to feel bad for someone when their new "downgraded" life sounds like the kind of life everyone you know has been living their entire existence. The references she lists along with websites and supporting materials were the saving grace for this review.
First, I wonder what percentage of Boomers actually have had the experience of flying first class (not me!), spending thousands lavishly on designer items (I spent $200 on a frog purse recently (the most I have ever spent on a purse/shirt/dress) and felt guilty for weeks), living in 3000+sq ft homes (mine is 900sq ft and I'll never get a larger one), and so on. I was able to experience briefly how the "other side lived," when working for a steel mill - as the last of the unlimited company credit cards, free hotel rooms, and conferences in tropical locations faded away. (This was pre-covid by the way, and those things seem to be a relic of the past now). She mentions having to "downgrade" to shop at places like TJ-Max, H&M, purchasing $12 glasses of wine (UHM, I get excited when I buy a $12 BOTTLE of wine). My thoughts aren't intended to be cruel towards individuals (or Boomers) who live/lived this lifestyle, but it also seems to be completely detached from the reality of 99% of humans trying to survive in this world.
I work directly with hundreds of seniors in my community weekly, scheduling over 96 events each year for them to attend, sometimes they receive meals (Bob Evans or Red Robin, not top rated cuisine), occasionally get free items (donated medical supplies, clothes), or education - and many of them are on SNAP, do not have transportation, are excited about "Gas Station" wine and are overjoyed if I bring them a McDonald's coffee. Maybe this is an effect of living in the midwest and not in major cities where things like "Keeping up with the Jones's," matters more to (some). I do think it is extremely surprising to know of someone who lived their entire life lavishly, to suddenly have absolutely nothing to fall back on.
The question beckons- (medical and housing crisis aside) - while most of us were sitting with the rest of humanity in the back of the plane- why were those in first class not more self-aware of the impending future lifestyle they see most of us live every.single.day?
February 22, 2020
An interesting book addressing a challenge being faced by more and more Americans - turning 55, losing a job or being unemployed, and battling rampant age discrimination in the workplace. What does one do when the income and lifestyle one has grown accustomed to ends, and no one is willing to hire you at the same status/level? Downsizing and making needed changes is hard. White's book seeks to offer direction, and numerous resources, to help move forward into a new life.
This underemployment challenge is real, and is only going to grow. It first started with low level job being shipped off to other countries where labor was cheap. This outsources is now continuing at higher and higher levels of business structures, and is hitting the middle and even upper class worker. And it will continue to expand, as the world-wide labor pool comes to a new equilibrium; the challenge for most American workers is that we are mostly all above the average wage scale, and our incomes will continue to fall in the worldwide market.
Tackling age discrimination is yet another layer of challenge for the 55 and older worker. And while the book shares numerous insights and implications, one of the most striking comes in the area of affordable housing. Americans are living longer. We are also living more as singles - whether it is from death of a spouse, or divorce, or simply never getting married in the first place. As singles, each wanting our own place to live, the demand for housing is increasing. Yet paying for such housing on a single income is getting overwhelming. White notes that, for many of us, we better get used to the idea of finding a roommate if we are going to make ends meet. That, or move to other nations where housing is much cheaper, which she explores in depth.
The other issue is savings. Previous generations relied on Social Security and a work Pension. But Social Security is facing cuts due to the fund being raided by Congress to fund other spending. Most companies have done away with pension plans, and now force workers to save individually with some sort of 401k plan. Unfortunately, to maintain a standard of living, workers would need to put about 20% of their working income, starting in the early 20s, to earn enough to sustain retirement income. Yet a significant portion of those 55 and over have less than $10K in total savings. We are heading to a major issue in the coming years, and I have no idea how, as a society, we are going to handle it.
This book is sobering for any of us, myself included, who are single and 55+. Our standard of living is likely to decline from what we now have. The concept of retirement may not be an option for many of us. White offers some options to battle the trends, but most of us will likely lose the war.
This underemployment challenge is real, and is only going to grow. It first started with low level job being shipped off to other countries where labor was cheap. This outsources is now continuing at higher and higher levels of business structures, and is hitting the middle and even upper class worker. And it will continue to expand, as the world-wide labor pool comes to a new equilibrium; the challenge for most American workers is that we are mostly all above the average wage scale, and our incomes will continue to fall in the worldwide market.
Tackling age discrimination is yet another layer of challenge for the 55 and older worker. And while the book shares numerous insights and implications, one of the most striking comes in the area of affordable housing. Americans are living longer. We are also living more as singles - whether it is from death of a spouse, or divorce, or simply never getting married in the first place. As singles, each wanting our own place to live, the demand for housing is increasing. Yet paying for such housing on a single income is getting overwhelming. White notes that, for many of us, we better get used to the idea of finding a roommate if we are going to make ends meet. That, or move to other nations where housing is much cheaper, which she explores in depth.
The other issue is savings. Previous generations relied on Social Security and a work Pension. But Social Security is facing cuts due to the fund being raided by Congress to fund other spending. Most companies have done away with pension plans, and now force workers to save individually with some sort of 401k plan. Unfortunately, to maintain a standard of living, workers would need to put about 20% of their working income, starting in the early 20s, to earn enough to sustain retirement income. Yet a significant portion of those 55 and over have less than $10K in total savings. We are heading to a major issue in the coming years, and I have no idea how, as a society, we are going to handle it.
This book is sobering for any of us, myself included, who are single and 55+. Our standard of living is likely to decline from what we now have. The concept of retirement may not be an option for many of us. White offers some options to battle the trends, but most of us will likely lose the war.
July 30, 2019
This is certainly a book for our time, as the money crunch is hitting everyone, especially those most vulnerable- on a limited income, and "old".
The first few chapters give the cold, hard facts about the economic realities in which Americans live, and why it is a struggle for so many despite the general tone of optimism in the air, and an inheritance of the belief "if I just work hard enough, and save" the truth is presented. The author strives to tackle the two most common needs: less expensive housing, and a means to supplement income. One of the earliest suggestions is the creation of a "Resilience Group"; a gathering of others in similar situations so one can release the tensions, and the steam of the struggles that no one was taught to anticipate in our younger days of a bright future. Each chapter ends with a series of reflection ideas for these Resilience Groups to discuss, and ruminate.
Several personal stories, and accounts are shared of others that have experienced this circumstance. Amongst the sound advice, to access one's situation with utter clarity, and honesty which often means to examine how one is living--where, and what it costs. The different options that most of us had never considered, or were unaware existed such as co-housing, tiny houses, foreign living, or contemplating "urban communes" to name only a few areas discussed. In addition, the author discusses the many supplementary sources for income, most often found online, or in apps as the economy moves closer to one of freelancing, and short-term contracts. Then recommends what one may try to start a small business with what one knows. The lists offered are an excellent beginning.
Also, to educate oneself about the many federal, and local resources, and organizations offering assistance. The future is about re-invention.
This book was printed only a few years ago, and some information is changing already, yet, this is a wonderful springboard to a new direction. I am grateful I found this.
The first few chapters give the cold, hard facts about the economic realities in which Americans live, and why it is a struggle for so many despite the general tone of optimism in the air, and an inheritance of the belief "if I just work hard enough, and save" the truth is presented. The author strives to tackle the two most common needs: less expensive housing, and a means to supplement income. One of the earliest suggestions is the creation of a "Resilience Group"; a gathering of others in similar situations so one can release the tensions, and the steam of the struggles that no one was taught to anticipate in our younger days of a bright future. Each chapter ends with a series of reflection ideas for these Resilience Groups to discuss, and ruminate.
Several personal stories, and accounts are shared of others that have experienced this circumstance. Amongst the sound advice, to access one's situation with utter clarity, and honesty which often means to examine how one is living--where, and what it costs. The different options that most of us had never considered, or were unaware existed such as co-housing, tiny houses, foreign living, or contemplating "urban communes" to name only a few areas discussed. In addition, the author discusses the many supplementary sources for income, most often found online, or in apps as the economy moves closer to one of freelancing, and short-term contracts. Then recommends what one may try to start a small business with what one knows. The lists offered are an excellent beginning.
Also, to educate oneself about the many federal, and local resources, and organizations offering assistance. The future is about re-invention.
This book was printed only a few years ago, and some information is changing already, yet, this is a wonderful springboard to a new direction. I am grateful I found this.
March 8, 2019
55 is that magical age when new discounts open up, but it can also be a tenuous time of professional and financial insecurity. In 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal, Elizabeth White discusses the need to adjust to a new normal that reflects the reality of being an older adult in today's job market.
Though primarily discussing formerly high earners whose careers were victims of the economy, this is a book filled with insights from the other side and life lessons gleaned from the author's aunt. Among other tips and tools, White advocates for replacing networks that have dissipated with Resilience Circles as a sort of resource-slash-support group, and provides a primer on how to get started along with reflections at the end of chapters.
One of the things that stood out most for me was the story of Auntie and of finding joy in"simple, affordable pleasures" and the value of small, consistent efforts. Phrases like "smelling up," "new normal of financial vulnerability," and "live low to the ground" had a similar resonance.
While the aim of this book is to empower those in this situation, my purpose in reading was more one of preparation and it did send me into a bit of a spin about my own professional and financial future. Luckily, there are resources aplenty that soothed any panic. I may not need them now, and I may not qualify yet, but those resources and ideas will be waiting.
Highly recommended for those in their fifties and sixties, whatever your current situation, but with a bit of caution for those not yet in this situation and a minor caveat that reading about high earners being unable to adjust to changing life circumstances may be a bit off-putting at first.
This review refers to an advance digital galley read through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own.
Though primarily discussing formerly high earners whose careers were victims of the economy, this is a book filled with insights from the other side and life lessons gleaned from the author's aunt. Among other tips and tools, White advocates for replacing networks that have dissipated with Resilience Circles as a sort of resource-slash-support group, and provides a primer on how to get started along with reflections at the end of chapters.
One of the things that stood out most for me was the story of Auntie and of finding joy in"simple, affordable pleasures" and the value of small, consistent efforts. Phrases like "smelling up," "new normal of financial vulnerability," and "live low to the ground" had a similar resonance.
While the aim of this book is to empower those in this situation, my purpose in reading was more one of preparation and it did send me into a bit of a spin about my own professional and financial future. Luckily, there are resources aplenty that soothed any panic. I may not need them now, and I may not qualify yet, but those resources and ideas will be waiting.
Highly recommended for those in their fifties and sixties, whatever your current situation, but with a bit of caution for those not yet in this situation and a minor caveat that reading about high earners being unable to adjust to changing life circumstances may be a bit off-putting at first.
This review refers to an advance digital galley read through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own.
May 2, 2019
I thought this book would apply to me but it didn't. I had the same things happen to me but I didn't fake being normal. I got through it fine using common sense. I guess their are people out there who would be ashamed of the position losing your job puts you in but I'm not one of them. This book deals with those who try to hide what they're going through....the financial difficulties, the feelings of not being useful, etc.. The solutions or help offered in this book are well thought out but it's presented to a very specific type of person, I think. It does give ideas about the many problems that can arise from job loss when you're older. Being forced out of the workplace and retiring early can lead to issues or happiness (as was my case). Finances being a huge part of the problem....which I think it is these days whether you're retired or not. Learning to live with less money wasn't a problem for me since I've always lived a very frugal life. Those used to more material things, going out more often, traveling....it would cause a major change to their way of living. Tightening the belt and living without some things is a necessity. Elizabeth White breaks it down to easy to follow as to help you through the process. She encourages you to not hide from what's happened but to embrace it and ask for help showing you how to do that. Her idea of Resilience Circles could be the saving grace for some people...it's a novel concept that I believe would benefit many people. If you're over 55 and struggling after a job loss or just not where you'd hoped you'd be financially this book is a must read.
July 21, 2020
quick, engaging read about being downwardly mobile in late stages of your working life -- jumping off point is author's experience as a very highly educated African American woman whose business went bust when she was in her mid-50's. Also does some interviewing of others in similar boats.
If the higher ed industry spits me out before my intended retirement age (not all that far-fetched-seeming if you read insidehighered and linger over stories from Akron, Radford, Canisius, another new one each day in the pandemic it seems), I don't know that I'd find this a very practical guidebook -- not gonna move to Mexico for lower cost of living and purported culture of admiration for older women, for instance, as a half-dozen or so interviewed for one chapter had done. Nor do i think driving for Uber sounds like a great deal or good for my blood pressure either.
But more on the level of "don't let shame about your circumstance make you hide from others or figure you shouldn't ask for help from friends, family, government, whomever", I could picture this being motivational for someone laid off recently.
at the same time, it is a bit daunting. I admire the candor for instance of her friend who lost a good job in journalism and could not break back in:
"I wouldn't wish my pained years of being discarded by the digitized marketplace on a mean, rabid dog." (p. 42). Ouch!
If the higher ed industry spits me out before my intended retirement age (not all that far-fetched-seeming if you read insidehighered and linger over stories from Akron, Radford, Canisius, another new one each day in the pandemic it seems), I don't know that I'd find this a very practical guidebook -- not gonna move to Mexico for lower cost of living and purported culture of admiration for older women, for instance, as a half-dozen or so interviewed for one chapter had done. Nor do i think driving for Uber sounds like a great deal or good for my blood pressure either.
But more on the level of "don't let shame about your circumstance make you hide from others or figure you shouldn't ask for help from friends, family, government, whomever", I could picture this being motivational for someone laid off recently.
at the same time, it is a bit daunting. I admire the candor for instance of her friend who lost a good job in journalism and could not break back in:
"I wouldn't wish my pained years of being discarded by the digitized marketplace on a mean, rabid dog." (p. 42). Ouch!
April 23, 2019
One of the great takeaways of this book is that if you have advanced degrees, have worked hard of all of your life, but despite this, you became unemployed during the great recession of 2008-2009, and cannot, even now, find work that is on par with what you were doing before the crash, then you are not alone.
White tells her story of college and an MBA from Harvard, working for the World Bank, and then beginning her own business and then losing her business in the Great Recession. She was 55 when she tried to rejoin the work force. She discovered that there was not a place for her. She had some “gigs” but then even that dried up.
In frustration, she wrote a short essay called “You Know Her” on Facebook. This eventually landed on PBS’s Facebook and she learned that her experience was not unique to her or her circle of friends.
Alongside her story, this book also tells the story of many others, who have found themselves in a similar situation and what they are or are not doing about it.
I particularly appreciated the chapters that dealt with the reality of stagnant wages, the challenge of rising health care and housing costs, and the benefits and challenges of living in another country where the cost of living is significantly less.
White tells her story of college and an MBA from Harvard, working for the World Bank, and then beginning her own business and then losing her business in the Great Recession. She was 55 when she tried to rejoin the work force. She discovered that there was not a place for her. She had some “gigs” but then even that dried up.
In frustration, she wrote a short essay called “You Know Her” on Facebook. This eventually landed on PBS’s Facebook and she learned that her experience was not unique to her or her circle of friends.
Alongside her story, this book also tells the story of many others, who have found themselves in a similar situation and what they are or are not doing about it.
I particularly appreciated the chapters that dealt with the reality of stagnant wages, the challenge of rising health care and housing costs, and the benefits and challenges of living in another country where the cost of living is significantly less.
February 19, 2019
This book made me realize how many people in the boomer generation and a little younger are currently having a hard time financially, even though they may have been professionals and made a good salary earlier in life. The book was a good wake up call to the issue and has some practical solutions for those that may find themselves in this predicament, as the author did. She spends a lot of time discussing her experience and makes suggestions for people to find support in a resilience circle. Not everyone will find the answers they need for their problems, but she does get the reader to think through different options. She also emphasizes the important things in life, not the material, and urges the reader to get used to living differently than when they had much more money. She has lots of quotes from those who replied to her initial blog post on this topic. I felt the book could have been a little more concise, had to force myself to get through the end.
January 29, 2025
What a great book that has tons of stories & useful information. Although I am not as old as most people that the author speaks about in the book, am close enough. After a certain age you go back & forth on whether you add your graduation year on your resume & the tons of experience one has. It's hard enough trying to find a job no matter what stage of your life you're in, just didn't realize how much it really poorly effects seniors though.
I found it super insightful & learned so much about how it truly affects seniors in every aspect of their lives. This really grasps more than just the workforce but home & family as well, so many things are connected so it just makes sense to write about it in the book. I was also surprised to read about the roadblocks & even hellish issues that come up for older people. Most people don't even think about it. Seniors are targeted & don't get the respect they deserve. So yes I totally recommend this book.
I found it super insightful & learned so much about how it truly affects seniors in every aspect of their lives. This really grasps more than just the workforce but home & family as well, so many things are connected so it just makes sense to write about it in the book. I was also surprised to read about the roadblocks & even hellish issues that come up for older people. Most people don't even think about it. Seniors are targeted & don't get the respect they deserve. So yes I totally recommend this book.
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