RETIRED AND READY TO SQUIDOO

The following post is one that Carol Ann posted in her Squidoo lens: www.squidoo.com/babyboomersandretirement/

If you are new to Squidoo or have never heard of it; you need to check it out. It is great way for older than teen-agers to do our social networking. Besides it is fun to do.

After my husband and I retired and moved from Nebraska to California in 2001; we knew two things for sure: We never wanted to work for someone else again and we needed to find a new way to generate an income to increase our cash flow. We explored many of the work from home options and even spent money on various "programs" in the areas of real estate investing, note buying, trading options and soon realized that we hadn't found the right niche for us.

Then we found Dr. Mike Woo-Ming and Internet Marketing. We had found our niche. But the learning curve, oh my! We were two people who had worked in the public sector in state and local government in the fields of aging services. How did we take that to the area of internet marketing and learn the technology? We learned that we needed to have a mentor (or three or four). Thus began our involvement with some of the Internet Marketing gurus such as Keith Baxter, Derek Gehl, Ed Dale and our most recent hero, Jack Humphrey.

Dr. Mike Woo-Ming become partners with Howie Schwartz and the members of the Momentum Coaching Club became the beneficiaries. Dr. Mike and Howie have spent a lot of time working with Web 2.0 and the many social networking avenues; we were encouraged to set up a Squidoo lens.

When I first came to do my lens, I looked at the site and left, vowing to come back later. So I went in search of guides for setting up a lens. I found an ebook by Tiffany Dow and a guide by Bob, the Teacher which propelled me to just do it!

So this is my testimonial for people who have yet to build a Squidoo lens and might think that it is more difficult to do than it is. I realize that my lens is a work in progress; but then so am I. So I will continue to figure out all of the inner workings of Squidoo and other Web 2.0 in this exciting world on the Internet.

Howie Swartz interviewed Seth Godin, the creator of Squidoo, on Squidoo and Google Slaps. He has now started a seven part series on building your Squidoo lens and driving traffic to it. He has put the case studies with YouTube videos on his website,

www.searchingdot.com

I Squidoo, Do You?

Retired and Ready to: ????________________(You fill in the blank when you share your comments about this post)

New Blog at Ponder That!

Rather than clog up space on this site, JimBob is taking his "ponderings" to a new and specific location. This is a brand new site so it is a bit bare now but we're pretty sure that the jumble in JimBob's head will be throwing off volumes in short order.

So, join him at www.Ponder-That.com where you can read and share the ponders that he will bring forth in the future. Pretty scary, say what?

Are You a Threat to Your Home's Security?

I have posted here and written in our newsletter Retired and Ready about various issues surrounding safety and security for retired folks. When one starts blogging and sharing information, one of the great things is the feedback and sharing we get from others. Just this morning I got a collection of tid-bits from a retired friend and reader of our newsletter.

One of the pieces she referenced asked a question, "what is a robbers favorite tool?" The answer was "Yours!" The article covered some people's tendency to leave or store various tools in their yards. The point here was that an ax, hammer or crowbar is like an invitation for someone to break in to your home. So, what was the favorite tool thieves love finding in your yard? A Ladder! The access it provides to a roof with skylights or upper story windows that may be unlocked, is a source of temptation for a dishonest person.

I have big ceiling hooks in my garage so I can hang my ladder up high and out of the way. So, when I read her note, where was my ladder? Folded up and leaning against the stone wall for our raised landscaping on the side of the house. I had used it to trim the top of our Dr. Seuss tree and left it there, sixteen days ago! Yikes, did I feel stupid. It's now on the hooks in the garage.

Thanks for this mornings note Betty!!!!!

Retirement:Get Started/Take Action

Earlier this month I was communicating with my virtual colleague, Charles Earl Foster. Chucky Earl as I call him, is the co-author of the great retirement planning guide, "Plan Now Retire Early" which we recommend both here and in our fre*e newsletter, www.RetiredandReady.com. Chuck was sharing what he is afraid is a disturbing trend among what I will refer to as the "50 something" Baby Boomer group. Problem is, I am seeing and hearing the same thing.

As we interact with these folks, more and more of them are telling us that they have saved very little money for their retirement. What nearly all of them have in common is that they are or have been self-employed, often small business owners or have been contract agreement workers most of their working lives. The reasons are as diverse as the people themselves. Put two kids through college. Kids moved back home! Living paycheck to paycheck as it is. House payment poor. Had to put the money back in the business. However, the excuses that are killing the two of us are, "we just never got started" and "we just did not know what to do."

The truth is, one cannot get started any sooner than right now unless one's actual goal is to work until the day he or she dies. That may be great for the likely small percentage of people who love their work/job, but none of these people fit in that profile. The "didn't know what to do" group also includes the "we didn't know what to ask" and the "we didn't want to look stupid" subgroups. How stupid is not asking or learning what to do about your retirement? There are great people and resources out there that cover this subject from start to finish.

After our interaction, I told Charles that I knew he had initially written his great downloadable eBook for a younger post Baby Boomer population. However, if both of us are interacting with so many of these individuals and couples, we needed to find a way to get this resource into the hands of these folks. "Plan Now Retire Early" is a step-by-step resource for the person who is the most important player in your retirement savings plan. YOU! The central theme is that you have to own your plan and make it your own.

To this end, we have set up a specific site for Baby Boomers to get this resource so they can learn, get started and take action. If you are one of these people, know someone who is, or just want a clear and powerful tool for your retirement planning strategy, visit www.babyboomersandretirement.com to get more information on ordering the guide. Remember, the first step is the most important one in any journey.

Information on this book and other resources covering identity theft, safety and security, health and travel tips, as well as information on how to use the Internet to make money from home, can be found when you visit our fre*e retirement newsletter at www.retiredandready.com.