One day it's there and then zap it's gone

I suppose you think I'm talking about our youth. Well it's true that one day we wake up and realise that it's gone, and it can be very depressing. Tie this in to the disappearance of our hard-earned cash, our superannuation, our investments and our futures, even our jobs. For many of us over fifty, the baby boomers and self-funded retirees, the last year has ranged from being difficult, to scary and downright disastrous. Some of us will never recover from the greed and corruption that brought us to this point in 2009.

Recently I've met a lot of wonderful women who either never had superannuation, who have suffered financially from divorces, are regarded as too old to get the job of their choice although their experiences and skills are outstanding, others who feel locked into a job as they near retirement and some wondering where the hell they are going to live once the rents go up, as they will.

Just at the time when we were ready to enjoy our retirements, reinvent or pamper ourselves, follow our passions, travel etc, here we are with financial problems that in most cases are not of our own making except perhaps for being being a little naive, trusting our accountants, financial advisors and banks too much

So what's to be done?

I've seen endless adds now urging people to thrive rather than survive. That's great and positive, but how do we know who to thrust anymore with our dwindling resources, our time, effort and even emotional input? I think we have to do our homework, learn how to ask the right questions and talk, talk talk to others to find new opportunities.
It's amazing how many people are now working from home and setting up successful businesses over the internet while large corporations are going bankrupt.

Our lives will probably never be the same again so we can't whine about what was or what could have been. Let's find ways to help each other and prove that we are still interesting, vital and dynamic women who can find ways to make money make money while still retaining a certain amount of freedom to pursue our passions.

Yes, it could take many of us go right outside our comfort zones, but then as I've commented many times, that's the only way to grow.

Let's refuse to give up on life and our dreams.