TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

  Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 48,599.54 USD ▲  +141.49 (+0.29%) today December 15, 9:45 AM EST  ·  Market Open

Rob Reiner's tragic death has returned some of us to reflecting on that breakthrough 1971 - 1979 sitcom "All in the Family."  Brilliantly it captured the struggle of an uneducated blue-collar guy Archie Bunker who couldn't get a handle on a rapidly changing world. The counterpoint to his plight had been his educated son-in-law Meathead, portrayed by Reiner. Of course, there was plenty of conflict between the two generations. The pathos was that Bunker was a decent man.  That same emotional dynamic has taken off as we encounter knowledge workers in the same sort of pickle that made Bunker a closed system. Although they are losing their jobs now and too many of those jobs probably won't come back they either cannot or refuse to understand that the world is changing. And they have to change with it. Usually that shift entails ditching the mindset that the investment in higher education will be rewarded and the need to start over training for a skill that's marke...

 J P Morgan recently poached Berkshire Hathway's Todd Combs for a major role. A factor that drove that decision, Yahoo Finance notes, is that Cobbs had as a mentor Warren Buffett. Mentors have been central in extreme professional success.  Classic is the rapid rise of Brad S. Karp at law firm Paul, Wiess. At age 48 he was voted in by the partners as chair in 2008. Despite the turmoil in the sector, Karp has held on to the job. Among his mentors had been Simon H. Rifkind, Arthur Liman and Ted Sorensen.  And iconic actor Marlon Brando wasn't self-made. Who helped shape that talent were Stela Adler and Elia Kazan.  But, falling under the influence of the wrong mentors can limit a career. I know. Probably I could have gone further in my first career path - academia - had I aligned myself with a leader with more juice. Not only did I receive unhelpful guidance on the choice of research subjects. In addition, that figure was losing power, which likely threw shade on my o...

Sure, it's an option in money management: Die With Zero.  Instead of saving/investing for retirement you spend all sources of income. Much of this, as Yahoo Finance explains, goes toward purchasing memorable experiences. You take that exotic journey into the jungles of Africa. And/or, I would add, you pay for the offsprings' education, weddings and purchase of the starter house.  However, as a tarot reader/coach I am bearing witness to those who had this mindset, spent and currently are financially frantic. They ignored the risk factors. At the top of the list the risks are: Unexpected long life. The family genes indicated a shorter one. Ha-ha, here you are in your early 80s and with no serious life-enders. Dick Van Dyke is nearing 100 years of age. Betty White almost made it to that milestone birthday.  Inflation. You anticipated you'd been okay with the proceeds from selling the family house and ending the burden of unexpected expenses from home ownership. But inflatio...

  Dow Jones Industrial Average INDEXDJX: .DJI 48,795.84 +91.83  (0.19%) today Dec 12, 9:38 AM EST  •  Disclaimer UPDATE: Later on, things did sour. Dow Jones Industrial Average INDEXDJX: .DJI 48,405.31 −298.70  (0.61%) today

  But, Can We Trust This?  Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 48,584.46 USD ▲  +526.71 (+1.10%) today December 11, 11:38 AM EST  ·  Market Open It got even better. DOW (DJI) Watchlist Share Compare Join the discussion 48,696.00 market open  • as of Dec 11, 03:36 PM EST ‎+638.25 (‎+1.33%)