55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life

by Elizabeth White

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501196843
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	01/08/2019
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,047,201
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Elizabeth White is an author and aging solutions advocate for older adults facing uncertain work and financial insecurity. Most recently she served as Special Advisor to the Executive Director of Senior Service America. Before joining SSA, she was the Chief Operating Officer of a midsize nonprofit focused on improving economic conditions in Africa. She is also an entrepreneur, having cofounded and led a chain of decorative home stores in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and New York. She began her career in international development at the World Bank. 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 resides in Washington, DC, with her daughter and grandson. 

Table of Contents

Author's Note: About Me 1

Preface You Know Her 7

Chapter 1 Lost, Ashamed, and Shell-shocked 9

Chapter 2 Old-school Wisdom from an Elderly Black Woman 23

Chapter 3 Shock and Awe: You Call This Retirement? 29

Chapter 4 After a Lifetime of Work, How Did We Land Here? 45

Chapter 5 Grabbing Denial by the Lapels 63

Chapter 6 Smalling Up: Rethinking Limits, Lack, and Deprivation 79

Chapter 7 Circling the Drain 99

Chapter 8 Borrowing Money from Family and Friends 121

Chapter 9 The Changing World of Work 131

Chapter 10 Thinking Outside the Box Country 171

Chapter 11 Retirement Security Requires Housing Security 191

Chapter 12 Strategic Responses to Housing 225

Conclusion 239

Acknowledgments 241

Notes 243

Index 255

Editorial Reviews

11/26/2018
This instructive debut from White, a former executive at the World Bank, explains how those in the later stages of their careers can survive unemployment and underemployment. White starts by laying bare her own struggles, which began at age 55 during the Great Recession after she unsuccessfully tried to start her own business and then realized the job market wasn’t as ripe for her talents as she imagined. Calling herself “the poster child for broke baby boomers,” she reveals personally tested strategies for surviving during tight times, including downsizing housing and possessions, accepting lower-paid positions, and considering entrepreneurship. White also considers how “faking normal” moments (ordering a glass of wine rather than water) for a financially struggling person become insidious habits that put finances even more deeply in jeopardy and advises tactics for gracefully considering cost during social settings. White includes many constructive tactics for surviving difficult situations large and small, including asking for help from friends or government programs, or even leaving the country for somewhere with a lower cost of living. 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. Agent: Gail Ross, Ross, Yoon. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal is required reading for all those who fear the finances of longer lives and a job market rife with age discrimination—in other words, everyone. Get a copy and breathe a bit easier: This book doubles as a lifesaving device!"

Marc Freedman

We all know someone who is struggling financially and uncertain about their future. For practical solutions and a comforting shoulder, I highly recommend 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal. Gems for everyone no matter your age.”

Viola Davis

"Generously guides a generation of Americans finding a healthy, sustainable new normal and better life in their golden years."

800-CEO-READ - Dylan Schleicher

"Elizabeth White's story is poignant and powerful. And, her new book is a fierce, insightful rallying call for both personal resilience and political action. 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal is a tale of our age and our aging and it's one of my favorite books on the subject of midlife and beyond."

Chip Conley

Every so often someone names an invisible pattern in society with such honesty and accuracy that it becomes a seed of a national conversation. Elizabeth White has brought to light the unexpected challenges of Boomers turning the corner into older age. She offers straight talk to her generation while giving everyone an eye-opening look at the travails of aging out of relevance in America.

Vicki Robin

Simultaneously a terrifying wake-up call and a heartening, idea-filled guide to navigating the new realities so many of us face or will face.

The Los Angeles Times - Kate Tuttle

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)

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

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