A CHEER-ful Boomer Journey

By Byron Whisler

We will all be living through a quiet revolution over the next 20 years as over 70,000,000 Americans cross the “boomer threshold”, make major life changes and join those already in formal retirement. Each of us will be experiencing a new “normal”; life expectancies of 15-30+ years outside the traditional “work” world and at some point each one of us will ask the big question, “What in the world am I going to do with the rest of my life”?
Longer life expectancies will bring new opportunities, but will also bring issues the individual may not be trained or equipped to handle. One of the issues is a danger that can be defined by a term called the “life-stage casualty” and that can be likened to the Rip Van Winkle experience. Rip Van Winkle awoke from a long sleep, found the world the world had passed him by and that he was adrift in a changed world. He was in a danger zone and floundered while trying to make the necessary adjustments and to adjust to his “new” life experience. His experience leads to the question, where does the older American go today to get the training needed to maximize their changes, and make the adjustments that are necessary to grow and thrive in their extended life experiences.
CHEER is an answer to that question. CHEER is the acronym for Creative Happiness for Every Expectant Retiree, and 6 Keys have been taken from my successful workshop series and adapted for this book. Simply, this book is a training and motivational manual intended to provide the foundational perspective, skills, tools, and resources every individual will need to make the next season of life- a wonderful journey and the most CHEER-ful days of their life!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Byron Whisler
• Release date: Aug 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9780989488624

Byron Whisler

Byron’s first career was in the pastoral ministry which later transitioned to a major gift, fund development position with the Oral Roberts Association/University.He later served in that role at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. While there, he established the Crest Club, marketed the MBA program to the larger business community, and represented the School of Business in a federally funded two-year study of later-life issues and retirement transitions at the USC, Andrus School of Gerontology.Byron originated and helped establish the Charitable Trust/Wealth Replacement Concept. His work to meet a challenge grant established the Endowment Fund for the Orange County Performing Arts Center.As Executive Vice President of Lexington Capital Management he promoted the CRT concept on a nation-wide basis and co-founded the Lexington Charitable Advisor Group to assist non-profit organizations utilize the benefits made possible by various charitable gift planning techniques.He has provided consulting and training services regarding organizational development, increased productivity, and major gift development via prospective donor’s legacy and estate planning interests to a wide range of hospitals, educational, and social service organizations.He lives with his wife, Victoria, in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and especially enjoys spending special moments in time (while getting in and out of mischief) with his four grandkids: Jaylen, Keegan, Cameron and Ryan.

Book preview

A CHEER-ful Boomer Journey

6 Keys to Staying Alive While Living Longer

By Byron R. Whisler

~~~

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013 by Byron R. Whisler.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission from the author. For permission requests, write to the author at the address given above.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: Although the author and publisher of this book have taken great care in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work with specific disclaimer of all warranties, including, without limitation, warranties of success for a particular purpose. The proposed strategies and advice contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable for any loss of profit.

First published in 2013 by Diversified Financial Resources

333 E. Arrow Highway, Unit 70

Upland, CA 91785

ISBN: 978-0-9894886-2-4

Edited by: Susan D. Avery

Graphic Design: Be Identified Marketing, www.BeIdentifiedMarketing.com

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Foreword

The Boomer Spring Training Experience

Spring training is the time that baseball players regroup to develop their mindset, condition their bodies, and sharpen the skills needed to prepare for their coming season. It is the time they focus on the fine adjustments necessary for their success.

This book is a boomer player’s manual. Just as the baseball player makes necessary adjustments for each season’s success, there are also adjustments and fine-tuning, or calibrations must make for later-life success as they embark on that comes after retirement.

The purpose of this book is to enable you to develop the mindset needed to carry you through the journey. It will help the markers and critical anchor points necessary for continued progress throughout the journey. It will also provide resources and define skills that must be developed and exercised for later satisfaction.

Later-life is much like the baseball season. Your journey will take you through the cold weather of early scheduled games, into the dog days of August, and on to the challenges and rewards brought on by the years of extended life expectancy.

This book is intended to help you experience a long and CHEER-ful journey. Best wishes. I hope to meet you somewhere way!

www.acheerfulboomerjourney.com

6 Keys

to

Staying Alive While Living Longer

Key #1 See Life through a Life-Stage Perspective

Key #2 Take the Long View – The Boomer Journey

Key #3 Guard Your Bumps & Minimize Your Bruises

Key #4 Secure the Critical Platforms, _ _ _ _ It!

Key #5 CHEER-ful Legacies for Those You Love

Key #6 Winter Analogies – Spring Renewals

This book is dedicated to the memory of my father and mother, Lisle and Elaine Whisler. They were the children of pioneering parents and exemplified the characteristics of those who became known as part of The Greatest Generation.

This book is dedicated to my wife, Victoria. Thank you for being my companion and walking with me on a who would have believed it journey.

This book is also dedicated to our children:

Dan, Jennifer & Chris, Carrie & Michael; and, to our grandchildren – who provide new memories every week – Jaylen, Keegan, Cameron and Ryan.

A special thank you to my friend, Don David, for volunteering to take the time for a photo shoot, and for providing the photo used in this book.

A special thank you to my business partner, J.T. Waller, and what he means to our dreams and the accomplishments of our objectives.

A special thank you to Robin Barnes, President and CEO of the Educational Institute of the Southwest, Inc.

Finally, a special thank you to Dr. David Edwards and Wayne Kraiss for the contributions they have made to my life and to this book.

Acknowledgements

CHEER-ful Beginnings

I owe a debt of gratitude to Don Sime, PhD, then Dean of the School of Business at Pepperdine University, who provided the vision, leadership and development for an Executive MBA Program that continues to touch the lives of business executives around the world.

Dr. Sime suggested I enter the MBA Program and write my thesis on the subject, The Private University, Degreed Continuing Education, and Retirement Transition. He later asked me to recruit a defined number of business executives to participate in a federally funded Life Planning and Career Transitions Program under the umbrella of USC’s Andrus School of Gerontology’s Pre-Retirement Education Project (PREP).

I was then invited to represent the Pepperdine School of Business in the program study led by Dr. Virginia Boyack at the USC, Andrus Gerontology Center.

The program description read:

May be viewed as an innovative intervention mechanism which provides a valuable service in enabling the individual to maintain a sense of independence and strengthen ‘cope-ability’ skills to deal with problems.

I ultimately developed the CHEER Package, a later-life skills training program and delivered a five-session model on a regularly scheduled basis as a relationship building and outreach program of a large non-profit community hospital.

These activities led to the development and nation-wide promotion of the Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) Wealth Replacement

Concept, used in fundraising and advanced estate planning. Later, my associate, Dr. David Edwards, joined me in the development and delivery of a one-day model of the CHEER Package for the Crystal Cathedral.

None of this would have taken place without Dr. Sime’s touch on my life. My hope is that this book will touch your life.

Stay Alive!! Let’s help make a difference in our lives and the lives of those who share the journey with us.

Introduction

Sobering Thoughts about Living Longer

Issues

In a January 7, 2013 online edition of the Senior Housing News, an article, Top 10 Trends in Senior Housing for 2013, listed Rethinking Longevity of Assets – Personal and Physical as one of the top trends for senior housing in 2013.

The article suggests possible implications for every baby boomer:

What happens when you or one of your residents outlive their assets? Think of this dilemma not only on a personal basis but also on a retirement community level. Then think about it on a governmental level and you should start to feel sick to your stomach. Longevity will become America’s fiscal and moral enemy. Deterioration of mind, body and assets, both financial and physical will need to be addressed as part of everyone’s plan.... As the economy finds its footing in 2013, assumptions about aging and longevity will need to be recalibrated.

Source: Yedinak, George. "Top 10 Trends in Senior Housing

in 2013." SeniorHousingNews.com, (January 7, 2013).

The CHEER-ful Challenge

This book is written to help you make the calibrations necessary to live a long and fulfilled life at a tough time in our country, and in the larger world.

This book has been written with three main purposes in mind:

<> To encourage you to