How to Spend your $900 – think about your future needs first
Thousands of Australians are just receiving or are about to receive a pretty handsome cheque from the Federal Government as part of the economic stimulous package. The question then is ‘what do I spend this on?’ Below I offer a futurist’s view on where certain generational types might consider spending the bonus.
As a Strategic Futurist I am asked to help individuals and organisations of all shapes and sizes consider emerging issues and potential implications as a result of those issues. Below is a ‘generational’ take that might assist you when thinking about your future and how to spend the funds wisely:
Boomers – okay let’s say you’re about to be in receipt of a full $900 – where do you use the cash? Well if I was a Boomer, I’d be looking at two areas in particular – training, and training. First, consider a book-keeping course – it’s a great skill with plenty of ongoing demand, and second then about doing a Cert IV in Training and Assessment – that workplace experience and teaching qualification could be in great demand. Alternatively, think about buying yourself a good bicycle with all the riding accessories you need – helmet, lights etc. You might find you’ll need to stop driving or have more time to spend with the grand kids
For Gen Xers (the ‘forgotten’ generation) – the Cert IV in Training and Assessment is a must do, slightly after paying off Credit Card Debt. If you’re okay in those two areas then I’d certainly think about getting a yearly gym membership – just make sure you pay all in one hit so you don’t get locked into contracts with horrendous and punitive ‘get-out’ clauses. The training qualification will be useful in later years as the upturn kicks in because there will be plenty of people needing to be re-trained in a hurry. The gym because if you find yourself temporarily on the scrap heap, your health can go down hill fast. Committing to staying healthy means your state of mind is sharper, you’ll look better and you just never know who you might meet there. For many, it’ll be a chance to make up for one too many good lunches and long working hours that rarely included sufficient exercise
Gen Y – ah yes, the first shock to the system for many in this bracket. Consider buying camping equipment and an outdoor stove because you might just find that you’ll need somewhere to live once the rental and free accommodation dries up. Also a good bicycle because if your friends lose their job (or you do) running a car will be expensive – same goes for a reliance on parents to drive you around – such an asset may no longer be available and the ol’peddley will turn out to be more than a useful option
There you have it – enjoy the cash, spend wisely
For those of you that follow me on other platforms, you’ll have seen, heard or read some of my thoughts on the lab grown proteins from firms like #ImpossibleFoods or #BeyondMeat. I’m a fan of those lab grown protein concepts arriving at that position whilst undertaking a Master of Science in 2004 in which…
Read More >Trying to understand something you’ve never experienced before can be a real challenge. In this post the #Covid19 #pandemic is explained using cars and traveling Your body is your car – it’s your mode of transport in this life. We want to treat it well and insure it and ideally we want to be able…
Read More >There’s a significant disconnect with a number of articles on ‘Hybrid Workplaces’ and it’s really disappointing to see SO MANY large consultants pump out articles that ignore reality. So this is a short take to offer an additional perspective. 1) Hybrid workplaces have existed for centuries, they are not new, though the sudden interest is…
Read More >Hi everyone – though a focus on particular those of you in Victoria, Australia who have an idea related to sports, active living or recreation that they might like to convert into a business. Sportstech & Active Living Pre-Accelerator program is being run by the Australian Sport Technologies Network (ASTN) and the Global Sports…
Read More >Old normal, new normal, normal normal. As some businesses aim to rush back to ‘old normal’ they’re likely missing a key opportunity to define, perhaps for the first time, what a new normal should look like for themselves. This Workforce Planning framework should help As a CEO or senior manager, here’s questions I’d want…
Read More >As Covid19 variants continue to emerge, the cause of which can be fairly placed at a lack of social distancing and slow vaccine rates that allow ‘mixing’ of viral strains in social settings, India is on the brink of a healthcare collapse and the implications for Australian companies, especially in the tech sector, are huge.…
Read More >What does the future hold for Australia in the next 3 months, to 3 years? Travel, work, living… Recording to the one hour session inc a Q&A Here’s the Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/pBJqFvN_yZVrktNsN2xWRE7heUTpr226GtyjJpiChG8yZA2D3qEHpACjm8TpMfxd.67Jj1DNSPserOvpZ Passcode: 1DPi*.$Z
Read More >Sometimes the words come to you readily and this small piece has me thinking about what I’d like to say at a time when maybe I’ve lost the cognitive ability to do so Before I was Me Before I was Me I used to be fit, and even quite smart; We’d chat about love,…
Read More >I was doing it well before then and there’s clips of me online going back as far as 2010 or so, railing against the idea of human resources as a label and the insistence by HR managers or CEOs that only people who work ‘in the office’ are going to be productive. It Is A…
Read More >Like lab grown meats, Vertical Farming is going to be part of the future of food. For now it might be best to compare them to small scale battery storage on the electrical grid that can help balance out spikes of demand in the system and provide an output directly where needed. Eventually (like…
Read More >