Ready for a fresh start?

I love September Even though it's been many years since I had to buy notebooks and pens and report folders, the beginning of a new school year still feels like a season of fresh starts to me. Who needs to wait for January. The change of seasons is just as good a reason to follow a passion, try a new path, or, as so publically modeled by such boomer celebs as Cher and Madonna, reinvent yourself. I hope you, as readers of PRIME, find just that kind of inspiration in this month's issue. Wondering what to do with your time now that your career has wound (or is winding) down? Maybe, as author Marc Freedman suggests, you're ready for an encore. I stumbled across his book, "Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life," while researching last month's story on the AARP National Convention in Boston Sept. 6-8 (he's speaking Sept. 6 at 12:30 p.m. as a part of the event). The concept intrigued me, especially because, as late-life parents, my husband and I are acutely aware that our own retirements will be delayed well past the customary age (there's college, and who knows what else, to pay for!) As I began looking around, and asking questions of people I interviewed for stories (I also write for my company's weekly newspapers) I found that there was a quiet revolution already transforming the concept of "retirement" right in my own backyard. You'll find some examples of local people doing just that, plus a take on this trend by experts from two area colleges, in this month's feature story beginning on page 5. Maybe you've already decided on your encore, that this is the time to venture out and start your own business. If so, I hope you'll take a moment to scan the advice in this month's Finance story by guest writer Attorney Jeffrey Fialky. He puts the essential steps to entrepreneurship in an easy-to-understand format that should be a must-read for any budding business owner (see page 6). If you've got a secret dream job, perhaps the people at Vocation Vacations (see page 14) can help you "try before you buy" that new career. This novel service arranges for individuals to try-out jobs not just shadow workers for one to three days to give vacationers a taste of what that fantasy career really entails. And if you're heading back to school this fall, and worried about your memory or concentration, Herbal Information Specialist Jonathan Evans has some ideas to help in Nature's Rx on page 15. Whatever you've got planned for your encore, now's the time to start! Debbie Gardner PRIME Editor dgardner@reminderpublications.com