Going where the jobs are

More people relocating for employment; tips for making a good move

“Unemployment seems to be leveling off, but even if the economy has moved out of recession — which it may have — we’re likely to go into a jobless recovery for the rest of 2009 and much of 2010, which means unemployment is going to stay in the 9 to 10% range,” says John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray and Christmas, an outplacement consultancy.

“Job seekers are facing more competition and more people are chasing fewer jobs,” he adds, which is leading people to make “rational decisions, saying if I can’t find a job here … I’m going to expand that scope.”

According to the outplacement firm, 18.2% of job seekers who found employment in the second quarter relocated for the position, the highest job-seeker relocation rate since the second quarter of 2006. In the first quarter of this year, 14.3% relocated for a job and in the second quarter of last year, 11.4% relocated for work.

“When unemployment is high, people need to go where the jobs are… to make ends meet, to get on with their lives,” Challenger says.

Think before moving

But don’t move with the herd: Before deciding to relocate, career counselors advise workers to make sure they fully understand the local economy they’re going to — and what they’d do if the new job doesn’t work out as planned. Also, make sure you understand what kind of help, if any, your new employer is prepared to give you for moving costs.

Companies typically have standard relocation packages. Often, companies will provide lump-sum assistance to employees or help in selling a home.

“Make sure you completely understand the policy,” says Rich McClure, president of UniGroup, parent company of United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit. “It’s important for [employees] to understand exactly what they’re getting.”

Companies know jobs are scarce and aren’t likely to deal on standard relocation packages, says Russ Haynie, director of global consulting for Prudential Relocation. Anecdotally, companies in industries with high unemployment or those recruiting from regions where unemployment is high haven’t been enhancing relocation benefits lately, he adds.

“Our very recent experience has been that companies are less likely to enhance offerings related to selling real estate, overcoming deficit equity or loss on sale situations, or offsetting the cost of temporary living/duplicate housing expenses as a means of capitalizing on this trend,” he says in an emailed statement.

Stay or go?

Before accepting a position in another location, make sure you do some homework on your new home — and know what you want out of the new job.

“People react and grab anything. … I don’t think it’s bad to relocate for a good opportunity, but understand what you’re trying to do first,” says Deb Bailey, a transition coach in New Jersey. Understand how this move will advance your career, and also think about what you would do in the worst-case scenario: You accept a job in another place, move, and for whatever reason, the job doesn’t work out, she says.

Bailey’s advice: Ask yourself, are there other opportunities in the area? Or would it be worth it to stay in your current town, perhaps selling your home for a loss or living with a roommate and accepting a lower-paying job until the local job market improves?

“You really have to be in a career management mode. If you’re unemployed and the opportunity is in Oshkosh, if it’s a good opportunity go to Oshkosh,” says Dale Winston, CEO of Battalia Winston, an executive search firm in New York. “Otherwise, you want to base yourself in a center of opportunity.”

And if it’s only a home holding you back from a job that could move your career forward, it might be time to cut your losses. “If you made an error in judgment in terms of overleveraging yourself, get out of it and move on. It’s like credit card debt… pay it down and don’t do it again,” Winston says.

Keeping costs down

When conducting a national job search, your willingness to move should be made clear upfront, says Tim Johnson, managing editor for Relocation.com. Today, that also may mean indicating that you’d make the move with or without a relocation package.

To keep costs down, get at least three quotes before hiring a moving company, and have each actually see the items you need moved, Johnson says. “It’s the only way to get a precise quote.”

Also, try to cut the amount of items you’re moving by 20%, Mr. Johnson says. People “tend to move things that aren’t worth that much,” he said. You may be attached to an old couch, but in reality it might not be worth the cost of moving it, for example.

For the average cross-country move with full moving services, including packing, loading, driving and unloading, the cost is roughly $6,000 to $8,000, Johnson says.

“If you choose to do packing on your own, it’d cut the cost to roughly $3,500 to $5,500,” he says. In that example, the movers would load and unload the truck, as well as drive it to the destination.

A self-service move would be roughly a third of the cost of full moving services, or about $2,000 to $3,000, Johnson says. That would require the individual to pack, load and unload items, leaving only the driving to the movers.

http://www.marketwatch.com/

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• Extension cords, batteries. Everything’s electric these days it seems. Computers, CD-players, your Walkman, all those little gizmos you just can’t seem to live without. So it just makes sense to keep that extension cord or pack of new batteries right on top and within easy reach.
• Tools. We’re talking hammers and screwdrivers, nails and screws, scotch tape, duct tape and especially, a tape measure.
• A bottle opener and glasses. Thirst always seems to come first?particularly if you have to lug that stuff by yourself.  so be prepared.
• Snack,  fast food coupons. You’re going to work up a hunger so think about treating yourself to a quick bite or a night out .
• Address book or Smart Phone. Keep those important telephone numbers handy.
• Cell phone or regular telephone with plug?put these within easy reach. There’s always potential for an emergency.
• Sufficient cash. Duh…but if you’re opening a new bank account you may have to wait for your first check to clear.
• A copy of your lease and personal ID such as a driver’s license. And speaking of banking, if you’re starting a new checking account (or applying for utilities service) you’ll need proof of your new address too.
• Cleaning materials. Especially paper towels?accidents will happen.
• Light bulbs, a small lamp (perhaps a flashlight). It may be dark when you finally move in.
• Alarm clock. You don’t want to miss your first day at school,work, ?
• Box cutter. Don’t pack this puppy at all! It’s the first thing you’ll need to open your packages.

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For do-it-yourself moves, make arrangements for truck rental and moving help, and buy packing supplies:

• Boxes
• Packing and masking tape
• Markers
• Newspapers
• Twine

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If the company you’re going to work for in London offers an affordable health plan, you should consider signing up. In most cases Medicare, the federal health-insurance program for people who are 65 and older or disabled, is limited to coverage in the U.S.

Medicare Part A provides hospital coverage, and it is free if you are 65 or older and qualify through your (or your spouse’s) employment record. No matter how long you plan to live in London, you should have no problem continuing Part A coverage when you return to the U.S., because there is no cost for it. However, you wouldn’t be covered for Part A services while in London, according to Peter Ashkenaz, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Baltimore agency that manages Medicare.

Medicare Part B, which covers doctor visits and other outpatient care, generally charges a monthly premium, at least $96.40 a month in 2009. You probably should do some math to figure out whether it is worth it to drop Part B when you move abroad, depending in part on how long you plan to remain outside the U.S. To avoid a re-enrollment penalty, you would have to keep paying Part B premiums while you are in London, Mr. Ashkenaz said. If you drop Part B, then move back to the U.S. and want to start that coverage again, the premium could be 10% higher for each 12-month period that you could have been enrolled but weren’t.

Again, even if you keep paying for Part B coverage while in London, you can’t get coverage for Part B services there, he said.

One other note about Part B: Higher-income Medicare beneficiaries have to pay higher monthly premiums for Part B coverage. If your new job bumps up your income enough, it may increase your Part B premium as well. For married couples who file joint tax returns, premiums start rising when their modified adjusted gross income (adjusted gross income plus tax-exempt interest income) exceeds $170,000 a year. (There is a breakout of premiums by income and tax-filing status in SSA Publication No. 05-10161: Medicare Part B Premiums: New Rules for Beneficiaries with Higher Incomes 2009. It is available at socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10161.html.)

You aren’t eligible for Part D, Medicare’s prescription-drug benefit, while living abroad, because you can’t meet the requirement of permanently residing in the “service area” for a Part D plan, Mr. Ashkenaz said. But you would be eligible for a “special enrollment period” for Part D when you move back, and you wouldn’t have to pay a penalty for the time you spent outside the U.S. That enrollment period begins when you return to the U.S. and continues for two more months. You may request enrollment in any Part D plan for which you are eligible.

You should check to see whether your supplemental plan covers foreign services. If not, you should drop it before you move to London. You can re-enroll when you move back to the U.S., Mr. Ashkenaz said. For information about your specific AARP plan, you can call 800-523-5800

http://online.wsj.com/

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When moving overseas, one of the main concerns of people is always their possessions.

There is, of course, the usual question of what to take with them. People wish that they could take every bit of their possessions but they all know that it is just not possible.

And so, they decide which possessions they can’t part with. There is also the decision as to which overseas shipping and moving company to contact for help.

Help? Who said anything about help? Oh, come on. We all know that moving overseas is not an easy task. You can’t really expect to be able to do it all by yourself, do you? By getting help from an overseas shipping and moving company, you can make the trip easier for you.

However, you should realize the fact that there are a lot of different overseas shipping and moving companies out there and they all claim to be the best. This means that deciding can be a pretty tough job.

How do you know which overseas shipping and moving company to go to?

1) Cost

You could try to choose an overseas shipping and moving company that offers the lowest rates. This way, you can make sure to save a lot of cash. How do you find out which overseas shipping and moving company offers the lowest rates? Through theinternet, of course!

A lot of websites can offer you rate quotes of various overseas shipping and moving companies and you can easily use these to compare them. Knowing what affects the cost of shipping can also help you choose the best company for you.

If you want to go for cost, try to find an overseas shipping and moving company that has a base of operations in your destination. This would definitely help lower the costs of freight.

2) Shipping conditions

You could also go with the overseas shipping and moving company, which offers you the best shipping conditions for your possessions. In this case, you should find an overseas shipping and moving company which offers you customized shipping for your stuff.

Some overseas shipping and moving companies separate your possessions into various categories and ship them according to the best conditions they can provide. This is done in order to prevent any damage to your possessions.

Of course, this service can cost you some cash. But if your possessions are important to you, then you this overseas moving and shipping service will be worth the sacrifice.

3) Speed

Some people opt for speed when they are choosing overseas shipping and moving company. This is because some people only have a short time to get settled into a place before they have to face the world again. Some overseas shipping and moving company may be able to deliver your possessions the same day that you arrive.

However, it is advisable that you get the services of an overseas shipping and moving company which would deliver your stuff even before you arrive. This way, you won’t arrive finding an empty house.

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About 13 percent of Americans move in any given year. With the average full-service interstate move at about $4,200, according to the American Moving and Storage Association, here are some ways to save:

Be flexible: Summer and the beginning and end of the month are the busiest times and likely to be most expensive. An off-peak move might mean you get a better crew too.

Choose wisely: Get three written, in-home estimates. And be suspicious of carriers seeking large down payments. Check out movers with the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. See the free consumer handbook, “Make a Smart Move,” at Moving.org, as well as www.protectyourmove.gov.

Declutter: The less stuff you pack and transport, the cheaper the move. Make piles designated for “garbage,” “donation,” “keep,” “return to rightful owner” and “sell,” suggests Laura McHolm, co-founder of NorthStar Moving.

Leah Ingram says she earned about $250 by selling an old file cabinet and kids playground equipment. She also auctioned toys on eBay. “My kids had grown out of them, and there was no reason to move them,” said Ingram, author of the forthcoming book “Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier on Less.” Take an especially hard look at pool tables, sectional furniture and bulky exercise equipment.

Pack it smart: Fill suitcases, laundry baskets and plastic containers with small, unbreakable items. Use pillows, scarves and towels to wrap fragile belongings. Empty your shredder into boxes to use as packing material, Ingram said.

But don’t skimp on pricey electronics, said Alicia Rockmore, chief executive of organizational company Buttoned Up and co-author of “Everything (Almost) in its Place.” “It’s just not worth saving $50 on packaging if you have to buy a new $1,000 TV,” she said.

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As seniors approach a time in their life when it’s best to consider retirement living, the process can be hard on themselves and their adult children, too

A year ago, LaRue and Speros Travlos had a decision to make.

They already had downsized once, moving from their family home to a condominium several years ago. But now they had to decide if it was time to downsize again.

After many discussions and much research, they decided to move into Trail Ridge Retirement Community.

We are still very mobile and can participate in all the activities,” LaRue Travlos says.

Moving is a big step for anyone, but for seniors, the process can be frightening. And it can be just as bewildering for adult children, caught in the middle, trying to help their parents find the right place.

While the very thought of selling the family home and eliminating belongings accumulated over a lifetime can be a big barrier, “downsizing can be a relief once it’s done,” says Bonnie Reynolds director of marketing at Trail Ridge.

But it goes beyond that. The lifestyle change can be demoralizing and intimidating.

“Many are working much longer, hoping to stay in their home as long as possible,” says Sarah Jennings, state director for AARP.

Out of all South Dakota AARP members, 84 percent expressed a desire to stay in their home longer, she says.

The goal is to keep the person as independent as possible and keep expenses down. “It’ll be much less expensive than a nursing home,” Jennings says.

“By ensuring people are in the right place for the care they need we can eliminate unnecessary expenses.”

But sometimes, it’s time to move.

Making The Decision

Retirement facilities recognize the impediments and have resources for adult children and their parents to help sort and organize details.

Housing specialists, decorators, Realtors and others can facilitate the decision and help with the move by suggesting real estate agents, staging specialists to help show the home, moving companies, and even antique dealers or auction houses.

Then seniors need to figure out what they want in a retirement community, says Angie Rabon, executive director at Waterford at All Saints.

Women typically make care giving decisions for their husbands, parents and children but tend to ignore their own needs.

http://www.argusleader.com

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