Side Hustle Comments

With my main income being a mediator and a consultant for Brāv Online Conflict Management, retirement is something that needs to be a consideration.  Generation X and later was raised through a school system that taught little about saving money, in fact, I remember an assignment in 4^th grade where the teacher asked what we would do if we were given $100.  One of my answers was I would put it into my savings, which is what my parents had taught us to do when we received a windfall.  I remember how heartbroken I was as a child when the assignment came back and the teacher had deducted points because “saving that little wouldn’t make a difference.”  However, like most of what the public schools taught us about finance, that advice proved to be very wrong.

Most people in the modern world are trying to find ways to make extra money, and for those of us in the professional sphere, a good way to make a little extra cash and put money away for retirement is to adjunct at a state university (or a private university with a  retirement program).  For both of the schools I have worked for recently, retirement savings are a requirement, not an option.  Many of these programs match or double the amount that you have taken out of your paycheck towards your retirement.  Any time you can invest $14 a week and be credited $21 you should do it.  The added benefit to these programs is that most can be rolled into another state’s retirement plan or into a 401(k) or IRA.  This makes saving easy, and you are providing a valuable service to the community sharing valuable real-world experience with the next generation of leaders in your field.

By Dr. Christopher W. Smithmyer