By Maxwell Farnon · March 6, 2026 · Job Loss & Retirement, Job Loss After 50
Something new starting next week. Every Monday, I’m going to be reading your comments on camera and responding to them directly. The stories you’ve been sharing in the comments are too powerful to stay buried in a thread, so I’m giving them a proper spotlight. First episode drops Monday. This is your platform. Let’s talk.
A Personal Reflection
So here’s where I’m at. About four weeks ago I was sitting at my desk in Florida, looking at a pile of bills I couldn’t pay without selling stock I’d been holding onto for years. That stock was supposed to pay off my mortgage. Instead, it paid the bills, and two plans vanished in one afternoon.
I did the math. Three years. That’s my runway. And I haven’t earned a penny since last June.
The thing that really caught me off guard was healthcare. Twelve hundred dollars a month, just for me. When you’re working, you don’t even think about it. Then suddenly it’s your biggest expense and nobody mentioned it was coming.
I’ll be honest with you. I put off looking at any of this for months. I was travelling, life felt different, and it was easy to let the hard stuff sit on a shelf somewhere. But coming back to Florida brought it all crashing in. Once I had the number though, something shifted. I could either sit in the fear or start doing something about it. I chose to do something.
This Week’s Video
I sat down and talked about all of this on camera. The math, the healthcare shock, the stock I should have sold months earlier, and what it really feels like when your plan falls apart through no fault of your own.
If you’ve been putting off looking at your own numbers, this might be worth a watch. Not because I’ve got it all figured out. I clearly don’t. But sometimes it helps to see someone else go first.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/-KvUzgiWri4
Taking That First Step
I’ve put together a free 25 page guide, First Things First, to help you get started. The first steps that actually matter when everything feels overwhelming.
Download it free here: https://mailchi.mp/empowerover50.com/firstthingsfirst
Know exactly what to do Monday morning
Get it your way: PDF, audio, or video.
And if you want more, this is where I share the journey every week. No guru stuff. Just a fellow traveller working it out as he goes.
Visit the channel: https://empowerover50.com
Cheers,
Max
Tags: career change after 50, Empower Over 50, Financial planning after 50, Healthcare costs after 50, How to reinvent yourself, life after 50, midlife career change, mindset, personal finance, resilience