When Unemployment Runs Out

[tabby1881]

I'm posting this question because I'm trying to figure out what happens next. My dh has been unemployed since March because his company closed. He is actively looking for work. I know that he will get something eventually. It is not easy for men his age to get hired we are seeing. We are in MA, and his UE ends soon. Complicating this is now he is ill. heart trouble. I think it is from the stress but he does have health issues now, too. I work full time. We are not wealthy, but we have always lived within our means. Our biggest extravagance was travel to WDW. None of that this year. We have cut our expenses down successfully.
We don't have car loans.
No credit card debt.
Our monthly mortgage is low. House will be paid off in 6 years.
We have a home equity line of credit that we haven't used much of at all.
DD already graduated from college.
I've picked up extra part time work, and I'm looking for more.
So, what next? We do have cash savings, but they won't last forever.
My paychecks will not cover everything. Until he gets work, what should we do? What have any of you done in this situation? I'm not sure if I'm making sense in this post. Just a little frazzled. I'm not sure if I mentioned everything in order to ask a clear question. Thanks.

 

[yoopermom]

I was laid off three times over the period of about 8 years, have some chronic health issues, had low debt to income ratio, and a spouse who worked full time as well, so I feel your pain.

First, can he find *any* kind of work, at all? Yes, it will affect the amount of unemployment he gets, but if he's running out soon anyways, the point is moot. Use every resource possible: friends, family, church, government agencies, temp services, etc. Everything that I have read says that it is almost ALWAYS easier to get a job (even a better one) when you already have one (even if it's a menial one).

Has he had a medical evaluation that is specifically geared towards how much he can work and in what capacity? Is there the possibility of disability if his issues are severe? There are resources to help disabled and partially disabled people find work, as well.

You don't menion his field of work, but could he possibly go elsewhere, at least temporarily, to work and come home on weekends? (It's not easy, but many people have done it, especially during tough times.)

Would he want to go through some type of retraining program? Tech school?

Most of all, this has to be a *joint* problem to be solved, not just *your* problem, or you're going to ruin your own health with worrying about it. I'm sure you'll get many ideas of saving $$ and not spending it, but IMHO getting your DH healthy and back to work (in some way) has to be your family's first priority.

There are professional resources out there in every state, I would look into accessing them NOW before his unemployment runs out....

 

[tabby1881]

Thank you for your kind words and suggestions. He is an accountant. Not a CPA, though. He is not well enough to take a job at the moment. He has been going to the Career Ctr operated by Comm. of Mass.

Again, thank you. When he gets over his medical and other problems, he will take any work. He is a hard worker. I think that is what is causing him so much grief.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Thank you for your kind words and suggestions. He is an accountant. Not a CPA, though. He is not well enough to take a job at the moment. He has been going to the Career Ctr operated by Comm. of Mass.

Again, thank you. When he gets over his medical and other problems, he will take any work. He is a hard worker. I think that is what is causing him so much grief.

How is he getting U/E if he is not well enough to work? You have to actively seek work, not just go to the career center. If he is that ill, you should be looking at getting him disability insurance. The state can back charge you if they find out he was not actively seeking employment due to health.

Good Luck hope all works out for you.

 

[MouseClubMama]

Sine your DH is not well enough to work at this point, I would certainly take the advice of the PP, and have your DH evaluated by his cardiologist. He may be able to apply for a temporary disability until he gets back on his feet. I know that applying for a disability is a long process, but it may be worth pursuing. My heart goes out to you and you DH; I am very familiar with the MA Career Opportunity Center, and it is extremely difficult to find work in your field when you are of a certain age. Many of us don't want to believe it, but age discrimination is pretty severe in the job market. Your DH may have to think out of the box, and move on to another field to find employment. I wish you both well.

 

[sksjasams]

I am so sorry you are going through this...

Is your DH willing to take work in any field?
If it comes down to it, and the unemployment runs out, I have a couple suggestions.

He can apply through temp agencies - for temp work and temp to hire work. I am certain they will find him something to help you out in the mean time. There are often temp jobs in offices and call centers that would not be too strenuous for him, and he should be well qualified for. These jobs will most likely not pay very well, but it will be enough to help with some bills and groceries.

My other suggestion, especially at this time of year, is school bus driver. They will offer free training to get his license. It will only be part-time, but it will pay better than the temp jobs. He would have time between routes to apply and interview for other jobs.

Best of luck to you!

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I'm posting this question because I'm trying to figure out what happens next. My dh has been unemployed since March because his company closed. He is actively looking for work. I know that he will get something eventually. It is not easy for men his age to get hired we are seeing. We are in MA, and his UE ends soon. Complicating this is now he is ill. heart trouble. I think it is from the stress but he does have health issues now, too. I work full time. We are not wealthy, but we have always lived within our means. Our biggest extravagance was travel to WDW. None of that this year. We have cut our expenses down successfully.
We don't have car loans.
No credit card debt.
Our monthly mortgage is low. House will be paid off in 6 years.
We have a home equity line of credit that we haven't used much of at all.
DD already graduated from college.
I've picked up extra part time work, and I'm looking for more.
So, what next? We do have cash savings, but they won't last forever.
My paychecks will not cover everything. Until he gets work, what should we do? What have any of you done in this situation? I'm not sure if I'm making sense in this post. Just a little frazzled. I'm not sure if I mentioned everything in order to ask a clear question. Thanks.

You have a lot of good advice from other posters. Your situation is much better than others since you have no credit card debt and only 6 years remaining on your mortgage. I will assume you have cut out any extra expenditures that you do not need (i.e. cable, gym memberships, etc)? Since your paycheck alone will not cover all bills, the next step will be using savings, and then your HELOC. It sounds like these will probably last you a considerable amount of time until DH finds a job or you have a second job that can cover bills.

 

[danygirl]

DH worked pt for ups or fedex

He also worked as a waiter for a catering company. Several of his friends did this. They could turn down a job if they had an interview

Another friend worked at best buy while job hunting. I think people understand that taking a pt job while looking is a way to hang in there until the right job comes rather than accepting defeat.

 

[danygirl]

If he is an accountant maybe a tax firm?

 

[crisi]

Has he tried temp agencies? Temp agencies place a lot of bookkeepers. As tax season gets closer, HR Block and the like will hire. How about freelance work for small business - if you know anyone who is a painter, plumber, etc., they often need accounting help - and if they are getting it from someone they currently don't have much of a relationship with, they might be willing to switch to you. Also, if you are in Mass - have you thought about relocating to a cheaper part of the country? If your kids are out of college, how close are you to the magic 59 1/2 number where you could pull from 401ks if needed.

 

[tabby1881]

How is he getting U/E if he is not well enough to work? You have to actively seek work, not just go to the career center. If he is that ill, you should be looking at getting him disability insurance. The state can back charge you if they find out he was not actively seeking employment due to health.

Good Luck hope all works out for you.

The health crisis happened this past Saturday. He had been looking as usual during the week. He is still eligible to receive the benefits for that week. Thanks.

 

[tabby1881]

Sine your DH is not well enough to work at this point, I would certainly take the advice of the PP, and have your DH evaluated by his cardiologist. He may be able to apply for a temporary disability until he gets back on his feet. I know that applying for a disability is a long process, but it may be worth pursuing. My heart goes out to you and you DH; I am very familiar with the MA Career Opportunity Center, and it is extremely difficult to find work in your field when you are of a certain age. Many of us don't want to believe it, but age discrimination is pretty severe in the job market. Your DH may have to think out of the box, and move on to another field to find employment. I wish you both well.

Thank you. I would love for him to move on to another field. I will keep the disability info in mind.

 

[tabby1881]

Thank you for all of your replies and advice. I did think he would do temp work. We will see once he feels better. His confidence is shattered. I think that he believed that he would find something quickly. He went on lots of interviews, but they always chose someone else. To me, this is part of the process. Once he is feeling better, I hope his confidence improves. I wouldn't mind moving somewhere else, but I need to keep my job. We have the benefits through me. Again, thank you all for your advice and kindness.

 

[mom2alix]

How about freelance work for small business - if you know anyone who is a painter, plumber, etc., they often need accounting help - and if they are getting it from someone they currently don't have much of a relationship with, they might be willing to switch to you.

A friend of mine did this when she was laid off. She got a lot of business through CPA firms who referred their small business clients to her. She has a handful of clients where she travels to their location once a week and takes care of their books. She loves it since she's now her own boss and is able to make good money. Since you carry benefits, your DH could be in the perfect position to become his own boss.

Tax firms will definitely be hiring and training starting soon. The one I work for starts training classes right after Labor Day.

Another stop-gap job might be to apply to be a substitute teacher. Math is a hard subject to get good subs. As an accountant, I'd assume he's pretty good in math. It's not a forever solution, but it might help you get by once UE runs out.

Good luck to you!

 

[OhMari]

I'm posting this question because I'm trying to figure out what happens next. My dh has been unemployed since March because his company closed. He is actively looking for work. I know that he will get something eventually. It is not easy for men his age to get hired we are seeing. We are in MA, and his UE ends soon. Complicating this is now he is ill. heart trouble. I think it is from the stress but he does have health issues now, too. I work full time. We are not wealthy, but we have always lived within our means. Our biggest extravagance was travel to WDW. None of that this year. We have cut our expenses down successfully.
We don't have car loans.
No credit card debt.
Our monthly mortgage is low. House will be paid off in 6 years.
We have a home equity line of credit that we haven't used much of at all.
DD already graduated from college.
I've picked up extra part time work, and I'm looking for more.
So, what next? We do have cash savings, but they won't last forever.
My paychecks will not cover everything. Until he gets work, what should we do? What have any of you done in this situation? I'm not sure if I'm making sense in this post. Just a little frazzled. I'm not sure if I mentioned everything in order to ask a clear question. Thanks.

I am a tad bitter about this, but I can tell you where people like your dh is getting hired. I am a church secretary that used do everything for our parish, except being the actual Priest. 25 years ago, priests were asked to hire secretaries or administrators to do all the clerical work. Within the last 5 years, they have Renamed our jobs to Director of Administration. We are training, people such as your dh, to do our jobs, and they are now doing all the bookkeeping work, running the reports, taxes, year end assessments. They are being paid double our salaries, since they have degrees in bookkeeping.

I have been attending meetings once or twice a year at our Archdiocese and every time, it is less and less women secretaries and more middle age men and older being introduced as the new Director of Administration aka, bookkeeper. My job has been cut to 29 hours, so I am not considered full time anymore. I am still doing my job, but with less hours and less pay.

I do not know if you are Catholic, but I think a lot of demonination churches are hiring people like your husband. Look online at Diocese web pages and most have job listings on their web pages.

 

[MouseClubMama]

I am a tad bitter about this, but I can tell you where people like your dh is getting hired. I am a church secretary that used do everything for our parish, except being the actual Priest. 25 years ago, priests were asked to hire secretaries or administrators to do all the clerical work. Within the last 5 years, they have Renamed our jobs to Director of Administration. We are training, people such as your dh, to do our jobs, and they are now doing all the bookkeeping work, running the reports, taxes, year end assessments. They are being paid double our salaries, since they have degrees in bookkeeping.

I have been attending meetings once or twice a year at our Archdiocese and every time, it is less and less women secretaries and more middle age men and older being introduced as the new Director of Administration aka, bookkeeper. My job has been cut to 29 hours, so I am not considered full time anymore. I am still doing my job, but with less hours and less pay.

I do not know if you are Catholic, but I think a lot of demonination churches are hiring people like your husband. Look online at Diocese web pages and most have job listings on their web pages.

The situation that you've described is a sad reflection of what has happened to so many hard working individuals who have the knowledge and experience but no degree. I can understand why you feel a little bitter. It was good of you to put this job tip out there.

 

[crisi]

A friend of mine did this when she was laid off. She got a lot of business through CPA firms who referred their small business clients to her. She has a handful of clients where she travels to their location once a week and takes care of their books. She loves it since she's now her own boss and is able to make good money. Since you carry benefits, your DH could be in the perfect position to become his own boss.

A Craigslist ad and then looking at Craigslist help wanted can help here too. He isn't looking for someone who needs a full time accountant - he is looking for people who want someone to come in and do their books and payroll half a day one day a week. Get six of those clients, and its a business.

 

[manning]

The situation that you've described is a sad reflection of what has happened to so many hard working individuals who have the knowledge and experience but no degree. I can understand why you feel a little bitter. It was good of you to put this job tip out there.

My uncle was Vice President treasurer of a big corporation. They would hire accountants out of college. This conversation with him was in 1961. He said "we would tell them to forget everything they learned. We will teach you the right way"

You don't always need a degree to do a good job.

 

[ellochka]

Since he is an accountant, he is familiar with filling out government forms. I am thinking, he should be able to file for disability himself. In a way, that's a little bit of work that he can do for himself.

 

[MouseClubMama]

The situation that you've described is a sad reflection of what has happened to so many hard working individuals who have the knowledge and experience but no degree. I can understand why you feel a little bitter. It was good of you to put this job tip out there.

My uncle was Vice President treasurer of a big corporation. They would hire accountants out of college. This conversation with him was in 1961. He said "we would tell them to forget everything they learned. We will teach you the right way"

You don't always need a degree to do a good job.

Well of course you don't need a degree to do a good job, but in today's workplace if you do not have a degree, and you are performing in a professional capacity, your job is potentially at risk. Case in point, look what happened to the PP who is a very experienced church secretary; she has the knowledge, and experience to get the job done, but now she is training someone who has a degree to do her job. I have witnessed the exact same thing happen among many of my friends and colleagues. Oh how I wish that your uncle's philosophy still held true; back in the day people could learn on the job, and eventually work their way up the ranks to management positions. The 2014 job market is highly competitive, and it is unlikely that anyone would be hired for a professional position without a degree. Sadly, experience and knowledge no longer mean job security.