Alan Bernstein, L.C.S.W.

After obtaining his BA from the University of Michigan, and a wanderjahr in Europe following his favorite jazz groups and working in the Danish Post Office, Alan started on a career based on his excellence as a student of literature. After teaching at Rutgers University and completing his course work and oral examinations for a Ph.D in English Literature, he was unsettled by the realization that a career in literature was very different than the pleasure of reading. Initially paralyzed by this realization, he mobilized himself, and applied to Yeshiva University for an MSW and training as a psychotherapist.

The shock of this transition and the realization that his career choice was based on external information encouraged him to develop a self-training system for accessing deep personal motivational instincts. That study led to his first book, “The Princeton Review’s Guide to Your Career,” now in its 6th edition. The information that individuals gain from accessing their interests, their personal style and needs develops an underpinning for choices with both immediate and long term application.

Alan has a  successful office practice seeing individuals, groups and couples in his Manhattan office. In addition, he is sought after as a consultant to hedge funds and professional sports teams with his proven ability to deepen the level of integration between individuals and heighten their capacity to perform as a team. He has conducted workshops worldwide, training other professionals to use his methodology.

In 2006, he co-authored Your Retirement, Your Way (McGraw-Hill) with John Trauth, a book-length curriculum designed to encourage in-depth planning of individuals’ retirement,  including strategies for maintaining structure, community and purpose in their new lives. They have been co-leading workshops (Tuck/Dartmouth, Stanford, and the University of Michigan) as well as individually presenting their method. Their book, workshops and seminars are designed to heighten self-awareness in order to help people realize their full potential and find joy and satisfaction in their lives.

MOST REQUESTED TOPICS:
For over 25 years, both Alan Bernstein and John Trauth have been making conference presentations, in both national and international venues, on topics related to their professions. Presentations are also available in French. They are also frequent guests on radio and TV.  Alan and John are both high content speakers, offering fresh material in a dynamic fashion. Their presentations are both friendly and persuasive, tailored to the needs of the particular audience, and offer practical material and tips on retirement that can help people take the appropriate actions now to make a difference in their future lives. By reducing stress about retirement and channeling it into constructive action steps, employees can also become more productive in their pre-retirement environments.

Speaking topics are presented below. Alan and John are available either jointly or individually, depending on the interests and needs of the conference organizers and participants.

Developing Your Employee Retention Strategy in Anticipation of the Coming Baby Boomer Retirements
Demographics don’t lie, and show that employers will be severely impacted in the years ahead by the massive retirement of “baby boomer” senior staff.  Since the baby boom was followed by a baby bust, there will not be sufficient numbers of younger workers to replace them.  Employers in many industries are at risk of losing up to half of their senior staff and must address this issue if they hope to sustain effective operations.Alan’s and John’s keynote will cover the following topics: 

• Demographic predictions of the coming workforce crisis in America and what progressive employers in both the private and public sector are doing about it.
• The five most common retirement myths of this major life transition, and why retirement is difficult for both the employee and the employer.
• Why 40% of recent retirees say they were happier when they were working, and how employers can help future retirees avoid that fate.
• The new “MORe” concept (“Mutually-Optimized Retention”) developed by Alan and John, and how it differs from the more traditional “phased retirement” approach by using personality assessments to help restructure jobs to preserve essential skills while also providing opportunities to prepare the next generation of leaders.
• Methods for accurately predicting turnover and potential skill-set loss and developing your company’s overall retention strategy.
• In summary, how both employers and employees can prepare intelligently for this major transition to their mutual benefit.

How To Plan Intelligently For Retirement
This major keynote address is multi-media presentation which covers all the key points in Alan’s and John’s best-selling book, “Your Retirement, Your Way:  Why It Takes More Than Money To Live Your Dream.” John and/or Alan present their full retirement planning curriculum, including how to prepare psychologically, strategically and financially for this major life transition.  Common retirement myths are presented, and audiences are exposed to a process which includes self-analysis combined with strategic and financial planning techniques which can lead to a satisfying and fulfilling retirement.  These presentations help audiences relieve the stress they feel about retirement by helping them understand how to prepare for this transition, which can make them more effective in their pre-retirement work environments. 

Workshops:  Two 90-minute workshops are offered in conjunction with the keynote address:  In-depth Psychological Preparation for Retirement, offered by Alan Bernstein, and Strategic and Financial Preparation for Retirement, offered by John Trauth.

Seminars: A three-hour seminar is offered in conjunction with keynote addresses which is conducted by both Alan and John and includes specific techniques for psychological, strategic and financial preparation for retirement. Each Individual leaves with a clear vision of his/her ideal retirement lifestyle and the essential elements of a strategic plan to realize their dreams.  In addition, more detailed seminars are offered in one-day and two-day formats.  The one-day format involves participants in developing more individual plan details.  The two-day format includes the full Birkman Personality Profile and each participant leaves with his/her completed “NewLife Master Plan.”  

For Corporations and Other Employers
How to retain the skills of long-time employees approaching retirement.
This presentation covers how to help pre-retirees define a future lifestyle and work style which will continue to use their talents in the company or in the field in which they have been trained and in which they have spent the majority of their career. More than just a reduction of hours, this process taps into the motivational needs of the employee to help redesign the job responsibilities to increase job satisfaction and reduce stress. The presentation also includes how to provide incentives for long-time employees to phase into part-time work as part of their retirement transition.

For Financial Planners and Insurance Agents
How to improve your life coaching skills with clients approaching retirement.
This presentation covers why it is important for pre-retirees to first determine their ideal retirement lifestyle, based on their own personality, interests, abilities and needs, and then restructure their sources and uses of income to support that lifestyle.

For Aging Organizations and Networks
How to provide counsel and referrals to other resources for retirement planning for clients approaching retirement.
How to help pre-retirees avoid major mistakes in their early retirement years. How to counsel retirees who feel unfulfilled and restore higher functioning through reinstalling a sense of structure, community and purpose in their lives. Referrals to other psychological assessment and financial planning resources.

For University Alumni Conferences and Workshops
Various Topics:
Presentations and seminars of various lengths (see below) , including one-hour, three-hour and full-day formats on retirement planning concepts and applications, including psychological, financial and strategic aspects. The longer sessions (three-hour and full day) include interactive group work.  How to avoid and/or fix an unhappy and unfulfilling retirement (see “aging Organizations and Networks” above). These presentations cover the topics in “Your Retirement, Your Way”  at various levels of detail.