Introducing your Midlife MOTYour midlife years – that is, when you’re between about 40 and 60 – will probably be a very hectic time indeed.You might have ended up in a challenging job, or you might be working hard to get one. You could be looking after the kids, your parents or possibly both. Maybe you’re putting time and energy into a whole new way of life. All of that (and more) could even be happening at once!Whatever’s going on, it’ll be keeping you very busy. That can make it difficult to look beyond your day-to-day challenges and achievements. Mid-lifers often find it hard to find the time and space to take a long-term view of where they’re headed and what they need to do to get there.But your midlife years are the perfect time to do just that. Regular work, wealth and wellbeing check-ups can help you lay the foundations for a much more focused, productive and fun journey through your 40s and 50s. And they’ll set you up for a much more colourful future too.The changes to life expectancy – up 6 years for men and 5 for women since the start of the 1980s – and the increase in the numbers of women with children who are in employment up 9% since 2000 – have added to pressures on households too. More families are having to care for both their children and their parents at a time when their free time is limited (ONS, 2019).That’s why the Open University, in collaboration with Legal & General, has created your Midlife MOT to help you.We have a wealth check-up. It’ll help you take a look at your finances, see what’s working perfectly and what needs attention.We’ve also created work and wellbeing check-ups. They’ll help you look at your general health and fitness, and your career, and make sure they’re on track too.You can study these three parts of the course in whatever order suits you.And we’ve called the whole course an MOT because, like an MOT, it’s designed to be a regular check-up. One of the things we all learn as we reach our 40s and 50s is how quickly and unexpectedly life can change. Regular Midlife MOTs will help you power through all of those changes.Enrolling on the course will track your progress and give you the opportunity to earn your OpenLearn statement of participation. Statements are not accredited by The Open University but they're a great way to demonstrate your interest in the subject and commitment to your learning and your career, and to provide evidence of continuing professional development. Once you are signed in, you can manage your OpenLearn statement of participation online from My OpenLearn. In addition, you can download and print them.Now watch the video where Bernie Hickman, Legal & General Retail’s CEO, introduces the course and explains the ways it can help you.Transcript
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction and guidance
- Introduction and guidance
- Moving around the course
- Who wrote this course?
- Acknowledgements
- Session1Session 1: wealth: where you’re at right now
- 1 Introducing your wealth check-up
- 2 Where you’re at right now
- 3 Your assets and liabilities
- 4 A savings buffer for life’s uncertainties
- 5 Reorganising and reprioritising your spending
- 6 Managing your borrowing
- 7 Managing your mortgage
- 8 This session’s quiz
- 9 Round-up
- Additional resources
- Glossary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Session2Session 2: wealth: where are you going next?
- 1 What’s next for you?
- 2 Planning ahead
- 3 Developing a savings and investment plan
- 4 Resilience to life’s uncertainties
- 5 Resilience to the economy’s ups and downs
- 6 This session’s quiz
- 7 Round-up
- Additional resources
- Glossary
- Acknowledgements
- Session3Session 3: wealth: where you’d like to end up
- 1 Your retirement plans
- 2 State and private pensions – some key points
- 3 Your retirement lifestyle and the income you’ll need
- 4 Boosting your private pension
- 5 Other options for cash in later life
- 6 This session’s quiz
- 7 Round-up – your Midlife MOT wealth checklist
- Additional resources
- Glossary
- Acknowledgements
- Session4Session 4: your work: present and future
- 1 Introduction
- 2 What do you really want from work?
- 3 Developing your work
- 4 Changing your job role
- 5 Working for yourself
- 6 Conversations about your options
- 7 Target your next move
- 8 This session’s quiz
- 9 Round-up
- Additional resources
- Acknowledgements
- Session5Session 5: the wellbeing audit
- 1 Introduction
- 2 How well are you?
- 3 Staying well with the five pillars
- 3.1 Nutrition: how well you eat
- 3.2 Hydration: drinking plenty of water
- 3.3 Physical activity: getting plenty of exercise
- 3.4 Keeping your brain healthy
- 3.5 Social interaction to improve your wellbeing
- 4 Help and support with keeping well
- 5 Putting the five pillars into practice
- 6 Looking after yourself when you’re caring for others
- 7 This session’s quiz
- 8 Round-up
- 9 Course conclusion
- Additional resources
- References
- Acknowledgements