Celebrating the strength & diversity of senior citizens and defending their right to make their own damn decisions — whether others approve or not.
For the most part, I like the woman. I’ve read a number of her books and I’ve read her finance columns in the AARP Bulletin — and learned from them. She seems to be a very smart, very knowledgeable, hard-working, success story. I know nothing scurrilous about her.
However, every once in awhile, I find myself wanting to scream at her.
Continue reading “Why I’m picking a fight with Jane Bryant Quinn”
After spending 60+ years trying to GROW our nest eggs, we’re suddenly faced in retirement with SHRINKING them. This sudden about face can give us whiplash — and scare the heck out of us. In fact, one financial advisor told me his clients were more afraid of running out of money in retirement than they were afraid of dying(!)
So… regardless whether we have $50,000, $500,000, or $5 million — what is our number? Just how much can we withdraw from our funds/investments each year — and still feel confident we won’t run out? Continue reading “How much $ can you withdraw each year without running out?”
Seven out of 10 new jobs in the United States are created by small business, according to the SBA (Small Business Administration). However, 50% of those businesses will die within the first five years. Anything that can improve either number helps America and helps our economy.
This is the mission of SCORE (Service Corp of Retired Executives), a mission you could join in your retirement. SCORE has more than 10,000 volunteers in 300 chapters nationwide. In 2016, SCORE mentors helped start 54,072 new businesses and create 78,691 new jobs. And their help is absolutely free. Continue reading “Volunteer with SCORE — Use your business skills to help America grow jobs”
How much of your hard-earned interest, pension, and/or social security income can you keep?
Be very careful in picking the state where you will retire. The wrong choice could cost you thousands of tax dollars — every single year!
First in line to grab some of your hard-earned retirement income is, no surprise(!), the U.S. government. Continue reading “States which grab more of your retirement income”
Yes, we all know we should be exercising. Study after study tells us exercise will protect our hearts and our brains. It’s shown to prevent/delay dementia, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and (it seems) almost anything else that could befall us.
So why did I spend the last 5 months not exercising at all? It’s not inconvenient. I have a treadmill, weights, a mini-trampoline, and even a karate punching/kicking bag. They’re in my basement den, and I passed them every time I went to and from my car in the garage.
And yet… there they stood. Ignored. Perhaps you’re doing the same? Continue reading “Hate exercise? Motivation “tricks” that actually work!”
There is a lot written about nursing homes involuntarily discharging “difficult” residents. But nobody seems to be writing about the opposite problem!
My father was admitted to a nursing home (rated best in the area) for “therapy” after a week in the hospital. The nursing home (and his complicit doctor) both turned a functioning attorney into a blithering idiot who saw butterflies buzzing around him. And they threatened his wife when she tried to get him discharged. Continue reading “NEVER go into a nursing home to recover. You may never escape!”
I’m jealous of my brother and sister. As I seem to fade into stereotypical “senior” looks, they don’t. You can’t miss either of them strolling down the sidewalk. They have managed to not become “invisible” like so many of the rest of us.
My brother is 66, about 6’ tall, skinny as a rail, with a Jesus beard and long flowing white-gray locks. Sandals and bell-bottom jeans are frequently in the picture. I double dare you to not look at him as you pass him by.
Before you retire, try to find at least one — preferably two — hobbies that you find both fun and challenging. After all, you can’t play golf more than 5 hours a day (which came as a big surprise to a couple of men I’ve known who thought that was all they’d need).
Let me introduce you to one of my favorite hobbies — model railroading. And, no — it’s not only for men(!) though I’d guess 95% of those in the hobby are men. It’s true I don’t share many of their interests — such as operating a train to pick up a load of coal and transport it. But I love creating the scenes. And the scenes are so much Continue reading “Create a model train layout — for fun and for the challenge!”
Are you terrified of Alzheimers? I am.
Alzheimers was just a word to me until about 11 years ago. I even joked about it. “Early Alzheimers” I would joke if I forgot something. But 11 years ago…
Continue reading “Prevent (or delay) Alzheimers or dementia?”
By Vallerina F. Day
If you, like me, grew up watching movies where people were plotting to put away Aunt Sallie or Grampa Bob to get to her or his money; then as we get older and turn into Aunt Sallie or Grampa Bob, perhaps we harbor a certain paranoia.
Will the men in white suits knock on the door and whisk us away, kicking and screaming, to the looney bin because a greedy son or daughter (or spouse, for that matter), has accused us of losing our marbles? Continue reading “Are the men in white suits coming for you?”