Early bird specials...

     I came upon an article entitled “Lies We Tell Ourselves About Retirement” written by David Ning who “ runs MoneyNing, a personal finance site that shares money moves you can make to significantly increase your chances of having a comfortable retirement. “ He offers some things to consider when creating one's destiny that might be time honored “givens” that today really aren't. The full text of the article can be found at http://finance.yahoo.com/news/lies-tell-ourselves-retirement-173845934.html 
     In the next posts I'm going to look into some of what he talks about, do some internet searching on the topic and report back here. Ning writes that one “given” was that, “Everybody works until full retirement age.” but, “in recent years there has been a surge in the proportion of people who expect to work past 65, but the reality is that a significant number of people will stop working well before the traditional retirement age.” At Ask.com, I followed U.S. Census information because I wanted to know what the recent retirement age numbers were. According to the count in 2010, the average retirement age was 62 years which is a low in a decades long decrease in age. Since the payment of full benefits of Social Security and some other retirement plans is at the same time moving upward from an average of 65 years toward as high as 67 years, the implications supporting Emerson's suggestion to live “a considered life” in the “retirement to pension payments” gap years finds a renewed wisdom. In simpler, less philosophical terms, consider strategies that will either secure income or reduce expenses for those “gap” years in case you end up having to live through them.

     An informative article on the U.S. News website entitled 'Take an Early Retirement Test Drive” by Joe Udo talks about the gap years beginning in early retirements during one's fifties. Some expenses that can be reconsidered after leaving work include :

“Transportation. You won’t have to drive to work anymore and could save a lot of money on gasoline and parking. By eliminating one vehicle, you would save even more on car payments, insurance, repairs, and maintenance. 

Clothing. Work clothes can be expensive, and you won’t need them after you retire.

DIY. You can “do it yourself” instead of paying for conveniences such as getting a car wash and hiring a gardener. You will have much more time to do everything in retirement and can often avoid paying someone else to do it. And if you don’t know how, you have plenty of time to learn.

Saving. Since you’re already in retirement, you don’t have to save for retirement, but you should still maintain an emergency fund in case you need it.” The straight forward presentation with which Udo treats this and other early retirement issues in the article make it a very good read. The link is: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/On-Retirement/2012/10/04/take-an-early-retirement-test-drive 

Next:   Considering the “given” that "the Jones have everything!" 

Twisted Travel...

      Last week here where I live, winter took a holiday and warm, breezy days came by. After the 50's melted back into the 20's again, my mind went screaming into the night wailing, “I've got to get out of here.” Of course, the reality is with two school children, I'm not going anywhere. The fleeting flight to madness did, though, draw me to take a look at what's available out there for boomers to travel away for a few moments and take a break from the season.

     I discovered so many options that I chose the two I found most enticing to share here. First, is the website for Road Scholar, a non-profit entity that couples learning experiences with travel for senior citizens across the globe. “ Road Scholar, the not-for-profit leader in educational travel since 1975, offers 6,500 educational tours in all 50 states and 150 countries. Alongside local and renowned experts, experience in-depth and behind-the-scenes learning opportunities, from cultural tours and study cruises to walking, biking and more.” I liked that their website was so functional due to search options too numerous to mention here. Suffice it to say that a seeker can locate an experience by experience, activity level, location, price, length and many other really thoughtful criteria like bringing children along. If I'd have found this site last year, I might be headed to Mardi Gras off the path in Alabama right now. The link is:

http://www.roadscholar.org/default.asp

     The second site brings together two activities that I really am in touch with...traveling and volunteering. “A volunteer trip abroad will change you. Change the way you see other cultures. Maybe even change what you do with your life. All while you change the lives of others for the better. Ultimately, we’re changing the way volunteering is done, making it a safe, exciting 1 week to 3 months adventure of a lifetime.” Open to all adults, this nonprofit endeavors to match your volunteer interests and desired geography to available opportunities they create and maintain. Volunteers pay a program fee to participate in experiences.  Their link is: http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org .  

Multiplying Good News!

     In my internet travels this week I found an interesting Facebook page called “Sixty and Me,” at https://www.facebook.com/sixtyandme . The page describes itself as “a community for bold and fearless women who are excited to be 60 years old and want to create a new lifestyle - independent, financially secure, healthy, informed and inspired!” And I was inspired on several levels. First, I always uphold any venue that honors women anytime, anywhere so this page had me at “hello.” Second, just launched on January 1, 2013, the page has already garnered 2,420 “likes” which indicates that its message is not only getting out but topically, its resonating with a “grassroots” demographic which is the key to internet success. Third, the page plans to explore for women what we take a look at for baby boomer “retirees” in general as it explains in its well stated intent because they and we see so much value in it. “ 'Sixty and Me' is about reinventing and celebrating the next amazing chapter of your life as a 60 year old woman. The group welcomes a community of like minded women who don’t feel old, but who are passionate about living life, embracing change, trying new things, meeting new friends, and exploring new lifestyles.”

     I loved seeing that women from the United States are discovering the page but was really excited when I saw that some European, particularly Spanish speaking ladies, are clicking on too. As the page continues I hope that the special flavor that women of color can add will be embraced and explored also. All in all, its exciting to have another voice join ours on the web! And speaking of another voice, Retooling Retirements, the written blog, is in preliminary production to add Retooling Retirements, the talk radio show, to the airways and the discourse. As we continue our journey toward being “on the air,” we'll keep you updated!

A Little Bird Told Me...

Not every senior who heads toward warmer climates for the winter is seeking the South Beach dirty martini and floor show high life. Some of my good friends leave every Christmas Eve, and after stopping a few miles away to spend the holiday with local family, continue on with their two little dogs for a simple stay on Florida's gulf coast in a quaint, circa 1960 mobile home park with clean, cozy fully furnished units. They swim, stroll, window shop, go to church and just relax from a great, affordable all inclusive rental far from the frozen, windswept lake where they have their Ohio homestead. They report that three months in Florida each winter comes in at about the same cost they used to pay for just two weeks away in Italy. Florida abounds with such mobile parks, campgrounds and private condo/efficiency residences off the beaten path but still under the sun.

For seniors living in the northeastern U.S., the snowbird destination seems to follow the eastern coast from the Carolinas through to the number one destination: Florida. “Many snowbirds enjoy the cost-efficiency of staying in one place all winter long. A number of southern RV parks that cater to snowbirds offer special winter rates for campsites that are rented by the month or by the season. Because most of the guests are there for the entire season, these parks have active social scenes with regular activities like potluck suppers and ice cream socials. Some snowbirds make such great friends, they agree to rendez-vous in the same spot again the following year to keep the gang together,” according to the article, Snow birding : Snowbird Destinations at Camping.com. Those who hail from the mid-western states often winter near the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, while Westerners head toward Arizona, southern California and Mexico. Every winter get away spot that offers glitz and glamour “on the strip” seems to offer also a chance to tap into real communities and the opportunity for accommodation bargains as well as local color and a less resort/more “down home” experience just a block or two off the interstates. .

Cleveland Magazine did an informative and relevant series about snow birding in 2007 in which they caution first-timers . “Novices should take it slow: Rent first, or stay with friends.” It can be helpful to explore residential options in steps.” “Many start with visiting friends, later become snowbirds, rent for a while and then purchase a condo or home.” If you’re looking for a one- to three-month rental in the formal market, “contact a real estate agent in your target location six months prior to your planned departure date to find the best selection,” advises Leslene Sharpe of Keller Williams Realty of the Palm Beaches, Florida. Experienced snowbirds also remind “newbies” that “last minute” off the grid deals might be available at some RV or condo sites when some snowbird owners decide not to use their unit that winter and will lease it out. Calling around to locations found on an Internet search of local venues and asking can bring out the bargains. Also placing ads in the newspaper and other outlets at home that read something to the effect of “Local couple wish to rent your unused snowbird housing this winter...” have garnered productive results.

Warm sunshine, sandy beaches and calm waters all abound in the lands of the snowbirds...usually available at no charge. Joining in for the season doesn't have to break the bank. Read more at: http://camping.com/community/camp-styles/ and

http://www.clevelandmagazine.com

Happy holidays?

    Negative energy can dispirit and dismay almost any person from time to time. That it does even has a name: situational depression. “... life changes may also cause bouts of depression such as retirement, death of the spouse, unresolved family disputes or extreme isolation and loneliness,” according to the ehow.com's platform regarding senior citizen health. At the holidays, the changes that have occurred over time can seem overwhelming. “For many seniors, the holiday season can trigger melancholy as they think about lost loved ones, struggle with health issues or worry about money problems, according to the American Geriatrics Society,” reports wellsphere.com.

    Marian Eure in her about.com article, Holiday Blues and Seniors, discusses strategies that seniors can use to lighten their mood and be more forward thinking around the holidays. She advises to avoid isolation, go out and interact with people. And if getting out is hard, invite people in. If there is no close family or friend circle near, try volunteering at holiday events to meet new people. Use moderation when celebrating with spirits or rich foods, particularly with medications or medical nutrition issues, when spending for holiday gifts or other obligations and in feeling the need to be constantly joyful and festive. Relax and take a break from good cheer anytime it begins to feel forced or too intense.

    Included here are links to the full text of these informative and timely articles. Retooling Retirements wishes you all the holiday season you want and deserve. Best wishes!

http://www.ehow.com/about_5086866_causes-depression-senior-citizens.html

http://www.wellsphere.com/women-s-health-article/some-senior-citizens-have-holiday-depression-and-might-need-help/897801 

http://seniorhealth.about.com/od/mentalemotionalhealth/a/holiday_blues.htm 

The 2012 Purpose Prize

"Encore.org, a nonprofit that promotes second acts for the greater good, selected five Americans 60 and older to each win a $100,000 Purpose Prize for changing lives in new and creative ways. Wow. Encore.org  has made it a mission to encourage those whose work gives them a sense of meaning and a feeling of accomplishment. This financial bonanza is the holy grail,”according to Forbes magazine in its article, Changing Lives: How Five Americans Won $100,000 Purpose Prize, written by Kerry Hannon on 12/06/2012.

Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Encore.org, when he announced the winners, said, “Each of them identified a significant, seemingly intractable social problem. Guided by experience, drawing on creativity and anchored in pragmatism, they set out to find solutions. In their 60s, they are changing the world – and with it perceptions of what is possible for millions of others flooding into the second half of life.” All five recipients have used their life experience as much as their academic preparation or specific job skills to make an impact on an ill that they dedicated themselves to help heal. A woman who reaches out of addiction to help others in prison, an attorney who takes on predatory lenders and a founder of a foster grandparents program all offer personal journeys of self discovery and public service that worked toward the greatest good and brought them the accolade of the Purpose Prize.

Its worth the read to learn more at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryhannon/2012/12/06/changing-lives-how-five-americans-won-100000-purpose-prize/

In regard to giving thanks...

   On April 15, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was murdered in America by Americans. He was slain by a politically motivated gunman who wanted this country to veer away from its path as a democracy embracing the importance of equal participation in citizenship for all toward a more narrowly defined idea of what and who were constitutionally equal and how that definition would carry the nation. That President Lincoln at the time was conflicted about those definitions himself, was a man of his time and socialization and really didn't know how the whole thing would play out in a “liberal” future, but was gunned down for what his murderer believed was a departure from conservative vision is a great irony of the American 19^th century.

   On November 22, 1963, President John. F. Kennedy was murdered in America by an American. If one subscribes to the “single gunman theory,” the President was slain by a politically motivated assassin who wanted this country to veer away from its experiment in an unfettered democracy toward a controlled communist system of government. That President Kennedy at the time was conflicted about and being criticized at home for his “liberal” agenda regarding civil rights and universal suffrage but was gunned down for what his murderer believed was a very conservative anti-communist stance is a great irony of the American 20^th century.

   Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It is the first Thanksgiving since the nation has emerged from another overly heated election cycle where ideas about what is democracy, what is communism, what is liberal, what is conservative, what is “America” and who is “American” have been, some 200 years later, addressed again. We have much to be thankful for as our mission was accomplished without murder and in the knowledge that whether it be perfected or flawed, our America, although tested, remains true to the democratic principles and procedures we hold up to the world as what makes us the greatest human experiment of all time. This year we can give thanks that we have served our fallen heroes and ourselves well and in the spirit of the promise of our future, are not, so far, the great irony of the 21^st century.