I recently spoke with someone who has, for a number of reasons, not been doing any exercise for several months. She works at a job that keeps her in a chair all day. In addition, she has both fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. She is in a certain amount of pain all the time; and her [...]

There is always discussion within families about what people leave behind when they pass on.  This is a big concern and a very emotional issue for both retirees and their families.  Most of us want to leave behind some sort of legacy.  For some, this is money; for some, it is their children; for some [...]

There is good news about your mind in retirement! The National Institutes of Health conducted a study of people aged 70 and older.  They found that the number of people coping with some form of cognitive impairment in this group has declined from 12.2% in 1993 to 8.7% in 2002. Why is this true? There are probably [...]

The Earth Times recently reported on a study conducted by Transamerica Retirement Management, Inc.  The study polled working adults 55 and over about their expectations of retirement, their plans for retirement, and their feelings about the uncertainties of transitioning into retirement and being financially secure. The study debunks the widely held belief that retirees are generally [...]

Many of us who are now over 50 are considered part of the Sandwich Generation. The sandwich generation refers to a generation of people reaching traditional retirement age who are caring in some way for both elders and children or grandchildren.  The size of this group is growing rapidly as life expectancy increases and we [...]

I have discovered some wonderful programming on TV.  Despite the writer’s strike and the comments of some who think television is harmful or of poor quality, I have found that television offers both great entertainment and information.  And, with cable, direct TV, satellite providers and fiber optic networks, there are hundreds of channels to choose [...]

Many of us have grown up in a world in which we learn to trust brand names to meet our standards of quality.  We learn from experience that we can trust certain brands or company names.  Sometimes, we don’t get the best deal for our money. Business Week Magazine recently ran an article reporting on some [...]

Reverse mortgages have become increasingly popular over the last twenty years.  They are touted as the retiree’s solution to everything from soaring medical costs to simply living a better lifestyle from day to day.  I want to be clear from the outset that I believe reverse mortgages can be a very important part of planning [...]

A Canadian study was reported last October which found that among men and women in Vancouver there is a clear tendency for men to plan to work part-time after retirement, while women plan to volunteer.  The study was The Couples Retirement Study conducted for Scotiabank.  This was just one part of the study, but I [...]

The boomer generation is, with good reason, often called the “Sandwich Generation” because we tend to be caring for both our children (and maybe grandchildren) as well as aging parents.  As we all know, aging can affect vision and balance.  A bad fall can mean a broken bone or damaged hip.  Here are a few [...]