The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Baby boomers ponder these times

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America is in turmoil. Millions of Americans are pouring out into the streets to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when a police office pressed his knee on his neck until he died. All this in the middle of the covid-19 pandemic. 

I'm stressed. I don't know what's going to happen next. Police reform? I hope so. Millions more getting the coronavirus and thousands more dying of it? I hope not. 

I've decided what I'm going to do in these challenging times is make a large contribution on an organization that works to improve my community, including working on homeless issues.

Our boomer bloggers are writing about what's going on in America and what's going on in their lives:

Black Lives Matter

The Black Lives Matter protests are swelling throughout the nation. As she reached out to her friends of color, Carol Cassara of Heart·Mind·Soul has learned more about what it means to be an effective ally. In "How Much Do Black Lives Matter to You?" she relates an impactful dialogue she had with a female friend; one that made even more vivid what people of color face every day of their lives. 

Jennifer Koshak of Unfold and Begin has been struggling with a lot of emotions lately; sadness, anger, and outrage, to name just a few. She was sickened by the casual way in which a cop murdered George Floyd, and while she doesn't know exactly what to say, she does have something to say.

Something that happened to Laurie Stone of Musing, Rants & Scribbles five years ago seems as relevant today as it did back then. She was in her neighborhood grocery store when she encountered a tall, middle-aged African-American man stocking shelves. He had a cart full of product and part of it blocked her way. She looked at him, smiling, saying, “Excuse me.” He turned and gazed at her, his eyes hard, face tight and unsmiling. And that’s when she saw it.

Travel

Rebecca Olkowski with BabyBoomster.com attended the American Travel Trends Forum online with guest speakers Peter Greenberg, Samantha Brown, Andrew McCarthy, and others. The tourism industry has been heavily impacted by the pandemic with over 100 million out of work. What does it need to do to come back? Rebecca reports on some of their thoughts and findings.

Bathing suits

Quarantine, recession, protest marches. It has been a long week. But it is also summer and time to relax a bit and enjoy the season, the weather, the warmth. Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting obliges with an upbeat post about swim suits. Summer’s here and that means bathing suits.

Social Security

Tom Sightings at Sightings Over Sixty had occasion to check on his Social Security benefits – which we all know can often be complicated and sometimes confusing. So he turned to financial guru Jeremy Kisner to find some important Social Security FAQ's ... which will answer (almost) any question you ever had about Social Security, including if and when it will go bankrupt.

These articles make up the Best of Boomer Blogs #653. Be sure to check out the articles and leave a comment. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Baby boomers coping during weeks of staying at home due to the pandemic

Things are going well for me as I stay home under Washington state’s stay home order. I’m willing to do it for a long time more. I don’t think it’s worth it to get my hair cut or eat in a restaurant and get the coronavirus.

It’s so upsetting that protesters are risking the lives of others by coming out to state capitals, crowding together, and in some states, even carrying guns.

My yard is beautiful this time of year. I have 40 rhododendrons in many colors of pink plus red, yellow, orangey, and purple. I’m making a bouquet a day because the beautiful blossoms will soon be gone. Since my main interest in my yard is growing vegetables, I rely on all the rhododendrons, and about a dozen azaleas, planted by previous owners.

But the main thing I’m doing is working on the book about my journalism career called “Follow the Money: My Life as a Financial Journalist.” It’s a lot of work to go through the hundreds of print articles I’ve written, but it makes the time fly by. I’m almost finished with the print articles. Next, I’ll need to figure out a way to write about more than 6,000 blog articles.

Meanwhile, baby boomer bloggers are writing about:

Baby boomers share stories of staying at home during these coronavirus pandemic times

Mother’s Day was different this year. Instead of celebrating with my daughter and her family in Spain like I often do, I was at home in the Seattle area following Washington state’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.

I enjoyed a video call with my daughters and pizza and chocolate cake. I got the idea for the pizza and cake from my birthday request made earlier in May. It was so good, I repeated it for Mother’s Day.

While staying home gets tiring at times, it’s giving me a lot of time to work on my book “Follow the Money: My Life as a Financial Journalist.”

Meanwhile, boomer bloggers are writing about how they’re doing during the pandemic:

Baby boomers struggling like most Americans to get through these covid-19 days

Today is my birthday. It’s so different to be home alone celebrating. I usually go to Madrid to spend the month of May with my daughter, who also has a birthday in May. Then, of course, in May, there’s also American Mother’s Day and Spanish Mother’s Day to celebrate.

That makes many occasions to drink cava, Spain’s amazing sparkling wine. It’s aged in underground caves for a year in a second fermentation.

I talked with my daughters today over WhatsApp, then enjoyed pizza and chocolate cake with my cava.

Spring 2020 is so different – no travel, no family events, no movies or theater performances, no eating out, no face-to-face classes, no crowds, and no long lines.

Let’s hope enough states will continue social distancing so that we don’t have a second wave of the covid-19 pandemic with thousands of deaths.

Here’s what the other boomer bloggers in our group are writing about:

• Future travel for baby boomers, which includes taking small trips before venturing too far from home.
• Good quotes and life lessons scattered among the various displays of goods and wares in tourist shops on a shopping trip before the pandemic.
• A survey that shows Americans are much more concerned about the coronavirus pandemic in April than they were in March, with Hispanic and black adults having higher concerns.
• A Bob Marley quote that points out we never really know how strong we are until it matters.
• How to prepare for walking into the unknown during pandemic times.

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting writes about these articles for the Best of Boomer Blogs #648. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to leave a comment. Boomer bloggers love to converse with readers.

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Top Mother’s Day tips in the coronavirus pandemic era

In the past, I’ve written dozens of articles on how to celebrate Mother’s Day. However, this year is so different.

Instead of being in Madrid celebrating with my daughter and her family, I’m at home by myself, picking up groceries once a week as my only outing.

Fortunately, except for the people who have to work, you can still order things for Mother’s Day gifts. And, in some states, restaurants are opening. However, in Washington state where I live, we are still under Stay Home, Stay Healthy orders. I think it’s too early to go out to a restaurant, so I’m not putting that on my list.

Here are some suggestions:

• Set up a Zoom or Skype meeting with your mom. If she isn’t tech savvy, you may be able to help her get started by a phone call. If you live in the same city with your mom, you can continue your social distance visiting.
• Check local flower shops in your mom’s city to see which ones are delivering. Many are saying that wholesale supplies have been interrupted so selections may be limited. In addition, some are requesting that you order your flowers to be delivered on alternate date to support logistical constraints.
• Order pizza or a special dinner. Although most restaurants may be closed to dining, many are offering pickup and delivered meals. For example, in the Seattle area, you can order food from the Australian Pie Co., Elliott Bay Brewhouse & Pub, Frank’s Smokehouse, Vietnam Café and Sandwich, Sushi In Joy, Anthony’s Des Moines, Theo Chocolate, Dick’s Drive-In, Ivar’s Seafood Bars, Pagliacci, Red Robin, Tutta Bella, Canlis, Sunlight Café, and many other restaurants.
• Buy a gift card for your mom’s favorite restaurant, department store, or spa.
• Give her a themed gift basket with snacks and chocolates. Or, order a box of chocolates. The choices are endless.
• Make a spring wreath and hang it on your mom’s door when you drop off your gift and card.
• Get copies made of family photos you love and put them in an album.
• Give her the gift of an online cooking class.
• Schedule a virtual happy hour or play a game such as Scrabble over Zoom.
• Order several different wines so she can have a wine tasting and have them sent to her.
• Order her a kitchen herb garden kit.
• Buy her a new pair of pajamas or sweats and slippers, since that’s what we all seem to be wearing. Or, a new spa robe would be nice.
• Give her a “Best Mom” or “I Love You” mug.
• Get a diary for your mom so she can record how the 2020 coronavirus pandemic is unfolding.
• Give her a card with a letter setting up a date to for a special occasion such as a concert or trip to a museum.
• Order a book, if your mom is an avid reader.
• Look for jewelry that you think she might like, although the prices sometimes go up just before Mother’s Day.

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Don’t give businesses immunity from liability for exposing workers or consumers to covid-19, consumer groups say

No business should be given immunity from potential liability for exposing workers or customers to covid-19, Public Citizen and 117 other groups said Wednesday in a letter to leaders in Congress.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, has called for businesses to be immune from liability if their workers and customers get sick because a business failed to take reasonable steps to protect people. Such a proposal, if enacted, would undermine consumer and worker protections, reward negligent conduct, and show unwarranted disrespect for state law, the groups said.

“[W]e strongly oppose any legislation that would establish nationwide immunity for businesses that operate in an unreasonably unsafe manner, causing returning workers and consumers to risk COVID-19 infection,” the groups wrote. “Removing legal accountability for businesses not only would jeopardize the health and safety of workers, it would also jeopardize everyone who enters those workplaces. This would be extremely damaging to the nation’s economic recovery.”

Many more Americans concerned about covid-19 now than in March, survey shows

The percentage of adults who are “extremely concerned” or “very concerned” about the widespread transmission of novel coronavirus in the United States increased from 44 percent in March to 76 percent in April, an increase of 32 percent, according to a survey from Consumer Reports, a testing and advocacy organization. 

The survey, conducted from April 2 to 14, included questions on the pandemic’s impact on consumers’ attitudes, behavior, and finances.

It found that Hispanic and black adults are much more likely than white adults, 59 percent and 51 percent versus 37 percent respectively, to say they are “extremely concerned” about widespread transmission of the virus. Hispanic and black communities have been especially hard hit by the pandemic, experiencing higher numbers of cases and deaths in some parts of the U.S.

Facts and figures for Easter 2020

It's such a strange year for celebrating Easter Sunday. The coronavirus pandemic has shut down so much of the United States so that the usual Easter activities, such as attending church, aren't happening. In addition, about half of Americans say they won't be buying Easter candy, a new outfit, or Easter foods this year, according to a WalletHub survey.

Here's more information on the WalletHub Easter 2020 survey:

Source: WalletHub

 

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Corporate leaders and conservative shock jocks pressure Trump to open the economy soon, report shows

A group of billionaires, corporate executives, and conservative commentators has been urging the rollback of social distancing recommendations, despite public health warnings, a Public Citizen report shows. In arguing for a return to economic “normalcy,” the group ignores the devastating health consequences of its recommendations and the difficulty of returning to normal while the coronavirus pandemic rages on.

Public health experts have made it clear that by adhering to social distancing recommendations and requirements, Americans will prevent the crisis from becoming a catastrophe. One study warns that inadequate action could result in the deaths of 2.2 million Americans from the virus.

However, after a mid-March meeting with Wall Street executives, President Donald Trump held a press conference to announce he intended to push for a hastened end to the social distancing measures. Since then, a number of big business executives and conservative media joined the call, forcing the government’s top public health officials to intervene to postpone Trump’s rushed coronavirus deadline.

Staying home due to covid-19 is affecting Easter plans and spending, survey shows

About 68 percent of Americans who observe Easter say their Easter spending will be affected by the coronavirus this year, according to WalletHub’s “Coronavirus Easter Survey” released Monday.

Highlights of the report include:  

• Worshippers don’t want to stay home: 56 percent of Americans who went to church on Easter Sunday last year say they’ll go to church for Easter this year, if it’s open.
   
• Republicans are more likely to attend services: Republicans are almost three times more likely than Democrats to attend church on Easter this year, if it’s open.
   
• Pandemics make people appreciate family and health more: The coronavirus has made Americans most grateful for their family, 40 percent, followed by health, 29 percent, and freedom, 13 percent.
   
• Traditional Easter spending is down: Almost half of Easter-celebrating Americans are skipping candy, new outfits, and Easter foods this year, in contrast with prior years.
   
• Covid-19 itself is scarier than financial troubles: 68 percent of Americans are more worried about the coronavirus than the U.S. economy.
   
• Many Americans think lockdowns should last: About half of Americans believe that non-essential business, restaurants, and travel shouldn’t restart for at least three months.

More survey details from Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst: