The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Happy Labor Day

It’s estimated that 25 percent of Americans plan to get out of town for the Labor Day weekend, and that 86 percent of them plan to travel by car. If you’re one of these, be sure to drive carefully. Another estimate is that about 400 people will die in traffic accidents during the holiday weekend, and 45,300 will sustain serious injuries.

The top travel destinations are New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Chicago.

I wish I’d be at a cookout like the 40.6 percent of Americans who plan to barbecue over Labor Day.

A lot of people will probably be working on the holiday weekend because the largest category in the workforce is retail with 4,450,000 salespeople and second is food preparation and service workers with 3,680,000. Third is cashiers with 3,640,000 workers.

Facts and figures for Labor Day 2019

Source: WalletHub

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Baby boomers dive into summer with topics ranging from sex to hearing aids

It’s summer, with some areas of the country roasting while we in the Seattle area are keeping our cool – mostly.

Here are the topics for this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs:

• How anxiety attacks are sending you a message.
• How traveling is a lot like sex.
• Report on the Brown and Out Fest to celebrate the Latino LGBTQ community in Los Angeles for PRIDE month.
• Advice on switching to a new career in your fifties.
• The experiences of a first-time hearing aid wearer.
• What you as a consumer need to know to get the best deal to pay back your student loan.

Rebecca Forstadt Olkowski of BabyBoomster writes about these articles on the Best of Boomer Blogs 601. Click here to get the links to the articles. And, be sure to let us know your thoughts. Boomer bloggers appreciate conversations with readers.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Sloppy practices by student loan servicers create obstacles to repayment, consumer group says

U.S. Department of Education data show that nearly a quarter of the more than 43 million federal student loan borrowers are in trouble with their loan payments. These borrowers need high-quality, timely assistance, but, unfortunately, the student loan servicing industry has long been rife with misconduct, said Joanna K. Darcus, attorney for the National Consumer Law Center.

The consequences of servicers’ misconduct are significant and, at times, catastrophic for borrowers’ financial lives, Darcus said. Sloppy practices by servicers created obstacles to repayment, raised the costs of debt, caused distress, and ultimately contributed to driving struggling borrowers to default, according to an April 2017 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report based on student loan borrower complaints.

Specifically, many eligible borrowers aren’t enrolled in income-driven repayment or IDR plans despite clear benefits to the financial health of borrowers and their families. Instead, servicers steer many borrowers into forbearances and deferments, which are profitable for the servicer and costly to the borrower.

Top 100 most frequently asked questions

Recently, when I visited Madrid, my granddaughter called her mom and asked her if the dishes in the dishwasher were clean or dirty. I laughed, but then I thought that the question must be one of the most popular questions ever that is asked over and over and over again.

We began brainstorming and came up with 99 additional questions that must be asked hundreds of times a day in America and throughout the world.

The most frequently asked questions are:

1. How are you?
2. How’s your family?
3. What’s new?
4. Do you know ____________?
5. Is this seat taken?
6. What would you like to drink?
7. Would you like cream or sugar (in your coffee)?
8. Who won the game?
9. Do you remember ________________ (a person from the past)?
10. Who will be there?
11. What do you do (for work)?
12. Are you dating anyone?
13. Where are you from?
14. Can I buy you a drink?
15. What’s your phone number?
16. Would you like to have coffee?
17. What’s your favorite song?
18. What’s your favorite movie?
19. Who’s your favorite star?
20. When’s your birthday?
21. What would you like to do?
22. Do you want to come in for coffee (after a date)?
23. Have you been tested for STDs?
24. Do you have a condom?
25. What are your hobbies?
26. Where did you go to school?
27. Will you marry me?
28. Where would you like to live?
29. Who was that?
30. Where are you going to go to college?
31. What are you going to major in?
32. What do you want to do (for a career)?
33. Have you read _______________ (a book)?
34. Who said __________(quote)?
35. Where are you going?
36. Can you come to the party?
37. Is she (or he) your friend?
38. Do you work here?
39. How much will I be paid for the job?
40. When's the meeting?
41. Where's the meeting?
42. Is the boss in a bad mood?
43. What's he (or she) like to work for?
44. How was work?
45. Will you take out the garbage?
46. Did you take out the garbage?
47. How was school?
48. When are you going to clean up your bedroom?
49. Where have you been?
50. Why were you late?
51. Do you know what time it is?
52. Are you ready?
53. What would you like for dinner?
54. What time is dinner?
55. Is a minute (or two minutes) in the microwave enough?
56. Would you like a sandwich?
57. Is this too old (to eat)?
58. Who’s coming to dinner?
59. When will the repairman be here?
60. Are we out of toilet paper?
61. Where are my _______________ (shorts, dress, shoes or other items)?
62. What’s on TV?
63. Did you let the dog (or cat) out?
64. Did you mow the lawn?
65. Do you remember when we _____________ (took a trip or did an activity)?
66. Is it broken (object or body part)?
67. Are we there yet?
68. How far is it to ______________ (place or town)?
69. Is that a _______________ (brand name)?
70. Where did you get that _____________ (shirt, dress, or shoes)?
71. How much does it cost?
72. Does this make me look fat?
73. Do you like this?
74. Does this look good on me?
75. Did you get a haircut?
76. Will you pick up my suit from the dry cleaners?
77. Can I speak to your supervisor?
78. Where are my keys?
79. Where are my glasses?
80. Where’s my cell phone?
81. Where did I park my car?
82. Is that a parking spot?
83. What’s the weather?
84. Do I need a coat?
85. Do I need an umbrella?
86. Have you voted?
87. Is the plane on time?
88. Can you recommend a restaurant?
89. Do you have any vacancies?
90. Do you mind if I smoke?
91. Have you met the new neighbors?
92. How are the schools (in that neighborhood or city)?
93. What’s that bulldozer doing down the street?
94. What’s the population of _______________ (city, town, or country)?
95. Why are you giving me a ticket, officer?
96. Can I see your new car?
97. Would you call me an Uber?
98. How many likes did I get?
99. Am I oversharing?

That’s my list. Did I miss any?

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Workstations recalled by Knape & Vogt due to injury hazard

Knape & Vogt is recalling about 76,000 sit-stand office workstations.

The workstation can malfunction, causing the gas cylinders to separate and forcefully discharge, posing an injury hazard. 

Knape & Vogt has received two reports of the gas cylinder separating from the workstation. In one case, the cylinder discharged from the unit resulting in damage to the drywall in an office.

Best wishes on May Day

I love May. When I was a kid, we used to make construction paper baskets, fill them with flowers, and put them on people’s door steps on May Day. It was so much fun to make them and receive them.

In addition, my birthday is May 4. So, I love it when spring comes and the flowers, bushes, and trees start blooming. When I was young and growing up on an apple ranch, I used to imagine that the apple trees blossomed just for my birthday. I’d run through the orchard and climb a tree, sitting there enjoying the wonderful fragrance and beauty of the acres of the blossoming trees.

When I was growing up, I only saw a May pole ceremony done a couple of times. The maypole and the decorating of it has roots in the ancient Pagan festival celebrating the beginning of the summer season.

May 1 is International Workers’ Day. Why isn’t it celebrated in the United States?

Today is Equal Pay Day

Equal Pay Day symbolizes how far into the year women need to work to earn what men earned in the previous year.

Equal Pay Day was created by the National Committee on Pay Equity in 1996 to make the public aware of the gap between men's and women's wages.

Since Census statistics showing the latest wage figures aren’t available until late August or September, the committee selected a Tuesday in April as Equal Pay Day. Tuesday was chosen to show how far into the next work week women need to work to earn what men earned the previous week. The date also was selected to avoid religious holidays and other events.

Baby boomers springing forward into spring

The legislature in my state is debating whether to get rid of day light savings time. Arguments include it doesn’t save energy, some people have health effects, and it costs money due to reduced productivity.

For me, my opinion is to keep daylight savings time. I like the increased daylight in the evening. And, while it takes me a couple of weeks to go through the time change, I don’t notice it after that.

Whether daylight savings time or standard time, baby boomers keep on writing. Last week’s articles include:

• Whether baby boomers are leaving the world a better place than they found it.
• The benefits of taking walking tours.
• The challenges of replacing an old TV set.
• The ups and downs of quitting jobs in Connecticut and moving to Florida.
• How to buy a winter coat.

Carol Cassara of Heart·Mind·Soul writes about these articles on the Best of Boomer Blogs #587. Click here to get the links to these articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Today is International Women's Day

International Women's Day, March 8, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

International Women's Day has occurred for more than a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Prior to this the Socialist Party of America, United Kingdom’s suffragettes, America’s suffragists, and other groups campaigned for women’s equality.

This year’s theme is Balance for Better. The IWD website explains the theme this way: