The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Let’s celebrate our democracy on July Fourth

Happy Fourth of July.

It’s a good day to celebrate our democracy and remember that it needs to be cherished and protected.

In America, we’re free to take part in government and make our voices heard, or not. We can write letters, join organizations that lobby, and protest, or not. We also can run for office, or not. We can vote, or not.

Although it often seems like things have changed in Washington, D.C., recently for the worse, we the people are the government. It’s ours. Rather than railing against it, as the right-wing media advocates, citizens need to participate and help to make government as strong and productive as possible.

Decide today on what action you can take to help make our democracy work well for everyone.

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

July Fourth facts and figures for 2019

Source: WalletHub

Baby boomers learn life skills over time

Baby boomers have learned how to navigate life through all its obstacles and challenges. Each time something happens, a new life skill is learned. Sometimes new knowledge comes from nowhere and is greatly appreciated. It’s what makes life interesting and how boomers survive and thrive.

Our baby boomer bloggers have been picking up life skill because they’ve had to involuntarily or have passed milestones that require them.

Rebecca Forstadt Olkowski of Babyboomster reports recent boomer bloggers articles are:

April is Financial Literacy Month

Financial Literacy Month has been recognized in United States in April since 2003. Its purpose is to advance financial literacy through promoting and supporting effectiveness in financial education.

Dozens of organizations offer activities during Financial Literacy Month to call attention to the need for financial literacy and the work they are doing on it.

The Jump$tart Coalition is the original promoter of April as Financial Literacy Month. It’s a coalition of more than 100 organizations from business, finance, academia, education, and government, as well as a network of 51 state organizations, which share a commitment to “financial smarts for students.”

Here are organizations that provide basic financial literacy, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency:

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

How will you be spending your $40 for Saint Patrick’s Day? That’s the average amount that people are spending on today’s holiday.

I’m a quarter Irish, so I’m thinking today about the marvelous trip my daughter and I had several years ago visiting Ireland. We were able to meet with modern-day members of the Baylee family, now spelled Bailey. It was a thrilling experience. They live in Kilkishen, County Clare.

We learned about them because the Anglican church, no longer in use, was being converted to a community center. The community was reaching out to descendants in the United States for support. I received an email from a woman who had researched her family tree. We had a common ancestor, Henry Baylee. She’d visited Kilkishen and put us in touch with the Bailey family.

The photo is of Laura Baylee Slingsby, my paternal grandmother.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day and sláinte.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Celebrating, traveling, and shopping on Saint Patrick’s Day 2019

In 1991, the U.S. Congress designated March as Irish-American Heritage Month.

Saint Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, and Saint Patrick’s Day was originally a religious holiday to honor him. It has evolved into a celebration of being Irish and Ireland. On March 17, 1762, New York City hosted the first Saint Patrick’s Day parade. Irish soldiers serving in the English military were featured. President Harry Truman attending the parade in 1948, and it has become an annual event.

Spending

Consumers plan to spend an average of $40 for Saint Patrick’s Day this year, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. Unlike other holidays where consumer spending has grown, the average amount consumers spend has stayed the same even as the nation recovered from the Great Recession.

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:

Baby boomers focus on the holidays and life’s ups and downs

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting went to her town’s official party to usher in the holiday season, a Saturday evening with a holiday parade and block party. It rained early in the day, but by the 5 p.m. start, no rain fell and the temperature was almost balmy. Fire engines, school bands, home-made floats, and enthusiastic spectators created a festive atmosphere. 

Other boomer bloggers are writing about:

• Creating a calendar for the holidays to help you enjoy the time and stress less over it.
• Researching whether a charity you’ve heard about it a good choice.
• Recounting stories of holidays past.
• Contemplating our life’s journey.
• Being a caregiver to someone who is chronically ill.

Baer writes about these articles for the Best of Boomer Blogs #575. Click here to get the links to the articles. And, be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Baby boomers deal with life in today’s world

 

The midterm elections are Tuesday and some of our baby boomer writers are getting excited about the outcome. America could be on the cusp of political change. It all depends on who comes out to vote.

This week, boomer bloggers are writing about:

• A 50^th high school reunion.

• A family’s immigrant past.

• Bullet journals.

• The child-like part of us.

• The deferred credit card trick.

• How Congress is out of step with the rest of us.

Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski of BabyBoomster is the host for this week’s Best of Boomer Blog 571. Click here to get links to this week’s boomer articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Facts and figures for Labor Day 2018

Summer's ending, with Labor Day weekend coming up soon. WalletHub, a personal finance website, offers these facts and figures on Labor Day 2018:

Source: WalletHub

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist