The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Best wishes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Over the years, I’ve written more than a dozen articles for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They included his most famous quotes, how a day to celebrate King was finally approved, and how it’s a day of service, not a day off.

But one of ones I liked the best was on King’s commitment to eliminating poverty. I found it when I did research on what were King’s thoughts about consumers. In his last book, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” written in 1967, King said programs to improve housing and education and to offer counseling to families were sporadically funded and uncoordinated. And, in addition, he said such programs are indirect. Each seeks to solve poverty by first solving something else.

King supported a guaranteed income for all Americans in his book.

Guide to getting bargains throughout the year

It’s January and it’s a famous month for getting lots of items on sale. However, every month of the year usually offers bargains.

Here’s information from DealNews, a website listing bargains, so you can make a plan for saving throughout the year:

January

Gym memberships, white sales with deals on bedding and towels, winter clothing especially winter coats, fitness equipment, spring travel, holiday décor

February

Winter apparel, home goods, television sets, non-traditional Valentine’s Day gifts

March

Chocolate, frozen food, St. Patrick’s Day food, cruises, gift cards, luggage

Baby boomers are looking backward and forward as the year ends

There are similarities between the 1920s and 2020 such as big wealth vs. the rest of us, refugees escaping violence, and Russian influence, says Rebecca Olkowski of the blog BabyBoomster. She describes how both of her parents were born here in the early 1920s, with most of her family arrived in America in the 1880s from parts of Poland, which was Russia then Czechoslovakia and now Slovakia.

“The world works in cycles,” Olkowski says. “It’s kind of weird that way.”

Meanwhile, some of our boomer bloggers are saying goodbye to another year in their articles and others are continuing to provide helpful information. Their articles include:

• How quickly the year and decade have passed.
• A year of travels, including getting some warm sun.
• How to put your goals for next year on a calendar to help achieve them.
• How to keep warm safely this winter.
• How events that stop you in your tracks can give you a new perspective.
• How a mother’s death taught her daughter the lessons of a lifetime.

Olkowski writes about these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #629. Click here to get the links to the articles. And let us hear from you. We love to get comments and suggestions.

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

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you today, if Christmas is a holiday you celebrate.

I'm lucky to be able to celebrate with my daughter and her family. We had a wonderful roast beef dinner last night and opened presents this morning.

Today is a good time to think about what we can do to help others who are less fortunate. We can help others by donating time or money to organizations who have these goals. Or we can help friends, neighbors, and others in our communities when we see that they need assistance.

Best wishes to you and your loved ones today on this day of magnificence and celebration.

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

Facts and figures for the holidays 2019: Travel

A record number of Americans  – 115.6 million – will travel this holiday season. That’s an increase of 3.9 percent over last year, or 4.3 million more people taking a holiday getaway, according to AAA.

Auto

More than 104 million of those holiday travelers will drive to their destinations and delays to be the worst on Thursday, Dec. 26, INRIX, a transportation analytics company, predicts. The number of Americans driving for the holidays is up 3.9 percent or 3.9 million people compared with last year.

Gas prices steadily declined in November. AAA expects most motorists will see gas prices drop before the New Year, but gas prices will likely be slightly more expensive than last December’s national gas price average of $2.37.

Air travel

With 4.9 percent growth, air travel will see the biggest increase in travel volume during the year-end holidays, with 6.97 million Americans expected to fly – the most since 2003.

Facts and figures for the holidays 2019: Shopping

How are you doing with your holiday shopping? Have you overspent your budget? 

Consumers say they'll spend an average of $1,047.83 this holiday season, up 4 percent from the $1,007.24 they said they would spend last year, according to the National Retail Federation. Total spending is expected to reach between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion. 

One in five Americans will owe holiday credit card debt into February, at least, according to a survey by WalletHub, a personal finance website. Fifty-eight percent will pay in full by the due date, 19 percent will pay in full by New Year's Day, and 12 percent will still have a holiday balance after January. 

Another WelletHub survey found the top two financial resolutions for 2020 are: (1) repay 20 percent of credit card debt, and (2) add one month’s pay to an emergency fund.

Here are other facts on holiday spending this year, according to the WalletHub survey: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby boomers contemplate winter solstice, feeling different, aging, money, and Christmas trees

It’s the holiday season. The New Year will be here soon with new beginnings and old challenges yet unresolved. To inspire you, here are the latest thought-provoking articles and practical advice from our boomer bloggers, as reported by Laurie Stone of Musings, Rants & Scribbles in Best of the Boomer Blogs #628.

The articles include:

• How to appreciate those who are different and ourselves more fully.
• How to buy gift cards and the return policies for 48 retailers. 
• Why the holiday celebrations are so nice before the somber, cold and quiet of the rest of winter settles in.
• How to plan your goals better by exploring five-, three-, and one-year goals.
• Aging isn’t so bad because we’re happier, smarter, and sexier than we’ve ever been.
• How to have the money talk.
• How to have the perfect Christmas tree.

Click here to get the links to all these articles. And be sure to leave comments. We love to hear from you.

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

Tips for buying gift cards

Gift cards are a popular, convenient gift for the holidays. This holiday season, more than half of Americans plan to buy gift cards, according to the National Retail Federation. They’ll purchase an average of four gift cards worth about $49 each. Spending on gift cards is expected to reach $29.9 billion, up from last year’s $27.6 billion.

Although gift cards seem straightforward, it’s important that both the giver and the recipient read the details for each card to avoid problems, and to find out if additional requirements have been put on by the merchant or bank issuing the card, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Protections

Federal law provides protections for consumers who purchase gift cards, including store and restaurant gift cards, known as merchant cards. These cards can only be redeemed at the stores and restaurants that sell them. Bank gift cards – which carry the logo of a payment card network, for example, Visa or MasterCard – are also subject to federal law protections and can be used wherever the brand is accepted.

Return policies for 48 stores this holiday season

Not every gift is going to be perfect for its recipient. You may need to return some items after the present exchange.

Return policies

Stores have varying deadlines for returns. You need to know about them so you don’t try to return an item months later and find out you’ve missed the deadline.

Retailers often give consumers at least 30 days to return an item, and some allow more time. Certain stores give you 60 or 90 days, but there's usually a cutoff for getting cash back – after that, you’ll probably receive a gift card.

Some stores extend their return deadlines during the holiday season. Look for special return dates for purchases made in November and December. Apple, for example, usually gives you 14 days for returns. However, if you order your items online between Nov. 15 and Dec. 25, you’ll have until Jan. 8, 2020, to return them.

Receipts

Hopefully, your Christmas delivery will come with a receipt. Or, you’ll keep your receipt if you buy the gift in a store. If you don't have a receipt, you may be able to return an item and get store credit. However, some retailers will reject your return if you don’t have the receipt.

No returns

Retailer have varying policies, but really exclusive items, used items, and final sale products probably can’t be exchanged or returned. Remember to read the fine print or check the return policy before you ask for a return for these items.

Identification

Some retailers request a valid ID when you ask for a return. That’s because shoplifters are less likely to return an item for cash if they have to give their names. Plus, it helps retailers track irregular return patterns.

DealNews, a comparison shopping website, offers the following return policies for well-known stores:

Americans resolving to pay off debts and save money in 2020, survey shows

The New Year is approaching rapidly, and money continues to be America’s top concern with almost 99 million people planning to make a financial resolution for 2020.

WalletHub, a personal finance website, conducted a survey of the “Top 10 Financial Resolutions for 2020” and found the No. 1 financial resolution for men is to save more, while women are focused on paying off debt.

Other highlights of the survey include: