The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Most sunscreens contain possible harmful ingredients or don’t protect well from the sun, consumer group analysis shows

Researchers from the Environmental Working Group found that two-thirds of sunscreen products it analyzed offer inferior sun protection or contain worrisome ingredients, such as oxybenzone.

On Wednesday, the EWG released its 13th Annual Guide to Sunscreens, which rates the safety and effectiveness of more than 1,300 SPF products, including sunscreens, daily moisturizers, and lip balms with SPF values. SPF means sun protection factor.

In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a proposal for updated sunscreen regulations. It’s a big step toward cleaning up a poorly regulated industry, with much-needed reforms that would better protect public health, said Nneka Leiba, director of the EWG’s Healthy Living Science program. Only 40 percent of the products on the EWG’s list contain active ingredients that the FDA has proposed are safe and effective, based on the agency’s new draft rules, according to the EWG’s assessment.

How government regulations help consumers

Conservatives rail against government regulations, and the Trump administration is doing its best every day to cut government regulations that corporations hate.

However, government regulations help consumers. A report by the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards lists 10 worker, health, safety, and transportation standards that could help consumers this summer.

“Summer is supposed to be when we take time off from work to spend with family and friends, enjoy picnics, barbeques and cookouts, lay out by the pool, head to the beach, take road trips across the country or fly to far-flung places,” the report says. “But what happens if you’ve been deprived of the wages needed to take time off or travel, if road trips, flights and tour boats are potentially dangerous, if it’s way too hot to work or play outside, and there’s a good chance the food and water may be hazardous to your health? Suddenly, summertime looks less like a dreamy vacation and more like a scorching hot nightmare.”

The regulations discussed in the report are:

Plan to relocate USDA research agencies opposed by food safety groups

Members of the Safe Food Coalition are asking Congress to stop the efforts to diminish the impact of key research agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including moving two of them out of Washington, D.C.

The USDA has announcement of a list of finalists for the proposed relocation of the Economic Research Service or ERS and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture or NIFA.

The Trump Administration has repeatedly proposed dramatic budget cuts to research budgets for the two USDA research agencies. The president’s 2020 budget eliminates the entire ERS budget for food safety research, which was $2.1 million. Congress, however, has maintained its funding for ERS’ agricultural and food safety research, and it continues to support NIFA’s research agenda.

Baby boomers discuss what you should do when you’re older

One of my favorite things to do these days as an older adult is to travel. My daughter lives in Madrid, and I go there twice a year – once for the end-of-year holidays and again in May to celebrate our birthdays, Spanish Mothers’ Day, and American Mothers’ Day.

The photo is of my daughter and me at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao during my latest trip to Spain. I’ve always wanted to go there since I love museums.

But with limited funds when baby boomers retire, what should they be spending money on? Do they need a budget or a money manager? What about their interpersonal lives?

On Sightings Over Sixty, Tom Sightings writes about how to bring your retirement expenses into line with a more modest retirement income. See his article, “How to Live Within Your Means,” for suggestions such as selling items you no longer need, canceling country club and gym memberships, and stopping credit card spending.

A rocky air flight got Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting to thinking about the future as her flight bounced about. Specifically, her future. How long could she continue to enjoy her current lifestyle? Her mind wandered to an intriguing future home alternative for when she and her husband are older. Assuming the trip ended on a positive note, it may be worth researching. See if you agree in “My Here and After.”

Another thing boomers need to think about as they grow older is how they see themselves. We boomers set great store by our achievements...it's the way we grew up. But, maybe something got lost along the way, suggests Carol Cassara of A Healing Spirit in her post, “You Don't Need to Shine.”

Rebecca Olkowski with BabyBoomster.com thinks that whatever is going on a boomer’s life, they need laughter. With all that’s coming at us these days, it’s good to have a belly laugh once in a while. See Olkowski article, “How Having a Sense of Humor Will Improve Your Health and Longevity,” for a list of the health benefits of laughing.

For Jennifer Koshak of Unfold and Begin it’s collaboration that lifts her up these days. Koshak has always been interested in creativity and studies it, tests it, and tries to find new ways to increase it. In her latest post, she looks at “How Collaboration Inspires Creativity” and provides some tips on how to find different ways to create with others.

This is the Best of Boomer Blogs #597. Be sure to let the boomers know your opinions about their posts. Nothing makes boomer bloggers happier than to get comments on their articles.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Jury awards couple $2 billion in lawsuit against Roundup

For the third time in less than a year, a California jury issued a verdict against Bayer-Monsanto, finding that the company’s Roundup weedkiller caused cancer in a California couple and awarding them $2.055 billion in damages.

The jury in Alameda County Superior Court found on Monday that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, was the cause of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in both Alva and Alberta Pilliod of Livermore, who have used the herbicide since the 1970s.

It’s the third trial since August 2018 in which a jury found that glyphosate caused cancer. More than 13,000 similar lawsuits have been filed against the company.

Tell federal consumer protection agency to support strong action against payday lenders

Photo: Aliman Senai

In 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau approved protections against payday debt traps with triple-digit interest rates, requiring lenders to make sure customers have the ability to repay the high interest rates.

But earlier this year, the new CFPB director reversed course.

The CFPB plans to roll back the heart of its own protections against sky-high payday loan interest rates, but maybe enough comments from the public could stop officials from revoking these important rules, said Elise Orlick, director, US-PIRG.

The CFPB is accepting public comments until May 15. Click here to fill out a form to send the CFPB your opinions.

How to plan a cruise

Going on a cruise is quite an adventure, I learned as a first-time cruise goer in late March. It was a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean with stops in Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island, Costa Maya, Mexico, and Cozumel, Mexico.

The purpose of the cruise was to celebrate my sister’s 80^th birthday. My niece arranged the cruise, so all I had to is get out my credit card and pay. And pay I did.

Since it’s an expensive and time-consuming endeavor, here are tips to help you have the best cruise possible:

Decide where you want to go.

The possibilities are endless, with a cruise industry expanding its offerings to serve 28.5 million passengers a year. Once an unusual sight, you now see cruise ships in many major ports. The Caribbean, Alaska, and the Mediterranean are the most popular destinations.

Be careful using Angie’s List, consumer group warns

Angie’s List, an online rating service, has many shortcomings in addition to potential value to consumers, according to a Consumer Federation of America report.

Angie’s List, founded in 1995, was originally supported mainly by annual consumer subscriptions and prioritized service to these subscribers. Today, while consumers can join for free, Angie’s List gets almost all its revenue from advertising purchased by some of the local businesses that the online service lists and rates. Angie’s List recommends and gives preferential treatment to these advertisers and that can easily mislead consumers into thinking these businesses are the best ones and should be selected.

The report, “Angie’s List: An Evaluation of Its Usefulness for Consumers” shows that these profiled businesses are often not those rated the most highly by consumers and by a nonprofit rating group.

Federal agency slow to recall dangerous rocking sleepers resulting in more infant deaths, Consumer Reports says

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that the children’s product company Kids II is recalling nearly 700,000 rocking sleepers that are available for sale or are in people’s homes. The sleepers are marketed using several brand names, such as the Ingenuity Moonlight Rocking Sleeper and the Bright Starts Playtime to Bedtime Sleeper. 

Consumer Reports reported on April 11 that four deaths were linked to these Kids II infant rocking sleepers, and on April 26 the CPSC identified an additional infant death that occurred in one of them. This story followed the Consumer Reports investigation published on April 8 about the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper, which found that the product was tied to at least 32 infant deaths. Consumer Reports called for the recall of both companies’ products. Fisher-Price announced a recall on April 12.

“How many times will we see government and industry move too slow to prevent unnecessary tragedy?” Marta Tellado, president and CEO of Consumer Reports, said. “When products are linked to deaths, it is inexcusable to not inform the public immediately. The CPSC should do their job and be far more vigilant, so no one – especially those who are the most vulnerable – are ever put in harm’s way.”

Pedestrians: Pay attention when crossing the street and don’t eat pizza

As a careful driver, I’m very respectful of pedestrians. I know they have the right of way in the crosswalk and can cross at any corner, even if a crosswalk isn’t painted there. I always stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

However, I’m becoming impatient with pedestrians who stroll across the street, look at their cell phones, and eat pizza.

Yes, eat pizza. This week, a young woman began crossing the street carrying a pizza box. I was poised to make a free right turn, which is legal in Washington state, but I waited for her instead trying to beat her through the crosswalk.

I’ll be darned if she didn’t open the pizza box, take out a slice, and begin eating it as she crossed. I was dumbfounded. I didn’t honk. Next time, I’m going to lay on the horn.

Thousands of pedestrians killed each year

In 2016, 5,987 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This averages to one crash-related pedestrian death every 1.5 hours.