The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

USDA, meatpacking industry downplay covid-19 risks resulting in worker illnesses and deaths

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the meatpacking industry worked together to downplay and disregard risks to worker health during the pandemic, as shown in documents obtained by Public Citizen and American Oversight.

“While we knew that the meatpacking industry was lobbying the Trump administration to take steps to protect its profits regardless of the cost to workers’ lives, the degree of collaboration these documents show is astounding,” said Adam Pulver, attorney for Public Citizen.

Pulver said as outbreaks continue to emerge in meatpacking plants, it’s stunning to see the cavalier attitude officials took to the health and safety of workers in the early part of the pandemic.

Many Americans think the threat of covid-19 will continue for months, survey shows

Most Americans are still concerned about the spread of covid-19 in their communities – and they expect the pandemic to continue to be a concern into 2021, according to a survey from Consumer Reports, a consumer research, testing, and advocacy organization.

A majority of Americans – 78 percent – remain concerned about the continued spread of covid in their area over the next month, including 44 percent who are “very concerned.”

The number of people who have been “very concerned” about covid rose mid-summer as the number of covid cases across the United States spiked. Forty-one percent of adults were “very concerned” about the pandemic in May and June. The figure rose to 53 percent who were “very concerned” in July, and then dropped to 44 percent in August.

Price gouging persists on Amazon, consumer group reports

Despite U.S. PIRG Education Fund calling out Amazon and other online retailers for allowing price gouging in their online websites at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, a new analysis shows that the problem is still serious.

Six months later, U.S. PIRG Education Fund revisited whether Amazon had lived up to its promise of tackling price gouging. Its new analysis looked at 10 products found on many shopping lists during the covid-19 pandemic, including hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes, and digital thermometers.

Of these items, options from Amazon were two to 14 times more expensive than the identical products sold at other retailers. Some examples include:

Facts and figures for Labor Day 2020

As Labor Day approaches, it’s a time to celebrate American workers and take a look at how they’ve been impacted by the covid-19 pandemic. Although the United States is slowly regaining lost jobs, the national unemployment rate is still higher than normal at 10.2 percent as of July 2020.

The high level of unemployment, along with the continued spread of coronavirus and its huge economic impact, has led many American workers to be concerned about whether they’ll get laid off.

In these difficult times, WalletHub conducted a survey, which found that  The survey also had questions about people’s plans for Labor Day.

Below are highlights from the survey:

Source: WalletHub

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

Estate Planning 3-2-1 – Part 3: One task that can make – or break – your estate plan

By Lauren A. Pitman, Attorney

Founder and Author of the Side by Side Planner

Imagine this: a person goes through the trouble of hiring an attorney, making an estate plan, and keeping the plan accessible to their loved ones in an emergency. Then, their loved ones discover a glitch. The deceased’s life insurance policy is payable-on-death to only one of the three children, as it was created many years ago when the family only had one child.

Now, it‘s up to that child to decide: was this my loved one’s true wish for this money, or do I have to share it? What happens now?

35 tips for reducing your food costs

Like many people these days, you're probably feeling the pinch of tough economic times.

If you're looking for ways to reduce your food costs, here are 35 suggestions:

1. Go through your checkbook and credit cards to see how much you've spent in the last one to three months on food eaten at home and in restaurants. Check the "USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food" and determine the level of spending you'd like to reach. Four food plans are discussed: thrifty, low-cost, moderate-cost, and liberal. The amounts are for food eaten at home only.
2. Set up a meeting with members of the household to determine what changes can be made and who will do what jobs.
3. Plan menus for a week. Making menus means there will be less food wasted and shopping trips can be reduced.
4. Use a shopping list based on the menus when buying groceries.
5. Compare prices among stores using weekly ads.
6. Compare serving prices among brands in the store.
7. Find ways to reduce or stretch the amount of meat served. Eating more beans, lentils, and rice is one way to do this. Serve salads as a main dish to make meat, chicken, and fish go further. Serve omelets loaded with vegetables as a main dish.
8. Cook from scratch more. Use less processed food.
9. Buy store brands rather than more costly brand names.
10. Check out buying in bulk. Food co-ops and some grocery and health food stores offer bulk items. The savings are astounding on spices.
11. Eat out less often. Look for buy-one-entree-get-one-free coupons for restaurants. Be sure to read the details on the coupon. See my article "Read the Fine Print, Even on a Coupon." One survey indicated people eat out 1.9 times a week.
12. Buy the largest containers or packages of food that you can use before it spoils. Large items generally cost less per serving than smaller ones. Be sure to compare the per serving costs.
13. Buy fruits and vegetables in season. See if you can find a farmers' market with good prices or check to see if farms in your area sell directly to consumers. Try u-pick opportunities and freeze the fruits and vegetables. I love to u-pick raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries.
14. Try thrifty food recipes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
15. Make your own master-mix for items such as pancakes and biscuits.
16. Try collecting coupons to see if you can find any that will help you save money. Many coupons are for brand name food and using them may be more expensive than buying the store brand. Keep coupons in your car.
17. Cook more of a main dish and eat leftovers for lunch or freeze the remaining amount for a dinner next week.
18. Take a class in cooking vegetables with herbs to bring new, exciting variety to your meals.
19. Grow a vegetable or herb garden. If you don't have a yard, try container gardening or a community garden.
20. Invite friends to share in a cooking party. Make meals you can freeze to use later in the week.
21. Don't shop when you're hungry, or take children with you to the store.
22. Invite friends for a potluck rather than an expensive dinner party.
23. Compare prices for organic food so you can begin or continue to eat it. See Rebecca Blood's blog, Rebecca's Pocket, to learn how she lived on the amount of money food stamp recipients receive using organic food.
24. Serve smaller portions.
25. Eat less food.
26. Cut out sweets and chips.
27. Make your own salad dressings.
28. Try tofu. It doesn't have much flavor so mix it with beans, lentils, rice, sauces, or herbs and spices. See the allrecipies for "Vegetarian Tofu Main Dish Recipes."
29. Cut alcohol consumption.
30. Avoid fast food and junk food.
31. Cook oatmeal, corn meal, and rice cereal you buy in bulk instead of eating more expensive, processed dry cereals.
32. Figure out an alternative to drinking bottled water. Research how much it would cost to filter water in your home, or buy distilled water at a food co-op or store.
33. Make your meals attractive. Serve foods with different textures and colors.
34. Pack lunches rather than eating out.
35. Review "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" to make sure you're meeting nutritional needs with your new, cost-cutting plans.

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

Auto insurance companies continue to overcharge consumers even though fewer claims are being filed due to the pandemic

The reduction in my auto insurance premiums that I’ve received from State Farm due to the pandemic is way too low. When I wrote about this topic in April, it looked like State Farm would be stepping up and doing a good job on the refunds. However, I looked through what I’ve paid for premiums since March and the reductions are paltry.

Insurers and insurance regulators should provide ongoing auto premium relief as auto claims remain up to 50 percent below normal levels due to the covid-19 pandemic and related restrictions, the Consumer Federation of America and Center for Economic Justice recommend.

The groups have monitored auto crashes in Texas and Massachusetts since March and continue to find that fewer miles driven translates into fewer auto accidents – but this hasn’t in turn translated into premium relief for many consumers.

20 books to read about food this summer

The world as we know it is changing due to the coronavirus pandemic. But as it exposes inequities in the health and food systems, many people hope that the pandemic offers an opportunity to build a new and more sustainable food system.

To understand what it will take to move forward, the Food Tank has compiled its summer reading list to examine the issues that affect the country's food system today. These 20 books provide insight into food access and justice in black communities, food relief and school nutrition programs, the effects of technology on global food supply chains, the relationship between climate change and food production, and more:

1. "Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community, and the Meaning of Generosity" by Priya Basil. Forthcoming November 2020

Priya Basil explores the meaning of hospitality within a variety of cultural, linguistic, and sociopolitical contexts. Basil uses her cross-cultural experience to illustrate how food amplifies discourse within families and touches on the hospitality and the lack thereof that migrants and refugees experience.

Cars, home improvement top the list of consumer complaints for 2019, survey shows

Problems with car sales and repairs and home improvement and construction once again topped the list of complaints reported to state and local consumer agencies across the country, according to an annual survey by the Consumer Federation of America.

“When the used car you just bought breaks down or your new roof leaks, who are you going to call? asked Susan Grant, director of consumer protection and privacy for CFA. “It’s your state or local consumer agency.”

Grant conducted the survey, which included participation by 31 agencies from 19 states this year. It asked about the most common, the fastest-growing, and the worst complaints agencies received in 2019.

Top 10 complaints in 2019

These are the complaints most frequently cited as the top problems reported to state and local consumer agencies last year:

Most Americans think owners should be able to deny service to those who don’t social distance, and a majority say they’re taking precautions in public spaces, survey shows

A majority of Americans, 75 percent, support states enacting legislation giving business owners the right to deny service to customers who don’t social distance, including 53 percent who strongly support the measures, according to a survey from Consumer Reports, a consumer testing and advocacy organization. About one in six oppose these measures, and another 9 percent are unsure. 

The Consumer Reports survey was done between June 4 to 16, just before the surge in cases now occurring across America. It included questions on the pandemic’s impact on consumers’ attitudes, behaviors, and finances. The respondents said they were very concerned about the potential threat posed by covid-19 to their communities, and many reported taking some action to deal with the pandemic.

“Just prior to the current surge in cases across many parts of the country, most Americans were still very concerned about the continued spread of COVID in their local communities,” said Kristen Purcell, chief research officer for Consumer Reports. “And while a majority also told us they were following recommended safety measures most of the time, the survey data show sizable segments of the population were not adhering to CDC guidelines at that time. It’s not surprising then that many Americans would support measures to encourage greater compliance.”