The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Baby boomers contemplate life’s problems

It’s still beautiful summer, but hints are beginning to appear that fall and winter will come again as they always do.

Meanwhile, baby boomer bloggers are continuing to write helpful, insightful articles:

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting spent the past week recovering from her two-week trip to Scotland. As Baer laments, years ago she would have bounced back the next day. Nowadays it takes longer to rejuvenate. Meanwhile, she reviews the cuisine and a bit of culture experienced in the land of kilts, Celts, clans, and literary greats.

When you’re thinking about an exercise program and you’re age 50 and older, you may want to incorporate functional fitness. On Rebecca Olkowski’s blog, BabyBoomster.com, Candi Randolph, a guest blogger, explains why this is so important.

If you’re thinking of starting a blog or are already a blogger, Jennifer Koshak of Unfold and Begin has some tips for you. Koshak has compiled a lot of her knowledge into her current blog post, “My Go-To Blog Resources.”

Tom Sightings of Sightings Over Sixty recently sat down with a couple who is considering where they're going to live, now that they are retired and their kids are grown and out of the house. They have their eye on a smaller home in a nice vacation area. But as Tom discusses in “Should This Couple Downsize?”  there are still lots of issues to consider and questions to ask.  

Laurie Stone of Musings, Rants & Scribbles gets a cold chill when she hears these words. Like someone with post-traumatic stress syndrome, her pulse increases. Her stomach tightens. She starts feeling light-headed. Did she hear that right? Maybe she got it wrong. But yes, her husband Randy just uttered that most dreaded of sentences: “I’m Going Food Shopping.”

On my blog, I write about the 50^th anniversary of Woodstock and what the Countercultural Movement of the 1960s and 1970s meant to me.

This is the Best of Boomer Blogs #610. Be sure to read these thoughtful articles and join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers look forward to hearing from readers.

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

Broker in pension scam, who settles with CFPB and Arkansas, unable to pay most of repayment to consumers

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or CFPB and the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office filed a proposed settlement Wednesday with a securities broker for allegedly misrepresenting high-interest loans to veterans and other consumers in exchange for future rights to their pensions.

Andrew Gamber and his three companies – Voyager Financial Group, BAIC Inc., and SoBell Corp. – would be banned from the industry if a judge approves the proposed settlement.

The CFPB and the state agency alleged in a lawsuit that Gamber and his companies misrepresented that the contracts were valid when they were actually illegal loans, that the product wasn’t a high-interest loan, and when consumers would receive their funds. They also failed to inform consumers of the interest rate on the loan, according to the lawsuit.

Baby boomers bloggers go on vacation, but keep writing

The glory of summer, in addition to better weather, is being able to get together with friends and family. I was able to visit with my daughter and her two children who live in Madrid, and we went to Sacramento to visit my oldest daughter and her family in Sacramento.

I’m so sad the fun is over, but writing always cheers me up. I’m joining with my boomer blogger friends to continue to bring amazing content to our readers. Our topics include:

• A way to figure out the next chapter in your life.
• The beauty of summer vacations and returning home refreshed.
• A listing of the worst chain restaurant meals for this year.
• The wonders of Edinburgh, Scotland.
• The importance of asking for help if you have a problem.
• A theatrical company that provides material and support for seniors who want to act, write a play, or be part of a theatrical production.

Jennifer Koshak of Unfold and Begin writes about these articles on the Best of Boomer Blogs #609. 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 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Baby boomers offer wonderful, wise, and witty words

It’s summer and despite the heat in many areas baby boomers are offering words of wisdom.

They’re writing about:

• Why you should do what makes you happy today.
• A summer day at the beach.
• Why you need to keep practicing if you want to get better.
• The cons of moving to Florida.
• Techniques that marketers, politicians, and others use to manipulate people to pad their bank accounts.
• Facebook's $5 billion settlement for consumer privacy lapses and Expedia's $570 million settlement for negligence that led to a massive data breach.

Laurie Stone of Musings, Rants & Scribbles reports on these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #607. 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 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

How to plan for retirement

It’s never too early to start saving for retirement. Compound interest will help your savings grow over the years, so the earlier you start saving, the better.

When you’re job hunting, be sure to compare the types of retirement savings plans offered, if any. Most companies no longer offer traditional pensions, which guarantee a monthly income in retirement and place the investment risk on the plan provider. Instead, they provide a match to employee savings in a 401(k), which places the investment risk on individual employees, asking them to choose their own retirement investments with no guaranteed benefits. 

A 401(k) is a tax deferred account, meaning taxes are paid when you withdraw money. If you withdraw money before age 59½, you’ll pay a penalty. You can contribute up to $19,00 a year. You’ll have a specific number of investments to choose from in your employer’s plan.

Baby boomers contemplate things big and small

Summer is in full gear and baby boomers are writing about topics ranging from retirement to tick bites.

Topics include:

• The best places in the United States for boomers to retire.
• How to remove ticks and prevent getting bitten.
• The difficulty in operating small switches and buttons and reading the directions about them.
• Why using cell phones and computer screens all day long interrupts our lives.
• How to use hypnotherapy to reduce pain rather than pain medication. 
• How a toddler sitting naked in a puddle reminded a boomer of an event that happened more than a century ago.

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting reports on these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #605. Click here to get the links to the articles. And, be sure to give us your opinions on these topics. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

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

How to track your spending

Tracking your spending lets you know where your money is actually going. At the end of the month, you’ll know where you are with your finances. That’s what you need to know: how far ahead or behind you are at month’s end.

Most consumers have a good idea about the cost of their fixed monthly expenses – bills that stay the same each month. It’s those expenses that may change from month to month that can be disruptive.

For consumers having a difficult time figuring out where their money goes, there are many ways to track their spending:

How to choose a financial advisor

In these complex financial times, it’s good idea to have a financial advisor on your team. You need to pick out one as carefully as you would a doctor or dentist.

A financial advisor will review your total financial picture and offer advice on how to invest money. The advisor will take into consideration income, goals, objectives, and attitude toward financial risk.

A certified financial planner is a good choice because requirements for certification include training, an exam, and continuing education.

Where are baby boomer living now?

By Florentina Sarac, Guest Blogger

Researcher for RENTCafé

As a generation that values individual choice and can easily adapt to change, baby boomers are known to favor certain parts of the country when it comes to retiring.

No longer tied to a particular city, many prefer to pack up their bags and leave for sunnier places. But while some only take a nice climate and entertainment options into consideration when choosing their next destination, others might want to move closer to family. Affordability also plays a big part in their decision as choosing a city with lower taxes can help them save money.

A study by the apartment search website RENTCafé shows that along with popular retirement zip codes in warm states such as Florida and California, baby boomers also prefer living in lively zip codes in New York or Las Vegas.

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