The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

How are you doing saving for emergencies, college, and retirement?

The American personal savings rate is at its lowest level since the U.S. financial crisis in 2008, at 6 percent of disposable income, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and is continuing a 60-year downward trend line.

America Saves Week, Feb. 25 to March 2, is a good time to evaluate your short- and long-term financial goals and figure out how you can save more.

Monday, Feb. 25: Save with a plan

Savers with a plan are twice as likely to save successfully for items such as retirement and their or their children’s education. During America Saves Week, create a savings plan when you take the America Saves Pledge for a chance to win up to $750.

Baby boomers suffering through the cold

When the polar vortex hit the Midwest, I felt sorry for people there, shivered, and was thankful for the mild weather we have in the Seattle area.

Now, with a snowstorm hitting here, I’m really shivering. I can’t wait for it to melt and get back to our warmer, gray drizzly days.

Despite the cold weather through most of the nation, baby boomers are continuing to blog. This week’s articles include:

As baby boomers age, are they getting wiser?

There’s lots of debate these days about baby boomers. Are they strong, effective Americas to be looked up to and emulated? Or, are they the most selfish generation ever?  

Our baby boomer group takes a look at boomers this week.

They write about:

• Medical tests older women should have.
• How to let in positive support.
• How to work around a creative block.
• The benefits of being an ex-pat in Costa Rica.
• How much money do you need for an emergency fund.
• What people’s family motto is.
• The importance of picking out a word to guide you for the year like a GPS.

One thing for sure, many baby boomers are retired, but they’re not done yet, says Tom Sightings, blogging at Sightings Over Sixty. Sightings reviews these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #580. Click here to get 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 Specialist

Micromotivators: The guardrails for healthy behavior

By Louis Bezich, Health Care Executive and Author of “Crack the Code”

Guest blogger

What exactly are micromotivators and how do they help people sustain healthy behavior?

Micromotivators are those tiny strategies, feelings, and approaches that keep you on track every day, the guardrails of healthy behavior.

How can micromotivators help us baby boomers get and stay healthy at this stage of our lives?

Are you a luxury boomer traveler?

Lately, I’ve been reading financial and boomer blogs to see that others are writing about in the blogging world.

I ran across a blog called My Itchy Travel Feet and an article on “Best Luxury Travel Tips: How to Get the Most for Your Money.”

I left a comment that I didn’t know if telling people to no longer bother about being in a frequent flyer airline club was a good idea. I said I travel to Madrid a couple of times a year and often get a free ticket every few years.

Donna Hull send me an email in reply to my comment:

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

How are your finances as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the holidays approach?

 

Are you in good shape financially? Many Americans don’t think they are, according to WalletHub’s  “2018 Halloween Spending and Financial Fears Survey.” Its results show:

• 75 million Americans say their finances have reached “horror show” status, including 30 percent of millennials and 16 percent of baby boomers.
   
• Two in three people think the economy will get scarier in the next 12 months.
   
• 54 percent of people think credit cards are a trick, not a treat. The worst credit cards charge annual fees as high as $995 and APRs up to 36 percent.
   
• 21 million people think a Halloween costume is worth going into debt for.
   
• 29 percent of people say money leads the list of things that scare/stress them out the most, followed by politics at 25 percent.
   
• 23 percent of people say their biggest financial fear is an unplanned emergency, followed by not having enough retirement savings, 22 percent.

The most expensive time of year is coming, when consumers traditionally rack up billions of dollars in credit card debt, investors shuffle their holdings, and people try to enjoy themselves before making resolutions

Things could turn out well, or not so good.

Boomers offer tips for living

Baby boomers are interested in variety of topics ranging from enjoying retirement to health to fitness. Boomers don’t take life lying down. They’re out there doing things even if they’re just watching the sunset. No matter what, they’re staying active, taking charge of their mental and physical health, and living their best lives.

Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski of Baby Boomster reports this week’s tips from boomer bloggers. They include:

Baby boomer bloggers help people prepare

Boomers are helping us get prepared for just about anything, including bad weather, which is coming for some of us as fall begins.

Tips include how to prepare for severe weather or a natural disaster, the value of creating a relaxation room in your home or office, how to put “me” back into mental health, new trends in retirement, how to use the breath of kindness to maintain peace and tranquility, and ambivalence about fall and the coming winter.

Carol Cassara of Heart•Mind•Soul reports on these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs 563. 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

Boomer bloggers inspired by end-of-summer activities and transitions

It’s hard to believe we now speak of summer – not the official astronomical season but our human timetable – in the past tense.

In my community, the Harbor Day celebration on Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer. This year, the weather was beautiful, as you can see from the photo above. Some years, I’m taking photos in the cold, wind, and rain.

• Tips for how to buy a used car on Labor Day weekend, which also are useful anytime.

• A guide for self-improvement during September, which is Self-Improvement Month.

• The fashion rules we grew up with, including don’t wear white after Labor Day.