grow older better

Tag: seniors

  • Women, Poverty, And Shortened Lives

    old and poorAn article, Get Rich or Die Younger: The Shrinking Lifes Spans of Poor U.S. Women, includes the following 2 conclusions…

    1. Among men older than 55, life expectancies are growing fastest for the rich.
    2. Among women older than 55, life expectancies are growing for the rich and shrinking for the poor.

    Being female, and being poor, is killing US women.

    The only groups decreasing in life expectancy are poor women. The poorest 40% of women all lose years, and the poorer you are, the shorter your life.

    No age group of poor men loses years, they may not gain, but they do not lose.

    Take a look at the chart as it easy to read.

    And with this scenario, the U.S. House wants to reduce aid to poor people!

    Another reason I want to help older persons earn more money. We cannot rely on Social Security – it is too tenuous in the current political arena.

    For more information on my ideas, go to Gray Wolf Productions.

  • Work Til You Die?

    work til you dieA survey about retirement showed that:

    Nearly one-third, or 30%, now plan to work until they are 80 or older — up from 25% a year ago, according to a Wells Fargo survey of 1,000 adults with income less than $100,000.

    Overall, 70% of respondents plan to work during retirement, many of whom plan to do so because they simply won’t be able to afford to retire full time.

    And … 37 percent say they’ll never retire and will work until they are too sick or die.

     

    Planing to work until you die [or are too sick] may not be a great goal to aim for – unless you already love what you do and do not see it as work!

    Many self employed people do not retire – but I think this survey used people who work for others – as that’s usually what having a job means.

    For this population, working until you are too sick may not be a real option.

    Will your boss keep you around if you keep missing days for illness, or are seen as “too old” or “too sick” to continue what you are doing?

    And what kind of jobs will there be for those in their 80s [or older]?

    If one can be found, it may be a minimum wage position and a part time one at that.

    The article offers advice on planning for retirement, but that too, is not always an option in this economy.

    This is why I always suggest to most everyone, that you find a home based business NOW – while you are healthy and working.

    One where you are your own boss and have the potential to earn as much as you can – and maybe even QUIT your day job and enjoy what you are doing and actually have the time and money to enjoy your 80s.

    I am putting together some information and will post it on another of my sites [which I am revamping.]

    If you would like to be notified when it is ready leave your name and email on the form to the right

    or way down at the bottom [I still need to figure out how to have it right here]

     

     

  • Beware: Medical Alert Impostors Targeting Seniors

    medical laertThe following alert came from the Oregon Atty. General, but it applies to anyone in any state who is a senior citizen or who knows any senior citizens.

    Scammers are not picky as to what state they operate in.

    Please pass this message along.  Thank you.

    ***********

    The Oregon Department of Justice has recently learned older Oregonians are receiving pre-recorded messages from medical alert imposters claiming to be from Life Alert, a personal emergency response and home medical alert system company.

    The recordings sound like a real person claiming that either “someone has purchased a Life Alert system for you,” or that “you qualify for a free Life Alert.” Others may say they are calling from a shipping department to confirm a free order or to send you new Life Alert equipment.

    Life Alert has confirmed the calls are not made by the company. (See Life Alert’s Fraud Alert online at http://www.lifealert.com/fraudalert.aspx.)

    Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum urges Oregonians to simply hang up the phone if they receive a recorded call saying they are with Life Alert or the “I’ve fallen and can’t get up” people. “DO NOT press a button to talk to sales person, and never give personal information or credit card numbers over the phone unless you have initiated the contact or you are sure you know who you are dealing with,” says Attorney General Rosenblum.

    If you think you have fallen victim to these medical alert imposters, contact the Oregon Department of Justice online at www.oregonconsumer.gov or call 1-877-877-9392.

  • Our Golden Years Are Being Tarnished – Badly

    I posted about aging and economic insecurity

    and here is yet another glimpse into what it is like to be old in America in the 21st Century.


    We like to think the housing and foreclosure "crisis" has slowed down and that help has come to those who most need it.

    But it's not true for the elders among us.

    According to the AARP,  more than 3 millions older Americans face losing their homes.

    As of December 2011, approximately 3.5 million loans of people age 50+ were underwater—meaning homeowners owe more than their home is worth, so they have no equity; 600,000 loans of people age 50+ were in foreclosure, and another 625,000 loans were 90 or more days delinquent. From 2007 to 2011, more than 1.5 million older Americans lost their homes as a result of the mortgage crisis.

    We had years of no increase in Social Security Income, a very bad economy which destroyed retirement savings accounts, a lack of jobs, and ever increasing costs for food, fuel, heat, and medications. On top of this, towns and cities have also lost income and have raised property taxes to cover services. It became a vicious cycle and that has led to many of these foreclosures.

    Older Americans lost their savings and now they are losing their homes.

    What financial institutions are going to work out a negotiated deal on a mortgage or home equity loan for someone who has a fixed income and increasing costs of living?

    What happened to the "respect your elders" that we used to hear?

     

    Thoughts about what can be done?

  • Our Golden Years? Not Really

    golden_years

    Reaching 65, retiring, relaxing and having fun used to be the goal of most Americans…the "golden years" of aging.

    With the economic bust, many who thought they would be retired are still working….out of sheer necessity…they need the income and they sorely need the health insurance.

    According to the National Council on Aging:

    Over 20 million Americans aged 60+ are economically insecure—living at or below 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL) ($27,225 per year for a single person). These older adults struggle each day with rising housing and health care bills, inadequate nutrition, lack of access to transportation, diminished savings, and job loss. For older adults who are above the poverty level, one major adverse life event can change today’s realities into tomorrow’s troubles.

    Women, who earn less than men [77 cents to the man's dollar] fare less well as they age too. 56% are disadvantaged financially – while only 30% of men are.

    But life need not be economically bleak as we age.

    It may be difficult to find a "job" but it is far less difficult to have your own business.

    A business that can bring in sufficient income to take the tarnish off the golden years and make them shine!!

     

    If you want to learn more about being self-employed let me know…I've written some on this and will write more….

     

    Thoughts? Comments? Thanks!