By Robert Cavanaugh

As Father Time marches on, the question of what to do with the home becomes a greater concern. In some cases, ruminating on the alternatives can dominate one’s thinking. If a person is aware of the various options and chooses a path that makes the most sense, peace of mind can often be the result.

Studies have shown that 90% of married couples and 62% of single persons reach retirement owning their own homes. Coupled with non-monetary considerations of whether to stay or sell, one major objective is how to convert the equity in the home to an income.

(more…)

Share This

By M.J. Joseph

Although you no longer have to worry about going to work every day, you can still find many ways to keep yourself busy. Many people think that once they retire, they will be bored because they are used to working every day. However, there are many different activities that you can get involved in once you are retired. Here are five things you should do after you retire:

1. Stay involved with competition
By joining a retirement community, you can get involved in new activities you have never participated in before. Or pick up those you enjoy but haven’t had time for. Many people always want to play more golf. When you retire, you can hit the links more than ever, especially by joining a community that is on or near a golf course. Many retirement communities also have tennis courts that you can play on. Try playing bridge, bingo or other sporting activities. Some communities host tournaments, where those who still have their competitive spirit can once again play for that top spot.

(more…)

Share This

By M.J. Joseph

When deciding on a retirement community for you or a loved one, there are many factors to take into consideration. Where do you want to live? What type of community do you want to live in? How much can you afford? Here are several of the many important questions to ask yourself or your parents when trying to decide on a retirement community.

1. Where do you or a loved one want to live?
Location is the key to beginning a search for a retirement community. Do you want to stay in the same town, city or state that you live in now? Many seniors decide to move to a warmer climate to enjoy their retirement. However, some seniors would rather experience all four seasons or would rather stay in their area. Whatever your choice, deciding what part of the world you want to live in is very important in trying to find a retirement community.

(more…)

Share This

By Tim Gorman

The word retirement is accepted favorably by some and with trepidation by others. It means one thing to you and probably something completely different to your neighbor. Some people look forward to pursuing new hobbies or interests while others look forward to relaxing. Regardless of what retirement means to you, one thing always holds true - you need a retirement plan if you want a secure retirement. You need some retirement planning advice.

Take a little time to consider who you want to spend your retirement and begin moving toward the plan of action that will take you comfortably into your later years. Once you have defined your retirement goals, you need to consider which direction to take your financial resources so that you can make sure that you have a comfortable retirement. There are places you can check out that have solid financial planning and retirement planning advice.

(more…)

Share This

By Jeffrey Hauser

I was incredibly lucky. I was hired on to a major corporation at age 30 and worked for 25 years. They offered a buyout to anyone with 25 years service and who also reached the age of 55. It was a lump sum offer equal to 3 years income. Now that may not sound like much, but without revealing the actual offer, with conservative investing it would reach a million dollars in 10 years. So, at age 65, I could draw social security and have a $50,000 a year income with a five percent investment strategy. Not bad considering also I have no mortgage or other payments. But, let’s go back a few years to the summer of 2004 when that event occurred.

After a brief retirement party and I drove home, I was now technically unemployed, albeit with a tidy batch of money fully invested. My wife worked as a professor at a local college and we could get by nicely. I spent a few weeks goofing off as I became acquainted to; not driving to work, attending, meetings, checking voice and emails, and dealing with clients. I had been in commissioned sales and formed a bond with many customers. I still called them on occasion to make sure the rep that followed me was treating them right. But that was my only contact with the old job. Anyway, one can only read, play online games, or go to the store just so often. What was I to do? I was a 55 year old bum.

(more…)

Share This

By Will Robins

One of the unavoidable facts of aging is that the bodies gradually lose the faculties which enabled us to live independently and take care of ourselves they way we could when we were younger. Memory lapses, decreased hearing and vision, and loss of cognitive ability may affect us so that we require help, either from family members or from assisted living services.

For people who have no family nearby, or those who don’t want to be a burden to their relatives, but want to remain as independent as they can, assisted living facilities may be an answer. Assisted living is exactly what its name suggests; it allows people to do as much as they can for themselves, and assist them with those tasks which have become too difficult.

(more…)

Share This

By: Obinna Heche

When you are dealing with a home business, you might find that some of your finances are run a little bit differently. For instance, you might not have a retirement account with your home business like you would if you were working for a company that set one up for you automatically. This might be fine if you are only running your home business for a few years and then planning on going back to work but if you want this home business to be what you are doing for the rest of your life, it is going to be very important that you save for retirement.

Indeed when you get to be the age that you no longer want to be working, there is going to be a lot of time and you are going to need money for your retirement.
The best way that you can save for retirement as a home business owner is to set up an individual account for yourself and be sure that you are putting money into it. This can be done any way that you want it to be done.

(more…)

Share This

I have been posting around the week of the 10th of each month a “THANK-YOU” post, like this one, to all the advertisers from the previous month listed as at month end. That’s a permanent link in this blog, under the category heading which I call .. “Sponsor Appreciation”. I know it’s hard out there trying to figure out where to spend your advertising dollars .. and well .. THANKS for considering the And You Retire blog.

I have compiled a new advertising page for the HART-Empire Network of sites for your perusal.

(more…)

Share This

By Barry Waxler

Planning your financial future may not sound like the most glamorous of things, but it can make a huge difference. The key is to understanding the value of time.

They say death and taxes are the two things you can’t avoid. Well, they are wrong. There is a third thing – time. Time passes us by no matter how we try to fight it with exercise, diet and, in some cases, plastic surgery! From this description, it may sound as though time is a bad thing. It all depends on how you use it.

You can turn the passage of time to your financial benefit if you understand it. In truth, we live in a “now” world. Give me convenience or give me death! So many of us are used to getting things now, that the idea of doing something for a positive effect in ten or twenty years sounds ludicrous. Heck, most of us find it difficult to do such things even if we are talking about a benefit five years down the road. This is where you can make a major mistake in planning your financial future.

(more…)

Share This

By Priscilla Parham

As I go about my typical day I can’t help but notice increasing numbers of people over the age of 60 still in or returning to the workforce. At 11pm the toll booth operator, at 1am the early morning cashier at Kroger, the other day my pizza delivery guy, all seniors, still on the job for various reasons. I sat down and pondered, “What’s it like to have to reinvent yourself after you have reached your sixties?”

I didn’t have to go far for some answers. My mother who just turned 63, recently retired from her self employed business. She’s been in the bridal business for more than 20 years and a seamstress for more than 30. As one of her former customers says, “She does the best bridal alterations in North Carolina,” which is no easy feat.

(more…)

Share This