Category Archives: Senior Life Style

Retire and then Go Back to Work

We are vacationing in Palm Springs California for several months and have had the fortunate experience of meeting people from all walks of life. Most are retired, although a few are still working and just spending a week or two here. Several have indicated they will retire and then go back to work. They all are renting condo’s in the property where we are. It is called La Palme, on El Ceilio Road. There are 225 units, 6 pools, 6 hot tubs, 3 tennis courts and lots of above ground parking.  A nice place and very enjoyable, but then I digress. Retire and then Go Back to Work! What? That is what I really want to talk about today in this post.

Retire and then Go Back to Work

One couple we met at the pool retired when he was 51. He had started a company and as it turned out was very successful. The company made a lot of money when he sold out and basically from a financial perspective will never need to work again.

He told me that he did nothing really for the first five years other than investing his cash from the sale of his business. He found that after five years he really missed the challenge, the social element, the technical aspects of his business etc. Most of all he was worried that his mind was getting stale and he was forgetting things.

Many of us focus on exercising our bodies to stay in shape and feel better about ourselves. We forget that our brains are just another muscle and need to be exercised as well. He was worried that if he did not do something he would lose it. This individual also needed the challenge in his life. He wanted to feel that he could still make a contribution in life.

He decided not to go back to work, but he did decide to get involved as a consultant to several companies and he volunteers on several organizations in the community. This approach made him feel worthwhile again and people recognize his contributions as well. This is what worked for him. While it may not be right for everyone, the point is that you cannot just retire and do nothing.

Get involved and support your community, go back to work part time, focus on your investments and retire and then Go Back to Work or do wherever your interests take you. For more thoughts about lifestyle issues in retirement, click here.

Senior Nomads AirBNB

We recently read an article about older Americans who are living a nomadic life. In her powerful new book, Nomadland, award-winning journalist Jessica Bruder reveals the dark, depressing and sometimes physically painful life of a tribe of men and women in their 50s and 60s who are living out of an RV or trailer. They travel around the US in search of good weather and most of all jobs. They find temporary jobs and work at these jobs while they last. Most are seasonal and very demanding physically. There is another sector of seniors who fall into the category of Senior Nomads Airbnb.

She also talks about some of them who live in Airbnb’s. these people have sold their homes or at the very least rented then out while they travel. They have more money and are out to see the world. Some will work as well at part time jobs while they travel. They live off their pension and investments from their homes and are out to see the world.

Senior Nomads Airbnb – RV Nomads – Locked in Place

There are many people who cannot afford to travel and who either rent a home or live in the home they have had for years. They can barely live on their incomes and their homes are gradually falling apart because they cannot afford to keep them up. These folks might be termed as locked in place. They cannot sell and they cannot move, because it would just cost too much money. Money that they cannot afford.

At least the folks who live out of their RV’s and travel around the US have a place to live and a home such as it is. As long as they can continue working, they can live and put food on the table. If they get sick and need medical treatment, they will be destitute and broke from medical bills.

If you are a senior and own a home, perhaps by creating an AirBnb in your home, you can add a little money to your income and live more comfortably. There are many people who love to travel and spend many days each year going from city to city for vacation as well as work related activities. This approach could add thousands of dollars to your budgeted income and make life just a little more comfortable.

Use the guidelines provided by Airbnb to help you make arrangements, accepting credit cards, deposits and much more.

Living a Nomadic Semi Retired Lifestyle

There is a disturbing trend that appears to have developed since the 2008 depression and the real estate crash. Many people are living a nomadic semi retired lifestyle. Many people lost their homes due to foreclosure, loss of jobs and also loss of savings. The value of homes plummeted and many found that their home was less than what they originally paid and less than their mortgage. Many chose to walk away.

At the same time, the stock market fell over 50%. If you sold your investments you locked in your losses and never recovered. with so many companies going bankrupt and cutting back, many lost their jobs. Whats left for these people. They rent homes, they have low paying jobs and some live in RV’s and follow the temporary job route.

Living a Nomadic Semi Retired Lifestyle

These seniors do not have sufficient savings to retire. They buy older RV’s and live in trailer parks or other temporary locations around the country. They need to work and will go wherever they need to go to find temporary work.

Of course they would like something more permanent, but these kinds of jobs are long gone. They work at seasonal jobs for companies like Walmart and Amazon, or worse in the fields planting and picking crops. Hard work and they walk many miles every day.

These folks are trying to survive and live as nomads traveling around the country, many living on less than $1000 a month. They lost their 401k investments in the market, they do not have a pension and they are too young in many cases to collect state and federal handouts. They need to work and survive on little money where ever they can.

This is a rough life for seniors Living a Nomadic Semi Retired Lifestyle or really anyone at any age trying to get by with this lifestyle. For more lifestyle related posts, click here.

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Senior Nomads Living in AirBNB’s

Just read a post about a couple that rented out their home and then began traveling. They have traveled for the last 4 years staying in AirBNB’s the entire time in over 68 countries. They are living a dream life, touring, meeting people and running a blog about their travels. These are Senior Nomads Living in AirBNB and living their dream travel life. The picture on the left is of one of the BNB’s they stayed in. They try to stay in locations that are interesting and also under $100 a night.

For many seniors this is a dream they may never follow. For one reason or another, seniors may not have the money, they may find it too risky or they may be afraid to travel to other locations. Like exercise, you cannot run a marathon without training for it. Travelling and staying in air bnb’s should start small and gradually increase as you become more comfortable with the approach.

Senior Nomads Living in AirBNB ‘s

We have recently stayed in an AirBNB in Montreal Canada. It is located in the plateau area near Laurier St, close to restaurants and shopping. A beautiful treed street within a block of everything you might need. A grocery store, drug store, local coffee shops, liquor store, and restaurants. The metro is only a 5-minute walk. Visitors can travel all over the city.

Montreal, like many cities is a bike friendly city and of course you can rent bikes on the street. There is a bike rental location just around the corner.

Travelling and staying in other people’s homes can be fun and safe. Only rent from AirBNB hosts with a 5-star rating to ensure that the cleanliness and quality are superior. The AirBNB we stayed at can be found at – Click Here

For more posts about lifestyle and senior living, click here.

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Signs and Symptoms of Baby Boomer Elder Abuse

What are the signs and symptoms of baby boomer elder abuse? They are many. Anyone who is providing care, or is a friend or a family member of the senior needs to be on the alert. Often the most visible are bruises that really should not be there. Falls take place sometimes causing broken bones. When someone falls, they can cause bruises as well. But if there is no fall and the senior you are visiting has a lot of bruises, investigate what is going on.

Another common form of elder abuse is financial, which is the focus of this web site. Financial abuse takes place when there is outright stealing. Seniors pay for things that they really should not pay for or they are paying too much for many items. Often care givers, whether they are family members or not, cannot resist the monetary attraction. Relatives should jointly monitor the seniors funds. They need to make sure that their savings are not being prematurely spent, leaving them destitute.

From a Financial Perspective

Uncovering financial Elder abuse is difficult. Regardless of the amount of savings and investments that a senior might have, family members should always monitor what is being spent. Investigate unusual amounts or one time large amounts that you are not familiar with.

More than one person should check accounts and spending levels. Money can corrupt no matter who it is. Two people, must monitor accounts. There will be less chance of collusion and financial elder abuse.

Elder financial abuse can come in many different forms.

One time while cutting my father in-laws lawn, a person drove in to the yard. He indicated that he was here to collect the monthly fee for the newspaper. The amount was around $45. I asked him how long he had been delivering the paper? How long he had been collecting cash from my father inlaw? This gentleman was around his mid 40’s. He said he was relatively new, but it had been several months since he started collecting.

He gave me his name and his license number. Then I informed him that I had prepaid the subscription for the paper. He quickly realized that the jig was up. He left before I could say much more. What a scumbag. Taking money from the elderly. It was a small amount but still it makes him a scumbag.

I called the news paper. The news paper fired him. However he likely has continued ripping seniors off and is taking money from unsuspecting seniors.

The point of the story is that everyone must be alert. There are thieves everywhere. The elderly are particularly vulnerable. If you have an elder person you are close to, help protect them.

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Baby Boomers Elder Abuse

baby boomers elder abuse Many baby boomers, born between 1945 1954 are now retiring. Although the financial advisor community, banks and government have talked about building sufficient retirement savings to cover them during retirement, many do not have sufficient funds  to take them through retirement. On top of that there seems to be in increasing level of baby boomers elder abuse that is taking place. As more and more baby boomers move into their late retirement years this is becoming an increasing problem.  The chart summarizes the various kinds of elder abuse that takes place. Often the most visible or those of physical abuse. But there are five other types of abuse, including financial, verbal, emotional, neglect and even abandonment. How can people be so cruel and treat their elderly family members this way? How can care workers treat people this way?  It can be a terrible thing to experience this kind of abuse. Having lots of money does not always protect you either.

Elder abuse abuse in our Community

Unfortunately in our society everything is driven by sex and money. If it is not sexual abuse, it is some form of abuse that is triggered by the greed of grabbing their money. Sometimes it is the fact that they don’t have enough money to pay for the services that seniors need. We cannot emphasize enough that baby boomers planning to retire  need to make sure that they have sufficient funds to pay for top quality care during their later years.

In addition family members need to take steps to protect their elder parents or relatives. Always have two members of the family looking after a senior, and two members of the family looking after the financial affairs. If you suspect any kind of elder abuse, whether it’s emotional, financial or other takes immediate steps to rectify the situation.

There are the obvious criminal cases that can be dealt with when someone is exposed to physical abuse and the perpetrator is caught and prosecuted. But there many more subtle situations that are never deal with that trouble many seniors today. Elder abuse is rampant and in many cases it is our own family members that are the guilty ones.

Examples of baby boomers elder abuse

What about the son or daughter who slowly drains their parents bank accounts leaving them destitute and abandoned? What about care givers who are rough in their treatment? They never leave bruises, but you know that there is something going on. Then there are situations where they get the parents to pay for everything. The kids could even be well off.

Abandonment is one of the worst. Not everyone wants to look after someone who is old and frail. They may not have the patience and the personality. The senior ends up living by themselves and living as best they can until they cannot look after themselves any longer. They depend on the good will of neighbors who take pity. Where is the family in this situation?

Knowing that this is going on will at least help seniors takes steps to prepare for this situation. Plan now how your frail years will be to ensure that they are as good as they can be. We are going to write a series of posts on this subject so stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

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Big problem for new retirees

problem for new retireesInitially your really busy catching up on all of the things you have been ignoring or delaying until your retirement. You knew that there would be time for these things once you finished work so you put them off. Many retirees find themselves very busy during the first few months or even the first year, but then something happens. It is the typical Big problem for new retirees. Initially they enjoy sleeping in, they get to travel on their schedule and there is a lot less stress in their lives. This new found freedom is actually pretty nice. But over time they run out of things to do around the house. Travel budgets get depleted and while it is nice to sleep in, you have the rest of the day to fill!

Many people suddenly find themselves missing the social interaction they had with people at work. They miss the fulfillment, achievement, and recognition they got from doing their jobs. They try to keep busy, but keeping busy is just not fulfilling any longer. Now what do they do for the rest of their retirement years?

Big problem for new retirees – Boredom

The B word comes into their vocabulary. They are bored and do not know what to do with their time. There three things you need to enjoy retirement. You need your health, you need a good financial plan that matches your lifestyle plans and you need the most important thing, a purpose in life.

For some consumers finding a purpose in life means looking after the grand kids. For others it means returning to the work force in a new career. Many start hobbies which turn into jobs. The most important element that these thing s must have is that they look forward to getting up in the morning and pursuing their purpose.

Everyone has something different. Each person needs to find out what works for them. Their purpose could change over time as well. They might start out on a hobby which leads to other things that they find more interesting. Whatever it is, try many alternatives until you find the one that works for your personal situation at your time of life.

For more senior life style ideas and topics, click here.