crylam

...retirement was an unknown concept for most of human history. Work until you die, or can't do anything productive any longer was the "rule." With most of us living in rural situations, retirement made no sense. The cows needed milking and the crops had to be planted, regardless of your age. Most experts cite the start of Social Security in the United States in 1935 as the official recognition of a change in mindset. But, not until Medicare was enacted in 1965 were most people able to even consider retirement at some point. As you are aware, 10,000 Baby Boomers are retiring every day. This massive flow will continue for another several years. That many people puts Social Security and Medicare under tremendous pressure. Neither was designed to support so many folks for so long. In 1935 the government figured setting the retirement age at 65 was a safe move; the majority of recipients would not live for very many years after that. Well, we showed them! Within a few ye...

A week or so ago, 5 Skills Every Grandparent Needs listed two of the most important qualities you need if you are blessed with grandkids.  I made the point that how we raised our own kids is not always the best model for dealing with our child's child. A different skill set is often needed.  Here is  part two  of that post, with the three additional attributes I suggest you have at your disposal. As always, I know this list isn't complete.  If you are raising a grandchild, the five skills noted in this and the earlier post need to be expanded one hundred fold. You are a parent who also must bring some of the unconditional love of a grandparent to the child's life.  Or, you may live hundreds or thousands of miles away, making each visit that much more precious.  I know from my own experiences that these five traits are vital. As always. y ou are encouraged to add something you have found to be very important in the life of a child. 1) Create Memories. ...

There are an estimated 70 million Americans who claim the title of "grandparent." For those of us lucky enough to have our lives blessed with grandkids, skills that are needed may seem rather obvious. After all, we raised at least one child to have a grandchild (basic biology). So, what skills might we have missed in the Grandparents Handbook? It is not so much that certain skills are missing, but how they are used. The way we raised our own kids is not always the best model for dealing with our child's child. I have picked five that have the ability to make this experience a joy instead of a trial.  Of course, there are probably another dozen (or more) skills that could be added to the list, but I had to draw the line somewhere! This is part one of the "skills" post. To keep things from getting too long-winded, here are the first two skills. I believe these to be the most important. In a week I'll round out the project with the final three skills.   1) Yo...

I am among retirement writers who suggest that moving right after retirement is a step that should be taken with caution.  Leaving friends and familiarity is never easy.  The adjustment after leaving work generates enough stress. Adding a move and all that implies just puts more pressure on you.  Moving after retirement is an important decision; it takes time and planning.  Over the six plus years of this blog I have shared several stories of newly retired folks who have left both a job and a long time home in short order, and regretted that move more often than not. Usually, the difficulty in establishing new friendships and missing ties at home lead the list. In short, home sickness can strike at any age. Others found the weather not as ideal as it seemed after watching the Weather Channel. Housing prices may be so different that affording a place to call home is too difficult. That being said, for some of us a move soon after retirement is the right step...

It is easier to lead a  satisfying retirement  if you have few financial worries. While money certainly doesn't buy happiness, few would argue that your options for living how and where you choose are more likely to happen the fatter your investment portfolio. So, this post isn't for you. On the other side of the issue, much of the popular press would have us believe we are doomed to a future of diminishing opportunities and darkening skies. I disagree. Yes, way too many seniors have been put in a very tough position by recent events and they will struggle. They may have to choose between buying some medicines and skipping meals. For the richest country in the world to allow that to happen is, in my view, criminal. So, who am I writing for today? This is for those who have a retirement income that is sufficient for our needs and allows for satisfying an occasional want. The Great Recession may still affect what we can afford and how we live. We have li...

Followup: I will blame it on the eggnog and staying awake until 12:30 AM on New Year's Eve. Replacing the word  Retirement  with  Re-Vision  is a non-starter for this blog. I asked the question, knowing that you would tell me exactly what you thought and why. I depend on you, dear reader, to help me stay on track and keep my focus on what you expect on these pages. While a few comments voiced support for the idea of  re-vision  being a good replacement for retirement, the "No" votes were more persuasive. I think the word,  re-vision , might reappear on occasion as part of a blog post, but not become the official name of the blog, nor is it destined to become the new word for retirement.  There were several excellent suggestions, though, that you can expect to see appear in future posts.  So, back to the subject at hand: This is the time of year when those of us who live in the desert southwest come out to play. After 5 months of non-sto...

This comment was left on a blog post last month: "One subject that I would suggest has to do with Grandparents (retired) who find themselves assisting adult children and grandchildren through financial and/or emotional difficulties; sometimes long term. I have two friends who have custody of their grandchildren.   One has embraced it as a "second chance", while the other struggles with the disruption to her recent retirement. In both cases, they were the only option for the children. So, it makes me wonder just how many situations like this there are out there, and how people cope with their circumstances." What an excellent and important question. Whether you are a grandparent or not, have a similar situation or know of someone who does, or have never really thought about it before, this is a topic full of important issues. For this post, let's assume that the grandkids are not someone's responsibility because of the tragic death of the parents. I think tha...

My Darling Grandchildren, Much of what I want to tell you in this letter won't make much sense to you yet. You are still young enough that everything is made safe and right by your mom and dad, brother or sisters. You have two sets of grandparents who live nearby, see you often, and love you very much. You have an aunt who would give her life for you. An uncle and your cousins are frequent visitors. God loves you and has your future well in hand. Things that happen in your world all make sense. You have food to eat when you are hungry and a bed to sleep in when you are tired. You have favorite toys and lots of books. A swimming pool keeps you and your family cool in the summer.  Your days are free of danger and fear. You are very lucky and blessed to have this time in your life. Many other little boys and girls around the world do not have what you do. They are not bad or less deserving but have a much tougher time growing up to be happy and healthy. As you grow...