Beware of Advance Pension Loans

As if there are not enough scams that target older Americans and retirees, now there are people who are trying to cheat them out of their retirement income by offering to lend them money against their pensions.  

You have probably seen ads for payday loans.  The loans that are targeted at retirees are essentially the same as payday loans, except they are called advance pension loans.  The annual interest rate on these loans can be as much as 100%, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

An interest rate of 100% is outrageous, especially since the loans are taken out against secure pensions which are generally guaranteed as long as the person is alive. 

Warnings Against Advance Pension Loans

The CFPB is warning retirees to avoid these types of loans.  They report that the loans are being offered in very deceptive ways.  This is an important enough issue that I wanted to pass on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warnings.

The companies making the loans are often secretive about the terms of the loan and may be very aggressive about getting people to sign up.  In addition, as mentioned before, the interest rates are usually outrageous!

How Advance Pension Loans Work

In particular, the lenders purposely target retired military personnel, police officers, firemen, state employees and others who are entitled to a government or private pension.  The lenders typically offer to loan the recipient a lump sum and, in return, they ask for access to the retiree's pension information until the loan is paid off.  Since the interest rate can be 100% (and sometimes more), it can be almost impossible for someone on a tight fixed budget to ever be able to repay the loan. 

These lenders are often operating illegally.  It is against federal law for pensions to be assigned to a third party; however, the lenders are getting around the law by opening special joint bank accounts with the retirees in order to hide what they are doing. The pension is deposited into the bank account and the lender removes it.

Since the lenders often do not reveal the exact terms of the loan, the pensioners frequently do not have any idea how much they will have to repay and many have no idea what they are getting themselves into.

The problem has become so serious that New York's Department of Financial Services has launched an investigation into these predatory lenders.  Several have already received subpoenas.  The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, released a statement saying that these deceptive practices will not be tolerated.

The national Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is also concerned and they have issued a nationwide alert.

How to Protect Yourself from Predatory Lenders

How can a consumer protect themselves from these predatory lenders?

1.  Do not give a lender access to the bank account where you receive your pensions.  Do not enter into an agreement with someone in which you pledge your pension in return for a loan.

2.  Do not borrow money from an unfamiliar organization or loan company.  Go to your bank or a trusted financial advisor if you need money in a hurry.  There are better options and you may be able to take out a personal loan or a loan against one of your assets, while getting much better terms such as a lower interest rate, particularly if you have a long-term relationship with your bank.

3.  For more ideas, check out the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau article below.  (It is the third link listed in the Resources section.)

Resources for this story: 

http://scambusters.org/a/cartips.html

http://www.scambusters.org/predatorylending.html

http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/1583/i-need-money-now-should-i-get-payday-loan-what-other-options-should-i-consider.html

In addition, if you want more retirement planning information, check out more articles using the index tabs at the top of this page.  In particular, you will want to check out the Retirement Money tab.

You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Public domain photo of military personnel is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

 

What Will You Do After You Retire?

Like many recent retirees, I worried that I would get bored once I stopped working.  In fact, I have known many Baby Boomers who are nearing retirement age who have expressed this fear.

Frequently, they make statements such as, "I don't want to play golf every day," "I don't want to get roped into babysitting my grandkids too often," "I'm not the type to play bridge all the time," or "I hate just sitting around the house watching TV."

As I have mentioned before, I live in an over-55 retirement community with lots of activities ... more than any human being could possibly do.  Within weeks of retiring from my job, I had signed up for a circuit training class three days a week and a yoga class twice a week.  I also joined the Writer's Club and was pleasantly surprised by the number of published authors in my community.  Before retiring, I had already been involved in horseback riding and walking on the beach every weekend.  In other words, I quickly got involved in a wide variety of activities.

In addition, I also drive two of my grandchildren to school every morning during the school year.  While they could ride their bikes or walk to school, I actually enjoy having the freedom to pick up these two grandkids and spend that twenty minutes or so in the morning with them.  One day a week, when my granddaughter has a late start at school, I take her to Starbucks and we sit and chat for half an hour before I drop her off.  This extra time with my grandkids has been one of the perks of retirement.

I've also discovered that I like cooking again ... at least once in a while.  Let's face it, when you are a working wife and mother, it gets to the point where dinner is whatever you can put on the table.  In the past, I was most inclined to stop and pick up a pre-cooked chicken, order pizza or sushi, or do something easy that required the least cooking possible.  Now I'm preparing full meals that take a little more effort.  While I still fall back on my easy meal ideas a few times a week, I find that I am cooking more often than I have in years ... and actually enjoying it.

Of course, I also write this blog and provide content for a number of websites.   This not only is a creative outlet for me, but also provides additional retirement income, doing something I love.

However, this is my personal experience.  So, prior to writing this post, I also decided to canvas some of my friends who do not live in a retirement community and do not have grandkids that live nearby.  What surprised me is that they have no trouble filling up their free time, as well.

Some of them have signed up for classes from the local community college or senior center.  They also enjoy being able to engage in activities that they couldn't spend much time on before ... painting, writing books, hiking, reading and having lunch with friends.  They are cooking, gardening, spending time with grandkids, traveling, redecorating their homes, volunteering for charities, driving Meals on Wheels, and so much more.

While our level of activity will, of course, decline as we get older, I have discovered that Baby Boomers are finding a wide variety of ways to stay busy and enjoy their retirement.  In fact, one refrain that I heard over and over again is, "I'm so busy now, that I don't know how I found the time to work!"

So, if you are hesitant to retire because you believe you will be bored or you won't have enough to do, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.  Anyone who has the energy to work all day will be eager to find more enjoyable things to do after retirement!  Jump right in ... the water's fine!

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Public domain photo of an artist at work is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

2014 Social Security Raise Expected to be Tiny

Social Security recipients are going to receive a tiny increase to their benefits again this year.  The preliminary estimate is that the increase will be only about 1.5 percent.  Considering that the average monthly benefit is currently about $1,162, this means the estimated increase will amount to approximately $17 for the typical beneficiary.

The size of the COLA not only affects retirees on Social Security, but also disabled veterans, disabled civilian workers, federal retirees, and SSI recipients, as well as their survivors.  The same cost of living estimates are used for all these groups.  This percentage may also be applied to other types of pensions, so this tiny increase will affect millions of retirees and disabled Americans.

Last year the increase was only 1.7 percent and, prior to that, there were no increases at all for the previous two years.  Over the past few years, more and more Social Security recipients are beginning to feel the pinch.  It is also becoming more difficult for them to put aside money for emergencies or unexpected expenses such as medical co-pays and car repairs.

The reason given for the low 2014 cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is because consumer prices have not gone up much during the past year, according to government figures. In addition, fuel prices have actually gone down over the past year.  For people who are still working, lower fuel prices are certainly helpful, although this may be a less significant benefit for people who no longer commute and use their cars very little.

Some advocates for senior citizens say that the way the government measures inflation is unfair to retirees, as they tend to spend a higher percentage of their income on health care.  The low COLA doesn't help them very much since medical costs have actually risen an estimated 2.5 percent over the past year.  This is one reason that so many retirees feel that they have been falling further behind.

Things may become even more challenging for retirees over the next few years.  Congress is currently looking at making changes to all the entitlement programs, including Social Security, Medicare  and federal pensions.  The goal is to make these programs more sustainable in the long run, which is a worthy goal.  However, this plan is likely to make it even tougher for retirees to survive on their benefits alone.

For example, if the government switches to a chained CPI to calculate future cost of living increases, as has been suggested recently by several members of Congress, we can expect to continue to receive extremely low Social Security cost of living increases in the coming years.

AARP has been actively fighting against the use of a chained CPI to calculate future cost of living increases.  However, it may be a hopeless battle, since this currently seems to be the most popular recommendation for entitlement reform.  I will continue to keep my readers up-to-date on developments with regard to this issue.

(The number used in this post for the 2014 COLA will be revised should the actual increase be higher or lower than 1.5%)

Source:

http://news.yahoo.com/social-security-raise-among-lowest-years-122713809.html

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Public domain photo of an early social security card is courtesy of www.wikipedia.com/commons.

Baby Boomers Moving Downtown and Uptown

When I sold real estate in Dallas, Texas in the 1990's, my last project was a gorgeous high-rise loft building on the edge of downtown, with a fabulous view of the city lights.  Several of the buyers were people who had decided to shuck their suburban homes, their lawns, and their yard work, and move to this classy loft building.

In the 1990's, these people were considered urban pioneers.  They were moving into an area that had very few support services such as grocery stores, pharmacies and dry cleaners.  However, what they lost in convenient shopping at suburban strip malls they replaced with easy access to the city's top restaurants, bars, theaters, museums and cultural events.  Most of these high-rise buyers felt it was a fair trade-off.

Recently, both Realtor Magazine and USA Today wrote articles indicating that this trend has become even more common among Baby Boomers over the past decade and a half.  Many empty-nesters who are no longer worried about schools and playgrounds are deciding that they want to live closer to adult amenities.

While high-rise condos and luxury apartments in the downtown area of most cities can be more expensive than life in the suburbs, some Boomers with grown children have discovered that they can now afford to indulge this lifestyle.  After all, they no longer need to have three-bedrooms and a large amount of square footage.  In addition, hopefully they are no longer supporting their kids!

The trend towards downtown living can be seen in cities across the United States.  Here are sixteen cities that were specifically mentioned in the Realtor Magazine and USA Today articles:

Dallas, TX
Phoenix, AZ
Austin, TX
Nashville, TN
Portland, OR
New York, NY
Boston, MA
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Denver, CO
Sarasota, FL
Washington, D.C.
Boulder, CO
St. Petersburg, FL
Seattle, WA
Baltimore, MD

There are a few disadvantages to high rise living.  First, you have to carry your groceries and other packages much further.  You no longer have a garage situated right next to the door into your kitchen. Second, highrise living usually involves significant downsizing at the time you move into a condo or apartment.  Third, living downtown means you are more likely to experience issues with traffic when you need to go places that are not within walking distance.

As a result, I have also noticed over the years that some Baby Boomers prefer not to move to a high rise in the downtown area of the city and, instead, choose to live in uptown townhouses, since they are still convenient to all the restaurants, bars and theaters that the downtown area had to offer.

If you are looking for an opportunity to experience a new type of lifestyle, ask your Realtor to show you some examples of downtown highrises, lofts and uptown townhouses in your city.  You might be surprised at how appealing these homes can be when you no longer need to be concerned about schools and other child oriented neighborhood amenities.


Sources:

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2013/09/10/baby-boomers-turn-cities-for-retirement#.UjDMgui8npE.facebook

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2013/09/09/retire-pension-top-places-cities-baby-boomers/2759217/

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Public domain photo of downtown Dallas is courtesy of www.morguefile.com.

How to Fix Medicare

Something needs to be done about Medicare.  If no adjustments are made to the current program, in another ten years it will no longer be able to cover the full amount of seniors' hospital bills.  Different proposals are being floated by politicians in Washington and by advocates for senior citizens, and these proposals were recently evaluated by AARP  in the October, 2013 ARRP Bulletin.

Here are the two approaches currently being considered to solve the Medicare problem.  They are completely different and, according to the AARP analysis, the second option is by far the most preferable.  Since many of my readers are politically active, I thought I would lay out the choices so you can advocate for the changes that you believe would be best.

Option #1 - Increase Medicare Copays to Seniors

Some Washington politicians have proposed that senior citizens begin to be charged copays for certain services, such as their home health care visits.  For example, the suggested amounts range from about $100 to $600 for each 60 day period of home health care.

AARP points out that this was tried once before and it was later repealed because it placed such a heavy burden on many seniors.  Such a bill would cause some seniors to forego home health care and other services, which could actually cost Medicare more if patients end up being hospitalized.  In addition, it could simply switch the burden for these services to Medicaid, which would then put a heavier burden on the states.  Finally, the premiums for Medigap insurance policies would also increase.

Option #2 - Reduce Medicare Fraud and Abuse

There is a new bipartisan bill before Congress that is known as the PRIME Act - "Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures Act."  This bill is aimed at saving taxpayers an estimated $60 - $90 billion a year in Medicare fraud and abuse.  Here are some of the highlights of the bill:

* It makes it more difficult for criminals to steal the identities of physicians and bill for Medicare services that have not been performed.

* Increases the penalties for stealing the identities of patients.  It outlaws the illegal sale, purchase and distribution of Medicaid and Medicare ID numbers.

* Increases the federal reward for fraud tips and establishes a Senior Medicare Patrol.

* Cracks down on doctors who improperly bill Medicare.  Steps would be taken to close loopholes, stop double billing and generally do a better job of tracking payments.

* Penalizes private companies that handle bill paying for Medicare if they do not meet specific payment accuracy goals.

Share Your Opinion With Congresss

Personally, I believe that every possible effort should be made to decrease Medicare fraud before higher fees are charged to senior citizens.  I cringe every time I hear a news story about doctors being arrested for billing Medicare for treatments that either never took place or that were unnecessary.  Even if fees eventually need to be increased, I believe that the PRIME Act should be passed, first.

What do you think?  Do you have other suggestions for lowering Medicare costs and keeping it more sustainable?

No matter which Medicare option you prefer, you can express your opinion to Congress by calling 1-877-940-1510.

With discussions occurring right now over the budget and debt ceiling, now is the time for you to let members of Congress know how you feel.  Sooner or later, this issue will affect nearly every American citizen.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo of women is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Minto Homes - Florida Retirement Communities

Until recently, I had never heard of Minto Homes.  Much to my surprise, however, I learned that Minto is a Canadian company that has been building quality projects for over 60 years.  Over the past few years, they have expanded into the Florida housing market, offering choices in a wide range of prices from about $200,000 to $1,000,000 in master planned communities.

If you are considering a relocation to Florida, there is a good chance that you may see some Minto houses in several of the more popular neighborhoods ... both those that are age restricted for senior citizens as well as those that are open to everyone.  Therefore, I thought it would be helpful to my readers to learn more about this well-respected home builder.

You can also find links to other articles about a variety of retirement communities in the United States and overseas by using the tabs at the top of this blog.

Shown below are the current developments in which Minto is involved.

Mento Homes in Florida

Harbour Isle on Anna Maria Sound

This is your opportunity to live along the beach on a private island in Anna Maria Sound (pictured above).  New homes range from about $380,000 to $500,000.  Although this is not a golf community, there are a number of golf courses nearby.  Within the community you will find a private clubhouse, pool, cabanas, and a marina.  The homes are energy efficient and your homeowner's dues include maintenance, for a carefree lifestyle.

Sun City Center in the Tampa / Sarasota area

This over-55 community contains paired villas as well as single family homes.  Prices for Minto homes in the community range from about $170,000 to $500,000.  There are other builders who also build residences in Sun City Center.  The community has its own hospital and several nursing homes.  There are about 20 golf courses, two indoor pools, an outdoor pool and many other amenities.  Minto offers a stay and play program that may interest you, too.  For just $99, you can stay in a Minto home in Sun City Center for two nights, while enjoying some of the amenities on the property.  This is a great way to decide if this neighborhood is right for you.

Twin Eagles near Naples

Minto has recently completed  two new model homes in this luxury development that contains two highly rated golf courses and a lavish clubhouse.  Single family home prices start at about $500,000 and go up to over $1,000,000.   If you purchase a home from Minto in this community, it currently comes with a free golf membership, although the members are responsible for paying annual golf dues.

Town Park in Port St. Lucie

This is another adult community for those who prefer to live in an age restricted neighborhood.  Home prices are very affordable, ranging from the $200,000's to the $300,000's.  The community offers a wide variety of amenities and is near a number of restaurants and retailers.

Better Business Bureau Report on Minto Homes

In doing research online, I did not find any complaints or angry articles written about Minto Homes.  I thought it was also worthwhile, however, to check out their Better Business Bureau report, just to be on the safe side.

The Better Business Bureau gives Minto Homes an A-.   The BBB has received four complaints about the company during the past three years.  Only one of the complaints occurred in the past 12 months.  Of the complaints that were file, one complaint was over advertising or sales; the other three complaints dealt with problems with the product or service that was offered.  All of the complaint files have been handled and closed by the BBB.

The BBB report goes on to say they they know of no government actions against the company and they have nothing negative to report regarding the company's adertising

Contact Information:

In addition to finding more information on the websites listed in the source section below, you can also call Minto directly at:

1-800-562-9606

Sources for the Information in this Article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_City_Center,_Florida
http://www.minto.com/florida/new-homes/projects.html
http://www.bbb.org/south-east-florida/business-reviews/home-builders/minto-communities-in-pompano-beach-fl-27003727

You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Photo of Anna Maria Sound is courtesy of wikipedia.org/commons

Myths About Over 55 Retirement Communities

Having living in an age restricted over-55 retirement community for more than nine years, I have noticed that there are a lot of myths about these communities.  As a result, I thought this would be a good time to clarify a few things and dispel some of these myths.

What You Should Know about Active Adult Communities

1.  Many people believe that in order to move into an over-55 community both members of a couple must be at least 55 years old.  However, only the husband or wife needs to be age 55 or older.  Their spouse can be any age.  It is also possible for a resident who is over the age of 55 to have a roommate who is at least age 40, or they can have an adult of any age as their live-in caregiver.  There are also special exemptions for residents who have a dependent adult child who is mentally or physically handicapped, although you may have to provide evidence of the adult child's disability.  Contact the retirement community that interests you to see if they have any specific requirements or limitations, such as whether live-in caregivers can use the amenities.

2.  Often younger people of retirement age believe that everyone in an age restricted community is extremely old.  The truth of this may depend on how old the community is.  For example, the community where I live was founded in the 1960's.  Therefore, there are a number of residents who have lived here for 30 years or longer. Consequently, the median age is 76, although it has been falling in recent years because of the influx of younger retirees. There are thousands of residents who are much younger than the median age.  In fact, the Baby Boomers club is the most popular and fastest growing club in our community.  If you are looking at a new age-restricted community, the median age may even be under age 70.

3.  Sometimes people are hesitant to move to one of these communities because they have the impression that everyone is either a shut-in or that they spend their days sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs.  While there are definitely some shut-ins in any retirement community, the vast majority of people are very physically and mentally active.  In our community, we have a group of synchronized swimmers, horseback riding classes, tennis courts, two busy golf courses and a wide variety of exercise programs including line dancing, circuit training, yoga, water aerobics, and much more.  There is a large group of bridge players and over 200 clubs. There are also regularly scheduled dances throughout the community. 

4.  Another misconception is that your children and grandchildren will not be able to stay overnight in your home with you.  In truth, guests under the age of 18 can legally stay up to 60 days a year.  In fact, when one of our daughters moved to Southern California from another state, she and her two young children stayed with us for about six weeks until she found a job and an apartment of her own.

5.  Baby Boomers who still have active careers may feel uncomfortable about whether they should move into any place labeled a retirement community while they are still working.  However, about a quarter of the people who live in our community have jobs.  Some of them work full-time, like my husband, and others work part-time, as I did until I recently retired.  Not only do many people work outside the community, but our retirement community also offers jobs to hundreds of residents.  These residents hold a wide variety of jobs including positions as gate guards, bus drivers and office clerks.  Many retirees find that working part-time for the homeowner's association is a great way to supplement their retirement income.  In fact, homeowner's associations in retirement communities may be one of the easiest places for retirees to be able to find part-time jobs.

6.  Another mistaken impression some new residents have is that these communities are so safe that the residents do not need to practice good personal security.  As a result, it is not uncommon for people to leave their homes unlocked while they go for a walk, leave their cars unlocked when they visit friends, or leave their purses sitting in plain view on the front seat of their cars.  (I have frequently observed all of these behaviors.) Good personal security is as important in a retirement community as anywhere else.  While these communities usually do have a low crime rate, crime does exist.  It isn't wise to tempt outside visitors and workers in the community by practicing lax security.

I hope this has dispelled some of the myths that you may have had about living in a retirement community!  If you have other questions, please leave them in the comment section and I will modify this article to answer the readers' inquiries.


You are reading from the blog:  baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Public domain photo of a golf course is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Would You Recognize a Heart Attack?

When my mother was 65, only one year older than I am now, she had a massive heart attack, followed by triple by-pass surgery the next morning.  Until the heart attack hit her, she thought she was only feeling a little uncomfortable because of the heat that day.  She and my Dad were in the process of cleaning out my grandmother's house after my grandmother had moved to assisted living.  They spent the day cleaning and packing up granny's belongings.  It was a hot summer day and my parents were carrying things in and out of the house, so the fact that my mother was perspiring heavily and feeling a little weak did not alarm her ... until she collapsed.

Symptoms of Heart Attacks 

We are all accustomed to the movie version of heart attacks in which a man puts his hands to his chest and collapses.  However, while this dramatic event will sometimes occur, it is not the first or most likely sign that you may be having a heart attack.  Listed below are the symptoms that both men and women should be concerned about:

Excessive perspiration, including a red face
Shortness of breath when you have not been exerting yourself
Indigestion
A heavy feeling in the chest or back
Achy, flu-like symptoms
Pain in the jaw, neck, back, or chest that doesn't go away
Extreme and sudden weakness or fatigue

All of these symptoms are especially alarming if they come on quickly and they are not relieved when you sit or lie down.   However, if you are experiencing these symptoms and cannot figure out why, you need to seriously consider the possibility that you are having a heart attack.

As you'll see in the comment section below, Domestic Diva said, "Your warning symptoms should be taken seriously. I think one of the reactions you'll find experienced by many heart attack survivors is that what they felt was somehow different. It wasn't quite like indigestion they've had before, or a flu they've suffered in the past. If you've lived to your 60s and experience a discomfort you've never had in all those years, it's worth getting checked out."  I moved her comment up here because I thought her words were something everyone should read.

Heart Disease Does Not Discriminate

When you read the list of symptoms above, many of them can also indicate very common illnesses, such as the flu, a strained muscle, or heat exhaustion.  Because many heart attack symptoms are vague, it is no wonder that my mother thought she was simply suffering from the effects of the heat.  Although she was a smoker, she was not over-weight and she had no history of heart disease.  She had no idea that she was in the process of having a heart attack until she collapsed and woke up in the hospital.

Many people still think of heart disease as an illness that primarily kills men.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  Women are actually about 15% more likely to have a heart attack than men, and they have double the chance of having a heart attack within six years of the first one.

Everyone should know that heart attacks kill women as well as men.  In addition, women (and their family members) need to know that women, in particular, can have a heart attack and never experience any chest pain!  About one out of three women will die of heart disease.  About two-thirds of them will have no prior symptoms. 

Our family was fortunate.  My mother is still alive at age 81, sixteen years after her heart attack and open heart surgery.  She has gone on to live an active lifestyle and, until recently, played golf on a regular basis. While she is suffering from other age-related health problems today, I'm pleased that she was able to survive her heart attack sixteen years ago.

For more information about this killer disease, go to the website of The American Heart Association.

If you are nearing retirement age and want more information about how to have a higher quality of life during your retirement years, please check out the index articles below.  They contain links to a number of helpful articles on a variety of topics.

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement

You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.com

Public domain photo of a heart is courtesy of www.morguefile.com.

Retirement Planning Is a Three-Legged Stool

Shortly before my recent retirement from my long-time job for a local school district, I attended a retirement seminar that was designed to help employees make sure they are financially prepared to stop working.  One of the things the speaker told us was that retirement is a three-legged stool, with Social Security as only one of the legs.  Here is how he explained it:

As mentioned above, the first leg of your retirement stool is Social Security.  This national pension program was never intended to be the only way that retirees supported themselves during their senior years.  Since recipients only receive a median benefit of about $1200 a month, this is not enough for anyone to fully support themselves.  If you had a stool with only one leg, you might be able to balance on it for a short while, but eventually you would fall over.

The second leg of the stool is a pension, annuity or fund.  At one time, many private companies provided their employees with a pension.  Today, only a few private companies still provide this perk, although some public employees, such as non-certificated school employees, still receive a pension.  Pensions are complicated.  For example, I had a job in which I paid into both the state pension plan as well as Social Security.  Therefore, I am able to collect both.  However, many people (such as California teachers) are only able to collect one or the other, in most circumstances.  If you do not have a pension, you may wish to take a portion of the money you have saved in your 401K or IRA and use it to invest in an annuity or investment fund in order to provide additional income.  This is the second leg of your stool.  At this point you have income from Social Security and income from a second source ... a pension, annuity or mutual fund.

The third leg of the stool, as suggested by the speaker at the retirement seminar, is your savings.  This is money that is accessible and not tied up in an investment.  It is money you can use in an emergency.  Everyone should have an emergency fund.  The size should depend on your available assets and your income.

The retirement consultant did not discuss the fact that the majority of Baby Boomers do not have enough savings to invest in an annuity or fund, let alone have enough put aside for emergencies.

However, if he had talked about it, he would probably have suggested that Baby Boomers find a way to earn a little extra money after retirement, as well.  As you will see in the Money section of this blog, I have written several blog posts over the years about ways that retirees can continue to earn money after they retire in order to supplement their income.  (We might think of a retirement job as the fourth leg of your stool.)

I have also written posts about how to save money, including cheap places to retire in both the United States as well as overseas.

In addition, you may want to consider downsizing.  Many people who have a lot of equity in their homes decide to sell the house, downsize and use the money they now have to put in savings and invest in various ways.  This is how they get the other two legs of their "stool."  Some people choose to get a reverse mortgage.  However, as I have mentioned in the past, this can be a dangerous decision and should only be reserved for people who are quite elderly.

If you are hoping to retire and you haven't saved enough money, you may want to check out some of the posts listed in the index articles listed below:

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement

You are reading from the blog: http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Public domain photo of money is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Kolter Planned Communities for Retirees

In researching appealing retirement communities around the United States, I have discovered that there are relatively few builders who are involved in this niche market.  As a result, I thought it would be helpful to my readers to do a series of reports on some of the specific developers you may encounter while you are shopping for a retirement home.

When I posted about Cresswind at Lake Lanier recently, I discovered that the developer, Kolter, has also built several other very appealing communities in the Southeastern United States.  Here's a little information about Kolter and the various neighborhoods that they have built.  Not all of these communities are age restricted.  However, they all offer a variety of amenities such as clubhouses, pools and recreational facilities.  In addition, I recognize that some retirees may prefer to live in a neighborhood that is not age restricted ... for example, if they want to share a home with their adult children or they like to live in a more diverse community.

The Kolter Group

Kolter is a real estate development and investment firm that is headquartered in Palm Beach County, Florida.  It has built over 3,400 homes in the Southeast and, when their currrent projects are completed, they will have built about 13,000 residences.

Since I have never personally dealt with this home builder, I thought it would be smart to check the company's Better Business Report.  As of early September, 2013, the BBB rated Kolter Signature Homes, LLC  as A+.  The report said that they received that score based on 16 factors, including the length of time they have been in business (since 1996), general background information, and the fact that there has been no complaints filed with the BBB.  Specifically, there were no complaints regarding advertising and sales, problems with the product, delivery, or their warranty.  There have also been no significant government actions involving Kolter Signature Homes.

In addition to building the homes and developing these master planned communities, Kolter also has a financial services branch that can help you arrange for your mortgage.  However, as a former Realtor, I always recommend that people also meet with their own banker, as well as an independent mortgage broker, before making a final mortgage decision.  While nothing is wrong with using your builder's mortgage company, it is still a good idea to shop around.

Kolter Communities

Cresswind at Victoria Gardens in DeLand, Florida
This is a 55+ age restricted community.  Visit this community and check out the five decorated model homes.  It is also conveniently located near a medical park.

Fairway Cove at Verandah in Fort Myers, Florida
This master planned development includes golf, nature trails, and convenient facilities for fishing and kayaking.  Homes priced from the mid-200,000's.

Cresswind Myrtle Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Live in a Master Planned active adult golf course community that is within an easy bike ride to the ocean.  (The photo of the live oak tree used with this article was taken in the lovely Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina.)

PGA Village Verano in Port St. Lucie, Florida
Do you love the play golf?  This the the ultimate resort style community with 54 holes of PGA championship golf.

Cresswind at Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia
This age restricted over-55 community, which has been previewed separately in this blog, has won more awards than any other adult community near Atlanta, Georgia.  Located on beautiful Lake Lanier, it features both a gorgeous clubhouse as well as a private marina.  Perfect if you want to take your boat with you when you retire!  The homes here start in the low $200,000's.  You can read my separate article on Cresswind at Lake Lanier here.  That article will give you information that applies to the other developments, as well.

You can get more information about these communities through these sources:
http://thekoltergroup.com/kolter-homes/
http://www.cresswind.com/

If you are looking for a place to live after retirement, you may also be interested in checking out the index articles below:

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement


You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Photo of South Carolina live oak tree is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Be Prepared for Emergencies - It Could Save Your Life

No matter how old or how young you are, are you prepared for an emergency?  In particular, are you prepared for the most likely type of emergency that could happen where you live?  For example, if you live in coastal areas in the southern and eastern states, are you prepared for a hurricane?  If you live in California, are you prepared for an earthquake?  If you live in a heavily forested area, are your prepared for a forest fire?  And, if you live near a river or other waterway, are you prepared for flooding?  If not, you need to take action now.  Your life, and the lives of your loved ones, could depend on it.

Our retirement community has regular emergency drills.  In addition, we also have representatives throughout the community who are willing to go door to door to check on people in the event of an emergency.  These volunteers attend periodic trainings so they know how best to help their neighbors, especially those who are weak or injured.

However, it is also a responsibility for all of us to be as prepared as possible if we should become the victims of a hurricane, flood, tornado, blizzard, earthquake or other disaster. In a widespread emergency, it may take a few days before emergency personnel can find and help everyone who is is injured or displaced.  Our local authorities recommend that everyone be prepared to take care of themselves, if possible, for up to three days.  If you live in an area where you could lose your electricity and be snowed in for a week or more, you may need to make even more extensive preparations. While this may not be necessary for everyone, better safe than sorry.

Covering Your Basic Needs

Experts agree that we should make sure we are prepared to take care of our of certain basic needs, including:  food, shelter, water, light, personal hygiene, medicine, communications, and money. 

How do you prepare?   Take a chest or plastic storage bin and put in some essential supplies such as canned food and a can opener, a radio and flashlight with extra batteries, soap, eating utensils, a solar phone charger, a small amount of cash, a first aid kit, blankets, a change of clothing for each family member, and small quantities of important medications (which you should rotate out every few months).  Inside or next to your storage bin you should also put at least a five gallon container of water or more, depending on the size of your family.  If you have pets, you will also want to include zip lock bags containing their food, as well as enough water to satisfy their needs for a few days.

Next, you need to decide where to keep your storage bin.  Here in Southern California, where the biggest danger is earthquakes, I know of several people who keep their emergency kit in a protected area of their backyard.  They do this in case their home should be so badly damaged that they would be unable to go back inside to retrieve the items they would need.  We keep most of our supplies just inside the door to our garage ... although I must confess that I am not good about keeping everything up-to-date and gathered in one place.  One of my reasons for writing this post is to encourage me to practice what I preach!

I have already purchased a combination flashlight and phone charger for my husband and each of our children for Christmas this year.  I thought it would be a thoughtful gift and could be really helpful to at least one of them in the coming years.

Items You May Wish To Purchase

When you are putting your emergency kit together, there are certain items you may wish to purchase.  In addition to food, clothing, blankets, 5 to 10 gallons of water and your medications, here are some additional items you may need.  If you don't have them on hand, purchase them in advance:

A well-stocked First Aid kit that includes bandages, antibiotic cream and alcohol wipes
A back-up phone charger -- either solar, battery powered or wind-up
A battery powered camp lantern
A battery powered radio that will pick up emergency announcements
A propane stove with extra cartridges
A whistle so you can signal rescuers
Plastic tarp to protect you if you must stay outside in bad weather
Flashlight
Batteries
Metal dishes, cups, eating utensils
A few pots and pans
Dishsoap and moist towelettes
Garbage bags (which can be improvised for use as a toilet in an emergency)
Toilet paper
A wrench or pliers that can be used to turn off utilities.  (Make sure you know how to do this before an emergency occurs.)

You may also want to have items like sleeping bags or a tent stored with your emergency supplies.

Why We Need to be Prepared

As we get older, it is easy to assume that someone will come rescue us if we are in danger.  However, as we saw with Hurricane Katrina and many other disasters, it can take quite a while before our rescuers are able to reach us.  If at all possible, we want to be able to take care of ourselves and not wait to be rescued.  Being prepared could save your life.

If you are retired or thinking about retiring in the future, you may be interested in reading some of the other posts from this blog.  They are all listed and linked in the index articles below:

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement

You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Photo of hurricane damage is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

More People Working After Age 65

Our concept of retirement has changed drastically over the past few years.  In fact, some people don't seem to be retiring at all ... and certainly not at the traditional age of 65.  The local newspaper for our retirement community, "The Laguna Woods Globe," reported this week that by 2019 approximately one in five seniors will be working either full or part-time after the age of 65.  Already, the number of workers in that age group has increased from 4.5 million to 7.5 million in the past ten years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  That's a whopping 60% increase in a decade!

Reasons Why Seniors are Working Longer

The article in "The Laguna Woods Globe" listed several reasons for this increase in the number of senior citizens who are still working, and I have added a few more reasons we have heard from some of the retirees we know who still work.

First, many Baby Boomers have not done a good job of retirement planning.  As a result, they are unable to survive on their low Social Security benefits, yet they have no savings to provide additional income.  Their only solution is to keep working as long as they possibly can.  The extra years of work also increases the size of their Social Security payments, so the benefits from working longer can help in several ways.

Second, even when people have saved some money towards their retirement, they may not have expected to enjoy such a long life expectancy after retirement.   When I was young, we were told that the average life expectancy was 72, which meant we only anticipated living a decade or less after we retired.  As I got older, life expectancy increased to 78.  Now that I am in my 60's, I have read that the average life expectancy can be as high as age 88 for people who are healthy at age 65.  That means you may need enough savings to last 25 to 30 years after retirement ... and even more if there is a lot of longevity in your family.  Many people who thought they were prepared for retirement are discovering that they failed to save enough.

Third, a number of companies that used to provide pensions to their employees have reduced or eliminated this benefit.  People who thought they would be able to live off the combination of their pension and Social Security may have much less retirement income than they expected.

Fourth, boredom is another reason for continuing to work past the traditional retirement age.  Some people use this time of life to pursue a career that they always dreamed of ... like becoming a blogger!  Others may continue to work part-time in their former careers, such as becoming a substitute teacher or business consultant. 

Fifth, many Baby Boomers are still healthy and they simply do not want to sit at home.  They would rather work and use the extra money to travel and have fun.  As one person in my local newspaper said, she doesn't need the money, but it sure "comes in handy."

Finally, sometimes seniors are involved in meaningful careers that they do not want to give up.  Many actors and religious leaders, such as the priests in the above picture, continue to work long past the traditional retirement age.  A nun I know is almost 80, yet she still travels all over the world leading spiritual retreats.  I have attended a few of her retreats, and she is still very energetic and a dynamic speaker.  One of the women in my bookclub is married to a physician.  She says he intends to work as long as he possibly can, because he believes that what he is doing contributes to society and he enjoys it.  Isn't that the best reason of all to keep working past age 65?  My own husband is still working, even though he is almost 69.  He really loves his job!

If you plan to work past age 65, I would love to hear the reason you made that decision.  Please feel free to mention it in the comments section of this article.

Meanwhile, if you are doing your retirement planning, you may be interested in reading some of the other articles from this blog.  They are listed alphabetically by topic with links in the the index articles listed below:

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement

You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Photo of elderly priests is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Source of Statistics:

"Working Late," Laguna Woods Globe by the Orange County Register, August 29, 2013.

Crime Against Senior Citizens

One personality trait that seems to take over when we retire is that we become much more relaxed about a lot of things that used to worry us.  When we become relaxed about how we spend our time, how late we stay up, or our vacation destinations, that is understandable and one of the advantages of being retired. 

However, sometimes people become alarmingly relaxed about their personal and financial security.  If that happens to you, it could put you in danger, as well as your loved ones.  It also could mean that you put at risk everything you have spent your life building.  Unfortunately, there are far too many people who prey on the elderly, taking advantage of their kindness and their trusting nature.  Don't let your retirement be ruined by predators.

Local Crime Against the Elderly

Our gated retirement community, Laguna Woods Village,which is considered one of the safest in the state of California, just released our latest crime statistics.  This data shows that residential burglaries in our town have tripled since 2007 and property crimes are at all-time highs.  Shown below are a few of the statistics listed for our neighborhood.

Between 2007 and 2013:

Burglaries increased from 13 to 20
Residential burglaries increased from 4 to 15
Thefts increased from 70 to 121
Bicycle thefts increased from 2 to 13
Thefts from cars increased from 11 to 24

These are significant increases in crime, especially considering that we live in a secured guard-gated, over-55 community with private security patrolling the streets 24 hours a day.  In addition, a high percentage of our residents are retired and home most of the time.

National Crime Statistics

Unfortunately, what is happening within our community is reflected across the country.  Incidents of crime against the elderly have become a serious national problem, according to a number of sources.  The types of crimes not only include burglary and property crimes, but theft of assets, fraud, physical and financial abuse and assaults.  Here are some of the troubling statistics I discovered:

In 1998, the National Center on Elder Abuse released an estimate that about 1/3 of the cases of elder abuse cases involved financial exploitation of some kind. Indications are that this type of crime has increased since then.

In 2000, the US Senate Special Committee on Aging reported $40 billion in losses to the elderly due to telemarketing fraud.  This number, as well, has certainly increased significantly in the past 13 years.

According to Project America, about 2.5 of every 1000 elderly citizens will experience a physical criminal attack each year.  The specific incidence of various types of physical attacks against the elderly are:

Rape or sexual assault:  0.1 per 1000
Robbery: 0.6 per 1000
Aggravated assault: 0.3 per 1000
Simple assault:  1.5 per 1000
Personal theft: 0.8 per 1000 

According to the website saching.com, every 2.7 minutes an elderly person is victimized in the U.S.  That is a horrifying statistic.

Actions You Can Take to Avoid Being a Victim of a Crime

Our local county sheriff's department published a list of suggestions to help the elderly reduce their chances of becoming crime victims.  While some of these suggestions seem obvious, I know that many residents of our neighborhood have become lax about basic security because they feel so safe living here.  A few suggestions are good reminders:

1.  Keep your doors and windows locked when you go out.  Make sure your locks are in good working order and you may also want to consider installing an alarm system.

2.  Put lights on timers when you are going to be out after dark.  This has the additional advantage of preventing accidents from trips and falls that can occur when you enter a dark house.

3.  Cancel newspapers when you are going to be gone or ask a neighbor to pick up your newspapers and mail.  Because so many people are home during the day in a retirement community, it should be easy to find someone to help you.

4.  If you have a computer, have a computer expert check it from time to time to make sure your firewall and anti-virus protection are the latest versions.  If a stranger calls and says they are trying to fix a virus on your computer, hang up.  Do not follow their instructions.  This is a popular scam that can allow them to trick you into loading a virus onto your computer ... that only the caller can repair!

5.  Do not give out personal information to anyone who calls you.  Your bank and credit card companies already have your account numbers.  Do not give this information out to anyone over the phone, unless you initiated the call in order to make a purchase.

6.  Ask for an I.D. from anyone who comes to your door and claims to be from a utility company or other local business.  If you have any doubts, call the utility company to confirm that they sent the person.

7.  Take pictures of your valuables and keep the photos in a safe place.  In addition, mark your valuables with an identification number, if possible.  This may make it easier to reclaim items that are stolen.

8.  Do not fall for requests for money from people pretending to be relatives.  It is one of the latest scams and, as I have mentioned before in this blog, several people I know have lost thousands of dollars in this way. Confirm, confirm, confirm.  Even if they ask you not to call anyone else in the family, call anyway.

9.  Do not leave valuables in plain view in your car.  Most thefts from cars occur when passersby see a cell phone, purse or other item in your car and they break a window and steal it.  Just a few weeks ago, someone broke several car windows at the stables in our retirement community.  While people were peacefully enjoying a trail ride, their purses were being stolen from their cars!

10.  Do not put your purse or wallet in the trunk of your car while standing in the parking lot of your gym, golf course or other public building.  Thieves hang around these place watching for people to put their valuables in the car trunks.  Then, while you are happily getting some exercise, they pop open your trunk and steal your belongings.  It just takes them seconds.

While some of the items listed above may just seem like good common sense, far too many elderly become lax as they age, especially if they feel they live in a safe area.  This is the time when you should become more vigilant than ever!

If you are retired or planning to retire soon, and you need additional information about how to have the best retirement possible, you may want to check out the blog posts listed in the index articles below.

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement


You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Sources:

"Property Crimes Spike in City," Laguna Woods Globe - Orange County Register, August 15, 2013.

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=1047

http://www.project.org/info.php?recordID=127

http://voices.yahoo.com/rising-crime-rates-against-elderly-seniors-learning-406684.html

http://www.saching.com/Article/Crimes-Against-The-Elderly---Crime-And-Abuse-of-Senior-Citizens/190

Photo of police car is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Spending Time With the Grandkids

One of the joys of getting older is being able to spend time with your grandchildren.  I drive two of mine to their elementary and middle schools almost every morning during the school year.  The few minutes it takes us to drive from their home to their schools is one of the highlights of my day.  It is always fun to hear about their activities, the books they are reading, their friends, and the tests they are dreading.  If they have a late start day, we might stop at a Starbucks for a hot chocolate before school.  I love the time we spend together in the mornings.

Another granddaughter goes to a college about a one hour drive from our home.  Occasionally she will ask if she can get away from school and spend a night at our house.  This is another wonderful way to spend unstructured time with one of our grandkids.  We usually have dinner together and watch some fun movies on TV.   On several occasions, she has baked us cookies or made similar treats during her visit.

The key to spending quality time with grandkids is to be prepared with some fun ways to entertain them, while remaining spontaneous and flexible.  You'll want to have some supplies on hand to keep the kids busy, even though you may only use these items occasionally.

Preschool Grandkids

Coloring books
Crayons
Construction paper
Simple games
Board books
Snack foods

Elementary Age Children

Craft kits for jewelry making or building things
Watercolors and paper
Jigsaw puzzles
Games
Frisbees and balls
Snack foods

High School and Older Children

Video Games and a Game Player
An assortment of DVD's of fun movies (horror films are often a hit)
Snack foods

Ideas for All Ages

You'll notice that snack foods are on all the lists!  In addition, whenever we see a fun movie on TV that we think some of our grandkids might enjoy, we record it on our DVR.  We especially watch for movies or TV shows that they might not have been able to see.  The latest hit with the grandkids has been the TV movie from the SyFy channel called "Sharknado."  It's totally ridiculous.  However, since we live in Southern California, both our elementary age and our college age grandkids have loved watching all the local landmarks get demolished by sharks!

For more ideas, the newspaper for our retirement community frequently prints out a list of upcoming events and local attractions, along with their prices and hours, so we have ideas of fun places where we can take the grandkids.  Even if your local newspaper doesn't do this, you may want to put together your own list of local places that your grandchildren might enjoy.  Look up the basic information and put it on your list so you are prepared to go on the spur of the moment.  Some items you may want to include:

The nearest zoo
Museums
Science centers
Amusement parks
Water parks
Restaurants with discounts for kids
Discount or dollar movie theaters
Beaches, parks and playgrounds
Swimming pools

With plenty of activities to entertain the grandkids both in your home and in your community, you will never run out of fun ways to keep them happy and busy ... and wanting to come back!

Whether you are currently retired or planning to retire soon, you may also want to check out the articles listed in the five index articles shown below:

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement


You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Photo of children playing is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Retire to San Miguel de Allende

In the early 1970's, my husband and I took a trip throughout most of Mexico in a Volkswagen Camper.  Yes, we were a lot more adventurous back in those days!  The investment company where my husband was working at the time went bankrupt and I hated my job as a legal secretary.  We sold our surburban home outside of San Franciso, bought the camper and took off for the open road.  It was a fun and illuminating trip.  Although we were in our early 20's at the time, one of the things we noticed was the fact that even four decades ago many Americans were retiring to Mexico. 

Life in San Miguel de Allende

During our trip, one of the places where we stayed was San Miguel de Allende.  We were charmed by this historic town.  If there were American ex-patriots living in the area at the time, however, we didn't meet any.

Today, however, San Miguel de Allende has become a mecca for thousands of retiring Americans.  Located in the state of Guanajuato, it is considered a colonial city with such charming architecture that it was nominated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  It is located about a three hour drive from Mexico City.

Activities in San Miguel

There is something for everyone in this lovely town, including boutique hotels, spas, and a main square that is a hub of lively activity with its carefully trimmed trees and an abundance of benches.  Live music is frequently performed in the town square.  The town also has art galleries, a museum, restaurants, nightclubs, boutiques, and craft shops.  Some of the local products that are for sale include furniture, stained glass, pottery, and metalwork.  In other words, most of the things you will need to furnish your retirement home can be purchased locally.

High temperatures range from about 60 degrees to 68 degrees the year around.  Expect rain in the summer.  

Retirement Info for Mexico

Currently, there are an estimated one million American retirees living in Mexico.  About 15% of them have purchased their residence and the remainder have found inexpensive places to rent.  San Miguel has attracted approximately 12,000 of those retirees with housing available in a variety of price ranges.

Unfortunately, many Americans have begun to feel uncomfortable in recent years about retiring in Mexico because of the increase in violence.   As always, I highly recommend that people who consider moving to another country check the State Department website for advisories and warnings.  In addition, if you do choose to move to another country, it is always wise to move to an area where there are many other Americans.  You are much more likely to feel safe and comfortable in such a location. Even in San Miguel de Allende, however, you should be alert, especially when you are traveling outside the town.

Housing Options

There are a variety of retirement housing options available in San Miguel de Allende.  Many of the developments have  facilities similar to what you would find in U.S. retirement communities, including fitness facilties, swimming pools, play rooms, movie theaters, beauty parlors and more. There are a number of real estate agencies in San Miguel that can help you rent or purchase an appropriate residence in the town.

Another housing option is the Complete Assisted Life Service, which offers specialized health care for those who need it, even if they have a terminal or degenerative disease like Alzheimers.  This is very appealing to those who cannot afford assisted living in the United States and has proven to be a viable option for many seriously ill Americans.  The facilities in San Miguel are built to meet the standards of Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) standards.  In these communities, residents can start out living an active lifestyle that includes golf, swimming and tennis; as their health worsens they will be moved to assisted housing where they can receive specialized care for their illness.  Complete Assisted Life Service facilities in San Miguel have proven to be a life saver for families that cannot afford expensive nursing care for their loved ones in the United States.

Real Estate in San Miguel

It was interesting to me to check out the real estate companies in San Miguel.  Although I cannot suggest a particular one, I highly recommend that people check out several on the internet before choosing one to deal with.  According to the website of the San Miguel Real Estate Agency, not only are retirees moving to their city, but younger American and Canadian adults are also moving there, especially since many of them are now able to work for businesses in their home country via the internet.  I found their website particularly helpful because it was written in English as well as Spanish, and home prices were advertised in dollars.  You will find their website listed in the resources section, below.  Featured homes that they advertised on their website ranged from $139,000 to several million dollars in 2013.  Obviously, buyers get a lot for their money when they are spending millions.  However, even the less expensive homes will give retirees the opportunity to enjoy the pleasant San Miguel lifestyle.

In addition, the various real estate websites advertised an abundant supply of homes and apartments for rent.  To show you the range in choices, I found a one bedroom apartment listed for rent at $500 a month and a number of homes in the $2000 to $2500 a month range.


If you are considering a move to San Miguel de Allende, you will want to check out the resources shown below:

In addition to the websites listed below, if you are going to be traveling to this area, you may also want to order travel guides about San Miguel de Allende from Amazon.com.

Information about the community came from the following websites:

http://www.visitmexico.com/en/retirement-in-san-miguel-de-allende

http://www.cielitolindoassistedliving.com/

http://www.sanmiguelrealestate.com/

If you are considering retiring soon, check out the index articles below.  They contain links to additional information about those topics:

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement


You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Photo of San Miguel de Allende courtesy of wikimedia.org/commons.

Start a Baby Boomer's Club in Your Community

We Baby Boomers like to stick together.  Although there are many differences among us, we also have had numerous shared experiences over the decades, including our enjoyment of the music of our youth.  As a result, one of the most popular clubs in our homeowner's association is the Baby Boomers Club.

Our retirement community, like most over-55 developments, has a large number of clubs and organizations for the benefit of the residents.  There seems to be something for everyone ... bridge, golf, tennis, writing, paddleboard, swimming, fishing and dancing clubs.  About five years ago, a group of the first Baby Boomers to move into our community started their own club, too, and since its inception it has been a big hit.

Activities of the Baby Boomers Club

The Baby Boomers Club is not one of those organizations where everyone gets together to chat, eat snacks, have political discussions or quilt.  It fact, it is one of the more physically active groups in the community.  All of their gatherings are major social events and are well-attended by both men and women.  Some of the recent activities they have hosted or co-hosted with other clubs are:

Regular Saturday night dances featuring music from the 60's, 70's and 80's.
A Woodstock Festival at one of our clubhouse parking lots
Trips to area attractions, concerts, casinos, etc.
Cruises
Beach parties

Benefits of a Baby Boomers Club

After retirement, many people feel cut off from the work connections they made over the years.  Joining a club is one way to make friends and form new connections.  It is also a way to celebrate life and return to those activities and hobbies that you loved when you were young.

While you may also benefit from taking an art class, bridge lessons, or getting more exercise, joining a group of your peers who enjoy the same music, the same dance styles, and who have similar interests is one way to enjoy reliving your memories and celebrating the life you have lived.

The relaxed, friendly socialization has also had an additional benefit for some members.  A number of couples in our community have met and begun dating as the result of having attended one of the events held by the Baby Boomers Club and other organizations.

If your current retirement community has not already started a Baby Boomers club, this may be a good time to start one yourself.  Baby Boomers are turning 65 at the rate of 10,000 to 11,000 a month.  Many of these new retirees are choosing to move into over-55 communities that have a wide assortment of amenities.  Now is the time for your community to begin welcoming your peers as they move in, and to help them feel they have found the right home!


If you are planning to retire soon, you may also be interested in looking through the links in the index articles below.

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement


You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Photo of a sunset wedding is courtesy of morguefile.com