The Baby Boomer Body Maintenance Plan

The majority of Baby Boomers are looking forward to living longer than previous generations.  In fact, I have read that if you are healthy at age 65, the average person can look forward to living well into their 80's. Information about increasing our longevity seem to be everywhere.

Unfortunately, the longer we live, the more likely we are to deal with some of the difficulties of having an aging body ... poor eyesight, deafness, hair loss, weight gain, osteoporosis, heart disease and, perhaps the biggest worry of all, mental decline.

With a little forethought and "maintenance," however, most people will be able to minimize these problems or, at the very least, postpone them longer than they may have thought possible.

You might be surprised to know that our body actually starts to decline long before we realize it.  As a result, you are never too young to begin taking better care of it.  The longer you can postpone health issues, the more likely it is that you will enjoy good health when you reach your 70's and 80's.

As a result, it was with great interest that I read an article titled "Stretch Your Timeline" in the March 2, 2015 issue of "Time" magazine.  In this article, they explained when different systems in our body begin to break down and how to slow down the process.  Below I have summarized their findings so we can all create our own personal body maintenance plan.

How to Maintain Your Body

Skin - I was shocked to learn that the collagen and elastin in our body begin to decline at a rate of about 1% a year starting at age 18.  Every teenager who is considering cooking herself in the sun or in a tanning salon should know about this.  In addition to protecting your skin with sunscreen, no one should start smoking if they hope to have nice skin later in life.  One worrisome issue that "Time" pointed out is that apparently some compact fluorescent light bulbs can also damage the skin.

Lungs - We begin to lose about 1% of our lung function per year starting at age 30.  Exercise will slow down the process and, although "Time" didn't specifically mention this, I'm sure this is another reason to avoid smoking.

Bones - By age 35, our bone mass begins to decline at a rate of 1% a year.  Weight bearing exercise, including jumping up and down, can help maintain your bone mass.

Muscles - Once again, exercise can come to the rescue and slow down the muscle loss that is common after the age of 40.

Eyes - Another part of our body that begins to decline at age 40 are our eyes.  Smoking speeds this up, as well as sun exposure.  Don't smoke and wear good quality sunglasses whenever you are outside, even on an overcast day.

Kidneys - Around age 50, your kidney function will start to decline.  People who drink plenty of fluids are less likely to experience as much kidney decline ... so drink water every day.

Gut - By age 60, our gut starts to absorb fewer nutrients.  As a result, it becomes even more important that you begin to make sure you are eating nutrient dense, healthy foods and avoid empty calories.  Discuss with your doctor any vitamin shortages that come up in your blood work, and find out if you should be taking extra Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, or other vitamins and minerals.

Ears - Another issue that develops in our 60's is hearing loss.  In fact, one out of three people between the ages of 65 and 74 have measurable hearing loss.  I was shocked that there does not seem to be much you can do to avoid it, other than avoiding loud music and other loud sounds.

Heart - Heart disease usually begins to appear around the mid-60's.  However, it actually started back in our 20's or 30's, when our peak aerobic capacity began to decline at about 10% per decade.  While "Time" didn't mention anything specific to do in order to postpone the decline in the aerobic capacity of our hearts, we know that exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating healthy are all ways to extend the life expectancy of our heart.

Brain - If we do everything else, but lose our cognitive function, there is almost no point to having a healthy body.  Fortunately, the same activities that keep the rest of our body healthy will also benefit our brain ... avoid smoking, get exercise, and eat a healthy diet.  In addition, we need to keep our brain active by engaging in social activities and doing things that stimulate our brain ... playing games, working puzzles, or learning a foreign language are all good ideas.

If you want to learn more about how to take care of your aging body, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this article.  They will connect you with hundreds of additional articles on medical information for Baby Boomers, where to retire, family relationships, travel and more.

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Livable Communities for Retirement

Since the vast majority of retirees make the decision to continue to live in their current home or, at the very least, their current neighborhood when they retire, many people wonder if this is the best choice for them.  Now, AARP has come up with a matrix to help senior citizens compare the livability of different neighborhoods around the United States and enable people to look up their own community, or another one that interests them, and see how different neighborhoods compare with each other and the national averages.  Comparing different neighborhoods has just become a whole lot easier!

What is a Livable Neighborhood?

Of course, livability means different things to different people.  As a result, AARP looked at sixty different factors including: availability of affordable housing (including apartments and condos), access to work and play, transportation, the environment, engagement, health, opportunity, access to jobs, and amenities.

The AARP List of Most Livable Neighborhoods

When they were done with their research, including surveying thousands of people over the age of 50, here was the AARP final list of the ten most livable neighborhoods in the United States.  They have narrowed it down, not just to cities, but specific neighborhoods within the cities:

Mifflin West, Madison, WI
Upper West Side, Manhattan, NY
Downtown Crossing, Boston
South of Market, San Francisco
Washburn, La Crosse, WI
Downtown Sioux Falls, S.D.
Southside, Virginia, Minnesota
Downtown Bismarck, N.D.
Downtown Seattle
Downtown Los Alamos, N.M.

Other Categories of Livable Places to Retire

Of course, relatively few people live in the communities mentioned above.  In addition, those neighborhoods might not be anywhere near where you currently live or where you would like to live.  As a result, AARP also came up with several other categories of livable places.  These were:

Most Livable Cities
Best Cities for Staying Healthy
Easiest Cities to Get Around
Best Cities for Date Night
Best Cities for Making New Friends

Furthermore, they broke those lists down into three sub-categories ... large, medium and small cities.

It interested me that there were several cities on more than one list.

How to Evaluate Your Community

Are you curious about how your community compares to others?  AARP allows anyone free access to their matrix.  Here is how to find out how your community ranks:

1.  Log into aarp.org/livabilityindex
2.  Enter your address or, if your prefer, just your zip code
3.  It will show your livability score in several categories, including housing, access to work and play, transportation, environment, health, engagement, opportunity.

You can click on the various categories to learn more about each one and how your community ranked in a number of areas.

When I did this with my own community of Laguna Woods Village, California, it was above the average in five categories and below average in two.  It ranked particularly high in health, partly because there are few smokers, few obese people and there is plenty of access to exercise and health care.

My community's overall score was about the same as that of Austin, Texas ... another popular retirement city.

AARP Featured Cities

At the bottom of the website mentioned above, you can click on Featured Cities and see the scores of most of the major cities in the United States.  By entering a zip code, as described above, you can find out the details of specific neighborhoods in those cities.

Enjoy this fabulous way to research the communities where you might want to retire.  It is a great way to evaluate every place in the United States you think you may want to live and will help you decide which livable communities are right for you!

If you are looking for more retirement information and ideas, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this article to find links to hundreds of additional articles about retirement.

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Redesigning Death - Bring Joy to Your Final Days

While most of us do not want to think about it, we are all going to die.  It could happen at home, in a hospital or while out in public.  If we are lucky, we may have the time to say good-bye to our loved ones and spend time with them during the last few days of our lives.  However, death does not always come gradually.  Sometimes it happens with the speed of a heart attack or an auto accident. 

Most of us will have some type of funeral or memorial service; we will probably be interred in a cemetery or cremated, with our ashes distributed according to our instructions.  If we are leaving family and loved ones behind, there are likely to be sad relatives and lots of tears.  It all seems very simple, clear and preordained.  However, are there ways to change the feelings surrounding our death?

Death Redesigned

What if we could completely alter the process?  No, there is no way to prevent our death.  We may not even be able to predict when it will happen or postpone it.  However, with a little creativity, planning and forethought, we can change the way both we and our loved ones will experience our death.  What are some ways we can do that?

Plan the End of Your Life

One of the first things you can do is think about how you want to spend your final days, should you be given the opportunity to choose.  Do you want to die at home or in a hospital?  Would you prefer to cease treatment and get palliative, hospice care, instead?  Do you want your loved ones to be with you at the end?

What type of atmosphere do you want?  You can set the mood.  Do you want those last few days to be sad and tearful, or would you rather spend the time talking about all the happy memories of your life?

How to Change the Mood Surrounding Your Death

I love my children enough that it would break my heart to see them in tears while I was dying.  I would rather have them focus on the happy and funny experiences we have enjoyed together.  When I die, my goal will be to provide all the comfort I can to them.  What are some ways to do that?

1.  Put together photo albums to share with your loved ones at the end of your life.  Personalize them with photos of specific memories you had with each of them.  This could be a wonderful way to keep the conversation light and happy.  I went to a memorial service recently at which I was handed a DVD of the slide show about the deceased that was shown during the service.  The man had volunteered as a hospital clown through his church, and it was very touching to be able to play the DVD at home and see all the joy that had been part of his life.

2.  Write letters to the people you care about ... and it doesn't have to be only your family members.  One of our friends died of lung cancer a few years ago.  He owned a construction company and, during the last few weeks of his life, he wrote a letter to each of his sub-contractors, telling them how much he appreciated their years of service and giving them each one final payment.

I have also heard of parents who were dying far too young, who wrote a series of letters to their children that they could read each year on their birthdays.  The letters are usually meant to encourage them and include the things you would like to say to your children at each age.  In some cases, parents have even made DVDs for their children, so they can speak to them in a more personal way.

3.  After gifting - This was an idea I found in an article called "Death Redesigned," in the April 5, 2015 issue of The California Sunday Magazine.   You can arrange to have birthday gifts sent to family members for years after you die.  The gifts could even be something you made for each of them or a special item for a grandchild you have never met.  I think this is an especially caring thing to do if you are leaving behind young children.  It will bring them comfort to know that you were thinking of them and planning for them, even during the final few weeks of your life.

You don't have to limit yourself to family.  I recently read about a man in Great Britain who had a group of close friends that he would go with to the local pub.  He left them 3500 pounds (about $5000) so they could have a trip and a big party, at his expense.  This seemed like so much more fun for them than a terribly sad wake back at home.

4.  Messages from Beyond - The "Death Redesigned" article mentioned above also speculated about the idea of arranging for text messages to be sent to loved ones after your death.  This might work in some families; in others it might seem creepy or make it hard for them to move on.  Only you can decide whether this would be the right move for your family.  One of the points they made was how a widow would feel if she was on a date three years later and received a text message from her deceased husband.  If you decide to try this, make sure you write something loving and supportive; you will also not want these messages to go on for more than a few weeks or months. We all need to find a good time to let go of our loved ones.

5.  Share Your Story - So many times I have heard people say that they wished they had written down the stories that their grandparents shared about their lives.  Why don't you do it for your descendants?  Write down your memories and pass them on.  You can do something as simple as a typed document that you print out at home.  Or, you can get more elaborate and write it in book form, using a free service like Amazon's CreateSpace website.  They will produce paperback books that you and your family members can order for $5 or $6.  Order a couple of dozen of them yourself to be given out at your funeral.  Your descendants will appreciate knowing more about the lives of their ancestors and you will feel good knowing that your memories, experiences and dreams will not die with you.

One of our neighbors, who grew up in Korea before he and his wife moved to the United States, wrote a biography of their early years for his children and grandchildren. He also had extra copies printed out and gave them to his neighbors and friends.  I enjoyed reading about his early life and I am sure his descendants really appreciated the fact that he made the effort to do this.  

Taking Care of Your Will and Basic Funeral Plans

If you want to lighten the load on your family members, you will want to take care of all the basics, as well.  Make sure you have consulted with an attorney and written your will, trust, and advance directive.  Be sure you have put together a list of bank accounts, life-insurance policy numbers, user names and passwords for Facebook and other social media you use and put this information with your will.  In addition, you should give this information to the executor of your will.

You may also want to include any special instructions you have for where you want to be buried, specific requests for your funeral service, and any other messages you want to leave your loved ones.  We wrote a message to our daughters that we want them to read upon our death.

My husband and I have put together a notebook labeled "In The Event of Our Deaths."  We set it out whenever we are on a trip ... just in case something happens.  We have included copies of all our important information in our notebook, including copies of our will, special instructions, insurance information and anything else we thought would be helpful to them.  In addition, we made a copy of the information in this notebook and gave it to the daughters we chose to be our co-executors.  We wanted to make life as simple for them as possible.

While you may not want to do everything listed in this article, hopefully it will inspire you to redesign your own death in such a way that, while you cannot prevent your death, you feel as if you are going out on your own terms ... and that is the best any of us can do.

If you are looking for more information about aging and retirement, use the tabs or the pull-down menu at the top of this article to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

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Mortgage, No Mortgage, Reverse Mortgage or Rent?

Once you decide where you wish to live during your retirement, you need to consider how you will pay for your residence.  There are issues to consider no matter what you decide, and this article will give you an overview of some of your choices.  You might decide to get a traditional mortgage on your home, just as you have done during your working years. You could choose to pay cash for the home with savings or the equity from the last home you sold prior to moving into your retirement community.  You might decide to stay where you are and use a reverse mortgage to pay off your current debt and fund other retirement expenses.  Finally, you could choose to invest the proceeds of the last house you owned, and rent your retirement home.

Pros and Cons of Having a Mortgage on Your Retirement Home

*  Advantage: You can use the mortgage interest deduction to reduce the amount of income taxes you will pay.  This is especially useful for people who expect to pay high taxes, especially now that they will no longer have other types of deductions, such as business expenses.

*  Advantage:  Money that would have been put into a home, could be channeled into investments that would increase your income, instead.  This gives you the double advantage of increased tax deductions and increased retirement income.   This option is best for high net worth people with a large tax liability, who want to maximize their deductions.

*  Disadvantage:  Some people do not want to carry debt during their retirement.  It can cause them to experience additional stress and worry, especially if their finances are very tight.  They worry that something could happen to their investments and they would be unable to pay off their home.

Pros and Cons of Paying Cash for a Retirement Home

*  Advantage:  Many people feel more comfortable knowing that their home is paid off and they will have an inexpensive place to live, as long as they can pay the property taxes and insurance.

*  Advantage:  Many lower income retirees in moderately priced homes would not receive enough of a tax deduction to enable them to lower their tax liability more than if they simply filed using the standard deduction.  In fact, there is no tax benefit for some people who have a mortgage.  On the other hand, not having a mortgage makes them feel more financially secure.

*  Disadvantage:  When people pay cash for a home, most of their assets will be tied up in their house, which makes it more difficult for them to come up with cash in an emergency.  You do not want to pay cash for a house if it will use up all your cash assets, leaving you without any reserves.

Pros and Cons of Getting a Reverse Mortgage

*  Advantage:  People with a lot of equity in their home can use a reverse mortgage and use the money to pay off their traditional mortgage and/or use their home equity for other retirement expenses. 

*  Advantage:  You do not have to make payments or re-pay an reverse mortgage until you die, sell the home or move out.  If a couple lives in the home, however, it is important to make sure both of their names are on the reverse mortgage so that the loan does not have to be repaid until both of them have died, moved or decided to sell.

*  Disadvantage:  The equity in your home could be used up during the early years of your retirement, especially if you get the reverse mortgage soon after retiring, leaving you without an asset you can tap into during your later years.

*  Disadvantage:  You may not have any inheritance to leave your children.


Pros and Cons of Renting Your Retirement Home

*  Advantage:  Renting allows you to invest your savings and the proceeds from the sale of your last home in stocks, bonds, mutual funds or annuities, to maximize your retirement income.

*  Advantage:  Renters have the flexibility of quickly adjusting to changes in their financial situation or medical condition.  For those with serious health concerns, renting can make it much faster and easier to move into assisted living or a Continuing Care Retirement Community.  Upon death, it is often easier to probate the estate.

*  Advantage:  Renters in some areas may be able to pay far less in rent than they would in house payments.

*  Disadvantage:  Renters do not have the opportunity to participate in the increased equity they could receive during periods of real estate inflation.  They have to hope that this disadvantage is offset by rising values in their investments.

*  Disadvantage:  Renters who have investments may tap into them too easily, if they are not disciplined. This could lead to a decrease in their income later in life.

*  Disadvantage:  Renters do not have the advantage of reducing their income taxes by using the mortgage interest deduction.  They have to accept the standard deduction.  However, if their taxable income in low, a mortgage deduction may not be helpful to them, anyway.  This is often true for people who have most of their retirement assets in a Roth IRA or tax-free bonds, for example.

Bottom Line:  As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages no matter which choice you make.  You have to know yourself.  Will you be more comfortable knowing that you own a house that is paid for?  There is a lot of value in that kind of peace-of-mind.  Or, would you feel more secure knowing that your money is invested and you have maximized your retirement income?  Do you feel comfortable with the idea of getting a reverse mortgage when the time comes that you need extra cash?  Would you like the flexibility of renting your retirement home?  Only you can decide which option will work the best for you.

Source:

"Cash vs. Mortgage? Here's How to Decide" by Marc D. Allan, Where to Retire Magazine, January/February 2015, pg. 32.

If you are looking for more information about where to retire, use the tabs or the pull-down list at the top of this article.  They will connect your to hundreds of additional, helpful articles on where to retire, financial planning, health concerns, family relationships and more.

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

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