Category: Home and Garden
Aging-in-Place Remodeling, Minor Modifications Gaining Popularity, According to NAHB Survey
-- May 1 -The past five years have seen increases in the number of remodelers engaged in aging-in-place home modifications and home owner awareness of these types of remodeling projects, according to a survey by NAHB Remodelers, the remodeling arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Released today as a kick off to National Home Remodeling Month, it also revealed that simple and less costly modifications are
more...
Published on May 1, 2017
Comments 7
Category: Active adult communities
May 2, 2017 -- If you live in an established 55+ community or an active adult community there is a Homeowners Association (often called Community Associations) in charge. While often maligned, these boards are necessary - somebody has to run the place. Boards need interested and capable people to fulfill that responsibility - and maybe that person is you. This article is based on an association board member orientation provided by David Rogel, Chair of Community Association Litigation for the Miami law firm Becker & Poliakoff (www.bplegal.com). He is the General Counsel for over 200 community associations. Our hope is that our notes of his presentation will help you understand how you and your association can avoid legal trouble, and provide a positive experience for your fellow residents. Note that this article was based on notes taken along with a few minor additions made by your editor; we apologize for any errors we might have introduced.
Fiduciary Duty
If you a board member of an HOA the first thing you need to know is that you have a fiduciary duty to the Association and its members (residents). That means that you have a legal and ethical relationship of trust to the organization and its members. You are in essence responsible for their money and assets, and you must hold their interests above your own.
Avoiding problems
One of the easiest ways for an association to find itself in a lawsuit is to make important decisions with no clear trail as to how it arrived at them. Attorney Rogel covered a number of potential problem areas along with the steps associations can take to avoid them. He pointed out that your underlying condo/association documents control most activities in your association. As a board member you must read and follow those.
Meetings/meetings/meetings
- Proper notice needs to be given of meetings so
more...
Published on May 2, 2017
Comments 9
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Editor's note: This is a 2 part article. Part 1 discusses two popular Best and Worst Places to Retire lists. Part 2 explores best retirement states from multiple perspectives - taxation, cost of living, culture, climate, cost of living, property taxes, etc.
May 9, 2017 -- To paraphrase something from the news - "Who knew finding the best state for retirement was so complicated?" Eager to attract baby boomer readers for their advertisers, the publishers of these lists sometimes do it "scientifically", using data to back up their picks, and sometimes whimsically, using 20-something writers for whom retirement conjures up geezers in rocking chairs and old folks homes. The results from these "Best" lists are so all over the place that is
more...
Published on May 9, 2017
Comments 42
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 17, 2017 — Note, this is Part 2 of a two part article. Here is the link to Part 1: Crazy Lists and Not Much Agreement.
In Part 1 we compared 2 popular “Best States for Retirement” lists to the states where retirees actually move. It was not a pretty comparison. The 2 popular lists agreed on almost nothing, and neither one included more than one or two of the states where baby boomers actually move. To help you prepare your own best states to retire list, in this installment we will present various lists of specific attributes that retirees might be interested in, such as culture or climate. We have even included a few whimsical factors to liven things up!
Best Cultural Opportunities
WalletHub included a ranking for the top 5 and worst 5 states for museums
more...
Published on May 16, 2017
Comments 83
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Editor's note: Our frequent commentator, Mejask, recently provided a detailed Comment about what it is like to retire in our 50th State. There was so much good information that we decided to republish it as its own Blog article. That way a lot more people will have a chance to read it. Thanks Mejask!
By Mejask
May 18, 2018 -- Here is further information some of you wanted on Hawaii. A little about me so you have some gauge as to my views. I grew up in Illinois, lived some time in Washington state and the Southeast and then most of my career in Connecticut. I moved to the Big Island in July 2015. I have been to the Honolulu area on Oahu but not to Kaui or Maui which are the other islands people may choose to locate. My input on the islands that I haven’t visited will be brief and is mostly from what folks here have told me.
The Islands
Maui, Kaui and Oahu are much smaller in size than the Big Island and their land mass could easily fit inside the Big Island with room to spare. All of these islands are more expensive than the Big Island. The biggest expense difference is real estate. Each island is a county of Hawaii. You will not find typical
more...
Published on May 19, 2017
Comments 10
Category: Work and Volunteering
May 23, 2017 -- There is a great new industry getting off the ground now, one that is likely to get even bigger as more and more of us baby boomers age. The popular term is "senior concierge", and you can join the movement in multiple ways: as a volunteer, employee, or entrepreneur. Who knows, maybe even Benjamin, Dustin Hoffman's character in "The Graduate", would be getting advice to go into this field, were that he was a real person and entering retirement!
The idea is simple. More and more people need help as they age or experience some type of impairment. In fact the U.S. will have 72 million folks over age 65 by 2030. Enter senior concierges, who can provide assistance for all kinds of everyday needs. For example many people can't drive anymore, but want to live at home. You can do their shopping for them, take them to appointments, or do anything they have
more...
Published on May 22, 2017
Comments 15
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
May 27, 2017 -- If you thought you knew everything you needed to know about when and how to claim your Social Security benefit - think again. For those who have not yet claimed their benefit as of 2017, two major developments probably affect you. This 2 Part article will help educate you on how to best navigate this new world. Part 1 explains how benefits are different (lower and later) for people born in 1955 or later, and how those folks might cope with that. Part 2 explains the 2016 changes affecting the popular claiming strategies called "file and suspend" and "restricted benefit".
Where you born in 1955 or later?
The first item affects those who will celebrate their 62nd birthday in 2017 (or in a later year). If that describes you, the age in which you are eligible for full Social Security benefits is on its way from age 66 to 67. The Full
more...
Published on May 28, 2017
Comments 19
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
May 31, 2017 -- We all know that walking is good for us. But that doesn't mean we all do enough of it, instead relying on our cars, or even golf carts, to get us to all of our daily business. We just came across two great articles that give us even better reasons to start walking more, so we can enjoy our retirements in better health and happiness. Plus another piece of news came in too, which found that eating chocolate regularly is good for your heart. Good news there!
The first came from NextAvenue.org, and it extolled the virtues of "mindful walking" as a way to improve brain health and reduce stress. The article quotes two experts, Dr.Lynn Koerbel from the Oasis Institute for Mindfulness-Based Professional Education and Training, and Deepak Chopra, founder of
more...
Published on May 30, 2017
Comments 1
