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Try It NOWCategory: Medicare
October 17, 2022 – Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period just started on the 15th, and runs through Dec. 7. In case you forgot to enroll in Medicare when you first became eligible, now is when you can sign up for it, and either avoid a penalty, or minimize it, if you…
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Category: Active adult communities
October 13, 2022 -- Retirement communities can be interesting and intriguing places. Although a lot of people think there is only one kind of active adult community: places that offer cookie cutter homes, a clubhouse, golf course, swimming pool, tennis and maybe pickleball. Commonly these retirement communities are restricted to 55+, are located a car ride away from town, and all provide the identical lifestyle. Yes, that does describe many active adult communities (where millions of retirees are actually having the time of their lives), but it is not the whole picture. There are many intriguing communities for active adults that break the mold; offering features, amenities - even an attitude - that can make for an interesting, unusual retirement. They might not be the most popular, but here are 11 of the most interesting communities we came across recently. (Note: Use the Further Reading links at bottom for ideas on many more).
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Category: Medicare
October 13, 2022 — It has been four decades since the Social Security COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) was this high. The government announced the increase today, which came in as widely expected at 8.7%. The rate was calculated on a formula based on current rates of inflation. For a…
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Category: Medicare
October 5, 2022 -- The Open Enrollment Period for Medicare starts soon, October 15, and runs through December 7. During this time you can join, switch, or drop a plan. Your coverage will begin on January 1 (as long as the plan gets your request by December 7). The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment period runs from January 1 – March 31 each year. That's when if you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can switch to a different Medicare Advantage Plan or switch to Original Medicare.
By now you should have received materials from your supplemental medical insurance company announcing changes for 2023. So this is the time to start thinking about what to do. If you are eligible for Medicare but not enrolled, do so now to avoid penalties and/or no coverage. Or, get ready to sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan. Next week we will provide our helpful article on Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage plans, which always sparks a helpful debate among our Members.
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Category: Real Estate Listings
October 4, 2022 -- The loss of human life and billions of dollars in property damage from last week's Hurricane is tragic. The storm also brought concerns for snowbirds - will their rentals still be available, or were their homes seriously damaged? Folks have been calling their friends and scouring the news for reports about what was damaged, and trying to estimate how soon life can return to normal. In many cases, they have not been able to get answers. Thousands will probably find that their plans for spending part of the winter in southeastern climes might have just floated away. This article reports on some of the affected areas, and what your possible reactions might be. Mainly, we would like to hear what you know - was your home or snowbird rental damaged, have your plans changed, or is all well? Plus, what kind of coping strategies can you put in place if your winter plans have been upended? Please add your thoughts in the Comments section at end. We should add that problems for snowbirds are definitely first world problems. We feel for all of the full time residents who have lost their homes or who have been forced to find temporary shelter. There are many accredited charities such as the Red Cross that would appreciate our support.
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Category: Travel
Sept 30, 2022 — If you are a fan of Scotland and/or love fiddles, we have a great armchair visit in store for you, complete with short videos of mini-concerts on scene. Mrs. Topretirements, aka Lucy Burdette, set up this tour for us and 5 friends last month with one…
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Category: Family and Retirement
September 28, 2022-- As a follow up to our recent article, "There Might Be More Than One Kind of Home for You in Retirement", this one concentrates on the latter stage of retirement. What you will do when you are a little less active, and your abilities are not quite what they were in the beginning and middle phases of retirement? The idea for this started when the eldest sister in our family, approaching her 79th birthday, asked our relatives what they were planning for their late retirement years. We agree this is an important conversation to have, particularly with one's children and other family members. We hope that you will add your thoughts in the Comments section below, so we capture a wide range of opinions and plans.
The conversation started with this question:
We have no plans to sell our houses or to move, but it is certainly time for us to think about the future. With our children spread out, we could go many places. Our policy up to now has been, when we need help we will pick up and move close to one of our children. But I wonder if that might be too late. It’s hard for an older couple to make a big move, particularly if one is needy. Since both of our parents lived to a ripe old age (92 and 102) with most mental faculties intact, our genetics make it seem like we should be planning for the long term.
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Category: Snowbirds
Updated Nov., 2023 – The leaves are turning and there is a chill in the air in the Northeast and Midwest. So it’s time we once again link to the “Snowbirds Leaving for the Winter Checklist” that we originally published in 2010. Every year we add to it in different…
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
Sept. 22, 2022 -- Thanks to the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and other factors, inflation is raging here in the U.S. and everywhere in the world. While early estimates are the 2023 Social Security COLA will be one of highest in history at 8.7%, that will not be enough for the millions of retirees who are living on a shoestring. To help with that, we have assembled a collection of tips our Members have provided in the past. We hope you will add more of your own in the Comments section below (and thanks to Grace for suggesting this topic!) Note that these are just a fraction of the fabulous ideas our Members have posted over the years. Check out the articles listed at bottom for hundreds more!
Sell stuff. Darla suggests: Downsizing by selling stuff didn’t appeal to me, but a friend has an Ebay store. He takes care of anything I ask him to sell, and I give him 30% (the stuff would have gone to the trash or thrift store anyway).
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Category: Adventurous retirement
September 21, 2022 -- Swept up in the desire to stay healthy and armed with plenty of time in retirement, millions of baby boomers are enjoying hiking as a fun pastime. Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong. According to hikersdaily.com, almost 5,000 hikers are injured every year, with most of those coming from slips and falls, with the ankle most often affected. There are an estimated 15,000 rescue operations in an average year on public lands. The most tricky of those are helicopter rescues, which typically cost around $12,000.
We would like to make sure one of these mishaps doesn't happen to you. And to make your hike more fun, we are including some great tips from our friend Tom Cretella, one of the most experienced hikers we know. These are his tips.
Top 10 Mistakes You Don't Want to Make Hiking
Not enough water. Running out of water is never a pleasant experience. I always carry at least 2 liters of water for a day hike. Hint, Don’t wait till you are thirty to drink; then it’s too late to fight off dehydration. Try to drink often during the hike. Good hydration keeps your muscles from cramping and your reflexes sharp. Tip: Water is heavy so I carry an extra liter of Water and stash it about 1/2 way to my destination, and retrieve on the way back. It can be a life saver.
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