A great deal of attention is being paid to the who, how, and when of being a Boomer. Who are Boomers, really? How will we change the concept of aging? When will the average Boomer choose to retire, if ever? But, what about the "where" part of the puzzle?
Here are some tips for remodeling your home for retirement.
If you're thinking a reverse mortgage might be the answer to your retirement quandaries, a new law works in your favor -- while the housing crisis works against you.
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 upped the borrowing limits on reverse mortgages, put the brakes on aggresive marketing of reverse mortgages, and limited the fees a financial institution can charge for reverse mortgages.
The kitchen is the heart of the home. Here are some tips for making it as accessible as possible.
A well-designed kitchen can make cooking and entertaining more enjoyable. So if you're considering remodeling the kitchen, your focus is probably cosmetic. However, as your parents get older, there are safety issues to consider, too.
Richard Rider Rant
Let 'em compete for your business
A small financial tip for these hard times: If you have cable TV service, AT&T is starting to compete in some areas. Not to say they are necessarily better, but the competition itself is indeed beneficial.
I just called my cable company, Time Warner, and told them that I was considering switching to AT&T cable and high speed Internet services. That prompted the sales clerk to suddenly note that I was under an "old" plan (established less than a year earlier), and that now there are better deals.
If your goal is to help your parent(s) stay in their own home as long as possible, bathroom safety should be a priority.
As Boomers age, we're helping our parents deal with livability issues. All too soon, we'll be dealing with these issues for ourselves and our spouses. Some of us — the "early aged," who have some sort of injury or debilitating condition — are already dealing with these challenges.
Nursing home residents are at a high risk for falls. Here are some tips for prevention.
Q: My mom recently took a nasty spill in the nursing home where she's living. A friend of mine, who is a nurse, told me that this is fairly common in nursing homes. I thought my mom would be fairly safe there, so why do falls occur more often in nursing homes?
HawkTrek
We made it through, no thanks to politicians.
Boomer Advisor is published by Advisor Media at our office in San Diego. For several days we lived the nightmare known as Firestorm 2007, later called the Witch Creek Fire (though it was actually several fires in different places). Our office wasn't threatened, unlike the Cedar Fire of 2003, which burned to just a block from us. None of our San Diego-area staff was harmed and their homes all survived.
But it was a scary situation. Wild fires raged in various areas of the county, and they stopped more by luck -- a change in winds -- than by anything people could do.
This link is to an article I wrote that might be very useful for victims of the wildfires. I wrote the article after the Cedar wildfires in October 2003. Your readers might have to register on SSRN...
Let your garden help you choose the right plants for it.
Does this sound familiar? You drive to your local big box store, ready to buy some plants to spruce up your garden. Park the car, walk into the nursery section and suddenly, you are confused. The plants mostly look the same. And there are so many you have no idea which to choose. You stand there wondering, "Am I the only person to feel so overwhelmed?"
Ensure the very best nursing home care.
You might assume your loved one will receive high-quality care in a nursing home; however, that can be a dangerous assumption and your parent may instead be at risk of harm.
How I investigated, evaluated, and selected a mobile office motor home.
"How can there possibly so many different makes and models and designs and options in the RV marketplace?" In search of a vehicle that could be both a capable mobile office and a nice place to live on the road, the choices seemed overwhelming. But over time, I learned why there's so much variety, and what makes the most difference. While your needs and considerations might be different, here's some of what I learned in picking out the ideal RV for me.
Richard Rider Rant
Much is being made of "reducing our carbon footprint." I'm in favor of that -– to a point. I look for carbon-reducing steps that also save me money and/or make my life more pleasant! As I see it, if a carbon reducing strategy costs more, then often the wisdom of selecting that option is highly suspect.
For instance, I like using energy-saving florescent bulbs. I've used the big florescent lights in my fully equipped, professional office in the home for about 30 years. I also use the newer compact florescent bulbs whenever they fit with the demand, which fortunately is most of the time.
In this "buyer's market," every little bit helps.
Q: Now that our children are in college or graduated, my wife and I are in a house that's too big for us. We're looking to sell our home but, unlike two years ago, it isn't a seller's market. Do you have any tips for sprucing up the place to make it more "sellable?"
Richard Rider Rant
Eight items, all related to the San Diego area fires. Interesting tales from folks affected by the blazes.
A better telephone, at last.
Have you ever wanted to call someone but had to stop and look up the number, even ones you dial often? Have you wished you could remember the important ones so you don't have to look them up? Have you ever had a hard time hearing the person on the line, but didn't want to keep asking them to speak up? Here's the phone for you!
A home equity line of credit is popular, but is it smart? Learn how to get the cash you need while keeping your home and finances safe and sound.
A Home Equity Line of Credit, or HELOC (pronounced hee-lock) as it is called in my industry, has become as common as SUVs and Starbucks. If you don't have one, I bet you know someone who does. People use HELOCs as an easy way to get lots of cash.
I believe what has happened in the housing crisis will make HELOCs even less attractive; whilst in the past they were a sure way to unlock equity, now with falling home values there's a risk of...
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