SeniorTruth

I would like to share some thoughts as a result from participating in the AARP conference Work@50+ recently held at the Long Beach Convention Center. The attendance was exceptional  – 1,000 people with at least three quarters of them looking for work. It’s one thing to read the unemployment figures to be well informed. It’s [...]

Sometimes we become what we believe, particularly when it comes to aging. Studies have shown that older people who believe in negative stereotypes about aging tend to fulfill them. Dr. Walter Bortz, II, a noted Stanford geriatrician writes about aging as a self-fulfilling prophesy. As part of an initial assessment of his older patients, he [...]

Question: I am 55 years old and thinking about my retirement. Given my projected income, I will have to depend on Social Security to some extent. What are the basic facts and will it be there for me? My friends doubt it. – J.D. Dear J.D.: This topic is a hot one that won’t go [...]

Question: I am almost 80 and angry – angry at my body because it can’t do what it used to do.  At one time, I was able to climb up on the kitchen counter to reach a high shelf.  I don’t do that anymore.  And, I am tired — too tired to exercise.  By the [...]

Today, there are almost 2 million nonagenarians in the U.S. That number is expected to reach 2.6 million in 2020 and could reach 12 million in a couple of decades. We don’t know much about this age group.  In fact, we know more about frail older adults living in nursing homes than we do about [...]

Question: I am feeling guilty for not being productive in retirement.  Is this just part of the retirement process? Answer: Your question leads to a larger one.  And that is, what exactly are the expectations from someone in retirement, particularly if that someone is older?  Is this a new life stage?

Question. I was the executive director of a nonprofit organization and retired two years ago.   Since then, I have taken up photography and just love it. Yet, there are too many times when I feel guilty for not being productive.  Is this just part of the retirement process?  How do I let go of the [...]

Question. I am 59-years old and in the process of modifying my financial plan for retirement.  I have no idea how long I will live.  How do we go about making some best guesses?  Do I base my calculations on the age of my parents who both are in their 8os? Answer.  If we only [...]

Question: I have a good friend, age 70, who retired about two years ago as a dynamic international management consultant.  She was creative in so many ways – gourmet cooking, painting, writing and more.  Today, her life appears as a shell of her past.  She focuses on television and her granddaughter and sees few people. [...]

Question: I am a 65-year-old woman facing a dilemma. I have a home in the South Bay where I have lived for the past 30 years.  For a variety of reasons, I took a home equity loan which I cannot continue paying.  I have tried to re-finance my home but the bank will not do [...]