Don't forget to vote.

We have an historic election in a few days. Regardless of the outcome, our country will make history. The country will elect either an African American president or a female vice president. The politicians constantly talk about change which many voters want. However, what that change will be is anybody’s guess.
As seniors, one major concern we have is how the current economic crisis will affect our retirement funds. We are holding our breath until after the election to see what the next president’s policies will be. What will happen with taxes? What about our health care system? Will the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan end? Will the gas prices climb or return to a reasonable level? I will be glad when this contentious campaign is over. I have high hopes for a good future.
Meanwhile, I am working on saving money while enjoying retirement. Helpful hints will be coming in future blogs.

Keeping the Brain Active

I’ve finally purchased a laptop to write my blogs when I am away from home. The laptop computer is a little different – just enough to challenge my senior brain. I know that we’re never too old to learn something new. Thank goodness I have tried to keep my brain active by playing Scrabble, solving the Jumble puzzles in the daily newspaper, solving some Sudoku puzzles, as well as writing my short stories. I’ve also learned to do common everyday activities in a different way just to keep my brain active. For example, instead of always opening the door with my right hand, I sometimes use my left hand. Trying new recipes, going to different movies, reading books in an unfamiliar genre are other ways to wake up my brain. I try not to follow my same old tiresome routine every day.
I’ve recently read and believe that a person must also incorporate some type of physical activity into his or her daily routine to keep the brain active. For seniors who have limited mobility, chair exercises are a great option. While seated, and with or without music, seniors can move their arms, legs, hands, feet and shoulders as a form of exercise. A person must, of course, consult his or her physician before beginning any exercise program.
To me chair exercises are a good beginning. It is never too late to begin exercising. If you want to do this, get advice from your doctor about what is best for you. Go to a senior center, the YMCA or YWCA, or to your place of worship where you are likely to find others who also wish to do some form of exercise. And if there are no groups where you live, start one yourself. You are limited only by your imagination.
Begin slowly for short periods of time then increase and vary your activity. Some seniors are able to walk for a couple of miles and some can run in a marathon. But don’t feel that you must match someone else’s level of activity. Be true to yourself and your abilities. But above all, enjoy what you do. My husband and I enjoy country line dancing for singles and for couples even though I have some limitation in my mobility. I changed a few of the steps so that I may keep up; but I won’t quit. And I still love golf; but winter is coming. I will have to play virtual golf indoors. I think mall walking is also on my winter agenda. But whatever I do, I want to keep moving. This will help my brain stay active.

Our economy floundered.

The $700 billion (plus $100 billion) bailout bill has been passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and signed by the President. What does it all mean? That depends on which expert you listen to. What it means to me is that we must find even more ways to economize because that bailout money has to come from the government. And we, the everyday citizen, are the government. The money will come from us.
I plan to organize my household goods so that I avoid purchasing duplicates and triplicates of certain items unnecessarily. I won’t purchase anything in large quantities that will spoil or not be used within a reasonable amount of time. When there is a good sale on non-perishable items such as facial tissue, I will purchase in bulk.
Sometimes it is difficult for me to plan meals ahead of time so that I purchase only what is needed before the next shopping trip. I often change my mind about what I am in the mood to eat. My husband is easier to feed. Whatever I cook, he will eat.
My husband and I sometimes prefer to eat out; however, we may have to do that less often in this crazy economy. Eating out while vacationing can be a problem because the cost of eating out has escalated. We try to have the heavier meal in the afternoon because it is cheaper and healthier. We may try ordering soup and salad and share one entrée which saves even more. And we rarely order drinks with meals. Water is free.
Budgeting is my focus. We are both retired and living on a fixed income like many retirees and things are getting tighter. But with good planning we will make it.

Update on “Is your money safe?

A few days ago one television news report showed a woman who had her family funds in an FDIC insured bank. Yet she said she still lost over $20,000. Why? She did not realize that she was over the monetary limit because of recent changes to her and her husband’s financial picture. When you check to see if all of your finances are insured, don’t forget to check your retirement account, savings, CDs, etc. Check and double check everything.
Today was an historic day in our nation and especially on Wall Street. The President asked for a $700 billion bailout for the financial industry and the House of Representatives voted, “No!” Wall Street responded with the Dow Industrials dropping 777 points and NASDAQ losing over 9% of its value, the largest single day’s percent drop since 1987.
What will tomorrow bring?

Is Your Money Safe?

A few banks have failed, some businesses have gone belly-up, many people have lost their homes, job losses are high and gas prices are exorbitant. The near failure of our economy was caused in part by poor mortgage practices, shaky loans, bad investments and stock market losses.
In light of the government’s request for a $700 billion bailout for the U. S. financial market which will cost every U. S. citizen, including our children, approximately $5,000 each, you need to know if your money is safe. If the bailout isn’t approved, our financial markets will collapse according to President Bush, U. S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and the “experts” on Wall Street.
I am not a financial expert, but I will give you information on where to get the info you need. Is your money safe?
Quoting the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation website, “The basic insurance amount is $100,000 per depositor per insured bank. Certain retirement accounts, such as Individual Retirement Accounts, are insured up to $250,000 per depositor per insured bank.” HOWEVER, you must check out this information for yourself and your family. Do not depend upon any advice given by just anyone.
The website that you should go to for banking information is www.fdic.gov or to www.myfdic.gov.
For credit union information Google the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) and Google Excess Share Insurance (ESI). You may be able to determine how much of your money is actually insured.
Now is the time to become informed.

Protect Your Money: FDIC Information

The economic picture in the United States is frightening especially to seniors who lived through the stock market crash in 1929 and the Depression. Years ago, my late father told me that he lost the money he saved from his paper route when his bank failed. He said it wasn’t much, but it was important to him.
But now the government insures our money for up to $100,000 for each depositor in each bank or thrift institution. This is done through the Federal Depositors Insurance Corporation or FDIC. Separating your money into different branches of the same institution doesn’t increase the insurance protection. You are still one depositor. Accounts include savings, checking and CDs or any other accounts in that institution. It is very important that you know exactly how much you have and where all of your funds are located. Very important banking information can be found at www.fdic.gov. Also a copy of the FDIC publication, Your Insured Deposits, will give you important banking information about federal deposit insurance. Or call FDIC’s Central Call Center at 877-275-3342.
The website may also give you information on banks that have failed. It is wise to check before you lose all that you have saved.

More Travel Tips

If we are traveling with our adult children and young grandchildren, we let each person pick one or two activities and places to eat. This gives everyone something to look forward to no matter where we are. For example, I don’t like carnival rides but my husband does. He rides with the grandchildren while I take pictures of them. Of course, we try to introduce the youngsters to new activities whenever possible. Putt-Putt golf was a hit with the grandchildren. And a stop at a McDonald’s is always a treat for them.
Swimming, attending the state fair, riding the train and petting the animals at the zoo are some of the activities we have enjoyed together. We have heard some people make negative comments about taking grandchildren on vacation. For us, these family oriented vacations are fun and help expose children to adventures they enjoy.
But, of course, my husband and I often travel alone. I first learned to play golf last year. Since then we have played golf together in six different states. Some of the beautiful golf courses are picture worthy.
One of our favorite trips was on the Dave Koz Jazz Cruise. We enjoyed the talented musicians, great singers, delicious food, fun activities, great shopping, informative site seeing, and the friendly people we met on the cruise ship. It was a perfect romantic vacation. That is a trip we will take again some day.