Rock Your Retirement Show
Retirement isn’t just about money. In our show we talk about the other things that will impact you such as: Social and Family Adventure and Travel Volunteer and Philanthropy Spiritual/soul Sex in retirement (I usually have therapists discuss this topic) Helping your parents/sandwich generation issues Baby Boomers are often helping both their children and their parents at the same time. Our goal is to help you have a great retirement, regardless of the amount of money you’ve saved. We want you to Rock Your Retirement!
Moving Beyond the RV: Downsizing, Community, and Redefining Retirement
March 4, 2024 • 29 MIN
In this episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show, host Kathe Kline is joined by guest Barbara to discuss the challenges and experiences of moving and downsizing after years of RV living. Barbara shares her journey from living in an RV as a snowbird to downsizing and finally moving into a new home closer to family, detailing the emotional and practical aspects of the move. From unexpected costs and adjustments to the joys of being near family, Barbara provides an insightful look into the reality of major life changes in retirement. Tune in to gain valuable insights and learn about the importance of planning, adapting, and connecting with new communities during this significant stage of life.
Barbara's European Escapade: Golfing in Spain, Glamping in Ireland, and Chasing Waterfalls in Iceland
February 5, 2024 • 43 MIN
In this episode, Barbara tells us about her incredible three-week trip to Ireland, Iceland, and Spain. Join us as Barbara shares her and her husband's adventures, from glamping in Ireland to witnessing volcanic activity in Iceland and attending the Solheim Cup in Spain. Get ready to be inspired by their travel experiences and learn valuable tips for planning your own memorable trips. So sit back, relax, and get ready to Rock Your Retirement with Barbara's amazing travel stories!
Barbara is Back with New Beginnings: The Story of Downsizing, Letting Go, and Building Connections
January 1, 2024 • 60 MIN
In this episode of "Rock Your Retirement," Barbara returns to share her experience with downsizing and moving from her family home to a new, smaller property. She details the emotional challenges, financial decisions, and unexpected turns that she and her husband encountered during this major transition in their retirement. From selling their unique property to exploring 55 and older communities, Barbara offers valuable insights into the process of downsizing and finding a new home that aligns with their retirement goals. Tune in as Barbara and host Kathe delve into the highs and lows of this life-changing journey, providing wisdom and inspiration for anyone facing similar decisions in their retirement years.
Adventures, Books, and Retirement Bliss: Catching up with Betsy on The Rock Your Retirement Show
December 4, 2023 • 25 MIN
In this episode, Betsy sits down with her friend Kathe to catch up after 8 months of retirement. Betsy shares that she doesn't miss work at all and instead enjoys her newfound freedom, spending her time reading, exercising, and spending quality time with her mother-in-law. She also loves getting outdoors and recently embarked on an incredible trip to Italy with her husband. Betsy takes us on a virtual journey through Naples, Citano, Sorrento, Pompeii, and Mount Vesuvius. She reveals that she thoroughly enjoyed planning the trip, doing extensive research that even involved watching YouTube videos to get the best recommendations for each destination. In Naples, she excitedly shares that they dined at a pizza place where former President Bill Clinton once ate. They explored the entire city, walking an impressive 26,000 steps in one day. During their stay in Positano, Betsy and her husband had a unique experience of walking down 1,700 stairs each day just to reach their accommodation in the town above. Pompeii left a lasting impression on Betsy, as she learned about the lives of the Romans frozen in time after the volcanic eruption. The couple also took a mesmerizing boat tour around the picturesque Isle of Capri, even indulging in a swim in the crystal-clear sea. Despite a slight language mishap where Betsy accidentally asked their tour guide how old he was instead of how long he had been giving tours, the trip was truly unforgettable. Betsy emphasizes the joy she found in planning and researching the trip as part of her retirement adventure. As the episode comes to a close, she eagerly looks forward to Thanksgiving, where she will be reunited with her stepson returning from college. Betsy leaves the listeners with an inspiring message, encouraging them not to fear retirement but to embrace it as the beginning of their next chapter in life.
Pickleball, Purpose, and the Delights of Retirement Exploration
November 6, 2023 • 48 MIN
In this episode of "Rock Your Retirement," host Kathe Kline welcomes guest Betsy again, who shares her recent adventures in retirement. Betsy talks about her upcoming trip to Italy during a less busy time of year, detailing their plans to navigate the country using buses and taxis, as well as hiring a private driver for a few days. She looks forward to visiting iconic sites like Pompeii and the Isle of Capri, with private tours and boat trips on the agenda. The conversation takes a turn towards Betsy's newfound hobbies in retirement, including taking CPR and first aid classes, as well as pickleball classes. They discuss the importance of proper gear for pickleball, specifically shoes designed for either outdoor or indoor courts. Betsy shares her experiences at senior centers and taking brain stimulation classes, highlighting the significance of socializing and staying mentally active during retirement. Betsy talks about her love for leisure reading and her current read, "The Life List," which explores the concept of creating a list of things to do while young. She also shares her excitement about her recent trip to Dallas, where she bonded with her family and enjoyed swimming with a fabric mermaid tail. The conversation broadens to touch on Betsy's summer getaways to Michigan and Wisconsin, emphasizing the beautiful beaches, dunes, and wineries the regions have to offer. The episode also includes updates from both Betsy and the host. Betsy discusses her new volunteering work at a food pantry, finding fulfillment in contributing to addressing the issue of hunger. On the other hand, Kathe Kline shares her travel experiences, including a recent trip to Greece and Ireland, along with some mishaps like lost bags and an unpleasant bout of food poisoning. Despite the challenges, both guests emphasize their overall enjoyment of their respective trips. Overall, this episode of "Rock Your Retirement" showcases Betsy's adventures in retirement, highlighting her travel plans, hobbies, and experiences, while delving into meaningful discussions about staying active, engaged, and fulfilled during the retirement years. The hosts' anecdotes and updates add a personal touch and relatability to the conversation, making it an engaging and enjoyable listen for retirement enthusiasts.
Thriving in Retirement: Betsy's Update on Her First 4 Months of Retirement
September 11, 2023 • 17 MIN
In this episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show, Betsy makes a triumphant return to update host Kathe Kline on her exciting journey since retiring four months ago. From embarking on an exhilarating trip to Morocco to settling into the rhythm of retired life, Betsy shares her experiences and offers valuable insight into making the most of this newfound freedom. Adapting to retirement initially proved to be an adventure in itself, but Betsy quickly found her groove. She discusses the importance of keeping up with appointments, errands, and chores while still finding ample time for self-care and enjoyable activities. A typical day for Betsy involves relishing in a leisurely cup of coffee, engaging in a stimulating Wordle puzzle, and prioritizing her physical well-being through invigorating Pilates sessions or leisurely walks and bike rides. Ever the seeker of knowledge and enrichment, Betsy makes a point to incorporate intriguing experiences into her weekly routine. She recently attended a captivating photography class at the Apple store, where she delved into the art of capturing architectural wonders. Betsy generously shares helpful tips she acquired, such as utilizing grid lines, employing the rule of thirds composition, and exploring unique angles and reflections. Betsy's retirement also grants her the opportunity to devote quality time to her loved ones. She visits her mother-in-law at an assisted living facility, cherishing the moments shared together. Furthermore, she embraces learning Italian on the Babbel app, eagerly preparing for an upcoming trip to Italy. Betsy also reconnects with former colleagues and her boss, reinforcing her sheer contentment with the retirement lifestyle. Amidst her fulfilling activities, Betsy finds solace in simpler pleasures. From diving into captivating books to nurturing her garden, complete with homegrown vegetables, she revels in the tranquility of her own home. Despite her husband continuing to work, the beauty of his remote setup allows him to witness firsthand Betsy's radiant enjoyment of retirement. As the first four months of retirement pass by, it becomes abundantly clear that Betsy's enthusiasm and zest for life show no signs of wavering. Join us on this episode as Betsy reflects on her remarkable journey and imparts valuable wisdom on embracing the joys and endless possibilities that retirement brings.
A Journey of Retirement: Nurturing Bonds, Overcoming Challenges, and Embracing the Golden Years
August 14, 2023 • 20 MIN
In this episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show, Betsy, a retired individual, opens up about the incredible bond she has formed with her elderly mother-in-law. Betsy recounts the recent incident where her mother-in-law suffered a compression fracture in her spine after falling out of bed. She explains how they had to rush her to the hospital and then to a rehab facility. Throughout this challenging time, Betsy has been there for her mother-in-law, assisting her with little tasks and gaining valuable insights into her life and experiences. As Betsy navigates the world of retirement, she also sheds light on the nursing shortage and the lack of volunteers in nursing homes and hospitals. Betsy's dedication to prioritizing her own physical well-being is evident as she actively engages in Pilates. She draws inspiration from the incredible strength and health of Martha Stewart, who, at 81 years old, continues to defy age-related expectations. Additionally, Betsy shares her experiences at the park district gym and her fascination with the new show, The Golden Bachelor. This unique dating show challenges ageist stereotypes by featuring contestants who are over the age of 60, showcasing that love and companionship are not limited by age. Betsy also delves into the concept of Swedish death cleaning, reflecting on her life and pondering what truly holds importance. Host Kathe Kline expresses gratitude for Betsy's willingness to share her retirement journey with listeners. She encourages audience members to share their own stories in the show notes or via email. Join Kathe and Betsy for the upcoming episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show as they continue to explore the multifaceted world of retirement.
Retiring with Adventure: A Moroccan Journey and Lessons from Berber Nomads
July 10, 2023 • 18 MIN
In this podcast episode, Betsy shares her retirement story, which started with a heartfelt send-off from her co-workers and a happy hour with her husband. She then embarked on a trip to Morocco and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it could be an affordable travel destination. While there, she immersed herself in the local culture by bargaining with shopkeepers, visiting nomad camps in the Sahara, and going to a Hamam, a public bath. She also indulged in the unique and vibrant cuisine of the region, which left a lasting impression on her. Betsy was inspired by the well-traveled older people on her trip, who gave her valuable advice on retirement. They taught her that age is just a number, and that one should pursue their passions and explore the world. Betsy also discussed the nomadic lifestyle of the Berber people and how they have to pack up and move to another area when the grazing grounds dry up in their current location. In the later part of the podcast, Betsy recommends that retirees should check local gyms, senior centers, and universities for free or discounted classes, as these can bring joy and fulfillment in retirement. This podcast episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in learning about the joys of retirement, discovering new destinations, or exploring new cultures.
Embracing Retirement and Reconnecting with Old Friends: A Look into Betsy's Next Chapter
June 1, 2023 • 21 MIN
In this episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show, the speaker shares their excitement for retirement and the plans they have in store. They understand that retirement isn't just about stopping work and plan to stay active and involved in their community. One way they plan to celebrate this milestone is through a retirement party or going away party at work. The speaker also has friends who are retired or retiring soon and plan to take up new hobbies and interests outside of work. They also discuss retirement plans with their husband, including where they want to live and how to spend their time. The speaker also shares their recent experience of reuniting with old college friends on a girls' trip. They realized how nice it is to catch up with old friends and create new memories together. The listener gets a sneak peek into the speaker's upcoming plans, including a trip to Morocco and a retirement celebration. All of these events will be discussed more in-depth in the next episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show. This episode is perfect for anyone looking for inspiration on how to make the most of retirement, reconnect with old friends, and create new memories.
Planning for Retirement: Adventures, Volunteering, and Staying Connected with Betsy
May 22, 2023 • 19 MIN
In this episode of the Rock your retirement show, host Kathe Klein interviews Betsy, who is close to retirement. Betsy shares her excitement for her upcoming retirement, which she has been planning for years. She talks about her plans to try new things and have adventures, and how she is looking for ways to stay active and engaged in her daily life. Betsy is waiting until she is within six weeks of her retirement date before giving her notice at work to avoid any potential issues. She discusses how her friend Sherry, who recently retired, is encouraging her to stay active and try new things. Betsy also reflects on the challenges of adjusting to empty nest syndrome as one of her children has recently left for college. Betsy shares her plans to take a big trip and reunite with family members in Northern Ireland. She also talks about her desire to stay connected online after retirement and how she is monitoring the stock market for a Santa Claus rally in December. Overall, this episode provides a glimpse into the exciting possibilities and challenges that come with retirement. Betsy's enthusiasm and determination to stay active and engaged in her daily life serves as an inspiration to those preparing for retirement or going through a similar transition.
The Joys and Strategies of Retirement: A Conversation with New Retiree Betsy
April 24, 2023 • 27 MIN
In this episode of Rock Your Retirement, Kathe Kline introduces us to Betsy, a retiree who shares her experiences and insights on how to make the most of retirement. Betsy is excited about the freedom and autonomy that retirement brings, and she looks forward to spending more time with her loved ones, exploring new hobbies, and traveling to new places. Betsy acknowledges the importance of financial planning in retirement, but she also emphasizes the need to focus on other pillars, such as health and wellness, life-long learning, giving back to the community, and having fun. She advises listeners to take advantage of resources like early retirement forums and podcasts, like this one, to help them prepare for retirement. One unique aspect of Betsy's retirement plan is having a younger spouse who provides health insurance. She highlights the importance of considering such benefits when deciding how to spend your retirement years. Betsy's positive outlook and enthusiasm for retirement are truly inspiring, and her five pillars provide a helpful roadmap for anyone wanting to make the most out of their golden years. Overall, this episode provides a valuable perspective on how to approach retirement with intentionality and a sense of adventure. Whether you're already retired or planning for it, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to rock their retirement!
Edd & Cynthia: The Benefits of Slow Travel and Work-ations
April 3, 2023 • 27 MIN
In this episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show, Edd and Cynthia explore the concept of Slow Travel, which is all about taking your time to truly explore a destination. Rather than rushing through a trip, Slow Travel encourages travelers to stay in one place for a longer period of time, allowing them to truly immerse themselves in the local culture. This approach not only allows for a more in-depth exploration of a destination but can also be more cost-effective than constantly moving around. They also discuss the rising popularity of work-ations, a trend that allows travelers to work remotely while still enjoying the benefits of travel. This can be a great option for those who are looking to experience new places without taking time off from work. Kathe recommended https://ExecutiveTravel.com for those interested in planning a work-ation. Throughout the episode, Ed and Cynthia emphasize the benefits of Slow Travel, such as having more time to connect with locals and really get to know a destination. They encourage listeners to consider Slow Travel for their next trip and provide their own website as a resource for those looking to learn more. Overall, this episode offers a thought-provoking look at a new way to approach travel that is both enriching and cost-effective.
Meet Edd and Cynthia! They didn't have enough money for retirement
March 6, 2023 • 47 MIN
We introduce Edd and Cynthia, who will be coming on the show periodically to give us insights and updates on how to have a great retirement, even if your savings is small.
Exploring the World with Barbara: Navigating Health Care, Diesel Prices and House Sitting in an RV!
February 20, 2023 • 34 MIN
In this episode, our long-term guest, Barbara, has been traveling around the United States in her RV since September. She is currently in an RV resort in Mesa, Arizona, and has been participating in activities such as painting and watercolor classes, Pickleball, golf, and lapidary. She has been enjoying the social aspect of the RV resort, attending concerts and Food Truck Fridays, and making friends with Canadian RVers. However, she has also encountered challenges, such as expensive diesel prices, limited space, finding mail and prescriptions, and navigating health care options. She has also learned about Canadian RVers' struggles due to the restrictions on how long they can stay and the expensive insurance they need. Barbara shares her experience of alternating between hosting her extended family at her house for Thanksgiving and Christmas and taking a trip this year instead. She was given permission to do this by her daughter and daughter-in-law. However, due to the travel nightmares that were happening, she decided not to fly anywhere during the holidays. Instead, they spent Christmas with her 87-year-old father, who lives nearby. Kathe and Barbara also discussed the possibility of downsizing and living in a motorhome full-time. Kathe brought up house-sitting as an inexpensive way to travel, and you can find out more (and get a discount on the program) by going to https://RockYourRetirement.com/THS Finally, they briefly discussed a book called The Blue Zones that looked at seven different communities around the world with a high percentage of people over 100 years old, all of which had strong communities. She ended the conversation with the takeaway of taking risks and being open to new experiences, and having fun.
Learning Moments in Retirement
January 9, 2023 • 41 MIN
Kathe Kline talks with columnist Steve Lopez about retirement and retirement lifestyle
Summer of Reconnecting
August 29, 2022 • 36 MIN
The Rock Your Retirement show talks with new retiree Barbara Mock about her summer of reconnecting.
Adapting in Retirement with Barbara Mock
June 27, 2022 • 33 MIN
Barbara Mock is back on the Rock Your Retirement show to update us on what is going on in her world and how her retirement is going.
Kindness Keeps Marriages Together
May 9, 2022 • 23 MIN
In this episode, I will share a few secrets about relationships. If you are not married, you can use this information with your friendships so keep listening! We'll be talking about the following: • Be flexible - things don't always go as planned. • Have Adventures with each other. • Take time for yourself too. • Be kind!
Retirement journey updates with Kathe and Barbara
February 21, 2022 • 42 MIN
We update the listener on Kathe and her journey toward retirement and also give an update on Barbara Mock’s retirement adventures.
End of 2021 with Barbara Mock's Retirement Journey
December 27, 2021 • 50 MIN
Barbara Mock talks about her Thanksgiving Holiday, a new RV adventure, and her goals going into 2022.
Section 16: Barbara's RV Retirement Adventure Part 2
November 29, 2021 • 49 MIN
Kathe Kline talks with Barbara Mock about retirement lifestyle and her RV Retirement Adventure.
Section 15: The RV
October 25, 2021 • 43 MIN
In this episode, Barbara tells us about how she and her husband decided on a huge new purchase, and the feelings they are having about it.
Section 14: Finding our Purpose in Life
September 27, 2021 • 45 MIN
For this episode, Kathe Kline gives us an update on her retirement quest. We have a health segment on Pickleball, and Barbara will give an update on how her actual retirement is going.
Section 13: Pre-Retirement and Post-Retirement
August 30, 2021 • 43 MIN
As you may know, we have been following Barbara Mock’s retirement. This is our one-year anniversary. Barbara went from pre-retirement in other words, the preannouncement to the day of the announcement and now we are following her post-retirement
Section 12: Focusing on Health in Retirement
July 27, 2021 • 52 MIN
Barbara Mock and Kathe Kline discuss health in retirement. Barbara has had some people close to her with some health issues. When loved ones have health issues we tend to rethink our priorities. We also talk about renting e-bikes and what is next in Barbara's retirement journey.
Section 11: Retirement Lifestyle- Endless Summer Vacation
June 28, 2021 • 45 MIN
We last spoke with Barbara about a month ago and she is still in the honeymoon stage of retirement. She said it is like she is on an endless summer vacation. Barbara and her husband were planning a trip to St. George Utah, but they decided since she is retired, and they have more time, and life is more flexible, that they would drive instead of fly. Her husband planned a wonderful trip to get to their destination. They went from Washington to Oregon and from Oregon to Boise, Idaho, and then to Utah from there.
Section 10: The Honeymoon Stage of Retirement
May 31, 2021 • 40 MIN
Starting in August of 2020, we started following the life of a pre-retiree Barbara Mock. The goal was to follow her from pre-retirement through the retirement process so you and I can live vicariously through her experience. We want to know what's happening as she goes through the process so we can better prepare ourselves. Barbara has been retired for a month now, so I asked her what stage of retirement she is in. Barbara says it has been such a fun adventure and it feels a lot like a honeymoon stage. We talk about why it feels like a honeymoon stage and things that have helped Barbara transition so quickly.
Section 9: Farewells During a Pandemic
April 26, 2021 • 41 MIN
Retirement is a time that marks the passage from a life full of work to a life of leisure, accomplishment, and choice. As most people feel defined by their job, that transition to retirement is not always easy. Like other major life transitions, it can be filled with various emotions and concerns and it has been a crazy two weeks of farewell for Barbara. Not everyone would actually go through what she did, but some people would. And it's good to be prepared for the emotional roller coaster. Besides, retirement marked as a life passage into the next chapter of your life.
Section 8: A Month of Goodbye
March 29, 2021 • 42 MIN
Starting in August of 2020, we started following the life of a pre-retiree Barbara Mock. The goal was to follow her from pre-retirement through the retirement process. So you and I can live vicariously through her experience. We want to know what's happening as she goes through this process. So we can better prepare ourselves. Barbara's retirement date is finally here and she will officially be retired by the end of March 2020. It comes with plenty of mixed emotions for Barbara. This month is a lot of final goodbyes and last things which feels very surreal.
Section 7: Health Issues During COVID
February 22, 2021 • 40 MIN
Today, we will talk about one of the Six Pillars of Retirement Lifestyle. Just to refresh your memory, the six pillars are spiritual, significant other, friendship, purpose, family, and health. And we're going to be starting new short health segments. And so I thought we would kick that off by talking about what if anything we are doing about our health, or if a lot like a lot of you, maybe we're struggling in that area of health. After almost a year of being cooped up, I know that a lot of us have either physical or mental health struggles.
Section 6: Goals and Intentions
January 25, 2021 • 47 MIN
Get On the Right Track Setting goals isn't enough. Though it helps us to create a plan, see the future, and stay on track to get things done, there's still a downside to goal setting. Setting and living your intentions allows you to focus on who you are in the moment, recognize and live your values, and raise your emotional energy, which in turn, raises your physical energy. Join us today in As of this recording, she's still waiting for her retirement date, which is coming up at the end of March 2021. If you're listening to this in the future, start with our first episode of following her journey, and come along with us in sequence so that it'll make more sense.
Section 5: Contentment in Life
December 28, 2020 • 21 MIN
We Try to Convince Ourselves... Most of us thought that happiness is linked to our accomplishments. We convinced ourselves that we’ll find contentment in life when we have an ample amount of money or buy those luxury bags, clothes, or cars that we’re longing for. But the truth is that we can create that feeling of happiness and contentment right now, regardless of any circumstances. Today, Barbara and I will share with you how to come to a place of contentment, in spite of everything that's going on.
Section 4: Ain't That A Messy Middle - Episode 242
November 23, 2020 • 34 MIN
If you are a new listener to the show, we have a lot of back episodes where you can find information that you're looking for. But starting with Episode 239, which was three episodes ago, we started following the life of Barbara mock. This is section one of this one year project, there will be 12 sections, which we will release on a monthly basis, so be sure to subscribe.
Section 3: Canceled Plans Before Retirement - Ep 241
October 26, 2020 • 35 MIN
Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To Sometimes having something to look forward to is more valuable than any money or deposit you might lose. In terms of retirement planning,  Barbara has been listening to all kinds of webinars and seminars that her employer offers. When you're in work mode, these things go past you with these emails and training and classes and you just let them go by and it's kind of like when you're pregnant, you all suddenly see all these other pregnant people. Now that Barbara's on the road to retirement, she's seeing all these opportunities that she didn't pay attention to at work. Every month, there's training and classes that are offered, but there's always one about preparing for retirement. Now there's zoom. She's learned more about deferred compensation and more about Social Security. And then there was one that really aligned with the Rock Your Retirement program where it wasn't anything about money, rather it was about creating your personal definition of retirement. The presenter was talking about the steps of retirement, the stages of retirement, how important it is to redefine who you are, and just the different approaches. The time Barbara's spending in either reading or listening to the Rock Your Retirement podcasts or these classes is just really helping her form an idea of what her life is going to look like in retirement.
Section 2 - Practicing for Retirement with Barbara Mock (Barbara's Amazing Retirement Journey)
September 28, 2020 • 48 MIN
Barbara and Kathe discuss Barbara's "practice retirement" which is a vacation she took at Priest Lake. For full show notes, go to http://RockYourRetirement.com
Barbara's Amazing Retirement Journey: Section 1
August 31, 2020 • 48 MIN
Barbara Mock is getting ready to retire. Here's what's happening. Follow her journey over the next 12 months.
New Format: We hope you like it!
August 27, 2020 • 2 MIN
Kathe pops in your feed to tell you about the new format of the Rock Your Retirement Show.
How Multi-Generational Living Will Work Ep 237
July 13, 2020 • 26 MIN
If you are living in a multi-generational household or considering it, you must listen to this series. Last week we discussed the pros and cons of multi-generational living. Today, we are talking about tips for living in a multi-generational household. Multi-generational living means a single household that includes family members of several generations, grandparents, parents, and children, all under one roof. Was once a cultural phenomenon, has slowly become a national trend. For some families, it’s about caring for aging parents, others have adult children returning home. Also, for some, it’s a cultural expectation. And others have adult children that haven’t left. Learn to Deal with Conflict It's tough from the spouse’s point of view. For Tae’s part, you can't be as a direct daughter-in-law it's hard for his wife to talk to her father-in-law like, “Hey you two you need to clean this up.” Time’s a little bit different, all of us have to contribute in a multi-generational household. To avoid any kind of conflict down the line, Tae would rather do the work upfront. Tae’s wife is not living with her parents, she's living with his parents. So, it's very important to recognize, appreciate, listen to her concerns about a multigenerational household, without being judgmental but just kind of hear her out. Set Boundaries Tae’s family shares a community fridge. Everyone shops at their own timeline and then everybody was just kind of stuff their own things in different sections of the refrigerator. There was this time when Tae’s wife was going to cook and couldn’t find the carrots that they just bought. This is one of those items where you know it keeps coming up. So what they did to fix this problem was they labeled parts of the refrigerator saying, okay this my section, this is the grandma section. We don't go into each other’s sections and everyone's got their own section. We have come up with the system of separating parts of the refrigerator and then just reinforce it on a regular basis. Even Though You're In a Multi-Generational Living, You Still Need to Prioritize Privacy It is recognizing that everyone has their own personal space in the house and one of the things that helped out was having separate spaces within the house. Tae’s family has their own little community area where they can have their television and just sit on their couch. They lay out the things that they want, not getting into each other’s space as regards to like who left the newspaper here or who left tissues here. It’s a place where we can create our own mess, they can create their own mess, and we're not getting into each other’s space. That was very important for them. Split Expenses, Where Possible When Tae’s family decided to cohabitate, Tae would take over the mortgage a majority of the utility expense. His parents thankfully said they would take care of the electric bill and the phone bill. So, to clear things up, they said they would take care of the gas bill, the water bill, the mortgage, and then you guys can get take care of the phone bill and the electric bill. Food is a little interesting because they don't have clear agreements. Tae and his wife would go and do their own shopping at Costco for what they want and then for his parents they would purchase what they want. In a Multi-Generational Living, Going with the Flow Conflicts are going to happen on a weekly basis just because when you have four adults living in the house.
Is Multi-Generational Living for You? – Ep 235
July 6, 2020 • 24 MIN
Are you living in a multi-generational household or considering having your parents move in? Do you take care of aging parents as well as your own children? Do you know someone who is having challenges with caring for their parents? If any of these situations are yours, then this series is for you. If you’re asked to picture a typical American home, you’ll probably imagine a single-family dwelling holding a mom, dad, kids, and maybe a family pet. That picture isn’t as typical as it once was. Today’s family home may also house grandparents or a young adult or two. Multi-generational living is a term used to describe households in which there are at least two adult generations in residence. Two types of multi-generational living are becoming more common in recent years; two-generation households, where adult children live with parents, and three-generation homes, where there are adult children, parents, and grandparents living under the same roof.
Challenges for the Sandwich Generation -Ep 234
June 29, 2020 • 26 MIN
Are you living in a multigenerational household or are you considering having your parents move in? Do you take care of aging parents as well as your own children? Do you know someone who is having challenges with caring for their parents? If any of these situations are yours, then this series is for you. In other countries, the sandwich generation is a cultural thing, and it has been passed on from generation to generation. Therefore, it’s a given. But is it necessarily a bad thing? There is nothing wrong with caring for family members. In last week’s episode, we spoke about what the sandwich generation is and what issues you may face if you are taking care of both your parents and your own children. Today, we’re talking about six lessons for the Sandwich Generation. Now Tae and I didn't get through all six of the lessons in our conversation but they are all listed below Get to Know Everybody’s Finances Growing up as an immigrant family, Tae’s parents didn't know anything about retirement savings, and money wasn't discussed in his household. Tae said when his parents moved in they didn't have a formal sit down but he does have a sense of his parent's financial situation. His father has a small business where he generates a little money from that, but both of his parent's main source of income is Social Security.  He also knew that whatever money that had saved was really the down payment that they had for this home. So his parent's offer was we will help you with the down payment for your home bu you know, that we come with the house and you guys take care of the majority of the overall expenses. The conversation of finances can be tricky because there is a fine line between knowing everything about your parent's financial situation and still respecting his parent’s independence and their decision making. So, definitely, by living together, they were able to have more natural organic conversations where he learns more a little at a time. But he doesn’t know if he could sit down with that and be like ‘alright, let's learn everything'. Understand whose money it is Just because you are responsible for paying all the bills doesn’t mean it’s “your money.” If you can have your parents make some of the financial decisions that is the best way to go. Also, if you have children living with you, make them pay their fair share for certain things. Even if you are able to afford to shoulder the cost alone. Many experts suggest that grown-up children who return to the nest post-college should pay their parents for a portion of the household expenses. “Otherwise, they don’t grow up to be independent. Seek out the right professionals and organizations for help You don't have to do it alone! Unless you’re a financial and legal wiz — and an ace social worker to boot — there’s no way you can manage the myriad affairs of your life, let alone your parents’ lives. If you haven’t already, you’ll want to consider working with a financial adviser for everything from retirement to college planning. You’d also be surprised how much direct help you can get — or referrals to professionals — through government programs or nonprofit organizations. (Best of all: A lot of these resources are free.) A great place to start is your local Area Agency on Aging (these are programs funded through the federal government Find good care If your aging parents need extra care, get help! In the article, the author writes: If there’s a single professional who’s made the greatest difference in my life — and my father’s life — in the past couple of years, it’s the caregiver who spends about 35 hours a week with him.
The Sandwich Generation – Episode 233
June 22, 2020 • 30 MIN
Adults in their 30s - 50s have parents' age 65 and older and are either raising a young child or financially supporting a grown child. With an aging population and a generation of young adults struggling to achieve financial independence, this stress takes a toll not only on personal relationships but also affects the relationship with their spouse, children, and family. But living in a sandwich generation can also provide you with benefits. If you're living in a multi-generational household, you must listen to this series. In today's episode, we'll talk about what exactly is the sandwich generation and what issues are you going to face if you're taking care of both your parents and your own children. My guest today, Tae Kim, is a blogger. He writes about navigating the intersection between personal finance and being part of the sandwich generation. Tae and his wife live with their aging parents while raising their own children and building their careers.
Baby Boomers Retiring in Mexico- Episode 232
June 15, 2020 • 39 MIN
Some baby boomers are moving to and retiring in Mexico. They are doing this not just to save money, but to have a better retirement lifestyle. I talked with Travis Scott Luther who wrote a book called The Fun Side of the Wall: Baby Boomer Retirement in Mexico. Travis completed a thesis in 2010 about baby boomers retiring in Mexico. He received a lot of inquiries about the subject so he decided he would write a book. Unexpected Findings From 2007 through 2009 we were going through that global financial crisis. It was during that time Travis has found this small group of expats in Mexico. What he was most curious about is why anyone would want to leave the United States.  After all, the United States was the best country in the world with the best of everything. His gut told him that perhaps people who might be struggling financially in the US would consider retiring in Mexico to stretch their budget. Maybe they could live more comfortably in Mexico. What he found, was quite to the contrary. The person most likely to move to Mexico was actually a high-income earner. Upper middle class if not upper class. Also highly educated. So what he found was that it wasn't people who were low income but rather people who thought more about their money and some who wanted to even retire early. Baby Boomers who move to Mexico retiring on average 5 years earlier than their US counterparts What about Medical Care when you are Retiring in Mexico? One of the reasons Les and I did not move out of the country and live abroad is because Les was concerned about medical care. Since beginning this podcast, I have talked with many people who live in the US but who go to other countries, including Mexico, to have certain medical procedures done. Travis talks with people who are living in the US and wanting information on retiring in Mexico.  He says that medical care is a very common question and concern people have.  What he discovered is that there are a number of routes to enroll in Mexico's public health system. You can do it through work or if you're not working, you can enroll through residency. Medical enrollment is actually very easy to acquire versus other countries. He says people who are living in Mexico reported that you might have to wait a bit longer to receive care for a non-emergency standard appointment. However, the standard of care you will receive is comparable to the United States. The Language Barrier Travis found that the baby boomers who moved down there had really dove into the culture and learning the language. In a lot of the communities that he visited there is no shortage of at least one expat happy to help you navigate the language barriers. There are also many English speaking Mexicans who have lived in these communities for generations. They are fluent in both English and Spanish. According to Travis it really isn't hard to get around. No one should be fearful of the language barrier and letting it get in the way of retiring in Mexico. Plus, we all have Google translate now at the tip of our fingers. Retirement Lifestyle in Mexico When Travis first went down to Mexico in 2007 for his research, he discovered that the folks who moved to Mexico usually had some kind of personal relationship with a friend or family member who already lived there. So people were much more likely to move if they have some social ties that already existed. In his more recent research, he found that people were more likely to move to Mexico on their own without knowing a single person. Travis attributes this to Social Media and the internet and our ability to keep in touch and form relationships online now. The people that Travis spoke with told him what initially attracted them to the move was the cost savings. However,
Finding True Love in Your Senior Years -Ep 231
June 8, 2020 • 29 MIN
Love is a complex word, which we will be talking about today, specifically finding love during your senior years. Our guest speaker Dr. Joan Bragar has helped successful women use online dating to find a loving life partner. She wrote the book on it called, “Never too Late for Love: The Successful Women's Guide to Online Dating in the Second Half of Life.” She was certified as a relationship coach and she herself met her husband on Match.com and got married at age 62. So she knows what she's talking about! Meeting Someone Online Dr. Bragar got divorced at 58. She's the kind of person who actually likes to live in companionship and love. That is why she knew for a fact that she wanted to remarry. It was her son who was 32 and single at that time, who encouraged her to meet someone online. She'd never heard of it. Her son encouraged her to just try it and she at least thought she would test the waters and try it. Not knowing the person you are dating is one difficulty you encounter when dating online. It is also more difficult to check them out through other people since you don't belong in the same social circle or community. So the four safety rules must be practiced. You don't give your phone number to anybody; you don't give your whole name out, meet someone in public, and only meet for coffee, not for dinner. Practices in Online Dating: Meeting the Right One in Your Senior Years PRACTICE ONE: SET YOUR INTENTION This practice is more of an internal practice. Set your intention and decide what you really want. This is something you need to do before you go online dating. Some people just want to meet casually and meet lots of different people. Others want to be in a committed relationship. It's important to know what you want first, and this takes a bit of work and reflection. There are questions in the book of Dr. Bragar that you can ask yourself to know what you really want at this time in your life. You don't have to tell the person on the first date what you want, but you need to be clear without telling everything. Dr. Bragar also mentioned not to interview the person on a first date. You are just getting to know somebody and it is important to know if you enjoy talking with this person and if you're comfortable with them. However,  it's also important to get to know someone if you're going to choose to live your life with them. Dr. Bragar was able to meet 40 men in 2 years before meeting the right one. Her husband showed up right before her 60th birthday. She made an intention that she would call him by her 59th birthday but that didn't happen. So she made another plan to call him before her 60th birthday. Joan had had a few dates with two other men that didn't feel right and had she not made the intention to call her current husband before her 60th birthday, it may have never happened. She most likely wouldn't have tried again and probably would have taken a little break from dating after the two men that didn't work out. She checked on the profiles of some men and she tried meeting them because she learned that you couldn’t tell much about people from an online profile. You actually need to meet someone in person to get a really good reading on them. So, as she exchanged one short message with her husband, she agreed right away to meet when he asked her to meet at Starbucks. They both understood that unless they met someone in person, they didn't know anything. PRACTICE TWO: LOVE MUST COME WITHIN YOU If you want to have love in your life,
Not Exactly Goodbye….
June 2, 2020 • 16 MIN
I wanted to let you know what the future is for the Rock Your Retirement Show. If you have listened to the episode where I discussed my traumatic event, you’ll remember that I’m re-evaluating my life. This event was life-changing for me. If you haven’t listened to the episode, and you are interested, just go to Episode 209. Since this traumatic event, I decided I wanted to scale back on some of my workload. I have already announced to my remaining financial planning clients that I’ll be retiring from financial planning on 12/31/2020. Although I partially retired from financial planning in 2015, I continued to work with my favorite clients. With Covid-19 affecting so many of our lives, I’ve had additional time to reflect. In my time of reflection, I have discovered that I need to make some further changes. And those changes affect the show. Since 2016 I have been paying to host the show. Although I’ve added some advertising it has never supported the show. In fact, my affiliate link provider has indicated to me that I’m not getting enough click-throughs, so they want to start charging me as well! So, if I continue to run ads it will actually cost me money!! It has been a tough choice however, I have decided that after we run all the shows we’ve already recorded, I’m going to take a break and we will stop doing our weekly episodes. It costs me about $150 per month to keep the show going, and my revenues are nowhere near that amount. The only way I can continue on a regular basis is to get some listener support. You can support the show at a $3 per month basis if you’d like. If a small percentage of my listeners did this, then I will get the $150 I need to continue weekly episodes beyond 07/06/2020 when our last weekly interview is scheduled to be released. Don’t worry though, even if I don’t get the support I need to continue on a regular basis, I’ll still pop in sporadically to tell you how I am doing. So, stay subscribed so you get the notifications. In case you’re interested in supporting the show, here’s where you can do it: http://RockYourRetirement.com/Support Your friendship over the last few years, and support of the show and me personally, means the world to me. This post of Retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Why Can’t we Pull the Trigger and Retire?
June 1, 2020 • 23 MIN
Are you still working even though you are able to retire if you wanted? I started the Rock Your Retirement show in 2016.  Since then it has been downloaded over 220,000 times. Potential sponsors have reached out to me.  And I've been asked many times why I started the show. It started as a personal project but has grown to much more than that.  But since you asked, I'll try to explain it. I believe in the FIRE movement.  In case you haven't heard of it, FIRE stands for Financially Independent, Retire Early. I've had good examples of this. My dad was able to retire when he was fifty but kept working until he was fifty-five to provide more of a cushion. So I've seen people in my life retire early according to US standards. And he was so glad that he retired when he did.  He and his wife were able to travel the world for many years.  They were spending our inheritance and we didn't mind.  Literally cruises around the world that lasted for months.  They were Rocking Their Retirement for sure. He taught me to save 10% of my income no matter what.  Save it for retirement. So I did. And I became a financial planner and tried to teach others to do that also.  But honestly, most didn't.   I had more money saved and invested than most of my friends.  While my friends were buying new cars every few years and drinking $15 glasses of wine at expensive nightclubs I was being frugal.  Squirreling money away for a rainy day. But there wasn't a FIRE movement when I was younger. I was weird.  No one could understand why I didn't want to buy a new car.  When I found the FIRE movement I was shocked.  Many of these young people are saving 30, 40, or even 50 percent of their incomes.  I hadn't even thought about that.  But even if I had, I wonder if I would have retired. I could have retired many years ago.  If you look at what the FIRE movement says, which is to save 25 times your living expenses, we are way beyond that.  But I'm still working.  And I don't know when I will stop working. I've been self- employed since 1990 so I don't work for “the man”. Many people in the FIRE movement use the word retirement to mean that they stop working for someone else. I'm using the word retirement to mean stop working for pay.  Not to use the income you bring in for living expenses. And that's not what's happening. Is it because I'm self-employed that I can't retire?  I asked some other people who can't seem to retire the same question.  Why do you continue to work? Julia Menez of Geobreeze had this to say: At first, my husband and I didn’t even realize there was an official name like “FIRE (financial independence retire early)” to describe the direction of our lifestyle. I spent my early twenties studying for actuarial exams and rarely made time to go out to parties or restaurants, so my salary largely ended up in savings. Even after I finished up exams, we lived a frugal lifestyle since I enjoy cooking at home and our main source of entertainment is traveling for next to nothing through travel hacking. My husband and I are both fortunate enough to have high salaries; we live off of the lesser of our two incomes and invest the rest. As our net worth grew, we discussed the idea of early retirement, and how we might spend our time if we quit our day jobs. Neither of us even disliked our jobs — I had just landed my dream role at work and leaving the workforce after only a couple of years as a credentialed actuary felt like a waste of all of that exam effort. However, the idea of FIRE was fascinating, and we figured having a high savings rate couldn’t hurt. We already lived off of one income; we could even live off of just our investment income if we moved to a lower-cost area. To test out the early retirement lifestyle, I transferred to a full-time work from home arrangement. That first year of working from home in Boulder,
An Inspiring Conversation on Aging- Episode 228
May 25, 2020 • 31 MIN
Aging takes place against a backdrop of grief. It’s the little losses and then the larger losses Today my guest is Stephanie Raffelock. Stephanie wrote a cute inspirational book called, A Delightful Little Book on Aging. I read the book and I absolutely loved it!  How Did the Book Come About? The book sort of came about on accident for Stephanie. She was writing for a website and she got feedback from women all around the world. They had told her that they too were experiencing this kind of shift in their lives as they were entering into their 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Stephanie began to see that there are two ways to navigate the waters of aging. One way is to embrace the years, the strength, courage, and nobility that comes with growing older. The other way was to simply say aging sucks, I don’t like it and I’m going to fight it for as long as possible.  She collected and compiled many of the essays and articles she had written to put into this book. It’s not a how-to book, it’s not a self-help book. It is a book of personal essays of personal experience of navigating the waters against a backdrop of grief, reclamation, vison, and laughter.    The Monkey Bar Incident Stephanie’s husband had clients in town, and they lived near a lake at the time. They decided to walk around the lake and all around the lake they have little exercise or play areas. So, one area might have swings and then you walk a little bit further and there might be a jungle jim. Then there is a spot that has monkey bars.  Stephanie remembers the monkey bars from when she was little, and it was her favorite thing in school playground swinging from bar to bar. She didn’t know what got into her that evening, but she put her hand on the ladder and climbed up the first bar. She swung to reach the other bar and then she fell! Embarrassed as her husband and his clients ran over to see if she was ok. Stephanie's husband asked what were you doing? She knew what she was doing, she was trying to be young. There was this moment of realization that her muscle tone and connective tissue were not the same as when she was younger, and it was not going to be the same. That athletic prowess of one in their 30’s, 40’s and even 50’s ceases to be. There are things that fall away from us. There are little losses. Aging takes place against a backdrop of grief. It’s the little losses and then the larger losses.  Grief It puts us in a unique kind of situation to live in these times. A time of coronavirus where we are all living against a backdrop of grief. As an older person, Stephanie knows what it is to feel vulnerable. Now the whole playing field has been leveled so society is feeling vulnerable. Stephanie knows how to navigate vulnerability. You embrace it. You realize you don’t have control over everything and you also realize that grief is a bridge. It’s not like an end result, it’s not a place to get stuck. It’s a bridge to something new.  The idea of allowing one’s self to feel deeply and to cry is something that is not on the surface. That’s something you do in private. Or as Stephanie's mother used to say “don’t air your dirty laundry”. I think it’s a real shame that we don’t have a container for grief in our culture where people can cry about what’s going on because in the tears is this great soul bath. It’s this great releasing of those things so that you don’t have to carry the weight of the burden of sorrow with you. The way to unburden your self is to let yourself cry and then you get to move on.  Gratitude I asked Stephanie how to start the process of gratitude and she knew exactly when she started. Stephanie had a friend in Arizona who was a woman from India. She had told her about her mother who never got out of bed without saying thank you before her feet even hit the floor. And something about that captured her. So Stephanie began to experiment with that.
COVID-19 and Creative Things to do at Home
May 18, 2020 • 15 MIN
  Are you looking for creative things to do at home? We have compiled a list of some interesting ideas! Whether you are hunkering down, sheltering in place, staycationing, or whatever you term our time as we are trying to be safe during COVID-19, there is something for everyone in this list. I covered some of the positives of COVID-19 that people who have subscribed to the Rock Your Retirement Facebook group offered in a previous podcast episode. That list is still growing, which is attributed to the creativity of our listeners Thank you for all your contributions! It is great to think positively during all of this. Zoos and Aquariums Live streaming from Monterey Bay Aquarium The Atlanta Zoo has a PandaCam. Like Meerkats?  Check out the Chattanooga Zoo's webcams which also include snow-leopards, tamarins, and spotted genets. Clearwater Marine Aquarium‘s Mission is to Rescue Rehab and Release.  Watch them live. Like Eagles? Check out National Eagle Center Eagle Watch Cam or Duke Farms Eagle Nest Cam Another great place to view animals is Explore.org (fair warning, you'll have trouble choosing which cam to follow) These four UK Zoos (Paignton Zoo) (Edinburgh Zoo) (Dublin Zoo) and (Marwell Zoo) might have active animals when your local zoo cam doesn't. The Georgia Aquarium even has a Beluga Whale Cam The Houston Zoo has several cams, including leafeater ants.
COVID-19: Tips on How to Save Money-Ep. 226
May 11, 2020 • 51 MIN
How to save money during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond Today I am running an interview where I was the guest on the TalkOne Radio Show. The host of the show is Alan Flowers and there is also a co-host named Skip. This is a live local radio show but my husband and editor, Les, always works his magic to make me sound as good as possible so he did some light editing. I was invited to talk about how to save money in today's times of trouble. As we all know COVID-19 has disrupted our lives and caused turmoil in many ways including financially. I have mentioned many times that we try to steer clear of discussing money on this show. However, I thought during this time, it might be beneficial and informative for my audience. Even if we are financially set because of a pension, social security, or investments, these are troubling times. Almost everyone I know has been impacted financially at least to some extent. The stock market has plunged and many people who may not currently be feeling the effects of the weakened economy will very likely see some negative consequences in the future. At the time of this recording, the state where I live, South Carolina, has over 275,000 people who have lost their jobs. The estimated job loss for the entire United States is between 16 and 20 million right now. I wanted to inform people on how to save because my intention isn't to scare people but to educate and prepare people.   Some of the cost-saving tips we talked about on the show are: * Cell Phone Bill – I have managed to save over $100 a month on my phone bill! Learn how to save big bucks on this expense * Cable Bill- Consider giving up cable and using streaming services * Go to the Library- Your local library isn't just books anymore. You can get audiobooks, videos, and many other things! (For FREE) * Three (or more) isn't a crowd- Consider getting a roommate or moving in with family as a way to save money on living expenses I hope you enjoy this episode on how to save money. Do you have any ideas on how to save money? Feel free to comment below! Let's share our ideas! Mentioned in this episode www.TalkOneRadio.com www.RockYourRetirement.com/224 www.MedicareQuick.com/class Republic Wireless Zoom This post about retirement and retirement lifestyle first appeared on https://www.RockYourRetirement.com
Spending Time in Retirement – Episode 225
May 4, 2020 • 35 MIN
Today we're talking once again with Fritz Gilbert. He came on our show last year after he retired. And we invited him back to tell us how it's been going two years into retirement. Fritz was on episode 198. So if you haven't heard it, go back and listen to it, it might be surprising to find out what's changed. Creating a Retirement Jar Fritz created a retirement jar before he retired so he and his wife could put whatever they want to do during retirement. That helped them think for a year before retirement about the softer side of what are they going to do in retirement. And just going through that mental exercise of thinking of activities, probably paid more benefits than anything else through the process. Also, it made them aware, because you're constantly on the hunt for something to do in the area, so you can add it to the jar. Inevitably, they've done a lot of things that probably each of them put in the jar without actually pulling the paper out of the jar. When looking for things to do, it has led them to do some activities that they wouldn't have been aware of. There's some tremendous benefits as a result of doing it. Don’t Get Over-Committed in Retirement Fritz was thinking about joining rotary but ended up not doing that. Part of the balance in retirement is not getting over-committed. He's starting to feel a little bit of commitment pressure and was doing a little bit too much. Fritz was starting to get a little bit of stress about keeping up on his blog and emails. So what happened, he has been intentional now on being very selective about what he gets engaged in and being more willing to say no. We've got to be careful with our time and make sure we really get the most out of these precious few years that we have when we're financially independent, and young, and physically able to do the things we want to do. Les and I did kind of the same thing when we moved to this 55 and older community where we live, which has over 100 clubs, over 100 groups. We decided that we weren't going to join every club that we were going to hold off on joining until after we've been here a year. Struggles in Retirement The most important thing you can do to minimize your chance of going through depression, loss of identity, it's almost a grieving process for some people. And based on the research, the most important thing you can do is spend as much time as possible before you retire, thinking about what you want your retirement lifestyle to be. As strange as that sounds, that's proven time and time again as being the most important thing. When you have had no time to plan for retirement, you didn't really see it coming and suddenly, you're retired. Those are typically the cases where people can really go through a tough time. Retirement is a Rare Opportunity Retirement is such a rare opportunity to do something for the first time in your life. Since you were, you know, in kindergarten, probably you've always had people telling you what to do. You've always had to do what you've had to do for the paycheck. Now, that's all behind us and what a golden opportunity to do something for non-financial reasons, just because it's something that you're passionate about, and yeah, it's kind of hard. To figure those things out, passion is one of those kinds of nebulous words of purpose. But the people that are really successful like Fritz’s wife with Freedom for Fido, those are the stories that we should strive to replicate because that really is living a ...
COVID-19: Chad Carson talks about Stoicism
April 27, 2020 • 29 MIN
Chad “Coach” Carson is my coach when it comes to real estate investing, but we invited him to come on the show because he believes in stoicism and doesn’t believe that we should be overly optimistic when it comes to dealing with COVID -19. It is okay to be an optimist, but in these times we also have to be realistic or risk extreme disappointment and, in the worst case, we could become depressed. Chad talks about his podcast episode entitled “The Danger of Wishful Thinking In These Trying Times: The Stockdale Paradox”. His podcast is “The Real Estate and Financial Independence Podcast”. Having lived in Equador, Chad also talks about how Equador is dealing with COVID-19 in comparison to what is happening here in the U.S. Hear the story of James Stockdale who was a prisoner of war in Viet Nam and how he successfully dealt with unimaginable hardship.  Chad relates James Stockdale’s experience to our current experiences with COVID-19. Essence of Stoicism Viruses are going to do what viruses want to do. I don't think that this COVID-19 is going to go away anytime soon. We don't really have control over getting sick, right? I mean, of course, we can stay home. But now that other people are going out, it's riskier. Now. When we you know, there's going to be a lot more people out and about, Sometimes things will go back to normal like even with even during the recovery phase, there's going to be repercussions of this both health-wise and the way we live our lives and there's going to be economic repercussions. This is this is a deep and wide impact that we haven't seen in a long time. And that that's not being Doomsday. That's not saying we'll never get out of this. But it's more that that realistic optimism to say, you know, this is a big challenge. Let's just recognize it for what it is, both health-wise and financial wise. And then by doing that, we could then have some reflection on ourselves. How are we going to respond to this? What are we going to do, what choices we can't really control, the decisions that all the leaders make? We can't control the situation that there is a virus. We can't control anything really, but how we think about it and how we respond to it. And that's that's the essence of stoicism is that that one core kernel of this you are in control of your response? What Can We Do In This Situation? Everybody has their own approach. But for Chad, whenever there's a crisis, whenever things are challenging, he tries to go back to his kind of personal care, his personal fundamentals is what he calls it. What are the things that make him feel good? What are the things that make him become the best person he could be? The practical stuff like, Alright, need to go to bed on time, eat good food. It's hard to have a bad day when you do whatever those things are for you. And yes, it might not be pretty out in the world, and things are going badly. But you do have control of that little first 10-15 minutes of your day and the last 10-15 minutes of your day or longer. Try to be even more disciplined about the things that you can control, and hopefully that'll put you in a better frame of mind to deal with whatever you have to deal with after that. Stoicism Doing something that's not reactive, and not having to deal with other people's situations, problems, challenges, this is just kind of heard somebody described as that you're warming up your patience. You're just like easing into the day a bit, whatever that means for you. And it's just going to make everything else flow a bit eas...
The Positive Side of COVID-19 – Episode 223
April 20, 2020 • 26 MIN
Today we are still talking about COVID-19, but we are going to talk about the Blessings.  The world has certainly changed.  It might have permanently changed.  Our world as we knew it might never be the same.  But that doesn’t mean that it’s all bad. Instead of sitting around, gaining weight, feeling sorry for ourselves because we can't go to a restaurant, we can't see our friends, let's face it, there is a lot that we can't do.  I asked people to tell me what’s happened due to COVID-19, that is positive.  We'll go over some things that people are seeing, right here and now, that is positive coming out of this crisis. What are the Positive Sides for this COVID-19 Pandemic? I asked people what a positive thing has happened because of COVID-19 and I got a ton of answers!  I want to go over some of them now with you. First of all, pollution is down in many parts of the world.  Malika H agreed with me and said that there is now clean air and water for animals. But not just for animals!  When Les and I went to China, it had a yellow haze.  There are so many people who wore masks there, not necessarily because of illness, but because of pollution.  It was particularly bad when we went.  I remember we had gotten off the plane and we're riding a bus to get to our hotel. There was a tour director telling us about parts of the city.  I pointed at the moon and said how big and pretty it was.  She looked at me and said, that's not the moon, that's the sun.  Of course I was shocked!  And I wore my mask the entire trip.  Les didn't wear his, and as a result he wound up getting sick on that cruise two years ago.  When you are breathing in super polluted air, you are more likely to get sick. Nature is Healing Itself The skies cleared in China as people were on lockdown and then started to haze over again as factories reopened and people got back to work. We are all aware how polluted our environment has become that slowly depleted our nature. With the pollution from factories, cars, greenhouse emissions, carbon emissions that cause climate change, our planet has been seriously suffering for quite sometime now. As the global pandemic brought our way of life to an almost complete halt, it has given the Earth a chance to breathe just like us. China isn't the only place where the lock down has made a huge difference in Air pollution.  People in India can see the Himalayas for the first time in decades. COVID-19 Equals Less Traffic Several people talked about how much better people seem to be driving, if they are driving at all.  Tim B said that “nobody seems to be driving like a (bleep) on the highway. Beverly D is enjoying less traffic on the road. Joe G said that fewer people are dying in auto accidents. Mark D, Steve B, and Cheri C are enjoying less traffic! And Steve B also said he can always find parking now. Ryan mentioned that there are fewer cars on the road so it's easier to ride a bicycle. I've noticed how many more bicycles are out and about in my neighborhood.  I've seen the regular bikes, tricycles, and recumbent bikes out.  Bicycle use is exploding as people try to stay healthy.  We are lucky in the US in that we are not on total lockdown in most areas.  However, if you are in an area that doesn't allow you to ride your bike, I understand, it would be more difficult. King JS said that he's happy that there are less people outside.  He must live in a place where you aren't allowed to go outside and exercise like we are. More Animals are Coming Out Blake M posted a video that shows 70,000 endangered turtles were able to lay eggs on empty beaches.
COVID-19 Frauds and Scams – Episode 222
April 13, 2020 • 34 MIN
As most of us are sequestered in our homes during the COVID-19 crisis, we have the opportunity to get better organized in our lives and prepare for the future. Hopefully, for most of us, the future will be bright as we return to our more normal lives. However, for some of us, the crisis will bring other life challenges. With so many people out of legitimate work. This is likely to be a time when crooks come out of the woodwork and take advantage of the situation. The results are the miracle cures the scams to get that government check, outright fraud and of course, identity theft. This podcast today has three parts. The first part is about the obvious scams that are being seen all the time, some with a COVID-19 twist. The second part is some things that you can do to organize so that you will be in the best shape should you fall prey to some of these schemes. The third part is to provide critical steps that you need to take should you become a victim of identity theft. COVID-19 Scams $1200 Check Bait Many millions of people are supposed to get a check from the government to tide us over during this very trying period. This unfortunately is like chum to a shark who wants to get his or her hands on your cheque. We don't know how the government is going to disseminate these checks, which opens the door to fraud. One thing we do know, neither the government nor any financial institution is going to call you about that payment. If you get an email or a phone call from anyone with an official sounding organization, it is only someone trying to take that cheque away from you. It would be typical that the person contacting you would want to get bank account information, offer you in advance that gets the check or get enough information so that they would know where to find the check to steal it and cash it themselves. Please do not respond to any requests coming from the telephone or email regarding your 1200 dollar payment. COVID Check Request You receive an email message from a supposedly government entity telling you that you can get your COVID relief check if you submit a form. The form requests personal information which the scammer gets, but the underlying reason is to be able to infect your machine with malware. Bottom line, the government will not issue checks in this way, so please delete the message before doing anything. Expedite Scam We actually don't know when the checks will be coming. Some say it will be more than a month. This is an opening for someone to offer you an advance on the money you're expected to get. This can take several forms. It could be alone with high interest rates, or it could be more insidious, such as the promise of money sent to your bank account, as long as you give the scammer your account number. It could also be a check that when deposited gives the person your banking information. Don't fall for someone who tells you that you can get your money earlier. Miracle Cures for COVID-19 All of us are desperate to find a cure for COVID-19. We're also desperate to take something that would make us immune. Unfortunately, there's no such remedies yet, so don't fall for the miracles that don't exist. That being said, there are a few supplements that might and I emphasize might have some benefit. Before You Buy or take anything, check with a trusted source. COVID Charities Whenever there's a crisis like this, the charities or fake charities come out like weeds. This goes from GoFundMe accounts to all kinds of charities professing to help those in need because of COVID-19. But before you plunk down any of your hard earned money, make sure that the charity is legitimate by accessi...
Life of a Peace Corps Volunteer – Episode 221
April 6, 2020 • 43 MIN
Today, I will be sharing with you some insights from my interview with David Jarmul, the author of “Not Exactly Retired”. His book discusses the trips he took within the United States and with the Peace Corps. But today we will focus on his Peace Corps tour. You will also get to know if you're too old for the Peace Corps and what to expect if you sign up. It's Not Too Old to Start David Jarmul started his Peace Corps trip at 63. He went to Nepal with his wife a few weeks after he left his job and spent two months even in areas where westerners rarely go. They went off a few months later to serve for over two years in Eastern Europe in a little country called Moldova. While they were here, they were able to apply for Medicare at the American Embassy in Athens, Greece. The Peace Corps has an administrative director in the country where they were serving it. They guided him and his wife through applying for Medicare before they were about to turn 65. He mentioned that nobody joins the Peace Corps to get rich. It shouldn't be the reason to join it. But from a financial standpoint, this is a good way to make a transition from paycheck to the next phase of retirement since the Peace Corps covers all your expenses. They pay your way over as you get free medical and dental care. Peace Corps is a Good Way to Make that Transition Peace Corps has its own doctor and a medical team that is really excellent. They were able to receive good medical care. This covered them until shortly after they finished their service and was able to transition over to activating Medicare. He mentioned that this is a real nice benefit but not the reason to do it, but it turned out to be a good way to make that transition. It's Been Always David Jarmul's Dream to Join the Peace Corps Probably you are all wondering why David Jarmul and his wife joined the Peace Corps. David had a high-powered job at a university. According to him, it was pretty stressful, but he loved his job and colleagues. It has always been their dream to join Peace Corps and as they hit their 60s; They made this dream come true. Since traveling has always been their passion, they went on a trip within US and then Nepal. He said he wanted to move on to the next chapter of his life and so they had a series of adventures, which he feels the best thing they ever did. They felt fortunate enough living in United States, but wanted to go some place where they could be useful. He became the librarian while his wife an English teacher. Here they felt really useful, and they made dear friends. They learned a lot and ended up feeling the way most Peace Corps volunteers do when they finish, which is getting much more than they give. You'll Meet New Friends David Jarmul and his wife Champa were able to make friends from all over United States through volunteering in the Peace Corps.  According to him, it was a joy, and it's one of the great things about it. Some of their friends even consider this experience as a way of making the most out of their lives. They never regret the 2 years they spent volunteering in the Peace Corps as their family are very supportive of them because they knew that this was in their hearts, something they have always wanted to do. It was during one of their trips in the United States when they were able to meet their old friend Linda. It was she who opened up everything about Medicare and Social Security that are good to have. That they need not to wake up at 85 and say that they should have done this. It's like whatever you want to do, think constantly about it and try to make it happen. So everyone's have to find what it is they want. For David and his wife,
Covid-19: How Well is Our Economy? – Ep 220
March 30, 2020 • 50 MIN
I know that we don't normally talk about money on the Rock Your Retirement Show, but in today's falling stock market due to the Covid-19 outbreak, you probably have questions. Joe from The Stacking Benjamins Show was kind enough to come on the show to tell us what we should be doing right now. What’s very frightening is that some people you see talking online and not the health stuff, but just in money forums. Those people said, Oh, this goes into a depression. Do you keep investing? Is everybody okay? I just want to sell everything. That's awful and nearly as awful we could maybe talk about this too is when do I quote back the truck up and start buying everything? All those for different reasons are scary places to be. I can understand those feelings. Because I've lost a lot in the stock market since this pandemic has been going on. We’re Still Not in a Depression You saw the tremors around the start of March a little bit. The last few weeks have been nothing short of depressing. And It has been depressing, but we're not in a depression. We won't know that for a while. Because just to get to recession territory, we have to have two quarters in a row of certain levels of negative GDP. And so we won't even know if we hit a recession till we get to the six-month mark. So I think people worried about depression are a little premature. Jumping the gun a bit. The Economy Has to Continue I know that if the economy is going to continue; The economy has to continue on the back of companies. And these companies are publicly traded. And so if the economy is going to continue, the stock market has to rebound. It's not Voodoo. It's not magic. The stock market has to rebound at some point for the economy to continue. This is going to pass. Don't make decisions when you're emotional. Work from an investment policy statement that you created when you were not emotional and go back to that guide today and go No, no, this is what I said I was going to do and just keep following that. What Joe Wouldn't Do Right Now Somebody was talking to Joe on Twitter about buying Delta Airlines. Their point was obviously airline stocks are super low. And they said the government's not going to let them go under because it's an essential service. Even we had the president on recently talking about the fact that airlines and cruise lines are things that we want to make sure do well. Going back to just not that long ago, history 2007-2008. Joe remembers them talking about Delphi won't go under, General Motors won't go under. All those companies declare bankruptcy. Also, the Lehman Brothers. Before the biggest analysts that follows them said, they're too big to fail. The government will not let Lehman Brothers go bankrupt. The person who ostensibly knew the most that weren’t in the company, and they still went. That is why you should not bet on Delta Airlines right now. And that's not negative to Delta Airlines. Don't think that these companies that have no customers right now won't seek bankruptcy protection. That's what bankruptcy protections there for exactly. They Are Worrying Too Much About the Economy They're worried about the economy. So they want to let people go out, but what's going to happen is more people are going to get sick and then the economy will be shut down longer.. Take your medicine, get rid of it. It's like we tell people when they have credit card debt when they come to see people like you or I. Let's take care of this problem now, I know you want to do the sexy stuff, like, get into investing, talk and whatever. But you know we're going to do, we're going to cut up the credit cards.
COVID-19 message to our listeners
March 23, 2020 • 21 MIN
Today's message is about how to stop the spread of COVID-19 and how we are changing the show a bit to deal with this crisis. Transcript below: Hi, I’m Kathe Kline, the founder of the Rock Your Retirement Show. I’m recording this special episode on Sunday, March 22nd 2020,  and it’s regarding COVID 19. If this is the first time you’ve listened, understand that today’s show isn’t our normal type of show.  I wanted to talk with you and share some things about this crisis that we are in throughout the world. Last week I sent everyone on our email list a note about my thoughts.  My husband, Les, and I went on a 9-day cruise that returned on March 15th.  We had already made plans to stop at Costco on the way home to pick up our normal items because we live 2 hours away from a Costco. You already know that all Hell had broken loose and there was a shortage of toilet paper. Before I continue, I want to say something about toilet paper. If you were one of the people who stocked up on it, or if you were one of the people who were concerned that you didn’t have enough, I just want to point out to you that you’ll use much less toilet paper if you spend $100 on a Bidet.  You can spend more money if you want warm water or a blow dryer, but you might want to order a basic bidet converter online and have it delivered.  I’m serious.  If toilet paper is important to you, make your life easier by using less toilet paper.  It’s cleaner too. OK, rant over. I know that it’s scary.  We’ve lost a ton of money in the stock market.  Maybe you have too.  So I’m going to be bringing on at least one guest to talk about how to protect ourselves. We're going to talk about the financial side of how to invest in a bear market, how to handle the fact that a recession is almost inevitable, how to prepare for a possible layoff, and tips for being more productive if you're working from home. * If you haven’t retired yet, what should you do? * Were you planning on moving overseas?  Joining the Peace Corps?  Which has brought everyone home? * Were you planning on using Trusted House Sitters to become a nomad? * What about living on a boat or RV?  How will COVID 19 affect those plans? * Have you discussed the risk with your spouse, your children, and your parents if they are still living?  Your parents are at great risk. * So is my husband, Les.  Not only is he 76 years old, but he is also surviving cancer.  He can’t afford the exposure to the disease, and neither can I due to my own health issues. I have other family members who are cancer survivors as well.  You likely do too, or at least know some cancer survivors.  Do you worry about them?  I know I do. What can we do to help?  We’ll be having those discussions as well. On Friday I paid my cleaning lady to clean my house, but I didn’t have her clean.  On the ship, I gave extra cash tips to my room steward.  Yes, I’m feeling poor with the stock market decline, but I’m trying to be generous.  We all need to be generous right now. You probably know or come across hourly workers and people who rely on tips for a living.  These service workers are in a serious economic bind right now.  I’ve already had one person tell me that her husband got laid off and they are losing their insurance. Of course, I’m helping them get on Medicare because they are old enough to do so, but I want to be able to help in other ways too. I’ve learned from one of my Facebook groups that there are people stranded all over the world that were doing house sits.  The sits got canceled, and now they have nowhere to stay.  People are stepping up with their spare rooms to assist.  This warms my heart. If you have a spare room and would like to help, I can put you in touch with the group.  Let me know in the Facebook Group that you want to help and I’ll connect you.
Why Firefighters Are Better Pain Specialists – Ep 218
March 16, 2020 • 28 MIN
Most often, pain is classified as being acute or chronic. Pain can persist for days, months, or even years after an initial injury and can be difficult to treat. People with pain may experience anxiety, sleeplessness, and depression, all of which can compound the problem. In the first episode, we discussed what happened to me and how I could have dealt with my pain a little bit better. The second episode, we discussed how well our health system treats pain and last week we talked about pain myths and misconceptions, and I have been dying for this last episode where Dr. Kevin Cuccaro will give us the secret of why firefighters are better pain specialist than actual pain specialist. We Are Behind the Science of Pain Dr. Kevin Cuccaro said that the way they practice, teach, and talk to their patients is literally 50 to 60 behind the science of pain. That was difficult to overcome when it was Dr. Cuccaro going through that process and recognizing why people don't seem to get better with these pain injections. Why is it that when doctors do more injections, they seem to lead to more injections? How come people have an injection and say they're better and yet the medications all seem to change or it seems like the pain move somewhere else. So, they went to get back pain injections in their back and now they have neck pain and they get injections in their neck and they get shoulder pain then they get the injection in their shoulder. They weren’t getting better. That was what started Dr. Cuccaro's journey when it came to actually going back to the research and science of pain. It also influenced him to be a better pain specialist. Why Firefighters Are Better Pain Specialist There are at least 3 major contributors that create or construct pain. You have that sensory aspect that's the sensation coming from the body. And then you have that cognitive element which is the attention, the beliefs, and expectations you have. The final element is the emotion, the memory mood, and the meaning that is associated with that sensation. All 3 of those components come together to construct and experience pain. Which means for any pain in any moment and any time to truly understand it, you have to be thinking on those 3 dimensions. That becomes very difficult to explain to people, and it's difficult to think because we don't perceive our world that way. We think in cause and effect. That's the way the brain wants us to think because it's a survival-based mechanism. But, there's a community out there that has to think in 3 dimensions all the time to do what they do which is a public service, and that's the firefighter community. What Makes Them a Better Pain Specialist? You don't just go out there and say well we could throw water on it let's throw some more water on it let's keep throwing water on it and hope it gets better. Instead you go what's the fire in front of you, what's the therapy or what are the major contributors that I need to target with my therapies and so because firefighters are already thinking in 3 dimensions, with a little bit of basic pain science because they're already thinking in 3 dimensions they would be better pain specialist than pain specialists in most clinics out there because they already have the thinking down because they understand that pain is just like fires and the fire is similar to pain and has those 3 elements. Fire Triangle Fire triangle is a tool that firefighters use in order to fight fires and because fire is a dynamic process and in fire, there are always no matter how complex or simple the fire is there's always ...
Misconceptions About Pain – Episode 217
March 9, 2020 • 26 MIN
Pain is whatever the patient says it is. Pain is a very personal experience and varies greatly between people. Many people have misconceptions or misbeliefs about pain in children. These myths have lasted even though there is now evidenced to support that they are not true. There are a lot of misconceptions out there, about pain. And we touched on them a little bit last week, one of those is that our doctor can fix us. What Are Those Misconceptions? The idea that we can be fixed or the idea that pain can be chopped out, cut, poked, or drugged out of us, is a huge misconception. And that tends to come from this idea again that pain oozes out the body like pus. It’s easy to understand that, right? We believe that if I poke you in the leg with a knife, that makes pain travel like little pus from that knife cut into your brain. Then, it would make sense that we would be like “Well, oh someone must interrupt the flow of the pain pus.” Pain Generator If there was something in your back, body, shoulder, or whatever, and that was where the pain generator was, it would send the pain signals up to your brain. That’s not simply true. Because any pain in any scenario, you have both nerve information coming from the body, they're not called pain signals but nerve signal. And there are a lot of nerve signals that go up to the brain but you still have to have those brain related aspects. You need to have that cognitive element and that emotional component to construct and experience pain. Dr. Kevin Cuccaro would say that the biggest misconception about pain really is the idea that pain equals damage. Or that pain comes from the body unadulterated, flowing like pus, instead of recognizing that pain constructed in the brain. That’s all pain, acute and chronic. It doesn't mean that when you're experiencing pain that is not real, it's a hundred percent real. But that hundred percent needs an awake and alert brain in order to make it. Misconceptions on Military People By watching all these TV shows about the military and spies, people that have learned they can be tortured and still won't give up the information. Maybe that's because they've trained their brain to maybe put the pain somewhere I mean they're still feeling pain. These people are still feeling a sensation. We kind of touched on this in the first episode. There are three key contributors that you construct and experience a pain. You have the sensation that comes from the body. Then you have that cognition which is like the thoughts and anticipation and appraisal of that sensation. And then you have the meaning that we get to that sensation, and people who have been trained, the military is a great example. They have gone through something like survival training and know what to do under torture. They still have sensations, and they still can have intense sensations. In fact, they're more likely experiencing pain but what they've been able to do is because they understand what is occurring and they've learned a skill set to survive in that scenario. They have more perceived control and less uncertainty with it. So it is likely that they're not experiencing as much pain in those scenarios. 7-Day Limit on Opioids When it comes to acute prescribing, the reason a 7-day limit was usually picked had nothing to do with pain. In fact, Dr. Cuccaro’s personal experience is that most healthcare systems are pretty pain illiterate. But the reason that 7-day window was picked was because if you look at how acute the timeline for what we call an acute opioid prescriptions, somebody who's never been on opioid before. Taking an opioid, after 3 days,
Healthcare System and Pain – Episode 216
March 2, 2020 • 34 MIN
Last week, my guest co-host, Dr. Kevin Cuccaro, and I had an interesting discussion about me and my pain. If you didn’t hear it, I was taken to the emergency room by ambulance because I could not get out of bed due to pain. Today’s episode will talk about how well healthcare systems treat pain. How Our Healthcare System Is Treating It Dr. Kevin Cuccaro said that our healthcare system is good for acute episodes. If you are in an accident, having an acute heart attack, or go cut open, our healthcare is good on treating that. The whole system is designed to round it. But what we are not good at is anything that has been around for a while, the chronic conditions. We’re not good at doing preventive care so that you won’t have a heart attack in the first place. If you have pain for a long period, we’re pretty atrocious in taking care of that. Is It Always the Doctor’s Responsibility to Fix Us? For a long time, people have been taught that if there’s anything wrong with you, go see your doctor and then they’re going to do something to make it go away. And that comes from health systems, comes from public warnings, and the pharmaceutical industry. There are only 2 countries in the world that have direct to consumer advertising and that’s the United States and New Zealand. What do those ads tell you? They “diseasify” symptoms, meaning we as humans are not meant to be in one state all the time. We have good days, bad days, sad days, and so on. That is normal for us, having a normal emotional spectrum. But the pharmaceutical industry likes to start taking these things to another level rather than normal behavior, and then they will say you need a drug for it. Hypnosis in Pain Hypnosis involves learning how to use your mind to manage anxiety, unpleasant physical symptoms, and certain habits or behaviors. It is another tool that can be used to help patients cope with pain. Hypnosis as Dr. Kevin Cuccaro would say can be extremely powerful. What it does is it allows your body to relax and learn things quickly. Also, to be open to suggestions and to focus your attention on things specific to you. There’s a lot of potential for hypnotherapy. For this kind of therapy, you need to know what you’re doing with them because you need to understand what it is you’re treating. Pain Mastery If you understand pain, we know it is about protection as we talk about in the first episode, not punishment and it has information coming up from the body and the brain. There are these 2 other divisions that are as important as well, the attention, the cognitive aspect, the thoughts, the beliefs behind it, and then emotions, which is the meaning, the mood, and the memory associated with it. Now we can start honing on these contributors that are involved in how this pain comes together in a more effective manner. Pain is the body's warning system when you are sick or injured. It leads people to take action, a good thing, and has been important in humans' ability to evolve and survive. When it comes to pain, the more that you feel that there are things that you can do to help yourself when it comes to pain, the less pain that you tend to experience. If you understand that pain is a protector, and as we increase threat, we increase pain. The more control or sense that you perceive, the less threat that you tend to see. About Our Co-Host Dr. Kevin Cuccaro is a fellowship trained specialist and expert on the science of pain, trained in anesthesiology at The University of Chicago. After that, he completed his fellowship in Pain Medicine at the University of Michigan. Later road he served as associate program director of ...
How to Prevent Pain Episodes – Ep 215
February 24, 2020 • 41 MIN
An Expert on Pain Today’s guest host Dr. Kevin Cuccaro is an expert on pain and will help us how we can prevent pain episodes. We had so many e-mail responses to our 4-part series on pain that I thought it would be great to bring on an actual expert. My husband, Les, and I discussed pain in episodes 180 through 183 but as you know we’re not experts. We discussed the June 2019 article on pain. Since our discussion, I had something that happened to me you probably aren’t aware of unless you’re a member of the Facebook group. During this 4-part series, we’ll be discussing the podcast episodes that Les and I created and what we left out. In this episode, we’ll discuss what happened to me and how I might be able to prevent pain episodes. I'm Having Pain Episodes I had a pain on my neck that has gone on for a couple of days and I’m no stranger of having a pain in my neck. So, I thought I would do some traction and traction is something I have done in the past. Instead of doing it for 2 minutes, I did it for 3 minutes and then when I was finished. I could not get out of bed. Although the normal time is 3 minutes, you usually work your way up to it and it may have been 8 years since I’ve used it. Instead of doing it for 2 or 1 minute, I thought that I had done this a million times so let me do this for 3 minutes. Dr. Cuccaro said the key thing here for him is the fact that there is something inside of me that my brain is saying that I should not be doing this, calling it a threat. The second part is what I mentioned that generally, I would build-up to traction. That’s another part in my brain saying that we should build-up to this. What Kind of Pain This? People assume that there are these different types of pain, physical, emotional, or psychosomatic. What Dr. Cuccaro wants to get across to people is that there is just pain. All pain is pain. But all pain has multiple different inputs that go into constructing it. All of these are nerve information that’s going up into the brain. That nerve information then takes 2 other components in order for us to construct this experience of pain. We had to have attention; you have to notice and direct your attention to it and the second part is the affective dimension which is the emotional component, the meaning that we give to it. We tend to view pain as a punisher, but pain actually does is it try to protect you from body damage. It’s an alarm system. This is the reason where if you have a new episode of pain, sometimes those will hurt much worse than if you have a similar pain in the future. But if we are fearful that every time we experience pain episodes, that there is body damage. We tend to experience more severe pain when a pain reoccurs. What to Do with those Pain Episodes? None of us wants to experience pain, but it serves a vital role to us. The more that we understand some basics of pain and the science of pain, the more we appreciate what pain is trying to do. It is never about the complete elimination of pain. Pain is associated with leaning; If we understand that pain is a protector, it will protect us. For example, we touched a hot stove; We had a sharp sensation going up to our brain, withdraw, and then we say, I must have burned my finger and there’s a pain at that moment. Pain is protecting us because it’s withdrawing and protecting us from that finger we’ve burned. The other way that pain protects us is for the future. Because if you ever saw a hot burning stove in the future, how likely are you to touch it again? The answer is, not very likely because the first time you did it, you experienced a lot of pain. Emotional Part of Pain
Listener Question: A Couple’s Retirement Endeavor – Ep 214
February 17, 2020 • 17 MIN
Background of the Show I'm so glad that you've stopped by.  Below is a “transcript” of this week's show, Listener Question: A Couple's Retirement Endeavor. It's not word-for-word because we wanted to make sure it is in a readable format.  I recommend that you listen to the episode if possible, and you'll see the links to do that on this page. We've been producing this podcast for you since 2016.  This show addresses topics that most shows don't.  We talk about retirement lifestyle and retirement endeavors.  When we started this show, there literally weren't any other shows in this genre.  I know because I searched for them.  These are the topics I wanted to listen to but I couldn't find any. Then other shows I found started with similar topics.  I was happy to see that and reached out too many to see if I could help. You know a rising tide lifts all ships.  I was hoping that eventually, retirement lifestyle would be its own topic. Sadly, many of the shows I tried to help have gone off the air.  There are new shows now, ones I listen to that have huge audiences.  But they aren't as targeted as us.  You know, the Baby Boomers with a few Gen Xers mixed in. A lot of these shows are targeted at the FIRE community. FIRE stands for Financially Independent Retire Early, Mostly 20s, 30s, and 40-year-olds. The Rock Your Retirement Show has covered a lot of topics.  We've talked about what to do when your mom needs assisted living.  Whether you should retire overseas.  And yes, we've even talked about dating and sex. Retirement Endeavor (as a couple) A lot of us may struggle to find common ground with our spouse or partners in retirement. Sometimes they may have different needs and wants than we have.  Although we may have been together for years and years, retiring can put a lot of stress on a relationship and having the same retirement endeavor can be difficult. That's because we've been together, but also alone, and we've worked that out.  It can be tough when we retire, because now we have all the time in the world, but our loved one doesn't necessarily want to do the same thing we want to do with all that time. That's what is facing our listener today. She wanted to work a seasonal job, that's what she wants for her retirement endeavor. Our caller is having a problem finding things to that they are both passionate about. Also, she wanted to know how other retirement couples have managed to both find a very meaningful seasonal work effort together. Responses from our Rock Your Retirement Experts: I reached out to two of our past guests for expert advice on the subject. Janelle Anderson, who's been a frequent guest on the show, weighed in on Shirley's question: I would suggest that possibly look at your strengths one person might have a strength that they can bring to the business or the idea and the other person could bring a different perspective or strength to it. It's actually hard to say if I don't know since I don't know the particulars of what you want to do. So I'm just kind of guessing but let's say one person has the idea to make jewelry and create this business and the other person doesn't really want to make jewelry, but maybe they have an expertise in marketing or you know, getting the word out about it, or maybe they're really good at doing the bookkeeping. So,
Making that Move to Ecuador – Episode 213
February 10, 2020 • 31 MIN
This is the last episode of our series on living overseas. In the first episode, we talked about the possibility of living overseas. The second episode talks about the things to do before moving abroad. In last week’s episode, we discuss where to retire. Many of us want a place not only where we can afford to live but also where we have like-minded people that we can be friends with. Also, we discussed why my guests chose to move to their particular country, Ecuador. Today, we’re going to talk about Ecuador in addition to talking about bank safety. Many articles recently, in October 2019, discussed Americans losing money in Mexican banks. It seems to have been a scam, but we’ll talk about it and what you can do to protect yourself. Deciding Factor on that Move When you talk about living somewhere, Cynthia Staton suggests that you have to consider many factors. On top of their list was the cost of living. They also wanted a warm temperate climate, healthcare, and a sizable city. Why Did They move to Cuenca, Ecuador? Edd and Cynthia never really heard of Cuenca, Ecuador. They said that they didn’t find it but rather it found them. Because of the wishlist that they made, they were focused on Latin America. Edd was keen on Buenos Aires but it has seasons, and they didn’t want that. Also, as we’ve discussed in the last episode, political volatility. Buenos Aires is not as politically volatile as it is financially volatile. If you’re a retiree, you may be living on a fixed income. You need to know how much you have available to spend every month and how much it’s going to cost you to buy groceries. That’s an important factor to point out when you’re looking for a place to retire abroad. You want a stable economy. Friendship Aspect of Living Overseas You certainly want to create your community of friends wherever you go. However, the truth is that proximity doesn’t necessarily have to describe a friendship. You can be friends with people even if you don't live in the same place. Although they are already living overseas, Edd and Cynthia still get in touch with their friends in the US, thanks to technology. It provides them with easy access to communicate with their friends. The reality of life is that if you have close friends that are more than you can count off on one hand, you are truly blessed. A lot of friendships, they’re just friendships but they are not like that deep friendship sort of thing. Edd and Cynthia recommend that you seek out friendships with locals. They can help you so much particularly in terms of recommending medical people in your life, attorneys, and even understanding the culture. Also, if you’re not fluent in the language of the country that you moved to, there are plenty of bilingual locals that you can befriend. Bank Fraud In a foreign situation, Edd and Cynthia noticed that when you’re packing your luggage and getting to move to a foreign country, some people seem to leave their common sense at home. They just do things with their money when they move abroad that they would never do in their previous life. It seems that when you move abroad, you really want to work so much and want to be part of the community. To qualify for a residency visa, Edd and Cynthia have friends that invested in a condominium coming out of the ground. When their residency application is up,
Your Retirement Destination – Episode 212
February 3, 2020 • 29 MIN
A move abroad may be the answer if you're hoping to further stretch your retirement dollars. Last week's episode of The Rock Your Retirement Show talks about the things you need to know before moving overseas. Today, we will discuss a very important subject on How to Decide Where to Retire, a great topic for your future retirement destination. Life in a foreign land offers a chance to see more of what the world brings to us and can offer a lower cost of living. Things to Do Before Deciding Where to Retire When Edd and Cynthia Staton realized that retiring abroad was their best option, they created a wishlist of everything that they’d be looking for in their retirement destination. The cost of living was a top priority for them, they got wiped out in 2008 with the economic recession. Beyond that, they wanted to be close to their children who live in the US. That immediately made them focus on Latin America as opposed to the far east, which is too far. They also like what they called “Goldilocks Weather,” which is a temperate climate. Not too hot, not too cold, and that was a driving force for their retirement destination. Another was healthcare. Edd and Cynthia were in great health but moving forward you would need good access to healthcare in whatever retirement destination you would choose. Also, access to cultural activities and a place with other ex-pats. Deal Breakers on Your Retirement Destination Deal breakers if the opposite of your wishlist. Edd and Cynthia didn’t have any but some people do have specific deal breakers. As an example, you need specific medication, everything is great about the country, but then you find out they don’t have that medication. It doesn’t matter how great it is, you can’t lose that medication you need. Another one would be mobility issues. If you have those, then you’re not going to pick a place of high altitude or places with handicapped issues. How to Figure Out Your Destination A lot of people are nervous to go to a country that doesn’t speak English but I have to tell you when I was in England, they speak English but I was having a hard time understanding the people in Wigan. The English language isn’t really the determining factor for your retirement destination, but it is important. A good factor to look for is if there’s an established ex-pat community in that country of destination. Because if there is an ex-pat community then at least you’ll know that there are English speakers there. North American English speakers in particular, if you are North American. Social Security Check A lot of ex-pats including Edd and Cynthia don’t collect Social Security checks in the country they’re living in. They maintain a US banking presence, have a check there, and just pull money out of the ATMs locally. Where to Retire? It starts with deciding what you want not what you’ve read about or think what other people want you to do. Once you’ve decided what’s really important for you.without any restrictions and judgment, then that’s the time where you can choose the right retirement destination for you. Go with the worst time of the year weather-wise not the best time, because Edd and Cynthia have friends that have moved to Panama, they visited during the dry season, moved there during the wet season and they didn’t know that God was capable of releasing...
Things to Do Before Moving Abroad – Ep 211
January 27, 2020 • 38 MIN
Last week’s episode, we talk about our 2 co-hosts, why they moved abroad, and why they help others do the same. In today’s episode, we will talk about the things you need to know before moving abroad. I had something similar when Les and I moved from San Diego, all the way to South Carolina, and I had a checklist that I’ve worked off of. Let me tell you, now that I’m here in South Carolina, there were some things I didn’t put on my checklist. Learning the Language Cynthia Staton said that the first thing that they need to think about is the language issue. If they are interested in learning anything from another language, then they need to look at places that a lot of English speakers. Being functional is great, and that doesn’t take a lot but signing up for classes not necessarily before you move along, but once you get there because it gives you the opportunity to make friends. Once you’ve settled, find a language class that’s conversational. Your Financial Situation When Moving Abroad Edd Staton said that if you’re still comfortable writing checks and deposits to banks, you need to get over that. One misconception is you’ll have trouble getting your Social Security if you live out of the country, that’s not the case. What you can do is maintain a US banking relationship and then just pull money out of the ATMs. They also have a local bank for easy payment of bills. One of the reasons Edd and Cynthia Staton maintain a bank account in the States is because of the credit cards, especially for airline tickets. They used credit cards because it’s the smartest thing to book tickets. Visa Another misconception is that where you’re moving abroad, you have to give up your citizenship in the States. You can choose to, some people do, but that’s not necessary. You’re just a tourist to start with. You got to go to a formal process of applying for permanent residency. Each country has its own rules, once you decide your country then you start looking into what the requirements are for a residency to live there, not necessarily become a citizen. Possibility of Moving Abroad Moving abroad is not a do-it-yourself project. You need to spend a small amount of money to hire an immigration attorney in the country that you’re going to. The paperwork varies from place to place and person to person. Let someone who knows the ropes do this for you. In Edd and Cynthia Staton’s first move, their tourist visa lasted for 90 days. That is why you need to show up with your paperwork pretty much in hand. It’s painful and expensive to deal with FedEx if you don’t have your paperwork correctly. Healthcare Medicare doesn’t travel beyond the US borders. That is why you got to think about that. Your choices are either you get a private policy, the national health program of that country once you are a permanent resident, or because it’s cheap, you can simply choose to pay out-of-pocket for care within the country. When moving to a new country, you need to get familiar not just where you are but within where you are. Different neighborhoods have a different vibe and feel, you can’t know that over the internet. You need to just be there for a while. About Our Co-Host Edd and Cynthia Staton are creators of Retirement Reimagined!, a revolutionary Master Course for Baby Boomers facing an uncertain future. Recognized as experts on expat living, they have appeared on network television and written hundreds of articles for international magazines and ot...
Living Overseas: Is It Possible? – Episode 210
January 20, 2020 • 29 MIN
Today we have 2 co-hosts in this first series of living overseas. If you've considered living overseas, or if you know someone who is considering it, this is the episode for you!. In today’s show, we talk about why you might want to live overseas. If you have lost money in the stock market, or the value of your home has declined, you may not feel like you can ever afford to retire. You might be worried about retiring because you haven’t saved enough money, or you just want a slower lifestyle. Perhaps you have a friend who is in a tight situation and you are looking to help them with suggestions on their retirement? Or maybe you are just curious as to what it is like to live abroad. If any of these situations are yours then stick around for all four episodes. Create a Wishlist Before living overseas, Edd and Cynthia Staton made a list of everything they wanted in their new home. They encourage everybody who has the same idea as theirs to do a self-assessment before living overseas. The whole idea of creating a wishlist is because so many people probably have probably never asked themselves this question in their whole life. It isn't to instill some kind of race against time or create disinclination towards death. It's a reminder of all the things we want to achieve in our time here, instead of wasting our time in pointless activities, we are directing it fully toward what matters to us. There are some basic things that you need to keep in mind, for a lot of people the lower cost of living is going to be a drive, but there are some that want to do it just for the adventure. Living Overseas Away From Your Family When Edd and Cynthia made this decision to move to Ecuador, they didn’t have grandchildren yet, but they allotted budget for traveling so that they would be able to go back once the children were born. There’s a misconception that living overseas is so far and expensive from the United States. They spoke with someone who said that a trip from Houston to New Jersey was more expensive from their trip from Ecuador to New Jersey. There’s just a mindset that living this lifestyle is so “out there”, when is the reality is, that it's not really unusual, weird, or isolating as people may think. Healthcare Healthcare is a huge concern for people no matter where they live as they get older. Here’s a shocker for everyone, healthcare outside the United States is super affordable. It’s comparable, if not in a number of cases, better than the US. Many people that live in the US have misconceptions if they haven’t travel very much that the rest of the world with the exception of a few places, is considered third world countries. The reality is much of Ecuador is rural but Cuenca being the third-largest city, is a city like many other cities in the US. That was on Edd and Cynthia Staton’s wishlist to live in a place that has culture, access to excellent healthcare, all of those things you would expect in a larger city. Learning the Language When Living Overseas The idea was Edd and Cynthia were going to learn Spanish before living overseas. They arrived in Ecuador knowing little Spanish with the fear that they were going to perish but it turned out that Ecuadorians like playing charades and hangman. If you choose to become fluent in another language, that’s a choice, but being functional is more than enough. You just do your best with what you’ve got as Edd Staton would say. When living overseas, it’s important that you find and recreate your sense of community. Whatever that means to you because you’re going to want to know and meet people. Whether they are native English speakers or bilingual locals, it does not really matter. You want to find that commonality.
Traumatic Experience: Episode 209
January 13, 2020 • 36 MIN
My Life's Experience Today's show is going to be a little different from normal so if you are new here, be aware of that.  I'm going to share with you a traumatic event that I experienced which made me think of how we can make our lives a little better. We've been on a hiatus for the last few months, with either replays of previous guests, or with me releasing shows where I was the guest.  I hope you've enjoyed them. Also, I'm going to be a little graphic in this episode.  If you have little ones in the car with you, you should either have them put on headphones or else wait until they are gone.  I'm getting into some scary details so be sure you don't let the kids listen.  And if you have tender ears, you shouldn't listen either. A Year Has Passed It's been a year since we left our home in San Diego and moved across the country to South Carolina. We left San Diego for a couple of reasons, but the main was to be closer to family.  Les's family is all on the east coast and being all the way across the country meant that we rarely saw them.  In the ten years, we were married before the move, we saw his family three times.  Two weddings and a funeral. We did a whole series on the search and the move, so if you'd like to learn more you can listen to the series of episodes called 55 Plus Community search.  There are four in the series, and they were released starting Feb 4th 2019 and ending on Feb 25th 2019.  The first one, released on February 4th, 2019, talked about What to Compare.  The second, released on February 11, 2019, talked about the Community Tour we took.  Then we released on February 18th, 2019 called We are Home, which discusses why we chose this community, and then on February 25th, 2019 we released the final episode called Mixed Feelings.  If you are considering making a move, I encourage you to listen to all four in the series.  Leave a comment on those shows if you have ideas about this topic. Then the Traumatic Experience Happened This was a really traumatic experience for me, and I'm having a hard time controlling my emotions during this episode. Les and I were at a red light and right in front of us we saw a man get killed. He was on a motorcycle going straight and a woman in a car turned in front of him. This is how a lot of motorcyclists get killed. I did something dumb. I jumped out of the car, right out of my sandals, and ran across the street barefooted. This was really dumb because it was hot out, and there was glass everywhere.  But I wasn't thinking about my feet just then. I knew that we couldn't move him so I told the lady that we were not moving him, because he could drown in his own blood.  I know that's not the only reason not to move someone after an accident, but honestly, that's the only thing I could think of because of this traumatic experience. This Traumatic Experience Had a Huge Impact on Me This traumatic experience made a big impact on me, as you can imagine.  I had to record this episode several times before I could get through it in a format you could listen to.  It happened months ago and I still can't get through the story. It made me realize that no one knows how much time they have left.  No one. Anyway, after we got home, I started thinking about my life.  If you're a regular listener of the show, you already know that I started this show to help ME retire someday.  I mean,
Kathe on Blog Talk Radio: Life and Retirement
January 6, 2020 • 59 MIN
This episode takes you back on the 30th of January 2019, where I was a guest on Reverend Barbara Williams' BlogTalkRadio. In this episode, we talked about Life and Retirement and everything that would help bring positivity in your life. BlogTalkRadio is an audio web-based platform that allows anyone to create live and on-demand talk content on the web. If you’re a radio broadcaster at heart, BlogTalkRadio gives you the ability to go live with it’s web-based studio and host multi-participant broadcasts using just a computer and a phone. Motivation for Writing My Journal I was a retirement planner for a good 25 years, and I noticed that retirement and having a good life is not just about money. The people that I’ve worked with and all the financial advisors at that time all spoke only about money. So, I thought about what I could do. That is why I started the Rock Your Retirement Podcast back in 2016. After which, I started interviewing people and what I’ve found that there are actually 6 areas of life that make a good life and retirement. These are: * Spiritual * Significant Other * Friendship * Purpose in Life * Family * Health In the journal, people actually track these areas every day. You would give yourself a small goal each day. The first thing you would do is write down in the morning something that you’re grateful for. A visiting pastor from a congregation I kept on finding things you are grateful for said that, start the first day with something that starts with a letter A, and then on the next day finding something with a letter B. For example, let’s say on the first day, you’re grateful for Apples and on the second day, you’re grateful for the bench that you sit on in the park. And on the third, you’re grateful for cantaloupe. So, that’s kind of a good way to try to remember what you’re grateful for. This journal is not meant to spend hours on, it’s meant to be something quick in the morning and quick in the evening. Then you write a goal in either all six of the pillars. How Can You Be Happy with Life and Retirement? From the Rock Your Retirement Show, I’ve interviewed so many people.  Basically, what you have to do is you have to build that support system before you retire. But if you’ve already retired, and it’s too late to build that support, don’t worry, you could still build a support system but it really helps to start getting friends outside of work a year or two before you retire. One way that many of my guests have done this is through a website called Meetup.com. Sign up for a free account there and with that account, you can find meetups that are in person. Even though the program is online, you’re actually meeting persons. After that, you can search for something that you enjoy. Let’s say you like to hike, or bicycle, or garden, or like to read, these types of activities, there are other people in your city that like to do it to. Social and Family Issues We all have family issues. It’s hard because you don’t pick your family. God sorts of pick who your family is going to be and we all are there in the same house at one point but we all have our different perspectives. I am not the expert at this, but that is why I try to make a little short goal every day of how I am going to be better. Keeping Your Parents Safe at Homes When I say keeping your parents safe at home, I’m talking about when they get too elderly, when things become dangerous for people to live by themselves. For example, in my generation, we have a lot of kids that are in college that we are still kind of supporting maybe not financially but emotionally and we have parents that ...
Kathe Guests on Hillbilly Nerd Talk to talk about Retirement – Ep 207
December 30, 2019 • 84 MIN
As we’re getting ready to make major life changes, we’re consulting with an expert on making the next phase of life the best it can be. Kathe Kline of RockYourRetirement.com and The Rock Your Retirement Podcast joins us to talk about more than finances moving into “after work years”. Kathe shares with us great tips about being prepared for retirement, planning together, not being tied to “stuff”, and Meetup.com. Retirement There are so many people that don’t want to retire. Take my husband, for example, Les is financially able to retire, he doesn’t work per se, for money, but he does a lot. He’s on the board of a couple of companies, he does a ton of work even though sometimes these companies make money than we’ll get something for it. He’s considered retired, but he’s not sitting around watching Westworld. You got two types of people. People that can financially retire and people that have done nothing. People who have done no thought at all are hurting. Sacrificing in Retirement In one of my episodes, Wendy Holt made a career change. She was living in Los Angeles and she was in a high-powered job then one day. She just said, “You know what? We’re moving.” So, she and her husband moved to Costa Rica together. Giving up their jobs in the States. The result was that she is loving the move, having a bed-and-breakfast. It’s kind of like she can work whenever she wants. But even though she’s having a great time abroad, she gave up a lot of stuff. In Costa Rica, they don’t have the Internet the way that we do and they just don’t have what we have here. There is something to be said to somebody who can do that, who can say goodbye to all their stuff. Hank and Petra live differently than most people in their socio-economic place. Hank drives a 12-year-old pick-up truck named Elmer. Things like that, they can see what Wendy Holt is going through and they think they too could have retired early because they don’t live in extravagant lifestyles. Getting Rid of Unwanted Stuff On the Rock Your Retirement Show, I also talk about how to get rid of unwanted stuff because we are emotionally attached to our stuff and some of those have personal memories for us. The problem is how are we going to get rid of those stuffs, because at some point you’re either going to move into a smaller place or you’re going to die and then somebody else is going to be stuck going through your stuff. I have so many friends that over the years; They got a new car every two to four years. And I’m like, do you realize what an impact that is putting in your life and not only that, you know how many marriages break up. A lot of that has to do with money stress. People are just stressed out. When you have the house, car, cable payment, the payment on your boat, your storage building, all these payments it adds a lot of weight on your shoulder. When you are debt free, that removes the stress off your shoulders. Less stress on your relationship, less stress on yourself, you are probably not going to get sick. Just like cancer is caused by stress. Meetup.com There’s a site called Meetup.com, and I had 3 guests on my show talked about it. Basically, Meetup is a place online to meet in person. Let’s say you want to write a book, you can start a Meetup for aspiring authors and you can get together once a month or whenever you want. When my husband Les and I got married, we didn’t have a lot of couple friends. So, I started one which is for married couples or people who have been together for two years and we met a bunch of friends that way. You can do anything you want like going to free concerts or tennis. The person who starts the thread will be the one to pay for it and it's about $15 a month. If you want to find people that are in your same situation and want to do the same things,
Staying Youthful in Retirement – Episode 206
December 23, 2019 • 36 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released November 12, 2018 How to Stay Youthful? What's the secret of looking younger and feeling better? How to stay youthful? Our guest for today's podcast is Judy Gaman. She's a successful radio show host. The name of her show is “The Staying Young Radio Show“. She's also the author of “Age to Perfection“, “Stay Young“, and “Love, Life, and Lucille“. Staying Young Staying young is a great problem that we have in our society right now. A lot of our diet wreaks havoc in the bacterias living in our gut. Some examples are carbohydrates and artificial sweeteners. We need to balance our good and bad bacterias. Our gut microbiome is connected to other aspects of our body so we have to take care of it. Taking Care of our Digestive System You have to take Fiber-rich foods like apple, banana, orange, strawberry, raspberry, vegetables, etc. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest. Though most carbohydrates are broken down into sugar molecules, fiber cannot be broken down into sugar molecules, and instead, it passes through the body undigested. Fiber helps regulate the body’s use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check. Sauerkraut is a great probiotic. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for you, especially your digestive system. We usually think of these as germs that cause diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. You can find probiotics in supplements and some foods, like yogurt. Doctors often suggest them to help with digestive problems. How to Stay Youthful Eating healthy is the key. Always remember that not all organic foods are pesticide-free. You can try setting up a small garden in your house so you can grow your pesticide-free foods! Remove soda in your diet. Some people buy soda to clean their house. Imagine putting that in your body! Judy gave us 4 choices and she said we only have to pick one and follow it. Here are the options she gave us: * If you are into artificial sweeteners, you have to stop using it. * Set your sleep schedule and you have to stick to it. * Find a way to exercise. * Eat 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every single day. CONNECT WITH JUDY GAMAN: * http://www.JudyGaman.com * admin@judygaman.com Source: * Use of Fiber – https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/fiber/  * Probiotic – https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-are-probiotics#1 This post of Retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Having a Great Retirement – Episode 205
December 16, 2019 • 36 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released September 10, 2018 Randy Gardner's Retirement Experience In today’s episode, we have Randy Gardner, who is going to tell us about his great retirement experience. Randy just recently retired. In fact, as of our recording, he had only been retired 1 week. Randy serves as an inspiration for the many listeners of my show who want to retire early or planning to retire but may have some reservations. Incidentally, Randy is also a big fan of the Rock Your Retirement Show and started to follow it a few years back. He had to travel for three hours between cities and grew the habit of listening to podcasts. That’s exactly when he discovered my show and started listening to it! Soon, he got the idea to retire himself but wasn’t sure of his financial situation. He also had his wife to convince who was an artist but also adept when it came to finances. How a financial advisor can help you decide if you are ready for great retirement Randy sat with his financial advisor and went through his financial position. He tried to evaluate how his retirement may turn out if he chose to quit his technical job. Interestingly, both of them realized that he would be doing quite well even if he chose to retire right now! They worked on the finances and his income, including Social Security, to get a detailed picture of his financial scenario into the great retirement years. Randy got his wife to sit down with his financial advisor, who made the picture clear to his wife and answered all her questions. Getting the confidence he needed, Randy decided to give up his job and spend a life of retirement. Randy is a Rock your Retirement listener! I know that many of you are worried about being bored in retirement. Randy was also plagued by the same thought. He wondered how he could fill up his week, which was earlier spent working for over 40 hours. Let's take a look at Randy's great retirement experience. Randy had already started listening to my show and started taking cues and notes from the stories people had to contribute. He started to develop a list of things to do in his retirement life, which will keep him busy. To his surprise, both Randy and his wife had quite a few things which they had put off for various reasons. Here are some things Randy wants to do to have a great retirement experience For starters, Randy wants to play a lot of golf that he enjoys to the fullest! He is also thinking about continuing his interest in music and maybe start learning piano which he had given up at the age of 12. Both Randy and his wife also want to travel a lot! They would like to go on some train trips and cruises that they've always had their eyes on. Randy even wants to learn a foreign language and makes notes of things he wants to do in his iPad or iPhone all the time. Another impetus to retire was to spend more time with their daughter and son-in-law. Being retired, they were now free to move to Austin, where their daughter lived. They also bought a house in the city that is located only a short distance away from their daughter’s home. Randy is also free to spend time with his mother, who is single and over 90 years old. Retiring has also brought other pleasures that he could not enjoy during his working life. He can go to bed late and wake up late. Although by his standards 6 am is as late as it could be! Randy loves to watch the sunrise with a cup of coffee. He believes it is the best time to spend with family. He can begin the day with his daughter, son-in-law, and wife and talk about all the day has to offer. Advice from Randy based on his great retirement experience: Randy believes that we all should have a routine and purpose to get up the next day. It doesn’t have to be something extraordinary but simple things like going to the gym or taking a walk ...
Dealing with Family Rejection – Episode 204
December 9, 2019 • 43 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released August 13, 2018 Do You Struggle with Family Rejection? Family rejection is a very common problem across the world. Many kids don’t talk to their parents and don’t even want to maintain any contact. Many of my listeners have the same problem and have estranged daughter or son living in other countries. In this episode, our guest Tina Gilbertson provides helpful insights on how to deal with family rejection. She is a Colorado-based psychotherapist who helps repair estranged relationships between parents and their children. Gilbertson found the problem so common among her clients that she wrote three books and a ton of articles on the subject. She will be giving out important tips on how to deal with family rejection and get talking with your estranged children. Every relationship has a chance Tina believes that every relationship has a potential to be repaired but for that, parents need to take both emotional and strategic steps. The first thing to do is to understand that your children may not be hurting you or avoiding you intentionally – it is because they have been hurt by something and hurting you back in the process. Develop compassion You have to develop a sense of self-compassion along with compassion for your children. You have to accept your mistakes and understand the grievances of your kids. Also, you may not always be at fault. Sometimes kids have a different experience because of their personality and perception without you having done anything wrong. Everybody has their temperament and you cannot do anything about it. Whatever be the case get over the parental shame and develop a mindset of compassion. Only then you will be able to get to apologize to repair the relationship. Give a good apology An apology is a gift and best tool to mend broken relationships suggests Tina. She lists out several factors that make up a good apology and open the doors of communication. To render a good and effective apology you must let all your guards down and become defenseless. Even if you are one percent defensive it will seep into your apology and make it ineffective. Tina tells us three unique factors that make up a good apology First, you need to be specific and say what you are sorry for; you should specifically speak out what you might have done wrong to hurt the person. If you are at fault, accept and clearly say you had done that. The second factor is to understand and relay back why it was hurtful to the person. For example, you can say “I’m, sorry, you didn’t deserve that” or “I’m sorry that my tone was harsh,” instead of saying that you were just sorry! The third factor is regret – you have to show that you are really sorry and regret the fact that your hurt them or did something wrong. You can add things like “if only I could take it back,” or “If I could change things..” to make your apology emotional and sincere. A good apology will break the ice and can get your children talking to you. Connect with Tina Email: tina@tinagilbertson.com Website: tinagilbertson.com Books Reconnecting with Your Estranged Adult Child Constructive Wallowing The Good Breakup Guide This post of Retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Dating as We Age – Episode 203
December 2, 2019 • 34 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released July 09, 2018 Let’s talk about senior dating–how to date and build intimate relationships as we age Walker Thornton is 63 years old with a background in Educational Psychology. She has been a writer for years, writing poetry and journaling. Walker started dating post-divorce in her early 50's and started writing about it. She realized there wasn’t a whole lot of information for older women when it came to dating and relationships. Walker works with individuals to talk about relationships. She has conversations with men and women to revamp their dating profile. She is sometimes called “The Sex Whisperer”. Senior Dating—As we age this is the first thing you need to do if you are ready to get out there: Make sure you are ready and you are not rushing to fill a void. Your desire to go out with someone should be based on mutual interest. Often people rush into the dating world in a despair which can lead to not wise choices. Think about what you are looking for. As we age, are you looking for marriage, a long-term relationship, romance, sex or someone to do things with? Are online dating services a positive or negative way to find people especially for senior dating? It can be a great or awful way. It depends upon your goal. Be prepared to put in work and effort to find a good match. Advice for someone getting into the online dating world: * Be honest about yourself and share your real self. * Show accurate photos and information so the other person can get a sense of who you really are. * Talk on the phone prior to the first date. * Make the first date short, leave yourself an out if it’s not going well. Walker recommends open communication between sexual partners, especially around comfort levels and using protection. When it comes to flirting, you can simply make direct eye contact, smile and touch the other person’s hand to show interest. You don’t necessarily have to twirl your hair or bat your eyes. There are many ways to express a desire or interest subtly. Words of wisdom for someone just getting back into dating: * Make a list of the traits you want your ideal partner to have. What are you looking for? * Get a good, recent picture of yourself you feel comfortable in made for your dating profile. Walker’s Book: Inviting Desire, A Guide for Women Who Want to Enhance Their Sex Life Connect with Walker: Website: https://www.walkerthornton.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wit62/ Facebook: https://vtfww.facebook.com/WalkerJThornton/ This post about retirement and retirement lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Longevity and Staying Young – Ep 202
November 25, 2019 • 43 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released April 23, 2018. Let’s talk about longevity. Judy Gaman is our guest for today’s episode. Judy is a graduate of the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the School of Professional Studies. She is an age to perfection expert, longevity educator, author, and nationally syndicated radio show host of the Staying Young Show. Judy strives to educate and inspire people. She has four books and is currently working on two more. What is the Staying Young Show? Judy’s show is called “Staying Young” and it started when a radio station called her and said that they're closing. They asked her if she would like to take over the show. She happily accepted the offer. They grew in Dallas and got another offer in North Carolina and now broadcasting in 57 stations. The Staying Young show talks about anything that relates to health or longevity. There are so many things that we do that impact our longevity. On Today’s Show, we discuss: * All things longevity * 6 pillars of retirement * Advice for socialization * Nothing keeps you healthier than service * Getting past the age thing * Even in dark times, you can find a way to turn that around for the good * The healing effect of turning a negative into a positive * Importance of sleep The Thing Judy Learned That Surprised Her About Getting Older: The new science we have behind longevity that we didn’t have even when we started this show. Judy underwent DNA testing at Executive Medicine of Texas. They do executive physical tests. Many people visit them to do tests and stay there for half a day. The patients will be given a map of the findings and information about the tests done. Judy had a best friend who's 104 years old! Judy also talks about a best friend she had who passed away when she was 104 years old. She learned a lot from her. Her friend was filled with incredible information and advice. They met when Judy was working on her book called, “Age to Perfection: How to Thrive to 100, Happy, Healthy, and Wise “. She needed resources and then realized why not just ask people who are over 100? Judy looked for people who were over 100 years old and she found her best friend. They spent a lot of time together and would have lunch every Friday. They had a blast! Did you know? Did you know that there are jobs that decrease your longevity? Doctors don't get enough sleep and you need at least 8 hours of sleep per day. Construction workers have a very physical job and are out in the sun all day. This can increase the chances of skin cancer. And, sports players have really low longevity because of sports-related injuries. Connect With Judy:  http://www.JudyGaman.com admin@judygaman.com Books Age to Perfection: How to Thrive to 100, Happy, Healthy, and Wise Stay Young – 10 Proven Steps to Ultimate Health This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Forced Retirement: Episode 201
November 18, 2019 • 29 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released April 16, 2018. Let's talk about Forced Retirement Marianne Oehser is our guest for today's podcast episode. She came on our show to discuss forced retirements and how to cope if it happens to you. One example of Forced Retirement that Marianne gave us is “Rich” one of her clients. Here's his story: Rich worked for the government and handled one of the largest and most important departments. All of a sudden, that department was eliminated. Now when this happened, it created a lot of challenges for him. Like many, he is facing a forced retirement. When Marianne and Rich started working together, it became really clear how depressed he was. He had trouble getting up in the morning and by mid-afternoon, he barely had the energy to read the paper. When Marianne talked to him, it seemed like he had lost his sense of purpose in his life. “This happens when you're not ready to retire,” Marianne said. A forced retirement can bring up a lot of emotions. One of the first few emotions you might feel is anger then resentment. What Rich did after acknowledging what he was feeling is to forgive the person that made it happen.  Together he and Marianne worked on letting go of the resentment and pain until he was able to start focusing on the present. They worked on building his “happiness”  portfolio. Rich needed to figure what he wanted the 8 important areas in his life to look like and be like. During this process, Rich awakened his desire to write. He took some creative writing classes and thought about doing his memoir. Then he uncovered a short story he wrote in the past.  He published it and now being reviewed as a script for a movie. Rich now writes screenplays and books. This man no longer tries to figure out how to get out of bed every morning. He no longer has to think about what he wants to do at 3 in the afternoon. Rich now gets out of bed with gust, vigor, and enthusiasm and has lots of things going on. He was able to tap back into his sense of purpose. 8 Areas of Happiness * Self-development – Continuing to grow and understand that you can be excited about wherever you are in this in your life and embracing what is now and continuing to be a better person as a result of the things that you choose. * Health and Well-being – If you don't have your health, nothing else matters. * Primary Relationship – Relationships are central to who we are as human beings. Having a strong primary relationship is important. Examples, marriage relationship, long-term life partner relationship, strong friend relationship, family relationship. * Social Networks – As we move further along in our lives, our social connections become more and more important. When you move out of retirement, it may change. Not the same people we used to work with. It's all about building relationships. Building new relationships. * Spirituality and Religion – As we progress in our life, we become aware of the fact that at some point, our physical body isn't going to work anymore. * Leisure – About being balanced. * Community – What are you doing for the people around you? How are you giving back? * Vocation or Profession – More of us are either having to work or choosing to work How does all of this fit into the balance? How do these 8 work together? Marianne says that we need to have balance so at the end of the day you can say that this is the life that you will be living. You may reach Marianne Oehser through her website Retire and be Happy or via email: Marianne@RetireAndBe...
Creating An Adventure in Retirement: Ep 200
November 11, 2019 • 40 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released March 26, 2018. Have you thought about creating your own Adventure in Retirement? This podcast episode falls under the 2nd pillar, Significant Other (Be adventurous with your spouse), in the Six Pillars of Retirement. Jim Palmer is a marketing and business building expert and in-demand coach. He is the founder of the Dream Biz Academy and Dream Business Coaching and Mastermind Program. Jim is the host of Newsletter Guru TV, the hit weekly Web TV show watched by thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners and he is also the host Stick Like Glue Radio, a weekly podcast based on Jim’s unique brand of smart marketing and business building strategies. Jim started thinking about and living his retirement lifestyle before retirement age. Instead of waiting for his retirement, he is living out a dream now while he continues to work. He and his wife sold their house and put the contents in storage. They are currently living on their boat, which they named Floating Home and traveling up and down the east coast. They are enjoying a more simple life.  He has created a dream business where he works with clients only 3 days a week and travels the rest of the time. He hopes to continue working for many years, beyond typical retirement age and says it will be possible because he hasn’t worn himself out with a work that is unfulfilling. It's time for a big adventure in retirement! It was Jim's wife's idea to live on a boat, but it's Jim who is the “boat guy” as he grew up on boats. When Jim married his wife, they wanted to have their own boat. However, between work, raising four children, and maintaining a home, they never had the chance to buy one. Once their children got married and moved on, and Jim's wife Stephanie said she is done with her job, suddenly they were no longer “landlocked.” They spent a few years trying to decide what they would do and where they would live, They did get a small boat which was big enough to sleep on but not that big. Eventually, his wife suggested they live on a boat. Jim's initial thought was, “We will need a bigger boat.” Then their adventure in retirement began. They sold their house, found a bigger boat, and moved on April 15th, 2017. They initially agreed to an an18-month plan. First, they went to New England to see their daughter and grandkids. Then they went to Chesapeake Bay, which is their home port, and they will go to Florida for their first winter. So, at the time of this interview, they were almost a year into their adventure in retirement. How is it? They love it so much! Jim feels living on a boat is like an everyday vacation. It's very relaxing, and it is just a simple life. They are now talking about a 5-year plan to continue their retirement adventure on their boat. What is it like living on a boat? I know very little about boats and tend to think of it as somewhat similar to living in an RV. Jim and Stephanie's boat is 50 feet long and 14.5ft wide. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It's a motor yacht with almost 1000 horsepower. Jim said they don't want to go on a camping in the waters, they want to feel comfortable. They wanted to have a separate space if they needed it so it isn't too cramped. We talked about all the amenities in Jim's boat and the maintenance and repair that goes along with it. It is quite fascinating! An interesting fact is that you don't have to have your captain's license. The fact that you own a boat and can drive it means you are a captain. Both he and his wife have taken courses through the Co...
Happy Relationship with Your Spouse – Ep 199
November 4, 2019 • 27 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released March 19, 2018. How to have a happy relationship with your spouse after retirement This podcast episode falls under Significant Other in the Six Pillars of Retirement. Our guest is Nora Hall, a dedicated problem solver, set out to find solutions to the struggles she and her husband encountered after he retired. Numerous interviews with retirees revealed that most couples experience similar stress during their adjustment period in retirement. Nora shares their stories and offers proven solutions and inspiration for all retired couples to help them have a happy relationship and stay happily married. Prior to writing full time, Nora worked as a teacher, arts administrator, fundraiser, and writing consultant. Nora started writing her book and blog because when her husband retired, they didn't expect the change in their happy relationship. They didn't really expect anything about retirement but soon learned they weren't having fun and enjoying it. Nora started to wonder what was going on and decided she needed to find a resolution. In her research, Nora discovered that there were some common circumstances that almost every couple experiences when they start their retirement. * Many times, husbands tend to become angry initially during retirement. Their identity is wrapped up in their careers and when they retire they feel they are losing their identity. * Now that the husband is retired, he doesn't know what to do with himself. * The change of being together all the time put a strain on relationships. Another common problem Nora discovered in her interviews and in her own relationship is that when their husbands are retired there are suddenly always there. Women have a lot of structure in their day-to-day activities. Out of boredom, the husbands will check on them to see what they are doing throughout the day. Women perceive this as a sort of “butting in” if you will. In reality, the husbands are trying to be helpful and the women find it annoying. It’s so important to be sensitive to one another’s needs. Nora tells us a story about when her husband retired and she was still working as a freelance writer at home. She didn't have a door in her office and her husband would come in and start talking to her and distracting her. Her husband didn't understand why Nora would get angry and Nora couldn't understand why he didn't realize that she was busy. She discovered they weren't being sensitive to each other's feelings. So what solved this problem? Their grandchildren solved the issue. They put a sign on the pantry door that led to Nora's office that said: “Do Not Enter”. When she didn't want to be disturbed she would open the pantry door with the sign on it. Having a happy relationship with your spouse after retirement might be difficult because of the adjustments you both have to make.  Nora also talked about the 5 types of husband: * Bossy Husband – These are husbands who are in a managerial position (managers, directors, CEO, etc.). They are used to being the boss, so when they come home it's natural for them to expect that they are the boss. * Always There Husband – His days are spent in his workplace then suddenly, he's at home all the time. This type of husband doesn't typically have many outside friends to go to lunch with or do things with. * Dependent Husband – Not the type of always-there-husband but really doesn't know how to fill his time throughout the day. For example, he wants to go out every Friday, but he expects his wife to plan the trip. * Angry Husband – Their identity is wrapped up in their work. There is more anger in men. These husbands don't know what to do with themselves after retirement.
Meaning and Purpose in Retirement: Ep 198
October 28, 2019 • 2223 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released March 12, 2018. How to Find Meaning and Purpose in Retirement? Fritz Gilbert is the founder of The Retirement Manifesto, a personal finance blog focused on helping People Achieve A Great Retirement.  Fritz will retire in the summer of 2018 at 55, after 3 decades in Corporate America (most recently as a Commodity Trader).  He and his wife live in a cabin in the Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia, just a few miles from the start of the Appalachian Trail.  They have a 23-year-old daughter who married last summer and recently moved to Seattle.  After retirement, Fritz and his wife plan on traveling extensively with their 5th Wheel RV and working with local charities and “giving back” to their community.  They are active in a dog rescue charity and have 4 rescue dogs who will accompany them during their travels. Although Fritz has a personal finance blog, he thinks all the other things to think about during retirement are even more important than finances. He calls it the softer side of retirement. Fritz will be officially retiring June 8th of 2018 and both him and his wife are excited. How do Fritz and his wife prepare for his retirement? They are having discussions on how will they live their life after Fritz' retires and how they will find purpose in retirement. They come up with some things that both of them needed to decide. Here are some examples: * Develop an interest/hobby: * What are we going to do individually? * Fritz's wife started to grow an interest in pottery. Turns out she is a good potter. Fritz will join a group that swims 3 times a week. * What are we going to do together? * They put up a jar with a notepad next to it where each of them put in activities once a week so they have 2 years' worth of weekly activities. They call it their “Wednesday jar”. What comes out of the jar, they do together every Wednesday. I think the Wednesday jar is a great idea! * Create a timeline together. * As his retirement approaches, they have things planned out like healthcare;They also bought an RV because they wanted to explore new places and spend some time traveling. They have also built a list of each state and things they would like to see or do in each state. * Build relationships * Because they moved into a new area where they don't know anyone, one thing they wanted to do is build relationships. They wanted to build networks with their neighbors by, one example, walking their dogs. They met a few people who also walk their dogs. Another way for them to meet new people is through their church. Be receptive to doing something that gives you passion and purpose in retirement, but don't obligate yourself to do something until you've settled into your new lifestyle. What are some ideas you have to prepare for and to find purpose in retirement? Share your thoughts and ideas below in the comments. Contact information for Fritz: Website– http://www.theretirementmanifesto.com/ Mentioned in this Episode: (Seasonal employment) CoolWorks or Workamper This post of Retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Signs of UTI: Dementia – Ep 197
October 21, 2019 • 1584 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released January 29, 2018. Jenna Ryan knows signs of urinary tract infection (UTI).  She used to get them all the time. Did you know that signs of urinary tract infection (UTI) include dementia?  This was a shock to me when I first found out.  I mean, what does one have to do with the other? Jenna Ryan is with us today to educate us about signs of urinary tract infections and why she created a drink that can prevent/cure UTI. Jenna is the CEO and Co-founder of Uqora, a company dedicated to urinary tract infection prevention. Uqora has developed a “pink lemonade with a purpose” that helps women flush out UTI-causing bacteria. She created this drink mix because she herself suffered from urinary tract infection. Jenna says she doesn't want to take antibiotics because it can develop resistance. What is a UTI? A urinary tract infection is an infection in any part of your urinary system — your kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract — the bladder and the urethra. Women are at greater risk of developing a UTI than are men. Infections limited to your bladder can be painful and annoying. However, serious consequences can occur if a UTI spreads to your kidneys. Doctors typically treat urinary tract infections with antibiotics. But you can take steps to reduce your chances of getting a urinary tract infection. Here are some signs of urinary tract infection to watch out for: * A burning feeling when you urinate * A frequent or intense urge to urinate, even though little comes out when you do * Pain or pressure in your back or lower abdomen * Cloudy, dark, bloody, or strange-smelling urine * Feeling tired or shaky * Fever or chills (a sign the infection may have reached your kidneys) The issue with older adults is that many times they don't get the same feelings of pain or burning sensations when they urinate so their UTIs often go undiagnosed.  But… then other issues can occur. Did you know that signs of urinary tract infection can lead to misdiagnosis of dementia? Here are some signs of urinary tract infection that are the same as dementia: * Delirium * Hallucination * Dizziness * Confusion How to Prevent a UTI Hydration is the key to preventing a UTI. If you're at risk of having a UTI, drink Uqora. If you're in the older generation, you have to drink it every day. Good hygiene can also prevent a UTI. If you have signs of urinary tract infection, the Uqora might be able to help.  But be sure to speak with your doctor about the possibility of your parents having a UTI if they suddenly show signs of dementia. References * What is UTI?–Mayo Clinic * Signs and Symptoms of UTI–WebMD You may visit Uqora by clicking HERE. Jenna Ryan will give you a 15% discount when you purchase Uqora using the code “Rockit15” Jenna's contact information: Jenna@uqora.com This post of Retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Your Medications Can Cause Dementia – Ep 196
October 14, 2019 • 39 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released November 20, 2017. Dr. Newton wants to educate people on how medications can cause dementia. Also, how to avoid these medications. The only thing worse than having dementia is taking care of a loved one with dementia. Many people do not realize that many medications can cause dementia. Dr. Camille Newton is a home visiting physician. You may also know it as a traveling doctor or mobile doctor. It is such an important service for seniors that are not able to travel for the doctor’s appointments. She focuses on minimizing medications. Especially psychotropic pharmaceuticals, to help senior brains stay healthier longer. Medications get tested by the FDA to see if they are safe. But those medications are not really tested to see if they cause brain failure. While performing house calls, she has seen the effect psychotropic medications have on people who take them for a long period. Some examples of psychotropic drugs are: * Antipsychotics including Risperdal or Haldol * Sedatives especially the benzodiazepines such as Ativan, Xanax, or Valium * Anti-depressants * Antihistamines These are some staggering and scary statistics! According to Dr. Newton, using Benzodiazepine increases the risk of Dementia. Nearly tripling risk within 3 years. Quitting reduces risk over time, to only 10% increase in risk 3 years after quitting. Benzodiazepine use quadruples the risk of suicide in the elderly. In one study, Benzodiazepines and hypnotics increased suicide risk by 14 times. Antihistamines can have an anticholinergic effect. This means some of them block a certain neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. This can have a detrimental effect on the brain over a long period. This includes Benadryl. In monkeys, laboratory rats, and humans, antipsychotics such as Haldol showed a huge measurable shrinking of the brain within 8 weeks of use. A person goes to the drugstore and they have allergy symptoms. They could choose Claritin or Allegra (which are not anticholinergic). Also, they could choose Benadryl or Coricidin and end up with dementia within a few years. Maybe less is more? Dr. Newton tells a fascinating story about “Pam” who has a rare case of dementia reversed by getting her off of her medications. Although she has had only a few cases of ‘total cure’, she's had many patients improve when taken off from anticholinergics. These medications are so dangerous to our brains, and yet there is no warning label.  Many of them are over the counter. A lot of people ask Dr. Newton, “What Can I take?” Her response is, don't look for something to take when you are having a problem. Don't look for a pill to solve your problem and question every medication given. *Please note: Neither the Rock Your Retirement Show nor the host, Kathe Kline provides medical advice.  Please consult your own practitioner about any healthcare issues that you have. About Our Co-Host Dr. Newton cares for complicated elderly patients in their homes through her medical practice, Home Excel Physician’s Group. She is also the founder and former president of Pure Wick Corporation. It's a manufacturer of non-invasive, external urinary catheters for women. (Pure Wick was recently sold to C.R. Bard). An Attending Physician for Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital Residents in Family Medicine. Also, for Kaplan University School of Nursing. She is board-certified in family medicine. A Member of the American Academy of Home Care Physicians, and a Gulf War Veteran. She is also an Athena Pinnacle Award winner. This is an honor given to exemplary female executives in San Diego–for ‘Women who Champion Women’. She studied Genetics at U.C. Davis, where she graduated with honors. She completed her medical education at Saint Louis University and Residency at U.C. Irvine.
What Does Your Retirement Life Look Like? Ep 195
October 7, 2019 • 36 MIN
This episode is from the vault and was first released January 15, 2018. This might be a hard question for some people, but let's face it, what does your retirement life look like? Steve Cousins is one of our listeners. (Hi Steve!) After graduating from college Steve joined an oil company at a refinery in Arkansas where he worked as an engineer, manager and eventually as the VP and General Manager.  He stayed with the same company for his entire career and remained at the same location. Last year Steve retired upon turning 60 and immediately stepped into a retirement career designed to be part-time, low stress and lots of fun.  After a year, the plan is working great!  I wanted to discuss with him his choice in a “semi-retirement”. “You Shouldn't run away from something, you have to run towards something.” Steve always thought he would be working until he was 70 or later because he really enjoyed his job. The last few years, things changed he did not enjoy it very much, but he hung on because frankly, he was afraid of retirement. There were several reasons he was afraid of retirement and I think a lot of people can relate. * Steve thought if he was leaving work because he didn't enjoy it anymore that didn't necessarily mean he would enjoy retirement either. * He also looked at the compensation he was getting from work and it was painful for him to walk away from that after working so hard to get to that point in his career. * His job was his identity, and he didn't want to lose that Working to feel useful and productive in your retirement life Even before retiring from his job, Steve decided what he wanted his retirement life to look like. He wanted to feel useful and productive. He started his side gigs which are pretty cool! * Contract Lobbying * Expert Witness Work * Trade Association representation Side gigs or semi-retirement not for you? Steve says, focus on volunteer work. He has a ton of volunteer positions! (As we tend to hear a lot, he is just as busy if not even busier than when he was working) His volunteer work includes: * Chair the Board of Trustees for the local community college * Local Hospital Clinic that helps people who are uninsured or underinsured * State and local Chamber of Commerce * State University mentoring students * On the board of a local group called 50 for the future, where they solve problems in the city It's not all work for Steve. He also spends time with his wife. They enjoy doing a lot of things together like running, hiking, off-road riding, discovering hidden waterfalls, and many more activities. Now that they are retired, they can spend a lot more time together but still spend time doing their own things. Steve's advice from one listener of the show to another: You should marry someone better than yourself and invest a lot of time in your relationship because if everything else went away and you still have each other, you will still be fine. Widen your horizon's. Don't just do your job, volunteer to do other things. Reach outside of your comfort zone and practice public speaking because it helps boost your confidence. What great advice Steve! Did you plan your retirement life? How did you do it? Leave a comment below and let us know! This post of Retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Kathe Stops by Podcasters Unplugged to Discuss Starting a Podcast – Episode 194
September 30, 2019 • 36 MIN
This episode take you back on the 24th of October 2016 where I was a guest on The Podcasters Unplugged. In here we talk about how I got started into podcasting from seeing a need in the market and wanting to help others retire successfully and happily. Dusty Porter is the creator of Podcast Unplugged and has been podcasting for several years. Podcasters Unplugged is a place for Podcasters who wants to make a difference. Where It All Began As you all know, I was a financial adviser for 25 years. Then after being in that profession for so long, I decided that I needed a change. So, I basically went from a large practice to a very small one. I was looking at my clients and I thought, “Wow! Money does matter, but it’s not everything.” You can have millions of dollars and have a horrible retirement or you can have almost no money and completely rocking it. And I thought to myself, what is the difference between these two types of people? Then I thought I needed to learn more about this. That is why I started this show. The show is an interview format and I interview either experts or regular people on how to Rock Your Retirement. Initial Steps to Starting the Podcast The first thing that I did before starting this show is that I tried to find information online that I didn’t have to pay a lot for. Because I wasn’t planning on making the podcast my life’s work. I really wanted to do it for my benefit. I didn’t want to spend three or four thousand dollars attending a class, but I signed up for a podcasting class. Took some classes, but not all of them. But I continued to pay for the monthly fee because I wanted to support people who teach other podcasters how to podcast. Also, I like his methodology. That’s why I continued to work with him and still be a student of his. I really wanted to get this started right away. So, I talked my husband into going to Fry’s with me and we found this decent microphone on sale for about thirty bucks and then my husband bought a recorder with a sound mixer. Then I backed up the interview process with “Pamela,” a Skype recording system. How to Get People On the Show When I first started the show, I pretty much bribe people to come over. I wanted to interview people who could help seniors because I worked in a sort of a senior world industry. I said that if you come to my show, I’ll give you a free advertisement on a different show. I gave them a free ad and then I said, if you get me a retiree to interview, I’ll give you a free advertisement. I kept on doing that until my interviews got stacked up. Business Aspect of the Podcast Over the last month or so I’ve been figuring out how to monetize the show because my audience is not your typical podcast audience member, they’re older. I also use an avatar. My avatar is named “Marla” and she is 62 years old, has two children, one grandchild, and has a living parent. So whenever I do an episode, I always think, what would Marla like? How could I reach Marla? My Marla doesn’t listen to a podcast; She doesn’t have an iPhone and probably has a flip phone. That is why it’s really difficult for me on how to reach Marla. So, what I did in the beginning and I still do this is that I have live events. The first thing that I needed to do is grow my audience. Working, telling people face-to-face, having live events (I also have a Facebook group), and all these things are growing the show. They’re also growing the website. I had a 46 percent increase in website hits, from last month to this month. I’m thinking all of these is growing, things are great, how could I monetize it? To be honest, I don’t know yet. But I know that the juices are flowing. And I know that someday soon, I’ll figure out how to monetize it.
Kathe joins the Dream Chasers Podcast to Discuss Secrets About Retirement – Episode 193
September 23, 2019 • 29 MIN
In this week’s episode, I got featured in Yaya Diamonds' Dream Chasers podcast; This was 2 years ago to date and we talked about the Secrets about Retirement. Yaya has been inspiring and changing people’s lives for over 8 years. She believes that in every state of life, whether it’s the beginning or the end, there’s always something to do. Your life just doesn’t stop. Retirement Is Just at the Tips of Your Fingers You can retire at almost any age. One of my guests retired at 40. She and her husband were living in Los Angeles and they had these highly powered, highly pressured jobs working 80 hours a week. Then, one day she picked up all her stuff and moved to Costa Rica. That is why you can retire anytime you want; You just have to make sacrifices. Her sacrifice was really a great internet like what we have, but she still loves it. Laugh and Have a Good Attitude Another one of the secrets on retirement is laugh and have a good attitude. One of my guests on The Rock Your Retirement Show, her name is Vikki Claflin, she has Parkinson’s Disease, and she’s still young for a person to have that disease. What she did is that she wrote a book called, Shake, Rattle & Roll With It: Living & Laughing with Parkinson's Chronicles. Even though she got this horrible disease, she still manages to laugh, have a good time, and have a good attitude towards life. Keep On Moving Even in Retirement People need to move even in retirement, I’m not going to say that you need to go to the gym and lift weights. You just need to move, get up, walk around, garden, or dance. Any type of movement if going to be better, even if it hurts a little. Just like when we get older, people get arthritis. What happens is you got pain in your joints; Your tendency is to not move. But if you just work through that little bit of pain, you will save yourself a lot of pain down the road. Create a Support Group Create a support group in person. Several of my guests came on and they talked about how they were depressed, or having physical problems. Their lives changed when they started getting together with people because there’s nothing like face-to-face support group. The next secret about retirement is having an active sex life. I also had a couple of guests on my show that talked about sex. One guest was Joan Price, she has a website that reviews sex toys. Giving advice about love making for older people. It’s hard when you’re young and think about things you’re going to do or how you’re going to feel when you get old. But the thing is that people are living longer and longer and also healthier. Age is just a number; You don’t have to put things away when you get older. Mentioned in this Episode Dream Chasers Podcast The Secrets About Retirement RockYourRetirement.com/Yaya RockYourRetirement.com/Subscribe
Kathe Joins the Retire Hoppy Show to Discuss Health Shares – Episode 192
September 16, 2019 • 20 MIN
This is Angie, the Rock Your Retirement producer. Kathe has been featured in other podcasts over the years. This episode takes you back to 2017, where Kathe appeared on the Retire Hoppy Podcast. We hope you enjoy it. And while you're enjoying our podcast, can you do us a quick favor? Click on this link to join the Retirement Community and Rock Your Retirement at http://www.rockyourretirement.com/group. One challenge of early retirement is finding affordable health insurance. Enter Health shares a more cost effective option for some. On this episode, I joined Roy Weinberg and Ted Carr of Retire Hoppy to break down what a health share is. Also, who might be interested and what a health share is not. What is a Health Share Ministry? I sell Medicare Insurance, so that is my background on health insurance. Because if that, I also look into a health share ministry for myself back in 2015. There’s not a lot of them and I was seriously considering it. What I know about health shares is that you have to be a Christian and they make you sign a document saying that you will live through Christian standards. Also, it depends on what you’re asking what Christian standards are. So, you need to look at the document that you sign if you can actually do that. Let’s say you had an extra-marital affair and you wound up with an STD, so that’s not covered. The health care sharing ministries are not insurance. They have different rules that insurance does. For example, I have a condition called dystonia, and that is why every 3 months I have to go to a neurologist to get Botox. Health share doesn't cover that neurology appointment. Therefore, it’s kind of a block for me to join the health share ministry. What Happens in a Health Share? In a health share, you pay a certain amount each month similar to a premium, but it's called a sharing amount. You have an unshared amount or personal responsibility that you can use to help pay your bills just like a deductible. There are maximum eligibility amounts that determine how much money you can request for individual expenses. HSMs had additional sharing options. It lets you contribute money to other members once they have reached the summit to help them with uncovered costs.   If you can live through the standards of the Bible because not all Christians live through the Bible. Just because you call yourself a Christian, it doesn’t mean that you're covered. After Our Health Shares Episode After you discussion about health shares, I joined Ted and Roy for their beer segment. I'm a craft beer newbie who’s comfortable with standard light lagers. However, Roy and Ted took me out of my comfort zone with Stone Brewing’s Go To session IPA. Mentioned in this Episode: Retire Hoppy Retire Hoppy Episode 011 – Health Shares and Stone's Go To Session IPA
Unretire Yourself – Episode 191
September 9, 2019 • 33 MIN
This is the last episode of this 4-part series podcast, and today we will talk about the Unretirement. You won't find this word inside a dictionary, but the question is why should you a retiree who have worked for many years, consider to unretire yourself? In the first episode of this series, we talked about why it is important to Rightsize Our Homes. The second part talked about the value of owning a second home, while in the last episode we have dwell into why it is the right time to feel contentment in life as we approach our golden years. These days, many workers who have retired are coming back into the fold. Your life doesn't end at 65 years of age, That is why older workers unretire because many of us derive work as our sense of purpose. People are living longer and because of that they are healthy enough to take on another job that can give them a sense of fulfillment in their career. Partial Retirement / Semi-Retirement Kathy Gottberg loves to write. Even though she can already afford to retire, she still does what she loves because it keeps her brain very sharp, teaches her new skills, new technology, which is like learning a new language. The whole way we look at retirement and work could use a revision. What happens is that so many people have been working at jobs they don’t like. “Over 50 percent of people think that their job is unpleasant or hazardous.” No wonder people want to retire and get away from that. But if you work to find a job you liked, that you felt rewarded in, that you were productive and creative, and did something that excited both your mind and your heart, then you don’t need to get away from it. Instead of working for 40 years, hoping to eventually someday to retire so that one day you can sit on an island somewhere, how about all that 40 years you kind of work your way towards finding a work with purpose, meaning, happiness, and contentment? The younger generation does not like the fact that baby boomers are continuing to work. A lot of the younger generation thinks we are taking something from them. Some occupations have a little competition in them. Younger workers are struggling to find both the jobs and the pay that they want to live and exist. From Retire to Unretire Retirement as we know it is relatively in the span of human life, a very tiny blip. It’s only been within a certain amount, not even a hundred years that retirement was a possibility. Until then, when you retire, you had to because you just literally could not work. Somewhere along the line they want to move the older people out and give them a little something to look forward to. That's when retirement was brought up. We’ll give them a golden watch and a little money, and maybe they’ll just go away. That is why Social Security came along and tried to ease that. The mindset that when you get older, you should just go to a retirement village, park yourself, and just play golf all day is like an outdated mode for our generation, your generation, and the generations to come. With these many people that are getting older, maybe it’s time to rethink of ourselves as still productive with someth...
Contentment with Life as We Age – Ep. 190
September 2, 2019 • 27 MIN
As we approach our golden years, it is a great time that we feel that contentment with life. No more worries, no more insecurities, and no more busy schedules in life. What you need to have is that freedom to do all the things you ought to do. The article, The Secret to Aging Well? Contentment dwell into the subject that in order for us to age gracefully, we need to have that contentment with life. Positive Aging We have always been on the lookout for information and ideas about positive aging. We have so much to learn from the people who have gone before us and are ahead of us and this article is a perfect example of it. There are plenty of messages from the media and the world that as you get older, you lose things and have to be taken care of. Kathy believes that there is still a lot of positive information out there, but it requires a little shift in mindset. We change, we are different as we age, so why not find out what that is, what that means and make the best of it. The Key for Contentment with Life One of Kathy’s favorite topics is rightsizing, and that’s creating a life that works for you, that makes you remember what’s important to you. Kathy thinks contentment is another way of looking at happiness that says, can you feel at peace and satisfied? Peaceful and satisfied with how your body is behaving. Can you still be at peace and satisfied to say “Yes I am still taking care of this body, I’m still taking care of my mind and I’m ok with my life the way it is.” Gratitude is also a key for contentment. If you’re not feeling grateful, no matter what, you will look for the downside. You will always look for that shoe to drop. Instead of saying, “You know it’s not so bad”, just like what the author said in the article. Blue Zones There are certain communities around the world that have been identified by a research team to have the people that live the longest of any age group overall, some in Japan, California, and a couple of areas around the world. They break down what makes these areas so unique and why people live so long and happy in these areas. One of the 9 things they all have in common is their “Se La Vie” attitude. Exercise There’s a huge pressure for the older age to take exercise to the max. Exercise is important, but it’s not everything, if we’re not equally adding to our mental well-being and our contentment then we will end up old and cranky even though we look healthy because we exercise, it's still not complete if nobody would want to be around us. Socialization is one of the Six Pillars The most important thing aside from having a good retirement is socialization. Many people though retired they kind of become reclusive. And even though you are into social media, that's doesn't help with your socialization. In fact, social media decreases the quality of face-to-face interactions. Most people are not having intimate conversations and interactions with each other anymore. 3 Things that keep Kathy from feeling contentment with life * Comparison – We compare ourselves to others and decide in a way that they have more and I should have more. Or life isn’t fair because this is not equally this. And she feels more healthy than I am. We make ourselves crazy and unhappy and then we spread that unhappiness around. Comparison is the thief of joy when you’re comparing yourself with others. * Worrying – We create these dramas and all these worrying going on in our heads and then we spread worry around. A worrier or Debbie Downer can make you feel miserable.
What’s the Value of Owning Two Homes? – Ep 189
August 26, 2019 • 34 MIN
The value of owning a second home can be very rewarding, fun, and tempting. You can buy it in your own city or that vacation spot you are longing for. It can also be a bad idea to purchase a new home. Today's episode talks about Tom Sightings article on Do You Really Want to Own a Second Home? and it details the pros and cons of owning a second home. It could be a great investment or it could become a drain on your retirement finances. The Need for a Second Home? My co-host for this episode Kathy Gottberg lives in the Palm Springs area of Southern California. It is also a dessert but not as humid as South Carolina where I live and the weather in Palm Springs is about 115 degrees. But instead of being there experiencing that heat, she stays in a mountain cabin that she and her husband rent every summer for a month. They’ve been doing it for 23 years. That is why they always get the question of why don’t you buy a second home because you go there every summer for a month? People may not realize the downside of buying a second home. Also, coming from a real estate background, Kathy has two thoughts on that. One is people got into homes that they honestly could not afford. They were bigger, fancier, more expensive than they could afford. That was a huge portion of what happened with the housing crisis. Banks were not helpful at all; they were making money, and they gave loans to people that they should never have given them to. So, what is the value of owning another home? Renting Can Be Another Choice In certain cases, rather than buy a home that you can’t afford, renting is probably a better choice. But if you’re like Kathy, just like what she said in the last episode, she and her husband bought rightsize, so they bought a smaller home, free and clear, and they made it as energy efficient as possible. They don’t have HOA dues, and their utilities taxes, insurance, and everything is less than $300 a month. The value of having a home is good security for seniors to know that they’ll have a place that they can live but the problem is that if you’re barely making it now in your home and you have a huge mortgage, that will go on for another 30 or 40 years, and you're in your advanced age. It will not be a rocket science to figure out that that will not work, that’s a recipe for disaster. Value of Owning a Second Home The value of having another property is that you can use the property whenever you want, which is true. It’s so tempting to think you can go over the mountains where your property is and use that property. But the downside to it is how often are you going to use that property because life gets in the way. Before you know, you got a thousand of things on the plate and you can’t get to it. Also, you’re tied to go to that one place rather than having the freedom to go to other places that you haven’t gone to. Though there are many people who like to travel, there are also many people that are home buddies. Many people are just happy staying home. And even though if they’ll have a second home, Kathy doesn’t think they’d be excited about going to that second home because they just want to stay home. That is because they have the value of having a life, a family, and experiences right where they are. Buying a second home won’t make them happy either, and they won't have the value of it. RVs and Boats I have friends that travel and they literally live in an RV. But there are also people that I know that buy an RV and then it just sits in the yard and they never use it. These things are so expensive, we’re not talking about the price of a car; we’re talking about six figures for these RVs. Kathy and her husband borrowed an RV from her parents and w...
Rightsizing Our Homes – Episode 188
August 19, 2019 • 36 MIN
Rightsizing or Downsizing? The size of our house is critically important when you are rightsizing. The reason Kathy called it rightsizing rather than downsizing is that she thinks it’s all very individual. What’s right for you might not be right for me. Also, rightsizing isn’t a sacrifice; instead of a downgrade, it’s an upgrade. The article, Think you need a 2000 sq ft house to be comfortable? Think again! talk about the benefits of rightsizing for you and your family. Unused Spaces A vast majority of us live in a tiny percentage of our actual square footage. Mostly when people come over, we just hang out in the kitchen or dining room. But the guest rooms or all these extra rooms and anything formal gets seldom used. That’s where so much of the square footage of the house goes to all those things that aren’t being used. In my old house, we had a parlor, a formal dining room, and a breakfast area. We only used the formal dining room 3 times in the whole 10 years that we lived there. I never used the parlor; My husband would go in there sometimes to play the piano. These were probably 600 square feet that we never used. Rightsizing Will Work for You It’s actually a habit of buying bigger houses. When you started looking, you think in your mind, “Oh, I need this much space I’ve always had.” And Kathy thinks it’s very common for us to think, “If you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” You are so used to looking at what you have become comfortable with. You don’t think, “Maybe you don’t need all that much space. Maybe I should look at homes that are much smaller than I’m accustomed to.” Kathy started out with a 2,400 square foot house and they ended up buying a 1,400 square foot house. She didn’t even think there’s any way in the world that she could live in a 1,400 square foot house. But now she can’t imagine living in anything bigger because they definitely rightsize into it. The Secret About Bigger Houses Builder’s make more money when they sell you a bigger house. When they go mapped out a development, they want to squeeze as many houses as they can on the deluxe that they can get. Also, the bigger the house, the more they sell for it. Most houses sell for price per square foot. They’re very invested in trying to get you to want a bigger house because they make more money out of it. Rightsizing Means Fewer Expenses When Kathy downsized, she used the equity in their house and paid off their home, so it’s free and clear. She would rather have a tiny house rather than 2 or 3 times more and have a mortgage on it that you constantly have to keep paying on. Our HOA fees are $285 a month, meaning that we moved for a more expensive area. Les and I moved to Sun City for the amenities. We have a 4-part series on our search for our new home. Here, they have great amenities; they have over a hundred clubs. That’s why we moved here. And also, I’ve met a ton of people, but you have to pay for everything. Let Go of It It’s all the other stuff that we have to let go of including the square footage of our houses. Kathy listened to one of our episodes about Multigenerational Living. In Kathy’s words, loneliness is a huge problem as people get older. That is why having people around you is a great way to use the space in your home. You can also rent out rooms or bring in family members. There's a lot of ways you could still keep that house. That is rightsizing for you but it’s not eating your lunch or it’s not just setting their dead space.
Older People Have Better Skills – Episode 187
August 12, 2019 • 25 MIN
If you listened to the previous episode in this series, you’ll remember that retirement is a new idea. The first episode of the series discussed that. The second episode discussed that so many baby boomers aren’t really planning on retiring until they are physically unable to work. Then, the third episode talks about maybe we don’t ever want to retire. Today’s episode discussed why you might want to hire some of the people who don’t even want to retire and have better skills. The article, How hiring the over-50s is the key to beating the skills crunch, talks about the shortage of people with better skills and hiring the older worker will help. It's a WIN-WIN for Everybody Basically, hiring older people is a win-win situation in the workplace. Because here are these experienced workers and big employers who are looking to fill positions with people who know how they can jump into the job and takeoff. These experienced workers have the wisdom and better skills to really take that job, that position and that company forward. This skills crunch isn’t just experienced in the US but all over the world. We have people that are willing to work but does not really match the skills that the business needs. Part of it also goes to age discrimination. Ageism is Based on Old Mindsets Those old mindsets are based on myths that somebody is going to retire, and as soon as that person retires a younger person will come and build it up. But the misconception is that the time to train, the time to get them up to speed will cost more. You have this person that’s seasoned and he/she has been there and is getting so much money. Part of the problem of the companies 10 years ago is that when they don’t have enough money anymore, they forced the older people out. They just hire younger ones because they are cheaper. Society, employers, and corporations are starting to realize that it wasn’t the best idea. They had this experienced pool of talent and now all they have are these younger people who are capable but just not there yet. 10 years ago layoffs, forced retirements and early retirements were highly encouraged. Now they are realizing that these persons have better skills and knowledge. So, what happens is they get to hire them back as consultants. In the UK there’s a Government initiative called, Business in the Community Age at Work Leadership Team, which was started in September 2016. The initiative’s aim is that every UK employer should increase the number of workers aged 50-69 in the UK by 12% by 2022. Kristen thinks the UK is leading the path with this because of number one, the skills crunch, and two, the talent pool. They are realizing that’s the hot age group that they want. Better Skills, Better Mentors The article also talked about not only their skills but their ability to mentor their younger colleagues. “They have often worked for multiple employers, in a range of environments and with a variety of management techniques so they have a valuable sense of perspective and resilience, Combining this with the fresh new skills, ambition and energy that younger colleagues are recruited for is a real recipe for success.” We talked about multigenerational workplaces in episode 1. This is what the article talks about, bringing the generations together. They'll be able to have this synergy that you don’t get when you have a single generation workplace.
Is the Concept of Retirement Dead? – Ep 186
August 5, 2019 • 26 MIN
Why is it so Difficult to Break Through Retirement? The concept of retirement cannot be achieved in today's world without having the appropriate planning and funds in motion well before you reach retirement age. One of the problems is we’re stuck in a rut. It works for our parents it worked for our grandparents. But when you look at the whole picture of life, that was only a very short period of time. Things change but we are reluctant to change. That is why, when the economy went flat, we were trying to hold on to what we believe in, what we were groomed for and it wasn’t going to change. This has happened in the past as well. If the people's concept hadn't changed, we would still have people who were building a horse and buggy. The Concept to Retire Retirement This article, Should We Retire Retirement, is very pro on not retiring and it talks about, baby boomers aren’t really taking jobs away from people. But there are also many articles from millennials who do say that baby boomers not retiring is taking something away from them. Kristen thinks that this concept is just a myth that goes 2 ways. The younger generations are figuring that if the baby boomers don’t retire and get out of their way, they can’t advance. But the older generations are wishing to get a job so that they can go back into the workforce, but those young whippersnappers are taking the jobs. The truth is that there are so many jobs out there than there are people of any age to fill it. We just need to go and get that out of our mindset, same with employers as well. Because employers have the concept that if you’re turning 65, you’re going to retire soon. The problem is we’re all battling myths, so we just got to let go of that. Rate of Unemployment in the States In January 2019, the US unemployment rate grows slightly to 4%, up from 3.9% in the previous month and slightly above the expectations of 3.9%. When you’re looking at this unemployment rates between 16s and the early 20s, and then the 30s, 40s and beyond, there’s no wide divergence in there. Even with the economy falling 10 years ago, everybody who wants a job can get a job. But there are so many factors to consider when you’re looking at those unemployment rates. Those who are 16 and in their early 20s are still in school, they may be just taking seasonal jobs such as babysitting and lawn mowing and then those older employees, they’re starting to come back, but you also have to look at the ones that are done and doesn’t want to work anymore. You Life's Purpose Is What Will Make You Happier Just because you are getting paid for something, doesn’t mean that is your concept in life. Kristen’s life’s purpose is probably writing, whereas when she was working for pay for somebody else, she was getting paid for that but still I don’t see that as being her life’s purpose. That is why we need to separate what we are paid to do and what our purpose in life is. Since the economic downfall, people have taken a whole new approach to what it means to grow up. That is why we need to redefine work. Because we’re so used to thinking of work like that, “we have to do this, we have to do that”. But most people that Kristen have interviewed who were above 50 have said that they should have done this all along because it makes them so much happier. The Concept of a Better Place for You Do you think the world would be a better place if we gave up the mindset of we have to do X, Y, and Z and instead turn it all around and find out what is our life’s purpose. Maybe it is an attorney, maybe it is a doctor, maybe it is a plumber or a teacher. The point is, is that really what makes your soul sing? How do you differentiate the work from what you have to do, to what you really want to do that fills your purpose. I think there’s a place for both.
Baby Boomers Might Never Retire – Episode 185
July 29, 2019 • 21 MIN
65 is Not the Right Time to RETIRE The reality nowadays is that Baby Boomers have turned its back on the belief that 65 is the right time to retire. As a matter of fact, most of them want to work well into their 70s or their 80s or even yet, they might never retire. Baby boomers are born between 1946 and 1965. So, most of them are now in their 70s and the youngest would be 54. Boomers will definitely hold a lot of the most senior and best-paying jobs in the workplace. But some of them won't retire, simply because either they haven't saved up yet or are just not ready to hang it up. 5 Generations in the Workforce With the trend of those people in their 60s, 70s, and even 80s deciding to stay with their jobs and never retire, it resulted in a new occurrence of more generations in the workplace. That is why today, many workplaces are composed of five generations: * Traditionalists – born before 1946 * Baby Boomers – born between 1946 and 1965 * Generations X – born between 1965 and 1980 * Generations Y, or Millennials – born between 1981 and 1995 * Generations Z – born between 1996 and 2012 That mixture will certainly provide benefits in terms of the wide range of ideas and knowledge from a broad group of people that can actually serve the workplace well. Bridge Jobs: Why it Might be Ok to Never Retire The article, Report: 85% of Baby Boomers plan to work into their 70s (and even 80s), talks about something called bridge jobs (e.g., teaching, social work, counseling). Basically, it’s a bridge between full-time work and retirement or a temporary or short-time job right after your full-time career. People who are attracted to these jobs are usually people who aren't fully ready for retirement. In addition to teaching, social work, and counseling where they have more say over what they’re doing, there’s also second careers such as real estate agents, driving, music, or writing. Those bridge jobs are like we’re looking at what we’ve done in our past, 20 or 30 years in what every field you did and seeing an opportunity that will open up to us. The big question in this matter is, what do I want to be when I grow up? Because we are now allowed to ask ourselves that question once again. You don’t have to be 10, 20 or on the verge of entering college for that matter. What's Going to Happen to the Younger People? We have so many people that want to work. So, what's going to happen to younger people? The generations X, Y, and Z? Do you think it’s going to be difficult for them to find a job because of this? That is one of the fears and myths that exist. There are a lot of job openings, job availabilities and they’re going to be looking for different classes of workers. Those jobs are not going to be limiting one or the other, especially if you’re doing a bridge job. If I get a job as a real estate agent, that’s not going to prevent a young real estate agent from entering that field. If I get a job working for Uber, that’s not going to stop a younger person from working for Uber. And if I’m writing, that’s not gonna stop you from writing. That is because we’re going to have different styles. Why are People Choosing to Work Longer and is it Going to be a Problem? It’s in our own minds that we think that if there are many people who chose to never retire, it’s going to be a problem. These are fears that are established from somewhere that just don’t have any reality in life. There are negative misconceptions around older workers that must be dealt with. One persistent idea is that boomers are standing in the way of younger talent moving up in an organization.
How Retirement was Brought Up – Episode 184
July 22, 2019 • 26 MIN
Social Security Then and Now When they brought up Social Security, life expectancy for men was 58 and it was 62 for women. What they did is they made the Social Security retirement age at 65. If social security now was similar in concept to social security then, you wouldn’t even start receiving it til’ you’re 85. As what our co-host Kristen Edens said, we already know what’s happening with them, because they are considering to increase it to 70, 71 or 72. A lot of people are realizing that they can’t rely on those services, those things that our parents and grandparents relied on. That is why, in the last few years, there’s been this massive shift of, “I’m gonna take care of myself.” Not really fully relying on 401ks, pensions or Social Security. Today's episode will have some insights on Mike Drak's article about, Where did the idea of Retirement come from? Why Retirement is Being Brought Up? The Social Security, pensions, and your own savings used to be the 3-legged stool for you. But nowadays nobody has a pension anymore unless you work for the government. People lost a bunch of money in their 401k plans. Things like these aren't being brought up that much. What they did when they lose all that money is they move it all to cash and then they lock it on all those loses. People won’t hire people that are older. You’re kind of forced out when you hit a certain age. So many people tell me that after they hit the age of 50, they can’t get a job and you don’t get your social security til’ you’re 65. So, what do you do? Why will the idea of retirement be brought up in the first place? 10 Years of Change The last 10 years have proven to be very fascinating because of the change of mindset in society, employers, and corporations. 10 years ago, layoffs, early retirements, forced retirements were just rampant. Anybody over 50, they were out with just a small early retirement bonus, which is not enough. But, as we all know there was this massive concern on unemployment, what’s going on and what are we going to do? What people did was, they found side gigs, do freelance, entrepreneurship and find jobs that would accommodate them. Now, employers are realizing that there’s a lot of wisdom, experience, and knowledge that these older people can bring us. That is why we're brought up into it again. Unity Between Multigenerational Workforce We are at the point that we need the tech knowledge, the digital nativeness which is very popular with the younger generations but we also need the wisdom, the experience and the dedication of the older generations. Also, employees who know how to deal with people face to face. I love the idea of multigenerational workplaces. It’s just not in our world but also in the world for assisted living where they are trying to bring the old and the young together. This has brought up much help for people learn something from different generations under one working environment. They’ve done some studies where it helps both all of the generations where you have different ideas and them coming together and just communicating. Disadvantages of Working Longer or Not Retiring If you’re not passionate about your work or if you’re working in a job that is physically demanding or stressful, the idea of continuing work is not very pleasant. Also, if you are working in a physical job (eg., construction worker, waitress), it might not be possible. Older workers can also make it more difficult for the young to get their foot in the door when they are not retiring. If you receive Social Security benefits before retirement age, there is a significant penalty. Also, if you receive your Social Security benefits while you’re still working, there’s also a penalty. About Our Co-Host
Alternative Treatments for Pain – Episode 183
July 15, 2019 • 23 MIN
This is the last episode of our 4-part series where we talk about the ConsumerReports.org article on, Real Pain Relief, Now! In our first episode, we have talked about How Pain Affects People. The second part talked about the Therapies that Ease Pain while the third episode dwells into the Different Pain Medications. Here on our last episode, we will discuss the alternative treatments for pain and why steroids and surgeries can help. Self-Preservation Pain is the body's mechanism to protect yourself from harm. It acts as a signal to our body that harm is about to happen to tissues in our bodies. It is well known to everybody and yet it is so compounded and subjective that it cannot be easily treated. There is also the emotional component when it comes to pain and that is called suffering. Alternative Treatments for Pain There are therapies that will help you ease pain, there are also medications for your pain but if these remedies don't work for you there are other alternatives such as steroids and surgeries. I have known people who have done both steroids and surgeries and it does provide relief for them, that is why they are also good alternative treatments for pain. But the article still states that “You can’t overuse steroids.” The consumer reports article also talked about when this particular gentleman went to go see a surgeon, the surgeon said that this gentleman got to have surgery. Luckily, they went and got a second opinion and wound up they didn’t really need the surgery. Surgery In surgery, you always have to have a second opinion. More people are seeking second opinions in orthopedic surgery than any other specialty. They want to make sure that those alternative treatments for pain are their only hope. The body has the capability to heal itself over time and that is why you don’t need to add surgery to heal the problem. Doctors these days get paid for doing what they normally do and that’s surgery must get paid for the surgery. We know somebody who had surgery and he wound up with MRSA. Now, he has a lifetime problem. That is why, in any case, it just says that you should always try to get a second opinion when you have chronic pain and see if you can avoid having surgery. But sometimes surgery is what you really need. Anytime you go under the anesthesia, anytime you go to the hospital, you run the risk of having complications. Stress and Pain Stress can definitely cause pain. When I get my shoulder pain it’s usually because I’m under a lot of stress. It causes inflammation and the inflammation causes pain. Les has the same issue. If he’s under a lot of pressure, his neck will hurt. Steroids Another alternative treatment for pain is steroids. Before you get surgery, a lot of people will get cortisone shots. Those people had great relief from cortisone but after a while, it stops working. Steroid injections. When going through chemo they give you steroids right at the beginning of the treatment. But in Les’ case their not giving him shots, they’re just giving him pills so that he could keep up with his energy. From a positive standpoint, it did help him have more energy and overcome what could have been a lot worse from the chemo. With direct injections of steroids, it depends on where the injection goes. You could also actually cause a person to die if you're putting it in the wrong space in your back. It’s much safer to put it in your buttocks. Those people that have chronic pain and had shots of pain relievers can’t really function between shots. Also,
Different Pain Medications – Episode 182
July 8, 2019 • 28 MIN
Medications Do Not Eliminate Pain Completely There are different pain medications out on the market. Pain medications are drugs used to relieve discomfort related to an illness, an injury or surgery and it is a complex process. Kathe and Les are back in this episode to talk about the article, Real Pain Relief, Now! There are different pain medications that provide relief by acting through a variety of mechanisms. When you are taking any kind of medication, you should start with the lowest dose possible. This is to alleviate your pain and not jump into a large dose. If you start with Ibuprofen for instance, which is usually 200mg per pill. The doctor will prescribe 800mg but you should start with the 200mg, if the 200mg does it, that’s what you should live with. A section of the article starts out by saying, “The goal of pills, patches, and creams is to take the pain down a couple of notches, not eliminate it completely.” This is to allow the person to exercise, work and socialize. Because, when you can take the pain down then you can do the movement which we talked about in the last episode. The typical doctor is going to just prescribe pain medications because the typical doctor is not necessarily trained on chronic pain. Just like we’ve said on the first episode, there’s 1 doctor in every 28,500 people that’s trained in chronic pain. And chronic pain is not helped by these short term drugs that are being tried. That's the downside when taking these different pain medications. Different Pain Medications that Relieve Pain Supplements. There are different pain medications that are prescribed and there are some that are necessarily not prescribed but can be helpful. Which falls under the category of supplements. Marijuana may relieve certain types of pain. The drug industry is not funding trials on supplements because they want to sell their drugs. Supplements like fish oil help reduce inflammation type pain and pain that is neurological. Another one is vitamin B and D. If you have deficiencies in these vitamins certain types of pain are going to be worse. Over-the-Counter Drugs. One of the other things that I found interesting that drugs like Ibuprofen and Aleve reduce swelling whereas Acetaminophen (Tylenol) makes you think that you’re not feeling pain. For Les’ personal experience, Ibuprofen works better than Acetaminophen for most of his pain. For headache pain though, Acetaminophen works better for Les than Ibuprofen. Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen are good for muscle and joint pain but they don’t seem to be very effective against nerve pain. A combination of Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen has had an effect very similar to opioids but you need to talk to your doctor before doing these combinations. Topical Creams. Topical creams like Tiger balm don’t necessarily make the pain go away as much as they make your body react to the burning/cold sensation, taking away from the other pain. There are these compounds called salicylates that produce the feeling of heat or cold to keep the nerves busy transmitting those sensations of pain instead of pain. Prescribed Drugs Antidepressants. There are different pain medications that need a prescription. Some doctors prescribe antidepressants for pain, which seems to be dangerous. There’s only one of that drug that has any connection with pain and that is duloxetine (Cymbalta). But it has a side effect of weight gain, constipation, and suicidal thoughts. Small doses can help with fibromyalgia, headache prevention, and pain due to nerve damage. Anticonvulsants. Anticonvulsants are dealing with the nervous system. If you have nerve pain it would have some effect but it doesn’t help if you have back pai...
Therapies That Ease Pain – Episode 181
July 1, 2019 • 28 MIN
How Can Sleep Help Your Pain? In this 2nd episode of our 4-part series on pain, Les and I talk about an article on pain relief. Did you know that sleep also helps with dementia? When it comes to easing pain, It will depend on what the pain is. If the pain is caused by inflammation, it tends to go down as you sleep because your body is trying to heal itself. But there are other things that cause pain in your brain. For example, neuro pain. Your brain is running during the day on full but in sleep, your brain is resting so oftentimes the neuro pain also rest along with your brain. This is a combination of healing and calming your body when we’re talking about not skimping on sleep. If you’re working while you’re sick your sickness is going to last longer. You’re going to feel horrible longer because you didn’t give yourself time to heal. That is why, in any case when it comes to chronic pain sleep is really important. Combining the Treatments is the Key to Ease Pain In the last episode, Les touched on the fact that he’s been having pain at night and he’s been taking Ibuprofen so that he can sleep. It’s been helping him wake up with no pain. Also, removing some devices like cell phones, lights, before you sleep, helps. Sometimes when Les is in pain he just gets up and walks around. But a lot of people don’t want to move because it hurts to move. Oftentimes people would have pain and they’ll not use that area of your body that has pain and that is when atrophy comes in. Maintaining an active lifestyle or being proactive will help you feel better if you want to ease the pain. Physical Activity Can Ease Pain and Improve Your Ability to Move Through the Day A physical therapist can help you with this, it doesn’t have to be lifetime physical therapy but they can help you. They can offer strength and stretching exercises that are tailored to your own needs and on your own abilities. There are also certain posture improvement programs such as the Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais. These posture improving programs can really help ease the pain. Because as you get older a lot of the pain is in your back and it’s usually because of the bad posture. When Les tries to improve his posture even when he’s walking, it makes a difference. The article talks about Tai Chi and yoga and how it helps manages pain. But what we’re doing is Qigong, it’s kind of like Tai Chi but it’s more on meditative movement. The article talks about the mind, body connection. That’s what that kind of movement with meditation does, it connects the body and mind. It’s definitely relaxing and you feel less pain after the session. Mindfulness Typically, in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, you get 7-10 sessions and the therapist can teach the patient to identify thoughts and behaviors that actually worsen pain and replace them with a new thought pattern designed to calm the nervous system and ease the pain. You can ask your doctor for a referral and you can look for a therapist that has training on this kind of therapy. When you go to a massage therapist it’s helpful to know what kind of training they’ve had. A chiropractor, for instance, would be helpful because they understand anatomy and physiology. It’s important to pay attention to that because you go to a massage therapist that doesn’t help you might be because they don’t understand your body that well. Acupuncture also helps with pain but you have to go to somebody who knows what they’re doing and that’s not easy to find necessarily. Acupuncture, massage therapy and the type of chiropractic that Les was doing are not covered by Medicare. Sometimes when we're dealing with our health,
How Pain Affects People – Episode 180
June 24, 2019 • 23 MIN
Today's subject affects 20% of the US population because 1 of 5 adults experience pain. In our audience, it’s probably more than that because as you get older, it's more likely that you’re going to have pain. For the retirement years, this is also a good subject to talk about. My husband Les Briney is joining us for today's show as we discuss, how pain affects people. Acute and Chronic Pain As a result of Les’ cancer. He has pain that is semi-chronic. By the way, there are 2 types of pain, there’s acute pain and chronic pain. Acute is usually very sharp pains and they don’t last that long. Chronic pain lasts for more than 6 months. This is according to the definition by Cleveland Clinic. Les has stage 4 advanced metastatic prostate cancer. Meaning his cancer has spread to several places in his body. But he seems to be doing ok yet feeling some pain. He has acute pain from time to time. When he went for his chemo he has a lot of pain. Mainly the pain was a nerve type as opposed to joint type. The pains are sharp and shooting that occurs on different parts of his body. Pain Affects People Differently About 50 million Americans report pain every day. 20 million of that 50 million can’t do their activities of daily living because of that pain. We also have friends who encounter that same problem. Pain is both a sensory and emotional experience that affects people differently. What's more, there is a difference between how you are confronted with pain and how you go on to tolerate it. Your body has different reactions to try to reduce the pain. That is why it affects people differently. How Physicians Treat Their Patients A report prepared by Congress said that for every physician certified in pain care there are more than 28,500 Americans living in chronic pain. Also, doctors treat patients differently depending on what their gender is, ethnic background and all kinds of things. Women, for instance, don’t get necessarily the same reaction to pain when a doctor is a man. 70% of doctors are males. So, you already have some bias there. Acute pain is treated normally through drugs and it’s a temporary thing. Chronic pain drugs cannot make the pain go away. Also, when you use opioids for chronic pain it becomes less effective over time. When it comes to older people with pain, they are put off by doctors because they think that it’s expected as you grow older. Treat Pain Through Combination of Things That You Do Each person's pain should be treated by a combination of things that you do. It’s not something for chronic pain in particular. It is also not something that you can do once and that will be the end. This is something that you’re going to have to do for probably the rest of your life to try to get rid of the pain. The combination of all the things that the article talked about makes very good sense. The fact that it’s personal says your combination is going to be different from my combination. In Les’ case, probably the key thing is a combination of sleep and exercise. Because when Les does those things, generally, he feels better. With sleep, if you have pain, you can’t sleep. So, Les’ use Ibuprofen to keep the pain down as such a level for him to sleep. You have to think about other things than pain. That is why you have to move around and occasionally use pain killers. It is important that you understand the symptoms of pain and how to reduce pain. Dealing with pain whether acute or chronic is difficult but proper knowledge will help a lot in alleviating your problem. Mentioned in this Episode: ConsumerReports.org – Real Pain Relief, Now!
Stress-Free Multigenerational Family – Ep 179
June 17, 2019 • 1704 MIN
In this last episode of our 4 part series, we talk about the article, Multigenerational Families Provide Benefits for Everyone. In the first episode, we talked about Families Living Under One Roof. The second delves into the Pros of Families Living Together. Also, while multigenerational living has its pros it also has its downside, which we discussed in the third episode. Multigenerational living is one of the hottest trends in housing nowadays. Putting multiple generations under one roof could be a difficult task. However, if done with planning and open communication, it can be successful. A multigenerational household could be meaningful and happy for everyone involved. Anybody who is thinking about entering into this type of living arrangement should follow the tips below to make sure the transition is smooth and stress-free. Have Family Meetings Having family meetings depends on the family. In Jonna's household, it’s very calm. There’s a lot of conflict diversion. Not a yelling household. It’s very placid and we don’t do well with hashing out and having a big group discussion. What seems to work for us is to have quiet sharing sessions. One-on-one seems to work better for us. You have to understand what your loved one is going to be receptive to. After which, create a conversation around that. Your family meetings might be in a big group or they might be a one-on-one conversation so that people are more open. Everybody can have their own style of a family meeting. Communicate any household Issues with the family members If you are living in a multigenerational household, communication is key. This goes along with family meetings. In Jonna's house, her husband was doing the laundry and her father also wanted to do the laundry at the same time. So they had to have an intervention. The three of them had to sit down and learn how to communicate with each other on these things. Being open about that communication and being willing to say this isn’t working for me but this way could help. They even had a calendar up so sometimes things get written on the calendar so they know that there won’t be a conflict. Set Up House Rules in a Multigenerational Home At the outset of a multigenerational home, you need to be open and honest and set out some ground rules. Jonna tries to avoid conflicts in her multigenerational home. So, what her family did was they created a neutral zone. Early on they just said, your beliefs and values are yours, our views and values are ours. If you want to talk about those beliefs and values do that away from the children and in your own space and vice versa. No politics, religion, and those things that you’re not supposed to talk about at parties. Some families are going to be on the same page and it’s going to work out just fine. They just set the standard early, they had the house rules really clear. It was to protect not only her and her husband but also her father from misunderstanding a conflict. Establish Financial Responsibilities For most families, multigenerational or not, money is a sticky subject. Try creating both individual budgets and a shared household budget. The financial bit can definitely be challenging. This is because as an adult child Jonna want to give to her family the whole time. She also had to be very realistic about how long the arrangement might last. Also, why they were doing it in the first place. Part of her father’s agreement living with them is that they’re building out a second living structure that he’ll have on his own. So,
Downside of Multigenerational Homes – Ep 178
June 10, 2019 • 1469 MIN
It Can Be a Daunting Task People who experience multigenerational homes know that it can sometimes have its downside. But it isn’t all that rare in our close-knit society. Where we often find 3 generations of families living under the same roof. Sometimes, there comes a time that older adults make the decision to give up their home and move in with their adult children. They may not need complete care at all. But the deeper reason here is that they are unable to stay by themselves anymore. This results in a multigenerational household where seniors, their adult children, and young grandchildren are living together under one roof. It can be a daunting task but so can the benefits. And many families are making this thing work. The Downside of Families Living Together When you’re living in a multigenerational household, you are stepping outside as we used to as our cultural norm a little bit. Because there are some differing expectations from what we may have thought we were going to have of our future self-picture. There is some emotional conflict that comes from that. This article goes through how the adult child might feel. How the younger people in the house might feel and how it will affect the oldest adult in the generational house. That is why it wraps up by talking about kind of the emotional bullet points. Points of how to maybe make the transition better or easier. Acknowledging that some of these feelings are going to exist helps with how you manage the downside of multigenerational homes. Downside for Seniors My father came to live with us last year. We’ve been a multigenerational household from teens all the way up to 60s for that year. There are some really great aspects just like what we’ve talked about on the last episode. The downsides though are also very real. Before my father moved in, I’ve spent some time creating a contract. The contract was more of an acknowledgment of the emotional place of each person in the household. Having that very different perspective starting place made some difficulties. While the contract was a good intention, sometimes the fine bits got pushed to the wayside. One of the things that I found really interesting about the integrations is that you have a second chance to learn your parent. You have your child perspective and then your adult perspective. The downside though is that sometimes I think that we become our child self with our parent more than we would in any other situation. And they will adopt those same roles. Downside for Kids Depending on their age, it can also be difficult for kids to get accustomed to living with their grandparents. They may enjoy spending time with them and have a close relationship, but they will have to get used to a new routine. They will have to share their parents’ attention with their grandparents. It's because their parents may not be able to do with them as many things as before. Being Really Honest with Your Loved One is Important I work with adult children bringing in older adults quite often. Those people that have been most successful are the ones that first off come from a place of charity, and giving, and openness. Even before you ever have somebody live with you. Making sure that your heart is in the right place and that it’s not a chore because it can become a chore. It can get to that place. And if you’re not or already in a place of love and openness, then it makes it that much more complicated. Also, remember to be an advocate for your loved one. Not feeling like you’re doing them a certain favor by having them in your space. But actually, that you’re advocating for their health and happiness. That you want the best for them and you feel like that’s living with y...
Pros of Families Living Together – Episode 177
June 3, 2019 • 30 MIN
Functional and Engaging There are about 49 million families living together in the US. And most of them are in their 20s. From sharing chores to expenses and everything in between. This multigenerational lifestyle is proving to be functional and engaging for many Americans. There are many upsides to multigenerational living. These days, it’s typical for both partners to work to make ends meet, which raises the issue of childcare. There’s also the problem of finance. Huge mortgages undoubtedly stretch family budgets and relationships. Multigenerational Living is Changing A lot of us are out there working hard but it is a different environment then. Things are changing and moving so fast that being a little bit older on the scale. The technology the younger millennials are using blows my mind. It's hard to keep up a little bit. The economy has changed a lot. Therefore, the job market has changed. So the trend for families living together is really changing. That is because of the factors we talked about in the last episode. Which pertains to the job market and the housing crunch. Families Living Together Gives Emotional Bonding You spend 18 – 20 years with a parent from the perspective of an adolescent and a child. All these wonderful memories and preconceived notions of who your parents are based on that perspective. When you enter into the multigenerational household as an adult. Or as a person in your 30s, 40s, and 50s with somebody in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. You suddenly start to see them from a different perspective. And you get so much more from it and remember it too. Some of those issues that you have as a child, you get to work out as an adult. You'll get to sit down and talk through without having those uninterrupted moments. Benefits Older Adults The experience of older adults living together helps them relive the good things for being a parent. And also be part of that in an intimate way. A lot of assisted living communities are bringing in intergenerational programs. And these aren't even kids that are related to them. You're creating a program so that the children and the teens are understanding what it means to spend time with older generations. That is to say, you're bringing those children in to benefit from the knowledge, wisdom, and patience of our older people. It gives benefit to both sides. Even with people who have undergone a divorce. Having that stable adult makes a difference in how well the kids acclimate to the new situation. And it seems that having more people that care about you when you're going through the fact that you're parents are breaking can definitely help. Even from the perspective of the adult having that support makes a huge difference. Financial Benefit Having that multigenerational element does take the pressure off financially. A lot of people are living together due to financial reasons. Grandparents could help care for young children. Adult children living together can save money while going to school, finding a job. Or saving money to buy a home of their own. Just the benefit of freedom and being able to know that there's somebody else who you can pass the torch onto an event. And I wouldn't necessarily have without the benefit of the multigenerational household. The success of families living together means choosing a way of living that best utilizes the resources of the extended family while fostering closeness. To them, multigenerational living is not a way to live, but a way to thrive. About Our Co-Host Jonna Overson is the Founder of Green Tree Home Care – a business that provides Care Professionals in the homes of clients so they can stay safe, cared for,
Families Living Under One Roof – Episode 176
May 27, 2019 • 32 MIN
Is It Time to Rethink? The multigenerational American family household or in other terms families living under one roof is staging a comeback. It's driven in part by different aspects such as economic stability and also a cultural side of the matter. The idea that you grow up, go to college, or get a job and get married. Having this beautiful house in the suburbs with two kids is not the way it was in the US. In fact, that's a relatively new phenomenon from the 40s and 50s in that era. So what we think of is normal is kind of a short blip in the American cultural history. There was such a boom in the economy during that time and then with the recession and the rising house prices. It really does seem like that American dream style from that era is shifting a little bit. We're seeing that people are now more creative with their family living arrangements. The Norm of Living Under One Roof This norm that we think of that where the parents live in one house, the adult children live in another, and the young adults have their own apartment. That is not the only way to live. And other cultures are bringing a different view of how families live. The fact that America's demographics are changing is influencing that there are more families living under one roof. It's not an unusual thing. People are starting to realize that there's a benefit of having that multigeneration experience in one home. And having more adults in the household is a benefit to helping the kids grow up into good humans New Technologies Affects How We Live Today The motivations to bring your parents into your home isn't affected as much as we think it is. It's because there are now opportunities for people to remain where they choose. And the technologies that we didn't have before. Technology opened up a world of possibility for people who need extra help. Giving the people tools that reduce the need for home care keep them independent longer. A Beneficial Way to Live Under One Roof As property prices rise, multigenerational living will grow in popularity over time. But bringing the generations under one roof can be easier in a house designed to meet the needs of each family member for privacy and togetherness. And that means a reassessment of the functions inside of a family home. And also how we go about building, expanding and protecting these houses. As they become home to a growing number of different generations all living under the same roof. About Our Co-Host Jonna is the Founder of Green Tree Home Care – a business that provides Care Professionals in the homes of clients so they can stay safe, cared for, and comfortable at home. Jonna discovered a passion for working with the senior community 7 years ago. She is also part of the sandwich generation. She understands the challenge of balancing the needs of marriage, growing teens, and aging parents. She is an expert on helping family members stay in their own home and was on the show before. You can hear her original interview on episode 24 when the show was still pretty new. Mentioned in this Episode: Karen Sternheimer – The Return of Multigenerational Households www.trustedhousesitters.com This post about retirement and retirement lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
How to Increase Brain Power – Episode 175
May 20, 2019 • 30 MIN
In the first of four, we discussed how the aging brain affects how you think. The second of four in the series brought you Is your Memory Normal. In the 3rd of four, we’re talking about Alzheimer’s disease, and finally, in today's session, we’re going to talk about how to improve your memory. Is it possible to increase brain power? If you've ever found yourself forgetting where you left your keys or having problems with people's names or things, then you have probably wished that your memory was a bit better. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that you can do to help improve your memory. So how will you increase brain power? Let’s dive straight into these easy ways to increase brain power significantly. We Have to Exercise Our Brain What you need to do to increase brain power is do something new, something you've never done before. Furthermore, it has to be challenging. Exercising your brain is good but you can't do it solo. You've got to exercise your body in conjunction with your brain. Challenging your brain makes you sharper and more effective at remembering. Mental challenges like studying complex concepts, make simple tasks like remembering names at a party seem like a piece of cake. Do Physical Exercise to Increase Brain Power You have to physically exercise your body and what that does is that it jiggles your stem cells. And your stem cells pop out new neurons. Neurons help you think. They're your train of thought, your subconscious thought, and your conscious thought. If you don't connect those neurons to some older neurons to help get it growing, nurture it and mentor that neuron to get it productive, tt's gonna shrivel up and die. You really want to keep your stress in check. A great way to keep your stress in check is exercise. Here's an exercise lesson. Using an Elliptical, do HIIT exercise for 7 minutes. First, warm up 1-2 minutes. Then, go 30 seconds with the most energy you can give on that Elliptical. And after that 30 seconds slow down. You can be super slow and do that for a minute and a half. Do that 7 times. That's gonna help you get that sweat going and also help increase brain power. Get your Zzzz's If you’re sleep deprived or have not been sleeping well, then I’m guessing you’re not remembering well either. This is because sleep and memory are intimately connected. Your brain needs downtime to stay sharp and help increase brain power. If you don't get enough sleep, you'll tax your memory and start forgetting things. Stay rested so you can keep your mind alert. Make Time for Friends That's part of what I've called the 4 C's of successful aging. And that is care, connect, commit and concentrate. When it comes to improving memory, maintaining health and facing life’s challenges, friendship can truly be a blessing. Strong social ties through friends can preserve our brain health as we age, while social isolation may be a key risk factor for cognitive decline. Have a Laugh Spend time with fun, playful people because they're fun to be around. Be around fun, energetic, playful, fit people who can help influence your exercise as well. Brain-Boosting Diet We create more neurotransmitters that talk to our neurons in our gut than we do in our head. And so it's very important to eat the right food. You just got to make sure you eat all good, clean, healthy, natural foods. That is so important to keep your brain functioning and focusing. It's not just your head brain but also your gut brain.
Alzheimer’s: How the Disease Progresses Ep 174
May 13, 2019 • 29 MIN
Alzheimer's and how the disease progresses A lot of older people forget someone’s name or misplace things from time to time. This kind of forgetfulness is normal. But, signs of a more serious problem are things such as forgetting how to get home or getting confused in places a person knows well or asking questions over and over. These are initial signs of Alzheimer's. Janet Rich Pittman and I are talking about an article on Alzheimer's and how the disease progresses.  Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The disease progresses slowly and gradually and worsens over time. Eventually, it will affect most areas of your brain. Memory, thinking, judgment, language, problem-solving, personality and movement can all be affected by the disease. Types of Dementia Dementia is when a vast amount of brain cells die in a certain section of your brain and this causes your brain to misfunction. To clarify Alzheimer's is a disease and a type of dementia. Every Alzheimer's is different. Therefore, no two types of Alzheimer's are exactly the same. There are a number of types of dementia, and Alzheimer's is one of them. Majority of the dementias in our world is Alzheimer's, about 87%. Other dementias that people are familiar with are vascular dementia (stroke). Also, there's Lewy Body, Parkinson's, Pick's, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, Huntington's, Multiple Sclerosis, Lou-Gehrig disease, and HIV Aids. How Alzheimer's Disease Progresses Although every person with Alzheimer's disease progresses differently, it is possible to divide its typical progression into a series of stages. The beginning, the middle and the end. However, it is essential to make sure that a person with dementia has a good quality of life with the condition and that their needs are met, rather than focusing on what stage they might have reached. Mild Alzheimer's Mild is the beginning stages and it lasts a few years. Alzheimer's disease is often diagnosed at this stage. Dementia/Alzheimer's is officially diagnosed when you have 2 or more cognitive impairments in your brain. Cognitive impairments are those are your ability to focus and pay attention, reasoning and judgment, senses, and visual perception. The very first one that goes is brain endurance, which is your brain energy. The second cognitive thing that you lose is your gait. Other symptoms include having less energy and drive to do things, trouble with driving, language problems, loss of recent memories, and mild coordination problems. Also, depression is a precursor and that is why you gotta beat that depression. Moderate Alzheimer's During this stage of Alzheimer's disease, people grow more confused and forgetful and begin to need more help with daily activities and self-care. And it can last 2 – 10 years. Symptoms include rambling speech, trouble coming up with the right words, using the wrong words, and hard time planning and solving problems. Getting angry or upset easily, and sometimes lashing out at family or caregivers. Sleeping is also another problem at this stage. Another symptom of moderate Alzheimer is that your senses dilapidate. You're not able to smell very well. In addition, your ability to taste especially salt and sugar is weakened. That is why It makes you wanna eat more and more. Severe Alzheimer's In the late stage of the disease, the mental function continues to decline, and the disease has a growing impact on movement and physical capabilities. It lasts 1 – 10 years. Now you have a major confusion of what's in the past and what's happening now. And that's the beginning of the end. It goes further to the fact where they quit talking. They may know your face but not know your name. Many people at this stage are physically impaired that is why caregivers are important.
Memory Impairment: What Causes It? – Ep 173
May 6, 2019 • 41 MIN
Memory loss may be a normal part of aging, but it may also be caused by dementia or treatable brain conditions. Getting the right diagnosis and care is important. This episode talks about WebMD's article on memory impairment. Forgetfulness is a usual common thing and happens to most people, young or old, including memory champions. Distraction, stress, fatigue, depression, anxiety, absentmindedness, and many other factors may contribute. Luckily, most memory impairment problems are reversible. Temporary episodes of forgetfulness is not an indicator of Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Stages of Memory The article discusses 3 stages of memory: * Encoding – This is when a person takes information in. * Consolidation – When you encode the information you process it so that it gets stored in certain areas of your brain. * Retrieval – When you recite the information. Mine differs from the author. I give memory to four stages or four divisions. First is sensory memory, you use this to figure out your next step and that turns into working memory. Working memory is figuring out the process, how are you going to keep going. Next is short term memory, it is based on your emotions and last is long term memory. When you couple emotion with your memories that really helps with the short term memory. Encoding them into short term memory and eventually encoding it into long term memory. Common Memory Impairment Common memory impairment or brain blips include misplacing frequently used objects. Such as keys or glasses, forgetting why we walked into a room. And periodic difficulty remembering a word we want to say. It is frequently linked to situational factors and normal age-related changes. For most people, mental flexibility starts to become a bit less efficient with each passing decade from our late 20s onward. Memory starts to decline in our late 30s, so it is common to notice more memory problems as we age. Consolidate Your Memory Sleep is when you consolidate your memories. It helps you get rid of your memories and consolidate them. We all think best when we're well rested. A clear, alert brain allows us to focus, learn and remember information, and to be creative. On the other hand, when we're sleepy, we make more mistakes and are less productive. Healthy sleep puts us in the right state of mind to take in information as we go about the day. Not only that, we need a good night's sleep to process and retain that information over the long term. Sleep actually triggers changes in the brain that solidify memories. It strengthens connections between brain cells and transferring information from one brain region to another. Other Causes of Memory Impairment Other causes of memory impairment are stress, anxiety, ADHD, depression, metabolic diseases, alcoholism, vitamin B12 deficiency, infection, and drugs. Episode 101 with Dr. Camille Newton talks about many of the drugs that may cause dementia. Most people don't realize that it's not just only alcoholism but heavy consumption of alcohol. That is one cause of memory impairment. If you have 2 or 3 glasses a night, you might not get tipsy or inebriated but you have all that sugar. All that alcohol in your brain, every night your brain has to fight and get rid of it. Then your brain just gets tired because of this. It has a hard time purging all that alcohol and sugar. Control the Way We Progress and Become Better and Healthier Before you put in those sweets or steaks, here is some food for thought. Research suggests that what we eat might have an impact on our ability to remember and our likelihood of developing dementia as we age. You just have got to be in a position to put your foot down.
How Thinking Changes with Aging – Episode 172
April 30, 2019 • 27 MIN
This is another 4 part series of the Rock Your Retirement show. Today’s guest host, Janet Rich Pittman is ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­an expert on memory. So if you want to find a way to slow your brain's aging process, then you're going to love this episode. In the first of these four series, we will be discussing how thinking changes with aging. This came from the article on “How the Aging Brain Affects Thinking” of the National Institute of Aging. Brain aging is inevitable to some extent, but not uniform; it affects everyone, or every brain, differently. Slowing down brain aging or stopping it altogether would be the ultimate elixir to achieve eternal youth. From remembering to planning, organizing and decision making, the brain is in control. As people age, though, cognitive changes typically occur; fortunately, they can be positive as well as negative. Normal Brain Aging As you age, there are a couple of things that are kind of normal or common: Increase difficulty in finding words and recalling names, more problems with multitasking, and paying attention as sharply as you once did. So it's difficult to hone in and concentrate. Older individuals often become anxious about memory slips due to the link between impaired memory and Alzheimer's disease. However, Alzheimer's and other dementias are not a part of the normal aging process. Common Changes with Aging * Difficulty learning something new. * Multitasking. * Recalling names and things. * Remembering Appointments On the plus side, people can typically continue to learn new things, including but not limited to vocabulary and other language skills, and to create new memories. Growing amounts of evidence are showing that people can, overall, continue to adapt to new tasks and challenges as they age. The Three Main Brain Cells * Synapse – connect neurons to each other for conscious and subconscious communication. * Glial cells – Are our maids of the brain, their our police, our traffic cops. They take care of business. They give us direction, focus, and they redirect and direct. When certain regions of our brain are not communicating. Our thought can't go forward because we got some weak cells in the front. * Neurons – Is the basic working unit of the brain, a specialized cell designed to transmit information to other nerve cells, muscle, or gland cells. Neurons are cells within the nervous system that transmit information to other nerve cells, muscle, or gland cells. Certain Parts of the Brain Shrink With the changes in aging our brains shrink because we're not feeding it correctly. This is because we just don't use our muscles enough. The older we get we don't use it enough, we don't have that challenge that that helps us combat brain degeneration. The thing is that we should produce that strong, healthy brain cells so that we could fight that degeneration. The changes that go into your brain is inflammation. Inflammation causes all kinds of problems not just with your brain but the rest of your body too. Over the years when we eat bad, don't get any exercise, and when we are not really using our brains to learn new things. Protecting Your Cognitive Health We don't really remember names because we don't actually put it in the file cabinet of our brain cells. Because we weren't really listening. We were thinking about what was going on in the room. And we didn't have an emotional attachment to that name and we didn't force ourselves to remember it. People with more education seem to have more cognitive reserve than others. Dementia is different than normal aging.
Rethinking Your Approach to Life – Episode 171
April 22, 2019 • 21 MIN
This is part 4 of this series. In the first episode, we talked about Bringing Old Americans Into the Mix. The next episode dwells into Why Older Men Should Lift Weights. Episode three was about 5 things that you need to do in order to make your retirement a good one. And in today's episode, we will be discussing the article, I’d Rather Die While I’m Living Than Live While I’m Dead. Because, even at an early stage in life, you need to rethink how your approach to life would be. Would it be for the better or the other way around? Basically “Die While Your Living” means, I want to die while I'm doing something that I enjoy. My approach to life would be that I want to be out there living my life and not be sitting at home watching TV. Or as the author says putting up with that dreaded commute for a job you don't like, to earn money, to buy things that you don't need, or to impress people you don't like. All Those Things That We See As A Young Kid Are Imprinted In Us The author blames Jimmy Buffet's song “Growing Old But Not Up.” It includes the line “I’d Rather Die While I’m Living” in the chorus. He said he watched that song as a young teenager. And Isn't it funny that all those things that we see as a young kid are imprinted in us? Whether it is for good or for bad. The money scripts that we have in life and a lot of the scripts that we have about how life should be live are imprinted in us as kids. A Lot Of People Don't Really Have a Good Approach to Life Everyone should enjoy their life and live fully. That is the most important thing for people. You don't have to be retired to do this, you can do it at every part of your life. Just go about doing whatever you want to do in life as long as you are enjoying it. Sometimes people take the negative side, which is to think that it's about taking undue risks, which is really the opposite of it. It's not about being crazy, it's not about being stupid, and it's not even about any of those types of things. It is about being intentional and being purposeful in what you want in life. Life Isn't About Being Extravagant Is your approach to life really about the most expensive car you can drive? The most expensive house you can live in? Eating at restaurants 5 days a week. Is that what life really is? Or is it about building memories with your family and friends? You just have to learn to say I am enough, I have what I want, and I'm going to be intentional in how I choose to live my life. And also think about doing what is important instead of what society or some advertiser told me what I should do because it's important. Be Contented With What You Have You can go buy a new luxury car tomorrow and tomorrow you will be happy. 6 months from tomorrow when your neighbor comes home with a nicer luxury car and yours is dented and it's not new anymore, you're no longer happy. When you learn to let go of yourself and learn to be contented inside then you have it all. Because the final stage of life is learning to let go. Conclusion People need to realize that having a happy approach to life isn't something you could do overnight because it takes time. Our life is an accumulation of whatever we collect from the environment and the society we are living in. Get rid of that false concept of life first. Because life is not just an accumulation. It’s something more than that. Once you recognize this true nature or approach to life; only then you can approach to the things in the right way. Once you get rid of the thought that you should be better...
The Amazing Retirement Process – Episode 170
April 15, 2019 • 30 MIN
This is part 3 of 4 in this series. In episode 1, we talked about the article Bringing Old Americans Back Into the Mix. Episode 2, was about Why Older Men Should Lift Weights. Today's episode will be about the article, 5 Steps to An Awesome Retirement by Costco. Rocky Lalvani, the host of the Richer Soul's podcast is back with us to be part of this episode about having an amazing retirement process. The retirement process ought to be a happy time. You can set your own schedule, take long vacations, and start spending all the money you’ve been saving. Having a great life in retirement is not just about having enough money saved up. Like most anything worthwhile in life, it takes hard work, clarity, and dedication to make your retirement process look like what you imagined. Never Call It Retirement Don't ever call it retirement. Besides, it doesn't even sound good. Because if you think about the word retirement it's kind of like to retire, to put out, or to pasture. Instead of seeing retirement as an end to a productive, and rewarding professional life, we can view it as a rebirth to opportunities. The Retirement Process The article talked about the three steps. You have your childhood, adulthood, and elderhood. Since this is about the retirement process, we need to focus a little bit more on elderhood. Elderhood is probably the point in life where you get to do what you want. Your kids are no longer your responsibility. Therefore you don't have to go to work anymore. Not to say you don't work but think of it as you no longer have to do things. Moreover, it is the point in time of your life where you get to choose everything and you have that flexibility in life. Knowing yourself, your values, your strength and weaknesses, and then saying, I'm going to live my life in congruence with that and be purposefully happy. And maybe create your legacy and give back, or maybe continue to work. But it is whatever retirement process you choose it to be. Because now you have the freedom to do so. People Are Redefining What Retirement is All About All of us are sort of redefining retirement right now. Because there are some really young people who are retiring but in a different kind of way. That is to say that it's just amazing that these 30 or 40 somethings are financially able to retire but still wanna give back to society. Some of them work for money and some of them work for passion. Certainly, retirement isn't the right word for any of us regardless of how old we are. Choosing the Right Medicare It really depends if you're below 65, you're gonna have to figure out health care and if you're 65 and older and you're eligible for Medicare, you have to figure out Medicare. People don't usually realize how much Medicare is changing right now. How much they're going to start restricting what you can and can't get. And how much your choice of a Medicare Plan, whether it be an Advantage Plan or a Medigap Plan, it is dramatically going to affect what you're eligible for when it comes to healthcare. Let's face it we're buying insurance not because we're healthy, we're buying insurance for catastrophe. And when people go shopping for insurance, they shop for premium. They don't bother to say when things go really, really wrong, who's going to protect me the best. Therefore, you need to balance those 2 areas out because in the past you have the ability to switch around with Medicare but now it's harder. Creating a Team for Your Health and Your Money In this case, you should have people on your side on both sides of this area. The big part of that team are people who are going to be there to help you.
Weightlifting at an Older Age – Episode 169
April 8, 2019 • 23 MIN
Rocky Lalvani is back with us in this episode of Rock Your Retirement. This is part 2 of the 4 part series with Rocky and today we will be talking about why older men should lift weights. In this episode, we will share to you why it is important to lift weights even as you age. When you are young just the thought of starting to lift weights is hard and it's even harder if you try to begin weightlifting at an older age. Though it's hard for elderly people to start weightlifting at this point in time, it is still necessary. And the truth is that building your muscles is more important than ever at this stage of life. Muscles tend to weaken with age, and this decline can eventually rob seniors of their active, independent lifestyles. Fortunately, you can reverse that trend with a few simple exercises. It's safe, it's effective, and it's never too late to start. Because you'll never know, you may even enjoy it. The Benefits of Weightlifting * Reduce the symptoms of diabetes and osteoporosis * Improve your balance * Improve glucose control * Increase strength and muscle mass while raising metabolism * Promote more independence as you get older Myths of Lifting Weights at an Older Age People of older age need to stop thinking about not being able to build muscle after a certain age. Well, this isn't about measuring how much muscle tissue you have or put on. It's about getting fitter and stronger. And when elderly people lift weights, they get stronger and more able-bodied. Therefore, a frail elderly person can get stronger. Lifting weights will make everyday living easier for the elderly woman or man. Moreover, the only people who can't build muscle from exercise are those who aren't with us anymore. Some older people believe that lifting weights will make them too bulky and get stiff muscles. But in reality, most of the people in the gym that can lift the most weights are those who are slim and trim. They aren't really muscular. That's one of the fallacies that are out there that if I lift weights I'm going to be muscle-bound and that is not the case. Machines Aren't As Good As Free Weights A couple of reasons why the machine weights don't work is number 1, most often you're in a linear track. So you're only moving up and down. You don't work any of the supporting muscles at all that would have to keep your weight from going side to side. You're not getting any of the supporting weights that are going on. Most of the machines that are out there are highly specific to a muscle or a group of muscles. That is why when I'm doing a squat or a deadlift I'm using my entire body all the way across. And using most of those machines in the gym is just not the same as free weights. What Will a Senior do to Get Started? Free weights are very scary in the beginning. But getting a good trainer is a big help, someone who could teach you do the form correctly. And try not to lift weights more than you can lift. Don't try to be that person that will go all out and do it all. Because you are better off lifting half the weight that you think you can get comfortable with. Time will come that you'll get by those weights that you are vying for. We are not trying to be Olympic bodybuilders. We're just trying to get our body to be strong and muscular. So as we talk about in the last show when you wanna go play with the 5-year-olds and run around the ground and lift them up, you'll have the strength to be able to do that. Start Now People of older age kept on saying there's so much to do. I think it comes down to three simple exercises. If you can do a squat, a bench, and a deadlift, those three are the ones that make up the trio.
Reintegrating Older Adults – Episode 168
April 1, 2019 • 19 MIN
Welcome to another episode of Rock Your Retirement. My guest co-host for today is Rocky Lalvani. He will be co-hosting with me for the next 4 episodes. In the first of four, we’ll be discussing an article from the NY Times called Bringing Older Americans Back Into the Fold. Some of you may know that I have recently moved to South Carolina and we have an episode that talks about it. Reintegrating older adults back into the fold, kind of falls into what exactly is retirement. What does it mean to retire? And, do you really want to retire in a true sense of the word? You've made it to your 65th birthday and the world no longer seems friendly. You are preparing to leave your career job and it's more than adequate income and stay home forever. Unless you are wealthy or have invested well, you face a decline in your standard of living plus other radical lifestyle changes. What's more, your body has entered its final countdown. You feel depressed and overwhelmed. Instead of drifting into the unknown, you need to reestablish or reinstate yourself back into society. What is Age Segregation and What Does it do to People? Age segregation is abundant in the United States. From grade schools to senior villages, we now spend much of our lives on separate generational islands. While young people go back to school separated by grades, older people gather for clubs, classes, and meals that often expressly bar the young. In other words, we are all sorting ourselves out by how old we are. In this way, age segregation is denying the young and the old crucial opportunities to serve one another and their communities. Reintegrating Two Generations Together The real fountain of youth comes from being around younger people. That's even truer as you age. If you're in your 70's and 80's and you're hanging around with young people, you tend to be younger and more hip. There was a study that was done. I think they took people in their 80s and what they did was they recreated life like it was when they were 50. They literally put them in a house that looks like the house they would have been in when they were in their 50's. The only thing on TV was shows that would have been on when they were 50. And all the reading material was from that time period. Even the furniture and everything. So they literally were putting them back 30 years in time. And what they found is just within a week those people were walking straighter, able to do more, and felt younger. There were studies where they take nursery schools and they put them into nursing homes, And you see the elderly and the young come together and it's just a phenomenal experience for both sides. Because the elderly have the time to sit there and listen to the stories and tell stories that most of us who were busy and running around don't have the time to do. It makes them feel younger. In the United States When You Get Old Your Supposed to Get Shipped Off These things happen because the whole idea of retirement is somewhat profit and power driven. If you have a bunch of people in their 70's running an area, a business, or a town and you've got young people who want to take over the only way to do that is to get rid of the old people. And the best way to get rid of the old people is to convince them that they should retire. You're Still Young, You're Still Vital. What Can You Do? Basically, you should do whatever you want. Think about it. You are now at the point of your life where you've got a lifetime of wisdom. If you're smart enough to keep up your health. You've done your job right to have money even if you don't have a ton of money, and you've got social security. Whatever it is,
Road to Happiness – Episode 167
March 25, 2019 • 1559 MIN
This is the last of the 4 part series with my co-host Ted Carr. Today we will be discussing an article about the road to happiness. Last week, the two of us discussed an article about Estate Planning Myths. If you missed it, here is the link www.RockYourRetirement.com/166 There are many avenues on the road to happiness. (It sounds like a movie title doesn't it?) But the single most accessible, most important, most obvious route is also the most difficult to tread. We'll try to question ourselves. Can we even make ourselves happier? Is it even possible? Isn't happiness some kind of a sub like it happens but you can't really chase it? What is True Happiness? People will argue about what true happiness is. Most will say you either are or aren't born happy. Sort of like you're predisposed to be happy. However, there are certain things that you do that the result of doing them makes yourself happy. For example, if you have a lot of friends your chances of being happy are more than if you are alone. You can't really chase happiness, like, I'm gonna do this today to make myself happy. There are things that you do that the result of it is just happiness. The Road to Happiness is Determined by Genetics Statistics show that 50 percent of happiness is determined by genetics and therefore out of your control. While 10 percent refers to situational happiness. That includes whether we are rich or poor, healthy or ill, where we live, what our job is, or whether we will get a job at all. Meaning, a rich, beautiful, perfectly healthy person with everything going for them only has a 10 percent headstart on the person whose entire life is a complete mess. Same with those famous people who commit suicide. On the outside, you think that they have a perfect life. But on the inside, their lives are completely different. Hedonic Adaptation The road to happiness isn't just only determined based on situations. Most road to happiness that's based on situations is only temporary. Why? Because we tend to have more of what we already have. This is called Hedonic Adaptation, where we get used to things and we end up wanting more of what we already have. From new additions, making more accomplishments, new house, new car, new job. In other words, lifestyle inflation. We're just wired to adaptation but always wanting more. It's like going back to the days of primal survival instinct. The feeling that more means we got a better chance of surviving. Surviving in the future where we don't have anything. The Road to Happiness on a Day to Day Basis We discussed that 50% of happiness is being based on genetics and 10% are situational. The last 40% of the road to happiness is based on what we think or what we do on a day to day basis. This 40% will give us a chance to make things happier for our lives. This includes helping others, having new experiences, practicing gratitude, and building a positive mindset. My journal called, “The Baby Boomer's 30 Day Journal“, which is available on Amazon, takes into account the 6 areas of retirement lifestyle. It talks about doing something spiritual in the morning whether it is meditating, praying, or setting goals for yourself. People setting small goals are happier in general because you can achieve a small goal. There's a lot of factors within this 40% that we can influence the outcome of our road to happiness. Focus in that Moment Some people are happy because they live in the moment. The contents of these moments to moments of living have a big influence on people's happiness.
Unique Retirement Plan Among Women – Ep 166
March 18, 2019 • 30 MIN
My guest co-host Ted Carr is back with us to talk about why retirement planning among women is unique. Ted Carr has been on the show previously. We discussed the Stages of Life which happened to be one of our most popular episodes. The subtitle to today's topic should be, “Why is it retirement planning for women more challenging or poses more challenges?” Even in retirement men and women are different. Women have plenty of hurdles when it comes to their journey to retirement. There is no one-size-fits-all and this is why it is unique. We will break down what challenges women encounter when planning for retirement so that you can work things out toward a secure future. Women Tend to Outlive Men Statistics show that women live longer than men. The average age women live to is 81 vs the average age for men of 76. It is not a secret that women have lived longer, maybe partly due to men's lifestyle. Although men are catching up because women's lifestyles are going downhill. Women have more years of the retirement fund. It increases their longevity risk, which is the risk of outliving your money. When I was in my 40's I purchased a long-term care policy. When I got married 10 years ago, I added my husband to the policy. But you cannot buy this policy that I purchased anymore. A lot of people don't buy long-term care because it is expensive. The reason why it's expensive is that a lot of us are gonna need it because we are going to live for a long time. I included home health care in that policy because the thought of moving into a nursing home does not appeal to me. Develop a Proper and Unique Retirement Plan If you could develop a detailed retirement plan, that is going to catch a lot of the crucial aspects of preparing for retirement. Things such as expenses, health insurance (including long term care), social security, work, investment management, and income generation. Ted calls it a forcing function. He would not have retired early if he had not worked out a detailed retirement plan. Gender Wage Gap Women earn only 81% of what men do. That gap can be explained in part by women’s time off to raise their children, but it’s also because of occupational segregation. My mom took a job in retail and there wasn't a lot of career advancement or benefits. Except that she could take time off pretty much whenever she wanted to and that fits in with her lifestyle. It didn't provide financial rewards but provided a lot of lifestyle parenting rewards. But you tend to fall behind because you're not out there grinding it out with other people working diligently to get ahead. Women are not necessarily as intense negotiators as men are. In Linda Babcock's research, it indicates that women who consistently negotiate their salary increases, earn at least 1 million more during their careers than women who don't. Women undervalue themselves they often feel grateful to just have a job and underestimate their market value by up to 30%. Women More Likely Face Career Disruptions Women are more likely to become caregivers to their aging parents or children than men are. This affects their career, or they may even have to quit their jobs. This also affects their overall lifetime savings, social securities, pension benefits, and also 401k plans. That's just another challenge that women face financially. There is also the societal pressure of being the person in charge of taking care of the family. Grey Divorce The rate of divorce for people over 50 has doubled since 1990. After a divorce or separation, household income decreases. It's much easier for two people to live in one household on eighty thousand dollars than it is for two people to live on forty thousand dollars each. Ted says that he and his wife keep their finances separate.
Common Myths Of Estate Planning – Ep 165
March 11, 2019 • 34 MIN
Our guest co-host Ted Carr is back with us for this episode number 2 of our 4 part series. On our previous episode, we discussed why elderly parents fall for scams. This time, we will talk about the common myths of estate planning. Estate planning is one of the pillars of the strategic retirement planning concept. While it may be a task that gets misunderstood or procrastinated over, estate planning can provide a good direction for your loved ones in the future. Furthermore, it gives you a sense of relief as you think about where your household and assets go. Now just a disclaimer here- neither Ted nor myself are experts in the field of Estate Planning. We are just here to talk about our personal experiences. You would definitely want to discuss your own situation with an attorney. What Goes into an Estate Plan? When Les and I met our estate attorney, she talked to us not only about our assets but also about what happens if we get incapacitated. Even our very very naughty pet bird Mr. Grant was part of our estate plan. Nevertheless, you can revise your estate plan numerous times. Here's a list of items every estate plan should include: * Will/trust * A durable power of attorney * Beneficiary designations * Letter of intent * Healthcare power of attorney * Guardianship designations Also, you may add POLST (Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) on your estate plan, it's an approach to improving end-of-life care in the United States, encouraging providers to speak with patients and create specific medical orders honored by health care workers during a medical crisis. If I Have An Estate Plan, I Can Avoid Estate Taxes The federal estate tax exemption has increased to $11.2 million per person (or $22.4 million per married couple), so it's unlikely you'll have pay to pay for an estate tax at all. It Is Important to Include Guardianship Designations to Your Estate Plan While many wills or trusts incorporate this clause, some don't. If you have minor children or are considering having kids, picking a guardian is incredibly important and sometimes overlooked. Make sure the individual or couple you choose shares your views, are responsible, financially sound and genuinely willing to raise children. It will give you peace of mind. Probate is an Estate Planning Nightmare Probate is expensive and time-consuming (will take about 2 years) and everything will be open to the public. Property is disposed of according to the laws of the state in which the deceased resided. If they find some personal information from your public records your estate could be vulnerable. The funny thing is that even though you spend all your time to have a private and personal life when you die everything is open to everybody. I Don't Need to Check My Beneficiaries It's one of the common mistake people do. While setting up a plan is a solid first step, keep in mind your salary and family situation can fluctuate over time. Make sure your beneficiaries are current, there are so many 401k plans that haven't had any beneficiaries. If you don't update your estate plan your beneficiary information could go out the window. A Will Can Overview the Distribution of My Assets 60% of people have no wills. A will is also a great first step. It allows you to lay out how your belongings should be distributed. However, it has no controlling power over joint accounts or beneficiaries. The only thing that the will has any control over our assets that are in the person's name alone. You can also start with a holistic will where you write a will on a piece of paper, sign it with the date included,
Why Elderly Parents Get Scammed – Episode 164
March 4, 2019 • 37 MIN
Ted Carr will be my co-host for this podcast. The last time he was here, he gave us a great insight on the 6 Stages of Retirement. In this episode of our show, we will talk about why elderly parents are getting scammed. We have an aging population and it's usually common for them to be targets of scams. Scammers target the elderly, as they are willing to listen, maybe lonely, and are more trusting than younger individuals. Scamming is a Problem Scamming is considered the crime of the 21st century. It's hard for us to know which is legit or not. Scams target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels across continents. All of us may be victimized at some point in time. There's no one group of people who are more likely to be scammed. Why Are Elderly Parents Being Scammed? Seniors are being scammed because they have a significant amount of money sitting in their accounts. They also are difficult to prosecute and often go unreported, especially when there are no relatives around, so they are not considered high-risk crimes. However, they’re disastrous to many older adults and can leave them in a very risky position with little time to recoup their losses. These Fraudsters Come in Different Forms Nowadays, getting scammed doesn't just happen on phone calls, they are also presently using Facebook when it comes to scamming people. My mom was victimized by a fraudster. Even my husband Les gets phone calls from scammers every day. Scammers even use throw away phone numbers or spoof the number. I get calls where it looks like they're calling from in town but actually, they're not. So, if you see something suspicious just hang up or let it roll to voicemail. Lottery, Passion, and Personality Lottery scams are one that many are familiar with, and it capitalizes on the notion that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Also, many elderly always fall for scammers of passion. There was this article from the New York Times about an 84-year-old man marrying a 38-year-old woman which ended up with her scamming him of millions. And if you are a type A personality makes you susceptible to these scammers, coupled with a loss of house, retirement or change in housing makes you more vulnerable. Scammed? It's a Job Scammers don't care on who they are scamming, they tend to be cold-hearted calculating individuals. There are documentaries that show that they make scamming somewhat of a job. They go to work, work for 8 hours, and are given a list on who to scam. It's like a call center for scammers. Protect Yourself One of the best ways to protect your loved ones against fraud is to talk to them openly about some of the most popular scams, so they’re aware of what’s out there. Sometimes you become the villain when rationalizing but try reasoning out to them and explain that what those scammers are saying is not real. Below are also some measures you can do to prevent someone from scamming you love ones: * Set up daily contact with your loved ones when you can check them every day. * Streamline social media that they have. * Ensure that the fraud detection technologies are enabled. * Shred important documents. * Contact marketing associates to opt-out. * Check their credit reports. But when you are in the crisis. Try these methods: * Try to change their phone number. * Contact the police if they know where you live. Get the police involve. * Talk to an elder law attorney. Set out a trust. * Figure out how to replace what the scammer is providing.
55 Plus Community Search: Mixed Feelings
February 25, 2019 • 23 MIN
This is the last part of our continuing saga of moving to a 55 and older community. During episode 3 of our podcast, we talked about our newfound community. My husband Les and I finally bought a new house and are moving into it. But as excited as we are about moving to a new house, there are also some things that stress us about moving. That gives us mixed feelings about it. That is why in this episode, we discussed having those mixed feelings towards moving to a new community. Are we really going to move in or are we having second thoughts about it? Not Looking Forward? Moving is one of the top stressors that a person can experience in a lifetime. While moving is so stressful, it can be exciting too. As a result of those stresses, we for one are not looking forward to moving to a new place/community. We became attached to San Diego because it's not just a place, it is already part of us. Mixed Feelings It is going to be a culture shock for us to move to South Carolina from San Diego. San Diego is a pretty nice place and our friends are here. Yes, our family is near the new community that we are moving in but we don't need to see them very often, 2 weeks in a year is good enough. It is a lifestyle change for us, moving to a new place that is. We have been having a lot of nervousness and kept thinking about what have done because it's just scary. Risking the Business Another thing that we are concerned about when moving is our business. I get a lot of referrals from business associates, people that are in the senior community. So I don't know if those referrals are going to slow down now that I'm not in San Diego. Even though the majority of my business is done over the phone. And although I give an option to people of meeting with me in person or meeting with me over the phone, 90-95% of the people would rather just take care of it over the phone. And of course, the different time zones would be an issue too. Adapting to a New Environment A friend of mine was trying to talk me out of moving because he was saying that I should be concerned about the healthcare situation. And if I get sick enough it would be a 2-hour drive to get to a hospital like Charleston. There are hospitals nearby but that's just for normal checkups. However, I'm looking forward to being able to go to the art center and paint, or go and make pottery but it is scary because we don't know anybody besides our family. We are having second thoughts, but it's kind of like wedding jitters. Packing and Unpacking The main thing that worries us is the move itself. The whole process is so overwhelming giving us that mixed feeling. Before we weren't moving much stuff as we are moving now. And also now we are moving across the country. We have to pack the boxes better than what we did before. We could get somebody else to do the packing but we'll lose control on what goes where. You don't know where your things will wound up inside those boxes. Les is an Engineer, and when we move 10 years ago to where we live now. He kept a list of every single item that was in the box and numbered it. And then put that list on a spreadsheet. Those boxes (about 20) are still in our garage that's not completely unpacked yet. And another thing is that we are moving to a house that has less square footage and therefore having less storage. So that becomes an issue too on what will we take or what don't we take. But we know somebody who specializes in downsizing, she was one of the first people on the show. They also help get rid of stuff. We don't know yet how to get rid of our stuff. This is It To all the listeners, we feel for you, when you retire, when you move.
55 Plus Community Search: We Are Home
February 18, 2019 • 28 MIN
This is part 3 of our 4 part podcast series. On the last episode, we talked about what happened during our community tour. So in this episode, My husband Les and I will continue talking about our quest for finding the perfect 55 and older community. Furthermore, we will finally reveal our decision on what community we chose to live in! What do we like about it, and why did we choose that community? Finally, We Are Home After the long search for a proper 55 plus community, we finally found our home and it is in a Del Webb community. There are instances that it is scary when moving to a new community because it simply is “New” to you but nonetheless, it is pretty exciting as well as you will see what new opportunities and activities await. Why Were We Drawn to This Community/Home For us, there are a lot of reasons why we chose to live in a Del Webb community but the main reason why we were so drawn into it is that of the activities. Being in a 55 and older community you need to have activities so as to uplift you and make your everyday stay as fun as possible and this community has a lot of activities to choose from. The other thing about this community is that it's a nice looking community. It is well maintained with beautiful landscaping and the surrounding area was nice and just as we've talked on our first episode, our family is close to us. Most importantly, Del Webb knows what they are doing. That is why it's safe to say, “We Are Home.” It is quite different from living in California. It's definitely not as clustered. When you drive down the road in South Carolina, all you see are trees! About Our New Home We wound up buying a new home which we bought from somebody else (not from the builder). What's good about this is that you don't need to spend much time, energy and money to furnish your new home. It can be easier and faster for you to relocate quickly and can save you money, sometimes thousands of dollars. This house that we bought doesn't really need anything more. We did downsize on our new home, we're going from a 3500 square foot house to 2400. Eventually, this will help us to intentionally pare down our belongings. Also, we will have open areas that will be great for entertaining. In other words, it's just happier to downsize-rather than the other way around. The New Place (Likes and Dislikes) Likes: * First, we like the area. * Secondly, the house itself. * Del Webb community. * Everyone has been very friendly. * Cheaper gas price. * And not everything is retirement. Dislikes: * Similar houses and relatively close together. But you can do something to make your house noticeable. * Not health conscious. That is why when you're in a restaurant you should always ask what's in the menu. * Culture change * The words used are different and there are towns and areas with different pronunciations. For instance, they use plantation instead of a community. But we can cope up with it. Although we will miss our 99 Cents Only store, El Pollo Loco, Jack in the Box, and Costco (which is about 2 hours away), we are moving into the Del Webb community most importantly because of the retirement lifestyle. We could have bought a cheaper home in this area, but it's not just the house we are looking for. We are looking for the lifestyle of being in a 55 and older community. After a long community search, this certainly will be our new home. And if you have ever moved to a 55 plus community ...
55 Plus Community Search: The Community Tour
February 11, 2019 • 1608 MIN
This is part 2 of our continued community search for the 55 plus and better. In our last episode, we discussed things to compare when looking for a community to live in. In this episode, my husband Les and I are on location and just finishing up our 3-day stay at a Del Webb in South Carolina. We will be discussing our stay, our community tour, the house that we stayed at, and our likes and dislikes. We will also talk about the community, and how a 55 plus community can help you do more of what you love. Explore Del Webb Usually, Del Webb communities offer day and night passes. During your stay, their friendly ambassadors will do a community tour and will guide you through pieces of information about the community. Our community tour took us 4 hours but it was very helpful. During the stay, you can meet residents, do the community tour, explore the houses and clubhouses, the amenities, and enjoy everything you need inside a Del Webb community. The Two Sections in the Community Tour Del Webb has been around for a long time and usually, communities have two sections which comprise a newer and an older section. The older section of any community will have mature trees, mature landscaping and of course more mature people. Most ambassadors have been occupying the newer section because they have formed a group of friends from the ones who bought new too. We also had the same experience when we moved to the community where we lived now. Everybody moved in together, we all wanted to meet each other, we had parties together and the neighborhood sort of formed a click. But the downside is when the time comes that the people who moved in together started leaving that's the time when the click just broke apart. The Del Webb Community The 4-hour community tour was divided into 2 parts. The tour of the community itself was in the first 2 hours. The Del Webb community has a ton of features including 3 clubhouses, 3 outdoor pools, 2 indoor pools, a baseball field, and a tennis court. There are also sections for the art room, pottery room, and photography, more than 1 golf course, and a community garden! The last 2 hours of the coummunity tour was mostly just dinner. The Actual House The house that we lived in was very nice although it is not the house that we actually considered. It's a brand new house with an open floor plan, although they do lock off the second bedroom. It's nicely decorated, comfortable with a nice internet. There's just a couple of things that I disliked. The master bedroom shower is so open that it is cold and the rain shower is not good. Also, I wasn't a big fan of the self-closing doors. It feels like there is pressure when you open it and it's almost like pulling against you. The Community Itself (Likes and Dislikes) Likes: * Open floor plans * Most of the bedrooms have a separation between master and guest bedrooms giving you more privacy when having guests. * It's beautifully landscaped and just looks good when you come in. Dislikes: * Cookie-cutter nature, everything looks alike. You'll get lost because one street looks like the other street, * The house in the newer section are close together, they are just 10 feet apart. * Their lagoons have alligators. * And there are snakes too! The Clubs Adult communities are renowned for having a vibrant and social atmosphere where residents can come together and share similar interests. What's great about active adult communities, is that they cater to the demands of boomers by providing clubs designed around their lifestyle. This community has over 50 clubs for you to stay, as active as you like. And that's what we've learned about Sun City.
55 Plus Community Search: What to Compare
February 4, 2019 • 26 MIN
 We are back! Having been on hiatus for the past month. Most of you may know, but for those who haven't yet, Les and I have moved to South Carolina. During the process, we have recorded a series of episodes, and this one is the first in that series. It is about, “What to compare for a 55 and older community search.” Home for the 55 and Older Community Today, I together with my husband Les discussed how to find homes for the 55 and older community. There are certain aspects that you need when looking for houses at these certain ages. We will guide you on those during this podcast episode. In today's episode, we will compare different scenarios on what should be considered when buying a house for you because relocating constantly could be tiring and exhausting for you especially when reaching that certain age that you want this to be the house that you want to live in for the rest of your life. What is a 55 Plus Community? A 55 plus community is a type of location that is designed to accommodate people that are at least 55 years old or older. When you are doing a community search, the atmosphere, layout, and amenities are meant to provide for the needs of this age group, rather than young families. Those areas may have specific stipulations on who can live within the community with the goal of keeping the residents in this upper age limit. What Should You Take Note When Looking for a House? Looking for a house for a 55 plus community may vary greatly from community to community. There are things that you should take note of when doing a community search. It is good to take into consideration that the house that you are looking for should be near gas stations, grocery store, home depot, post office, hospital, gym, airport, assisted living community and a dog park (if you are fond of pets). Your house should also be near your friends or relatives, near a major city and public transportation (like a train, bus, or Uber). Important Considerations When Doing Community Search As you research locations and community amenities, consider other aspects like the pricing or cost of a house. How much does the house cost? The type of community you will live in, size of the accommodations, and the location plays an important role in this. You should also consider the prices of gasoline, organic free-range chicken eggs (if you like eating healthy), average cost of dinner in a restaurant, electricity and gas cost, insurance (which is a major expense), water or sewer, cable and internet, Home Owners Association, property and income tax rate, fees for your exercise classes, and if your hobbies can be found near the community. These are some important considerations when you're doing a community search. Questions When searching for a new house location and their local amenities, you should also take into consideration other aspects like: * If you are buying a property that has a view will that view be guaranteed? * Does it have a community garden? * Will they take care of your yard for you? * The need for approval from the Home Owners Association to change the inside and outside of the house. * How old is the community? Because the newer the community the younger the occupants are. * Are they planning to build more homes? * The ratio of houses to a clubhouse. * What is the length of time your grandchildren and guests are allowed to visit? * The rules for parking? * Services (handyman, laundry, and others). * How can you be on the Home Owners Association board or how would you get to them? * Is the community that you will move to gated? * Do you own the land or does the Home Owners Association own it? * Who owns the clubhouse? The Home Owners Association or builder? Things to Review Lastly, also consider these things before moving into your new house.
Top 10 Most Downloaded Episodes of 2018
December 31, 2018 • 25 MIN
HERE'S THE LIST OF THE TOP 10 MOST DOWNLOADED PODCAST IN 2018 * Episode 135 – Downsize your Home and your Life by Kathy Gottberg* Episode 141 – Retire Early and Travel Part 1 by Keith and Tina Paul* Episode 117 – Finding Meaning and Purpose in Retirement by Fritz Gilbert* Episode 143 – Tips for a Great Retirement Experience by Randy Gardner* Episode 116 – Six Pillars of Retirement by Kathe Kline* Episode 142 – Retire Early and Travel Part 2 by Keith and Tina Paul* Episode 123 – Longevity and Staying Young by Judy Gaman* Episode 121 – How Seasonal Jobs can Help you Rock Your Retirement by Kelcy Fowler and Matt Moore* Episode 138 – Men and Women in Retirement by Dr. Sara Yogev* Episode 129 – Clever Life Hacks to Improve Health by Kathe Kline
Christmas Episode: Corny Jokes – Episode 158
December 24, 2018 • 26 MIN
Les and Kathe: Corny Jokes Corny Jokes for Christmas Day! Merry Christmas everyone! It really is the most wonderful time of the year! Les is with me today and we will read corny jokes! Here are some corny jokes for this holiday season. If you have a 10-year-old kid, you can invite them to listen to this episode. They'll find it hilarious (or not!) LOL We'll resume normal programming next year. SOURCE: We FAILED to keep a record of where on the internet these jokes came from.  If they came from your site, we thank you and apologize at the same time.
Downsize your Home and your Life: Ep. 157
December 17, 2018 • 39 MIN
Do you need to downsize your home? What about downsizing your life? Why are these things beneficial as we retire? We are re-releasing our episode about downsizing. Our guest is Kathy Gottberg, a published author of six books along with numerous magazine articles. On her blog, SMARTliving365.com, Kathy explores ideas and experiences to help create a sustainable, meaningful, happy and rewarding life for herself and others. Since turning 60, Kathy has become increasingly interested in ideas around positive aging and retirement. Learn more about rightsizing and why downsizing doesn’t have to be a downgrade in this episode. On today’s show we discuss: * Rightsizing vs. downsizing * Why rightsizing is so beneficial as we age and retire * How to rightsize What is rightsizing? Anything you have in your life requires energy, time and effort to maintain. The beauty of rightsizing is it allows you to choose what’s important to you. Use your time, energy and resources on the things you value most. You can rightsize just about anything in your life. Rightsizing is about getting rid of the things that don’t really matter and focusing on the things that do. The key with rightsizing is it’s individual. It will be different for everyone. Areas you might need to rightsize: * Old habits * Toxic Habits * Your current job Advice for rightsizing: * Do it with a loved one * Get away and get quiet * Find resources to help you How to downsize your home? Ask yourself these questions. * What are the top 10 things that are most important to me for the rest of my life? * Do I need it? * Can I rent it? * Can I borrow it? Kathy firmly believes that if you take the time and effort to downsize your home and rightsize your life, then you will be better prepared to retire and better prepared to make all the choices and decisions in your life that will make you happier and more purposeful. Kathy’s Books: Positive Aging: A SMART Living 365 Guide to Thriving and Wellbeing at any Age (2017) Rightsizing: A SMART Living 365 Guide to Reinventing Retirement Simple SMART & Happy: A SMART Living 365 Guide to a Sustainable & Meaningful Life (2014) Finding Grace—A Transformational Journey (2013) The Complete Guide To Selling Your Own Home in California (2008) The Findhorn Book of Practical Spirituality (2003) Links: SMARTliving365.com Twitter – @gottgreen Email – kathy@smartliving365.com
How to Deal with Social Loneliness: Ep. 156
December 10, 2018 • 30 MIN
How to Deal with Social Loneliness after Retirement Dealing with social loneliness after retirement is very difficult if you do not have people who cheer you up or support you or inspire you. Janelle Anderson is with us on this fourth episode of co-hosting the show and we will be talking about how to deal with social loneliness after retirement. This is also applicable pre-retirement! Janelle works with women as a Certified Professional Coach through her business, Emerging Life Coaching. She typically works with women who are transitioning into a new season in life, whether that is from the “busy mother raising children season” to an “empty nest” season or from “busy career life” to the season of retired life. Janelle helps them discover a new game to play and who they truly want to be in this “third act of life.” Her work with clients includes one-on-one private coaching sessions, as well as coaching groups, workshops, and personal development classes. Nourish your relationship People are building relationships at work but they do not nourish that relationship outside of work. After retirement, that relationship dies and now you're alone. It may lead to intense loneliness. Loneliness can cause a lot of problems like isolation, depression, and early death. The Harvard Men Study There was a study called the “Harvard Men Study” where they follow 268 men from their 30s to 70s to see how successful or happy they were. They wanted to see what are the characteristics of those who are happier and more successful in life compared to those who don't. The one that came to the top is called “love-full stop”. In other words, it is love (personal relationships and connections). Start looking for new friends to defeat social loneliness! If you don't have relationships now, you should take a look or make a list! Relationships that feed your soul, nourish you, support you, those are the ones you should be looking for. Church, joining clubs, classes are good places to find relationships. For the ones you currently have, ask yourself if you are nourishing that relationship. Are you still doing activities together outside of work? If not, then it may be a good time to start that now. Make time for your friends. Here are some ideas where you can meet new people One good place/website to meet people in your area is Meetup.com. I met so many of my best friends in Meetup. You can create a meetup group (with a fee, if you're the host) or you can just join existing groups. In Janelle's case, her church started a dinner fellowship. She became close with a couple of couples because of that. What's good about it is that you cannot choose who you're going to be grouped with. They will be the one to choose it. It's really cool because you get to meet new people. Spend time with your friends You do not have to go out with your friends every single day. You may go out one a week or once a month and catch up. Take turns in being the host. Janelle's daughter does “neighborhood dinner” where she invites some of her neighbors so that she could get to know them. Meet new people by volunteering Volunteering is another great way to find relationships. There are 3 places I found where you can volunteer if you haven't volunteered before. 1. VolunteerMatch.org – they'll send you volunteer gigs near your zip code 2. UnitedWay.org 3. Points of Light.
Creating Life Balance After Retirement: Ep 155
December 3, 2018 • 37 MIN
Creating Life Balance after Retirement What to do with all the time you have after retirement? Janelle Anderson co-hosts another episode and we'll be talking about Creating Life Balance after Retirement. Janelle Anderson has always had a deep desire to help people develop their true potential and live from their true selves. Her career began in education as an elementary and middle school teacher, but after teaching GED preparation classes, she discovered her true passion was to work with adults. Over the years, she realized that her greatest satisfaction came from working with women, especially those in their mid-life years. Janelle loves to help them emerge into the fullest glory of who they are – to grow into their true beauty and live fearlessly, confidently and authentically. A transition from working to retirement Most people especially those who worked in an office are used to having a schedule. They are working from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM for how many years. Suddenly, it's time for retirement. You have all the time in the world where you do not have a schedule to follow. What are you going to do? You may have a list of what to do after you retire but after doing all those things, what's next? You can do volunteering and help in your community. If this is not what you desire then you have to figure out what are the things that will make you happy. One example is learning how to play the tuba. Creating your own schedule You may create a schedule of the things that you will be doing now that you have all the free time. Example, tennis every Monday. You can also not follow your created schedule! Create short-term goals every week. It really does feel good whenever you're crossing out all the things that you have done. Janelle has this planner where she creates her schedule for the things that she will be doing for the week. You may check it here: PLANNER Learn to slow down Now that you have your list. Never rush or feel pressured in doing all of them, you need to enjoy every moment while doing it. Enjoy every minute of it. Eat your lunch and enjoy every single bit of the food on your plate. Do deep breathing exercises before you do something. This will help you slow down. Creating Life Balance You should schedule FUN things. Things that excite you, make you happy, and not think of as a task that needs to be followed. This will make you enjoy your retirement. Doing stress-free things also have positive effects on our health. Take note of this because this is one of the most important things in creating life balance after retirement. Let us know what you think of this episode, “Creating Life Balance after Retirement”, in the comment section! * Episode 1 – Living in the Present Moment * Episode 2 – The Cure for the What If   Connect with Janelle Anderson * Facebook Groups * Emerging Life for Women 40+ * Emerging Life Coaching * Website – https://www.emerginglifecoaching.com/ * E-mail: janelle@emerginglifecoaching.com  
The Cure for the What If: Episode 154
November 26, 2018 • 41 MIN
The Cure for the What If Janelle Anderson co-hosts another podcast episode and today, we'll be talking about “The Cure for the What If”. Most of the time, we are thinking, “What could go wrong?”. By thinking about this all the time, we might pass a lot of great opportunities. In today's episode, Janelle and I will be talking about the cure for this. Fear of the Future Fear of the future is a problem, but remember that the future is not real because it hasn't happened yet. Any transition might be a fear for most of us because we might be thinking, “What could go wrong?”. It's like crossing a bridge. What might be on the other side of the bridge? What if there's an earthquake while you're crossing it? How will you retire if you're always thinking about what could go wrong? Instead of thinking about this, how about focusing on things that could make you happy when you retire? Nobody can anticipate all the unknown. Janelle thinks that we are afraid of the unknown because people want to be in control. Small Actions Matter  Small actions are much better than a big one. It will make you feel better. For example, like Janelle, she's thinking about cleaning her house but she just managed to clean one room. It made her feel great! There's a book called “Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe The World“, it's about making your bed perfect every morning. Making something perfect when you start your day will make you feel so much better for the entire day. Taking action is the key to curing the fear of what if. Fear keeps us from taking actions. It makes us have reasons or excuses for doing what we really want.  Overcome your Fear of What If Face your fear. It's just like riding a bicycle, how will you learn how to ride it if you don't overcome the fear of falling down? Fear paralyzes us. It's not about what's happening to us, it's about how we're looking at what's going to happen to us. All of us doesn't know what's going to happen in the future. Always think that whatever happens in the future, we can handle it. It's about acceptance and living in the moment. Go ahead and step up and do whatever you want to do! Connect with Janelle Anderson: * Emerging Life Coaching * janelle@emerginglifecoaching.com Click here for the first episode with Janelle Anderson!
Living in the Present Moment: Episode 153
November 19, 2018 • 1995 MIN
Living in the Present Moment I wanted to try out something different on the show as I was getting bored of the usual pattern. So I will be co-hosting with Janelle Anderson and do a four-part series. Today, we are talking about living in the present. I read an article called “Living in the Moment” by Zorka Hereford which came out in essentiallifeskills.net. We have been hearing about living in the present and mindfulness a lot, and it is something that I think we all should try. By being present in the moment, you can get in touch with your feelings and thoughts and become more connected with others. We can become more relaxed and peaceful and derive a higher sense of gratitude towards life. Living in the Present To be in the present mean to be conscious of all of your senses geared to perceive the moment. It is not an easy task especially if you are new at it. Our minds have a habit of wandering off! Janelle talks about a trip with her daughter where she went on a hike. Both of them were sitting on top of a small bridge, and she utilized all her senses to take at the moment. It was like taking a picture which gets imprinted in your heart and stays forever! But she could have ruined it all just by thinking about walking back or what they were going to have in lunch. Don't let your Past ruin your Present Many of us also have the habit of letting the past ruin our present moment. We feel regret, get mad or upset because we haven't dealt with the past. We keep on ruminating on the things that happened again and again and end up impacting our present and the future. You need to go back, revisit your past and accept that you cannot change it. You need to learn from it and let it go. Some people have difficulty in dealing with their past. They hold it in and refuse to let it go. Therapy can be a good option for such people which helps them unpack their past and look at it from a different perspective. One technique that Janelle learned as a coach can help us to live life without getting attached to the outcomes. It is called detached involvement which is a way to experience life as you observe it. If we can practice this, then we will be able to go along with any outcome and accept it. Full attention is the key to be in the present. You should also not let thoughts of future meddle with the present moment. Tips to be Living in the Present The author provides us with six helpful tips to be in the present. Let's go over them! * Teach yourself to focus on the present moment. It needs a lot of training, and you need to have a genuine intention to do so. You can develop the habit with gradual practice and then it would come naturally to you all the time. * Get engaged in whatever you are doing and enjoying the process. You should use all your senses to take in a moment and tune in – listen to the bird's chirp, wonder at the clouds passing by, smell the fragrance of flowers- you get the hang of it right? * Teach yourself the relaxation techniques which let you focus on the present moment. The simple exercise is to take a deep breath and slowly let it out. It brings you back in the present moment to whatever you are doing. * You should also take in your surrounding and try to take a mental snapshot. It's just what we said about enjoying the process. * Listening is an art we seldom practice. How many times do you tune out in a conversation- or have other thoughts? We should make a habit of listening for the sake of listening whether it is a conversation, music or even silence. * Be in the present moment while you are eating. You should savor every grain or spoon and involve your brain while eating. That way you don't end up feeling hungry after an hour!  
How to Stay Youthful in Retirement? Episode 152
November 12, 2018 • 38 MIN
How to Stay Youthful? What's the secret of looking younger and feeling better? How to stay youthful? Our guest for today's podcast is Judy Gaman. She's a successful radio show host. The name of her show is “The Staying Young Radio Show“. She's also the author of “Age to Perfection“, “Stay Young“, and “Love, Life, and Lucille“.   Staying Young Staying young is a great problem that we have in our society right now. A lot of our diet wreaks havoc in the bacterias living in our gut. Some examples are carbohydrates and artificial sweeteners. We need to balance our good and bad bacterias. Our gut microbiome is connected to other aspects of our body so we have to take care of it. Taking Care of our Digestive System You have to take Fiber-rich foods like apple, banana, orange, strawberry, raspberry, vegetables, etc. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest. Though most carbohydrates are broken down into sugar molecules, fiber cannot be broken down into sugar molecules, and instead, it passes through the body undigested. Fiber helps regulate the body’s use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check. Sauerkraut is a great probiotic. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for you, especially your digestive system. We usually think of these as germs that cause diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. You can find probiotics in supplements and some foods, like yogurt. Doctors often suggest them to help with digestive problems. How to Stay Youthful Eating healthy is the key. Always remember that not all organic foods are pesticide-free. You can try setting up a small garden in your house so you can grow your pesticide-free foods! Remove soda in your diet. Some people buy soda to clean their house. Imagine putting that in your body! Judy gave us 4 choices and she said we only have to pick one and follow it. Here are the options she gave us: * If you are into artificial sweeteners, you have to stop using it. * Set your sleep schedule and you have to stick to it. * Find a way to exercise. * Eat 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every single day. CONNECT WITH JUDY GAMAN: * http://www.JudyGaman.com * admin@judygaman.com Source: * Use of Fiber – https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/fiber/  * Probiotic – https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-are-probiotics#1  
Caring for our Sick Parents: Episode 151
November 5, 2018 • 36 MIN
Caring for our Sick Parents Many of us have aging parents who need constant care and attention. People who have to contribute to caregiving for their sick parents can have a challenging time managing their own personal life. Some even have to move from their homes and jobs to move in with their parents. It's not unusual for someone to completely start over after their parents pass away and it may take many years to achieve stability in their own life once again. Our guest Ruth Ullmann shares a similar experience. She gave up her career in internal business consultation and devoted her time for elder care. She can be called an elder care coach and helps people care for their aging parents while driving a successful business. How it all began… Ruth has been helping companies, groups and individuals write success stories for 20 years. She has been featured on Fox, CBS, NBC, and ABC News, and was busy with her career. But a call from her sister changed everything — her mom was in the hospital and this was not the first time! It was the fifth time in the year she had to come out of a meeting on a phone call which notified her that her mother had to be taken to the hospital. She realized that it was not working for her to be so far from her parents, so she decided to quit her job and move into a house closer to her parents. She started consulting locally and things went fine for around 7 years. Then one day her mother had to be hospitalized again and gradually ended up in the ICU on a ventilator. Ruth found herself in a difficult situation as her mother was the primary caregiver for her dad who has also had health issues as well. He was diabetic, had dementia, and needed a wheelchair to move around. Ruth's dad passed away 10 months later at a time when her own health was not in good condition. It took her over 5 years to get her health back on track and in this time her business was not doing well. The time for realizations The experience taught Ruth quite a few things and she realized that it was difficult for anyone to take care of their parents and handle business objectives at the same time. She wished that she knew how to take care of her sick parents and work on her business at the same time. She wished she had conversations with her parents about what they wanted in the end. Ruth also realized a few more things – primary caregivers are more likely to pass away earlier due to the stress of caregiving – almost with 44% mortality incidence rate. She realized that you should accompany your parents to the doctor so that you don't have to rely on second-hand information. You could know what is going on with your parents and help them relay their conditions and health status. The realizations led her to change the nature of her business. She now started advising small businesses and entrepreneurs to meet business objectives while caring for aging parents. The business has two arms. * help businesses stay in business while caring for aging parents * helping families navigate elder care She provides one-on-one consultation to entrepreneurs to become the leaders of their business. Much of it begins with automation and slowly working your way to transform into a CEO than become a day-to-day worker. How Eldercare can help with our sick parents Eldercare has many aspects which all of us are not aware of. We don't have a clear idea about how the industry works, the details about different services such as assisted living or rehabilitation centers and the legal, financial and medical aspects of healthcare services. Ruth is the founder of Myeldercarejourney.com where she helps people on topics related to elder care and other services. She has an online course called
Living Healthy in Retirement: Episode 150
October 29, 2018 • 31 MIN
Living Healthy in Retirement I am Kathe Kline and I am back with another episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show. Today’s episode is all about living healthy and our special guest is Georganne Schuch, often called as healthy habit master. After going through two extremely difficult pregnancies, which almost put her in a life and death situation, a cardiomyopathy scare, and several other health issues, Georgeanne decided to change her life and help others do the same. The health enthusiast has developed 12 healthy habits set to assist people to make their lives healthy without spending a lot of money. She also updates regularly on her website stepyourwaytohealth.com. Georganne mentioned her 12 healthy habits. They include drinking more water to stay hydrated throughout the day, improving posture and consciously engaging in keeping the back straight. Did you know that watching TV might lead to spine problems? You might not notice but while watching television, we sit or lay down in an awkward position that can harm the spinal cord, which might lead to vertebral problems during old age. Engage in exercises like pulling back your shoulders to maintain a correct posture can help, according to Georganne. Sleep is important in living healthy! Another important part of the set is adequate sleep. Having a simple sleep cycle that consists of at least eight hours of continuous sleep is the very core of her health formula. The health master continued with taking less stress and working things out so that you are prepared for the worst. Flexibility is a great advantage in the future Being flexible is another step in becoming a healthy self-aware person. If you aren’t flexible naturally, you can perform yoga or pilates or any other exercise that helps in improving flexibility. If you are a flexible person, you tend to suffer less from joint pains and back pains, which is a blessing in disguise. Exercise and Healthy food is a must! She went on to talk about how staying active and walking whenever possible helps in staying healthy. Instead of taking the car to cover short distances, she advised people to walk or cycle their way there. A protein, good fats, and vitamin and mineral rich diet that contains a lot of whole foods fight off diseases and helps keep the waistline in control. During the conversation, we discussed about how everyone hates vegetables and have no choice but eat them. In the episode, she also talked about personal care product can be harmful to everyone. She said to eliminate as many products as possible and use natural ingredients that are enriched with vitamins and minerals. Relationships Georganne strongly believes in the power of building meaningful and emotional relationships with family and friends. Only when two people share an emotionally enriching relationship, they understand each other become better people and pass through difficult times. When Les and I got married, I told him that I wasn’t good at housekeeping. It was stressful for me because the housekeeper only came home twice a month. With only 24 hours in hand, it is difficult to do household chores especially if you are a career oriented person and have a business that needs complete attention from your side. This doesn’t mean you are running away from things but prioritizing what matters the most to you. Prayer and meditation is something every person should practice daily to reduce mental fatigue and rejuvenate the mind for the next day. She said that practicing meditation and breathing exercises every morning after getting up and every night before going to sleep, reduces emotional and mental stress. Prevention is always better than cure, so engage in activities that keep your help in health. She also mentioned that caring about others is good but everyone should prioritize their own g...
Healthy Lifestyle Changes – Part 2: Episode 149
October 22, 2018 • 1789 MIN
Healthy Lifestyle Changes: A Conversation with Dr. Stephen Schimpff Part 2 We will pick up from where we left in the last show with our guest Dr. Steven Schimpff. He was talking about the seven aspects of living a healthy life, and we had just discussed three of the aspects. In this show, we will talk about the rest of the points so that you have a healthy life and greater longevity. The seven factors of staying healthy are discussed in Dr. Schimpff's book Longevity Decoded, and he has given e a copy which I'm almost done the reading. I'm also taking down notes and will gift the copy and my notes to a lucky listener of the show. You just have to leave a comment in today's show note, and I will be making the lucky draw on October 30 on the Rock your Retirement Facebook community at 9 am Pacific time. Now let's see what Dr. Schimpff has to tell us about healthy lifestyle changes. Get Adequate Sleep You need at least 8 hours of sleep to stay healthy. During our sleep, our brain cells shrink and create a free space which is filled with fluid. This fluid is like a slow-moving river and washes out the toxin created by the brain. Sleeping also helps your brain convert short-term memories into long-term ones. Just like you save a file in a computer, our brain also creates the memories and places it according to so that we can retrieve it when we need. This is one of the most important lifestyle changes we need to do. Falling Asleep Many of us have trouble in falling asleep so Dr. Schimpff gives us a few pointers to achieve the task. The first thing you should try is to calm down and set yourself in a relaxing mood. That means no agitating material before going to bed- no stimulating movies with violence or a book with intense thriller! You can do with some light, peaceful reading or maybe a comedy movie! You should make your room absolutely dark and draw the shades if necessary. It would help if you also stopped using your phone or computer as the light interferes with our sleep. You can even turn the alarm clock so that the light doesn't disturb you. We should let our natural sleeping cycle take over and do everything to invite it. If possible, you can tune your sleeping schedule to the sunset and sunrise time for maximum benefit. Staying Asleep Some of us wake up in the middle of the night and find it difficult to go back to sleep once again. Dr. Schimpff advises us not to drink a lot of water or alcohol before hitting the bed. If we do get up, we should not turn on bright lights and maybe can take help of a night light. It is also not advisable to drink as you may again wake up with the urge to go to the bathroom. If you find difficulty in sleeping, you can go consult with a doctor and maybe take some sleeping aid such as melatonin. Quit Smoking Tobacco is one of the main causes of heart disease and will hamper your longevity for sure. Smokers are likely to die almost a decade earlier which has also been proved by studies. Though there is increased awareness about the ills of smoking, 17% people continue to do it. It is also more common in socially deprived areas where cigarettes remain more popular. Cigarettes and other smoking items create a lot of harmful chemicals when they burn. It can cause heart diseases by creating plaque in the arteries and chambers. Smoking can also lead to inflammation which in turn leads to chronic diseases. You should cut out any form of smoking be it a cigar, pipe or modern vaporizers. This is also one of the important lifestyle changes we have to do. Intellectual Stimulation Keep providing your brain regular challenges which keep it sharp and functional. There are various ways to stimulate your brain such as games like chess and sudoku, joining a discussion group or may be performing some art. Social Engagement We already discussed in the last show that we cannot live...
Healthy Lifestyle Changes – Part 1: Episode 148
October 15, 2018 • 34 MIN
Healthy Lifestyle Changes: A Conversation with Dr. Stephen Schimpff One thing I'm pretty sure of is every one of us want to live a longer and better life. That means having a healthy life free of illness and diseases. Today our guest is Dr. Steven Schimpff who is a senior health and longevity expert and has also written a book about it. Dr. Schimpff is going to tell us about the secrets to living a long and healthy life. He is 76 years old and moved to a retirement community with his wife. Healthy Lifestyle Changes at a Retirement Community Dr. Schimpff thinks that it is easier to have healthy lifestyle changes in retirement or senior community. His wife has been his lifetime coach and cooks healthy for both of them. The people in the community requested Dr. Schimpff to give a talk on living better and slowly he picked on the subject. He attended many seminars, lectures and carried out his own research all of which have been consolidated in his book. Living in a senior community has enabled them to adopt some healthy habits. They have signed up for 20 meals in a month, and her wife cooks the rest. The community has a fitness center and an Olympic size swimming pool coupled with lanes for walking. Both of them find it easier to exercise or maybe go for a walk to stay fit. They can also interact with other seniors over their meal and satisfy the need for social engagement. There is also no need to worry about small things such as leaky gutters as everything is taken care of. Dr. Schimpff has some useful insights which can help you have healthy lifestyle changes. How can the Senior Community Lead a Better and Healthy Life According to Dr. Schimpff, you have to choose between the healthy and non-healthy in every aspect of life. You can either have a salad or eat a sugar-laden cookie- the choice is in your hands. Dr. Schimpff tells us that there are seven crucial aspects of living a healthy life- * eating healthy * managing stress * adequate exercise * getting enough sleep * quitting smoking * intellectual stimulation * social engagement Healthy eating is a MUST! Be really careful about what you eat. Try to include as many green leafy vegetables as possible in your meals and also eat a lot of wide variety of colorful vegetables. You can choose the ones you like and make a salad, boil them or cook them with meat. A vegetable-based diet will give you all required nutrients while being low on calorie. Your plate should have 2/3 vegetables, and the rest can be meat or fish. You should also try to cut white flour and sugar from your diet. We have talked about it many times in our show how sugar can lead to inflammation and other chronic diseases. You should also look to eat grass-fed meat which has Omega 3 which is also present in fish. Cows who are fed soybeans and corns have Omega 6 which is not good for our body. Our guts contain around 100 trillion beneficial bacteria which digest fiber and give us energy. It's necessary to feed the good bacteria while starving the bad ones. Fermented food like yogurt and Sauerkraut come with live organisms and a good source of probiotics. You should also consume enough fiber present in fruits and vegetables to feed the good bacteria to keep you healthy. The label of the yogurt should read “contains live cultures” which means it has the good bacteria which our guts need. A few tips to have a healthy brain We also have to learn to deal without stress which can be done through meditation, taking walks in nature and spending time with people we like. You should also cut out tobacco use which we all know is not good for our health. You also have to keep your brain up to date by providing it stimulation or challenges. As humans,
Trusted Housesitters Experience: Episode 147
October 8, 2018 • 28 MIN
Our Trusted Housesitters Experience In this episode, Les is going to join me as a co-host as we talk about our experiences with Trusted Housesitters. Housesitters come in handy when you need them – and you can count on them to look after your pets. They stay in your home for the time you are gone and take care of everything. I have both served as a housesitter and used the service when we went on a trip. Today, we are going to talk about my experience of being a housesitter and how it felt to use the service. I really appreciate the service as it lets me travel to other places for free! I wanted to see how it felt like to be a housesitter and gain some experience on the platform. About my first Trusted Housesitters client My first client was a sweet couple who needed a housesitter on urgent basis. They lived in a 1,000 square foot house near the beach and had two large dogs weighing around 90 lbs. The first time I went to the house the dogs jumped on me as soon as the owner opened the door- that was the first red flag I noticed about the dogs and showed the dogs were not well behaved. The couple also asked us to lock the doors as the dogs loved to chew on their pillows! Never Do More Than You Think You Can! One day, Les took me out to dinner, and we came back to witness a real mess. It was just an hour and a half hour that we were gone. When we came back, we see something strewn all across the floor. We realized it was the remote control for the ceiling fan – the dogs made it a treat for themselves! The situation did not get better, and the dogs kept on chewing and eating other things – including our favorite magazines. This taught me a valuable lesson, and probably I won't be doing dogs in my next assignment, especially big dogs. I can handle cats, small dogs, and birds but big dogs can be quite difficult. It also taught me to ask more questions about the job before taking it up. It’s Mostly Great! Next time, I had to housesit a cat, and it was in a beautiful house with nice people. I only felt vulnerable one time – there was news of a criminal in the neighborhood. But apart from that, the whole experience was good! Les and I also opted for housesitting service when we were going on a trip and wanted someone to watch our dogs. Les was skeptical in the beginning about having a stranger in the house, so we did a Skype call to see how our housesitter looked. It's always better to interact with beforehand with your housesitter so that you can see their face and know about them a bit. A Few Precautions Help We also took a few precautions which would save us landing up in a false situation. We chose to lock the master bedroom and explained to the housesitter that it was for their own good. I constantly keep forgetting where I have kept things and didn't want to blame someone unnecessarily if they are not at fault. Also, Les doesn't find it very comfortable that someone would sleep in his bed! I also locked my office as it contained sensitive information related to my clients. We have a guest room where the housesitter was put up. She even brought her own bag with covers and all and didn't use our things. Other than that, the whole house was open to the housesitter and we also asked them to share our food. The housesitter did a very good job of taking care of our dogs, and both of us were really happy with the service. The Trusted Housesitter platform has three levels of security checks which can go a long way to prove the worthiness of a housesitter. You can look for third level security which involves a background check of the housesitter. The first two levels are related to verification of mobile numbers and Facebook accounts. You can also sign up for a housesitting service or become a housesitter yourself by using this link
Retire with a Healthy Brain: Episode 146
October 1, 2018 • 2185 MIN
Have a Healthy Brain after Retirement! Our brains start to lose its capacity as we age and we can’t remember things as we used to before. As for me, I have seen that my memory has been suffering as I age because of not having a healthy brain. That is why I tend to write down stuff which helps me remember things. Today, I look forward to learning a few things from our guest Janet Rich Pittman who helps out old people with age-related difficulties. She was in a marketing job and helped her husband get elected to a public office. She moved into old age care on the advice of her mother, who told her that she was great at helping her grandmother with dementia at the hospital. Janet started her course and became a dementia healthcare administrator. She loved her work where she helped old people to have a healthy brain and fight the treacherous disorder of dementia and other ageing related issues. She continued her studies further and became a dementia practitioner to be able to help people with dementia. What our Healthy Brain needs I asked Janet about the issues that we can face as we get old. Janet tells us that our brains are prone to experience a brain drain as we age. The brain needs proper nutrition and the need increases as it grows old. You also have to keep providing it challenges so that it does not fade away into oblivion. Janet runs her website and even has written an ebook. My listeners can go to her site which is Janetrichpittman.com and get direct access to the ebook completely for free. You can also go for a printed version, which costs $7.95 which shipping included. The book is called 9 Signs You are Experiencing Brain Drain and available in the middle section of her website. You need to scroll down a bit, and then you can see it. The book has everything you need to know about the brain drain that you experience as you grow old. It also tells you how to keep your brain fully charged so that you can go through old age without experiencing problems such as loss of memory. Food for a Healthy Brain I asked Janet to enlighten us with some of the nine signs that she has written about in her book. She tells us that the most important thing to keep a watch is the food you are eating. There is an intrinsic connection between the brain and the gut, and you will be surprised to know that the gut produces more neurotransmitters than the brain! What you eat is going to affect the performance of your brain. Janet also provides insight into the foods we should be wary of. She advises us to keep our hands off the “6 white foods”- sugar, rice, potatoes, milk, flour, and corn. Janet tells us that the black and brown varieties of the white food such as brown rice, Indian potatoes are fine but we must try not to eat the white ones! White Sugar is Not Good for the Brain She also tells us that we should cut out white or processed sugar from our diet. It has been proved that sugar feeds cancer. It’s why you should instead try things like maple sauce or honey to satisfy your sweet cravings. Along with giving up processed sugar, look to include oils such as Omega 6 and Omega 3 which improve the performance of your brain. She also speaks about the ill effects of gluten which is present in almost all food. We can handle a bit of gluten now and then, but excess amounts can turn our body against itself. Gluten causes leaks in the intestine, and the food seeps out in the body. It can lead to inflammation and with years of bad eating habit, the inflammation can shoot up to the brain resulting in dementia. The inflammation takes place as the immunity system reacts to the gluten and starts harming the body's cells thinking they are the enemy! So watching your gluten intake is really crucial! Another sign that people should look out for is getting enough sleep. Sleep is directly related to your brain's performance and has effect on your mem...
Natural Health and Wellness: Episode 145
September 24, 2018 • 31 MIN
Natural Health and Wellness in Retirement Our guest today is Marian Carroll who is an expert in bio-individuality. It is a concept which means that a single diet does not fit all and the needs of an individual have to be considered. Marian had a career in finance and IT and reached her retirement age as a baby boomer. She wanted a reason to get up in the morning and have something to do. This zeal led her to train and become a holistic health counselor who deals with natural health and wellness. Her job involves advising people on natural health and wellness in all aspects of life. This is for them to achieve optimal health. She focuses on five key aspects which are crucial for an improved healthy diet, physical care and exercise, a purpose in life, emotional wellness and spiritual practice. Marian tells us that all the five aspects are connected and should be our focus if we want to stay healthy especially in our retirement age having natural health and wellness. Marian gives us helpful insights on how to connect with nature to improve our health. She is not only talking about the nature that surrounds us, but she is also referring to out intrinsic nature or the intuitions. It is important to listen to our intuitions to achieve optimal health. Health and Nature Marian also states that we should improve our health by making well thought, slow and permanent changes in our lifestyle. The most important thing we need to be wary of is the food that we eat. We should start thinking about natural health and wellness for ourselves. We have developed a habit of thinking intellectually about what we eat rather than having our intuitions do the job. Marian's father used to say that she would eat what she needs as she is more connected to nature as a child. Marian thinks we should follow the same philosophy and let our guts decide what is good for us. It would also tell us what food to stay away from as they as they are not good for our body. Our body is more alive in a natural health and wellness. We should be super careful about what we eat and look to include more green in our diet because we really need to consider natural health and wellness. Marian says that the 80% food products that we get in the supermarket are made in factories which is not natural. Out of those around 65% to 80% come with added sugar. Natural Sweeteners Marian tells us that we should look to cut out processed sugar as much as possible from our diets. Too much sugar can lead to inflammation and even feed dangerous diseases like cancer. I also agree with Marian as Les, and I have stopped consuming sugar after he was diagnosed with cancer. It takes a bit of awareness and a lot of reading of labels of food products to know what to buy. Many products come with sugar such as peanut butter, bread, soups and we need to be aware of them. We will know about the ingredients and can choose sugar-less options easily if we read contents. Marian also suggests to us that we should aim to eat more plant-based whole food. You can even go for a plant-based version of popular food items such as noodles- there is a version which is made from the root of a plant found in Asia. You can also use natural sweeteners and natural honey instead of sugar to make your food sweet. This is what natural health and wellness are about. Natural Health and Wellness You should start with small changes and include veggies in your diet slowly and gradually. Your body may not be used to vegetables and you may be gassy or have other stomach issues in the beginning. But slowly your body will detoxify and adapt to the new diet making you feel more natural, healthy and energetic. The topic comes up that many people don't like to eat vegetables which affect our natural health and wellness. I asked Marian what should such people do to include natural greens in their diet.
Proactive Health in Retirement: Episode 144
September 17, 2018 • 27 MIN
Living Healthy in Retirement I talked with Cassandra Hill, who is a gerontologist and a certified wellness coach. She started out working with seniors in long-term care and assisted living and enjoyed her time. The health of the seniors she worked with declined to a point that their quality of life was limited. This gave her the passion to work with seniors and give them a better quality of life. In this episode, Cassandra enlightens us on how to age properly and the things that we should do to live out our senior years in peace and confidence. Cassandra tells us that the baby boomers are in their retirement age and they need to be proactive about aging. She has served seniors living at home, in a skilled nursing, assisted living, and also in hospice. She ensures that their emotional health is also taken care of so that they are in a good mental state. Their wellbeing is not only important to them, but also for their loved ones and family members. Our body and mind are interwoven and often mental stress can lead to physical symptoms and even cause illness. It is necessary to take care of both in order to live a comfortable life. Concerns about aging I ask Cassandra to tell us more about the concerns of aging and growing old. She states that the primary concern of seniors she works with is finances. Having the means necessary to live and fear of outliving their money. Many people have not bought long-term insurance or didn't save enough to go through retirement. With the advance in medical science, people are living longer but with chronic illness. Such people need to apply for government insurance like Medicaid immediately, which can cover long-term care depending on your circumstances. The insurance also pays for meals or any medical expenses including that of a nurse. Some states also offer the PACE program for seniors which are all-inclusive programs that come helpful in the golden years. Cassandra is now focusing on people who are yet to retire so that she can work with them and help them save enough for retirement. She also feels that the retirement system in the country should change otherwise future generations won't be able to support them. Living Healthy I presented Cassandra a hypothetical situation of a 62-year-old woman who has to take care of her kids and also has to check in on her parents.  Doing things for her parents such as occasionally buying groceries and other things for them. I ask Cassandra what suggestion she would give to such a woman. Cassandra says that this woman should first take care of herself otherwise she won't be able to care for others. She should go for a routine check-up at least once every 6 months. She also advises her to take self-care measurements and get the finances sorted. She suggests getting some form of pension and gets a retirement plan while making some cutbacks in her lifestyle. Her kids can also apply for education loans to take some burden off her shoulders. For a 62-year-old woman living independently, Cassandra advises her to develop healthy habits or should practice living healthy. She should also exercise regularly for about 30 minutes a day to increase her heart rate. To avoid feelings of isolation, she should join some community such as YMCA and interact with people who share the same interests. Advice from Cassandra Cassandra also gives out words of wisdom who want to be proactive about their aging. She tells us to invite an Aging in Home designer who can come and assess your house. They can suggest a number of changes which might help you in living healthy and happy for a long time. Such considerations include putting slides in the shower, taking up rugs and so on. Talking on the subject it turns out that falls are really common with senior people. Most of the falls happen in the bathroom facilitated by factors such as water and slippery floors.
Tips on a Great Retirement Experience: Ep. 143
September 10, 2018 • 38 MIN
Randy Gardner's Retirement Experience In today’s episode, we have Randy Gardner who is going to tell us about his retirement experience. Randy just recently retired. In fact, as of our recording, he had only been retired 1 week. Randy serves as an inspiration for the many listeners of my show who want to retire early or planning to retire but are may have some reservations. Incidentally, Randy is also a big fan of the Rock Your Retirement Show and started to follow it a few years back. He had to travel for three hours between cities and grew the habit of listening to podcasts. That’s exactly when he discovered my show and started listening to it! Soon, he got the idea to retire himself but wasn’t sure of his financial situation. He also had his wife to convince who was an artist but also quite adept when it came to finances. How a financial advisor can help you decide if you are ready for retirement Randy sat with his financial advisor and went through his financial position. He tried to evaluate how his retirement may turn out if he chose to quit his technical job. Interestingly, both of them realized that he would be doing quite well even if he chose to retire right now! They worked on the finances and his income including Social Security to get a detailed picture of his financial scenario into the retirement years. Randy got his wife to sit down with his financial advisor who made the picture clear to his wife and answered all her questions. Getting the confidence he needed, Randy decided to give up his job and spend a life of retirement. Randy is a Rock your Retirement listener! I know that many of you are worried about being bored in retirement. Randy was also plagued by the same thought. He wondered how he could fill up his week which was earlier spent in working for over 40 hours. Let's take a look at Randy's retirement experience. Randy had already started listening to my show and started taking cues and notes from the stories people had to contribute. He started to develop a list of things to do in his retirement life which will keep him busy. To his surprise, both Randy and his wife had quite a few things which they had put off due to various reasons. Here are some things Randy wants to do to have a great retirement experience For starters, Randy wants to play a lot of golf which he enjoys to the fullest! He is also thinking about continuing his interest in music and maybe start learning piano which he had gave up at the age of 12. Both Randy and his wife also want to travel a lot! They would like to go on some train trips and cruises that they've always had their eyes on. Randy even wants to learn a foreign language and makes notes of things he wants to do in his iPad or iPhone all the time. Another impetus to retire was to spend more time with their daughter and son-in-law. Being retired they were now free to move to Austin, where their daughter lived. They also bought a house in the city which is located only a short distance away from their daughter’s home. Randy is also free to spend time with his mother who is single and over 90 years old. Retiring has also brought other pleasures which he could not enjoy during his working life. He can go to bed late and wake up late. Although by his standards 6 am is as late as it could be! Randy loves to watch the sunrise with a cup of coffee. He believes it to be the best time to spend with family. He can begin the day with his daughter, son-in-law, and wife and talk about all the day has to offer. Advice from Randy based on his retirement experience: Randy believes that we all should have a routine and purpose to get up the next day. It doesn’t have to be something extraordinary but simple things like going to the gym or taking a walk in the park. He inherited the habit from his father who was a stern believer of a routine life.
Retire Early and Travel! Part 2 of 2: Ep. 142
September 3, 2018 • 36 MIN
Retire Early and Travel! Part 2 of 2 In this episode, I continue my conversation with Keith and Tina Paul who are early retirees with a zeal to travel. We have been talking about how to retire so that you can travel overseas and maybe even live there! Our guests also tell us how you can have a tight budget and still travel like you have desired. As we shall see from them, it’s easy to retire early and travel! Keith and Tina tell us about their exciting appearance on HGTV’s International House Hunters. They sent an email to be on the show but didn’t get any reply for six months. They received an email asking them to be on the show just as they planned to move to Cuenca in Ecuador. After answering 25 pages of questions and making an 8-minute promo video, they got to be on the show. Keith and Tina wrote a whole article about the “staged reality” show on their blog detailing the back of the scene events. The couple became famous after their appearance on television and people started to recognize them even on their travels. People even asked to take pictures with them and recognized them from the HGTV show. They became a symbol of all that you can do if you retire early and travel. What is it like to retire early and travel? I ask Tina and Keith to tell us about some experiences in their travel and how we can look forward to retiring early. They tell us that many people resist the idea of traveling as they can’t speak the foreign language. But Keith says you don’t need to be a language expert to visit or stay in other countries. Both of them manages on broken Spanish and you can undertake your travel if you can speak a bit of the language. You can always take classes and learn the language to make things easy. Also, there are many countries that speak English. Safety I proceed to ask Keith and Tina about their experience of living abroad and the things that they liked. I was amazed to know that Cuenca is a super safe place where kids walk to school or take the public transport by themselves. The place is also safe for walking at nights and there are no worries of being mugged or robbed. They feel like living in the 1950s when you didn’t need to fear about leaving your kids alone or going out in the dark. Healthcare Healthcare is also another major vertical which differs from the USA. The doctors are compassionate and even give their personal number to patients. Medical procedures are almost 25% cheaper than the USA and you can visit an eye specialist in $40- which even includes the charges for all follow-up visits! Supplies When I asked them to relate the things they didn’t like, it amounted to just a few things. They cannot get most American brand foods in the supermarkets. So if you have become used to something then it may be a problem. But some people in Ecuador sell American things for an extra charge, so there isn’t much of a problem, and you can always find domestic alternatives. One of the biggest challenges of living in a place like Cuenca is lack of connectivity. It doesn’t have an international airport and you have to fly to Quito to catch an international flight. They had once missed a cruise as the local flight to Quito was canceled. Another problem is that you don’t get Amazon deliveries on the same day and have to pay tariffs and high shipping charges on top of it. Also, you cannot carry more than 2 phones into the city. The drawbacks of living abroad are never enough to hold you back. Like Keith and Tina, you can also retire early and travel! Connect with Keith and Tina * E-mail: keith-tina@retireearlyandtravel.com * Website:
Retire Early and Travel! Part 1 of 2: Ep. 141
August 27, 2018 • 30 MIN
Retire Early and Travel! Many people have the dream to retire early and enjoy a peaceful and happy life. Some have special reasons to retire early and this episode is all about how to retire early and travel to your heart’s content. Our guests Keith and Tina Paul will enlighten us on how you can retire early and travel even if you have a tight budget. Both Tina and Keith are early retirees and live abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador. The retired just at the age of 55 to travel and see the world and Keith never wants to go to work for a single day in his life again! How they decided to retire early and travel Tina and Keith have known each other since they were 18 years old and got married at 24. They shared a strong love and passion for traveling and chanced upon the idea of living abroad when they were visiting Guatemala. They met a couple living there and found that they could live there for less money than in the USA. Their kids also worked and lived abroad, and Tina and Keith wanted a glimpse of their lifestyle. They got to working on their plans as soon as they got home. Keith did the math to make sure that financially they could retire, and they would be able to live off their money in some less expensive country. They started Googling places to live and zeroed in on Cuenca in Ecuador. Advice for someone who wants to retire early and live abroad Keith and Tina tell us that we don’t need a lot of money to live abroad or travel. It helps to have savings, but you can also live off your Social Security check in a place like Cuenca. The couple runs a website Retire Early and Travel where they write their experiences and post pictures of their travels. How did they choose WHERE to live? Just a simple process of elimination really. They made a wish list of 10 things they wanted and checked places off as it matched them. Tina and Keith wanted a walkable city and a nice climate like Southern California. They already loved Latin culture and spoke a bit of Spanish which made them fall for Cuenca. Another advantage was that they could travel back to the USA whenever they pleased due to geographical proximity. They decided to live in  Cuenca, Ecuador! Cuenca became the destination of their dreams. It has a lot of expats, pleasant 70-degree weather with very less seasonal changes and a buy city which ensured they don’t end up getting bored! Cuenca is situated at 8,500 feet, and you don’t find any bugs and mosquitoes to ruin your peace. The best thing about Cuenca is that you can live here on a monthly income of about $1,000. This was was never possible back in the United States. For a couple, you can live comfortably for $2,000 a month which includes everything like rent and food plus extras for things like eating out and entertainment! They even live in a 4,600 sq. ft. house for which they pay $1000 a month in rent. Keith says that they have everything they need to have a comfortable lifestyle. They may not get all American brands but they can eat organic vegetables brought fresh from the farm without any harmful chemicals, pesticides, or preservatives. They even get produce for a lot cheaper than in the United States. When I asked them about the things they find difficult in Cuenca, Keith only had to complain about high shipping charges and lack of same-day delivery from Amazon! If you want to know how to retire early, you can visit their website Retire Early and Travel. It also has some nice articles on how to earn while you are retired and gives you best travel deals and hacks to make your dreams real! Connect with Keith and Tina * E-mail: keith-tina@retireearlyandtravel.com * Website: https://www.retireearlyandtravel.com * Twitter: @retiretravel
There’s Big Joy in Writing Memoirs: Episode140
August 20, 2018 • 32 MIN
Writing memoirs for loved ones: Expectations vs. Reality Loved ones like our parents have a lot of stories to tell but don’t always get the opportunity to do so. In this episode, Nicola Davidson tells us how to write autobiographies and memoirs for your loved one or for yourself. Working as a journalist and editor for multiple newspapers in Australia and UK, Nicola has interviewed many people who had fascinating stories to tell. But the format of the newspaper didn’t allow such elaborate memoirs. This gave the idea to Nicola about writing autobiographies for your loved ones and she came up with the website Forever Young Autobiographies.com. You can learn how to write a bio for yourself or a loved one’s memoir. I feel that I should have written down the stories of my father before dementia and Parkinson’s made it impossible. You may also want to write down and pass on the stories of your loved ones before it is too late. We don't need to be writers Nicola tells us that we don’t need to be writers or someone famous to write down our memoirs. But we should come up with a “why”- the purpose of telling or writing your story. For many people, it can be an inter-family thing with parents passing down their stories to their children. Having a “why” gives you a head start and gives you the desire to write down your story. You shouldn’t also worry about where to begin! Just get the energy going and start writing whatever you remember first. That way you can write down several memories or short stories and arrange them according to a timeline later. Writing is a creative process and you shouldn’t let the inner critic prevent you from writing whatever you feel. The best thing to do is to leave your inner critic for the second draft, according to Nicola. You can write or type out everything you remember and go take a break. After some time, you can come back to it and scan it with a fresh mind and eyes. You will be amazed that you had done a great job and can edit or modify your writing. Nicola also gives us helpful tips on writing memoirs for seniors. You can help them write down their stories as Nicola is helping her 98-year-old grandmother to do so. Your loved ones can relate or speak out the stories and you can record the speech and transcribe it later. Some people may find it difficult to remember their memories. Nicola advises us to start with long-term memories which are the richest. She also describes a few exercises to churn up all the memories- You can take a walk around the house and stumble on things which stir up some memories associated with them. Others find it helpful to look through their photo albums or vinyl collection to get the memories going. You can even remember things from certain smells like food from childhood. Nicola suggests you write down everything- your childhood years, high school memories, marriage stories- anything and everything that can go towards making an interesting memoir. Connect with Nicola: * info@foreveryoungautobiographies.com * https://www.foreveryoungautobiographies.com * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foreveryoungautobiographies/ BONUS! Click HERE to get Nicola's first few chapters of her book for FREE! Also includes a discount code if you buy the book. Image already added
An Expert Interview about Family Rejection: Episode 139 Dealing with Family Rejection: Episode 139
August 13, 2018 • 45 MIN
Do You Struggle with Family Rejection? Family rejection is a very common problem across the world. Many kids don’t talk to their parents and don’t even want to maintain any contact. Many of my listeners have the same problem and have estranged daughter or son living in other countries. In this episode, our guest Tina Gilbertson provides helpful insights on how to deal with family rejection. She is a Colorado-based psychotherapist who helps repair estranged relationships between parents and their children. Gilbertson found the problem so common among her clients that she wrote three books and a ton of articles on the subject. She will be giving out important tips on how to deal with family rejection and get talking with your estranged children. Every relationship has a chance Tina believes that every relationship has a potential to be repaired but for that, parents need to take both emotional and strategic steps. The first thing to do is to understand that your children may not be hurting you or avoiding you intentionally – it is because they have been hurt by something and hurting you back in the process. Develop compassion You have to develop a sense of self-compassion along with compassion for your children. You have to accept your mistakes and understand the grievances of your kids. Also, you may not always be at fault. Sometimes kids have a different experience because of their personality and perception without you having done anything wrong. Everybody has their temperament and you cannot do anything about it. Whatever be the case get over the parental shame and develop a mindset of compassion. Only then you will be able to get to apologize to repair the relationship. Give a good apology An apology is a gift and best tool to mend broken relationships suggests Tina. She lists out several factors that make up a good apology and open the doors of communication. To render a good and effective apology you must let all your guards down and become defenseless. Even if you are one percent defensive it will seep into your apology and make it ineffective. Tina tells us three unique factors that make up a good apology First, you need to be specific and say what you are sorry for; you should specifically speak out what you might have done wrong to hurt the person. If you are at fault, accept and clearly say you had done that. The second factor is to understand and relay back why it was hurtful to the person. For example, you can say “I’m, sorry, you didn’t deserve that” or “I’m sorry that my tone was harsh,” instead of saying that you were just sorry! The third factor is regret – you have to show that you are really sorry and regret the fact that your hurt them or did something wrong. You can add things like “if only I could take it back,” or “If I could change things..” to make your apology emotional and sincere. A good apology will break the ice and can get your children talking to you. Connect with Tina Email: tina@tinagilbertson.com Website: tinagilbertson.com Books Reconnecting with Your Estranged Adult Child Constructive Wallowing The Good Breakup Guide Image already added
Men and Women in Retirement: Episode 138
August 6, 2018 • 37 MIN
Men and women when it comes to retirement Dr. Sara Yogev is a psychologist who helps people in marital and individual therapy, as well as career coaching. She was a professor at North Western University for 10 years and researched how people combine work life and family life. Her interest and expertise revolve around retirement. She decided to start working with marriages a long time ago. She believes the relationship with others is so important. In this episode, you will learn about * How to make your marriage work * Psychology of Retirement * Misconceptions about retirement * Psychological planning pre-retirement * Men and women in Retirement People spend a great amount of time preparing for the financial aspects of retirement but don’t plan for the psychological aspects of retirement. It is very important on a personal and couple level to prepare for this new phase of life. Two strong misconceptions revolved around retirement * People think they know how to do leisure. They don’t consider leisure that takes up one-fourth of your life is different than a one week or one-month vacation of leisure. * People are not aware retirement will create a lot of changes in marriages or significant relationships. Many domains need to be renegotiated. Men and women Depression in people over the age of 65 is rising. A lot of seniors are reporting, in addition to medical problems, psychological and depressive issues. Research shows 1/3 of retiree’s experience depression in the first two years of retirement. The group that tends to have the most difficult time retiring is professional women, even more than men. Research is consistently showing that there is very unhealthy alcohol consumption among seniors. Men tend to drink more than women. Both men and women report, in the first two years of retirement, low level of marital satisfaction and high level of conflict. Divorce is surprisingly rising the 50 plus age group. Loneliness is a very strong, negative influence on health. Tips for pre-retirement * Your vision for retirement might not match your significant other’s vision for retirement. Be prepared that there might be different expectations. * Disagreements don’t indicate you have a bad relationship. It means you need to adjust. * Know it’s a transition and there will be some bumps in the road. * Planning for retirement before you retire. Links The Baby Boomer 30-Day Journal The Couple’s Guide to Happy Retirement and Aging  Contact Sarah Sarayogev.com sarayogev@yahoo.com Phone: 842-470-1925 Image already added
The Pros and Cons of Cruises: Episode 137
July 30, 2018 • 44 MIN
Les and Kathe talk about the pros and cons of cruises In this episode, Les and I talk about our experience of going on a two-week long cruise abroad the Celebrity Millennium ship. The 18-year-old ship took us on a cruise to different Asian countries including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and mainland China. We decided to record an episode discussing what we liked about the cruise (and what we disliked). Both of us have been going on cruises for a long time and here are our thoughts on the pros and cons of cruises: The Pros of Cruising: We booked the tickets for the spa level class, which was the higher class on the cruise. Les and I got a top floor room, and it came with a nice balcony. We just loved the open skies and endless ocean on view! The upper-class service was as expected. Les and I got our food in a separate blue restaurant, which the cruise said had healthier food to offer. We were even given a personal waiter who ensured that he knew our preferences from before and set our menu accordingly. What I personally loved the most was that the staff at the restaurant even accommodated our diet choices, making protein shakes for me each morning. We also had a waiter, who always welcomed us by name each time he saw us. A personal touch is always lovely. All classes in the ship are also given a personal room attendant, and I did find it to be convenient. While the personal attention that we got from the staff was because of the tickets we had booked, I had been to other places which didn’t really meet up to the same standard. What did I and Les like the most? It’s perhaps being able to meet new people and make friends with others. Both Les and I now think that cruises have an older population, and our travel was a wonderful way to meet people who are our age and of the same mindset. Did I forget to mention about the captain? He always had a joke up his sleeves, no matter what! If I compare the pros and cons of cruises, I think you cannot argue that the value a cruise experience has to offer. The Cons of Cruising Les is prone to seasickness and staying on the 11th floor did not help him! So pro tip: if you stay on an upper floor you will be most affected by rough seas. If you get sick easily, we suggest you book a lower floor room. Les feels that cruising, in general, robs the chance to explore the culture and habits of the local people. I agree with him. If you want to explore local cultures cruising may not be the best route to go. If you want to immerse yourself in local culture and people, home sharing is what you should be looking for, as it helps you to experience all of that closely at an affordable price. Sometimes, I did feel our room to be a tad bit warm, but it was probably because of an HVAC problem, which the staff fixed later after I called them. The only significant problem I had on the entire trip though, was when we were trying to board the ship. The staff, for some reason, misled us to another port. We had to pay extra to our cab to get to the right port and catch the ship! Talk about a stressful beginning!   So, there you have our pro's and cons of cruises. Overall this was a good cruise and the service was great. We may be doing more land vacations for a while but I think since cruising has become more affordable, everyone should try it at least once.  
Diane Dahli’s Retirement Journey: Ep. 136
July 23, 2018 • 29 MIN
Diane Dahli's Retirement Journey Diane Dahli is a retired teacher of 15 years. She is all about enjoying her retirement and living her passion, which is currently her blog. It took a Diane awhile to realize her passion and purpose post-retirement. After attempting to jump back into the classroom and sitting still for quite some time, she decided to pursue writing in the form of a blog. She has loved it ever since and would like to continue doing it as long as she can. Her Retirement Journey Diane also loves to read. She has read books like The Writer’s Way and The Purpose of Life. She also joined a self-awareness group in the midst of trying to discover her purpose. Diane wasn’t looking for busyness in her retirement, she was looking for purpose, something meaningful. She found herself wondering if she retired too early if there was something else she needed to do in teaching. After applying for a job in a classroom, she got a job in a resource room. It was a very intense position. At the end of six months, she clearly knew she didn’t want to go back to teaching. Diane spent time gardening, volunteer and spending time with her grandson. She also took a year-long course in herbalism and grew herbs, something she still does. While she loved these things, they still didn’t capture her full, long-term attention. She was immersed in life but also had this idea that there must be something more that she wasn’t getting to. How she found her purpose in Retirement She eventually decided to revisit something she had always wanted to do, to write. At first, she didn’t know what to write about. Eventually, she decided to write about her generation after researching and discovering blogs, such as Time Goes By, about The Silent Generation. Her daughter was tech savvy and helped her design her blog website. She has now been blogging for three years. Diane gets up every morning at 5 a.m. to write for about two hours before her husband gets up. She finds all that is involved in blogging, including the social media, very fulfilling. Retirement advice from Diane: Get some professional help. If that doesn’t work, just start daydreaming. In this episode: * Retirement advice from retirees * How Diane found her passion and purpose in retirement * Diane's Retirement Journey * Settling into doing nothing * The traditional retirement route * Diane’s decision to try a second shot at the classroom * Ways Diane spent her time in retirement * How Diane got started blogging Contact A Professional: * Marianne Oehser * Lori Cassidy-Haughland * Janelle Anderson * Mira Simon * Jim Palmer Connect with Diane: www.stilltheluckyfew.com Image already added
Downsize your home and life: Episode 135
July 16, 2018 • 38 MIN
Do you need to downsize your home? What about downsizing your life? Why are these things beneficial as we retire? Kathy Gottberg is a published author of six books along with numerous magazine articles. On her blog, SMARTliving365.com, Kathy explores ideas and experiences to help create a sustainable, meaningful, happy and rewarding life for herself and others. Since turning 60, Kathy has become increasingly interested in ideas around positive aging and retirement. Learn more about rightsizing and why downsizing doesn’t have to be a downgrade in this episode. On today’s show we discuss: * Rightsizing vs. downsizing * Why rightsizing is so beneficial as we age and retire * How to rightsize What is rightsizing? Anything you have in your life requires energy, time and effort to maintain. The beauty of rightsizing is it allows you to choose what’s important to you. Use your time, energy and resources on the things you value most. You can rightsize just about anything in your life. Rightsizing is about getting rid of the things that don’t really matter and focusing on the things that do. The key with rightsizing is it’s individual. It will be different for everyone. Areas you might need to rightsize: * Old habits * Toxic Habits * Your current job Advice for rightsizing: * Do it with a loved one * Get away and get quiet * Find resources to help you How to downsize your home? Ask yourself these questions. * What are the top 10 things that are most important to me for the rest of my life? * Do I need it? * Can I rent it? * Can I borrow it? Kathy firmly believes that if you take the time and effort to downsize your home and rightsize your life, then you will be better prepared to retire and better prepared to make all the choices and decisions in your life that will make you happier and more purposeful. Kathy’s Books: Positive Aging: A SMART Living 365 Guide to Thriving and Wellbeing at any Age (2017) Rightsizing: A SMART Living 365 Guide to Reinventing Retirement Simple SMART & Happy: A SMART Living 365 Guide to a Sustainable & Meaningful Life (2014) Finding Grace—A Transformational Journey (2013) The Complete Guide To Selling Your Own Home in California (2008) The Findhorn Book of Practical Spirituality (2003) Links: SMARTliving365.com Twitter – @gottgreen Email – kathy@smartliving365.com   Image already added
Let’s talk about Senior Dating: Episode 134
July 9, 2018 • 37 MIN
Let’s talk about senior dating – how to date and build intimate relationships as we age Walker Thornton is 63 years old with a background in Educational Psychology. She has been a writer for years, writing poetry and journaling. Walker started dating post-divorce in her early 50's and started writing about it. She realized there wasn’t a whole lot of information for older women when it came to dating and relationships. Walker works with individuals to talk about relationships. She has conversations with men and women to revamp their dating profile. She is sometimes called “The Sex Whisperer”. Senior Dating – The first thing you need to do if you are ready to get out there: Make sure you are ready and you are not rushing to fill a void. Your desire to go out with someone should be based on mutual interest. Often people rush into the dating world in despair which can lead to not wise choices. Think about what you are looking for. Are you looking for marriage, a long-term relationship, romance, sex or someone to do things with? Are online dating services a positive or negative way to find people especially for senior dating? It can be a great or awful way. It depends upon your goal. Be prepared to put in work and effort to find a good match. Advice for someone getting into the online dating world: * Be honest about yourself and share your real self. * Show accurate photos and information so the other person can get a sense of who you really are. * Talk on the phone prior to the first date. * Make the first date short, leave yourself an out if it’s not going well. Walker recommends open communication between sexual partners, especially around comfort levels and using protection. When it comes to flirting, you can simply make direct eye contact, smile and touch the other person’s hand to show interest. You don’t necessarily have to twirl your hair or bat your eyes. There are many ways to express desire or interest subtly. Words of wisdom for someone just getting back into dating: * Make a list of the traits you want your ideal partner to have. What are you looking for? * Get a good, recent picture of yourself you feel comfortable in made for your dating profile. Walker’s Book: Inviting Desire, A Guide for Women Who Want to Enhance Their Sex Life Connect with Walker: Website: https://www.walkerthornton.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wit62/ Facebook: https://vtfww.facebook.com/WalkerJThornton/ This post about retirement and retirement lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
How to Connect Spiritually: Episode 133
July 2, 2018 • 26 MIN
Today I wanted to give you things I do to connect spiritually You might not affiliate yourself with any one religion.  Or you might consider yourself to be “spiritual”. This episode is not trying to convert you, just to spark your creativity on how you can connect more to your spiritual side. If you listen to the show you know that I’m a follower of Christ, but I wasn’t always.  And even today, I’m considered a bit unorthodox by many of my Christian friends. Much of what I believe today is influenced by what I was taught as a child, which doesn’t necessarily match what others think. This might be you. So today I’m going to tell you what I personally do to connect spiritually.  You can take some of it for yourself or leave it.  That’s up to you. Connect with Nature: First let’s talk about something that anyone can do, and that is connect with nature. When I’m feeling disconnected, frustrated, or basically just un-spiritual, I tend to want to go outside.  I like going outside and standing in the daylight.  I go to my milkweed plants and search for monarch caterpillars. Just being outside, soaking up the sunshine makes me feel more connected to God and more spiritual. I know I’m lucky where I live, because not only is it sunny most of the year, but also I look out on “open space” in my backyard.  What that means is that no one can build on the land behind me as it’s set aside for wildlife.  That set aside is only for 400 feet, but right now I have a whole mountain behind me. When I go outside in addition to the sunshine, I listen to the birds.  They are singing whether it’s cloudy or sunny.  And it’s something about the singing of the birds that calms me down and I connect spiritually to God.  I don’t even have to talk with God, I’m just there. And wherever I go, I listen for the birds.  Even in urban areas, there are usually a few around, chirping.  And if we listen carefully we can hear them.  Even crows cawing can soothe your spirit sometimes. Listening for wildlife around us can bring us a spiritual connection that we don’t have in our urban busy lives. You know what’s interesting, is that I have been training myself to listen for the last couple of years.  It’s difficult for me because I consider myself to be hard of hearing.  It’s usually when I’m in a crowded room, the talking all runs together and I cannot make out individual conversations.  So it’s hard for me to be in big groups of people. But, since I’ve been training myself to listen, I can actually now hear the sounds of my worms eating.  Sounds gross right? But I have a worm farm in my backyard.  I started it when I first started growing organic vegetables and didn’t want to put chemicals in my garden.  Now I just grow milkweed for the monarch butterfly caterpillars to eat.  But I kept the worm farm.  There’s something about watching them take food and turn it into compost that relaxes me.  And now at night when I go out to feed them, I can hear them eating. Yesterday I was outside and I could hear the flutter of the butterflies wings when it flew by me.  There was a time that I would never have heard any of that. And all of this listening is bringing me closer to God. Perhaps if you listen more to nature it will open your spirituality as well. Color Meditate/ Mind Mapping   I attend church almost every week, and I create drawings of the word that the pastor says.  Sometimes I’ve found that by drawing out the words it helps me concentrate, and then I remember what is being said. Even though my pastor is a great public speaker, is funny, and connects with his small audience of about 150 people, I have a difficult time concentrating, and even staying awake during the sermons. I’m not sure if it’s because during the week I’m so busy, and on Sundays, I tend to decompress.  After church,
Resilience in Retirement: Episode 132
June 25, 2018 • 31 MIN
I brought Veronica Mitchell on the show to talk about resilience in retirement Veronica is an advocate for seniors, women, and caregivers. She writes her own blog and is a sought-after public speaker. Veronica has an approach that combines her excellent verbal, emotional and social intelligence with her funny sense of humor and curiosity for life. She wanted to talk about building resilience in your life so you can move forward through life transitions and stay positive, even thrive after trauma, loss, and death. Learn more about Veronica’s personal experiences and advice for resilience in this episode. What is resilience? * The ability to adapt yourself to diversity. * To be able to cope and recover from trauma and stress. * Being able to get through tough times and being able to thrive afterward. * To be able to continue and grow. Veronica shared her experience with us She had a traumatic brain injury years ago in a car accident. Veronica had a concussive syndrome for a very long time. She had to cancel her speaking and writing engagements. Learning resilience is one of the things she has to do. Veronica had to come up with a game plan. Her sister caught her one day not knowing how to put a recipe together. This also became a chance for her to have time to think a lot. She got the right doctor and therapist because of this. And she's back to her speaking and writing engagements! Key Topics: Learn how acceptance of the present moment builds resilience. Learn why Resilience enables someone to be positive through life transitions. How to recover and grow after trauma and loss On Today’s Show we discuss: * Is resilience born or learned? * Resources and healthy coping skills * Being open * Gratitude * Learning acceptance * Maintaining calm * Being around positive people, loving yourself and volunteering * Pillar 5 of the Six Pillars of Retirement Lifestyle Veronica's Tips * Stay around positive people – The people in your inner circle should be encouraging * Volunteer – Helping others will help you * Love yourself Veronica Mitchell has been the founder of several corporations and has been employed by US/International Corporations. Veronica is a caregiver for her aging parents. She writes and speaks on Resilient Aging, Preventing Elder Abuse, Caregiver Issues, and making the most of life at any age.  Veronica writes her own blog featured on www.veronicamitchell.com Contact Veronica:  veronica@veronicamitchell.com  Twitter: @Veronicamitch1   Image already added
Structure in retirement: Episode 131
June 18, 2018 • 45 MIN
Structure in Retirement James Metz is an 83-year-old who loves playing tennis and golf. He spends much of his time in active competition rather than exercise studios or on exercise bikes. He leads a very active lifestyle. While James is happily married, loves traveling and stays active, he finds that he doesn’t have a lot of male friends. James and I met through SCORE and he reached out to me in response to one of my newsletters James sold his business in Houston and moved in December of 1994. He soon found himself restless. James had a background in retail but soon found himself representing Sears. He claims it was one of the happiest times in his life. I wanted to see if I could help him find structure in retirement and his daily activities Today James faces a lull in the evenings, usually between 6 and 9 P.M. He has volunteered, been certified as a mediator and worked. Learn more about James and listen in on a brainstorming session about ways James could get involved during this episode. What is a certified mediator? A mediator certification instructs individuals on required skills to resolve conflicts directly and train others on workplace conflict resolution strategies. James decided to get certified as a mediator when he realized he wasn’t a good listener in his business. His wife claims it made him a better person and a better listener. EVERYBODY NEEDS STRUCTURE IN RETIREMENT – YOU ARE NOT ALONE Imagine, you were working from 9 to 5 and all of a sudden, you're retired! What do you do in your free time? It is a tough transition for some, especially those who spent almost all of their adult life working. It is a monumental change in life. Filling up all of that free time and trying to find a purpose with your new retirement lifestyle all seems overwhelming sometimes. James, along with millions of other retirees need answers to these issues. On Today’s Show we discuss: * Men being lonely in retirement * Brainstorming ways to fill James’ time * How to find structure in retirement * Learning to listen and take time to think about your answers * Difference between relationships between men and relationships between women * Men aren’t the same as women * It’s surprising what people will do when you ask * Importance of connection * James’ love for traveling * Planning ahead Image already added
Retirement in a different country: Ep 130
June 11, 2018 • 33 MIN
Stephanie Cunningham came on the show to talk about her retirement in a different county. On Today’s Show we discuss: * Retirement in a different country * Stephanie’s bicycle tour * Decrease in social status after retirement * Stephanie’s cultural transition in Australia * Needing a reason to be on this earth or sacrificing happiness * Value of community in Australia * Money isn’t everything Stephanie was born, raised and worked in Colorado until she took early retirement to join a round the world bicycle tour. While on the tour, she found Australia and decided to move there. Because of visa regulations at that time, she couldn’t work, which forced her into an early retirement. Trying all of the activities that are traditional in retirement left her unfulfilled and wanting more. The Bicycle Tour The bicycle tour was a millennial trip. While it wasn’t an inexpensive trip, it was for a whole year. Stephanie did a lot of physical training for the trip. It was recommended each rider do at least 6,000 miles before the beginning of the tour. Each weekday, Stephanie rode 135K. It was physically challenging but not nearly as difficult as she thought it would be. Stephanie enjoyed the trip because you see things you wouldn’t see on a bus or in a car. New Found Love for Yoga One new activity she tried was yoga and enjoyed it. She decided to become a yoga teacher for over 50’s and then added yoga training to teach over 50’s for yoga teachers. In March of last year, she started the podcast Changing the Face of Yoga to expand the perception of yoga. She will launch the second broadcast in July about finding purpose in retirement as she struggled to find purpose and feels it is very important for a successful retirement. She talks about her initial culture shock and the challenges for retirement in a different country. Why Australia? Australia is a tenth of the US population but as large land wise as the US. It is less crowded and frantic. Stephanie claims it is almost 10 years behind in certain ways. Australia has less commercial ads and consists of a much more laid-back atmosphere. It is also gorgeous. Impact of Not Being Able to Work Stephanie was not planning on retirement when she moved to Australia. She had worked for Colorado and retired for a nominal amount of money. She planned on taking a year off then going back to work in a different way. There were a lot things Stephanie loved about working and it was a hard adjustment at first. She certainly never imagined her retirement in a different country.  Advice for Retirement in a different country Stephanie recommends really planning it and understanding what you are getting into. She recommends going to an expat community when first adjusting. In addition, look at exchange rates and cost of living when considering retirement in a different country. Connect with Stephanie: www.yogalightness.au Stephanie is launching a new podcast in July of 2018 called Changing the Face of Retirement. If you would like to check it out go to https://www.yogalightness.com.au/changing-the-face-of-retirement/ Would you or have you considered retirement in a different country? Let us know in the comments below Image already added
Clever Life Hacks to Improve Health: Ep129
June 4, 2018 • 38 MIN
On today’s episode, I am sharing 25 clever life hacks to improve your health. I found this article at https://gethealthyu.com/clever-life-hacks-improve-health/ that gives some pretty clever life hacks. I thought I would share them with you 1.  Start every morning with a glass of water and freshly squeezed lemon or 100 percent natural grade lemon oil I actually don't understand what this does to our body. I always hear “Drink an alkaline water”. If you know what it does, please comment below!. 2. Sweat it out before you get in the shower This sounds easy to do but it's not! I heard that when you sit in a sauna for 30 minutes, one of its benefits is raising your metabolism to exercise. 3. Never eat a bad egg again I found a perfect hack for this. Les bought me an instapot. Did you know that you can use your pressure cooker to boil eggs? It's also very easy to peel! 4. Meditate to clear your mind I find it very hard to just sit there and meditate. There are plenty of apps you can use to help you meditate. One is called Brain FM. It doesn't take 5 minutes but 20. For me, what works best is coloring. Yes, you heard it right. It helps me clear my mind. There are also studies that say when you doodle, it will help you remember better. 5. Using baking soda as a natural produce scrub I wish I read this before I bought some scrubs for $10! All you need to do is combine a few teaspoons of baking soda to 1-2 cups of water and you have a natural produce scrub! 6. Fancy up a water bottle to guzzle more What I do here is that I have a water bottle and I put a rubber band at the bottom of it, Each time I drink from it, I put the rubber band on my wrist. That's how I help myself drink water. My goal is to drink 4-5 of those bottles per day. 7. Meal prep your way to healthy lunches Usually, you do this by cooking a whole bunch of food every weekend and that's what you're going to eat for the whole week, You can also do those meal preps you see on social media. They put salads in those cute jars and have a separate small container for the dressing. 8. Take a stretch break This boosts your energy, improves focus and benefit your mood. 9. Turn your commute into a chance to laugh You can listen to Rock Your Retirement during a commute! 10. Save your wilting herbs in ice cubes Save your wilting herbs. Chop them and put it in ice cubes with olive oil. You're ready to saute in no time! Learn simple tricks and clever life hacks to live a better healthier life 11. Get a workout in while you are watching your favorite show I asked Les to bring our elliptical machine down and watch TV. We have an activity room. It has a TV, elliptical machine, rowing machine, and many more. Do we use them? NO. I remember when we used to do that. It makes working out a lot easier while watching TV. 12. Use essential oils to clean more naturally Making natural cleaning solutions are better than using chemical based ones. One of the most common natural cleaning solution is baking soda and vinegar. 13. Make a do it yourself travel cup What they did is they use a regular glass and top it with press and seal wrap and put a straw through it. If you have travel cups then you don't need to do this. I think most people have travel cups today 14. Never buy a rotten avocado To test whether an avocado is ripe or not, flick off the dry stem. If you see a brown spot, don’t buy it, if its bright yellow-green, buy it. I live in California and I never bought a rotten avocado.
Developing Creativity in Retirement: Episode 128
May 28, 2018 • 29 MIN
I brought Karen Poirer-Brode on the show to not only talk about scrapbooking, but about developing creativity. After retirement, Karen launched a podcast called A Creative Approach Podcast. She shares stories of people who used creativity to their own advantage and worked through challenges with a creative approach. Karen loves storytelling and uses it as an art and way to connect. In addition, Karen also has a blog called Karen’s Corner of The Web. She also spends time volunteering and working as a Scrapbooker. On Today’s Show we discuss: * Karen’s love for scrapbooking, art and photography * The spiritual impact of art * Scrapbook crops * Developing creativity  * Family memories around crafting activities * How scrapbooking relates to the 6 pillars of retirement Developing creativity through scrapbooking Scrapbooking is Karen's way of making stories. She does digital scrapbooking and traditional scrapbooking. Karen's teacher discouraged her from art when she was little and she wouldn't discover that she has a passion for art if it weren't for scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is one of the ways in developing creativity. You can take a photo and tell stories about it in fun ways. Karen also gives scrapbooks to her family and friends occasionally. There are also groups in scrapbooking and Karen belongs to the creative department. People from different parts of the world get together via webinar and they make scrapbooks together. What a great way to make friends! In addition, you may use scrapbooking to document your travels so you remember the happy memories you experienced. Scrapbooking is a fun thing to do with your grandkids and a way to connect Karen shares a story about her childhood and what her mom used to do. Do you remember when you were little and it was raining outside so you had to stay in? Her mom would take out pictures and they would tell stories about them. Karen says it is a great way to have fun with your children and grandchildren even today! What is a scrapbook crop? These are events where two or more scrapbookers gather to work in a social circle on their books, cards or other projects. It came from the word “Crop” which means cutting out a part of a picture. They bring all their paper and embellishments. Others bring their digital crops. They bring their laptops and they make scrapbooks together. Karen Poirer Brode was born in the Canadian Prairie. She lived in Canada until she finished medical school in Montreal. She then became a physician, specializing in OBGYN. After marrying and having a family, she moved to California, where she is today. One of the websites that offer digital scrapbooking is Get it Scrapped Connect with Karen www.acreativeapproachpodcast.com karenscorneroftheweb.blogspot.com Do you have any ideas for developing creativity? What hobbies mean the most to you? Feel free to share in the comments below Image already added
Benefits of volunteering: Episode 127
May 21, 2018 • 33 MIN
How volunteering Keeps You Young Fred Shatsky is our guest for today’s episode. Fred is a 77-year-old retiree who has been married for 50 years. He is a proud father and grand father of two sons and two grandchildren. Fred was a US Naval Officer and worked as a pharmacist for 35 years. Now he volunteers for the USS Midway Carrier Museum and the San Diego Zoo. He is also a member of Get Off Your Rockers. I asked Fred how he found his volunteer position. Sometimes it is always easy to know where to look or where to start when you want to begin volunteering. Fred suggest looking online as there is many volunteering opportunities For Fred, it was a matter of good luck and good timing in his situation. Fred’s interest in the USS Midway Carrier Museum started as a nostalgia thing. He saw an advertisement for volunteers. At the time, he didn’t know exactly what he was volunteering for but knew he was interested. He is now a docent for the USS Midway Carrier Museum. He spends his time interacting with people, guiding tours and volunteering in other capacities. What is a docent? A docent is a member of a teaching staff or someone who acts as a guide, typically on a volunteer basis, in a museum, art gallery, or zoo. Fred is also part of the Knot Team at the Museum. They tie survival paracord bracelets and sell them for donations on weekends and Holiday's. They have raised over $50,000 for K-12 scholarships. What is the USS Midway Carrier Museum? The USS Midway Museum is a maritime museum located in downtown San Diego, California at Navy Pier. The museum is centered around the aircraft carrier Midway. The ship includes a widespread collection of aircraft. I personally have been there several times and it is amazing! It is definitely worth visiting if you are even in San Diego. Advice to someone in a small rural area wanting to volunteer: * Start by looking online * Reach out to friends Fred says there are four factors to his good retirement * Luck * Health * Wealth * Timing What is Get Off Your Rockers? Get Off Your Rockers is an organization for seniors that provide opportunities to volunteer with organizations such as the Sand Diego Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity and various other charities. On Today’s Show we discuss: * 6 pillars of retirement as they relate to volunteering * How friends can help you volunteer * How volunteering can help you make friends * Volunteering and relationships * Condescension vs respect Websites Mentioned in the interview: USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum San Diego Zoo   Image already added
Finding the love of your Life: Episode 126
May 14, 2018 • 37 MIN
Finding the love of your life as an older adult can be an elusive proposition Alan told his friend that he's going to be in our podcast and he will be talking about love. His friend's reaction was “You?! A love doctor? That's a real laugh. You've never been any good at love. The only luck you ever have is love with your novels.” She knows Alan very well that's why she had that opinion. Alan had some long-term relationships that didn't work out. Alan easily finds love but struggles to maintain relationships. In this episode, Alan shares his past dating experiences, why he thinks they didn’t work out and how he plans to navigate romance going forward. Alan isn’t on dating sites and he doesn’t go on blind dates but he puts himself out there in various ways, such as dancing. On Today’s Show we discuss: * 6 pillars of retirement * Selfishness in relationships * Getting and Keeping love * The difficulty of connecting as you get older  What Alan Has Learned from Past Experiences That Will Help in Future Love Endeavors? “I think I’ve been selfish in my relationships. I vowed to be less selfish, more flexible and less rigid.”  The Irony of Relationships Among Older People Many older people don’t feel they need to be in a relationship. At the same time, studies show if you are married, you are more likely to live a longer and healthier life. Learn from Alan * Don’t try to sell your book on a first date * Put your phone down on dates and when you’re with loved ones * Be present in the moment * It’s never too late, the love of your life could be right around the corner. * Don't look for someone faults and why a relationship won't work. Focus on the positive  Alan’s advice  “Be flexible and open” Alan Mindell is a prior podcast guest, bestselling author, guide at Friendly Excursions and multiple gold winner of the San Diego version of the Senior Olympics. Connect with Alan solanabeachalan@yahoo.com Alan’s Books The B Team: The Closer: A Baseball Love Story        
How traveling affects relationships: Episode 125
May 7, 2018 • 1848 MIN
Traveling affects relationships. Sometimes it can bring couples closer together, and sometimes it can put a strain on the relationship. There is a saying “couples who travel together, stay together”.. ok, I made that up. I don't think it is an actual saying. I wanted to dig into the topic of how traveling affects relationships. As a lot of you may know, my husband Les and I enjoy traveling. We wanted to share some of our experiences and tips we have gathered over the years to make it less stressful and a more enjoyable time. Here are some things that you may need to talk about and might have an impact on why traveling affects relationships * Preparation * Talk about how you're going to travel. Example, how much luggage you will be bringing, and the type of clothes you will be packing. Create a packing list or use the checklist I provided below at the end of the show notes. * Timeframes * Discuss how many days, weeks or months are you going to stay there? * How much money you are going to spend * One example is buying a plane ticket. Should you go for a business class or economy? It sometimes depends on the number of flying hours like when Les and I had a 13-hour flight. The price for a business class is times 4 the price of economy. Les isn't a fan of paying that much for airplane tickets but I Like the extra space and comfort. So on long flights, Les agrees comfort is important. * Planning Details together * Who's going to take care of your house while you're gone? Are you going to pay for it or have a neighbor do it? Les and I are considering house sitting now. * Decide who is carrying what in their suitcases * I like to bring a nutri-blender with me because sometimes when we go out of the country. I have a special drink I like for dinner but the blender weighs 8-9 pounds! So even though Les would have carried my suitcase for me, the blender takes up a lot pf precious room. So, I typically leave this at home. Sometimes there can be stressful situations that will test your relationship. * Discuss what you both want to do on the vacation * Discuss what you both want to do. I like to go to warm climates and lay on the beach and Les wants to go to cooler climates and do activities. He isn't one to lay around on a beach all day. What we do is we compromise. We go to warm places sometimes and we go to cooler climates sometimes. I think compromise is key in traveling and in any relationship. * Decide if you want to spend the entire time together or are you going to have “break-out” sessions and do something on your own * Sometimes, you and who you're with don't like to do the same things or activities. When my sister and I went on a vacation together, she wanted to hang out by the pool and I wanted to go and visit museums. As a couple, you need to decide if it is okay to do things on your own sometimes. * Plan on what to do if you accidentally get separated * What if you get separated from each other? On our trip to Asia, we got separated from each other. We were in a shopping area and I was looking at cute little things while Les is looking at the backpacks. We made arrangements that if we get separated, to meet each other in a certain area. There is no question that traveling affects relationships. Patience, planning, preparation, are just a few things to have a successful vacation with your significant other. Do you have any stories on how traveling affects relationships? Have you had a good experience where it brought you closer together? Or have you had a bad experience?
Aging Consciously: Episode 124
April 30, 2018 • 1514 MIN
Aging Consciously what does it mean? Aging consciously is aging with intention, aging with a sense of purpose and aging with a with a real commitment to grow into becoming one of the very best in this third stage or third chapter of life that Ron often calls “elderhood”. Ron thinks you could contrast aging consciously with this kind of drifting into getting old. Believing that with retirement or with retirement age, the best years are behind you. Your years of contribution and making a difference are behind you. Believing that it's kind of a matter of hanging on as best one can and hope for the best. It's incredibly enlivening. Aging consciously is supportive of the health of body, mind and spirit. If you have a real sense of purpose in aging and is intentional about moving toward that. Ron believes that baby boomers are going to be the driving force in creating an empowering vision for aging. He thinks baby boomers are playing the lead role in helping our society see that our third chapter can be an incredible time for us as individuals. Many of us speak about conscious aging or conscious elders but in a lot of different ways and from a lot of different quarters empowered, vision is emerging. Most of us think that people become irrelevant or marginalized after they passed retirement age. We need the wisdom and the gift of wise elders. Ron is doing his best to promote that kind of understanding. In Ron's perfect world, there would be a societal understanding that older adults have a lifetime a wealth of experience and wisdom that they can contribute. There would be an understanding that there's a responsibility that comes with getting older. And that responsibility is to continue to grow and to develop themselves so that they can serve as a model for younger people. This is for the younger people to see that growing old can be something wonderful and not something to dread. What would a perfect world look like to Ron in regards to aging consciously and supporting our elders? There would be a societal understanding that older adults have a lifetime a wealth of experience and wisdom that they can contribute. There would be an understanding that there's a responsibility that comes with getting older and that responsibility is to continue to grow. It would be great if younger can see that growing old can be something wonderful. It's not something to dread. It's a stage of life that can be full of fulfillment and meaning. In Ron's ideal world the role of elder is going to be reestablished. Traditional elders around the world have made a commitment to grow and to serve. He said they make a difference until their dying day. Today, more and more people are claiming that role. In Ron's ideal world, the elder is going to be an honored role and all of us as a society is going to honor that role. When people retire, they will not see it as an opportunity to play around but they're going to see it as a chance to grow and make a difference. It might also be about developing parts of ourselves that maybe we haven't had a chance to develop prior to retirement age. Isolation is absolutely deadly. Emotionally, physically and spiritually Just about a year ago AARP and several other aging organizations released the results of a major study. They interviewed thousands of Americans over age 50. They found that the majority of Americans view aging as primarily defined by loss, decline, diminishment, marginalization, and isolation. If that is the image that we're surrounded with and that we live in, then it's inevitable that many of us to some extent or other are going to have internalized a lot of those kind of beliefs. I asked Ron what are some actionable items we can take to change this view? * Take a look at the beliefs we carry about our aging * We must have a sense of purpose and look for a reason to get up every day that is bigger than ourselves...
Longevity and Staying Young: Episode 123
April 23, 2018 • 45 MIN
Let’s talk about longevity Judy Gaman is our guest for today’s episode. Judy is a graduate of the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the School of Professional Studies. She is an age to perfection expert, longevity educator, author and nationally syndicated radio show host of the Staying Young Show. Judy strives to educate and inspire people. She has four books and is currently working on two more. What is the Staying Young Show? Judy show is called “Staying Young” and it started when a radio station called her and said that they're closing. They asked her if she would like to take over the show. She happily accepted the offer. They grew in Dallas and got another offer in North Carolina and now broadcasting in 57 stations. The Staying Young show talks about anything that relates to health or longevity. There are so many things that we do that impact our longevity. On Today’s Show we discuss: * All things longevity * 6 pillars of retirement * Advice for socialization * Nothing keeps you healthier than service * Getting past the age thing * Even in dark times, you can find a way to turn that around for the good * The healing effect of turning a negative into a positive * Importance of sleep The Thing Judy Learned That Surprised Her About Getting Older: The new science we have behind longevity that we didn’t have even when we started this show. Judy underwent DNA testing at Executive Medicine of Texas. They do executive physical tests. Many people visit them to do tests and stay there for half day. The patients will be given a map of the findings and information about the tests done. Judy had a best friend who's 104 years old! Judy also talks about a best friend she had who passed away when she was 104 years old. She learned a lot from her. Her friend was filled with incredible information and advice. They met when Judy was working on her book called, “Age to Perfection: How to Thrive to 100, Happy, Healthy, and Wise “. She needed resources and then realized why not just ask people who are over 100? Judy looked for people who were over 100 years old and she found her best friend. They spent a lot of time together and would have lunch every Friday. They had a blast! Did you know? Did you know that there are jobs that decreases your longevity? Doctors don't get enough sleep and you need at least 8 hours of sleep per day. Construction workers have a very physical job and are out in the sun all day. This can increase the chances of skin cancer. And, sports players have really low longevity because of sports-related injuries. Connect With Judy:  http://www.JudyGaman.com admin@judygaman.com Books Age to Perfection: How to Thrive to 100, Happy, Healthy, and Wise Stay Young – 10 Proven Steps to Ultimate Health This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
Forced Retirement: Episode 122 Forced Retirement: Episode 122
April 16, 2018 • 1872 MIN
Let's talk about Forced Retirement Marianne Oehser is our guest for today's podcast episode. She came on our show to discuss forced retirements and how to cope if it happens to you. One example of Forced Retirement that Marianne gave us is “Rich” one of her clients. Here's his story: Rich worked for the government and handled one of the largest and most important departments. All of a sudden, that department was eliminated. Now when this happened, it created a lot of challenges for him. Like many, he is facing a forced retirement. When Marianne and Rich started working together, it became really clear how depressed he was. He had trouble getting up in the morning and by mid-afternoon, he barely had the energy to read the paper. When Marianne talked to him, it seemed like he had lost his sense of purpose in his life. “This happens when you're not ready to retire,” Marianne said. A forced retirement can bring up a lot of emotions One of the first few emotions you might feel is anger then resentment. What Rich did after acknowledging what he was feeling is forgive the person that made it happen.  Together he and Marianne worked on letting go of the resentment and pain until he was able to start on focusing on the present. They worked on building his “happiness”  portfolio. Rich needed to figure what he wanted the 8 important areas in his life to look like and be like. During this process, Rich awakened his desire to write. He took some creative writing classes and thought about doing his memoir. Then he uncovered a short story he wrote in the past.  He published it and now being reviewed as a script for a movie. Rich now writes screenplays and books. This man no longer tries to figure out how to get out of bed every morning. He no longer has to think about what he wants to do at 3 in the afternoon. Rich now gets out of bed with gust, vigor, and enthusiasm and has lots of things going on. He was able to tap back into his sense of purpose. 8 Areas of Happiness * Self-development – Continuing to grow and understand that you can be excited about wherever you are in this in your life and embracing what is now and continuing to be a better person as a result of the things that you choose. * Health and Well-being – If you don't have your health, nothing else matters. * Primary Relationship – Relationships are central to who we are as human beings. Having a strong primary relationship is important. Examples, marriage relationship, long-term life partner relationship, strong friend relationship, family relationship. * Social Networks – As we move further along in our lives, our social connections become more and more important. When you move out of retirement, it may change. Not the same people we used to work with. It's all about building relationships. building new relationships. * Spirituality and Religion – As we progress in our life, we become aware of the fact that at some point, our physical body isn't gonna work anymore. * Leisure – About being balanced. * Community – What are you doing for the people around you? How are you giving back * Vocation or Profession – more of us are either having to work or choosing to work How does all of this fit into the balance? How do these 8 work together? Marianne says that we need to have balance so at the end of the day you can say that this is the life that you will be living. You may reach Marianne Oehser through her website Retire and be Happy or via email: Marianne@RetireAndBeHappy.com She is a retirement consultant, a Certified Retirement Coach,
How Seasonal Jobs can help you Rock your Retirement: Ep. 121 Kelcy Fowler and Matt Moore talk to the Rock Your Retirement show about how seasonal jobs can help you with retirement lifestyle. Listen to today's episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show
April 9, 2018 • 2153 MIN
How can Seasonal Jobs help you Rock your Retirement? Kelcy Fowler and Matt Moore are the new owners of CoolWorks.com. What is CoolWorks? CoolWorks has been a leader in connecting people seeking meaningful and exciting work with the employers who are looking for their enthusiasm. energy, and knowledge. They believe that you can and should love your job, and they want to help make that happen! They post job opportunities in great places– everything from national parks to ski resorts to retreat centers. and everything in between. Their journal profiles the exciting stories from CoolWorkers to inspire you to take that next step. Whether you are still discovering your passion, need a seasonal career, or just feel the call to change paths, they have everything you need to help you find your next great adventure. Let's meet the owners: Kelcy is considered to be the Magic Wand Wielder, helping others pursue their own “grand” adventure. And Matt calls himself the Employer Wingman and Captain of Contracts. He’s got a true passion for Great Places and inspiring people from all walks to take the first step in finding their different path. They have a resources section on their website called “Older and Bolder” which I love! The motto? “You’re more than a retiree, you’re Older and Bolder! You’ve got energy and dreams, and there are tons of opportunities out there for you.” How does CoolWorks (seasonal jobs) work? CoolWorks is a website where thousands of different employers across the country post their seasonal (meaning temporary jobs) and year-round job opportunities in great places. CoolWorks is completely free for the job seeker to browse and apply for jobs, you don't even need to sign up!  They also provide job seeker accounts to save searches and favorite employers and a great collection of Older and Bolder Resources. If you are traveling and will be staying there for a while (or ever want a reason to travel somewhere wonderful and stay for a season) you can check their website and look for seasonal jobs available in the state that you're interested in. What a cool way to earn money, right? You get to enjoy the place where you are staying and at the same time, you're earning money. Win-win! Why would someone want to go work if I am retired and don’t really need the money? * A lot of retired people are passionate about having new experiences and meeting new people. It's an opportunity to fill up your season with incredibly rewarding and exciting experiences and meeting lots of friends and creating lots of great relationships. What skills do you need? * There are a lot of skill sets. It differs from employers but one of the most common that they are looking for in an employee is friendliness. If you are friendly or a people person, you have a higher chance of getting hired. If you aren't a people person, they have jobs for you too! How do I apply? * All you have to do is visit their website, https://coolworks.com/, look for a job that you are interested in, and contact them! It's that easy. If adventure, travel, and experiencing new places and meeting new people is anything that appeals to you, consider seasonal jobs and visit us at coolworks.com and give it a try. We believe we change lives one seasonal job at a time. What are the advantages of having seasonal jobs: * Flexible scheduling with no long-term commitment * Learn something new
What is a house sitting service?: Episode 120
April 2, 2018 • 21 MIN
Have you ever heard of House Sitting? My husband and I have a running argument about traveling. I want to travel more. He's concerned about the cost of getting care for our two rescue dogs, Izzy and Winky, and my Moluccan cockatoo Mr. Grant. And it's not just the cost. It's the upheaval that the animals have to go through when we leave. So when I found out about these house sitting websites that are out there, I HAD to dig deeper and learn more. What is a House Sitting service? House sitting is the practice whereby a person leaving their house for a period of time entrusts it to one or more “house-sitters”, who by a mutual agreement are entitled to live or stay there temporarily. Either in paid positions or rent-free, in exchange for assuming any combination of responsibilities, such as taking care of the homeowner's pets, performing general maintenance (including pools, lawns, air-conditioning systems etc.), keeping trespassers off the property, readdressing the mail, and in general, making sure that everything runs smoothly just as if the owner was at home. It is reasonably assumed that pet-care is typically a paid service, although some “house sitters” may choose to include this as part of their agreement at no cost or a nominal fee. [1] I found two people who use house sitting services regularly The first person I spoke with was Jo Ann Schneider or Josie for short. Josie and her husband have been all over the world! They have been able to travel to places that others only dream about because of the costs. She and her husband are retired, and they receive Social Security among their other ongoing payments. But for most people on a fixed budget, traveling around the world might not be an option. How did they do it? They used house sitting matching services. Josie and her husband had been staying in bed and breakfasts when they found out about house sitting. “In 2008, we were in Australia and we were staying in bed and breakfasts. I had a book of bed and breakfasts in Australia, and we would look in the book to find a place to stay in a town we were headed towards. In Alice Springs, in the red center of Australia, we booked a bed and breakfast, and we got there and our hostess said, “I'm not the homeowner here. I don't own this place. I'm just house-sitting for them. We looked at each other and looked at her, and we were very confused. And she explained how you meet up with home owners on websites and that you can go and stay in someone else's home while they're on vacation, and it's an exchange that no money changes hands. It's free to the traveler, and the home owner gets peace of mind knowing that their home and often their pets are looked after.” Their first house sitting experience was for a young couple in Copenhagen and they stayed in their home for 6 weeks while the couple traveled. However, when I interviewed Josie, they had just returned from an 8 month, around the world, house sitting experience!. They started in Helsinki, worked their way down through Scandinavia, UK, seven countries in Europe, Singapore and Australia, and then back to the US where they live. I asked Josie how she was able to do this and get the trip scheduled in advance “We kept adding on. It's logistically impossible to have them all scheduled or committed to beforehand. In an eight-month time period, the people eight months out were not posting their need for house sitters yet. So yes, we had to do it as we went along.” Not only does the house sitter get to stay for free, but you get to have amazing experiences “They're all unique and very, very different from staying in a hotel in that you have neighbors, and the homeowners often introduce us to the neighbors.
Creating your own adventure in retirement: Ep. 119
March 26, 2018 • 43 MIN
Have you thought about creating your own Adventure in Retirement? This podcast episode falls under the 2nd pillar, Significant Other (Be adventurous with your spouse), in the Six Pillars of Retirement. Jim Palmer is a marketing and business building expert and in-demand coach. He is the founder of the Dream Biz Academy and Dream Business Coaching and Mastermind Program. Jim is the host of Newsletter Guru TV, the hit weekly Web TV show watched by thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners and he is also the host Stick Like Glue Radio, a weekly podcast based on Jim’s unique brand of smart marketing and business building strategies. Jim started thinking about and living his retirement lifestyle before retirement age. Instead of waiting for his retirement, he is living out a dream now while he continues to work. He and his wife sold their house and put the contents in storage. They are currently living on their boat, which is named Floating Home and traveling up and down the east coast. They are enjoying a more simple life.  He has created a dream business where he works with clients only 3 days a week and travels the rest of the time. He hopes to continue working for many years, beyond typical retirement age and says it will be possible because he hasn’t worn himself out with work that is unfulfilling. It's time for a big adventure in retirement! It was Jim's wife's idea to live on a boat but it's Jim who is the “boat guy” as he grew up on boats. When Jim married his wife, they wanted to have their own boat. However, between work, raising four children, and maintaining a home they never had the chance to buy one. Once their children got married and moved on, and Jim's wife Stephanie said she is done with her job, suddenly they were no longer “landlocked.” They spent a few years trying to decide what they would do and where they would live, They did get a small boat which was big enough to sleep on but not that big. Eventually, his wife suggested they live on a boat. Jim's initial thought was “we're gonna need a bigger boat” Then their adventure in retirement began. They sold their house, found a bigger boat, and moved on April 15th, 2017. They initially agreed to an an18-month plan. First, they went to New England to see their daughter and grandkids. Then they went to Chesapeake Bay which is their home port, and they are going to go to Florida for their first winter. So, at the time of this interview, they were almost a year into their adventure in retirement. How is it? They love it so much! Jim feels living on a boat is like an everyday vacation. It's very relaxing and it is just a simple life. They are now talking about a 5-year plan to continue their retirement adventure on their boat. What is it like living on a boat? I personally, know very little about boats and tend to think of it as somewhat similar to living in an RV. Jim and Stephanie's boat is 50 feet long and 14.5ft wide. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It's a motor yacht with almost 1000 horsepowers. Jim said they don't want to go on a camping in the waters, they want to feel comfortable. They wanted to have separate space if they need it so it isn't too cramped. We talked about all of the amenities in Jim's boat and the maintenance and repair that goes along with it. It is quite fascinating! An interesting fact is you don't have to have your captain's license. The fact that you own a boat and can drive it means you are a captain. Both he and his wife have taken courses through the Coast Guard. Jim's job is to drive the boat and do maintenance on the boat. His wife's job primarily is the navigator.
A Happy Relationship with your spouse after retirement
March 19, 2018 • 30 MIN
How to have a happy relationship with your spouse after retirement This podcast episode falls under Significant Other in the Six Pillars of Retirement. And today, our guest is Nora Hall, a dedicated problem solver, set out to find solutions to the struggles she and her husband encountered after he retired. Numerous interviews with retirees revealed that most couples experience similar stress during their adjustment period in retirement. Nora shares their stories and offers proven solutions and inspiration for all retired couples, to help them have a happy relationship and stay happily married. Prior to writing full time, Nora worked as a teacher, arts administrator, fundraiser, and writing consultant. Nora started writing her book and blog because when her husband retired, they didn't expect the change in their relationship. They didn't really anticipate anything about retirement but soon learned they weren't having fun and enjoying it. Nora started to wonder what was going on and decided she needed to find a resolution. In her research, Nora discovered that there were some common circumstances that almost every couple experiences when they initiate their retirement. * Many times husbands tend to become angry initially during retirement. Their identity is wrapped up in their careers and when they retire they feel they are losing their identity * Now that the husband is retired, he doesn't know what to do with himself * The change of being together all the time put a strain on relationships Another common problem Nora discovered in her interviews and in her own relationship, is that when their husbands are retired there are suddenly always there. Women tend to have a lot of structure in their day to day activities. Out of boredom, the husbands will check on them to see what they are doing throughout the day. Women tend to perceive this as a sort of “butting in” if you will. In reality, the husbands are trying to be helpful and the women find it annoying. It’s so important to be sensitive to one another’s needs Nora tells us a story about when her husband retired and she was still working as a freelance writer at home. She didn't have a door in her office and her husband would come in and start talking to her and distracting her. Her husband didn't understand why Nora would get angry and Nora couldn't understand why he didn't realize that she was busy. She discovered they weren't being sensitive to each other's feelings. So what was the solution to this problem? Their grandchildren solved the issue. They put a sign on the pantry door that lead to Nora's office that said: “Do Not Enter”. When she didn't want to be disturbed she would open the pantry door with the sign on it. Having a happy relationship with your spouse after retirement might be difficult because of the adjustments you both have to make.  Nora also talked about the 5 types of husband: * Bossy Husband – These are husbands who are in a managerial position (managers, directors, CEO, etc.). They are used to being the boss so when they come home it's natural for them to expect that they are the boss. * Always There Husband – His days are spent in his workplace then suddenly, he's at home all the time. This type of husband doesn't typically have many outside friends to go to lunch with or do things with. * Dependent Husband – Not the type of always-there-husband but really doesn't know how to fill his time throughout the day. For example, he wants to go out every Friday but he expects his wife to plan the trip. * Angry Husband – Their identity is wrapped up in their work. There is more anger in men. These husbands don't know what to do with themselves after retirement.
Finding Meaning and Purpose in Retirement: Episode 117
March 12, 2018 • 41 MIN
How to Find Meaning and Purpose in Retirement? Fritz Gilbert is the Founder of The Retirement Manifesto, a personal finance blog focused on helping People Achieve A Great Retirement.  Fritz will be retiring in the summer of 2018 at the age of 55, after 3 decades in Corporate America (most recently as a Commodity Trader).  He and his wife live in a cabin in the Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia, just a few miles from the start of the Appalachian Trail.  They have a 23-year-old daughter who was married last summer and recently moved to Seattle.  After retirement, Fritz and his wife plan on traveling extensively with their 5th Wheel RV, as well as working with local charities and “giving back” to their community.  They are active in a dog rescue charity and have 4 rescue dogs who will be accompanying them during their travels. All though Fritz does have a personal finance blog, he thinks all of the other things to think about during retirement are even more important than finances. He calls it the softer side of retirement. Fritz will be officially retiring June 8th of 2018 and both him and his wife are excited. How Fritz and his wife are preparing for his retirement? They are having discussions on how will they live their life after Fritz' retires and how they will find purpose in retirement. They come up with some things that both of them needed to decide. Here are some examples: * Develop an interest/hobby: * What are we going to do individually? * Fritz's wife started to grow an interest in pottery. Turns out she is a good potter. Fritz will join a group that swims 3 times a week. * What are we going to do together? * They put up a jar with a notepad next to it where each of them put in activities once a week so that they have 2 years worth of weekly activities. They call it their “Wednesday jar”. What comes out of the jar, they do together every Wednesday. I think the Wednesday jar is a great idea! * Create a timeline together * As his retirement approaches, they have things planned out like healthcare, they also bought an RV because they wanted to explore new places and spend some time traveling. They have also built a list of each state and things they would like to see or do in each state. * Build relationships * Because they moved into a new area where they don't know anyone, one of the things that they wanted to do is build relationships. They wanted to build networks with their neighbors by, one example, walking their dogs. They met a few people who also walk their dogs. Another way for them to meet new people is through their church. Be receptive to doing something that gives you passion and purpose in retirement, but don't obligate yourself to do something until you've settled into your new lifestyle.           What are some ideas you have to prepare for and to find purpose in retirement? Share your thoughts and ideas below in the comments Contact information for Fritz:  Website- http://www.theretirementmanifesto.com/ Websites mentioned in the interview (Seasonal employment) CoolWorks or Workamper Rotary Club Image already added
Six Pillars of Retirement Lifestyle: Episode 116 Six Pillars of Retirement Lifestyle
March 5, 2018 • 32 MIN
Six Pillars of Retirement Lifestyle I've been doing the Rock Your Retirement show since April 2016.  I knew when I started the show that I wanted it to be about Retirement Lifestyle. I've been thinking about retirement myself and wanted to bring my listeners along my journey by interviewing people who have something to say that relates to this retirement lifestyle or Baby Boomer Lifestyle topic. My husband is 20 years older than myself, so of course, we are in different stages of life.  But I wanted to be able to spend more time sharing experiences now, while he's still able to enjoy them.  I was scared. What would I do with myself? I'm only 52 as I write this, and I am used to the hustle and bustle of working.  And honestly, I don't have to work.  The thing is, I enjoy it.  I've been self-employed for the majority of my life, and enjoy the structure of working.  I don't enjoy a “boss” telling me what to do.  In fact, a two year period I tried leaving my business and working for someone else.  I failed miserably. The good news is that I hadn't left my business completely, and when I came back it was there, along with my clients who hadn't left in my absence.  Of course, I was never really 100% gone. Now I'm busy because although I did semi-retire from that business, giving up my license to sell securities, I still have about 30 beloved clients that I work with.  I don't know if I'll ever give that up.  As long as those clients want to work with me, I'll continue holding their hands through their financial retirement. But I wasn't satisfied with just helping those 30, although I didn't want to take on any more clients in that industry.  So I started a new project. That project was supposed to just keep me busy between October and December of every year, but it's really turned into more of a full-time job.  I DO enjoy it.  But I wish I could afford more help so that it didn't feel like a job to me.  It doesn't pay as well as my old business because it's new. So why do I do it? That's a good question.  We don't need the money.  I've done plan after plan for my husband and I, and the numbers always work out the same. We are fine. Even when the stock market drops… we are still fine. I think the reason why I keep doing it is that it fills a need in me, so as long as it does this, I'll keep going.  Occasionally I think about just saying, “That's it, I'm done!” and just put my business on autopilot and walk away.  But it's usually after a particularly difficult situation that was brought on by the client.  I don't get many of them because I seem to attract really great clients, but every now and then, someone enters my life that I'd rather not deal with.  Often I refer them to work with someone else, but sometimes it takes a while for them to leave, and they cause stress for my staff and me. So what is it? I've been thinking of this over time.  I think it's because there are six pillars of retirement lifestyle, baby boomer lifestyle really, and work for me is one of those pillars.  Sometimes we have a “pillar” that might be out of whack, and for me, I think it's work.  My work pillar has been taking up more space, and I'd like to work on the other five pillars. What are the Six Pillars of Retirement Lifestyle?   * Spiritual Whether you consider yourself an atheist, a Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or whatever, I believe that you have a spirit.  A soul.  Something that makes you different from the person sitting next to you. There is an essence that is you.  You are connected to others through this essence.  I happen to believe in God and Jesus and every day I try to live in a way that is congruent to the way I believe.  When we act differently from what we say we believe, we run into trouble.
Les and Kathe’s AirBNB Experience (Hotel Alternative): Ep 115
February 26, 2018 • 28 MIN
Les and Kathe talk about their AirBNB Experience! Why did they use AirBNB* and why is it a great hotel alternative? Les' brother invited us to watch his team play in the Rose Bowl. It was last minute.  Right after his time won.  We said yes, and immediately started looking for a hotel room.  But, oh no…all of the hotels were fully booked. EVERYTHING was sold out. The nearest available hotel was in Los Angeles, which was WAY to far! We had to find a hotel alternative if we wanted to see our family.  As a lark, I started checking AirBNB as a hotel alternative. I was really nervous because it was our first time in using this service.  We weren't sure what to expect.  Would it be dirty?  Would the owners be lurking around?  What kind of people would let us stay in their spare bedroom? And…Les is VERY private. The first few places I found on the website were whole apartments.  Those looked great!  The bad news was that they were $800.  That's right… $800 for one night.  Ouch!  A bit pricey for us. Finally, after a lot of searching, we decided that it would be OK to stay in someone's spare bedroom. We found a room in someone's house.  It looked cute, like maybe it was built in the 1940s.  And just like the house, the owner seemed cute too. She looked very artsy. But to be honest, it was the fact that she played the harp that sealed the deal for me.  So I submitted my request. We had a great online conversation about harps and she wanted to know who I knew that played the harp. It's funny that I know two people! Our First Stay: We drove to Pasadena and found her house.  We had made arrangements to park in her driveway so we wouldn't get a ticket.  That was another way we saved money…no parking fees!  A hotel would have charged us to park on premise. Once there, we “checked in”.  She wasn't home, but had a combination lock on the back door.  After entering the home, we followed the signs to our room.  Painless. Outside her house was a very cute “library”.  Another thing we never would have seen if we stayed in a hotel that weekend. The first thing we saw inside the room was a small mini-fridge.  two wine glasses and a bottle of wine sat on top of the fridge. Fresh flowers brightened up the corner of the room.  We took a peek inside our mini-fridge and we found almond milk, coconut water, eggs, and blueberries for our breakfast. Our initial observation was that we felt very welcomed and attended to, just like you would feel at your grandma's house! This was a very different experience from a hotel. We met her later that day and she gave us some tips on the Rose Bowl.  We were so glad that she allowed us to stay in her home for a reasonable fee (I think it was around $200 a night.  Still pricey, but not $800!) So now that you know that we were adventurous enough to stay in someone's bedroom, let's talk about the service that allowed us to go that. What is AirBNB? AirBNB* is an American company which operates an online marketplace and hospitality service for people to lease or rent short-term lodging including holiday cottages, apartments, home stays, hostel beds, or hotel rooms, to participate in or facilitate experiences related to tourism such as walking tours, and to make reservations at restaurants. The company does not own any real estate or conduct any tours; it acts as a broker.  They receive a percentage of the cost of each stay.  Like all modern sharing services services, AirBNB* is an example of person to person sharing. This company has over 4 million listings in 65,000 cities and 191 countries and has helped with ...
Be YOU anytime, all the time: Episode 114
February 19, 2018 • 33 MIN
Be YOU anytime, all the time! Lori has worn many hats from being a kindergarten teacher where we know “you really learn all there is to know”, right? to becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker LCSW. At the age of 48, she decided to get a Master’s degree and opened a private practice. Also, during that time, she was also involved with Hospice as Bereavement Director for 10 years. As coaching came into prominence, she completed a year-long coaching program and became a coach with the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara specializing in Adult Self- Renewal and Developmental Growth. You might call her a life-long learner – she is even a laughter yoga instructor, so she has a broad range of skills to choose from to help people make changes and reinvent themselves. Let's take a look at Lori's journey: Lori's mother left their dad when Lori was just 3 weeks old. To support her and her brothers, Lori's mother enrolled in a beauty school while they stay with relatives. Lori was 3 years old when her mom opened a beauty shop in their house. Being a toddler, Lori just wants to be by her mom's side and see all the actions in the beauty shop but her mom kept “shushing” her to her room and she doesn't understand why. That made a huge impact on Lori. She felt like she's a bother, felt lonely and alone. Lori feels she's unwanted. She learned perseverance from her mother so she decided that she wanted to go to college. Not a lot of women do that during those times. Lori went to their family doctor and asked him if he could loan her money for college. The doctor agreed but Lori's mother didn't know what she did. When her mother found out she was going to college, her mother said it's not a good idea because she might lose her religion. Lori took up Psychology because she knew that's what she needed to help herself understand things. It's her path to understanding herself. Be you all the time! “To be true to yourself means to act in accordance with who you are and what you believe. If you know and love yourself you will find it effortless to be true to yourself and to be YOU all the time. Just as you cannot love anyone else until you love yourself, you cannot be true to anyone else until you are true to yourself.  Begin by not being afraid to be who you are! As difficult as it may seem at first, have the courage to accept yourself as you really are, not as someone else thinks you should be. Do not take action or pretend to be someone else for the sake of gaining acceptance.” By Z. Hereford Redesign your life: * Ask yourself what events or characters show up – review of your life. * What is their impact? * What beliefs or habits stop you from doing what you want to do?   You may contact Lori via her website: www.loricassidy.com or e-mail: loricassidy1@gmail.com Book mentioned in the podcast:  Writing Down Your Soul by Janet Conner This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
Let’s talk about death: Episode 113
February 12, 2018 • 2623 MIN
Let's talk about death. Jonathan Braddock is our guest for today and he is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and the founder and CEO of My Life and Wishes, an education and digital planning platform with a mission to help at least one million families become “thoughtfully prepared” for the inevitable, their own death. Jon is the author of “Advisor or Vendor”, “Retire Erase”, the “My Life and Wishes Organization”, and, his most recent release, “Click Here When I Die”, is an Amazon Best Seller. Why is planning for our death important? Leaving your family via your death is already hard for them, planning your wake and burial will be much harder for them. Leaving them via your death with a Will help them know what you want. They will know if you want to be cremated, in-ground burial, etc. Helping them know what you want or have planned for them is a really big thing because it lessens the hardship that they will face after your death. For Jon's family, it took them 10 months to finally finish all the paperwork left for his father-in-law. They found a bank account where the bank's name is not familiar to them. Imagine the stressful phone calls they had to make to locate the bank. It will be much easier if you prepare everything like your bank accounts, social media passwords, ATM passwords, your will, insurance policies, and many more. Jon shares a story about someone he knows where he's really guilty that he didn't have her mother cremated when that's what she really wants but he didn't know that because she didn't tell him. What are the 5 stages of grief when there's a death? * Denial – this is the first of the five stages of grief. It helps us to survive the loss. In this stage, the world becomes meaningless and overwhelming. Life makes no sense. We are in a state of shock and denial. Denial and shock help us to cope and make survival possible. As you accept the reality of the loss and start to ask yourself questions, you are unknowingly beginning the healing process. You are becoming stronger, and the denial is beginning to fade. * Anger – a necessary stage of the healing process. Be willing to feel your anger, even though it may seem endless. The more you truly feel it, the more it will begin to dissipate and the more you will heal. There are many other emotions under the anger and you will get to them in time, but anger is the emotion we are most used to managing. The anger is just another indication of the intensity of your love. * Bargaining – Before a loss, it seems like you will do anything if only your loved one would be spared. “Please God, ” you bargain, “I will never be angry at my wife again if you’ll just let her live.” After a loss, bargaining may take the form of a temporary truce. “What if I devote the rest of my life to helping others. Then can I wake up and realize this has all been a bad dream?” We become lost in a maze of “If only…” or “What if…” statements. * Depression – After bargaining, our attention moves squarely into the present. Empty feelings present themselves, and grief enters our lives on a deeper level, deeper than we ever imagined. This depressive stage feels as though it will last forever. It’s important to understand that this depression is not a sign of mental illness. It is the appropriate response to a great loss. If grief is a process of healing, then depression is one of the many necessary steps along the way. * Acceptance – this is often confused with the notion of being “all right” or “OK” with what has happened.
Les and Kathe’s Movie Pass Experience: Episode 112
February 5, 2018 • 32 MIN
What is a Movie Pass? Movie Pass lets you watch a movie for free! You just have to pay $10 per month to get one and you can watch movies every day. Imagine 30 movies in 30 days for only $10!! How awesome is that?   Advantages of Movie Pass: * You can watch new release movies * You can watch movies every day for free * There are no blocked out dates * At theaters where advanced seating is available, you can select your seat in advance * You'll save tons of $$$ I wouldn't say disadvantages but here are some things you cannot do with your Movie Pass: * You cannot watch 2 movies in a day * Members can't watch the same movie twice * You can't watch 3D movies * Tickets can be bought the same day you are going to watch the movie. You cannot buy days ahead. * To reserve your seat, you must be 100 feet away from the theatre Having a Movie Pass lets you save a lot of money that you can use to spend on other things. You can have a movie date every day and still have some extra bucks to spend on dinner or groceries. Watching a movie is a great stress reliever and it's super fun! However, there are things that you might be doing in the cinema that might be annoying to other people. Here are some examples: * Texting – this one is very common. Did you know that the light on your cell phone is distracting? * Not putting your phone on silent mode – this one is really annoying. Imagine you're watching a movie and when it's climax, someone's phone is going to ring in maximum volume. * Talking loudly – just like not putting your phone on silent mode. Les and I became interested in Movie Pass when we visited my parents on the East Coast. We went to the cinema and my parents didn't pay for their ticket! And because of this, we thought, why not get a Movie Pass instead of paying $15-20 per person per movie? We are sharing this experience because it will help you in your Retirement Lifestyle. You will save a lot of cash especially if you're a movie-goer. You can spend it on other things like one of my personal favorites, cruises. If you love gardening you can spend it on fertilizers or seeds! CLICK HERE FOR MOVIE PASS POSTED IN COSTCO FOR $89.99 After buying your Movie Pass in Costco, you need to complete your registration. CLICK HERE for the registration page. This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
Signs of Urinary Tract Infection: Dementia! Episode 111 A Juice that can Prevent a UTI
January 29, 2018 • 30 MIN
Jenna Ryan knows signs of urinary tract infection.  She used to get them all the time. Did you know that signs of urinary tract infection include dementia?  This was a shock to me when I first found out.  I mean, what does one have to do with the other? Jenna Ryan is with us today to educate us about signs of urinary tract infections (UTI) and why she created a drink that can prevent/cure UTI. Jenna is the CEO and co-founder of Uqora, a company dedicated to UTI prevention. Uqora has developed a “pink lemonade with a purpose” that helps women flush out UTI-causing bacteria. She created this drink mix because she herself suffered from UTI. Jenna says she doesn't want to take antibiotics because it can develop resistance. What is a UTI? A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection in any part of your urinary system — your kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract — the bladder and the urethra. Women are at greater risk of developing a UTI than are men. Infections limited to your bladder can be painful and annoying. However, serious consequences can occur if a UTI spreads to your kidneys. Doctors typically treat urinary tract infections with antibiotics. But you can take steps to reduce your chances of getting a UTI in the first place. Here are some signs of urinary tract infection to watch out for: * A burning feeling when you urinate * A frequent or intense urge to urinate, even though little comes out when you do * Pain or pressure in your back or lower abdomen * Cloudy, dark, bloody, or strange-smelling urine * Feeling tired or shaky * Fever or chills (a sign the infection may have reached your kidneys) The issue with older adults is that many times they don't get the same feelings of pain or burning sensations when they urinate so their UTIs often go undiagnosed.  But… then other issues can occur. Did you know that signs of urinary tract infection can lead to misdiagnosis of Dementia? Here are some signs of urinary tract infection that are the same as Dementia: * Delirium * Hallucination * Dizziness * Confusion How to Prevent a UTI Hydration is the key to prevent a UTI. If you're at risk of having a UTI, drink Uqora. If you're in the older generation, you have to drink it every day. Good hygiene can also prevent a UTI. If you have signs of urinary tract infection, the Uqora might be able to help.  But most importantly, be sure the speak with your doctor about the possibility of your parents having a UTI if they suddenly show signs of dementia. References: * What is UTI? – Mayo Clinic * Signs and Symptoms of UTI – WebMD You may visit Uqora by clicking HERE Jenna Ryan will give you a 15% discount when you purchase Uqora using the code “Rockit15” Jenna's contact information:Jenna@uqora.com This post of Retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added     This post of Retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Multigenerational Living: Episode 110 Multigenerational Living: Episode 110
January 22, 2018 • 1968 MIN
Multigenerational Living: Is it hard? How does it work? Lisa Cini is an award-winning, internationally-recognized senior living designer with more than 25 years’ experience.She just released her second book entitled “Hive The Simple Guide to Multigenerational Living,” which is based on her own personal situation of living in a 4-generation household with people in the house ranging in age from 17-92 and the positive impact design can have in a home for seniors with dementia. Lisa is also the Founder of www.BestLivingTech.com, think Sharper Image meets AARP! She searches the world for the best products to Embrace Living as we age. Her design company, Mosaic Design Studio, is the nation’s leading provider of design services for senior living According to Lisa, 90% of people do not want to move to Senior Living facilities. A lot of seniors do not want to move into the beautiful Senior Living Facilities Lisa Designs. Why would someone not want to live in a beautiful Senior Facility where they don't have to cook and there are a ton of activities? * It can be very expensive * People want to age at home * Some of them got their house when they got married or when they got home from the war. They had that same house their entire lives. Giving up their house is like giving up their freedom Multigenerational living means living with different age groups in one house. 25% of seniors are now living in a multigenerational household Lisa started living with her parents and grandparents when she started her company. She needed her mom to take care of her kids. Lisa asked her mom to help her raise the kids and her mom agreed. Her parents lived a couple of blocks away from her house so, she thought, her parents need to move in with her. She also convinced her grandmom to move in with them. How does it work? How do you deal with the different needs of different persons? Lisa tells us stories from her personal experience as she's living with her family from different age groups. Living with Lisa's parents and grandmother is going well. Her kids love their grandma's food, her parents love the joy her kids are giving them. Of course, nobody's perfect so even if everything is going well, there are some bumpy rides along the way. One of them was storage. Each generation feels differently about the storage of their private things. For example; there are things her grandmother considers private that her mother doesn't. There are also things her mother considers private that Lisa doesn't consider private. Lisa's grandmother has Alzheimer's. She wanders around so Lisa created a wandering path in her house and used technology. Anything that she could hurt herself on is not on that wandering path. They also installed cameras in her house so that whenever her parents would go out and eat dinner, they would not worry about coming home right away. They could just turn on the camera and talk to her grandmother. Pretty Cool! Lisa has a 21 point checklist on how to age in place at her website www.lisamcini.com If you would like to check out Lisa's Books here are the links: The Future Is Here: Senior Living Reimagined HIVE This post of Retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
Your hobby can help you in your Retirement: Episode 108
January 8, 2018 • 38 MIN
Your hobby can help you in your Retirement Kim Jamieson-Hirst is a YouTube superstar and a pretty big deal in the quilting world! I brought her on the show to not only talk about her hobby of quilting but how ANY hobby can help you in your retirement. Kim is the owner of Chatterbox Quilts in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She started quilting more than a decade ago and initially thought it was boring. But after her friends encouraged her to try and enroll in a quilting course, she became addicted and started her business in 2008. Her designs and articles have been featured in Quilter’s Connection magazine, Irish Quilting, The Country Register, and Bustle & Sew ezine. Kim is the creator of Unloved and Unappreciated: Finding the Hidden Value in Vintage Sewing Machines and is currently working on more online courses to help quilters reclaim their joy in the craft. If you think quilting isn't for you or might “boring”, think again! We talked about the various kinds of equipment used as well as the different kinds of quilts there are. It's quite fascinating! You will also discover during this interview, that I know absolutely nothing about quilting! We also discussed her YouTube channel called Chatterboxquilts. It teaches her followers how to quilt, how to use machines for quilting, and so much more! She's also a blogger, and Kim also works part-time at a French immersion elementary school. Busy lady! What started her project is her passion to share her knowledge with other quilters so that they could enjoy their craft more. Just like our previous guest, Ellen Williamson, Kim's quilting is more of a “jobby”. Kim goes into greater detail in her freebie, but her tips for reclaiming joy in your hobby are: * Join groups that have the same hobby as you! * Exchanging ideas and earning more friends that have the same hobby as you will help you a lot. * Don't compare yourself to others. * Everyone is unique. You may be good at quilting and not at woodworking. * Give yourself permission to stop working on a project. * Sometimes, you might feel like you're not enjoying what you are doing anymore. It's okay to stop. Time is too short to work on things that you're no longer enjoying. * Don't feel guilty about the time you spent in working on your hobby. * You can't buy happiness. If you love what you are doing, just keep on doing it! Also, hobbies are good for your mental and emotional health. * Stop, but don't quit! * You might feel that you're not having fun on what you're doing. Take a break. If you would like to download, 5 Steps to Reclaiming the Joy in your Hobby, it can be found at http://RockYourRetirement.com/Hobby Kim's contact information is: Email: kim@chatterboxquilts.com * Website: www.chatterboxquilts.com It doesn't matter whether you enjoy quilting, sports, cars, or even steam trains, it is important to find a hobby (or several) as your hobby can help you in your retirement. What is your hobby? Share it with us in the notes below. This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.
Les has cancer and it sucks: Episode 107
January 1, 2018 • 2069 MIN
We are bringing our editor (and my husband) Les, to the forefront of the Rock Your Retirement show to talk about his cancer diagnosis. Some of you may already know, but In November of 2016 (on election day), we were hit with some devastating news. We were told that Les has stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. This means he has prostate cancer in about 8 places in his bones. It has a been a journey of sadness, anger, fear, and yes, happiness. We thought we would share a bit of the journey with you. So the fight begins We decided Les would go through chemotherapy and hormone blocking. I have to be honest, I was against chemotherapy at first. We also changed our diet and it was very hard!  Les LOVES his cookies and he had to give them up. It has been worth it though because we both feel like the diet change has really helped. Les also did a ton of research and discovered supplements that helped fight cancer. He started taking practically all of them. He's taking a lot of supplements! Right now, Les is starving his cancer it and keeping it from getting testosterone which stops it from growing. Over time, the cancer will become resistant to this and that is when the risk is higher. The longer the androgen therapy works, the longer Les lives. If you looked at Les right now, you would not think he was sick. For this type of cancer, the life expectancy is about  3 1/2 years. The way things are going, we both think Les will surpass this. Everytime Les a new ache, I am not sure if it is because of his cancer or the fact that he is 73!  With the therapy, there are side effects which include: * Numbness and swelling in the feet * Tiredness * Losing muscle mass * Gaining weigh in the stomach * hot flashes…ladies is this sounding a little familiar? * Lack of intimacy. We thought about using tips we learned from Sue Goldstein but we haven't started that yet Leading a less stressful life when you are fighting a disease * Support of friends and family has been instrumental in relieving stress * Mental attitude is important. * Doing the things that need to get done. Throw yourself into work or activities to take your mind of things that would cause you stress. * Declutter your house because it can be stressful having all that “stuff” around the house. Lisa Woodruff has given us lots of tips on this! * Keep your mind busy so you are not focused on how you feel Now what? We are going to move forward with our lives and not dwell on his condition. Still no cookies for Les. We are going to stay away from sugar because we both believe sugar feeds cancer 2018 will be spent making memories together. We are going to spend some quality time together and we are going to be traveling. Our first trip is in March and we are going to Hong Kong, Korea, then China. In August, we are going to Barcelona. Do you want to come with on either of our trips? We can check into a group rate!  If so, leave a comment below or send me an email through the website. If you would like to read the blog Les has created about his progress you can go to www.leshascancer.com This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
How Religion helps you stay healthy: Episode 106
December 25, 2017 • 34 MIN
Yes! You read that right. Religion helps you stay healthy! What else should we discuss on Christmas Day, but religion? Dr. Jim Brown discusses the benefits of going to church with me on this Christmas special, and they aren't all just spiritual. He is a university professor teaching Technology and Psychology (that's a weird mix…right?) and is currently the pastor of The Lake Church. Dr. Jim Brown has been a principal, superintendent, department chair at three different universities. He also served several churches and various roles from music pastor to senior pastor. Did you know that there are benefits in the faith community to our mind, body, and spirit? Although we still report ourselves to be a “Christian Nation”, 17% of Americans are regularly attending services (including all religions) weekly. That's about 1 in every 5 Americans go to (church/synagogue/mosque/etc.) on a regular basis. It doesn't mean that the 83% doesn't go to church at all, they just don't go on a regular basis. Here are some of the benefits of going to church and how religion helps you stay healthy : * Churchgoers live longer and enjoy better overall health in the general population.  Why is this?  Does this surprise you? * According to Dr. Lynda Powell, Preventive Medicine Specialist at Rush University Medical Center, the answer may lie at least in part in the positive lifestyle choices that churches promote. Most religious organizations discourage negative habits like smoking, drugs, etc. * Frequent churchgoers are happier than those who do not attend services.  Of course, there is always the exception, and right now churchgoers might have a particular reputation of being…well…judgmental or “churchie” for lack of a better word…  But according to research on religion, it's true.  Why is this? * We learn (over time) to accept life as it comes. * We learn (also over time) to love and accept one another.  No matter what the flaws are.  This can be one of the most difficult things to learn. * A support system is built in for those hard times that we all must face. * Regular attendance may increase lifespan. * Many Americans go to church because it helps them stay grounded and gives them spiritual guidance. * Tyler VanderWeele of Harvard said, “Church attendance promotes self-discipline and sense of meaning and purpose.” * Dr. Blazer, a professor of Psychiatry at Duke University said, “The one aspect that is significant of good health is religious service attendance.” * Couples who attend church services are less likely to divorce and have happier marriages than those who don't attend. To get Dr. Brown's 11 Good Reasons to Attend Church, go to http://rockyourretirement.com/ReasonsToAttendChurch Do you have any comments about today's episode?  Post them in the comments section below! Contact information for Lake Church at Lake San Marcos: * The Lake Church – Official Website * The Lake Church – Facebook Page This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
How Different Generation Groups Organize: Ep105
December 18, 2017 • 38 MIN
Lisa Woodruff was a previous guest and I brought her back for a second interview to talk about how different generation groups organize Lisa is a professional organizer, productivity specialist, and author. She believes organization is not a skill you are born with. It is a skill that is developed over time and changes with each season of life. I am an avid listener and big fan of her podcast show at Organize365.com. I gave Lisa an update on my personal progress and yes, I am making progress! We also talked about my ” Sunday Basket” and if you listen to Episode 88 which was my first interview with Lisa you can learn more about that. What are the different Generation Groups? The dates can vary depending on where you look but here is a general idea: * The Silent Generation born between 1925 and 1945 * Baby Boomer Generation born between 1946 and 1964 * Generation X born between 1965 and 1980 * Millenials born between 1980 and after Lisa and I discuss how each generation deals with their “stuff” and what the differences are. The Silent Generation was born and raised in the Great Depression. They had a lot available to them educationally but not a lot available to them materially. The Silent Generation typically did not have mortgages on their home and did not use credit cards. They were a hard-working and fairly frugal generation. There was not a lot of consumerism while they were growing up. Baby Boomers were born and raised in the affluence of World War II. This is when consumerism and a lot of toys really came on the market. Barbies, GI Joe, TV's  and commercials became prevalent and advertisers started targeting teenagers. Gen Xer's had all of the toys. They had all of the toys the baby boomers had growing up and then some. The majority of Gen Xers grew up in the 80's which was the height of materialism. In the 80's is when things cost the most and people wanted to accumulate a lot of “stuff”. Decluttering and downsizing These items that are in our parents and grandparents homes and attics are things that were hard earned. Baby boomers sometimes have a difficult time getting rid of their things because they worked so hard to obtain them. Take the time to go through those things with your parents or grandparents. Let them tell the stories of how the stuff was obtained and the memories that come with them. Find ways of making memories using the stuff. Lisa has a lot going on! Below is some information on her workshops, podcast, and books 100 day home organization program  Paper organizing workshop called the Sunday basket. You can learn more about it at thesundaybasket.com You can also learn more or listen to her podcast at organize365.com Books/Kindle Editions:  The Mindset of Organization: Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time How ADHD Affects Home Organization: Understanding the Role of the 8 Key Executive Functions of the Mind The Sunday Basket: Weekly Paper Organization & Planning
Taking the Keys Away: Episode 104
December 11, 2017 • 31 MIN
In this episode, I talk with Veronica Mitchell about the sensitive topic of taking the keys away. Veronica is a friend of mine who I have known for awhile. We have served on the same committees at the Caregiver Coalition of San Diego and also the San Diego County Council on Aging. Veronica is an advocate for seniors, women, and caregivers. She is a guest blogger and writes her own blog featured on her website. She is passionate about prevention of Elder Abuse and Scams, along with helping families take the keys from their senior loved ones. You love your parent or spouse, yet you know that they can no longer safely drive. How do you know that it is time to take the keys away? How do you have that conversation with them in a loving and respectful way? Where do you begin? Families members are afraid to approach the subject. It is our last part of our freedom as we age, and it is very emotional subject. My father's Parkinson's caused his eyes to shut and he was still driving! Obviously, I was panicked and in our family, we had to deal with the tough subject of taking the keys away. Sadly, my story is not uncommon. Veronica and broke this down into 4 phases: * Have Conversations with your loved ones and start it as early as possible. Have a frank conversation and the most candid approach is best. Don't wait until it is a crisis. * Identify, Observe & Document Unsafe Driving. Follow them and observe their driving. Check out the car and see if there are more dents than usual. When you are driving them around ask them directions to get somewhere. Do they get flustered, angry or confused in traffic? * Create a Plan, Manage the Plan, and Vet All Participants. Coordinate with friends and family members about who is going to drive them to places. They still need to get to places such as doctors appointments or haircuts. They also need social engagement. Make sure there is a plan to get them to social activities so they don't become depressed feeling stuck in one place. Make sure to be flexible and have all family members help. Contact information for Veronica: Email: veronica@veronicamitchell.com Twitter: @VeronicaMitch1 Website: www.veronicamitchell.com This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
Preventing financial elder abuse: Episode 103
December 4, 2017 • 31 MIN
Laura Barish came on the show to talk with us about preventing financial elder abuse. Laura is President and CEO of AltaGolden. She has a passion for working with older adults and loves her job.  Laura is responsible for marketing, community outreach, corporate management, and she also sometimes works as a caregiver so that she understands what it takes to be a great caregiver. Laura is on the clinical affairs committee for the San Diego Dementia Consortium. In our discussion, Laura and I talk about some of the scams that are out there including: * Email invoked abuse and Microsoft Outlook worms * Western Union Fraud:  Someone calls and says, “Your grandson was taken to jail in Mexico. We need you to wire money for attorneys fees”. The scammers like to play on heartstrings. * IRS Scam is where someone will call telling you that you are in default on your taxes. The IRS will never call or email anyone. They will only send a letter. * YES Scam is when someone will call and pretend to have a bad connection saying “can you hear me now?” Their objective is to get you to say “YES” so they have your voice on recording and they can use your recorded voice to purchase things. Anyone can order a mailing list. There is a lot of demographic information in these mailing lists. This includes; address information, age groups, and even reported income levels. Sometimes the phone scammers are not just randomly dialing people. They are targeting you for a specific reason. We also talked about the recent Microsoft scams. This is where your computer gets locked up or you get a pop up on your screen indicating your drivers are not up to date. Scammers essentially hold your computer ransom until you pay money to get it unlocked. Steps for preventing financial elder abuse Don't go to websites you don't know Don't open an attachment or links in an email from anyone you don't know. If a scammer calls you, the easiest and safest thing is to hang up. Educate your loved ones about the Scams that are out there so they are aware of them and they know what to look out for. Make sure your computer virus software us up to date at all times If you have a private caregiver, make sure they are aware of these scams as well. Laura also tells us that if you use a private caregiver don't give them the “keys to the kingdom”. Make sure you have systems in place to ensure the caregiver cannot take advantage of your loved one If you have questions, ask! It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help or guidance. Contact information for Laura: Phone: 858-779-9254 or website: www.altagolden.com As I mentioned in our interview, the Red Podcast has a few episodes about IRS Scams. Here is a link to one of them This Is What An IRS Scam Phone Call Sounds Like  This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
Caring for someone with Dementia: Episode 102
November 27, 2017 • 40 MIN
Caring for someone (especially our loved one) with Dementia can be challenging. Rick Topete is with us today to give us advice on how to take care of someone with Dementia. Rick's passion with seniors began way back when he was in high school. He studied at St. Bernard High School where they visit local Senior Centers in Los Angeles. During his visit to Senior Centers, they would play cards, listen to old-time music, hear their great stories, put a smile on their face and let them know they mattered. In 2011, he had an opportunity at Silverado Care. Within the first year of taking the job, his Aunt was diagnosed with early onset of Dementia that made it “real” and really centered him on what this disease is. Rick gives us some tips on how to take care of someone with Dementia. * Keep the tone of your voice pleasant and soft. * Sometimes, the noise can have an effect on someone with dementia. * Gentle eye contact * Stay away from negative words * Change topic if needed * Give simple choices * Example, would you like to wear the red sweater or the blue sweater? * Know their passion and help them use and maintain the remaining strength they have today. * Celebrate their abilities and not focus on their limitation * If a loved one has passed, be in the moment with them Rick tells us it's all about understanding what their passion is, what's their past job, hobbies, etc. Once you get to know them better, you can use it to help them feel important. If you knew someone with Dementia and you know that he or she likes gardening, have him or her do gardening (with supervision, of course). It's all about not making them feel that they have a disease or that they are useless. What's important is that we make them feel that they matter, that they have a purpose. “Give them the opportunity to live, understand what's in their heart, understand what's important to them.” Even though the disease may be there it doesn't mean they can't live and still have that social involvement in living each day. Below are some links to support activities for Seniors, especially those with a Dementia diagnosis. * http://www.activitymaterials.com * http://www.seabaygame.com * http://www.reminisce.com      **** Great “Old Time Magazine” that takes Seniors back covering the 30's to the 70's with stories of the day. If you would like to contact Rick his phone number is 760-215-5517 This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
Medications can cause dementia: Episode 101
November 20, 2017 • 41 MIN
Dr. Newton wants to educate people on how medications can cause dementia and how to avoid these medications. The only thing worse than having Dementia is taking care of a loved one with Dementia. Many people do not realize that a large number of medications can cause dementia. Dr. Camille Newton is a home visiting physician. You may also know it has a traveling doctor or mobile doctor. It is such an important service for seniors that are not able to travel for doctor’s appointments. She focuses on minimizing medications, especially psychotropic pharmaceuticals to help senior’s brains stay healthier longer. When medications are tested by the FDA to see if they are safe, they are not really tested to see if they cause brain failure. While performing house calls she has seen the effect psychotropic medications have on people who take them for a long period of time. Some examples of psychotropic drugs are: * Antipsychotics including Risperdal  or Haldol * Sedatives especially the benzodiazepines such as Ativan, Xanax, or Valium * Anti-depressants * Antihistamines These are some pretty staggering and scary statistics! According to Dr. Newton, Benzodiazepine use is associated with an increased risk of Dementia. Nearly tripling risk within 3 years. Quitting reduces risk over time, to only 10% increase in risk 3 years after quitting. Benzodiazepine use quadruples the risk of suicide in the elderly. In one study, Benzodiazepines and hypnotics increased suicide risk by 14 times. Antihistamines can have the anticholinergic effect. This means some of them block a certain neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. This can have a detrimental effect on the brain over a long period of time. This includes Benadryl. in monkeys, laboratory rats, and humans, the antipsychotics such as Haldol, showed a huge measurable shrinking of the brain within 8 weeks of use. A person goes to the drug store and they have allergy symptoms. They could choose Claritin or Allegra (which are not anticholinergic) or they could choose Benadryl or Coricidin and end up with dementia within a few years. Maybe Less is more? Dr. Newton tells a fascinating story about “Pam” who is a rare case of dementia reversed by getting her off of her medications. Although she has had only a few cases of ‘total cure’, she's had numerous patients improve dramatically when their anticholinergics were stopped.  These medications are so dangerous to our brains, and yet there is no warning label.  Many of them are over the counter. A lot of people ask Dr. Newton,”what CAN I take.” Her response is, don't look for something to take when you are having a problem. Don't look for a pill to solve your problem and question every medication you are given. *Please note:  Neither the Rock Your Retirement Show nor the host, Kathe Kline provide medical advice.  Please consult your own practitioner about any healthcare issues that you have. If you would like to reach out to Dr. Newton, her email is docnewton@att.net Today's Freebie, Medications that can cause Dementia, Can be found at http://rockyourretirement.com/Medications Did you know medications can cause dementia? Are you or someone you love taking any of these? Tell us your story below in the comments This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
Too Tired to Rock Your Retirement? Episode 100
November 13, 2017 • 35 MIN
Are you too tired to Rock Your Retirement? It’s hard to live a full life when you are too tired and feeling sluggish. So today, I have brought Diane Kusunose on the show. She talks about how methods she uses to help people increase their energy. Diane Kusunose, P.T., is a certified Nutritionist and Biofeedback Practitioner. She offers unique evaluation technology and provides personalized solutions for improving health, well-being, and energy for all her patients. Diane is highly trained in Zyto Biofeedback Technology and Nutrition Response Testing. She specializes in organic nutrients, homeopathy, and herbal support for digestion, sleep challenges, and pain remediation. Diane knew she wanted to be a physical therapist all the way back in High School. Her school had a super cool health careers program which provided her great opportunities to be what she wanted to be. When she became a mother, Diane began using a more natural approach to take care of her children’s ailments like runny noses or injuries. She decided she was going to pursue natural means to take care of them. We talk about her son who had warts all over his body and they just could not get rid of them. She took him to a homeopath and they put him on 3 homeopathic medications. A 1 ½ to a 2-year problem with warts was cured in just a few months. Well, Diane was hooked! She knew she had to learn more and took classes on homeopath. “We live in an electromagnetic world” Diane then took additional courses that taught her about electromagnetic frequencies and how to use those for treatment. Then enters Zyto Biofeedback system which is what she uses in her practice today. Zyto Biofeedback…HUH? That's what I thought too but it is actually very fascinating! Zyto Biofeedback is galvanic skin response which is very scientifically based. galvanic skin response is the same technology that is used in a polygraph test. In a polygraph test, you put your hand on a plate and someone interrogates you and it gives out central nervous system responses through the hand on a plate. The galvanic skin response in the Zyto is much the same. Diane goes into greater detail in the interview about what this is and how it works. In her practice, Diane looks for what is blocking your vitality. What is making you too tired? What is causing you to lose sleep or just not feel yourself? She describes it as gathering puzzle pieces. She gets puzzle pieces from questions, nutrition response testing and Zyto Biofeedback. Using these tools, she puts the puzzle together. Our bodies are so clever they can repair themselves if we don’t have things (Blocks) in the way. There are 5 blocks in the body she looks for which are foods, chemicals, heavy metals, immune challenges, and scars. We also talked about things such as: * Nutritional response testing * Elimination Diets * Applied Kinesiology * Muscle Testing * Shuman Frequency According to Diane, solutions are different for everyone. If you are feeling too tired to Rock Your Retirement, fatigued, depressed, or just not like yourself, she recommends you do your research and find someone to help you. Don’t give up and if one method or doctor doesn’t work, keep seeking.  She also encourages people to experience health practitioners who are natural based-minded and always seek your energy and your health. If you would like to reach out to Diane or learn more her contact information is below Phone: 760-420-5210 www.naturalbalancing.com diane@naturalbalancing.com People, Places, and things mentioned in the interview Learn Homeopathy Now
When you exercise too much: Episode 099
November 6, 2017 • 40 MIN
Yes, you can exercise too much! Colette, a native of Ireland, moved to the US in her early 20’s and worked in finance for over a decade. She then discovered her passion for health and fitness and pursued a full-time career in this field. Moving to Nice, France in 2008 she opened a fitness and yoga studio. Colette was an avid competitor taking part in many sporting events including triathlons, marathons, and bike races. However, even with all her efforts, her health was not in a good place. Colette discovered she was training and exercising too much. She wasn't listening to the subtle signals her body was giving her. In 2014, Colette took some time out to cleanse and reset her body. She underwent a 21-day cellular cleanse program in Bali with an Ayurvedic doctor and this is what changed her life personally and professionally. After the cleanse, she stayed in Bali and worked with the Ayurvedic Doctor and completed her studies to become an Ayurveda Wellness Counselor. So obviously, my question was how on earth do you pronounce this and what is it?! Ayur which translates to Life and Veda which translates to science so it is the Science of Life. It is all about a holistic approach to healing. It teaches people how to understand their own mind-body type and your own true nature. Colette brought up a good point too. Living in our modern world, we have all kind of gotten away from nature. Becuase of modern conveniences, we are all less in tune with mother nature. Ayurveda teaches that everything in the natural world is made up of the five elements of nature which are: space, air, fire, water, and earth. These five elements form what are called three “doshas” or mind-body types. What's Your Dosha? VATA-Elements of space and air. Vata is all about movement and action like the wind. A Vata person is slim and slender, they generally have an oval face and small eyes. They may have dry skin or thin brittle hair. Just like the wind, they are always moving and walk and talk a  lot. The Vata person may forget to eat sometimes, run out of energy, or suffer from insomnia at times. Other characteristics include, gaps between teeth, deviated septum in their nose. Vata's are very creative, imaginative, and always on the go. Vata's minds are always moving and this can cause difficulties in being grounded because they are always thinking ahead. They are born worriers and can feel anxious. Their slogan in life tends to be “Can I change my mind” because they tend to be indecisive. Vata's can be grounded with activities like slow yoga or meditation. Also grounding foods which are foods that are heavier and more comfort foods. If a Vata is out of balance they may have dryness in the skin, lips or hair. PITTA– Made up of the elements fire and water. Pitta is all about the sun's heat and intensity.  A Pitta person would have a medium build with medium height and good strong muscles. They tend to have sharp features like their nose or chin, and also have intense eyes. Pitta's are also good speakers and make good CEO's and managers. They are goal oriented, productive, list makers, and always on time. Also, they can be witty, opinionated, critical of others and themselves. It is “my way or the highway” with a Pitta and they are competitive. Pitta's will have a sharp metabolism and their digestion is strong. This means they get “hangry” a lot. When they are out of balance they tend to overheat. This can cause loose stools or diarrhea, rashes, bloodshot eyes, or headaches. They may also experience heartburn, acid reflux, anger, impatience, irritability, and jealousy. To “cool” the heat of a Pitta, you need a moderation in activity, less competition and less spice in their diet. KAPHA– Made up of the elements water and earth. A Kapha person is well built with full, rounded features and a lot of times long, thick hair.
Why a Care Manager is the Secret Ingredient: Episode 098
October 30, 2017 • 34 MIN
Does Mom need help but you are tapped out? I brought Ann Butterfield to the show to explain how an Aging Life Care Manager can help you. If you've heard the term “Geriatric Care Manager”, it's the same position. Ann explained that a Care Manager actually quarterback's your loved one's care.  She deals with all of the people who care for your loved one.  This quarterbacking can include: * A Life Care Manager manages the Caregivers. * Doctors–going to doctor appointments, and facilitating communication between the family members, the doctor, and the client. * Attorneys: Elder Law Attorneys, Estate Planning attorneys, and others need to interact with the client and family, and the care manager helps facilitate this. * The Care Manager interacts with Trustees to meet the client's needs. * Other Experts: care managers bring them in when necessary. * Financial: including the accountant and Power of Attorney.  The Life Care Professional provides information on government benefits and assists the client in obtaining them where warranted. * Housing options: Evaluation and selection of appropriate housing such as assisted living options or memory care. * Family members:  Long Distance family members and others need help adjusting and coping with everyday concerns and conflicts that arise. She told a story about “Betty” who was caring for her elderly mother. When mom moved from Washington State to San Francisco, there was a lot to coordinate.  You might be in this situation yourself: * You have a full or part-time job * Children or grandchildren depend on you * Someday you'd like to go out to lunch with a friend When caring for a loved one, you've got to make phone calls (hundreds of them!), you've got to shop for yourself AND your loved one, you've got to coordinate with the caregivers. Not only that, but you also have to deal with doctor's visits, assisted living situations…the list goes on and on. Aging Life Care™, also known as geriatric care management, is a holistic, client-centered approach to caring for older adults or others facing ongoing health challenges. Working with families, the expertise of Aging Life Care Professionals provides the answers at a time of uncertainty. Their guidance leads families to the actions and decisions that ensure quality care and an optimal life for those they love, thus reducing worry, stress and time off of work for family caregivers through: Assessment and monitoring Planning and problem-solving Education and advocacy Family caregiver coaching1  Ann was a nurse before she became a care manager, and it turns out that caregivers come from many backgrounds.  Many have had personal experience with family members and so discovered the need for these services.   A Care Manager takes much of your burden, especially when you are out of the area.   Ann can be reached at Ann@BoutiqueCareManagement.com or if you want more information on care managers in your area, go to https://www.aginglifecare.org/ This article was originally published on http://RockYourRetirement.com * What you need to know, What You Need to Know, https://www.aginglifecare.
Ways to Improve Memory Skills: Episode 097
October 23, 2017 • 38 MIN
Angela Gentile gives us ways to improve memory skills. Angela Gentile, M.S.W., R.S.W. has over 25 years of experience working with older adults and their families in a variety of capacities. She has worked in healthcare, private practice, long-term care, home care, and non-profits. Angela has written a book, and a co-authored a mobile app, Dementia Caregiver Solutions. She is founder and manager of the LinkedIn Group, Gerontology Professionals of Canada and the Aging Well for Women Facebook page. She is currently employed full-time as a Geriatric Mental Health Clinician. She enjoys writing, traveling, photography and exploring what it means to age well. Angela began working with older people at a very young age. She found she really enjoyed it and made a lifelong career. She is the “go-to” person if friends and family have questions regarding aging and it has also helped her with her own parents as they age. All that accumulation of “stuff” doesn't matter anymore as we age. What matters most are the memories According to Angela, it is very interesting to see what people are left with after 80 years of living. Sometimes they end up in one little room because they can't afford a house anymore, or they've lost their partner and they just don't need all that space. Dementia We talked about the various types of dementia which include: * Alzheimer's which is the most common form * Vascular Dementia which is the type that can most be prevented by healthy lifestyle choices * Mixed Dementia which is Alzheimer's plus vascular combined * Lewy Body * Korsakoff's which can be caused by alcohol consumption What are some ways to improve memory Skills? * Pay Attention * Form habits to help manage misplaced items * Association or cues * Learn it and store it correctly * Keep Physically active. The brain needs oxygen to thrive and survive Angela has provided a Freebie for my listeners. Five Strategies to Help Improve Memory Skills. This goes over these in more detail and can be found at http://rockyourretirement.com/MemorySkills Books Caring for a husband with Dementia: The Ultimate Survival Guide A Book About Burnout: One Social Worker’s Tale of Survival Contact information: Phone: (855) 974-4219  *  Email: CareToAge@gmail.com  *  Website: www.AngelaGGentile.com Do you have tips on ways to improve memory skills? If you’d like to share your story with Angela and me, go to the show notes at Rock Your Retirement.com and leave a comment.  And you can talk with me and other listeners of the show in our private Facebook Community.  Just click on the community tab of the website. This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
What are the causes of Dizziness? episode 096
October 16, 2017 • 42 MIN
Have you ever experienced vertigo? What are the causes of dizziness? Dr. Kimberley Bell, DPT has been a Physical Therapist for nearly 15 years, and she specializes in helping people with dizziness.  She assesses and treats vertigo, dizziness, and imbalance in people of all ages.  She also helps with other issues thought to be related to aging as well. I brought her on the show to talk about the causes of dizziness, and also some potential treatments that can help. What is Balance? You might have heard of the five senses. These five senses are hearing, taste, sight, smell, and touch.  But there is another sense that we don't talk about. That is the sense of balance.  Without it, you wouldn't be able to sit or stand upright because you wouldn't be able to tell which way “up” was.  And you couldn't tell where “here or “there” was.  Without a sense of balance, gravity, wouldn't mean anything.  It would be fair to say that without any sense of balance, life would be unimaginably disabling.1 Dr. Bell was a wealth of information, especially if you know someone, or you are personally experiences vertigo, equilibrium problems, or the like. She told a story of a client who had experienced vertigo since she was 56 years old.  This person had CT scans, MRIs, and cardiac testing to try to find the causes of dizziness. Dr. Bell did an assessment and found crystals in her inner ear.  BPPV, or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, occurs when a patient has crystals in her inner ear.  It's the most common cause of vertigo, which is that feeling of spinning that some people get. This feeling is not life-threatening (unless you fall and hit your head!).  It comes on suddenly and is usually brief.  You can trigger BPPV when you hold your head a certain way or move your head a certain way.  And of course, its a type of vertigo, or a false sense of movement. Oh, and by the way, it can sometimes be cured by the right therapist. As a matter of fact, Dr. Bell was able to solve her patient's problem (in the story above) in just a few visits. Why can't my doctor find what my causes of dizziness are? Many physicians don't know how to diagnose it, and they are also not trained in how to solve the problem.  Many don't know the causes of dizziness in their patients. The difficulty of making the right vestibular diagnosis is reflected in the fact that in some populations, more than one-third of the patients with a vestibular disease consult more than one physician – in some cases up to more than fifteen.2  Not only that but one recent large epidemiological study estimates that as many as 35% of adults aged 40 years or older in the United States—approximately 69 million Americans—have experienced some form of vestibular dysfunction 3   Dr. Bell shares a story in her blog:   Since February 21, the medical care that I have personally received has caused me to experience vertigo anytime I chew solid food. This was never a problem before. Obviously, I’m not still working with that healthcare provider whose treatment worsened my symptoms, but recovering from the harmful results of the care that I received has taken me now over six weeks. My symptoms have been so bad that my husband has taken off work one or two days every week in order to take care of me. If I didn’t have him, I’m sure I would’ve had to hire a caregiver by now! I’ve been living with mild to severe vertigo off and on since I was five years old, after my first childhood concussion.4  Dr. Bell shares a lot of information in the episode.
Symptoms of Dementia: Episode 095
October 9, 2017 • 36 MIN
One in three people over the age of 65 in San Diego have symptoms of dementia. Today we are talking about dementia symptoms. Ana González Seda is the Program Director for the San Diego/Imperial Valley Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.  Her position is instrumental in providing face to face and online education and programming for caregivers, people living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. Ana has been working in the non- profit sector for leading health organizations in San Diego for over 15 years. I asked Ana to come on the show to tell us about dementia symptoms. If you have a parent or loved one that gets diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I  want you to know what to expect. If you lose your keys, that is not a part of symptoms of dementia. But if you find them in the refrigerator, that could be a sign of dementia What are the early signs and symptoms of Dementia? * Memory Loss that disrupts daily life * Challenges in planning or solving problems * Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure * Confusion with time or place * Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships * New problems with words in speaking or writing * Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps * Decreased or poor judgment * Withdrawal from work or social activities * Changes in mood and personality If you would like a copy of our freebie, 10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's, go to http://rockyourretirement.com/dementia this gives more detailed information on dementia symptoms. Contact information:  alz.org  * 800-272-3900- Master level consultants with extensive training regarding dementia. They can help with short term and long term planning. If you are interested in learning more about Trial Match go to alz.org/trialmatch This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Image already added
Avoid an Unhappy Retirement: Episode 094
October 2, 2017 • 33 MIN
I interviewed Hank Coleman on how we can avoid an unhappy retirement Hank Coleman founded several popular personal finance websites such as Money Q&A, Own The Dollar, Military Money Might, The Dividend Pig, and many others.  He is a freelance writer. Hank focuses on personal finance topics such as savings, investing, retirement, and many other money topics. I asked Hank to come on the show to talk about his parents and how much they hated the reality of retirement. It's never too early to plan for retirement Hank has never spoken with his parents about their retirement, however, as an only child, who visits often, he can see that their retirement isn't as amazing as they thought it would be. His parents had a grandiose idea of what retirement would be like, but when reality set in, it wasn't as good as the dream they envisioned.  I talk with him about his parents' retirement over the past 10 years and what he thinks went wrong. For Hank, it was heartbreaking to watch. So what are Hank's tips on how to avoid an unhappy retirement? * Make sure your spouse knows your retirement dream. Many husbands and wives don’t talk to each other about what they want to do during retirement. Maybe they don’t want to do anything at all. Having a successful retirement starts with communication. * If you can, plan a mini-retirement before you retire. Hank recommends taking a few weeks off and act like you're retired. Have you ever dreamt of writing a book during retirement? You may want to consider taking your idea for a spin. You’ll never know if you have what it takes to live the retirement of your dreams unless you try it out * You need a plan for your retirement. Now isn’t the time to start winging it.  The key to a perfect retirement is to have a plan and share with your loved ones. * Don't be too firmly rooted in your plan. Be open to flexibility as situations and circumstances do change * Before you retire, you should look at how much money you’ll need in retirement. There are several useful online calculators that can show you a quick view of what your retirement will look like. Contact information for Hank: Email: hank@moneyqanda.com * Website: http://moneyqanda.com This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Stages of Life with Ted Carr: Episode 093
September 25, 2017 • 44 MIN
Ted came onto my show as a guest to talk about stages of life, namely the 6 stages of retirement. Mr. Carr is a podcaster himself, with the show, Retirement Journeys, which discusses similar topics as this show, but he also includes financial topics on his show. In case you're wondering, the stages of life (retirement life) include: * Pre-retirement * Retirement * Disenchantment * Reorientation * Retirement Routine * Termination of Retirement (death) Ed was young (mid-50s) when he retired in 2010 from a biotech company in San Francisco.  Because so many people had asked him how he was able to retire so young he decided to take his story online. Let's look at some of these stages of life that Ted went through: Pre-retirement: This is the time while you are working that you are saving and investing for the time when you will be able to stop working.  Ted did a good job at this, or he wouldn't have been able to retire in his mid-50s.  Many people don't plan far enough in advance, for whatever reasons, and so the other stages of life become more difficult for them.  However, that's not what the Rock your Retirement show is all about so we'll let you reach out to your financial adviser for help with this. Retirement: This is fun for most, but can be the shortest stage of life (retirement life) for many.  That's because it's really only a day, a week, a month, or six.  A retirement date.  The retirement stage of life is the party.  You may go out to dinner with your work buddies.  Or you might have a cake on your last day of work.  The parties, balloons, and dinners have become a rite of passage for our actual retirement date. It can be a second “honeymoon” where you hike, garden, bicycle or create art.  Many people read or catch up on their yard work. Ted took the “honeymoon” path when he first retired, and he describes this in his blog: “After I retired in May 2010, I took the “honeymoon” path. In Retirement Journeys, I refer to this as “Arriving in Retirement”, a bridge from work life to retirement life. My wife and I moved from the Bay Area to Arizona in June 2010. Our first few months were spent settling into a new house and community. We had many home improvement projects to work on. We returned to the Bay Area frequently. When I look back at our calendar, I am reminded of the variety of ways that we spent our free time. We attended financial seminars, concerts, car auctions, baseball games and community-based meetings. In May 2011 we bought hybrid bikes and began riding once or twice a week”.1  But there is only so much hiking, gardening, and bicycling you can do. So that led Ted to the next stage of retirement: Disenchantment: This is the letdown stage of life.  The honey moon is over.  It's when many retirees become depressed. They can feel lonely, bored, useless, and disillusioned.  When they were working, people returned their phone calls.  People respected them.  Now, in this stage, many feel disrespected. It's this stage of life that the Rock Your Retirement show tries to help out. Ted went through this stage too, as we discussed in the interview.  In 2011 he started worrying about whether he had made the right decision.  He didn't feel productive and started writing in his journal to vent. For many, when they hit this stage, marriage problems can ensue.And it was affecting Ted's marriage.  So he  looked at some preemptive steps: * Volunteer * Work * Meetup * Deeper Confrontation Because Ted had started the look inward in this stage of life,
How Senior Services Can Get You Your Heart’s Desire Ep 92
September 18, 2017 • 33 MIN
Ellen Williamson retired in 2007 after 36 years of Federal service with the Department of Defense.  She was also a professor for 15 years as a “jobby”.  I love this combination of hobby and job, or a hobby with pay! Anyway, she continues to consult with firms interested in Federal Government Acquisition on an ad hoc basis. Although she has varied interests, including travel, hiking, charity and cultural events, we spent most of our time talking about a senior services club she belongs to called GetOffYourRockers.org. I took the liberty of going on the website to see what this senior services club was all about.  Here is a list of currently available activities: * Biking.  Every Monday * Bowling.  The second and fourth Thursdays * Camping * Chair Yoga * Charitable Work * Cultural Events * Foot Golf (I'd never heard of this before now!) * Golf * Hiking (once a month on Fridays) * Kayaking and Stand Up Paddle Boarding * Potlucks * Sailing * Skiing * Social Hours * Tennis * Travel * Ushering (volunteering at a theatre) * Walking (every evening) If you can't get your heart's desire with GOYR, then you are a tough nut to crack for sure! Not only does this senior services club help her get out and do what she likes to do, but it also helps her keep in touch with friends, and make new ones. In addition, it provides support for people who are recently retired, or just thinking about it.  You can hang out with someone who's already retired, and you can talk to someone who can help you recognize that retirement doesn't have to be scary. Ellen reminded me that change of any kind, including retirement, can take up to a year and a half to be OK with it. We've had many guests say the same thing.  I think joining a club like this is a great way to go. But what if your town doesn't have a senior services club like GOYR?  You can start one of your own.  These days, Meetup makes it easy, and we've had other episodes that talk about Meetup. Go check them out and then start or join a club of your own. This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Retirement as a surviving spouse: Episode 091
September 11, 2017 • 2070 MIN
Life is a journey. Lot's of retirees think about retiring as a couple. But what about retirement as a surviving spouse? In this interview, I talk with Ann Nelson. After suddenly finding herself a widow in 2009, Ann needed to learn – and fast – about finances, survival, and ultimate retirement. Ann is the author of Retire Well, Retire Happy. On her journey, she has found that in the end, it is not all about the money. Living a happy and worthwhile life is extremely important. Her book is about how she navigated through the retirement maze and found her way after being left a widow. In 2009, Ann was semi-retired but still working part-time flipping houses with her husband when he passed away. Ann knew she had to figure out her retirement as a surviving spouse We talked about the very sudden and surprising passing of her husband who had a heart attack at the dinner table. This was the catalyst for the following chain of events in her life: * She found herself making burial and funeral arrangements * Anne had to continue renovating homes herself. She worked for about a year before fully retiring. She did find working helped keep her mind busy. * Then she also realized she had to learn how to sort out finances due to her husband's death It wasn't until she went back to her and her late husband's home town, she began to grieve.  You have no control over grief and you have to allow yourself the time to grieve. Even though it's been over 8 years since her husband passed she still grieves sometimes. She had to reimagine herself and where she was going since her life had changed so much Ann has been keeping herself very busy in her retirement. She is writing and has her own podcast. Ann is also a retirement consultant and has taken courses to learn about investing. She is also a member of a variety of groups: * Lions Club * Toastmasters * Australian Independent Retirees Association * National Seniors In her book she not only talks about the investing and finances in retirement, she also talks about being happy in retirement. (You know I LOVE that!) The non-financial aspects of retirement such as traveling, learning and living arrangements. Her book is called Retire Well, Retire Happy and can be found on her website: http://www.annnelson.com.au/ Ann's advice: Unless you are involved in outside activities, retirement can be a struggle. Prepare for retirement as a couple but also prepare and think about retirement as a surviving spouse. This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
An Expert Interview About Senior Games…Ep 090
September 4, 2017 • 33 MIN
Alan was nicknamed “Motorbutt”. How did Alan Mindell get his nickname?  After dancing for years, Alan started running.  He wound up with some injuries, but got into shape.  At age 76, Motorbutt runs three times a week.  How often do you run?  (I don't run. Ever.) He wanted to come on the show to talk about the Senior Games. The Senior Games are San Diego's (and other counties) answer to the Senior Olympics. They are 50 years old in 2017 and there is a wide list of sports that are covered. These sports include Track & Field; Pickleball; Archery; and Ping Pong to name a few.  If you do a Google search, you can find a list of contests and sports.  In San Diego, for the 2017 games, there will be 25 sports, including individual and team sports such as softball, volleyball, and soccer. Alan's sport is the 400 meter. That's once around the track.  He said that the coolest thing he ever saw was a 100 year old man who competed in the Pole Vault.  Because he was the only participant, he was able to set a world record.  Listen to the episode to hear how he did it…it's pretty interesting! And, if you are looking to make friends, it's a great place to do that too! Attend the monthly luncheon.  Check your local Senior Games to see what they offer. Exercising is one of the best ways we know to stave off disease in our older years.  It's one of the best ways to stay young and healthy.  Why not take that knowledge, along with some friendly competition, to keep in shape? I asked Alan for his advice for someone who has never exercised before. He said to start slow. Spend a few weeks going “light”.  We at the Rock Your Retirement Show don't give medical advice, except for this:  Before starting any exercise routine, see your physician. After you get the OK, go out there and have some fun in the senior games!
Putting Relationships Back Together: Episode 89
August 28, 2017 • 37 MIN
I interview Michelle Brelaz to talk about putting relationships back together. Michelle puts relationships back together and her goal is to reduce the divorce rate one couple at a time. She is a certified coach, trained through the official school of Anthony Robbins. Michelle also has a Diploma of Counseling and a Degree in Psychology. She has a deep desire to understand the differences between men and women so that she can provide training that facilitates respect between the genders. In time, she would like to take her training to schools – to help prevent relationship problems before they start. Michelle had no intention of going into this line of work, but an incident where her husband lashed out and hit their daughter was the catalyst for her starting this path for her career.  She felt the counseling they went to “un-did” them and pulled them apart. She decided she wanted to focus on putting relationships back together. Pain talks. Pain has a language all of its own. People say things when they are in pain, they don't say when they're in love. So how is Michelle putting relationships back together? Michelle feels that counseling for couples should be done individually rather than partners going to counseling together and she will never counsel a husband and wife together. People say things when they are hurt that aren't really part of the problem or important to the relationship. Words can hurt and they are difficult to take back. She has her clients send her a list, in order of importance, of things they want to discuss. Women multi-think and they to need a few extra sessions to process everything. She typically has 6 sessions with women and 3 with men Do not blame each other. There is no one to blame. Michelle gives us some great tips to stay away from Divorce. Some of those tips are:  * People rush into relationships before talking about big issues such as money and children * Once people marry they become selfish. Keep that “What can I do for my partner” attitude you had in the beginning. * Sit down every 2 weeks and review the last two weeks. Talk about feelings, fun things, what made them happy, good things that happened. * Your relationship is a small part of your life. Don't give up your life, friends hobbies, sports etc. * Take care of yourself first and then help your partner and children * Keep Respect Michelle's advice: Your relationship in retirement can almost seem like a newly wed stage of getting to know each other again and spending a lot of time together. If you think you want to get a divorce, go and get as much help as possible. You are going to lose money, relationships, extended family, and dating at a later stage in life is very difficult. To get today’s Freebie, 3 tips for improving your relationships immediately, go to: www.RockYourRetirement.com/relationships Contact information for Michelle: https://yusrelationshiprepairspecialists.com/ Mentioned in the interview: Allison Armstong Tony Robbins (Robbins-Madanes Training)  Joan Price Rock Your Retirement Episode 061 This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Organizing Your Home: Episode 088
August 21, 2017 • 38 MIN
I talk with Lisa Woodruff about organizing your home Lisa Woodruff believes organization is not a skill you are born with. It is a skill that is developed over time and changes with each season of life. She has helped thousands of women reclaim their homes and finally get organized with her practical tips, encouragement, and humor through her blog and podcast at Organize365.com. Got clutter? I Do. I am the “queen of clutter” or, as Lisa put's it, “I have a hard time separating the memory from the object”. Makes perfect sense right? Since listening to Lisa's show, I have been making progress. I am a HUGE fan of Lisa's show and wanted YOU, my listener, to be able to learn tips on organizing your home. Paper.. how to deal with all of the paper! When you look at a stack of 100 sheets of paper, you think that is 100 different items that you need to deal with. Lisa looks at your stack of 1000 pieces of paper and she knows that there are no more than 8 categories in that stack of paper and she can go through it super quickly. Lisa gives an amazing tip on how to go through the archived paper. You know, the mounds of paper you have in your filing cabinet or scattered all over your desk, or taking over your kitchen table..that paper. Using Lisa's method, you can be completely through an entire filing cabinet in just a few months. The Sunday Basket The Sunday Basket is a system for processing mail, kitchen counter “to do” papers, and ongoing household projects. Some examples of things you might put in the Sunday basket are: * Mail * Receipt for some prescriptions that you picked up * The dry cleaning ticket * The little card you get from the doctor's office telling you it's time for your next visit * A birthday card you bought for your granddaughter * Let's say you planned on re-hanging some pictures and you went and got command hooks. You would put those in there. The rule is that you pick a day of the week (Lisa does hers on Sunday) and you take every single thing out of the basket. You then ask yourself one question; can this wait until next Sunday?  If the answer is yes, the item goes back in the basket. If the answer is no, it is left out to be taken care of. She even suggests making a Sunday basket for your spouse or for your loved one that you are caring for! Lisa gives so many tips on organizing your home in this interview there is no way I could write them all here. If you have any great ideas or tips on organization feel free to post them in the comments below! Lisa's Books: The Mindset of Organization, Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time If you would like to contact Lisa you can email her at lisa@organize365.com or you can go to her website https://organize365.com/ Or you can check out her virtual Sunday Basket Classes at https://thesundaybasket.com/ Websites mentioned in this interview: Zoom This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
The Emotional Aspect of Retirement: Episode 87
August 14, 2017 • 37 MIN
In this interview, we talk about the emotional aspect of retirement. Becky Kueker was 69 years old when she decided to retire from a 20-year career as a partner in a successful woman-owned commercial architectural firm in St. Louis. This was all part of her grand plan. It was the “Plan” she had created and was totally invested in since she was 40 years old. She was ready to close that door and walk out embracing a whole new chapter in her life. She and her husband had saved, invested, researched and carefully planned their retirement. They even kept a “retirement binder” for all those years with laminated financial spreadsheets, great places to retire, exciting long-awaited trips to take, and all the “how-to self-help” retirement books she could read. What she never expected was that her retirement plan had covered everything except the emotional aspect of retirement. Becky became depressed after she retired. She lost a lot of self-esteem and self-worth. Becky's husband still works and she was spending a lot of time alone. She talks about an AARP Article called Out-of-Sync Retirement Syndrome. I think there are many retirees that go through sadness or even depression after retirement. Becky felt like she went from running a 25 million dollar a year company to the newly retired pack of old people. When you walk out and close that door on your work life, part of you literally disappears. Over-the-Hill Cards aren't as funny when it's you that receives them It took Becky 2 years to get over her depression. She did some silly things during this time, all while hiding most of it from her husband. * Becky would put on her pajama's, Elmo slippers, and a ratty old robe. She used a hairbrush as a microphone and walked around the house singing to Elvis CD's * Stayed in bed all day reading books she had never read before. * Watched Netflix and old movies * Discovered Overstock.com and online shopping Becky made her “retirement binder” but what people really need is an “Emotional playbook Binder”. Plan for the emotional aspect of retirement as well as what you want to do with your life and your marriage before you retire. How did she get out of her depression? Becky wrote her book called Hiding in my pajama's. In talking with people for research on her book, she discovered so many people that go through the same thing. She and her husband also decided they needed their own space. So they bought a new home that allowed them space if they needed it. Becky says it is also important to find hobbies for each of you to do separately, but also plan activities and dates together. Discover the best version of yourself and get dressed and comb your hair every day. Becky's Book- Hiding in My Pajamas Email:  bkueker@gmail.com This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
RE030: Vintage Dresses and Gowns RE030: Vintage Dresses and Gowns
August 11, 2017 • 51 MIN
Henry talks with Dorothy Nicol about her vintage dresses and gowns. Dorothy is 87 years old. She has lived her entire life in the small town of  Lismore which is located in Victoria Australia. She absolutely loves her hometown and she wanted to do something to help the town and the community when she retired. Dorothy says her hobby is living in the 20th century Dorothy has an amazing collection which includes thousands of 20th-century vintage dresses and gowns. She began collection many years ago and the collection grew so much, she needed more space! Henry and Dorothy talk about how she purchased a property she had cherished since she was a young girl, and turned it into a small tourist attraction. Sometimes Dorothy feels like she is unorganized because she has so many items! She admits she isn't like a boutique shop, she prefers the quaint, charming feeling of her store. She likes for people to come into her shop and be able to look around and touch the items. Touching most often is not allowed with vintage garments. There are a lot of fascinating stories that go along with vintage dresses and gowns Dorothy is very sentimental. You can hear her well up with emotion as she talks about these stores and the wonderful people she has met throughout the years. Henry also takes a walk down memory lane with Dorothy as she reminisces about growing up in the town she loves so much. She began working at the age of 16 as a telephonist which was a manual switchboard Operator. She held that same job until she married in 1950 and never worked anywhere else. If you have seen old movies where the operators are pulling plus, that is what Dorothy did!. She has never learned to use the computer and is full of nostalgia. She prefers a time when lives were a lot more uncomplicated and there was more of a community feeling. This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Always Being Together: Episode 086
August 7, 2017 • 38 MIN
I was SO excited that I got to Catherine and Barry Cohen. I am sort of a “fangirl” (but not in a creepy weird way), They have a podcast I listen to all of the time called Together 24/7 and I am a fan! It's about building businesses together but we talked about always being together. Which, they pretty much are! Barry said that he and Catherine were genetically programmed to work together. Catherine's parents built a retail shoe business and have worked together most of their 55 plus years of marriage. Barry's father is 83 years old and still working! They said that he wouldn't know what to do with himself and his wife would end up killing him if he was home all day every day.  (Sound familiar?) Barry and Catherine are business strategists and have a company called Business Solutions for Growth. They work with businesses to help them create a plan of action for their business. We talked about what starting a business as a couple after retirement might look light. Retirement can be boring. A lot of people do this not necessarily for the money, but to do something they really enjoy. Obviously, you love each other, but If you don't like each other, retirement is going to be hard. Some couples enjoy always being together however, there are some things Barry and Catherine say are important to remember: * Find common ground * Communicate * Have mutual respect for each other * Enjoy each other What if always being together isn't for you? * Vacation separately * Have days to hang out with friends * Keep the things you were doing separately before you retired * Decide which activities you enjoy doing together and what activities you want to do separately. Regardless of whether you plan on spending every minute together in your retirement or plan on doing things separately, Barry and Cat say you should figure it out before retirement. Decide what you are going to do, write a list and talk about it. Prepare for always being together. If you are thinking of creating a business, Barry and Catherine have offered my listeners a FREE 30-minute discovery session. You can contact them at info@businesssolutionsforgrowth.com or by calling 602-399-7430 This post about Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com How do you handle always being together? Do you have any ideas or thoughts? We would love to hear them in the comments below:
RE029: Passion for Art in Retirement
August 4, 2017 • 2294 MIN
Henry interviews Di Lockwood on her passion for art. Before retiring at the age of 54, Di was a teacher for about 37 years. She always has a strong love for art and she knew once she retired she was going to pursue her passion for art. She even planned and prepared for it before she retired by studying and taking courses. When she did retire, she took up visual arts and decided she like printmaking the most. Di created an art gallery in her home. It is a not for profit gallery and she only charged a small amount just to help pay for the insurance she has to have. Di doesn't do what she does for the money (she doesn't really make money) she truly loves what she does and has a true passion for art. Henry sat down with her and talked about her passion.  Di talked about her experience teaching art. She told us a story of a young man from Afghanistan who she said, was extremely talented. He had never painted once in his life until he was in the Darwin Detention Center. (Which is an Australian Immigration detention facility) Henry and Di also talk about: * How she made a studio in her home  (wouldn't that be lovely!) * Her idea to set up a not for profit art gallery for emerging artists * How she was able to provide a space where refugee women could gather and she helped them establish themselves in the community * Jackson Pollock’s painting ‘Blue Poles’ Not to be outdone, Di has her own Facebook Page!  If you would like to check out Di's Facebook go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/librandogma/ Thank YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes. This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Marriage Advice After Retirement: Episode 85
July 31, 2017 • 39 MIN
Let's face it, our spouses can get on our nerves! And once you retire, you're gonna be spending even more glorious (or not so glorious) time together. In this episode, I talk with Lori Ann Davis on marriage advice after retirement. Lori has over 28 years’ experience empowering individuals and couples to live richer, happier lives. I asked her to come on the show because she is the author of Unmasking Secrets to Unstoppable Relationships: How to Find, Keep and Renew Love and Passion in Your Life. You want a marriage that is not only surviving but is actually thriving. According to Lori, just because you don't fight and your marriage seems OK, it doesn't necessarily mean it is. She gives some great marriage advice after retirement. Key Elements for working on your marriage (and Lori says yes, you have to work on your marriage all the time)  * Constantly reconnect with each other * Be interested * Get to know them on a deeper level * Make sure you are spending enough time together * Talk about your expectations for this phase of your life * Discuss your dreams and interests The Do's and Don'ts DO: * Discover who your spouse is * Date each other * Remember why you chose each other DON'T * Spend 24/7 together * Rush into anything if you have grown apart * Spend zero amount of time together What do you do if you have grown apart? * Sit down and start dating each other again * Look for the positives and the good things * Renew the passion and intimacy * Flirt * Sit next to each other * Stop for a kissing break * Entice * Hold hands * Leave a flirty message on the pillow or sent a flirtatious text * Make out and be playful Lori and I also talk about when it's time to get help for your relationship whether it is a counselor or a coach. Lori says the sooner you get help the better and don't wait until you have given up. Should you give marriage advice to a friend if they ask for it? Comment below if you have any thoughts on this subject. Book:  Unmasking Secrets to Unstoppable Relationships: How to Find, Keep and Renew Love and Passion in Your Life. Contact information: www.lorianndavis.com This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
RE028: Selling Deer Antler Velvet in Retirement
July 28, 2017 • 38 MIN
Henry interviews Di and Ross Lawrence who run a business selling deer antler velvet in their retirement. Before Di and Ross retired, they ran a deer farm. Di worked part-time as a bookkeeper and Ross ran the farm. As they got older, they knew they would have to leave their farm as it became too much work for them to maintain. Ross even got pretty seriously injured. In 2014, they decided it was time to sell. Henry talks with them about the transition from farm life to life in the suburbs. It was an easy transition for them. They bought their home before they sold their farm.  Ross and Di downsized their belongings.  They were prepared for it. It was, however, difficult for Ross to leaving the animals he had taken care of for so long. Ross knew he wanted to stay in touch with the deer industry after he retired. He already had a small online business selling deer antler velvet products and he decided he would continue that business in his retirement.  What is Deer Antler Velvet? Deer antler velvet is the entire immature antler. It is harvested before it calcified to its normal state. Once they remove the antlers they do grow back each year. It has been used for thousands of years as a food product. It is also used in Chinese medicine to promote good health and is used as a natural remedy for a wide variety of things. Henry talks with Di and Ross about their business and the various uses for their product. Di and Ross haven't only been “working” in their retirement. Di has been enjoying getting her new home together. She has been able to catch up on sewing, reading, and she has been able to start doing more walking. Ross has plans to start golfing and they have been doing some traveling. All of those things we don't usually have time to do before we retire. If you would like to contact the Lawrence’s, you can email them at ross@deerfarm.com.au. Find them on the internet at www.deerfarm.com.au.  You can also find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/deervelvetantler This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Dealing with Pet Loss: Episode 84
July 24, 2017 • 34 MIN
If you are like me, your animals are a big part of your family. In this episode, I talk with Von Braschler about dealing with pet loss and grief.  Von is the author of the book Natural Pet Healing and the e-book Healing with Your Pet: Our Psychic Spiritual Connection, which is based in part on his 4-year popular podcast which was called “Healing with your Pet.” He rescues cats and has volunteered as a dog walker and groomer for the Humane Society. He is also a certified pet massage therapist.  There are steps that you really need to go through in dealing with pet loss The most popular names in the US for pets are no longer Fluffy or Spot. Instead, they are names such as Max, Sam, Ginger, Misty, Jake, and Samantha. These are like children's names and they become our family. According to Von, the bond we have with our pets these days is stronger than ever before. Pets are not spending as much time outside, they live in the house with us, therefore, our bond with them gets stronger. Most of us will go through many… many pets and will sadly lose them and go through grief. Unless someone has lived with an animal or had a pet that is close to them, they do not feel the bond and they can't truly empathize with the grief you go through. What are the steps for dealing with pet loss? * Take lots of photos and make a book out of them * Keep collars, tags (keepsakes) * Celebrate their life * Surround yourself with sympathetic people * Allow yourself to grieve * If you have another pet, you can comfort each other and grieve together * Have a small ceremony * Join a pet loss support group either online or in person * Have age appropriate animal (someone who is elderly may not want to get a parrot who will live a very long time) Books:  Natural Pet Healing: Our Psychic, Spiritual Connection Healing with your Pet: Our Psychic, Spiritual Connection (Kindle Edition) Contact Information: If you would like to reach out to Von you can go to facebook.com/vbraschler  Websites we mentioned in our interview:  AARP * The Humane Society Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
RE027: Breeding Dogs in Retirement
July 21, 2017 • 39 MIN
Judith French is breeding dogs in her retirement. In this episode, Henry speaks with Judith French.  Judy was in nursing before she retired.  She has also been married for 54 years!  She was looking forward to her retirement so she would have more time to do things such as gardening and reading. Judith truly loves breeding dogs.  She spends a lot of her free time doing this and she loves her dogs.  Judith began breeding animals even before she retired. In fact. she grew up in a family which bred and showed animals, so she is no stranger to the show arena. Judith initially started with cats, but then switched to breeding dogs.  She and Henry discuss the many breeds she has raised and loved throughout the years. Mentioned in the show:   https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/member.asp?name=WATERMILL *Please note: We realize that dog breeding is a sensitive subject for some of our listeners and readers.  The Rock Your Retirement show does not endorse… nor does it condemn breeding dogs.   Kathe currently enjoys two rescue dogs and a bird.  She believes that pets can keep you healthy and help you live longer.   Each person must decide on his or her own whether to get a pedigreed dog, show dog, or a rescue dog. Have a comment?  Post it below.  And if you've been listening to our retirement lifestyle show, reviewing the show on iTunes really helps others find us. This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Sexual Medicine: Episode 083
July 17, 2017 • 49 MIN
Our guest for today is Sue Goldstein, BA, CCRC, AASECT-CSE, IF (That is a ton of credentials isn't that?!) and she's here to talk about Sexual Medicine. In 2007, Sue and her husband moved from Boston to San Diego to open up San Diego Sexual Medicine. She educates people on sex, sexual dysfunction, sexual functionality, basically everything that has to do with sexual medicine. She also recently co-authored a book called “When Sex Isn't Good”. You're never too old for sex According to Sue, you are never too old for sex and it's never too late to regain sexual health. Research tells us that being sexually active actually decreases your stress level. There are a lot of benefits! * It is good for your health and your relationship. * It improves self-esteem * There is more fun in relationships and * There is more of a playful ease in relationships. The oldest man they treated for erectile dysfunction was 91. So, as the saying goes “where there's a will there's a way!” “The man with the young woman on his arm is not looking for a trophy wife, he's looking for a lubricated vagina” We went over so many enlightening and fascinating things. Here is a short list of some of them: * Menopause (Sex doesn't have to hurt!) * HSDD (Hypoactive sexual desire disorder) * Erectile dysfunction * Injection therapy (Can't be as bad as it sounds can it?) * Prostate cancer and treatments to help with getting an erection * Implants for men * Hormone treatments * Laser therapy * Testosterone * The “G” Spot I learned so much from conducting this interview on sexual medicine. If you would like to comment or have any information on treatments you have used (or want to learn more about), feel free to join the conversation and comment below. Contact Information: Phone: 619-265-8865 * Email: information@sdsm.info * Website: http://www.SanDiegoSexualMedicine.com Book: When Sex Isn't Good: Stories & Solutions of Women With Sexual Dysfunction  Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
RE026: Passion for Steam Trains
July 14, 2017 • 0 MIN
David Mickle has had a passion for steam trains for 50 years. Before David he retired at the young age of 70, he worked as an electrician. He looked forward to retiring so he would have more time to pursue his passion for steam trains. When David was a young child he was fascinated with steam trains. His passion for steam trains only grew as he got older. Henry and David discuss his volunteer work on the on the Puffing Billy which is a voluntary Railway group that operates a steam train in Australia. David was a volunteer laborer and helped to restore the cars and railways after a landslide. They also discuss David's involvement with the Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club. David was one of the very first members of this club and was also involved in the club for over 50 years. Dave also restored a steam engine with the help of his friend. It was manufactured by the Yorkshire Steam Wagon Company and has a horizontal boiler on the front with Ackermann steering. There is nothing automatic about this steam wagon either. You have to stop to change gears. Henry and Dave talk about the restoration process and it really is amazing. In listening to Henry's interview David, you can really tell how important this hobby is to David. He is a man with some fascinating stories who is more than happy to share them. There is some amazing history and heritage behind steam trains. Do you have a passion for steam trains? You don't have to actually own a steam train if you are interested in them. There are steam engine organizations where you can volunteer doing things such as working on the trains or driving the trains. What is David advice for retirees? Find a hobby and keep your body active and your mind active. Sounds like great advice! Websites Mentioned in this interview: * Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club * Puffing Billy Have you ever ridden on a steam train?  Leave a comment below to tell us about your experience. Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Talking Poop with Melissa Ramos: Ep 082
July 10, 2017 • 34 MIN
I am talking poop with Melissa Ramos! Melissa is a Nutritionist focusing on Chinese Nutrition Therapy and owner of Sexy Food Therapy Inc. She helps people feel sexy from the inside out with a focus on digestion and hormone imbalances. Melissa's journey began when she got sick. She started to see a nutritionist and discovered she had digestive issues. Melissa went and studied nutrition and from there, she studied Chinese Medicine right afterward. She began a blog basically just for fun. In the beginning, she was blogging about how she emotionally ate the right way and was documenting a lot of dating stories. To her surprise, a bunch of people started reading it and the business focus changed. A lot of it changed based on her personal struggle with digestion and a near death experience that she discusses in the interview. The Poop Whisperer People get nervous about talking openly about poop. They will go to an entirely different floor of an office building to poop just so that no one knows they are going. Talking poop is important as it can tell a lot about your health. As you get older your digestion declines. 70% of women will get fibroids by the age of 50. So what do YOU need to know about your poop? What should you be looking for? (And according to Melissa, yes, you should be looking) * Frequency * Shape * Pellet poop * Loose Poop * Color * How many wipes * Proper bowel elimination Don't poop enough? Melissa gives us some great tips in the interview on what we can do to increase the frequency and improve our bowel movements. Happy Pooping! Contact information: http://sexyfoodtherapy.com Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
RE025: Money isn’t everything
July 7, 2017 • 0 MIN
Henry interviews me and we talk about how money isn't everything. I actually was hesitant to release this episode since it seems a little self-serving, but my “deal” with Henry was to release his episodes one at a time so that they would live on in the Rock Your Retirement feed. So here goes…. We started off the interview talking about my treadmill desk. You may have heard me talk about my treadmill desk on other episodes. I love my treadmill desk! If you haven't seen it, join my private Facebook group so you can see a picture of it. It's a great tool for staying healthy. Henry and I also discussed my previous career as a Financial Advisor and how and why I walked away from most of my business. We also talked about why I began selling Medicare Supplement Insurance. However, the main focus of the interview, and why Henry invited me on his show was to talk about the Rock Your Retirement show and how money isn't everything. This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I started this show with a set of certain topics I would be discussing with people. Those were: * Social and Family * Adventure and Travel * Volunteer and Philanthropy * Spiritual/Soul * Sex * Helping your parents/sandwich generation issues Over time, that list of topics has grown and I have learned a lot! We also talked about all of the mechanics of starting and maintaining a podcast such as * Technical * Equipment * hosting * questions for guests * editing I had no experience in podcasting when I began, and it has been a wonderful learning experience. I am also so grateful for my “tech guru”, my husband, Les. Henry and I also talked about a retirement community Les and I were considering in Buckeye, AZ but we decided the extremely hot temps were not for us! So it's still sunny (and cooler) San Diego for us right now. Sites we mentioned in this interview: * Dave Jackson's, School of Podcasting * Libsyn I had a great time talking with Henry Shapiro and I hope you enjoy listening! Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com  
Documentary About Women Over Sixty: 081
July 3, 2017 • 42 MIN
Melissa Davey, who is in her 60's, retired at the end of 2015, to pursue her second act and dream of becoming a filmmaker. She is currently making a Documentary about women over sixty. Her film is The Beyond Sixty Project. Melissa used to sit in restaurants and watch everyone. She has this infinite need to understand people. Melissa had no experience in the film industry. She always had an interest in film and the process of making a film. In 2014 she got to spend the day on set with M. Night Shyamalan who is a famous film director. He asked her what she did, and after explaining her high-powered job as a Vice President she said: “But that's not what I really want to do.” She told him that she wanted his job. After this day, Melissa knew she was going to make a film, and she knew it would be a documentary about women over sixty. She went into work the next day, talked to her CEO about retiring, and the process of her new career began! I feel like I am still growing and learning, and that's an awesome thing to be feeling when you're this age. Melissa went online and googled women doing interesting things.  She began building the list of women who are now in the documentary about women over sixty. Melissa wasn't looking for famous women.  She wanted “everyday” women who are resilient, relevant and have an amazing story to tell. Even before she quit working, Melissa began learning the process, scheduling meetings, and networking with people who could help her. We also talked about the process of selecting the women who are going to be in the film (which is a very tough decision to make sometimes). Melissa says that “mostly it is just a gut feeling”. She also tells us the story of Paula who is in her 60's and is a veterinarian in Vermont. This is a very low-key, unassuming lady who just last year, swam the English Channel! She is the oldest woman from the United States to complete the English Channel swim. You can watch the “teaser” on Paula and the other women on Melissa's website at http://www.beyondsixtyproject.com/ or if you would like to contact Melissa you can email her at melissajdavey@verizon.net Her documentary documentary about women over sixty is still a work in progress. And at the time of the interview, Melissa said they were probably about half way finished. I personally cannot wait to see the finished product and, perhaps, be Melissa's date to the Oscar's someday! What a great way to Rock Your Retirement! Some of the websites mentioned in the interview * Sundance Film Festival * United Healthcare This was great fun!  If you’d like to join in the conversation with Melissa and me, leave a comment below!. The freebie for this episode is Secrets about retirement your broker won't tell you. You can get this by going to http://RockYourRetirement.com/Secrets Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook. This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on 
RE024: From Cats to Classic Cars
June 30, 2017 • 41 MIN
Tim Stansmore went from cats to classic cars in his retirement. Tim built a successful “Cattery” during his working career. What is a “Cattery”? Good question because I didn't know either until I listened to this interview. A Cattery is a boarding establishment for cats. Tim didn't just build any cat boarding facility, this was the Taj Maj Hal for cats. Ironically, Tim is allergic to cats. Tim and Henry talk about some of the hilarious stories of the owners of the cats. Tim says in the interview, if he was to write a book, it would be on the cat's owners and not the cats themselves. So how does Tim go from cats to classic cars? After 10 years, Tim sold his business and bought a property on the east side of Melbourne Australia. The property came with a garage, a huge shed, and an aircraft hangar. This would end up being perfect for him to store his many classic cars and motorcycles. This guy knows his stuff when it comes to cars and motorcycles! Tim and Henry talk about they many cars and bikes he has collected including a 1926 Model T Ford, 1930 Model A Ford, 1971 Lancia Fulvia and many more. Tim likes to buy cars, restore them and then trade or sell them for a small profit. Unless he gets attached to a car and cannot bear to part with it once it is finished. However, for Tim, it's not really about the money. It's about saving the cars. Old cars and motorcycles are Tim's passion. It is a lot of work but as Tim says “if you enjoy what you are doing, it's not really a job”. Tim tells a story of a car he bought and sold the same day. He owned the car for a total of 15 minutes and made a decent profit from it. So what's next for Tim? He is going to sell off his fleet and buy more of course! His real passion is old English Motorcycles and that is what he plans on focusing on in the future. Do you have a story about cars or bikes? Do you have a story about cats? Leave me a comment in the Reply box below. Special Thanks for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Bad Words with Mary Fran Bontempo: Episode 080
June 26, 2017 • 0 MIN
I spoke with Mary Fran Bontempo about bad words. Mary Fran has a great sense of humor and you can tell by the name of her blog, “Not Ready for Granny Panties.” She is also the author of 3 books. Today we talked about her latest book, “The Woman's Book of Dirty Words”. These bad words aren't what you might think they are. Before we talked about Mary Fran’s book, I just had to go over an article on her website about “Shhssing your brain” Do you ever feel like you just can’t shut your brain off? This is called ‘brain chatter’, Mary Fran explains where she discovered this and what you can do to help yourself. We also touched on Mary Fran's son and how she and her husband dealt with his heroin addiction. Her advice is to not think you're going to fix it. Get professional help! Onto the dirty! The ‘bad words’ that Mary Fran goes over with us in this podcast: * Fine * Adventure * Nice * No (We even did a little role-playing on how to say no) * Balance The constraints that we put on ourselves to become spectacular…we treat ‘fine’ like it’s a dirty word like there’s something wrong with being okay and good enough Mary Fran and I even did a little role-playing on the bad word “NO” and how to say it. Not sure if we will win any Grammy's for our performance but needless to say, it was a lot of fun! I also asked Mary Fran to give us one of the eleven commandments to staying out of granny panties. Thou Shalt Stop ‘Shoulding’ Thyself Mary Fran says we are always filling our days up with things we should and shouldn't do. The word “should” very often equals obligation and the word “shouldn't” often equals denial. We need to change that language to change these to must and want. Sounds like good advice to me! If you would like to check out Mary Fran's blog go to http://www.notreadyforgrannypanties.com/ and Mary Fran’s website is http://maryfranbontempo.com/. Also, as I promised in the interview, here is a link to Mary's Blog post on Brain Chatter Books The Woman’s Book of Dirty Words, Not Ready for Granny Panties—The 11 Commandments for Avoiding Granny Panties Everyday Adventures: Or, As My Husband Says, “Lies, Lies and More Lies” Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com        
RE023: Learning to Fly
June 23, 2017 • 45 MIN
Peter Glover was learning to fly when he was 60 years old! Some people retire once, Peter Glover did it twice. The first was a planned retirement and an injury caused the second. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing though! With time on his hands, Peter was able to pursue his passion of learning to fly. Before Peter retired, he raced cars and motorcycles. His mechanical experience allowed him to build “rally cars”. Peter won a some major races in Australia. Once he retired from this work, he bought a large sheep and crop farm. With basically no experience, Peter managed his farm successfully until he was injured and hurt his back. This stopped his farming career. Peter didn't have the opportunity to become a pilot as a teenager.  But it was still in his heart to learn.  And after he spoke with a pilot at a car race one day, he decided he was going to fulfill his dream of learning to fly. Think it's expensive?  Learning to fly might not be as expensive as you think.  But not everyone can do it because you would spend about as much for a good light plane as a mid priced luxury car. Henry and Peter discuss all of the details in learning to fly such as: * Choice of aircraft * The types of licenses you can get * Determining whether to own or lease a plane * Regulations for private flying (which is over-regulated in Australia according to Peter) * Fit to fly issues * Safety issues * Insurance, servicing & maintenance, gas for the airplane and lots more! There is a lot of information on the internet about flying.  And you can subscribe to magazines on the subject as well.  Check out your local airports as they often have flying schools.  Here in California some of the Community Colleges offer it as well. If you have any experience in flying leave a comment in the box below. Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Prepare for Retirement: Episode 079
June 19, 2017 • 38 MIN
Don't simply retire from something, have something to retire to! Megan Giles supports those approaching retirement to successfully transition and create a retirement they will love to live! This is achieved through action-focused planning sessions and workshop facilitation. The key to success for the people who work with Megan is structured planning, looking beyond the finances, harnessing opportunities, informed decision making and tailored actions.  Megan and I talked about how she helps people prepare for retirement. Just as we do here at Rock Your Retirement, Megan focuses on the non-financial aspects of retirement. (YES a kindred spirit!) She likes to look at the whole person and what really enables the quality of life. She looks at things like; how you connect to people, how emotionally supported you are and do you feel you have a purpose? It's never too late to make changes and create a greater sense of satisfaction and enjoyment in life after work. Acknowledging that you're struggling but willing to take some action is actually an incredible strength. What does a mini coaching session look like? How do you prepare for retirement? Talk about work: * What is it that drives you? * What is that you don't enjoy and look forward to never having to do again? * How do you translate these things into figuring out what you want to maintain in your retirement? * Do you want to fully retire or do you want to use your expertise to mentor someone or to volunteer? Talk about life outside of work: * What is it outside of work that you enjoy? * What is the stuff you used to enjoy that you don't really have time for? * Who do you like doing these things with? * How do you bring these things into action? You need is a plan to prepare for retirement from Day 1. This doesn't mean your days have to be completely full. Allow yourself time to do nothing if you want. But, it is important to have some immediate actions and goals. If you are retiring around age 60 to 65, you potentially have another 20 to 30 years ahead of you. You'll have the opportunity to change or deviate from your path. Don't feel like you are locked into one thing forever. Have a focus for now, but you can always come back around and revisit your plans and goals. There is no right or wrong. The beauty is that it's your retirement and you are writing your story. Megan provided a wonderful tool for our listeners. It is a planning sheet called I'm Retiring But I'm Not Done Yet! Staying Relevant And Connected in Life After Work. You can get it for free by going to www.RockYourRetiremenet.com/Relevant Contact information for Megan: Email megan@megangiles.com  www.facebook.com/megangilescoaching  www.megangiles.com Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com Megan is now a guest writer for the Rock Your Retirement show.  You can find her first post 
RE022: Making the most out of life RE022: Making the most out of life
June 16, 2017 • 39 MIN
Henry interviews Margaret Cook, a serial entrepreneur, about making the most out of life. Margaret started her married life in an RV! And she's not afraid of learning either.  Her zest for it gave her the opportunity to learn what she needed to know in order to build a coffee shop in her hometown. This is a fascinating story of someone not afraid to follow her own path, and not afraid to put in the time to learn. Henry learned how Margaret is making the most out of her current life. Margaret did a lot of things.  She worked as a nurse when she was young.  This woman even taught herself how to upholster furniture.  She purchased and ran a shop to showcase her furniture.  And she's been a hairdresser. Not only that, but she's also been a massage therapist. This woman has done it all! In her current life of setting up and running the coffee shop, she's had to learn a host of new things. This includes the legal aspects in her area. It includes deciding on what to add to the menu.  Additionally, she needed to figure out her niche, or what type of clients she wanted.  And…what about the competition? The cool thing is that she created this “room within a room”.  The shop is called “Antiques and Coffee” and is located in Lismore, Australia.  Margaret has a list of ongoing projects including her “Stage Two” which will be taking an extra lot that is next to her family's farm into another eating place.   You can learn all about it by listening to the episode. Just click the play button and you can listen now. Margaret received inspiration the book ’The Life You Are Born To Live’ by Dan Millman.  She really liked the advice in the book to “make good of bad” and that's what she did. Margaret's motto: Make the most out of it. We only live once. You should go out and seize the day. Let us know what you think!  Leave a comment in the box below. As Henry says, stay well and be happy (it’s a choice) Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Traveling Solo: Episode 078
June 12, 2017 • 38 MIN
John Brocato will talk to us about traveling solo. John had the fortune (or misfortune) of growing up a Kansas City Royals fan living in St. Louis Cardinals territory. John’s two primary hobbies are baseball and travel. He decided to write a book about his adventures which is called Road Trips, Routes, and Royals. John is the first to admit that he is difficult to travel with. He likes to go “off the beaten path”. This is one of the reasons he began traveling solo. John has some fascinating stories to tell about his travels and he gives a TON of great information in this episode. John mostly travels to see baseball games, and works other travel around those games.  He also likes to visit Presidential Libraries.   There are still three he needs to visit. Here are some of the tips John talks about in his interview for traveling solo and “on the cheap!” * Start close to home to build your confidence * Be loyal to certain hotel chains which will allow you to get points or rewards for discounted prices or even free nights * Strike up conversations and talk with other travelers to get their recommendations for attractions or places to eat * Know what you absolutely have to include on your trip first BUT also allow for spontaneous excursions * Limit your driving to no more than 300 to 400 miles per day John also talks about being a member of Rewards Network who is partnered with a number of different reward programs. You can earn hotels points, frequent flyer miles or other various incentive programs. He also uses the program to find obscure restaurants in various cities he visits. If you would like to contact John check out his Facebook page where he posts his travel pictures! John's Book: Road Trips, Routes, and Royals Do you like to travel solo or have some tips for our listeners and readers?  Let us know in the comments below! Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
RE021: Carob and Quilling
June 9, 2017 • 39 MIN
Henry went on vacation to a Carob factory! He visited a tourist attraction called Carobana, and discovered that one of the owners, Jean Hamey, had a lot more to talk about than just carob!  She and her husband Ian operate Carobana, which is a tourist attraction, and a factory, which manufactured Carob coated treats. If you have never seen carob, it is a large seed pod of the carob tree.  We actually have them in San Diego where I (Kathe) live.  First you remove the seeds.  Then you dry and powder the pod.   Jean explains the rest of the process in the interview. Jean agreed to talk about her carob organization with Henry. She and her husband inherited the place after her in-laws passed away.  They now have a successful  manufacturing, retail and tourism business.  Much of the interview focuses on the development of the enterprise, and Jean’s unique business skills. As far as the carob business, Ian has built much of the machinery, and persistence and hard work have produced a steady growth which has resulted in the success Carabana is today. A couple of things to know about carob are: * The pod not only contains many small beans, but also a semi-sweet pulp. * These pods contain iron, magnesium, calcium, along with vitamins A, B2, B3, and D. * Carob pods are used as a cocoa substitute for chocolate flavoring.  It doesn't taste like exactly like chocolate but it does work as a substitute. * On a diet?  Carob contain just 1/3rd of the calories of chocolate. * Even if you are allergic to chocolate, you can usually eat Carob. Henry asked Jean what she was going to do after her imminent retirement.  And boy does she have plans!  Not only has she been running a business all these years, but she also does book-binding, writes children's books, AND writes craft books as well.   So she has a lot going on. Have you ever heard of “Quilling”? I, Kathe, had never heard of this before, but Jean has written a book on it Quilling Beauties of the Bush.  You may have heard of it, but it's basically a way to make beautiful 3D pictures out of paper.  Basically, you use strips of paper and then roll or shape them, and glue them together. Then you loop, curl, and twist the paper until it makes something beautiful. Quilling creates greeting cards, jewelry, or pretty much anything that you want to make in a 3D manner. I (Kathe) found the quilling part of the interview to be fascinating.  It was fun to learn a little about a hobby that I'd never heard of.  Of course once I looked it up, I realized that I had seen the finished works of these artists. If you are in Australia you can purchase Jean's tasty treats at http://www.carobana.com.au/. And you can purchase her quilling books anywhere in the world on Amazon. Have you ever done quilling or eaten carob?  Let us know what you think in the comments below. Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about Retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first a...
Medical Tourism Episode: 77
June 5, 2017 • 39 MIN
Medical tourism can be defined as the process of traveling outside the country of residence for the purpose of receiving medical care. OMG, I had two guests on this episode, so you get two for the price of one!  Or is it double trouble?  I’ll let you decide. I brought Billy and Akaisha Kaderli on the show for a couple of reasons. They retired when they were 38 years old.  Yes, you read that correctly.  So they have now beat out WENDY HOLT for being the youngest retiree on the show.  Or should I use my new word Time Shifter?  you can read more about Time shifting on the Rock your Retirement website. Billy and Akaisha are experts in a lot of areas, including Medical Tourism which is another reason I wanted them on the show. Billy and Aikaisha feel that the medical care they receive outside of the US is better than the care they receive in the US and at a fraction of the price. After 5 weeks in Mexico, Billy needed a new crown. He was able to see four different dentists and get his issue resolved.  It only cost him $4,900 pesos or about $250 US dollars! Things you may not have known about Medical Tourism: * Many doctors train overseas and then practice in the US * Medical providers usually speak English * Or you can get a translator that does * Thailand has the best Medical tourism * According to the Kaderlis * You'll know in advance what your medical procedure is going to cost * Some providers offer concierge service * They'll come to you! * You can get same day service We also spent some time talking about: * How they decided to retire so early and how it affected their relationship * Living outside of the US and how they dealt with the culture shock. Today's Freebie is “Top 10 Questions and Answers on Medical Tourism” which you can get by going to: www.RockYourRetirement.com/MedicalTourism Billy and Akaisha's website is RetireEarlyLifestyle.com and if you want to check out their Medical Tourism Page to look at clinics and hospitals you can go HERE Books: * Your Retirement Dream is Possible The Adventurer's Guide to Chapala Living: A Common Sense Approach to your New Life in Chapala, Mexico Retire Early Lifestyle: Your Questions Our Answered The Adventurer's Guide to Pana Living: Living in Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Cut and Run Report:  Our First 200 Days of Retirement The Adventurer's Guide to the Pacific Coast of Mexico
RE020: Karaoke at Party Time
June 2, 2017 • 36 MIN
Henry had never gone to Karaoke before. From Henry's article: “I admit, I had a jaundiced idea of karaoke although I had never been to a session.  But three hours in the Royal Hotel in Taree has turned me round completely.  However, I promise never to get up to sing, simply for the protection and respect for the other patrons. Why  SWMBO and I attended a karaoke night is a bit of a long story, so you will have to listen to find out.   We both loved the Thursday night karaoke in the Royal Hotel in Taree, where I learned many things and was forced all my preconceptions about karaoke.  And you can't beat the five dollar Bangers and Mash meal for value. The folk who got up to sing were not drunk twenty and thirty year olds. The people who got up to sing had, for the most part, really terrific voices.  The folk who got up to sing were not doing it to show off to their partners. The singers were not in the least part competitive.  There was definite goodwill and support for folk who were nervous or new to the scene.  And Dennis, Raquil and some of the regular singers volunteer their time and talent to support their broader community, I didn't reckon on that. Dennis and his wife Raquil run Party Time Karaoke, which is a commercial business. They own the necessary equipment and market their services to hotels and clubs, as well as individuals for weddings, birthdays, and divorces.  Companies engage them for sales training and team bonding exercises.  If you think this could work for you call Dennis on 0413 399 498.  He is very professional, has excellent gear and will go out of his way to accommodate your needs.. Back to the Royal Hotel … I asked Dennis how many songs he had on his computer and the answer floored me.  If you want to know, you are going to have to listen, but it is more than 1,000, more than 10,000, more than 100,000 – you will find out.  The tracks are all backing tracks of the original songs, and in some cases include the backing singers voices as well. Listen to the session, the heart warming part that really made me think twice starts about two thirds way through.  You will love this episode,  just remember it is being recorded in the busy lounge of a hotel while the patrons are having fun. Do you participate at karaoke nights?  Would you if you were given the opportunity? Leave a comment in the Reply Box below and let me know.” This article first appeared at http://RetiredExcited.com
Responsible Travel: Episode 076
May 29, 2017 • 34 MIN
What is responsible travel? I spoke with Tammie Ferguson who owns Love in Action Travel. Don't you just love that name? Tammie talks about socially responsible travel. Tammie created Love in Action travel for people who want to combine their love of travel with their passion for serving others and making a positive difference. We spent a good amount of time talking about “Voluntourism” Trips. They plan itineraries to different countries such as Guatemala, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. People can sign up and join on the trip. These are 9-10 day itineraries with 5 days of that being spent building a home.  Some of the projects they work on are: * Habitat for Humanity global village home builds * Serving orphanages * Creating Healthy Home kits, including smokeless stoves and water filters Why Responsible Travel? * Great opportunity to meet new people * Explore a different country * Learn a new skill * Rejuvenate * Give back Although prices vary and can change, Tammie has a trip planned to Guatemala in June and the (2017) fee is $1,870. The trip fee includes meals, lodging, any cultural activities, ground transportation, the community service project that you will be involved in, and even travel medical insurance. You pay for the flight, money for souvenirs if you want any, and bring extra for that massage after all your hard work! Tammie also talks about the other trips she plans which include Agritourism Experiences, Cultural Tours, and Fathom Cruises Today's Freebie, 5 Ways Impact Travel Helps You Rock Retirement, can be found at http://RockYourRetirement.com/Impact Contact information for Tammie Email: info@loveinactiontravel.com * Website: LoveInActionTravel.com * Facebook: http://facebook.com/loveinactiontravel If you would like to learn more about Habitat for Humanity go to https://www.habitat.org/ Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes  
RE019: Too Old to Skydive?
May 26, 2017 • 0 MIN
Jim Moir doesn't think that he's too old to skydive. Henry had a conversation with Jim and found out that Jim used to skydive competitively.  When he retired he said he was obviously too old for competition because the youngsters thrash him. Jim couldn't just retire from skydiving though, so he redirected the skills and experience he had built up over decades. So he's still involved in the sport he loves. Henry follows Jim's progress in life and parachuting, from beginner to competitor to champion and instructor.  Not only does Jim like to parachute out of airplanes, but he also taught his wife to skydive.  She went from a novice to a champion skydiver in under two years. Jim lives in Melbourne, Australia, as do many of Henry's guests.  They go over what equipment you need.  Henry and Jim talk about why you can skydive at any age. They talk about the great innovations in the sport.  And why age doesn't matter.  Do you want a heart stopping feeling of exhilaration?  Try skydiving.  At any age. But that's not all. Even if you aren't interested in jumping out of an airplane, listen to Jim and Henry talk about how you can use your skills to make your retirement great.  The camaraderie of continuing a sport or an activity into retirement can make the activity worthwhile. During the interview Jim mentions flying with a wing suit.  If you have never seen this, watch this YouTube video to get you excited, or shake your head in horror. How can you apply Jim's suggestion of extending your hard won experience to your retirement?  Let us know with a comment in the reply box below.
Cruising in Retirement: Episode 75
May 22, 2017 • 36 MIN
Thinking of cruising in retirement? Check out Cruise Critic! As most of you know, I recently went on a cruise, and while I was there, I met Donna Clark. I just had to interview her for the show to talk about Cruise Critic! Donna doesn't work for this website…she just thinks it's pretty awesome and so do I!  And no, they are not paying me to say this!  (But they should…right? Ha!) http://CruiseCritic.com is the most extraordinary place to go to find volumes of information and helps keep you cruising in retirement. This website is a valuable tool for anyone looking into cruising or on a cruise. You can find things such as: * Member reviews of cruises * Reviews of ships * Reviews of staterooms on the ships * Port reviews * Sometimes they will have professional reviews along with member reviews * Excursion reviews * Finding a cruise * Browsing destinations and deals and much… much more! You can become a member of cruisecritic and there are some great benefits to this. Community Page: When you click on the community page and select your cruise line, it is like a bulletin board. People will post questions and anyone can answer them. There is a ton of information! Roll Call: You can find the actual cruise you are going to be on. Once you click on that, you can talk to other people that are going to be on your ship. Another benefit of Roll Call is the ability to set up private tours.There are quite a few great things about private tours * Fewer people so you get to know the people in your group better * Less waiting * More of what YOU want to do * The only real downside of private tours is if you have a fear (like I do) of getting back to the ship on time before it takes off! Most private tour companies will guarantee you will be back on time, though.  You can research private tours through the magic of Google as well! Cruisecritic group party- Who doesn't love a good party? Member will receive a special invitation to what is often referred to as a “meet and mingle”. So fun!. All of this great information and the best part…it's totally FREE! Website: www.cruisecritic.com If you would like to download our Free Report, Secrets about Retirement your Broker won't tell you! just go to: www.RockYourRetirement.com/Secrets Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
RE0018: RVing across Australia
May 19, 2017 • 0 MIN
Rod and Tina Holt wanted to explore Australia after working hard physical labor all their lives. They decided on a life on the road in a RV, known as a caravan in Australia.  Now they are RVing across Australia. Rod, being very independent loves the freedom of the wide open road, not to mention the absence of stress! But just how do you start to live the RV life? Henry and Rod had a great discussion about living this lifestyle, caravaning and how free it feels.  He asked them how they started (after all, moving into such a tiny movable space isn't something that you do every day for sure!)  The Holts started small.  They new that they needed to acclimate themselves to this lifestyle so they started with short trips to get acquainted with living in an RV, and then they decided to see every corner of Australia.  That's when they began RVing across Australia. During the interview Henry gets them to discuss issues such as: * How to choose the right RV for you * Important issues to look for * Where to store your RV * How to stay safe on the road * The pleasures of going where ever you want to go Rod took control of his life at an early age, and this allowed Tina and him to design a life around their own priorities.  They were more concerned about their lifestyle than getting a good education and then working for the rest of their lives. Rod cares more about freedom, meeting new people, and exploring! If you want to learn more about how to include RVing into your Retirement lifestyle, or how you can actually live in an RV, check out Rock Your Retirement Episode 48, How to Live in an RV. What about you? Tell us about your experiences in an RV in the comments below.
Sustainable Tourism: Episode 074
May 15, 2017 • 31 MIN
Diane Valenti loves to travel and is especially enthusiastic about philanthropic and sustainable travel. She is the founder of Llama Expeditions, which gives private guided trips to South America. These trips are for the young at heart who looking for life changing perspectives. Oh, and for her 9-5 corporate job, she consults with Fortune 500 companies to design learning experiences that help employees reach their potential at work. In 2008 Diane and her father took a trip to Machu Pichu to fulfill one of his bucket list items. It was a magical experience that really moved her. Diane decided she wanted to create these experiences for others. With each tour she makes a donation, and she also gives the opportunity for her guests to donate. She chooses the organizations who get her philanthropic attention by researching them at Idealist.  Diane wants to leave a trace…but the right kind of trace. This is not what some people call “voluntourism”.  These groups are not painting walls, only for the next group to repaint them.  (Yes this happens!) These are trips where you really get to know the people.  And you get to see that your donation makes a difference. And that's how you can participate in sustainable tourism.  It's Philanthropic tourism at it's best. Today's Freebie:  The Traveler's Guide to Changing the World which you can find by going to http://RockYourRetirement.com/Travel You can reach her at http://llamaexpeditions.com Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
RE:017 Why are Life Stories Important?
May 12, 2017 • 30 MIN
Why are life stories important? There are things in the world that most folks just don’t think about. Maybe till it is too late. Janella Hodgson records the life stories of people as they approach the end of their life. Maybe they are terminally ill, or maybe they are simply aged and worn out. She is a volunteer for Eastern Palliative Care, which is an organization that provides Palliative and Hospice services.  These include home and nursing care  to recording and transcribing the stories of people who have moved beyond medical help. People want their story told.  You'll find out their motivation, their reactions, and why Janella wanted to be a voluntary biographer. You'll find answers to the question “Why are life stories important?”. Interestingly, for the biographer a successful outcome for their work is not necessarily a published biography, nor is that the over-riding purpose of this program. But you are going to have to listen to the interview to sort that out. Eastern Palliative Care is always looking for more biographers. They provide effective guidelines and comprehensive training to their volunteers to ensure their clients are safe and respected. This is obviously not something that appeals to the masses, but if you are one of those special people with empathy and a few skills, you can find more information by clicking on the link below and working your way to ‘Volunteers’ which you will find under the ‘Supporting EPC’ tag in the menu. And as an aside, you may be able to contact a hospice or palliative care agency in your area to see if they are looking for volunteers to do this type of work where you live. What do you think about these types of programs?  Is this something you could do?  Have you told your story yet?  Did your loved one get to tell his life story?  Let us know in the comments below! Special Thanks to YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes
Documents we need to have a great retirement: Episode 73
May 8, 2017 • 1872 MIN
I asked Karin to come on the show to talk to us about the documents we need to have a great retirement. Karin Schumacher has been an attorney since 2001. She is regarded as compassionate, accomplished, and dedicated at Elder Law & Advocacy, Legal Aid Society, and San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program. She has effectively served over 12,000 clients. She talks about her grandfather who was a very “well to do” business owner. (He owned 3 auto supply stores). At the time he passed away in 1975, he had over ten million dollars. He wanted his children and his grandchildren to receive that. The problem was that unbeknownst to him, the Corporate Trustee he used, did not have his best interest at heart. All of his hard earned money had been squandered. Now in 1975, there was far less oversight on Corporate Trustees and a lot fewer regulations than there are now. Put these documents in place BEFORE they are needed. Also update or review them on a regular basis because life events and circumstances change frequently.” Karin goes over each of these in greater detail during the interview.  Below, is the list of documents we need to have a great retirement: * Advanced Healthcare Directive- This is basically your end of life wishes. It is a 55-page document that goes over your medical wishes should you become incapacitated. * Power of Attorney (Springing or Immediate) Springing POA- Only takes place upon incapacity. Immediate- Be cautious here because the moment you sign an immediate POA, the power goes to the agent. However, a POA is one of the documents we need to have a great retirement.  Kathe likes the Springing kind. * HIPAA Release (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) – Prohibits Healthcare providers from releasing information unless you have completed a HIPAA  release form. * Trust- If you own a home and or assets in California above $150,000 then a Trust will assist in avoiding probate. * Will – If you are distributing assets by other means and don't own a home, then be sure to create a will. To get today’s Freebie, What Documents Do I Need Before I Become Incapacitated, go to http://rockyourretirement.com/Incapacitated Contact Information for Karin: www.AfsarEstatePlanning.com Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com *Rock your Retirement discusses retirement issues, but neither Rock Your Retirement nor Kathe Kline provides legal advice.  Please be sure to consult your own attorney.
RE 016: Captain of the Ship
May 5, 2017 • 51 MIN
If you go to sea at fifteen, by sixty five you will have seen and learned a few things. Rob Anderson certainly has. They didn’t talk about what Rob is doing in retirement. But they did have a hilarious discussion about his experiences as the Captain or First Mate of the various ships he has worked on. He tells of experiences like towing oil rigs, and doing duty as the medical officer.  There were burials at sea, and a story about what happens when you are shaving without any clothes on while travelling in rough seas. Henry challenges us to guess how that turned out. There were plenty of other stories but you know how colorful a captain of the ship can be, so Henry couldn't air those stories.  Ha! In the later part of the show they talk about the times Rob was the Captain of the ship, “Sea Shepherd” and he was also captain of the ship the “Steve Irwin”. Sea Shepherd is the organization whose ships deliberately challenge the Japanese whaling fleet while they slaughter hundreds of whales in the name of scientific research. It was at this point that Rob became seriously serious. If you are interested in conservation on land or sea, then you can possibly work with Greenpeace.   Note:  We aren't recommending them, we are just giving you the information!  You can also visit The Sea Shepherd website. You can get involved, donate, or purchase Sea Shepherd items. Rob mentions that you can go on board the “Steve Irwin” when it is in dock at Williamstown, talk to the folks, and maybe arrange to sail with them if appropriate.  (This is for you Aussies!  Can I call you Aussies?  I'm not sure of the protocol here.) Join the discussion below.  Let us know about your own ship activities and conservation efforts! Special Thanks for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes
5 golden rules of retirement you never knew: Episode 72
May 1, 2017 • 38 MIN
What are the 5 Golden Rules of Retirement you never knew? I talked with Bart Astor. Bart has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows, including ABC’s “Good Morning America,” PBS’s “MarketPlace,” Ric Edelman’s “The Truth About Money,” AARP Radio, “Two Boomer Babes,” and Boomer’s Rock radio. So as you can imagine, I was honored to have him on my show! Bart Astor is a recognized expert in life’s transitions and eldercare. He is the author of a plethora of books including AARP Roadmap for the Rest of Your Life. This book does talk about money, but it also talks about health, work, lifestyle, and pursuing your dreams. And that's what this show is about!  I wanted to find out what his 5 golden rules of retirement were… When we are working, and thinking about retirement, one of the issues we have to deal with is our ego. Our identity. Who are we? In Bart's writings, he's talked about 5 golden rules of retirement, or for setting the roadmap to what he calls a successful “Second Adulthood.”  Bart goes into more detail about this in the interview but… Those 5 golden rules of retirement are: * You get to choose your own goals * Most of what happens to us in our lives is not really a surprise * The level of your activity influences your choices (This includes mental and physical activity) * Quality of life is about retirement lifestyle * Don’t judge yourself Books * AARP Roadmap for the Rest of Your Life: Smart Choices About Money, Health, Work, Lifestyle … and Pursuing Your Dreams * Graduate from College Debt-Free: Get Your Degree With Money In The Bank * Baby Boomers Guide to Caring for Aging Parents * What Can You Do with a Major in Biology? * How to Care for Your Aging Parents * CliffsNotes Understanding Life Insurance * KAPLAN YOU CAN AFFORD COLLEGE * The Official Guide to Financing Your MBA To get today's Freebie, Level of Activity Scale, go to http://rockyourretirement.com/LevelOfActivity Contact information for Bart: Twitter: @bartastor  *  Email: Bart@BartAstor.com  *  Website: www.BartAstor.com Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on 
RE 15: Painting in Retirement
April 28, 2017 • 39 MIN
The common belief is that artists have to starve for years before becoming successful. Agnes Parcesepe is living proof that it doesn’t have to be the case. She started painting young, and is still painting in retirement. Agnes talks about her progress from simply liking art in her youth, to taking up painting later in life. She then transitioned from student to teacher in a few short years. This artist has won a myriad of competitions, she's had international exhibitions, and patrons have purchased her paintings purchased and hung them all round the world. Amazing stuff when you stop to think about it. She has a passion for creativity and painting, and love of the natural world. This is not to say she makes her living painting, because she doesn't.  But that isn't her objective anyway. The objective doesn't have to be money when you are painting in retirement .  Agnes'  intense drive to improve and commitment to complete projects has funded her hobby and given her immeasurable satisfaction and a part income. Henry and Agnes discuss how to take YOU can take up painting in retirement.  They tell you what your first steps need to be, how and where to learn, and then how to become better known and how to market your works. You might ask…”What medium should I use”?  Agnes very strongly recommends experimenting with a wide variety of mediums to really establish which you like best and which one suits your style and subject matter. Painting in Retirement does not cost a lot to enter, and it is also relatively portable. Like photography or bird watching you can engage in painting or drawing at home, on holiday, in the city, in the country … anywhere. You can see Agnes’ works on her website at www.agili.com.au or contact her if you like at seahorse@agili.com.au At one point in the interview Henry and Agnes discuss a health related issue that Agnes has been overcoming with natural therapies. You can listen to the episode by clicking on the play button or subscribing on your smartphone. Join the conversation!  Tell us what you think in the comment box below! Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Amazing way to get seniors involved in Technology: Episode 71
April 24, 2017 • 37 MIN
Today Gary Knight came on the show and told us about San Diego Futures Foundation (SFFF).  This organization helps seniors and low income individuals get computers at a reduced rate. SDFF also teaches their recipients how to use the technology, which is often a hurdle in their target populations. Gary Knight is the Executive Director of the San Diego Futures Foundation (SDFF), a 501(c)3 nonprofit established to improve lives in San Diego through technology. SDFF provides equipment, software, training, services, and technical support to San Diego nonprofits, small businesses, and disadvantaged residents.  SDFF is working to bridge the digital divide in San Diego, and helps low-income households, people with disabilities, and seniors. Prior to joining the San Diego Futures Foundation, Gary Knight was the president and chief executive officer of the San Diego North Economic Development Council.  The council is a coalition of public and private entities whose main objective is to attract, retain and develop business in North County. It has almost doubled its membership since Knight took over in 2004.  As president, Knight pushed for improved transportation options, greater educational opportunities, and reliable/affordable power supplies.  Gary also provided strong support for the proposed desalination plant in Carlsbad and the new Palomar Hospital in Escondido. Gary sits on a number of Boards, Committees, and Advisory Groups all across San Diego. The organization not only helps those over 65 (and on Medicare) or those people of any age who are on Medi-Cal (California's version of Medicaid) or Cal-Fresh (California's version of Food Stamps) but it also helps anyone volunteer.  Seniors can get a computer for little to no cost and then learn how to use it.  SDFF gets seniors involved in technology. This Technology program works by partnering with: * Connect to Compete * Designed for kids who are on the Free Lunch program * Low-Cost Internet * Low-Cost Computers * Groups of people who want to volunteer by setting up computer labs at schools * SDFutures.org which is part of SDFF and provides computers and IT support to non-profits * Girls who Code, a school program that encourages girls to go into technology fields Are the computers FREE?  No, because of some issues in the past, the computers are not free. These high-end computers start at about $100.  Some people do get donated computers depending on the availability, need, and other factors.  These low cost and free computers help get seniors involved in technology. SDFF re-formats the donated computers according to Department of Defense Standards.  They also send unusable computers to a salvage company that meets their security and disposal requirements.  Additionally, their staff undergoes background checks.  Donors can feel good about donating their computers without having to worry about their data getting into the wrong hands. Hospital re-admittance rates are about 30% compared to only about 10% when the senior has something to look forward to.  Working on a project or volunteering gives them something to look forward to. Gary told us a retirement lifestyle story about a man who was in a wheelchair because of a leg amputation due to diabetes.  He rolled up to Gary and exclaimed, “You saved my life!”  That was interesting to Gary since he had never met him. He explained that he had received one of their computers at a very low point in his life (right after his amputation).  The gentleman had loved to work on cars and attend car shows before he lost his leg but was now confined to a wheelchair. By using the computer to join chat rooms and view car events online, he felt invigorated again with a newfound purpose in life.  By the time he met Gary, he had started a web site for car buffs where they shared stories that made him feel ...
Long Distance Motorcycle Riding: Episode RE:014
April 21, 2017 • 42 MIN
Des Easton loves Long Distance Motorcycle Riding! Traveling by motorcycle is fun, exhilarating but pretty energy zapping. Traveling hundreds of miles a day, day after day, sounds exhausting, But that is what retiree Des does .. for fun! Members of ‘Far Riders’ and the ‘Iron Butt’ groups set themselves challenges of long distance rides most bikers would not consider. But don’t get the idea that this is a dangerous undertaking. They plan and practice, sometimes for years, before attempting these feats, and travel strictly in accordance with the law and speed limits. Des explains the discipline and preparation which has allowed him to complete twenty thousand kilometers in twenty days. A challenge most of us wouldn’t even consider driving in a car. But he and his friends love it. He describes the routine required, from planning fuel stops to committing to a special diet. Your first thought may be .. “I bet they cheat,” but he nails that thought by explaining the protocols and confirmations riders have to complete for their trips to be formally recognized by their association. Long distance motorcycle riding is certainly not for every retiree, but if you are an experienced motorcyclist this is a new challenge, and a new group of slightly deranged fanatics you can hook up with. Even if you don’t ride, this is a great tale of courage and achievement. And Des tells a really gross story about one of his exploits!! Web sites mentioned in the interview: Far Riders website: www.farriders.com Iron Butt Association website: www.ironbutt.com Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Celebrate being over 50! Episode 70
April 17, 2017 • 35 MIN
Lorraine Ladish is a 21st Century Communicator, helping empower women and others to achieve their goals. She is the founder and CEO of Viva Fifty! a bilingual community that celebrates being over 50. She’s worked as an editor and social media coordinator for a number of online publications. Her next book on embracing age will be published by HarperCollins in 2017.  By choice, Lorraine always worked, but never on a payroll.  She thought everyone did what they loved. Her Dad wanted her to be a Marine Biologist because he thought it was stable and she’d make a lot of money.  Now she makes more staying at home than Marine Biologists do. Lorraine tries to inspire women to live their best life every day and to celebrate being over 50! She wants to inspire women who speak both English and Spanish to live their best lives. When you do something you are passionate about, it makes you feel purposeful, happy and helps to avoid a downhill spiral in retirement. The sections of her website are: * Mind * Body * Grace (Beauty) * Escape (what to do when you aren’t working) * Relationships It turns out English speakers are looking for beauty and Spanish speakers are looking for Relationships She caters to all types of people. There is no “one size fits all” for being over 50. * People are entering their 60s with young children * Some 50-year-old women are having children! * Some grandparents are raising grandchildren Lorraine gave some great advice: Do what you love. Spain has a caste system that is difficult to break.  She did it, and if Lorraine did it you can too!  Think of what you wish you had done or would do for free, for example, YOU could write a book. Think of the one thing you want to do, and then just do it!  You CAN love being over 50! Books:  Tu mejor edad: Para tener una vida extraordinaria (Spanish Edition) * ¡Emprende! De mamá sola y sin recursos a empresaria digital * Estoy Embarazada, Y Ahora Que?: Confidencias Para La Nueva Madre (Spanish Edition) * REACH! from single mom on welfare to digital entrepreneur * Miedo a Comer (Spanish Edition) * Diario del exito (Spanish Edition) * Volver a empezar (Coleccion Psicologia) (Spanish Edition) * 7 estrategias para sacar partido a los libros de autoayuda (Spanish Edition) * Nino creativo,
Volunteering with troubled youth in retirement: Episode RE:012
April 14, 2017 • 38 MIN
When Robin retired, she knew she wanted to explore new fields and expand her horizons. She came across an opportunity to volunteer with troubled youth. You've probably never heard of an “Independent Visitor For Youth Justice”.  Henry certainly hadn't before this show.  But Robin decided to take on that responsibility when she retired. When Henry went to interview Robin Turnbridge, they were initially going to discuss downsizing. Robin decided she would rather discuss her experience with Juvenile Justice and it became a wonderful topic of discussion. Robin intuitively knew that it was important to replace the routine of her working life with meaningful activity. Once a month, she goes to a Youth Justice Facility which are for teens who have committed serious crimes and are in custody. Robin goes into greater detail in the interview, but they talk with the teens, check in on them, and sometimes act as an advocate for the teens. Robin explains how she found this new role, what it entails, and why she loves it.  She has transitioned the experiences of her working life to use them in a different arena.  Brilliant! Henry and Robin also discuss: * What Robin did before retirement * How she planned for her retirement and what she thought she would be doing in retirement * Her Retirement Party (or farewell as they call it in Australia) which she says is very important * Other things she has been doing since her retirement besides working with troubled youth If you listen carefully, you'll appreciate that this kind-hearted woman's first priority is her family, and her second priority is her role giving to society through her involvement in juvenile justice. Leave a comment in the box below and let us know if there are avenues other than prison to try and rehabilitate troubled youth, or if you think that is an impossible dream. Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
If your parents have Alzheimer’s, you need The Secret of Adult Day Care Episode 69
April 10, 2017 • 47 MIN
Caregiving is relentless. It is exhausting beyond belief and caregivers need a break. Adult Day Programs (AKA Adult Day Care) are a way for people to get a break.  They can drop their loved one off in a safe environment. I spoke with Lisa Tyburski from The Glenner Centers which offers Adult Day Programs AKA Adult Daycare Center from their 3 locations in San Diego. Lisa shared with me the powerful story about how The Glenner started. It was founded in 1982 by Dr. Glenner and his wife Joy. Dr. Glenner was a researcher at the UCSD school of medicine. He was working to advance research in the Alzheimer’s field. One night around midnight, he and his wife Joy received a phone call from the husband of one of Dr. Glenner’s Alzheimers patients. The husband, who had been a caregiver to his wife was frantic. He was absolutely at the end of his rope and he had a loaded gun in his hand. He was going to murder his wife and commit suicide. Dr. Glenner knew he needed to come up with a solution to help the caregivers. You can go to work, run errands, take a nap, or whatever you need to do to tend to the other areas of your life.  You know that your loved one is being taken care of. The Glenner Centers provides brain-stimulating activities. This can also help with sundowner's syndrome in the evenings.  Some of these activities include: * Singing and music * Listening to and discussing current events * Animals brought in from the Humane Society * Socializing I had NO idea these places existed and I had to learn more. Have a care giver?  No problem, you can still use Adult Day Programs (AKA Adult Day Care). Things Lisa says you should look for when looking into an Adult Day Programs (AKA Adult Day Care): * Do they specialize in dementia if your loved one has dementia? * What is the staff to participant ratio? * How many total participants in the center on any given day. You may want to look for a smaller center for more personalized experience * Do they have a nurse on staff and ask if they can manage medications? If you would like to contact Lisa or The Glenner Centers you can email information@glenner.org or ltyburski@glenner.org and the website is www.glenner.org The freebie for this episode is ABC's of Dementia which you can get by going to http://RockYourRetirement.com/abc Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook. This post on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Finding her Family Heritage: RE011
April 9, 2017 • 42 MIN
Alison Smith started looking into her family heritage and found some surprises. By doing some genealogy research she found out that one of her relatives was a bit of a ruffian way back, and another surprise was the amazing amount of information which is now readily available online. In days gone by you would have to write to get access to birth certificates, or copies of newspaper articles.  Now a couple of mouse clicks may get that information needed to find one's family heritage. In this show Alison and Henry talk about her motivation for delving into the family background, how she went about it, and the resources she has found useful for locating information. This is called “Geneology” and seems to be all the rage, all around the world, not just in Australia. Alison talks about a couple of ways you can go about finding your family tree.  Some people want to find out about where their ancestors came from, and a little about their lives.  Others concentrate on just one or two family members, perhaps for the purpose of writing about them, or just for interest.  Both approaches can become equally addictive once you get in to the detective work. In Any regard, delving into one's family heritage can be fun, and very informative as well. Below are some of the resources mentioned in the podcast : * The stories of older living relatives. * Old photographs. * Local libraries. * Historical societies and genealogical societies. * Cemeteries and gravestones. * History books of the period to provide context to the search. * The internet. Two sites Alison finds helpful are: * www.trove.nla.gov.au  is part of the National Library, has a massive archive of Australian newspapers. * www.ancestry.com.au can connect you to information and people from all round the world. Do you have resources we don't have listed here?  Leave us a comment below if you have other resources which would be useful for people starting the search.  It would be very helpful! Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes! * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
OMG! The Best adult learning Ever! Episode 68
April 3, 2017 • 38 MIN
You can attend a class from your living room and ask the professor questions! As I was interviewing these two, I said to myself, “OMG The Best Adult Learning EVER!” First a little about these two amazing ladies: Ellen Ervin and Lynne Beachner  As the former Director of WeMet Distance Learning Consortium, Ellen has worked in all aspects of technology.  Her passion is distance learning because she sees the power in helping organizations and people make connections around the world. Lynne has worked in education throughout her career in grades K-16 as a teacher/professor, a coordinator of instruction, a principal and an executive director.  She loves the curriculum and instruction side to education because that is where you engage students and create lifelong learners.  She received her Ph.D. from Kansas State University. Together Ellen and Lynne believe that it is just a matter of time until the world opens up to individuals communicating on a daily basis with museums, archives, health centers, historical societies, community and other groups both locally and internationally in an effort to continue learning and cooperate in projects that will help others. They want to do their part in supporting the inevitable.  The two of them formed the Senior Learning Network, providing interactive learning to senior centers and retirement communities.  Additionally, they have also formed Generations Learning, providing lifelong learning to individuals within their homes. We talked about their project and I learned: * How they started the organization over a cup of coffee and a cookie at Panera * A non-profit 501(c)3 organization that can accept donations * Why it's so cool: * You can Follow photographers on their journeys through a walk in a park, down a canal in Venice, or on-site at a volcanic eruption * The teacher can show you artifacts or other things via the conferencing * YOU can listen, see, and ask questions in REAL TIME * Technology is similar to SKYPE, the moderator can see who is in the conference * If you have a large group, you can break up into small groups and have a small group discussion. Each person in the conference can have time to speak. * To join the class, all you have to do is click on a link. Then you can see and talk to the person or persons on the other line. * Not sure if the tech will work?  Test it before the meeting if you’d like. * Don't want to be seen?  You can also turn your camera off if you don’t want others to see you. * You can make remarkable friendships all across the United States by attending the workshops. * No limit to location (i.e. they have had programs in Japan and Australia that went across the date line)  They even had an UNDERWATER DIVER conduct the class!  Uh…OMG the best adult learning EVER! * Many of their programs have been developed for students (K-12) but have been adapted for older adults. * How it works: * Provide educational video conferences from museums, presidential libraries, national parks businesses and individuals * We discussed the current (2017) fees for the program $40 per month for a senior center, unlimited programing * How you can get a free pilot * How it helps seniors * Create a lifeline for disabled and older adults in senior centers or those aging in place who feel disenfranchised from society. * Harness the talents of retired adults who can share interesting life stories, skills or talents * Provide well-rounded programming on health education, wellness, prevention, and care. * Provide support for business development and mentoring for those who want to reinvent themselves. * Create safe places where individuals can talk to one another to give and get emotional ...
3 things you never knew about Lawn Bowling: RE010
March 31, 2017 • 42 MIN
Henry interviews Ted Goodacre about his Retirement Lifestyle, which has a lot to do with Lawn Bowling: Listen to the show to learn how this natural entrepreneur took a wrong turn going home and it changed his life.  Ted tells us about intricacies of lawn bowling and how anyone with a bit of drive can create a lasting legacy. Ted is the last active foundation member of the Lismore Bowls Club, and in recent years has taken on the job of green-keeper.   He takes the game very seriously and is highly competitive.  In this interview he describes the game, the rules and traditions, the type of people involved, and strongly asserts that there are no performance enhancing drugs involved in the sport! Like many activities, we suspect lawn bowling becomes more and more addictive the longer you are involved.  It is a game which: * Can be just for fun and socialization * Bowlers can aim for the pennant competition * Doesn't take a lot of money to get started * Women and men of all ages and abilities can play, even those with minor disabilities. If you think this is a sport which might interest you he recommends visiting a local club.  Chat with the members and see if its for you. * Henry searched “lawn bowls clubs Victoria” onand found http://www.getagameofbowls.com/clubsearch.php?   The same site also lists the clubs in the other Australian States. * Kathe searched “Lawn Bowling San Diego” and found http://www.sandiegolawnbowling.org/ Henry and Ted also spoke about the Lions Club.  This is an international service club open to both men and women.  Henry knows that his local Lions' become involved in some excellent projects.  These ranged from providing specialist walking frames for disabled children, to cleaning up the roadsides of major highways.  In San Diego, CA, the Lions Clubs give free eyeglasses to children every year You can find Lions Clubs worldwide at:  https://directory.lionsclubs.org/ Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track * Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it This post on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
How To Take The Headache Out Of keeping track of your parent’s medical documents: Episode 067
March 27, 2017 • 1776 MIN
Michael’s mother had a stroke and could no longer care for herself, so Michael became her caregiver. He discovered the constant need to repeat care giving information to various caregivers so he ended up carrying a binder with him that contained his parent's medical documents. During this period Michael’s company hired an Elder Family Resource person to help manage the complexities of her care. James, a longtime friend of Micheal’s, had a similar experience. His father developed sudden onset Parkinson's after his mother passed away and so couldn’t care for himself. James lived far away, but his sisters lived near his dad. As his dad’s needs increased, it became increasingly difficult to manage the household and care giving information between siblings. Michael and James talked about their respective care giving challenges and the need for a way to store and share critical documents became obvious. This led to their forming ElderAdmin to fulfill this very important need. This service stores images of their documents, and you can access it anywhere!  OK…anywhere Internet can be accessed. Whether you use their program or not, you'll need access to documents.  Some of the critical documents that are needed for care giving are: • Advanced Healthcare Directive • Power of Attorney • Will or Trust • Estate Planning Documents • List of Medications • Health Status • Insurance Documents • Financial Account Statements ElderAdmin can help take the headache out of keeping track of your parent's medical documents: It is a membership plan that can be accessed via computer, tablet, or smartphone. There is a free service is for individuals.  If you need more than one person to be able to access the info, then you can get that for $9.50 per month (as of 3/2017) for unlimited access and storage. One of the great features of ElderAdmin is in the area of security. Whoever posts the document has ultimate control over who can and who can’t access particular sections containing information. Encryption with unique IDs and passwords protect your parent's medical documents. Today's Freebie is The Important Documents Checklist, and it can be found at http://RockYourRetirement.com/documents Website: www.ElderAdmin.com  Phone: 844-350-4582  Email: Contact@ElderAdmin.com Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track * Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edit the show and makes me and my guests sound terrific * Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it This post on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com ******************************************************************************* A little on their backgrounds: Michael Blevins Managing Director and Co-founder, Michael Blevins knows from personal experience the need for ElderAdmin's unique services. Ongoing care for a mom afflicted with dementia led to his knowledge in the ever-changing health care procedures and programs, which makes him especially sensitive to ElderAdmin member needs. With over 32 years' experience in performance management with nationally recognized financial institutions, including 10 years with a Fortune 500 company, Michael has the qualifications to oversee the operation of ElderAdmin.
Volunteer for Meals on Wheels in Retirement: RE009
March 24, 2017 • 50 MIN
Today Henry interviewed Rosemary Savage, a retiree who tells us what its like to volunteer for Meals on Wheels in Retirement: Henry found out that Rosemary and her husband were a regular couple who raised a large family. They looked forward to traveling and also helping others.  Rosemary's husband Keith passed away, but they had discussed the fact that he wanted to volunteer.  He found that he wanted to volunteer for Meals on Wheels in Retirement. * Meals on Wheels is an international organization which involves delivering meals to elderly or incapacitated people in your own * Community.  Even though Keith is no longer with her, Rosemary continues “meals on wheels” with the help of her daughters, not because she feels obligated, but because she loves it. * You can volunteer around your travel plans. * Let your basic humanity shine through.  Henry was impressed by Rosemary's humble nature and her humanity certainly shined through. * By being a volunteer for Meals on Wheels you can help your neighbors and give your own life purpose and meaning. Because Keith and Rosemary planned for their retirement financial, they were able to travel the world.  They drove with a caravan (RV in the USA) to almost every part of Australia and loved it.  They also made lasting friendships along the road.  If you are interested in caravaning (RVing for US based people), listen to the episode on RVing or Read MORE here. Get Today’s Freebie, Five Steps to Living in an RV (Caravan) full-time, at http://RockYourRetirement.com/RV To learn more about Meals on Wheels, find your location below and click on the link. * Australia Meals on Wheels: http://mealsonwheels.org.au/ * USA Meals on Wheels:   http://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/ * San Diego, CA Meals on Wheels:  http://www.meals-on-wheels.org/  Special Thanks to: • Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track • Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific • Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date • Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays • YOU the listener for sharing on social media and telling your friends about it
What do you say to someone who’s grieving? Episode 66
March 20, 2017 • 41 MIN
So many people in my life in 2016 were grieving it's difficult to track them all. Some of them lost a family member.  Some lost a pet.  And some were grieving over their lost candidate after the election. One of the things that most of us have to deal with in retirement is grief – either our own or someone else's.  What do you say to someone who's grieving?  That's exactly what I asked Natalia Volz and the answer may surprise you. Natalia Volz is the founder of Passing Through Grief and the RELIEF Process. She helps individuals who feel lost and down after experiencing a significant loss or change in their life such as a death, divorce, or children leaving home to heal their pain so they can rebuild their life and find renewed purpose. She has first hand experience with loss and grief.  In 2010, after a two-year battle with cancer, her husband died at the age of 49. Lost, alone, and very frightened, she eventually found her way through the devastating pain of loss and grief. There is a lack of understanding and a fear in our culture about loss and grief, and she found herself struggling to find help to get through. She worked diligently to move beyond her own grief and on to living happily and purposefully.   Natalia read every book she could get my hands on, took courses on the subject, and completed grief recovery certification training, and in the process became passionate about making a difference in the way our society deals with loss, change and grief. It's easy to tell that she feels passionate about getting out accurate information on a subject we normally avoid but all have to confront first hand at some point in our lives. I asked Natalia, “What do you say?”  I know that I'm always at a loss for words when I'm confronted with someone who is grieving, because I know that nothing I say or do is going to bring their wholeness back. She had a very interesting answer:   Be a heart with ears. For the person who is grieving, she said that time does not heal all wounds.  The person suffering a loss needs to talk about it.  Keeping busy does not heal. So what do you say to someone who's grieving? Natalia gave us some steps to take to help with our own grief: * Find a place to talk about the feelings of loss. * Write about your feelings about the loss. * Connect with others.  See if there is one friend who will listen to how you are feeling.  Tell them you just need to talk, and to have them listen. * Say it or write it while you are feeling the emotion. * Grief causes a lot of energy.  Move through it through your body. Don't stuff it.  Take a walk if you can. * Listen to music that makes you cry. Get your tears out.  Crying releases a stress hormone that actually helps you release the stress.  Don't worry, you can't cry forever.  Normally it takes about 15 minutes and then you feel better. * Writing really helps with the relief process. So what do you say to someone who's grieving?  For dealing with others, remember you can't fix it so don't even try.  Be a heart with ears.  If your friend is telling you about some guilt that they might feel, don't discount it by saying “He knew you loved him”, instead say something like, “I can imagine that would be really painful.  I can't imagine what that would feel like.  Tell me more”. Natalia gave us some excellent advice, but unfortunately my internet went out right when we were wrapping up the show.  I hope to have her come back someday because what she had to say was so valuable.  The good news is that we were wrapping up, about to give out her contact information, which we have below. If you'd like to contact Natalia, you can reach her at 877-606-0909 or Natalia@PassingThroughGrief.com Her website is http://Pa...
Bird Watching in Retirement: RE008
March 17, 2017 • 49 MIN
Bird watching in Retirement? Henry interviews Philip Jackson about Bird Watching in Retirement.  Phillip is an avid bird watcher (also known as “twitcher” in Australia).  He planned to pursue that interest when he retired from teaching. Phillip has actually retired twice.  Henry said he liked it so much he had to do it again.  Listen to the episode to find out how. Henry talked with him about how he managed his two retirements, how he supplements his income, and why he supplements his income now he has left full time work. But what Phillip really likes to do is bird watching in retirement.  Henry and Phillip talked about it and they discussed his retirement lifestyle: * Anyone can enjoy bird watching.  Novices can enjoy it as much as experienced people. * It is truly an activity for all ages, sexes and variety of people.  It doesn't matter if you are athletic, male or female.  The birds are there for everyone to enjoy. * Philip introduced us to the resources he uses to locate specific species, and the cataloging which he enjoys.  Of course cataloging is not mandatory to the hobby. * Bird watching is compatible with a great number of other activities which birders often run simultaneously.  For example, camping and photography are the two obvious ones, but some people come to the hobby from simply keeping a couple of pet budgies (parakeets) and developing the interest from there.  Some people start simply by gazing out their window at their bird feeder. Philip recommended a book for people interested in Australian history, but he couldn't quite remember the title.  Henry found it:  ‘Lost Relations: Fortunes Of My Family In Australia's Golden Age' by Graeme Hewett, published by Allen & Unwin. Other Books that were mentioned in the interview include: * ‘The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia' by Graeme Pizzey and Frank Knight * ‘Field Guide to Australian Birds' by Michael Morecombe Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track * Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it
Becoming a Family Caregiver? You need a Fiduciary! Episode 65
March 13, 2017 • 40 MIN
Today's episode with Chris Cooper was value packed! If you are currently a family caregiver, or about to become a family caregiver, you need to know about Fiduciaries, and what they do. A Fiduciary is responsible for the following: * Medical * Psychological * Social * Environmental * Legal * Financial What you might not realize is that Family Members are also responsible for those same areas.  Many family members don't realize that they are responsible for all six areas, and tend to only focus on legal and medical issues. Chris explains that the problems are not necessarily in areas #1 and #5, but are often in the other four areas.  For example, people with Alzheimers often have depth perception issues, something which we don't normally think about.  Their living space can be an environmental hazard.  (See Episode 34 for tips). Many of the issues that baby boomers need to think about are alien to us, because we don't think about these things.  Some of the problems arise when a family member is assigned the task of taking care of mom or dad, and the family doesn't agree. This is where a Fiduciary comes in. Fiduciaries are trained to work with all six areas. Unlike family members, they've received training. Children are often not prepared to do all of these things.  We have our own lives to live.  We have our own stresses.  When a family member needs help, we get thrown into the pool, and get our “baptism by fire”.  We don't often realize that our parent needs to be seen as an adult. We need to let them live their lives in dignity, and then we can live their lives in peace.  Is it right for the children to sacrifice their lives for their aging parents? Licensed Fiduciaries come from all walks of life.  Its many times “the Third Career”.  Many are in their late fifteens and sixties.  The median age is 58, but many are in their seventies.  Their backgrounds are varied, but they have a common bond.  They want to help protect seniors. Chris said that sometimes abusers are a family member, but sometimes they are professionals (like financial advisers or caregivers). Having a Fiduciary can help protect your family member.  Many of these professionals are not trying to harm their clients, but they “don't know what they don't know”.  Many are ignorant.  They do not know what is in the best interest of their client now that their client's capacity has diminished. * Where is mom to live? * Can you uproot her without harming her? * How does the family get along? * Is there a neighbor bringing donuts to mom, who is a diabetic? * Do you need a guardianship? * How can you reduce expense? * Do you need an attorney? * How can you keep your privacy? * Is Lindsay Lohan's information public because she is being “conserved”?, * Can we take lessons from the past, and plan for our own retirement lifestyle? Who needs a Fiduciary? * Alzheimer's Patients * Disabled Adults and Children * Middle Class * Wealthy * People who need Long Term Care * Caregivers who are having issues within their own families due to the stress of caregiving * Family members who don't agree on care options Public sources might pay for services that a fiduciary recommends.  For example, Medicare might pay for family counseling.    The fiduciary can take a look at what is available under public services such as Veteran's Benefits, Medicaid or Medi-Cal, or other programs.
Woodworking in Retirement: RE007
March 10, 2017 • 43 MIN
Henry interviewed George Young. George needed to fix up his own house, and so he developed a lifelong interest in woodworking. This interest didn't stop and now he's woodworking in retirement. Henry talked to George about his life in Scotland and England.  George had a carefully planned emigration to Australia that fit in with his retirement plans. After he moved to Australia, he quickly established his love of woodworking in retirement by joining a local woodworkers club.  He became enmeshed in its culture and community. The Berwick Woodworkers Club is open to all men and women who agree to abide by the rules.  You don't need to have skills at first, but you must wish to learn skills.  Members help newcomers, and George is very proud that a young man they taught and supported went on to become ‘apprentice of the year' in Victoria. George speaks deliberately and quite slowly, but always from the heart. If you have an interest in woodworking in retirement, you will probably find a club reasonably close by searching the internet.  Henry put ‘woodworking club and his suburb' into Google and found a couple.  The more modern equivalent to these clubs seems to be the current spread of ‘Men's Sheds', but I do not know whether they allow women members.  Henry says it's a pity if they don't. If you are interested in learning how to woodwork, check out: 17 awesome woodworking projects ANYONE can do. 50 Small, Simple, & Easy Beginner Woodworking Projects  
You, Me and Hospice: The Truth (Episode 64)
March 6, 2017 • 43 MIN
One of the things that we need to consider in our retirement lifestyle planning is how we are going to deal with illness and dying.  And, when the time comes, hospice care can be an excellent way of preparing ourselves for the inevitable. I knew that Jennifer was a hospice expert, but I didn't know that in 2006 she got her Master's Degree.  She worked with children at the time and went to school to get her Master's Degree.  She credits her professor with saving her life when he suggested that she work with hospice.  There are only two schools that offer courses on death and dying in San Diego. Jennifer Marsh is a community education and outreach specialist for Hospice of the North Coast. She has over ten years of creating, marketing and sustaining thriving educational programs to the general community about serious illness, care-giving and grief and loss issues. Jennifer has been published in the Touching Lives magazine (2009), and featured on KOCT-TV and Eldercare Talk Radio providing insight and resources to those coping with a serious illness, caring for a loved one and grieving. Jennifer is an expert on hospice and mortality and has been interviewed on the SevenPonds Blog. She has expertise in creating and implementing community outreach and fundraising events, including Breathe Deep San Diego. In 2013, she was named as a Finalist for the San Diego Women Who Mean Business Awards through the San Diego Business Journal. Everyone I know who works in hospice care is a caring person.  That field seems to attract loving and patient people.  Jennifer's mom had cancer, and even though she had already been working in her chosen field when this happened, she instantly became “the daughter”.  She knows what its like to have a loved one who has been diagnosed with a deadly disease. There are a lot of misconceptions about hospice and that's why I asked Jennifer to be on the show.  She shared with us the important truth about hospice: * Recommended reading is “Being Mortal“.  You can watch the documentary on Front Line. * National Hospice has a FAQ that answers common questions such as:    * When is the right time to ask about hospice? * How does care begin? * Will I be the only hospice patient that the staff serves? * Is care available after hours? * How does it work to keep the patient comfortable? * What role does the volunteer serve? * If I reside in a nursing facility or other type of long-term care facility can I elect hospice care? * What happens if I cannot stay at home due to my increasing care need and require a different place to stay during my final phase of life? * Do state and federal reviewers inspect and evaluate hospices? * How can I be sure that quality care is provided? To get the answers, just go to their website HERE.
Life After Politics in Australia: RE006
March 3, 2017 • 49 MIN
Henry interviewed the Honorable Caroline Hogg, MLC. She talked about her life and responsibilities as a Victorian Government Minister. She also shared her current retirement lifestyle. What is her Life after Politics like and what is she doing now? There are good times and bad times in government no matter what country you live in.  She had personal triumphs.  But there were disappointments too. Whether you are in the USA, Australia, or another part of the world you will be able to relate. Caroline tells us a couple of stories which graphically demonstrate the pressure and responsibility which politicians take on our behalf. Caroline explained the discipline that was necessary to deal with the workload of parliament and how that translated into her private life after she resigned. She was looking forward to enjoying a relaxed country life after politics, but that's not what happened because her friends and colleagues heaped more responsibilities on her. You will be fascinated to learn about politics from the inside. Caroline represents the values and ideals of the best of them … no matter what party they represent. And…no matter what party you are in, remember, there is life after politics. Here are links to some of the organizations mentioned : * Beyond Blue : www.beyondblue.org.au   Australian Telephone : 1300 22 46 36 * Lifeline : www.lifeline.org.au   Australian Telephone : 13 11 14 * Emergency : Australian Telephone : 000 Henry's Notes for USA readers:  Much like the US, in Australia we have state governments.  In Australia they are comprised of an upper and lower house.  The Legislative Assembly is the lower house and the Legislative Council is the upper house. Caroline was a member of the upper house in the state of Victoria for seventeen years, and she was a Minister for much of that time.  She held the positions of Education, Health, and Social Services.  These are all large areas of responsibility with monster budgets in the billions of dollars. Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track * Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it
Dave Hughes starts his own LGBT Retirement Lifestyle website: Episode 63
February 27, 2017 • 48 MIN
Dave Hughes is the founder of Retire Fabulously!  He originally thought it would be just for LGBT retirement lifestyle, but found that retirement lifestyle issues are largely the same for everyone. Retire Fabulously is a website that provides the knowledge, tools and inspiration you need to plan your ideal retirement lifestyle. He is the author of “Design Your Dream Retirement,” which will enable you to envision, plan for, and enjoy the best retirement possible. Dave writes regularly for his blog, Retire Fabulously!, and U.S. News. His articles have appeared on Yahoo Finance, AOL Money, lgbtSr.org, Top Retirements, and Tiny Buddha. About four years ago Dave was looking for information to prepare him for his own retirement, but all he could find was financial information. He soaked up that information like a sponge, but it just wasn’t enough, so he started a blog, RetireFabulously.com Dave is part of the LGBT community, and started his blog with the intention that he would discuss LGBT retirement lifestyle. It turns out that retirement issues are the same for everyone, and now only about 40% of his audience are LGBT. He told me about how we need to start preparing several years in advance to figure out what we are going to DO in retirement. We need to consider our retirement lifestyle, not just money. Dave and I are kindred spirits in that regard, and I’m glad that I’m not alone in my quest to spread the word on this issue. Dave explained that the issues in retirement are about 95% the same for everyone, whether they are in the LGBT community or not. I asked about the other 5% and it turns out, it’s HOUSING and COMMUNITY. I never thought about this before, but the LGBT retirement lifestyle is similar, but they have fewer options. Even though only 30% of retirees actually move after retirement, we all like to dream right? I don’t know about you, but I’ve dreamed about moving to Ecuador. Living on the equator and never being too cold or too hot really appeals to me. Members of the LGBT community might have to worry about moving to a foreign country…OK…WE have things to worry about in foreign countries like slow internet and slow service and slow lifestyles that we aren’t used to, but LGBT community members have much bigger issues (like for example being killed or jailed). So they wouldn’t move to certain countries, or even certain U.S. states that aren’t “gay friendly”. Whether you are LGBT or not, your housing needs to be appropriate to your lifestyle and you need community that supports you. Imagine that you don’t eat gluten. You check out a retirement community and the only thing to eat is pizza, bread, beer, etc. That community wouldn’t be a very good place for you, no matter how nice it is. Weird example, I know… but it’s the same with the LGBT crowd. It would be very difficult for them to move into a community with no understanding or compassion for the way they live. I actually learned a little about this several months ago when someone from GSDBA spoke to The Caregiver’s Coalition, a group that I’m part of. GSDBA is dealing with the LGBT Retirement Lifestyle issue, and they have a certification program for people who work with this community to help them show compassion and understanding, especially when we get into the nursing home question. Mentions on the show: * Design Your Dream Retirement * FountainGroveLodge * CCRC
What he is saying now about Volunteering in Mongolia: RE004
February 24, 2017 • 47 MIN
Stan tells how his wife Jenny wanted to volunteer overseas to help others. He didn't care about volunteering in Mongolia so he didn't go….at first. He missed his wife so finally after a few months he followed her to the orphanage where she was the health officer.  That's when his adventures began. Now Stan has some very sound advice for people considering volunteering in Mongolia. * Go with a reputable and recognized agency. * Obtain as much information as you can about the agency and it's programs before you go.  Talk to people who have volunteered through that agency.  Get the fact of how it really plays out, not what the brochure promises. * Be sure you understand the details.  This includes your accommodation, pay, food, insurance and so on. * Also be sure to understand the procedure of what happens in case of an emergency. * Be sure to understand your obligations to the agency and your host country, as well as their relationship to you.  Stan mentioned that some volunteers could not hack the simple living conditions on site, and were eager to go home. * Perhaps the most important advice Stan and Jenny give prospective volunteers concerns your attitude.  Do NOT go overseas believing that you are going to “save the world”, and expect to be honored by a grateful community. Go to provide what help you can.  Try to fit in with the local customs, laws and reality of the situation.  You are going to eat what the locals eat, drink what the locals drink, and dance when the locals dance.  The drink in Mongolia included a mildly alcoholic brew of fermented milk boiled up in a big pot.  You are going to have the local standard of washing facilities and accommodation. If that doesn't sound good… don't go. On the other hand Stan and Jenny absolutely loved their time in Mongolia, loved the people, loved the country and would go back in a heartbeat.  They have volunteered in other places since that trip, and enjoyed every experience. Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track * Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it
How do I find a Home for Mom? Episode 62
February 20, 2017 • 42 MIN
How do I find a home for Mom when she needs more help than I can give? Today’s guest of the Rock Your Retirement show was Sydney Kennedy.  She specializes in answering the question, “How do I find a home for Mom?”.  Sydney immigrated to the USA in 1987 and worked with animal causes in fundraising and development.  She has experience developing conferences and workshops for UCSD CONNECT (and Sydney and I have a connection here that you can learn about by listening to the show).  In 2006 started devoting her time, knowledge, and experience to Elder Care and senior housing. As a Certified Senior Adviser (CSA) she is well equipped to assist families: * Find a home for Mom * Understand the difference between referral and placement * Assess the needs of the family * Take into consideration including health status * Assumed future health status based on current condition * Assess the financial parameters of the family including Long Term Care Insurance, Veterans Benefits and other programs * Understand the geographical needs of the family * consider family involvement or potential lack therof in assessing where the family member should be placed * Understand that important background and other interests such as: * Places to gather such as Pubs or coffee shops inside the community * Gaming groups for socialization such as bridge groups or card groups * Other background that is important We also discussed how someone would avoid pitfalls when they need to find a home for mom and simplify the process when you need to find a home for mom or other loved one. These services are typically free to the family since the communities will pay (similar to a travel agent or realtor). Senior Housing Experts often can provide referrals that will help your loved one stay in their own home as long as possible.   Additionally, a CSA can save you time by considering the following: * Do you need a community that is specifically designed for wheelchairs? * What is your budget? Can you afford the community? * Reputation of the community * Government reports – how to zero in on the information the family needs to know * Caregiver training and temperament * Board and Care versus Assisted Living and Nursing Homes * Special considerations for Dementia * Concussions and how they relate to Dementia The family makes the final decision, but it’s nice to have someone that holds your hand, especially when the family is in crisis. Sydney has some personal experience with Dementia and is involved in that community. Her mom is in assisted living in Canada and she told us her story. She also told us a few other stories that showed us why it’s important to watch out for our seniors. Mentioned in the show: * CSA – Certified Senior Advisor * San Diego Dementia Consortium * UCSD CONNECT * Lisa Woodruff, professional organizer (break) Organize 365 * Fiduciary * Therapy Dogs * Freebie: http://RockYourRetirement.com/seniorliving Sydney’s contact information:  www.
Retired Excited: Learn to Ride a Motorcycle Later in Life: RE002
February 17, 2017 • 37 MIN
Henry Shapiro interviews Leda Sant who wanted to learn to ride a Motorcycle later in life. Leda had worked in the freight department for Qantas, and told us about some interesting things about working there.  She needed to understand what could fit in the freight area of the airplane.  Henry shared that he used to be a deer farmer and that they moved them via planes.  Leda said that every day at Qantas was a different day, and she even moved a small aircraft inside another airplane! Retired twice, because of boredom, she knew she had to have something to keep her busy. Her second retirement was planned so that her husband would retire, but that's not happened as of the recording of the episode! She indicated that retirement lifestyle includes activities to keep your mind alert and to keep physical.  Start ticking things off your bucket list.  One of those for Leda was to learn to ride a motorcycle later in life. She started riding at 45 with menopause (about 14 years now). She said it keep her mind active because you have to be alert when you are riding a bike. Henry learned how to ride when he was 18.  He rode until he was 22 and stopped when he got married.  He met Leda and started riding again when he was 62. They discussed the following: * Women on Motorcycles * Riding in Thailand, Vietnam, and Tasmania * Health Benefits of riding a Motorcycle * Learning how to Ride * Benefits of Motorcycle clubs * Staying Safe * BMW F 800 * BMW 1200 * Harley Davidson (for short rides) * Mentors * Falling * Riding in the Rain * Fingernails * Size of your Bike * Being Time Poor (Leda's business) During the interview Leda mentioned that men's brains were in boxes, which caused Henry to say bzzz.  Ninety nine percent of you will probably be wondering what that is all about.  It comes from a hilarious YouTube clip about the difference between men and women.  Here is the link, I guarantee you will like it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XjUFYxSxDk If you think you want to learn to ride a motorcycle later in life, here are some links: * Ulysses Club  :  http://www.ulyssesclub.org/ * Motorcycle safety information.  I learned a heap from this site.  :  http://www.msgroup.org/default.aspx * Twist of the Wrist: * For clubs in your area just search ‘motorcycle club + your suburb' in Google or Facebook.  Social motorbike clubs will always welcome new members and help inexperienced riders. Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track * Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date * Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays * YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it
Senior Sex after Seventy: getting it on! Ep 61
February 13, 2017 • 36 MIN
Warning:  This episode on senior sex obviously contains adult material. Today my guest was Joan Price, who is a senior sex guru.  And as you know, sex is an important part of the retirement lifestyle. Joan, who is an “advocate for ageless sexuality”, has written numerous books, and in fact, she has been called the “senior sexpert”.   When I met her online I knew that I just had to have her on the show! We discussed the fact that NO, we don’t have to sit in a separate bathtub holding hands with our partner (think Cialis commercials) and in fact, we don’t even need to have partner at all!  Think about it, if you are a woman, chances are your partner (if you have one) is going to predecease you if you are around the same age since women live longer than men. Senior Sex?  I have so many questions! * What do you think about drugs like Cialis and Viagra? * Should these senior sex drugs be covered by Medicare? * What made you start writing about senior sex in the first place? * How can we spice up our sex lives? * Why do we tend to put our sex lives on hold as we get older? * What do we do if we don’t have a partner (Joan has a lot to say about this subject!) * If you’re shy, what do you do? * How can you talk to your doctor and what should you say? * What do you do with all those adult toys after you review them? We talked about the fact that she writes reviews of sex toys from a senior perspective. I asked her what the difference would be between a non-senior and a senior perspective and she was happy to tell me. * We lose sensitivity as we age, so senior sex toys should be really powerful. * For the same reason, they have to go a long time. We don’t want the battery dying at a critical moment. * An adult toy should be comfortable for arthritic hands (ergonomic). * The controls should be easy for aging eyes to see. * We need to be able to hold on to them with slippery fingers, so they should be easy to hold. * These devices should be made with non-toxic materials. There are no laws governing this like there are for dog toys or baby toys.  (Who knew?) * Aging women may prefer slimmer senior sex toys. Joan has several books including: * Ultimate Guide to Sex After 50: How to Maintain – or Regain! – a Spicy, Satisfying Sex Life; * Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud  * Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty She also offers classes and webinars, and you can find out more information on her websites: www.joanprice.com  or  www.nakedatourage.com Download today's FREEBIE: 33 reasons that sex is good for you (especially at our age) HERE. Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track * Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date * YOU the listener for letting other people know about this show by sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it This post on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com
Friday Retired Excited Show: Introduction to Henry: RE001
February 10, 2017 • 21 MIN
We've brought on a new host to Rock Your Retirement.  Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited. Henry IS retired, and when he started thinking that managing a show was too much for him, I invited him to bring his past episodes to Rock Your Retirement so they wouldn't be lost. We'll be bringing an archived show over each week for your enjoyment.  Then as he has times, he may bring some additional episodes over. We hope he does.  So when you hear “Retired Excited” don't feel that you're lost.  Our plan is to release the Retired Excited episodes with Henry on Friday's, and you'll still get your weekly dose of Kathe on the Monday shows. Henry's First Episode : In this archived session, Henry introduces himself with a short first episode of Retired Excited.  He invites us to his world of retirement, and let us know what to expect in future sessions. He talks about his experience of many people being afraid of retiring.  Although they anticipate it, they don't know what they are going to do with their time. Henry's aim was to provide inspiration for every one of the listeners to have an excellent retirement.  Sound familiar?  That is the aim of the Rock Your Retirement show as well!  What a perfect pairing. Henry went on to say that many people who retire have no plan for the future.  He talks about how their purpose dissolves and how they need to reestablish their focus and meaning. The goal of the Friday show is to look at the options and see how happy retired people are creating their lives.  Mr. Shapiro interviews regular people, not high fliers.  He finds out what gets them up excited every morning. Henry Shapiro's own story is fairly simple. He comes from a normal family.  And his parents struggled to establish themselves in Australia, having migrated here from Europe after the second world war.  His parents managed to put Henry and his brother through school, and gave them the best start they could. Like many of us, Henry has had a variety of jobs and businesses throughout life and is now fully retired and living with ‘She Who Must Be Obeyed’ in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. So the theme is … there is lots to do, lots to occupy retirees, lots to learn, and a world of fun and comradeship to be enjoyed. Henry and Kathe Special Thanks to: * Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track * Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific * Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date * Henry Shapiro, host of Friday's Retired Excited Show * YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it  
Special Announcement: Henry Shapiro
February 8, 2017 • 5 MIN
This is a special announcement about Henry Shapiro, who will be joining the Rock Your Retirement show, with his own show:  Retired Excited.
How to find a Caregiver: Douglas Breuer Episode 60
February 6, 2017 • 1902 MIN
This Caregiver Agency provides a free venue for people to get to know caregivers Douglas Breuer started MyCareMatch.com with one objective: Make the process of finding the right care solution less complicated for seniors, people with disabilities and their loved ones. Douglas’ motivation stems from his direct experience in senior care and case management over the last 10 years.  He started his career in Adult Protective Services. Doug investigated cases where vulnerable adults were being exploited or abused.  He then moved on to act as District Manager for the State of Oregon (“DHS”).  While there, he directed the delivery of long term care services throughout the Central Oregon region. Douglas had the opportunity to work with seniors and adults with disabilities as well as their families.  In his role he coordinated with staff, individual care providers, home care agencies, care communities and countless other service providers to develop care arrangements for seniors and adults with disabilities. In our interview, Doug explains what MyCareMatch does that is different from home care agencies.  He also talks about why you might want to use it. Caregivers can build profiles detailing their experience, education, photos, references, resumes and even videos.  If you've ever tried to find a caregiver, you'll probably see how this is helpful. The organization also can provide extensive background checks with the caregiver's permission. They also provide reference checks and can even provide DMV checks all at very reasonable prices. We discussed the Caregiver Registry for the state of California.. Caregivers now go through an intense State screening process. Doug recommends that even if a Caregiver has had a background check a few months ago it is always best to get a more recent one. The website offers a search tool and educational resources you can explore. If you decide you want to contact a caregiver or care agency, you contact them directly. It is a one to one process. We also discuss “Ray” who was one of his first clients when working for the state of Oregon. Ray was developmentally disabled.  Ray, who was also a senior, didn't let his disability stop him.  He lived in the home his parents left him, and some people wanted to take that away from him. Doug would get lots of calls about people trying to take advantage of Ray. He talks about the relationship he built and how he helped intervene to keep him protected, and helped maintain his independence Find out more at http://www.mycarematch.com This post on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on RockYourRetirement.com
Military Transitions with Doug Nordman: Episode 59
January 30, 2017 • 42 MIN
Doug Nordman is the author of ‘The Military Guide To Financial Independence And Retirement'. Doug's writing has to do with Military Transitions. If you think he's doing it for the money, you're wrong.  All of his writing revenue is donated to military charities. He's a retired submariner who's been living in Hawaii for over fourteen years. So if you hear the birds in the background, it’s because he is in a tropical area!  He and his wife, (who is a retired Navy Reservist), raised their daughter in the islands.    They enjoy slow travel all over the world (some of it on military Space A flights) and DIY home-improvement projects.  After retirement, he was “bit” by the surfing bug and learned to surf with his family.  Their daughter is now on Navy active duty with her spouse. Doug gives great advice about military transitions for services members and their families A few years after retirement, Doug stumbled into writing and became an author. His book provides service members, veterans, and their families information on military transitions into retirement or a new bridge career. Some advice Doug offers in our interview: * Prepare 18 months in advance if possible * There are a lot of Clubs and Associations for people after they leave the military. The common goal is to assist with military transitions. * Both the active service members and their spouse should attend military retirement transition seminars. Doug mentions that there is a lot of written material online.  He thinks that attending a live seminar is best. * There are numerous options for military retirees who want to start their own businesses Being alone together in the same house I asked Doug about spending so much time with his spouse now that they are both retired. He says he doesn't get tired of spending too much time together. It is important to have a plan before retirement and talk with our spouse about it. Doug and his wife still have alone time even when they are both home. Learn to adapt to renegotiating roles as things change in your lives. Doug also says it is ok to keep separate interests and priorities. What advice would you give to a retiree who feels stuck?  You've already worked out the finances, and now you're “working” on your lifestyle.  Make the time to practice it before you permanently retire.  Take at least 2-3 weeks of vacation to fully unplug from your career. Give plenty of time for contemplation and thoughtful discussions with your family.  Don't take on huge projects during this time. Instead try to catch up on your sleep, enjoy some long walks, and build a list of activities that you'd like to try. If you would like a copy of Doug's Book, The Miliary Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement, go to Amazon or Impact Publications (Which sells a 64-page “Pocket Guide”) You can also find it in the GSA catalog if you are on a military base or check your local public library or military base library Contact information: nordsnords@gmail.com or you can use the contact me section on his website at http://the-military-guide.com Get today's Freebie, 10 tools and tactics for your military transition at http://RockYourRetirement.com/MilitaryTransition Links to the  people/organizations we mention in the interview SCORE Patriot Boot Camp Podcast Movement
Why not write a book in retirement? Episode 58
January 23, 2017 • 35 MIN
Why not write a book in retirement? In this episode, my guest was John Grantham. I usually conduct my interviews via Skype, but John and I did a face to face interview on a ship. I met John on a Celebrity Cruise that my husband and I enjoyed, where he was the cruise director. John's an interesting guy…In the past, he was a stunt man appearing on shows such as Days of our lives, Get Shorty, and Will and Grace just to name a few. Now,  on top of being a cruise director, he wrote a book called The World's Hardest Music Trivia. John was doing music trivia on his ship and he came up with the idea to write a book about it. The book is not just a trivia book, but has a lot of fun behind the scenes information on music from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's.  No story is undeserving of being told… This interview is full of information on how to write a book. We go over the following tips: * Determine your story. Remember it is the story that sells not only factual information. * What is your platform that is going to attract publishers and readers? * Should you self-publish or go out and solicit a publisher? * How to get an agent * How to write the book it self! * Be passionate and bring your love of your subject to the reader All though actually getting a book published can be difficult, John says to be patient and be persistent. It takes time and you may get a lot of “No's” before you get one yes. Where to buy John's Book: Nautilus Publishing Company Amazon Contact information: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theworldshardestmusictrivia/ Other links and sites we mention in our interview: Bill Hancock- Riding with the Blue Moth The writer’s market place Celebrity Cruises This post on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on
Making a Move: Episode 57
January 16, 2017 • 36 MIN
Are you Making a Move soon?  This is the episode to listen to!  Jami Shapiro is the owner of Silver Linings Transitions. She is a single mother of three girls, an 11 year thyroid cancer survivor, a community volunteer and a Realtor. Believing everything happens for a reason, Jami discovered the National Association of Senior Move Managers in 2014. They were holding the national conference in San Diego.  She attended the conference, met other Senior Move Managers and knew she'd found the work she was meant to do. Silver Linings Transitions is a bright spot for people facing difficult transitions AND making a move. The company specializes in seniors who are downsizing or making a move into senior communities as well as couples going through divorce. As someone's who's faced cancer and divorce, Jami understands personally how important it is to find the “silver lining” when life doesn't go the way we'd hoped.  When working with clients through their transition, the Silver Linings Transitions team focuses on what's positive during a difficult time and helps the client navigate through the move as gently as possible. The most important work we do is helping people with the emotional aspect of making a move. In this episode Jamie and I talk about: * The secret of getting 3000 square feet worth of stuff into a 1200 square foot apartment. * What can I do now if I don’t want to move, but I just have a lot of clutter that I want to get rid of? * How do you deal with those boxes and boxes of photos? * What is the difference between a mover and a move manager such as Silver Linings Transitions? * How to diffuse any needless fighting over belongings and keep the stress level down for everyone. Be mindful of how much “stuff”  you buy. Spend money on experiences rather than stuff. Spend more time focusing on the present and what you are able to do. Don't worry about the future or the past. Focus on what you can do and not what you can't do. Do something you have never done and always wanted to try. Contact Information: Phone 858 522-9518 * Email: info@SilverLiningsTransitions.com * Website: www.SilverLiningsTransitions.com National Association of Senior Move Managers  https://www.nasmm.org/ Get Today's Freebie, “10 Steps to get ready for a move” at http://RockYourRetirement.com/ready This article on Retirement Lifestyle appeared first on http://RockYourRetirement.com
There is always something new to learn: Ep. 56
January 9, 2017 • 34 MIN
Aimee Davis began her role as director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at San Diego State University in October 2015. She has been working as a director for SDSU for three years in the College of Extended Studies after having worked for San Diego Hospice for 9 years as a volunteer coordinator and program manager. Aimee is passionate about providing meaningful experiences through lifelong learning to students 50 and better. Through OLLI at SDSU's vibrant and diverse learning community, Aimee works to provide about 125 new course offerings every year – from art history and music to politics and religion – there is always something new to learn! This is learning for the sake of learning and is strictly for fun… OLLI courses are very reasonably priced and membership is only $30 per semester for new members and $25 per semester for renewing members. Membership is not required, but there are some good benefits to having one. * Early registration the following semester (so you get to register before everyone else and get first dibs on seats for the most popular courses that tend to sell out quickly) * Exclusive access to book clubs * Plus the cost of the membership goes towards all courses, lectures, and edventures. What are edventures? These are various offsite learning events including things like a Culture and cuisine series or The Old Globe – Sense and Sensibility. Yes, at OLLI there is always something new to learn. However, it's more than learning. You can also volunteer. There are various committees people volunteer for. This includes the “curriculum and instructor community where volunteers give feed back and on courses and instructors. There are also opportunities to help with events and marketing. Aimee says the classes build learning, connections and friendships! What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? If you haven't already, learn to say no! Once people find out you're retiring they start to ask for your help with all sorts of things.  It's easy to get pulled in a lot of different directions. Here at OLLI we have lots different volunteer opportunities and our students have so much experience and talent to bring to the table. But I'm always careful to check-in with people and make sure they don't feel any pressure to help. What advice would you give to a retiree who feels stuck? Take time to learn about who you are as a person right now. What are you passionate about? What brings you joy and energy? Figure out what those things are and spend your time doing that. Contact information: 619-594-2863 * osher@mail.sdsu.edu * http://neverstoplearning.net/olli Get Today's Freebie, “Five Fabulous Reasons to never stop learning” at http://RockYourRetirement.com/Olli  (And it includes a FREE guest pass to OLLI)
Stuff and Retirement: Hillbilly Nerd Talk: Episode 55
January 2, 2017 • 1677 MIN
Here's a sneak peak at the interview that Kathe did on Hillbilly Nerd Talk.  Hank and Petra talked to me about their own retirement.  During the interview, we wondered if stuff and retirement don't go together.  And, is “Retirement” even the right word? Many Baby Boomers are redefining what they want to do in their later years.  They can be more care free than the generations that came before.  That is, if they have prepared Financially. We talked about the fact that there are two types of Baby Boomer Retirements:  Those who planned financially and those who didn’t.  For those who have the financial resources, their retirement is more like a teenager’s life, but with the ability to do more. Even though the show, Rock Your Retirement, doesn’t specifically discuss finances, it is true that if you are completely financially strapped, you’ll be thinking about putting food on the table and a roof over your head.  We assume that the listeners to Rock Your Retirement have already done some financial planning and that they are looking for different information. We have discussed Stuff and Retirement in the past.  Check out the episode on Downsizing. Stuff and Retirement: We Americans are tied to our STUFF.  We talked about Wendy Holt (episode 9) who moved to Costa Rica.  She gave up all her stuff, along with the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. Speaking of stuff…Hank and Petra DO live differently than most of their peers.  Hank drives Elmer, a twelve year old pickup truck.  At ages 47 and 44 they could have “retired” earlier.  Living a less extravagant lifestyle gives you freedom.  Hank said that objects tie us down.  Petra said that they are invigorated by the next phase of their life. Every town in America has storage facilities where we have to store extra stuff. People keep their stuff in their garage, and their cars on the street. Petra brought up that people could probably clear out a bedroom to keep extra stuff in, but we just have so much! Frank brought up “First World Problems”. Imagine trying to explain to a person in Africa or Nigeria how we have a problem in America where we have too much stuff, and we have to rent extra boxes to store it all.   Petra also talked about how you can rent shipping crates to store your stuff in your yard. Just think:  If you die and haven’t gotten rid of it, someone else will have to go through your stuff.  Your stuff will wind up in an Estate Sale.  Frank said that you can retire earlier if you didn’t have so much stuff as you went along.  Again, Stuff and Retirement don't go together. Your STUFF can impede your retirement, and your life! Hank brought up the Maslow theory, that once you reach a basic level of survival, more stuff has zero effect of being happy.  Petra said that when you get to a certain point, there is nothing to strive for.  It even might impede your happiness.  We all agreed that more stuff actually causes less happiness, not more. He also said to be proactive, not only with what to do with your money, but also with what to do with your time.  Hank brought up the fact that he cannot podcast 10 hours a day (although they have a great show, check it out). If you like the Rock Your Retirement show, please tell a friend! That’s the only way we grow, one listener at a time. Listen to Hank and Petra's show, Hillbilly Nerd Talk, HERE.
Corny Jokes Episode: Episode 54
December 26, 2016 • 25 MIN
Is the holiday season getting you down? Let us help you through it with our dumb and corny jokes episode! Les and Kathe tell corny jokes that a 10 year old boy might laugh at (or maybe not). To listen, click on the little arrow thingy or get the episodes on your smartphone.  Don't know how to do that?  These videos will teach you how to SUBSCRIBE to the podcast, and you can listen on your phone or tablet. Don't forget to rate and review the show on iTunes! Don't know how?  Click HERE, and we'll teach you with a different video! Next week the show will stop the corny jokes (thank goodness!) and resume to normal programing. The corny jokes on this episode were taken from “Jokelpedia, The Biggest, Best, Silliest, Dumbest Joke book Ever, 2nd edition, compiled by Ilana Weitzman, Eva Blank, Alison Benjamin, and Rosanne Green. Book Copyright by Somerville House 2000, 2006 by Ken Porter and Workman Publishing Co.  
Taking care of aging parents: Episode 53
December 19, 2016 • 40 MIN
How to take care of aging parents? Iris Waichler, MSW, LCSW is with us today to give us tips on what to do in taking care of our aging parents. You can listen to the show by clicking the little arrow button. Iris Waichler, MSW, LCSW has been a well-known patient advocate and licensed clinical social worker for the last 40 years. She has worked with patients and families who have experienced catastrophic illnesses like strokes, cancer, amputations, and head injuries. She also worked with people battling infertility. Ms. Waichler is an author and a Mom’s Choice Gold Award Winner. She was also the winner of the (NAPPA) Gold Award for best book of the year, and winner of the finalist award for Foreword Magazine 2007 non-fiction Book of the Year. Her newest book, “Role Reversal, Taking Care of Yourself and Your Aging Parents” arrived on bookshelves August 2016. So many people are taking care of aging parents and still have children of their own living at home. This is the “Sandwich Generation” Iris was involved of taking care of both of her aging parents. She tells a story about noticing her father was wearing two watches while at a doctor's visit. This small detail leads to an emergency surgery for a hemorrhage in his brain. Things to look for when visiting an aging parent or loved one: * Demeanor * Does their personal care seem to be getting worse? * How are they eating? * Condition of their home – Is the house in disarray? * Are they showing any signs of memory loss? * Do you see any physical symptoms or balance issues? * Have there been changes in social behavior? * Do you see changes in emotional status? * Are there scratches and dents in their car? How to bring up the difficult conversations that go along with taking care of aging parents. * Driving and are they safe to continue to drive? * Wills * Advance directives * Wishes upon death * Power of attorneys * Staying in their own home and whether or not is safe. Iris also tells us about Geriatric Care managers. They can help with putting a game plan in place if it gets to be too overwhelming. Iris's Books:  Role Reversal: How to Take Care of Yourself and Your Aging Parents Riding the Infertility Roller Coaster: A Guide to Educate & Inspire Contact information for Iris:  Website iriswaichler.wpengine.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoleReversal1/ Get the 5 Things You Need to Know About Care Giving for Your Aging Parents HERE.  
Life Begins At Seventy: Alan Mindell Episode 52
December 12, 2016 • 31 MIN
Alan Mindell is our guest for today. He's the one who taught us that life begins at seventy.  Alan Mindell’s novel, The Closer, became a bestseller, including being listed on Amazon as the number one paperback in new sports fiction. His new novel, The B Team, about horse racing, also became Amazon`s number one bestselling paperback in new sports fiction. For Alan, his speaking topic of “Life Begins at Seventy” certainly fits. Besides writing novels, he also dances regularly in the San Diego area, and works as a tour guide for Friendly Excursions, the tour company he founded more than forty-five years ago. One of the things that he has been doing and getting great pleasure from lately is conducting beginning creative writing workshops.  Today he gave us some tips on writing a novel or memoir. Alan has been writing since his late 20’s. when he turned 60, he decided to take it seriously. He found a publisher and got his first book published. Alan always has a notebook and pencil with him so he can write anywhere he is. His goal is to get people to write. He doesn’t care how they write or what they write. One of his students wrote about a pet turkey which lead me into my story about living on a commune (yes a commune) and my pet sheep. What are 5 tips to writing a book? Our Freebie, 5 Tips on Writing That Novel or Memoir You Know You Have in You. Can be found at http://RockYourRetirement.com/Novel but here is a brief synopsis of what we talked about. * Don’t Edit. Don’t get stuck. Flow with your ideas. Don’t stop and edit every word that you write. * Decide whether to write in first person or third person. All of Alan’s novels have been written in third person but he enjoys writing in first person * Never be afraid of dialogue. Stay true to the character * You do not have to go in time sequence. You can start in the future and then go back to the beginning. Flashbacks or backstories then you can bring the story to the present * Have fun! Today's Freebie, 5 tips on writing that novel can be downloaded for free at http://RockYourRetirement.com/novel So what if you can't join Alan's writing workshop or you want to find your own? Alan says you can find a lot of workshops in your area online. He said Meetup is also a good way to find these or, form your own! You can find Meetup at https://www.meetup.com/ Remember, Life begins at seventy! Get Alan's books! * The B Team: * The Closer: A Baseball Love Story Contact information for Alan: solanabeachalan@yahoo.com If you would like to check out the tour company go to http://friendlyexcursions.net/
Rocking Your Retirement by Volunteering Overseas: Ep. 51
December 5, 2016 • 45 MIN
Let's take a look at why Bill Manassero chose to volunteer overseas. You can listen to the show by clicking on the arrows below or finding it on your podcast app in your Smartphone. Volunteering Overseas: How it can give you a better retirement Bill Manassero is the President and Founder of Child Hope International. It's a charitable organization that works with orphaned, abandoned, and at-risk children on the streets of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. The Manassero family's unique ministry, helped street children get off the streets, and build a promising life for themselves in the Haitian society. Bill and his family served as missionaries in Haiti from 2003 to 2015. Transitioning back to the states for retirement, he began investing in real estate as a means to fund their retirement and help fund their Haitian Mission. He now shares his real estate knowledge with other seniors through his Old Dawg’s REI Network – a website, blog and weekly podcast. Bill tells us some amazing and touching stories of his time spent Volunteering Overseas. Before Bill and his family went to Haiti, they had a children's music ministry. They traveled all around the world doing family concerts for various camps, schools, and groups. Bill noticed one of his daughters saving money. He asked her what she was saving for. His daughter said she wanted to build an orphanage, a school, and a church in Haiti. She was only nine years old at the time! This was the catalyst to start their Haitian Mission. His organization is very much volunteer driven — A good majority of the volunteers are retired. The volunteers commit to anywhere from 1 week to 2 years of service. The volunteers help with things such as teaching life skills such as baking and sewing. They also show the children how to set up a business so they can become self sufficient. The volunteers feed hundreds of children every week. It was fascinating to hear how much volunteering overseas has impacted not only the Haitian Children, but the volunteers as well. We asked, “What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire?” and he responded with: Look forward to it. Prepare yourself for a new adventure to do anything you want to do. Take a look at the spiritual and emotional side.  Start getting excited. Don't get hung up on the money aspect. Focus on the freedom you will have.  You can use that freedom to help others and help yourself. What advice would you give to a retiree who feels stuck? Try to change your perspective on your retirement. Spend time with those in need. Contact Information: bill@olddawgsreinetwork.com or www.childhope.org Download TODAY's freebie at: http://RockYourRetirement.com/volunteeroverseas This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com.
You can find a Fulfilling Life in Retirement! Episode 50
November 28, 2016 • 38 MIN
Janelle  Anderson helps people discover their pathways to a fulfilling life in retirement. Ms. Anderson works with women find a fulfilling life in retirement.  She is a Certified Professional Coach through her business, Emerging Life Coaching. Janelle typically works with women who are transitioning into a new season in life, whether that is from the “busy mother raising children season” to an “empty nest” season or from “busy career life” to the season of retired life. And…she helps them discover a new game to play and who they truly want to be in this “third act of life.” Her work with clients includes one-on-one private coaching sessions, as well coaching groups, workshops and personal development classes. She developed a retirement transition course called “Pathways to a Fulfilling Life in Retirement.” This course was featured in Virginia Tech’s Lifelong Learning Institute this past Spring. She has created a personalized coaching program from this course called “Redefine Your Retirement.” Janelle's Pathways to a Fulfilling life in Retirement course is a 6 week course that goes through the following: * Week 1 – Assessment. This is spent doing various types of assessments to determine where people are in their transitions. She uses “REC” which means: * Release – Letting go of your past life * Explore – What do I want to do now * Create – Setting out steps and goals to create a new life in retirement * Week 2 – Envisioning which is setting the vision of where you want to go and who you want to be. Dream and paint a big picture of what’s possible. * Week 3 – What’s stopping you? “GAILS” * Gremlins * Assumptions * Interpretations and * Limiting beliefs * Week 4 – Work on removing the roadblocks in your life. Create possibilities and figure out how to write a new story for your life. * Week 5 – This week is spent looking at key relationships in your life. Where are they?  Are they draining you? Are they energizing you? * Week 6 – Create your best life by coming up with a plan, action steps, and goals to create the life you want to live in retirement I'm not unhappy, I'm doing things I enjoy like gardening and going out with my friends, but I just keep asking myself is this all there is? Janelle talks about her client Margie who was struggling with becoming an “empty nester” and she also talks about Sandra who felt unfulfilled in her retirement. Margie had just entered the “empty nest” when she came to me. The last of her children had just moved out and she was really floundering with her life, not knowing what to do with herself. Know that there is not just one transition that is going to happen. There are many transitions and that it is normal and you may need time to re-adjust to figure out where you are and what you want to do. We asked, “What advice would you give to a retiree who feels stuck?”  She answered, “Appreciate the moment. Live in the present moment, live every moment to the fullest and learn how to find joy right now.” Contact information: 540-391-0332  janelle@emerginglifecoaching.com  www.emerginglifecoaching.com Today's Freebie can be downloaded at: http://RockYourRetirement.com/Roadblocks
Assisted Living Facilities and what you should look for
November 21, 2016 • 2717 MIN
Of course we wanted the best for our parents and choosing an assisted living facility can be tough. Christine Murphy gives us an advice on what too look for when choosing the perfect facility. You can listen to the show at : http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/assisted-living-facilities-and-what-you-should-look-for In episode 49 of Rock Your Retirement we talked with Christine Murphy about Assisted Living Facilities and what you should look for. Christine has held a RCFE Administrator’s Certificate since 2007. Her thesis work was documented in “An Exposition of Irregularities in Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) in San Diego and Imperial Counties” (Montezuma Publishing, SDSU, 2010).  This was based on original research conducted on the public files of 354 Communities located in San Diego and Imperial counties. She is CARR's Program Manager in the County of San Diego. CARR is developing a website with a rating system for assisted living facilities in San Diego county. Chris placed her mom in an assisted living facility, but she saw things she didn’t like.  She felt that her mom was in danger at the facility.  Indeed, Mom's health and safety were being jeopardized. Mom passed away, and then Chris filed a lawsuit. Two years later the law suit settled, and she started looking for ways to leverage what she had learned. Chris wanted to benefit other families who had to make assisted living placement decisions. Their hope is that their work levels the playing field.  They want to advocate for consumers of assisted living services. They want them to be empowered and knowledgeable advocates for their resident in assisted living. We created the freebie for you, “5 things to look for in an Assisted Living Community: hint: it’s not the beautiful chandelier!”  To download the freebie, just go to http://RockYourRetirement.com/assistedliving. In case you are wondering, those five things are: * Administrator Information * Food * Staffing * Medication assistance * Personal care The freebie goes into a bit more detail. On the show, Chris goes through all of these items to help us find what questions to ask when looking at an assisted living facility. Did you find that you don’t understand the terminology?  Me neither!  I frequently call “assisted living facilities” by the wrong name!  (My bad.) That’s why her organization created a free Android App called Assisted Living 101.  It’s available at the Android Play Store (sorry iPhone users, but they are still working on the iPhone version).  So download that today. To end the show, Chris said that you DON’T have to RETIRE!  Working can be a reason to get up in the morning. Contact information:  http://rcfereform.org  
How to Live in an RV: Episode 48
November 14, 2016 • 38 MIN
Living in an RV sounds like fun! But how much does it cost? What if you have too much stuff? Jerry Minchey is with us today to give us an advice on how we can live in an RV. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/how-to-live-in-an-rv On today’s episode of Rock Your Retirement, we’re learning about how to live in an RV! Jerry Minchey, #1 Best-Selling Author, is the author of several books about the RVing lifestyle and about retirement living. He lives full time in his 34-foot Class A motorhome. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, an MBA from USC, and an OPM degree from Harvard Business School. Jerry  has worked for NASA and worked for many years as a computer design engineer. He holds five patents, and he has a private pilot license with an instrument rating.  (Let's go flying!) He has owned several engineering and marketing businesses, and he is the founder and editor of the website LifeRV.com.  How did he decide to live in an RV? He tells us on today's episode. After Jerry retired, he bought a motorhome and started living full time in it. He started following several RVing blogs and forums. After a couple of years of following the RV forums, he realized that there were a lot of people who had tons of questions about the RVing lifestyle, what's it like, how much does it cost, etc. That's when he decided to write his first RVing book (Motorhome and RV Retirement Living – The most Enjoyable and Least Expensive Way to Retire). Jerry has since written three more books about motorhome and RV living.  If anyone is an expert on how to live in an RV, it's him. He sells his books (both the printed versions and the eBooks) through Amazon. He also has links to the Amazon sales pages for his books on his website www.LifeRV.com Jerry says, “Probably the most interesting response I get from people when I tell them about living full time in an RV is that they say, “I could never live in an RV. I have too much stuff.” “They say it with so much conviction it's like saying one leg is longer than the other one. They act like they were born that way and there's nothing they can do about it. Getting rid of your stuff is one of the most liberating things you can do.” “Since I live full time in my motorhome, my typical day varies a lot depending on where I'm camped. Sometimes I'm in a campground and sometimes I'm camped in a state park or a National Forest all by myself. Either way, I do a lot of writing and I like to hike.” Jerry gave us a lot of great information and we also created a freebie, 5 steps to living in an RV Full Time, that you can get by going to http://RockYourRetirement.com/RV Jerry’s Book(s): * Motorhome and RV Retirement Living: The Most Enjoyable and Least Expensive Way to Retire * Advantages of Moving into a 55+ Park: How to Enjoy Your Retirement Even on a Budget * Young RVers: How to Enjoy the Freedom of the RV Lifestyle While Making a Living on the Road Kindle Edition * The Restaurant Marketing Bible: How to Market Your Restaurant on a Shoestring Budget
What a Retiring Executive needs besides money
November 7, 2016 • 26 MIN
Joyce Richman is with us today to talk about Retiring Executive. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/what-a-retiring-executive-needs-besides-money Are you a Retiring Executive?  Are you within 5 years of that goal? There are special issues associated with a retiring executive.   Joyce Richman has worked with individuals as an executive coach for more than 30 years. In addition to her private practice, Joyce has worked with hundreds of clients across the United States and internationally. Joyce gave us some great advice that she specific uses with executives preparing for retirement, but anybody can use it really. She said that if you are a retiring executive, you should really have the conversation a couple of years in advance. So for example, if you are 60 years old, and planning on retiring at 62, you need to start talking about what your perfect retirement looks like, NOW. A retiring executive should bring his or her spouse into the conversation. Discuss what you expect, and be honest.  If you plan on traveling, discuss this with your spouse, who’s perfect executive retirement may have meant having you around the house and snuggling on the couch watching television.  Get these things worked out now. Consider also what gives you energy. What do you love to do naturally?  How does this play out?  If playing the guitar gives you a buzz, consider taking lessons or joining a garage band if you know other aspiring musicians. Also, some executives don’t want to just stop working when they retire. Their perfect retirement might mean volunteer work or business consulting.  A hobby might take up more of your time, but most of us can’t golf for 10 hours every day. Consider the top challenges that married couples need to overcome as they move through retirement. If you are a retiring executive, be sure to talk it through with your spouse.  Many people assume that their spouses wants to do what they want to do, and they are used to being in control.  Your spouse may be used to doing things at home, and now there is someone that they need to get used to in their territory. Joyce's Book(s): Author of Roads, Routes and Ruts:  A Guidebook to Career Success  co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? If in a marriage/committed relationship, couples should have candid conversations (preferably facilitated by someone objective) about “what’s next?”; what each person wants for those years free from the obligations of paid employment for self, and for each other. This conversation is in addition to planning with a financial advisor so there’s no misunderstanding around finances… what is within bounds… and what is outside those bounds. If single, (and in addition to financial planning) who and what do you need in your life to feel a sense of belonging and involvement in lives outside your own? What stimulates, energizes, focuses your attention in positive ways. Identify it.. all of it… and realize your role in initiating the outcomes you seek. What if you feel stuck in Retirement? Think back… to those moments and times when you have been most happy. What was happening? What were you doing? Who was there? What value or benefit came from that experience? You job now… is to find ways to recreate those experiences… if not for you,
The Silver Hour: Episode 46
October 31, 2016 • 40 MIN
Death is something everyone fears to discuss. Let's take a look at what happens before and after we die. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/the-silver-hour-what-happens-during-death The Silver Hour – 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after death In this episode of Rock Your Retirement we talked with Dr. Marilyn Stoner. She is a professor at California State University San Bernardino, and before that she was on Faculty at CSU Fullerton. She was also the Vice President for Ramona Home Care and Hospice in Hemet, California. Dr. Stoner’s  passion is about end of life care and she has been working with seniors and in the senior care industry since 1998. Her grandparents owned a funeral home so she is also familiar with death. She is a Professor now and has discovered something called the SilverHour which is the 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after death. She developed a unified vision of what the last moments of life and the first moments of death are so that every care giver knows what to do. The Silver Hour includes three phases, namely dying, death, and dead: 1st 20 minutes (Pre-mortem) * Loose conciseness * Changes in body temperature * Breathing changes * Make sure family and care givers knows death is imminent * Reassuring patient Declared dead (Mortem) * Position body * Wash body/prepare body * Position body * Prayers Post mortem * Family begins life as grieving relatives * Transport of body Dr. Stoner also discusses that if you get some warning of death it is a gift. Use this time to have conversations with your loved one about end of life and what they would like. Start the conversations lightly and don’t try to discuss every detail all at once. Give your love one time and space if needed.Also, ask them if there is anything they would like to do. Complete items on a bucket list, or travel somewhere if they are able Something people should know before they retire: Think about what you want and start working on it. Research or watch YouTube videos and what you think you may like to do. Think about what your goal is. How to get “unstuck” in your retirement: Focus on how absolutely precious life is and it is not going to go on forever. Identify people you admirer. Is your life going to be spent on the couch or doing something? Contact information for Dr. Stoner Phone: (951) 534-9014 Email: nursestoner@gmail.com Twitter and Pinterest: @drmstoner Website: http://silverhour.info/ Links mentioned in the interview POLST- http://www.polst.org/ Today's Freebie is 5 things you can do NOW to help your loved ones after you've passed away: http://RockYourRetirement.com/LoveGift http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Marilyn_Stoner_060415_IFinals3.mp3
Non financial aspects of retirement: Alan Spector
October 24, 2016 • 36 MIN
Retirement isn't just about money. Alan Spector is our guest for today's podcast episode to talk about retirement. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/non-financial-retirement-aspects The basis of the Rock Your Retirement show is that retirement isn’t just about money. This is basically the non financial aspects of retirement. Alan Spector agrees.  He and his partner created the Critical Decisions Matrix and Crucial Conversations.  These ideas help everyone understand what the expectations are in retirement.  Alan co-authored the book, Your Retirement Quest with Keith Lawrence, and you can find the book on Amazon.  This is a great book to read if you are considering retirement in the next five years. Alan wasn’t always a retirement coach. He worked at Proctor and Gamble for 33 years as an executive. After that, Alan founded and managed three business, and authored five books.  Alan also blogs on retirement issues on three sites, and is deeply involved in his community.  He's also very active physically and likes to travel. Alan and Keith interviewed their colleagues about their thoughts on retirement.  Shortly after they realized that they were dismayed at the results.  This started their quest to educate people about the non financial aspects of retirement so they started conducting workshops.  They kept getting requests for their book…but it hadn't been written yet!  So… they knew they had to write it.  And they did. They named the book “Your Retirement Quest”. This book talks about the non-financial aspects of retirement, and it includes well-being, connectedness, growth, and fun among other things.  Some of the other non-financial aspects of retirement include physical, emotional, mental, and something he calls “energy of purpose”. Alan recommends that you have written goals.  He recommends that you include the non financial aspects of retirement in these goals. Mr. Spector says that if you write something down you are five times more likely to get it done.  Your written goals should include all of the ten elements of retirement into your life. In addition to working with individuals, he and his partner work with financial planning firms to help them understand the non-financial parts of retirement.  Let’s hope he starts a movement with us. Today’s Freebie is: The 10 Key Elements of a Fulfilling Retirement and you can get it at: The 10 key elements of a Fulfilling Retirement  http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Alan_Spector_160621_Final2.mp3
ABCs of Alzheimer’s: Interview with Dave Jackson
October 17, 2016 • 35 MIN
On the 10/17/16 episode of the Rock Your Retirement show, Kathe interviewed celebrity Dave Jackson about his experience with Alzheimer's disease. Dave Jackson runs the School of Podcasting.  Frances McGrogan, a previous guest, and I talked about how he helped us learn how to podcast in episode 21. This chat wasn't about podcasting though. It was about his experience with Alzheimer's Disease, which is a form of Dementia.  Dementia is a heartbreaking disease, and Dave tells his story about how he was able to deal with it. Dave told us about his father, and his experience with Alzheimer's.  The family thought that the symptoms were due to a mugging that he had experienced earlier in his life.   As his father got older, Dave and his brother realized that something was wrong.  Dad was always bringing up certain stories and repeating them. (But we all do that, right?) Dad went to the hospital for colon cancer.  The hospital diagnosed him with dementia, and Dad couldn't be left alone. The family had to do some quick planning.  They only had a week to find a place for him to stay. A common side effect of Alzheimer's is inappropriate sexual behavior.  It's also common for Alzheimer's patients to form a new love relationship while they are in memory care. This can be a problem if the spouse is still alive.  Dave's Dad got “frisky” in the memory care unit. Every time he visited, Dad gave Dave a tour.  it was brand new to Dad.  His Dad also introduced him to the nurses each time.  He also told him who was in the photos on the wall each time Dave visited.  This is also common in Alzheimer's patients. The staff coached the family on how to deal with Dad.  “Don't correct him”, was one their advice. It's difficult for the family.  People are bound to have mixed emotions.  Dementia patients need a lot of sleep. It is exhausting for them to try to do things, and their brains work differently than ours do.  So you go to visit, and Dad is asleep.  That's hard to deal with if you've come a long way to see him or her.  You don't want to wake them up.  Then when he wakes up, you get the tour again! A great piece of advice from Dave:  There may be a day when your Dad might not recognize you.  Don't take things personally because it's not you, it's the disease. To get the our free guide, ABC's of Dementia, just click HERE. You can also listen to the episode on your favorite smartphone podcast app, or click on the player at the top of this page. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/David_Jackson_160607_IFinal.mp3
You’re closer to Scammers than you think: Ep 43
October 10, 2016 • 39 MIN
Scammers are everywhere. Here's Curtis Bailey in our today's episode to  discuss how we can deal with them. My interview with him was jam-packed with information, but here are a few things we discussed: Preventing SCAMMERS from Scamming your loved ones * Seniors need to have a team of professionals. * Don’t let someone cut you out of your social circles because this is a common practice of scammers. * Be sure and talk to your family members because they can help you determine if something is a scam. * Scammers use emotions to scam people who are lonely. They also prey on fear, so let your rational side tell you what is happening. * Is someone overly nice and charming? Scammers can spend HOURS talking to seniors. * Don't keep secrets because scammers often ask their victims to keep secrets. * They may ask you to receive money from people you don’t know because then they'll have your banking information. * We can protect our assets with a living trust, but the living trust can also be revocable. * You can create a Power of Attorney with scams in mind. * Every year you can get a free credit report with each of the three credit rating agencies at http://AnnualCreditReport.com so you can see if your credit is being used by someone else. * Allow family members to receive notifications if anything strange starts happening with your finances so that they can help you spot a scammer. Mr. Bailey practices estate planning and elder law at Huffman Law Offices, PC, and he is a member of Missouri Bar Association and the Illinois Bar Association.  Curtis is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and not only that, but he is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Area Agency on Aging of Southwestern Illinois.  He is very active in his community and is a member of his Chamber of Commerce and Rotary International. Curtis is the co-founder of Senior Scam Action Associates.  They help people recognize, prevent, and recover from scams. Email: cbailey@huffmanlawoffices.com For today’s freebie, the 10 dead giveaways of a scam, go to http://RockYourRetirement.com/scam This post on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Curtis_Bailey_160604_IFinalo.mp3
It’s never too late to date! Senior Speed Dating
October 3, 2016 • 33 MIN
Steven Loring, award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter, filmed “The Age Of Love”, a documentary which follows 30 people in their 70’s and 80’s participating in a senior speed dating event.  New love can be found at any age.  Listening to Steven tell his story will definitely make you want to see his film! After discovering that a senior speed dating event was to take place, Steven had the challenge of getting all participants to agree to his filming.  The responses surprised Steven and will surprise you as well. Many seniors have resigned themselves to thinking that finding love is not possible.  There is a general feeling that after a certain age desire for both physical and emotional love fades away.  To make things worse, seniors tend to keep quiet about their feelings of loneliness. In filming “The Age Of Love” Steven made the following observations: * The desire for both physical and emotional love is still present regardless of age. * The desire for something as simple as touch can cause feelings of loneliness and isolation. * The need is much deeper than what society terms as “companionship.” * Age strips away looks, status, and financial compatibility.  This leaves only the desire to connect with someone who understands us and who will be there we need it. * You can feel the same emotional giddiness that we all have felt as teenagers! People in more than 14 countries have seen it.  It moves past age, sex, economic level, and social background of the viewers.  Age is the great equalizer and it will affect all of us. You can find the films at venues that have scheduled screenings, but it may be available in the future via streaming or DVD. * Find a list of future screenings at:  http://theageoflovemovie.com/. * Watch the trailer at:  http://bit.ly/1zntID1 or https://vimeo.com/61764746. For more information please go to: * Website:  http://theageoflovemovie.com/ * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAgeofLoveMovie * Twitter: @AgeofLoveMovie And don’t forget to get your free copy of “8 Senior Dating Tips” at http://rockyourretirement.com/love.
2-1-1 San Diego-find your volunteer home
September 26, 2016 • 38 MIN
San Diego has it's own 9-1-1. Yes! You read that right! Alana Kalinowski will give us an idea on what it does and how it is a big help. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/211-san-diego-find-your-volunteer-home 2-1-1 San Diego's mission is to help people by connecting them to services and provide vital data and trend information for proactive community planning. Alana Kalinowski manages the Community Outreach Program at 2-1-1 San Diego. 2-1-1 San Diego is a resource and information hub that connects people with community, health and disaster services through a free, 24/7 service.  This service includes stigma-free confidential phone service, and it also includes a searchable on line database. It's also important to note that 2-1-1 serves the entire population of the County. 2-1-1 San Diego has a staff of 150 people who take about 1200 calls per day. They have approximately 1,500 organizations in their database that they can refer people to. The majority of their referral sources are non-profit and government agencies. Their vetting process includes; checking licenses, certificates, and making sure they provide the services they say they provide. 98 % of the US is under 2-1-1 jurisdiction however, the programs can vary drastically in each state. Just some of the referral services that 2-1-1 San Diego offers are: * Cool Zones-residents can use the Cool Zones to escape the heat and reduce their own air conditioning use. * It provides locations on where you can your taxes filed for free. * 2-1-1 provides locations for flu shots. * It also provides locations for free blood pressure checks. * Fix-It Service -provides volunteers to help with minor home modifications or repairs. * 2-1-1 provides Courage to Call-which is a veteran staffed helpline dedicated to assisting active duty military personnel, veterans, and their families. * They have a seat at the counties information center and get real time information during a disaster to provide non-emergency resources. * Health Navigation Program- this is a program that serves as a single access point information and referral system for San Diego County, connecting anyone to available health services. For more information Call 2-1-1 or go to their website at: http://211sandiego.org/new/ To get today's FREEBIE,  “How Retirees can use 211 to find a place to volunteer” go to: www.RockYourRetirement.com/volunteer211 Click the link below if  you would like to download a copy of the 2-1-1 Disaster Response Checklist. Alana thought this would be a good tool for people to have. 211 Disaster Response http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Alana_Kalinowski_160601_IFinalo.mp3
Playing with Cars! Bill Bennett Ep: 40
September 19, 2016 • 41 MIN
Let's take a look at how Bill Bennett is enjoying his retirement by “Playing with Cars” Do you love cars?. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/playing-with-cars-episode-40 I had a difficult time naming this episode but decided on “Playing with Cars“. There was so much that Bill and I talked about it was hard to decide.   Let's tell you a little bit about Bill first: After graduating from college Bill Bennett went into the flight program in the Marine Corps. He spent 4 1/2 years flying helicopters. He then went into sales and marketing for a number of companies and became an executive for a fortune 500 company before he retired. His wife of 42 years passed away a year and half ago and Bill decided he had to grab himself by the bootstraps and decided to get going. Bill bought a Miata for $107.   That's right.  He purchased a Miata for $107.  You'll have to listen to the episode to find out how, but let's just say that he is an expert at playing with cars.  He is in a group of sport car enthusiasts who enjoy doing things like racing in parking lots and driving up winding roads in the mountains to get some pie at the Julian Pie Company. He and his friends are constantly playing with cars. Speaking of playing with cars, he likes to spend time re-building cars, because he's working on another one now! Another way he is playing with cars, is Bill started writing for a magazine about one of his hobbies which is collecting high-end model cars.  Think of it – he got to collect cars for free just for writing about them!  That's the way to start playing with cars! HEALTH Bill started skiing after 20 years by going on a 4-month ski trip in Colorado.  He was sore for the first few weeks, but after that he really got into the sport.  He's thinking of taking his grand-kids skiing, just like he used to take his own kids, when they are old enough.  In between ski trips, he keeps active by doing things such as walks on the beach and hiking.  You don't need a lot of money to keep busy. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? Prepare for your retirement financially so you don’t have a constant grey cloud over your head of not being able to afford to do the things you want to do.  Look at monthly or weekly expenses and figure out how you are going to satisfy those financial needs. Downsize so you have the money to do what you want We have a lot of listeners who are new retirees or maybe feel stuck in their lives at the moment.  If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? Do what makes you happy and be selfish with your time. Freebie:  None mentioned on the show, but if you need a Life Plan, go to http://RockYourRetirement.com/lifeplan http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/037_R_Bill_Bennett_060429_Ifinal2.mp3
Working with seniors for his own Retirement: Ep 39
September 12, 2016 • 38 MIN
Steve Pettersen is with us today to talk about what he is doing after retirement and he gives us an advice on what to do before or after retirement. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/working-with-seniors-for-his-own-retirement-ep-39 Steve Pettersen is working with seniors for his own retirement. Steve is now 66 years old and semi-retired. He spent the last ten years volunteering for Junior Achievement and the City of Carlsbad. He worked for UPS for 18 years in Sales/Marketing and in Logistics/Supply chain solutions division. He was part of the Logistics Group that change the strategic direction of UPS. Why is he working with seniors? Steve has been a caregiver for the last three years.  He provides seniors non-medical services so the senior clients can stay at home. He also works part time in Sales/Marketing for seniors and been doing this for 3 months now.  He talks about the daily challenges of working with people who have dementia and how it takes patience and loving kindness. Steve told us a couple of stories.  To hear the stories, be sure to listen to the show.  You can get instructions to listen on your smartphone HERE, otherwise you can click on the player and listen on your computer. One of his clients was a man with sleeping sickness “Bob”.  That's crazy right?  Who knew that we had sleeping sickness in San Diego?  Bob left a big impression on Steve, who was very impressed with “Bob’s” courage.  Coast News even created a news story about Steve and “Bob”. Steve said that it takes a “certain type of individual” to do continue working with seniors. He learned patience, love, kindness, and compassion.  It has made him a better person, Steve said.  He also that it is important to have engaged caregivers.  I can understand that because it didn’t seem like my father in law’s caregiver was engaged in her job at all. In addition to working with seniors, he’s done the following activities during his retirement: * Steve worked in the kitchen at the Carlsbad Senior Center preparing and serving lunch. * He taught a cooking class to a group of 25 seniors for 2 years. * He taught 3rd graders a course called “City Stuff” for the last seven years in Carlsbad. * Steve taught Junior Achievement business courses to both middle school and high school Students all over North County. * Steve also volunteered at Scripps Memorial in Encinitas for 4 years. What do you think people should know before they retire? Steve said it’s important to have a life plan or activity plan. I’ve gotten requests before for help with this, so I created a guide for you, and you can download it for free at http://RockYourRetirement.com/lifeplan What to do if you feel stuck? When we retire we have fears to engage the unknown.  The desire to do other meaningful things can get lost.   So stay physically active, and give back by volunteering or working part time. * Contact information:  http://seniorshelpingseniors.com * Today’s Freebie:  http://RockYourRetirement.com/lifeplan http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Steve_Petterson_160531_IFinalo.mp3
Shhhh… Listen! Do You Hear The Sound Of Harp Therapy? Ep. 38
September 5, 2016 • 31 MIN
Harp therapy? That's something new! Geraldine “Geri” Afshari will talk to us in today's episode how she uses Harp as a therapy. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/shhhh-listen-do-you-hear-the-sound-of-harp-therapy-ep-38 Listen to the Interview with Geraldine “Geri” Afshari, Harp Musician and Speaker on iTunes, Stitcher, or Podcast Addict. For instructions on how to do that, go HERE.  She played a song for us, and we can't put that into words! Geri Afshari is a musician and plays the Paraguayan harp professionally, travels extensively and lived in Iran, is a writer/editor/photographer, a lay counselor, a life-long activist, an avid SUP paddler, and hunts sea glass for her sea glass mosaic artwork.  She is also retired from working because she has to for money.  What a great place to be! Geri has been the featured speaker for numerous parent classes and teacher workshops over the years, including MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers), various women’s ministries, annual Pre-12th grade conventions for ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International), and many K-12 school and home school groups. She loves to SUP (Stand Up Paddle Board), and tells people to slow down, use the luxury of time, understand how sound healing works, and she also volunteers for the palliative care team at Scripps Encinitas. Her newest passions include harp therapy and sound meditation, besides whatever her family is doing. * Geri is the mother of 2 grown children and has 2 grandsons. They all live near her in North San Diego County and share her love for the ocean and nature in general. She loves taking them with her on trips. * She plays her Paraguayan harp at all types of events besides harp therapy and sound meditation. * Jesus follower * Prayer group Geri says that eating, cleaning, epigenetics, yoga and meditation all can help improve your health.  Of course, listening to music (and in particular harp music) can't hurt either! What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? * Geri thinks people should know how free and giddy they’ll feel to own their own time. She also thinks retirees should remember that the best things in life really are free. You will find your new self, your significance, your purpose and you don’t need much money. She also says to spend time in nature. What if you feel stuck: * Give yourself permission to return to your basic self. Your health is your responsibility, so take ownership of it, don’t outsource it anyone. Research, learn, grow, heal and seek joy. Do things that line up with the heart of God. Time is the treasure so use it well. Serve others and you will be blessed. Contact information: geri.harp@gmail.com Today’s Freebie:  http://RockYourRetirement.com/harp http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Geri_Afshari_160523_IFinalo.mp3
Palliative Care is Pain Control: Ep. 37
August 29, 2016 • 32 MIN
What is Palliative Care? Pastor William “Bill” Harman is our today's guest and he'll tell us more about Palliative Care. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/palliative-care-is-pain-control What the heck is Palliative Care?  I'd never heard of it before 2016. Pastor William “Bill” Harman came on the show to explain Palliative Care to us. His background is long so I'll summarize his current activities: * Center for Global Awareness * Evangelical Lutheran Church in America * Lives in Encinitas, CA Bill Harman is the Chaplain with the Palliative Care Team at Scripps Encinitas Hospital. He came on the show to talk to us What is it? Palliative Care is not hospice.  It is specialized medical care to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.  This is for conditions that won’t be cured but can be managed. Some diseases include COPD, other respiratory disorders, and cancer. Why would someone want it? This care is designed for comfort and pain management. It is for the seriously ill, but for those who are trying to get better.  Palliative care helps minimize pain and discomfort.  90% of hospitals that have over 300 beds have a palliative care program. What does a Chaplain do? Chaplains are educators.  Chaplains provide spiritual care, and educate people about end of life.  Bill is familiar with 55 religious preferences and helps facilitate the dying’s wishes.  Bill said that according to the “happiness index”, Bhutan is the happiest country because of how they deal with death. Chaplains deal with human issues, not necessary religion. Why does it even exist? In the 1950s, people died earlier.  Now we are extending life.  As we extend life we need to answer questions for ourselves.  If we want to extend our own lives longer, then palliative care can help with the discomfort and pain we feel because of disease. Who pays for it? Although Medicare pays for the bulk of palliative care, there are pediatric palliative care teams at certain hospitals. Stories: To hear the both stories in full, listen to the episode on iTunes, Stitcher, or Podcast Addict.  For instructions on how to listen on your smartphone, go HERE. Surfer Story:  Bill told us a story about a surfer who had cancer.  He wasn’t going to survive and he wanted to spend one more night on the beach.  The team was able to get him to the beach to help accommodate his last wish. Hawaii Story:  Bill told us of another patient who wanted to go to Hawaii.  The team wasn’t able to send him to Hawaii, but they DID throw a Hawaiian party for her. Marriage:  Another story was how a patient wanted to see his daughter get married.  Many of the things that the team did was similar to Make a Wish. Bill can be reached at Harman.William@ScrippsHealth.org Today’s Freebie:  http://RockYourRetirement.com/Pain http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Bill_Harman_160614_IFinal.mp3
Hearing Impaired: Can you see it? Ep. 36
August 22, 2016 • 27 MIN
TJ Barnes is with us today to talk about Hearing Impairment. She will give us tips from her personal experience. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/hearing-impaired-can-you-see-it Did you know that 10% of the population is hearing impaired and that 1% is deaf? I met TJ Barnes at The Hearing Experience at an event. I had to interview her because of her story.  She has been an RN for over 20 years and is the CEO of HEARCommunication. TJ understands this disability personally because she was born with a hearing loss. She's been working over 20 years with the hearing impaired as a nurse, and she also has a personal story.  She told the story of how she was run over by a skier who didn't understand that she couldn’t hear him yelling at her to get out-of-the-way. Her friend said, “He couldn't see that you can’t hear” and that’s what gave her the idea for a world-wide symbol for the hearing impaired. Hiking trails can use the symbol.  Biking trails can use the symbol. Businesses can use the symbol.  Any place where people with hearing impairment might be can have a symbol.  TJ is on a mission to get these hearing impaired symbols installed in public places because if we know that there are hearing-impaired people there, we can watch for them. TJ’s interview gave us great information including “1h0 foods that you can use to help reduce hearing loss” so I created that freebie for you, and you can download it HERE. She also gave us some other great tips.  Let the hospital know if your loved one is hearing impaired so that they can take measures to keep him or her comfortable.  From personal experience, I can't hear my chiropractor when she puts her hands over my ears to do an adjustment so I let her know. I couldn't capture all the information she gave us, because the interview was so jam-packed.  Listen to the episode yourself for more great tips! Teresa “TJ” Barnes is a Registered Nurse / Keynote Speaker / Consultant / Trainer / HearC Products   Contact information:  (800) 491-9483  info@hearcommunication.com  www.hearcommunication.com Today’s freebie can be downloaded at http://RockYourRetirement.com/hear http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Teresa_TJ_Barnes_160602_IFinalo.mp3
Muscle Re-calibration: Episode 35
August 15, 2016 • 32 MIN
How to help with symptoms of Parkinson's? Neil Denaut is here to teach us how we can do muscle re-calibration. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/muscle-re-calibration Muscle Re-calibration: How to help with symptoms of Parkinson’s. Neil moved to San Diego from New York in September 2014.  He says he was called there in a dream.  He kept dreaming about missing his flight to San Diego. This dream went on for four years until he finally made the move and relocated his family.  After that he started working more with extreme injuries. His purpose is to find more ways to help the injured.  He wants to help 1000 people become pain free. Why Muscle Re-Calibration? Neil has been correcting injuries for the past 16 years. He has amassed over 25,000 hours of personalized exercise and injury work. Furthermore, during the past 5 years he has been incorporating Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching into his work and the results have been profound!  This technique helps with Muscle Re-calibration. Some of his clients were told that they’d never run again and they began running in as little as 8 weeks. He has seen how muscle re-calibration has dramatically improved their ability to do daily activities in as little as two months.  Muscle Re-calibration has helped them to become increasingly stronger.   Muscle Re-calibration seems to have slowed the physical symptoms of Parkinson's disease! Neil’s life is dedicated to helping others in extreme need.  He wants to teach others how the GREAT methods that he has learned can help. A story about Muscle Re-Calibration: Neil told us the story about Dan, who was his first Parkinson’s patient.  He had a great sense of humor and had spent his life in the gym.  Dan worked with Neil so he “could get back to working out”.  Dan's attitude never weakened, and he always saw himself getting better.  The most profound thing that Neil saw about their work together was that even though Dan’s body was shutting down, it still responded to the treatment.  Dan passed away, but was pain-free.  Neil's experience with Dan that made him realize just how powerful the technique is. That’s why he helps people with muscular re-calibration through the stretching technique. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire?  They should know that they don’t have to live in pain. They don’t have to accept where their bodies are. There is a great method that can give them a greater quality of life and it happens extremely quickly. What advice would you give to a retiree who feels stuck?  Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You have every opportunity to live the life that you desire if you just focus on what’s possible and not what your current situation is. The solutions are there and the results are yours for the taking. Contact information: 619-736-8995 MuscletherapySD@gmail.com www.muscletherapysandiego.com *Note:  Rock Your Retirement makes no health claims on this technique.  Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Today’s Freebie can be found at http://RockYourRetirement.com/stretch http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Neil_Denaut_160520_IFinalo.mp3
How to age at home: Episode 34
August 8, 2016 • 32 MIN
Fritzi Gros-Daillon will talk about how we can age at home. One of the toughest things to decide about after retirement is where to stay.  You can listen to the show at: http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/how-to-age-at-home Age at Home: Fritzi Gros-Daillon knows how to do it.  She is a former senior move manager and has worked with 1000 families while being a long-distance caregiver for her parents in California. Fritzi founded Household Guardians in 2013 as an age at home consulting firm. Her passion for keeping family members safe in their own home environment for as long as possible has grown from years watching family's struggle to make the best decisions. Her environmental business background, certification as a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and years of experience bring a combination of expertise and perspective to the current aging in place issues. Her book, “Grace and Grit: Insights to Real Life Challenges of Aging for Adult Children and their Parents,”, has won three national awards since publication in June 2014. Fritzi's interview on how to age at home was jam-packed full of information, so I was furiously writing it down. Some great information she gave us: * There are Toilet Paper Holders that can be used as balance bars. They can support 250 pounds of weight and look great. * Call them BALANCE bars, not grab bars. Our aging population doesn’t like these old sounding words. * Easy things to do related to lighting: * LED lighting on railings help. * Toe kicks can help. * Motion sensor lights help to raise our consciousness. * Motion sensor lights help us see where to put our feet and help reduce falls. * Add railings to hallways above the wainscoting. * Look ahead 6 months to see what needs to be done. * Smart soles are shoe inserts that work with an alert system. * Change lighting to reduce glare. * Cover or remove mirrors and reflective surfaces. * Remove family photos and replace them with pictures of flowers and landscaping. * Remove busy patterns on walls floors and furniture. * Use color to differentiate items such as plastic glasses and plates. * Be conscious of odors and sharp sounds. Use lavender, not rosemary. * Install soft background music. These are just a few items.  She has a 240 point assessment that she does to help you age at home. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire?  An assessment of your home can give you ideas for now and the future; It can increase the “visibility” of your home for all family members. What if someone is “stuck in their retirement?   Stay engaged. Find a place to volunteer or learn a new skill. The experts are looking at this next generation of retirees to provide $2 Trillion of value in expertise to the national economy through volunteering and mentoring..it is a part of the national conversation. Contact information: 800-984-1186 fritzi@householdguardians.com www.householdguardians.com To get today's freebie, go to http://RockYourRetirement.com/ALZ
One Word: happiness Episode 33
August 1, 2016 • 33 MIN
Happiness is what everyone wants. Have you found your happiness? Maura Sweeney is with us today to talk about that in today's podcast episode. You can listen to the show at: http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/one-word-happiness-episode-33 Maura is called the “Happiness Ambassador”. How did she become the happiness ambassador?  Maura Sweeney was called “water works” by her grandmother because she was always crying.  She made a decision when she was young to become a happier person, and she did!  She watched older people and found out that those who were following their own minds were happy, and those who were following what someone else wanted them to do weren’t. Maura Sweeney is a Happiness Expert and Next Generation Thought Leader: She is an:  Author | Podcaster | International Speaker | Huffington Post Contributor | Media Guest with the focus on Influence, Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Personal and Career Branding. Featured in over 100 media outlets including Tampa Bay Times, Match.com, Midlife Boulevard, BBC Radio and overseas TV news. We had a great conversation about how to become happy.  If you need a little extra happiness in your life, head over to the podcast and take a listen. Maura helps people find their own happiness through her blogs, videos, books, media interviews, e-courses and lectures, and she helps them connect with their inner selves.  She calls it the GPS of happiness. She has a podcast where she asks a question each week and talks about it for about 10 minutes.  Short and sweet and makes you think.  It’s called “Living Happy from the Inside Out”. Also, you can buy Maura Sweeney’s Books HERE. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire?  Instead of complicating things, ask what you most value.  Simplify your life and move on to what’s next. If you are stuck: Most of all, don’t get down on yourself.  Listen to the podcast to hear the instructions, but you can also think about your childhood and find out what you used to play with, create, or think about. Maura’s Freebie: Maura is giving away a free e-book to our listeners.  You can email her at Maura@Maura4u.com and put “Rock Your Retirement” in the subject line, and just ask for the book, “Exiting the Comfort Zone – Dance or Die” Contact information: Maura@Maura4u.com www.Maura4u.com Bonus Freebie: Get today’s Rock Your Retirement Freebie, “The ten episodes to increase your happiness”, by going to http://RockYourRetirement.com/happiness.
Deserving Desire: Bonus Episode
July 30, 2016 • 31 MIN
Let's talk about Sexual Desire with Beth Montemurro. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/bonus-episode-deserving-desire Why did Beth write the book, Deserving Desire? Beth Montemurro is a sociology professor at Penn State University.  During the last 15 years she's been studying gender and sexuality.  She has studied bridal showers and bachelorette parties (which was her doctoral dissertation), male exotic dancers, reality television, and attitudes. She is interested in the ways that people learn about and develop sexual selves through interaction with culture and the ways in which gender norms are created and sustained in everyday life. I spoke with her because of her book, Deserving Desire: Women's Stories of Sexual Evolution. I loved this paperback book cover!  Although it’s considered a textbook, she can help the non-academic as well, and I plan to purchase a copy of this book for my kindle. We live in a youth-oriented culture.  How does this affect women and our desire as we age? Beth told me several stories about some women she interviewed.  Please listen to the episode to hear those stories.  We talked about how our partners mold our definitions of who we are sexually. When a woman goes through menopause, there is no change in desire unless she isn't active sexually, in which case her desire tends to lessen. Beth sent me a beautiful signed copy of her book, Deserving Desire, to give away in a drawing. If you read this before 8/12/16, there is still time to enter to win it!  Just go to http://RockYourRetirement.com/drawing to enter.  Note: You must be residing in the USA in order to win.  Good luck! Author’s Book(s): * Something Old, Something Bold: Bridal Showers and Bachelorette Parties * Deserving Desire: Women's Stories of Sexual Evolution * Something Old, Something Bold: Bridal Showers and Bachelorette Parties What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? Maintaining sexual desire is normal as people age and no one should feel limited by stereotypes about aging. What to do if you feel stuck? Stay engaged in relationships.  Seek out new relationships.  Accept that the way your sexuality is expressed may change, but that does not mean sexual intimacy becomes unimportant or non-existent. Contact information: If you are a man in your 50s and 60s, Beth wants to interview you about a research study she's conducting!  Please email her to set up a phone appointment. Phone: 215-881-7566   Email: eam15@psu.edu   Website: abington.psu.edu/beth-montemurro   www.facebook.com/deservingdesire Don't forget to enter the drawing!   http://RockYourRetirement.com/drawing   http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Beth_Montemurro_160516_Finalc.mp3
It gets better! Retirement Gets Better Ep 32
July 25, 2016 • 34 MIN
Some of us may think that after retirement, we'd just be sitting around and do nothing but Noel Baker talks to us about how after retirement, it gets better. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/it-gets-better-episode-32 Today we interviewed Noel Baker, a retiree who has some advice for us.  It gets better! It gets better! Noel grew up in Minnesota and attended college at the University of Minnesota. After college, she worked for about a year before getting married. In 1970 she moved to Colorado with her husband, where she spent the next 8 years raising her 2 children and was very involved in politics. Once she and her husband divorced, she had to gain employment. She worked a few different jobs, including work at a bill collecting agency and as a counselor at a detox center for alcoholics. She worked as a Senior Administrative Assistant for KPMG, an accounting firm for 26 years. The firm decided to downsize in the fall of 2009 and Noel was forced to retire at 64 years old she wasn’t ready for it and like many retirees, became depressed. She didn’t let that stop her though and soon she was up and about rocking her retirement.  It gets better. It gets better! SOCIAL AND FAMILY She joined her local recreation center where she made a circle of friends, and they enjoyed going to the movies.  She also enjoys going to lunch with the ladies from the recreation center.  Now that she has friends, she knows that it gets better. ADVENTURE AND TRAVEL Noel does like to travel inside the USA and a year ago made a trip to see her youngest daughter in Utah.  She also travels to Minnesota to see her sister.  AND…she is also hoping to take a cruise sometime.  We discussed Costco Cruises and Celebrity Cruises.  Travel… it gets better! HEALTH Eating healthy and exercising are very important to her. She didn’t exercise at all until she retired as she felt like she had no time.  Noel gave up smoking and put on some weight. She goes to the recreation center to get exercise and go swimming.  Her doctor told her if you do nothing else, drink lots of water.  Good advice, Noel!  When you take care of your health…it gets better! What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? It gets better. There are friends to be made, places to go, and things to do. We have a lot of listeners who are new retirees or maybe feel stuck in their lives at the moment.  If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? Look around at the possibilities. Volunteering or taking a class. Find something you love and do it! To find out about Senior Centers near you, do a search in your area or you can go HERE. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/033_R_Noel_Baker_160506_IFinal.mp3
Retirement and Meetup: Episode 31
July 18, 2016 • 33 MIN
Of course, retirement and meetup can be done altogether. Debbie Sanford will share with us how she managed to make new friends after she retirement. You can listen to the show at: http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/retirement-and-meetup-episode-31 Debbie Sanford teaches us about Retirement and Meetup, and how they go together. Debbie Sanford is a native Californian who lived in the Bay Area for 64 years. She retired in June 2014 after teaching preschool for 24 years. Shortly thereafter, her long-term marriage broke up and her youngest daughter became pregnant. She decided to purchase the “beach house” of her dreams, which was a lovely manufactured home within blocks of the beach. It had always been a fantasy of hers to live near the beach and she wanted to be close to her daughter. Three weeks after she moved, her first grandchild was born. SOCIAL AND FAMILY Debbie didn’t know anyone in the area other than her daughter. Already feeling like her life had gone full circle, but she needed friends, she joined the activities in her 55+ living community, met some fun women her age, and shared happy hours and fun times with them. But other things were missing, such as a book club, bunko, and volunteering. She had all participated in the Bay Area for the last 35 years.  Enter the world of Meetups!!  She joined a variety of meetup groups including Hiking, Book club, and Random acts of kindness.   Retirement and Meetup certainly go together! VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY In addition to spending time in Retirement and Meetup, Debbie loves to volunteer and believes by volunteering you are really helping yourself by helping others. Some places she volunteers for are: * Meals on Wheels * Encinitas Lions Club * Kiwanis * Afterschool programs teaching children who speak Spanish to read English Before You Retire: Before retirement, Debbie was nervous and a little anxious. She wishes she would have known how happy she would be in retirement. Getting “unstuck” in your retirement: Look for a meeting in a city you live in for the volunteer bureaus. This meeting will tell you all the volunteer opportunities in all the cities in your area. Volunteering doesn’t have to be a physical activity. There are a wide range of different opportunities you can pick something based on what you like to do. Remember, you can Rock Your Retirement too, but finding something you love.  Perhaps Meetup.com is the place to find it! http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/R_Debbie_Sanford_060422_IFinals.mp3
Retirement as a Couple: Episode 30
July 11, 2016 • 2160 MIN
How to survive retirement as a couple? Let's find out in today's episode. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/retirement-as-a-couple-episode-30 Miriam Goodman is the author of “Too much Togetherness: Surviving Retirement as a couple”. This book teaches us how to survive retirement as a couple.  I asked her to come on the show because I’ve seen marriages break up after retirement she shared her insights on how to prevent that.  As you know, retirement is not just about money.  Retirement includes all the other things that your financial advisor never told you about.  Miriam can help us stay together after we retire. To prepare for the book, Miriam interviewed couples with different situations, but many situations included the husband being retired, but the women weren’t ready to retire. One thing to watch for when one member of a couple retires is that a job gives you structure, community, and purpose. In order to survive retirement as a couple, you need to replace that structure, community, and purpose, or your relationship may take a hit. Neither the wife nor the husband is apt to say, “I don’t want to be with you for 24 hours a day,” so have a plan. Miriam suggests that to survive retirement as a couple, you need to schedule time to be together.  You also need to schedule time to be apart and to do your own thing.  It is usually the role of the women to schedule these activities.  It's also usually the role of women to make sure that the husband is still feeling vibrant after retirement.  Baby Boomer men still have their identity wrapped around what they do for a living.  Retirement can cause men of this age to have a self-image problem.  Once he is no longer the “big cheese” it can also be reflected in the sexual relationship. Also remember that if something new doesn’t work out, you can always try something else. Before you Retire: Make sure you have a plan.  Taking long walks is not a plan!  Cleaning out the garage is not a plan! If you are stuck: For some it might mean therapy. She told a story of how one wife went to the first session with her husband because she wanted to make sure that the therapist knew of his behaviors. For others it can simply mean a new activity such as dance, tennis or golf.  You can also join a book club, read a book together, or simply get out of the house.   Additionally, it’s important to keep your appearances up and not just let yourself go. Miriam’s Books: * Too Much Togetherness: Surviving Retirement as a Couple * Reinventing Retirement: 389 Bright Ideas about Family, Friends, Health, What to Do, and Where to Live Miriam’s contact information: email: yourprexpert@aol.com  website: www.toomuchtogetherness.com http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/030_Miriam_Goodman_060415_IFinal.mp3 Miriam Goodman, surviving retirement as a couple
People Need YOU: Episode 29
July 4, 2016 • 31 MIN
Why do people need YOU? Tweet is our today's guest and she will talk about why people need you. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/people-need-you-episode-23 Tweet was born and raised in Illinois and moved to California in 1988 where she lives with her husband and cat. Even then she said that People Need YOU.  She managed an RV park in El Cajon for 17 years and had one of the top-rated parks in the state. They even won an award for one of the best parks in the nation. Tweet retired from the RV park and then worked with her husband who was a construction claims consultant and expert witness. FAMILY Tweet and her sweetheart have been together for 30 years. She says the key to a happy marriage is to have your own interests, love each other, but give each other some time to do activities on their own with their own friends. ADVENTURE AND TRAVEL Although she's the first one to tell you that people need you, sometimes you just need to get away from it all.  Tweet and her husband love to travel, whether it’s exploring San Diego or taking trips to the Desert. They visit Palm Springs and Palm Desert frequently and they love it there!! Johnny Mathis performed at Aqua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage on 2/13/16. The couple they were with and they all got to go backstage and not only did she get to meet him she got a hug and kiss!   Her age group grew up with Johnny Mathis. Tweet says that Johnny Mathis was with her for her first date, first dance, and first kiss. She’s flying to Illinois to see a lifelong friend in May and will be seeing…. You guessed it Johnny Mathis! She loves the following businesses in Palm Springs: Tylers for hamburgers Kitchen-Kitchen for kitchen items Serena’s for jewelry VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY She walks her talk.  She says that people need you and she does what she can to help.  Look at all the volunteer work that she does! * Volunteers for The Lake Church helping with the monthly coffees and also the newsletter. * Secretary of her HOA and she also organizes a luncheon for the HOA members each month, In addition, she helps with landscaping and works with Arbor Well to help preserve the trees. * She is also active with Mom’s warehouse, which gives supplies to the Active Duty Junior enlisted military family on camp Pendleton. * Belongs to a group called the Questers which is a group concerned with the preservation and restoration and education about collectibles. * Every year, Tweet and her husband host several Marines every Thanksgiving. Tweet bakes dozens of cookies and cooks pounds of bacon, and Mark Country Club is kind enough to freeze these for her.  Tweet said that she’s not very good at making gravy (even though she collects gravy boats) so Mariahs has donated gallons of gravy for her Marines. Then when the Marines come, they can have a home-cooked meal.  Some of them have never had a Thanksgiving meal before.  She said that this has been a tradition that she and her husband have enjoyed for many years. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? People need YOU Tweet says to volunteer somewhere: People need YOU.  Libraries, schools, military,
Jim Sweeney: Mike Raffone Episode 28
June 27, 2016 • 30 MIN
Jim Sweeney is our guest for today's podcast and he will talk about his successful company and what he is doing now. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/jim-sweeney-mike-rafone-episode-28 Jim Sweeney: Mike Rafone Cartoon Character Jim Sweeney sold his successful company, Sweeney Sales, in May 2005. So what is he doing now?  He has created his Trademarked MIKE cartoon sports character to become the first universal animated brand in sports. Besides penning 800 blogs, Jim has published 38 MIKE Sports Comic Books. All the eBooks contain clever sports comics and light-hearted commentaries on unique observations about sports. The 58-year-old Sweeney still participates in sports (slowly!) as a masters athlete and serves as Head of USA for FIMBA – the governing body for masters basketball tournaments around the world. ADVENTURE AND TRAVEL Jim Sweeney was a 1980 recipient of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the United States' top collegiate basketball player under 6'0″ tall. He was the captain of the Boston College Eagles. He was nominated by Boston College as a Rhodes Scholar candidate. Raised in Trenton, New Jersey, he attended the Lawrenceville School before receiving an athletic scholarship to Boston College. Following his 1980 graduation from BC, Jim Sweeney played basketball briefly in Sweden. He returned to the States, got married to his sweetheart, and spent the following years as a manufacturer's rep in the computer industry. While still in his forties, Sweeney and his wife Maura closed their computer firm to launch New Vision Entertainment, a Florida-based LLC focused on the development and promotion of entertainment properties that positively impact culture. Jim Sweeney: Mike Rafone: Jim wanted to do something totally different from a creative nature that would be fun and exciting and had the potential to positively impact others.  He created an animated cartoon character named Mike Rafone.. SPIRIT & SOUL  Yes, this is the same Jim Sweeney that was involved in a scandal about 35 years ago. He tells us how he got through that scandal (it still comes up even today) and how with the help of his friends, his family, and his faith, the scandal made him a better man. He had testified as a witness in the 1978–79 Boston College basketball point shaving scandal in which members of organized crime schemed to control the outcomes of several games. Jim was neither charged nor offered immunity in exchange for his testimony. Jim says that everyone makes mistakes. The best way to get through something is to move forward and not dwell on the past.  Good advice, Jim. HEALTH & SEX At age 58, Jim still wakes up with the sun.  He plays basketball several times a week and travels to other countries to play in masters level tournaments. Jim inspires and motivates others and lets them know that they, too, can do something totally outside-the-box. What should retirees know before they retire?   Retirement is an exciting new chapter in life. Life doesn’t stop. Seize the opportunity that retirement and all your new-found time present. How can retirees get “unstuck”, or motivated?   Follow after your passion.
Go Do Enjoy! Episode 027
June 20, 2016 • 40 MIN
Enjoy your life to the fullest. Listen to this podcast as Stella says her motto is “Go Do Enjoy!”.  You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/go-do-enjoy-ep-27 Stella Kanterakis says her motto is Go Do Enjoy! How did Stella get the motto Go Do Enjoy?  Stella was originally from Michigan. She was married for 35 years and is now divorced. She has 2 great sons with 2 wonderful daughter-in laws and 1 beautiful granddaughter. She taught 3rd grade for 10 years and then retired to raise her son's. (Which was her 2nd career). Then, she took a job at Bullocks (now Macy's) for a short-term position which turned into a 3rd career of 19 years. Stella was so ready for retirement she even made a big production on her last day of work including music, props, audience & video made for posterity, and that's why her motto is Go Do Enjoy! SOCIAL AND FAMILY Stella just recently attended her son’s wedding, which was on a yacht. She said you could feel the whole room was full of love. One highlight for her was Mother Son Dance.  She rocked the mother and son dance, and you can say that she lives by her motto, Go Do Enjoy! Her parents lived with her the last 5 years of their lives. After they passed, (within 6 months of each other) Stella hit a wall but could move forward from it.  Learn how she did it by listening to today's episode. Go Do Enjoy! She enjoys a variety of activities including: * Dancing * Being on the back of a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle * Attending Free concerts * Hosting parties at her house including her “Big Fat Greek Happy Hour” and a 50 Shades of Grey Party. If YOU put your mind to it, you can think of things that can help YOU Go Do and Enjoy as well! VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY Stella also lives her motto of Go Do Enjoy by being a Volunteer: * She is an usher for live theater.  This is how she is able to go do enjoy without having to spend a lot of money! She gets to see the show and helps the theater out at the same time. * Brother Benno’s at Christmas time to serve free meals * Dove Library * Encinitas Kiwanis Club: She is able to live her motto of Go Do Enjoy by spending her time volunteering with the Kiwanis, and through the club, she helps with Captain Book by visiting schools to put on programs and give away free books SPIRIT / SOUL / HEALTH Stella believes in always trying to look your best and to embrace the aging process. She takes care of herself by eating healthy and takes a body conditioning class at her local senior center. Something people should know before they retire: Life is not over when you retire, it's just the beginning of a new & wonderful chapter!! Go…Do…Enjoy! How to get “unstuck” in your retirement: Go to a Meetup group or church or anywhere this a group of people to meet new people and make friends. Stella says you are the only one who can cure your own boredom. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/028_Stella_Kanterakis_060422_IFinal_m.mp3 Go Do Enjoy
Laughing with Parkinson’s Episode 26
June 13, 2016 • 37 MIN
We all heard that Laughing is the best medicine. Vikki is with us today to teach us how we can laugh away our problems. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/laughing-with-parkinsons-episode-26 Vikki is an international best-selling author, humor blogger, and inspirational public speaker. She wrote the book, “Shake, Rattle, and Roll with It – Living and Laughing with Parkinson's“.  Since my father has Parkinson's Disease, I had to get her on the show!  She did not disappoint!  We talked about her book, her life, and our ailments, including my dystonia. Shake, Rattle, and Roll with It- Living and Laughing with Parkinson's: A few weeks after her first book, “Shake, Rattle, & Roll With It, Living & Laughing with Parkinson’s”’ came out, she received an email from a woman who said, “My mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s ten years ago. Since then, no one in the house has ever been allowed to talk about it, or even mention the word ‘Parkinson’s.” This created a lot of stress for the family as we all tried to pretend she wasn’t shaking or stumbling. Any reference to her condition was immediately shut down. I bought her your book and set it on her nightstand. She read the whole thing in one sitting that night. The next morning, she came down for breakfast and began talking about her Parkinson’s like it was the weather. She now talks about it and even laughs about it easily. The elephant in the room is gone. Thank you, thank you. Thank you.” We wanted to bring Vikki's award-winning humor to our audience, considering that many of us have parents and loved once with Parkinson's Disease (including myself).  I wanted to find out how she is laughing with Parkinson's, and she sure let us know! After all, her name has “laugh” in it! Vikki gives us a glimpse into what it's like to have the disease, and how anyone can kick their troubles in the butt by continuing to laugh, regardless of your circumstances. Vikki lives in Hood River, OR, where she writes the award-winning humor blog Laugh Lines: Humorous thoughts and advice on how to live young when you're… well… not, where she doles out irreverent advice on marriage, offers humorous how-to lists galore, and shares her most embarrassing midlife moments. She talks about mastering midlife with a little common sense and a lot of laughter. She has been featured on the Michael J. Fox Foundation website, Erma Bombeck's Writer's Workshop, The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Generation Fabulous, Midlife Boulevard, Better After 50, and Funny Times Magazine. She also received a BlogHer14 “Voices of the Year” Humor award. Vikki's first book, Shake, Rattle & Roll With It: Living & Laughing with Parkinson's chronicles her hilarious, and sometimes poignant journey, about living with Parkinson's disease. Her newly released book, Who Left the Cork Out of My Lunch? Middle Age, Modern Marriage & Other Complications is available now on Amazon.com. You can find more of Vikki’s writing at http://laugh-lines.net Vikki’s Books: Shake, Rattle & Roll With It: Living & Laughing with Parkinson's Chronicles Who Left the Cork Out of My Lunch?: Middle Age Modern Marriage & Other Complications Something people should know before they retire:  Kathy Kinney, who played Mimi in The Drew Carey Show, says in her new book,
Stop! This ElderHelp of San Diego Information Could Change Your Life! Ep: 25
June 6, 2016 • 30 MIN
Have you heard of ElderHelp? Carrie is with us today to explain how she is helping seniors through ElderHelp. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/stop-this-elderhelp-of-sd-info-could-change-your-life-ep-26 Carrie McClellan is helping seniors through ElderHelp of San Diego. Elderhelp is a non-profit organization that helps seniors live independently and with dignity. Carrie started her career as a Social Services Director in a Skilled Nursing Facility. She worked with many older adults and their families to develop a safe discharge plan when they were ready to return home again. This was an eye opener for her as she realized that many older adults were going home with little to no support from family or friends. If someone was on a fixed income, it was even more difficult. This is when she learned about ElderHelp of San Diego and she’s been the Outreach Manager for nearly 5 years now. She works in the community to ensure that those in need are aware of all the programs and services that ElderHelp of San Diego has to offer.  She also recruits volunteers who help provide many of these services.  They are always looking for volunteers! We talked about Mary, who has been a member for 10 years. She is in her 80s and has several health conditions that have impacted her life. Throughout the years, Mary has added different services that ElderHelp of San Diego offers. Her family does not live close.  They appreciate and take comfort knowing that there is someone looking out for her. Learn about some services and programs they offer such as: * Seniors A Go Go provides escorted transportation. * Concierge Club offers help with the basic necessities of life such as Grocery Shopping, Friendly Visits, Minor Home Repairs, and more. * Home Share matches seniors who want to rent a room in their home with adults of all ages who are in need of housing. * RUOK makes phone calls to people Monday through Friday to check in on them and make sure everything is OK. For more information or to learn how to volunteer: For information about programs: (619) 284-9281 or info@elderhelpofsandiego.org To volunteer, call Carrie directly at: (858) 380-5245 or email her at: cmcclellan@elderhelpofsandiego.org Their website is: http://www.elderhelpofsandiego.org http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/026_V_Carrie_McClellan_160511_IFinal.mp3
Helping seniors stay safely in their homes: Ep 24
June 2, 2016 • 37 MIN
Jonna is with us today to talk about helping seniors stay safely in their homes. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/helping-seniors-stay-safely-in-their-homes-ep-24 Helping Seniors Stay Safely in their Homes: Jonna Overson is the founder of Green Tree Homecare. She discovered her passion for helping seniors stay safely in their homes several years ago. She worked to develop a strong understanding of the home care environment and resources available to clients and their families. She takes an educational approach to home care advisement and loves giving clients the tools that they need to create a home care plan that is best for them. Jonna considers the day a success when they can help a family feel secure that their loved one is comfortable and cared for in the security of their own home.   She helps seniors stay safely in their homes.  Their own homes.  Often retirees are torn between their own retirement needs and the needs of their parents. We discuss Enduring Care, which offers reduced rates for people on a fixed income. We also discuss the full range of services Green Tree Home Care can provide. These can range from having someone for just a few hours a day to shop with groceries or just provide companionship all the way to or full-time care for your loved one.  These services deal with helping seniors stay safely in their own hones. One thing I found most interesting is that they provide specific activities to improve or sustain memory.  Not all home care agencies do this.  Jonna also discusses the difference between using a licensed agency and hiring an independent home care giver and what you need to look out for. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? Smart planning and dialogue early with family members regarding your long-term care as you age. We have a lot of listeners who are new retirees or maybe feel stuck in their lives at the moment.  If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? Find something that interests you and get involved. Find ways to help your community. Contact information for Jonna Overson: www.Greentreehc.com  Phone: 858-231-7676 http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/V_Jonna_Overson_060324_IFinals.mp3
Veterans Benefits for Memorial Day Ep. 23
May 30, 2016 • 33 MIN
What are the benefits of a Veteran? Tony Bevin educates us about this in today's podcast episode. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/veterans-benefits-for-memorial-day-ep-23 Memorial Day Special on Veterans Benefits: Tony Bevin joined us for our Memorial Day Episode to teach people what benefits veterans can get.  Many people are not aware of the Veteran's Aid and Attendance Pension Plan. He helps veterans understand how to obtain long-term care benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Most veterans are not aware of the benefits available through these programs. Tony has specialized in benefits and planning for families, spouses, and heirs for over 15 years. His knowledge, experience, and depth of understanding of the process and paperwork required is exceptional.  He says that he enjoys the environment and working with the elderly. He helps take the burden off Baby Boomer children by helping to determine the resources available for their parent's situation.  Tony gives great information on how to qualify for Veteran's Aid and Attendance, along with California's state Medi-Cal program to help pay for Long Term Care.  Sometimes it's better to go for Medi-Cal benefits, and sometimes it's better to go for Veteran's benefits.  Tony can assist your parents with either, since he's been working with both programs for a very long time. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? Most people think because they have a trust they are covered, but they are often wrong because the language in the trust does not meet the requirements needed to obtain benefits. We have a lot of listeners who are new retirees or maybe feel stuck in their lives at the moment.  If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? Be sure to pre-plan for long-term care needs so you aren't caught off guard. Tony's Contact Information:   Phone: 858-673-8448 Email: Fsdmedical@aol.com  Website:  http://www.vabenefitsonline.com http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Tony_Bevin_160525_IFinal2.mp3
Acupuncture to keep healthy: Ep. 22
May 26, 2016 • 33 MIN
Michael is our guest for today's podcast and he will talk about acupuncture and its use. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/acupuncture-to-keep-healthy Have you thought of acupuncture to keep healthy? Micheal Julien provides acupuncture for pain and injuries. He specializes in the treatment of orthopedic pain and disorders as well as sports injuries. He helps active people and athletes of all levels.  This includes retirees, weekend warriors to professional athletes. He has had regular success for 10 years healing injuries associated with golf, tennis, running, surfing, swimming and more. A Certified Sports Medicine Acupuncturist, he employs a specific assessment protocol to identify the underlying cause of the issue and heal the patient quickly. Michael's personal experience as an aging athlete and his experience recovering from chronic pain helps him in his daily practice. In addition to operating his private practice, Michael has been an intern supervisor and UCSDs Athletic Training Facility. Micheal became an acupuncturist because of his own pain.  In the 90s he ended up with an un-diagnosable condition and had a long period of chronic knee pain. Someone introduced him to acupuncture. After 3 treatments, the pain went away and never came back. He wanted to share that with people, and his love for his work translates into a thorough, calm and caring approach to patient treatment. HEALTH & SEX Can acupuncture help erectile dysfunction?  You'll need to listen to the episode to find out! * Even if you have a phobia of needles, Michael is able to work around that, in fact, most people find acupuncture to be a pleasant and relaxing experience. * Learn the science behind acupuncture and how it began * Acupuncture is used for a wide array of things including pain relief, depression, and drug addiction. * Acupuncture in combination with Chinese herbs has helped people with hormonal imbalances, digestive problems, menopause, and even infertility. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? Don’t throw in the towel. There are health issues that come up in a life that are limiting but don’t stop activities that bring you joy. Seek thinking outside of your comfort zone, get empowered, and stay active. We have a lot of listeners who are new retirees or maybe feel stuck in their lives at the moment.  If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? Figure out what success means to you. Figure out what makes you happy and gives you a sense of well-being. Contact information: Phone Number : 858-216-4419  Email : michael@cypressacupuncture.com  Website: www.cypressacupuncture.com http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/022_V_Michael_Julian_160301_IFinals.mp3
Podcasting in Retirement: Episode 21
May 23, 2016 • 31 MIN
Podcasting in retirement? Let's take a look at how Frances ended up doing podcasts after retirement. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/podcasting-in-retirement Would podcasting in retirement be a good way for you to Rock your Retirement? Frances McGrogan was born in Ottawa, Ontario Canada and moved to England for 4 years in her early 20s. She got married to a Brit and then returned to Canada.  After a number of service industry jobs, in 1985, she joined the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and worked there for 30 years. She learned to speak French when she was around 48 years old and became bilingual.  Frances was a senior HQ manager until she retired in January 2016 at age 55. She loves computers and tells us the story about how she became involved in that, but also has other activities that help her Rock her Retirement. SOCIAL AND FAMILY She enjoys playing darts with friends and even created a website for their dart games to keep track of players and stats. VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY Frances was fascinated when she saw her first computer in her office in 1986. She would start pushing buttons to see what would happen. Once someone told her to type in “DIR” (the DOS command for Directory) she was hooked! She loves photography and is a contributing photographer on iStock photo.  Frances has been podcasting in retirement: In fact, she and Kathe met at Dave Jackson’s School of Podcasting. and Frances has her own podcast called Stand Curious where she discusses people’s hobbies and interests with them with a goal to discovering new or unconventional things. She says she has interviewed some fascinating guests on her podcast, and she loves to learn new things about people. Have you considered creating a podcast in your retirement?  This could be one way that you Rock your Retirement! If you are stuck in retirement: Frances says to look for new ideas and Learning something new. Contact information: http://www.standcurious.com/ Today's Sponsor:   http://lightheartedfitness.com/Rock http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/R_Francis_McGrogan_160325_IFinals2.mp3 Frances McGrogan podcasting in retirement
The Senior Real Estate Specialist: Episode 20
May 19, 2016 • 1991 MIN
What's a Senior Real Estate Specialist? Patti Phillips talks about being a Senior Real Estate Specialist. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/the-senior-real-estate-specialist What does a Senior Real Estate Specialist do? Patti Phillips never thought she would become a Senior Real Estate Specialist.   When Patti was younger, she always thought she would be a mom and a housewife.  That didn't work out the way she planned, and she decided to become a real estate agent in the year 2000. She was one of the first agents in San Diego to obtain the Senior Real Estate Specialist Designation. She prides herself in taking care of seniors in what can be an overwhelming and complicated process. It's a different process to work mainly with seniors than Millennials because seniors typically want a face-to-face process. Seniors don't necessarily go online and look at the house before they go to see it.  They want a more personalized approach.  That's where a Senior Real Estate Specialist can come in. Its also different when helping a senior sell a home that they've been living in for 40 years.  Selling a home after living in it for so long can be a difficult and emotional decision. Many of her clients are widows who have never had to sign documents alone. Patti Phillips is very involved in the senior community. Not only does she specialize in working with seniors in her business, but every month she brings people who work with seniors together in her networking group called Serving Seniors Networking Breakfast. And if she wasn’t busy enough, she is also a standup comedian and president of the Encinitas Kiwanis Club. SOCIAL AND FAMILY: A Senior Real Estate Specialist, such as Patti helps many families by helping their parents sell their homes when they live out of state.   She lives in an upscale senior mobile home park and does a lot of business in her own park.  She says that she markets these mobile homes the same way she would a two million dollar home.   This helps bring in more money for the family when the senior can no longer live alone (or no longer wants to live alone), and move into an independent or assisted living facility. She becomes friends with many of her clients, especially when they move into her community, especially since many senior communities also have lots of events that people can participate in, and being social is one of the things that can help keep you healthy. ADVENTURE AND TRAVEL: Patti is not only a Senior Real Estate Specialist, but she is also a comedienne.  That's adventurous in itself! VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY: Patti volunteers at the Encinitas Kiwanis Club.   She's very involved in her community.  When she retires, she'll be ready to Rock her own Retirement with all the outside activities she's doing. SANDWICH GENERATION ISSUES: Think about your parents.  Are they living in the home that they can stay in?   Are there stairs that they will need to climb?  Can they “age in place” in their current home?  Do they want to plan ahead or do they want to wait until their is a crisis that forces them to leave? Patti's Advice to Pre-Retirees: Be passionate about something.  She sees 83- and 84-year-old people that are still dancing.
Acting in Retirement: Episode 19
May 16, 2016 • 32 MIN
Bobby Erdrich talks about Acting in Retirement. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/acting-in-retirement-episode-019 Have you ever thought about acting in retirement? Bobby Erdrich and I met at The Hearing Experience’s symposium, and I was very impressed with how outgoing and friendly she was.  She was born in New York in 1925 and started acting when she was four years old.  She was “discovered” on a subway. Ever since then she’s been acting, writing, directing and producing, and is acting in retirement in her one woman show. She loves her Senior Apartment at Woodland Village and said that there is so much to do there that no one could ever be bored if they wanted to get out and meet people.  She loves putting on shows and displaying her acting in retirement skills at the Woodland Village. SOCIAL AND FAMILY When her husband retired as a firefighter, they moved to Oregon and started a farm raising sheep.  She learned to buck hay, birth babies and shovel, well, you know….  They lived on the farm for 20 years before his back made it impossible to work there. They lived in Washington State, where her husband passed away. About 9 years later, she finally settled in the San Diego area. She doesn’t believe in following her children when they move;She says that they can come visit her where she lives! One of the most interesting things that I found about Bobbie is that she does not have a computer, nor does she have a smart phone.  If she wants to listen to the interview, she’s going to need to go to a Senior Center (we did the interview at the San Marcos Senior Center) or listen to it on one of her children’s smartphones HEALTH She does have a love interest, whom she met after she moved to the community, so it goes to show that one can find love at any age! VOLUNTEER work-honing her Acting in Retirement Skills She was a mentor at a grade school in Washington State where she told stories about Hinkle and Pinkle’s Rainbow Trip among other stories that she made up for them.  The children loved her for her stories and sense of humor. Something people should know before they retire: Don’t take things too seriously.  Greet each new day as something exciting and have lots of laughter. How to get “unstuck” in your retirement: It was difficult for Bobby to come up with something because she’s having such a great retirement.  However, I asked her to put her acting skills to work, and she said that if she was stuck in her retirement, she would try to find some people who were not stuck, and do what they do. Bobby will be appearing in a one-woman play called “Madam, she’s an off key” on May 31st at Woodland Village.  For more information on the play and showing dates, you can contact Woodland Village at 760-975-0000. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/R_Bobbie_Erdrick_060422_IFinal.mp3
The Gift of Grief: Episode 18
May 12, 2016 • 35 MIN
Death of a friend or a loved one of the toughest things we have to face in the future. Samantha Betten is our guest in today's episode to talk about the gift of grief. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/the-gift-of-grief The Gift of Grief You can give a gift to your family, the gift of grief.  We cannot escape death but we can embrace the process. Samantha Betten helps people give one of the greatest gifts they can give to their family, the gift of grief, or pre-planned funerals. When someone has pre-planned their funeral, they give the gift of grief to their family members. If the funeral is not pre-planned, then instead of being able to grieve, someone has to make all the arrangements and not everyone is able to do. that. Her motto is as follows: * Protecting the people you love, the businesses you build, and the causes you care about. * When life hits those lows, use that opportunity to convert sadness into strength. At speaking engagements her goals are to: “Rock the talks, engage the audience, speak with a purpose, and make a wonderful warm impression even if it's not a happy, palatable topic”. Taking care of families and helping folks in difficult times takes integrity, ethics, and trust. She has over 20 years’ experience in community outreach, marketing, insurance and finance. Her specialties are: Community Outreach, Pre-planning: Life and Death, and a Licensed Funeral Director. She also speaks both English and Spanish. SPIRIT / SOUL / HEALTH Samantha has been helping people with their life choices since 1988. It all began with life insurance choices and progressed into end of life full circle options. Samantha’s father was her first influence to catapult her into this path.  She helps families with the passing of their loved ones in large part, because of her experience with her father.  It paralyzed her family with grief and so she had to do all the planning.  She wasn't allowed to grieve on her own because she had to be the strong one for her mother and the rest of her family.  She knows that family ties are key.  She also assists the family of veterans to help get them the resources they need. Samantha helps people plan the funerals that they want based on their own religious convictions, if any. She has also helped with funerals where there was more than one faith involved. It’s usually one person in the family that has to take charge of the funeral.   Many times they have to do this while they are grieving.  It’s a gift to do some pre-planning so that your family can focus on comforting each other instead of trying to make arrangements.  You are giving the gift of grief. Something people should know before they retire: Most people plan their retirement, their money, long term care, their housing but they don’t plan for the inevitable. They need to plan their funeral the way that they want it. How to get “unstuck” in your retirement: Successful retirement to me is when your dreams and plans come together and your worries minimize.  Retirement should be a wonderful time when cares and worried are minimized. Do whatever you can do so that you have minimum worries so that you can enjoy life to the fullest. Contact information: Phone: 619-913-3834 or 619-280-0101 Email: preplanwithsam@gmail.com Website:  http://sandiegofuneralservice.com http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/018_V_Samantha_Bettin_060327_IFinals.mp3
What do you do after a career at BMW? Ep 17
May 9, 2016 • 1818 MIN
What to do after retirement? Tom McGurn will talk to us about finding our passion. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/what-do-you-do-after-a-career-at-bmw What do you do after a career at BMW? Tom McGurn earned his first paycheck as a journalist writing sports for a daily newspaper while still in high school. He continued to work as a part-time journalist during college and then pursued a career in public relations after graduation. In 1975, at age 28, and with about 5 years of experience, he got a huge break. He was hired as part of the start-up management team at BMW of North America. The sales and marketing arm for Bavarian Motor Works. He didn’t leave until he retired at the end of 2007. During his career, Tom was responsible for public relations, industry affairs, dealer relations, and a host of communication responsibilities, including: speech writing, corporate meetings and training.  When he retired he had to ask himself the question, “What do you do after a career at BMW“? VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY Tom discovered early on in his retirement that one of the things he wanted to do was volunteer, as he did during his career. Tom is a seasoned corporate communication professional and writer. He uses his experience to offer clients fresh perspectives on their communications needs and customer focused writing.   That's how he was able to answer the question, “What do you do after a career at BMW“? * He volunteered on the board at MiraCosta College * He is an active volunteer with SCORE. Offering free business counseling for people who are thinking about starting a small business and those who want to increase the performance of an existing business. * He is a member of the Cal State San Marcos Foundation Board. Serving on the marketing committee and is a member of the Athletic Director's Council. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? How much fun it will be and how you will have control of your life to do what you want when you want. We have a lot of listeners who are new retirees or maybe feel stuck in their lives at the moment.  If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? What is your passion? Follow your passion, whether it's volunteerism, tutoring, a hobby, recreation, or self-improvement. Do something with and for others If you would like more information on either volunteering or using the services SCORE offers, you can go to: https://sandiego.score.org/ or for the National SCORE the website is https://www.score.org/ If you would like to visit the Cal State San Marcos website and learn more about the foundation board, you can go to: http://www.csusm.edu/giving/csusm-foundation/ http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/017_R_Tom_McGurn_160303_IFinalcs2.mp3
Sex is not just for young people! Ep 16
May 5, 2016 • 42 MIN
Yes! Sex is not just for young people. Dr. Susan Writer is going to talk to us about how we can have a vibrant, exciting sex life. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/sex-isnt-just-for-young-people-episode-016 Sex is not just for young people! Dr. Susan Writer has her Ph.D. in clinical psychology and has been working in the field for over 15 years in the San Diego area.  She works full time for Aurora Behavioral Health Care, doing community outreach and clinical education; and part time for HELP see individuals, couples and families in her therapy practice.  Dr. Writer sees a wide range of individuals. but has specialized training in sexuality and gender and expertise working with older adults. HEALTH & SEX Susan is passionate about making sure that people have the vibrant, exciting sex lives throughout the entirety of their lives. In this episode we discuss the following: * Learn what a sex therapist does and how it differs from a sex surrogate. * The health and mental benefits of sex and intimacy and how it can improve the quality of your life as you age. * Learn how Susan works with hospice or end-of-life patients who have long-term partners and how she helps them to recreate a sexual, sensual or intimate connection before they pass so that they may rekindle a part of their relationship that may have been lost. * You aren’t the only person who may not know how to use a penis pump! What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? Life will change and that it may not be exactly as they had expected.  Many people look at retirement as an opportunity to just sit back and relax.  But the problem is that all too often, the excess of this can lead to isolation, depression and dissatisfaction with life–or even the deterioration of physical (and mental) health.  Retirement really needs to be framed as a new chapter of activity in someone’s life.  That activity doesn’t have to be “work”, it can be fun and exciting–the key is that it is active and it continues to provide stimulation for growth (mentally, emotionally, physically and sexually).  Retirement is about creating an opportunity to explore everything that we offer ourselves in life–as opposed to waiting for life to offer things to us. We have a lot of listeners who are new retirees or maybe feel stuck in their lives at the moment.  If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? Get out, be social, be active, and re-create yourself… and don’t put your sexual self on a shelf to get dusty, or if you have–dust it off and get cracking! Contact information: Email: drsusanwriter@gmail.com http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/016_V_Susan_Writer_160211_IFinalcs2.mp3 Dr. Susan Writer shows us how sex isn't just for young people.
Full Time Social Director: Debbie Brown Episode 15
May 2, 2016 • 1827 MIN
Debbie Brown will talk to us about how you can become a full-time social director in your own church. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/full-time-social-director-episode-015 How did Debbie Brown Become a Full-Time Social Director of her church? Debbie Brown started her career as a banker teaching computers to other bankers.  After 14 years, her husband, who was the principal of a private school, asked her to come work at his school as a teacher. Debbie was a schoolteacher for students from 6th grade up through 12th grade in private and public schools. After 30 years of teaching Debbie retired in 2015.  That's when she became a full-time Social Director for the church.  Now she spends time visiting church members and spreading happiness and joy.  What a great way to spend retirement! SOCIAL AND FAMILY * Now that Debbie is retired, she loves being able to spend time with her family and watch her grand kids. * As a retiree, she can spend time planning meals and cooking. * She really is a full-time social director: She has Oscar parties each year complete with a red carpet and swag bags! ADVENTURE AND TRAVEL * Debbie enjoys being able to travel whenever she wants to and being in control of her own time, this is one of the best advantages of being retired!  You can do this too. * She loves to go on cruises with her husband and children.  Even if you do not have a family, you can go on cruises too!  There are cruising companies that cater to singles. * She likes to take mini vacations during the week when everyone is working and it is less crowded.  What a great idea!   Retirees have more control over their schedule so can go places when there are fewer people there. VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY * Debbie is a Pastor’s Wife and spends time on church activities and visiting with people, she's the unofficial social director of the church.   Think about it.  ANYONE could become an unofficial full-time social director.  YOU could do this at your own place of worship! * She is planning on starting her own Bible study, which will help the members get together more often than once a week and will help them learn more about the beliefs of the church, whose membership has a wide diversity of backgrounds. HEALTH * Staying active and healthy is important to Debbie. She does not want to be too sick or frail to play with her grandchildren and do the things she loves. * She works out 3 days a week and has started working with a personal trainer. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? * You can live on less money and it all works out so you can still do what you want. We have a lot of listeners who are new retirees or maybe feel stuck in their lives at the moment.  If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? * Get involved. Get involved in your community, with your family, church – just get involved. Don’t just sit around and stare at the computer or stare at the TV.  (I can personally learn a lot from this advice!) Contact information: http://www.lakechurch.org/ http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/015_R_Debbie_Brown_160208_IFinalcs2.mp3
The Best Gift to your Grandchild: Ep 14
April 28, 2016 • 2175 MIN
Thinking about the best gift to your grandchild? Enjoy today's podcast episode as Mira Simon gives an advice on what's the best gift you can give to your grandchild/ren. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/the-best-gift-to-your-grandchild-ever-episode-14 The Best Gift to your Grandchild Mira Simon can help you give the best gift to your grandchild EVER. She is a professionally trained coach from the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), and an independent educational consultant who specializes in helping High School Students to go through the college planning, preparation and application process without overwhelm, so that they feel excited and confident that they have what they need to choose a college that is best for them.  How is her service the best gift to your grandchild?  Mira’s coach training provides the unique foundation that helps students to explore their talents, strengths and passions, discover their purpose and use that to develop their vision for the future so that they can design the path that helps them to find their college, IN college and throughout their life. When she first started working as a coach, she worked with pre-retirees.  These were adults, who weren’t ready to retire yet and were looking for the next chapter in their careers. She noticed a lot of them had unfulfilled goals or dreams from their college. Let’s face it, how many of us really knew what we wanted to do in college? SANDWICH GENERATION ISSUES * Mira answers the question: What is a Pre-Retirement Coach and how one can help you? * How you can give the Best Gift to your Grandchild ever by helping them create their college plan * How college coaching can help high school students go through the college planning, preparation and application process without overwhelm.  Again, how this is the best gift to your grandchild-Ever! * How Mira helps your grandchildren explore their passions and discover the colleges that would be best for them. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? Understanding what it is that you would love to have your retirement look like. Enter your retirement with a goal, a plan, and an intention. If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? Have a passion scavenger hunt! Contact information: Mira@CoachMira.com 858-437-4500 www.CoachMira.com http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/014_V_Mira_Simon_160210_IFinals2.mp3
Raising Alpacas in Retirement: Episode 13
April 25, 2016 • 44 MIN
Did you ever think about taking care of Alpacas? Julie Roy talks about it in this podcast episode.  You can listen to the show at the bottom of the page or on your smartphone. Rocking Retirement by Raising Alpacas! In 2004, Julie and her husband left their corporate jobs in San Diego to live on 10 acres. At the time, she was still the president of the San Diego Professional Coaching Alliance, which had 200 members.  She drove 90 miles every month to lead the meetings. She still coached some time, yet yearned for more. Enter raising alpacas! They converted 2.5 acres into what is now Alpacas of Anza Valley. SOCIAL AND FAMILY * Julie spends time with children who want to see the animals. * She enjoys writing and talking to people about them. * Don and Julie have been married for 25 years. * They are both enjoying their retirement doing something they love and are passionate about! ADVENTURE AND TRAVEL * Julie and her husband raise show quality alpacas. * They board, breed, and assist other newcomers to the industry. * Educational programs on the best ways to be successful with an Alpaca business. * She has assisted with some 138 babies delivered at their ranch. * Julie also runs a successful Boutique filled with handmade items created with yarn from her own herd or imported from Peru. Including dryer balls! * They give guided educational and hands-on tours to local groups and individuals year round. VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY * Julie is the Director of Education at Southern California Alpaca Breeders association. * She also volunteers for Alpaca Fest West. HEALTH * Julie meditates. * They raise their own vegetables. * Taking care of these lovable creatures is a great exercise! Julie had a plan and knew what she wanted to do before she retired. She thinks having a plan is the best advice.  Figure out what your passions are and what gets you excited. Listen to your heart and take chances. www.AlpacasAV.com  www.alpacas4less.com www.profitingwithalpacas.com  http://alpacadryerballs.com/  Email: Julie@AlpacasNextDoor.com http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/013_R_Julie_Roy_160323_IFinal3.mp3 This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. ©2016-2017 Raising Alpacas
Fountain of Youth: Episode 12
April 21, 2016 • 2175 MIN
People have been searching for the fountain of youth for a long time. In this podcast, Christine Burke will talk to us about the fountain of youth. You can listen to the show at the bottom of the page or on your smartphone. Christine Burke is a fitness trainer and coach at San Diego Premier Training in Carlsbad, CA, which is in San Diego, California's North County. As an un-athletic child and overweight young adult, Christine understands first hand the obstacles in losing weight, learning to exercise and making the time for healthy habits. Her customized fitness programs are designed to find the fun in your journey for good health. Are you looking for a fountain of youth? Try exercise * Christine is an expert in different types of training. She does not cater to one specific type of person. She has clients ranging in age from 20s all the way up to their 90s with varying levels of abilities. * Older adults need to be trained differently than younger adults. * Exercise can increase your mobility, quality of life, and health. * Exercise is the fountain of youth * She talks about how in some cases, you can reverse some effects of aging with exercise — again exercise is the fountain of youth! * She has a client who, at the age of 72, has gone hiking in the Himalayas. * What is a standing or treadmill desk? You are going to live a long time and don’t neglect your health. Get up and start moving. Don’t sit as much as there is more to life than TV, so go get out and do stuff. You can learn more about Christine and her light-hearted approach to fitness by contacting her: Cell: 760-575-4277 (Text) christine@lightheartedfitness.com www.lightheartedfitness.com http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/V_Christine_Burke_160205_IFinals2.mp3 This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. ©2016-2017 Fountain of Youth
SCORE San Diego and Sally Broff: Episode 11
April 18, 2016 • 37 MIN
Let's talk about SCORE with Sally Broff. You can listen to the show at the bottom of this page or on your smartphone. Raised in the Pittsburgh area, she left for college in 1967 attending Brandeis University. She followed that with a master’s degree at Boston University. Sally lived in Boston until 1993, working for some very small manufacturing companies. In 1986, she and her partner founded a manufacturer's representative company specializing in selling power sources to manufacturers. Then in 1993 she sold her portion of the business to her partner and moved to Southern California where she and her life partner founded a company. They ran that company for 10 years and sold it in 2007.  This is where her retirement began.  After that, Sally joined SCORE, a national organization that serves small businesses. Score San Diego: SOCIAL AND FAMILY * Sally and her partner Bob have a 12-year age difference and age has not been an issue for them. * Sally does a variety of activities with friends in the community she lives in. ADVENTURE AND TRAVEL * Sally likes to take one big trip each year and has been to some fascinating places such as; a trip to the Middle East last year, a cruise around South America, a land tour in China, and the Greek Islands. VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY: SCORE San Diego * She is the very first female president of the SCORE San Diego chapter. Learn what SCORE is and how she helps people through her volunteer work. * Once she steps down from SCORE as president in October 2016, she is not settling down! Sally plans to look into more volunteering opportunities including American Association of University Women (AAUW) and she would like to work with kids who are aging out of the foster care program. SCORE San Diego: HEALTH Sally and Bob, along with two other couples in their community, exercise every other day. Their ages range from 60 to 80 years old. Exercising helps keep her healthy, helps with balance and her core strength. She wishes she knew that in retirement she could stay so busy. Sally was worried she would end up being a couch potato with nothing to do.  She recommends that you find something that gives you the feeling that you are still making a contribution to society.  This can be a hobby, volunteer work, or even a new business venture. If you would like to contact the San Diego SCORE chapter you can go to www.sandiego.score.org and the National SCORE website is: www.score.org http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/011_R_Sally_Broff_160315_IFinalcs2.mp3 This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. ©2016-2017SCORE San Diego
Downsize with Senior Move Masters: Episode 10
April 14, 2016 • 1645 MIN
Downsizing may be hard for some people and in this episode, Susi Vine will give us tips on how to downsize and de-clutter. You can listen to the show at by clicking the link at the bottom of this page or by subscribing on your smartphone. Susi Vine began helping others downsize in November 2010 Since then, she has led crews as Team Leader, and she provides consultations for new clients who are considering their move. Her crews pack and unpack and help people downsize. Susi earned a BFA and studied Residential Design.  The company looks for people with her experience in design space planning and universal accessibility.  That experience supports the needs of their clients looking to de-clutter, downsize, and relocate to a new home or age in place. They not only help people with downsizing and moves, but they also build lasting bonds with them. Did you know that this kind of service existed to help others downsize?   Neither did I. Senior Move Masters helps their clients go from a 3000 square foot house into a 1200 square foot senior living facility.  It almost seems like magic. In the episode: * * Tips to downsize and de-clutter. * What services are offered by these types of agencies. * How Senior Move Masters provides as much or as little support you may need for your move. * Family members can provide stress free help with a move. * How to Find resources for the extra pieces of a move. This is an exciting time because there are many more choices than we ever had before!  These include co-housing, aging in place modifications, and retirement communities.  Active Living Communities can remove all the obligations and details and make life as carefree and active as you want it to be! Don’t be afraid to try new things and take advantage of all the resources that are available.  As our population redefines aging, senior service businesses are growing at a rapid-fire rate. Decide what you enjoy doing for yourself and look into outsourcing the rest. Contact information: Phone: 800-545-4775 Email: info@seniormovemasters.com Website: http://SeniorMoveMasters.com http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/012_V_Susi_Vine_160215_IFinalc2.mp3 This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. ©2016-2017Downsize
Retire at Age 40: Episode 009
April 11, 2016 • 45 MIN
Want to retire at 40? Find out how Wendy Holt did it. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/wendy-holt Do you want to retire at Age Forty?  Wendy Holt did it! Wendy Holt picked up everything and was able to retire at age 40. She downsized, moved to Costa Rica and is enjoying the retirement of her dreams. So I guess that you could say that she is completely rocking it in the adventure area of retirement! Wendy is from Los Angeles, CA, and she went from the hustle and bustle of the big city life, working over 2000 hours a year in a high-stress job to living in a 500 square foot home in the rural jungles of Costa Rica. Wendy and her husband at the time, always wanted to retire early, but didn’t know that they could retire at age 40. They had traveled a lot over the years, but they really loved Costa Rica. They decided to visit Costa Rica to just do research on the housing market with no intention of buying a home. During that trip, they ended up finding their perfect home and bought it. They went back to Los Angeles, sold their house, sold their cars, quit their jobs, and left to retire at age 40! What’s happening now?  How is she Rocking her Retirement other than the fact that she lives a less stressful life? Social and Family * Wendy created a social club when she first moved to Costa Rica to meet new people and make friends. * The marriage, however, didn’t work out. Wendy says that there is a high divorce rate among expatriates, usually because one of the two likes the lifestyle more than the other. * Selling Real Estate in a small town helps her meet new people. * Running a vacation rental on her property. http://www.thevillahermosa.com/home.html helps her keep connected with visitors and also gives her the opportunity to show them the sites and charitable activities when they desire. She lets the guests decide what kind of interactivity they want with her.  Some want her to show them around, and some want privacy.  Wendy is ok with it either way. Adventure and Travel * Wendy is obviously adventurous or she wouldn’t have picked up and left the work world and the home she knew to retire at age 40! * She can’t travel as much as she used to, because of course she doesn’t make the same amount of money she used to make, but she plans on taking some trips to South Africa, Madagascar, and California to visit family and friends. Volunteer and Philanthropy * Her love for nature and animals drew her to Costa Rica, and she wanted to help people and animals.  Now she does! * She does charity work at a wild animal rescue and has gotten to hold animals that you and I would never dream of holding! * She is designing and donating a website to an orphanage. http://www.lafortunaorphanage.com/ * This orphanage needs your help!  If you ever go to Costa Rica, see what supplies they need and stuff a few into your suitcase! Wendy is full of energy, full of life, and keeping her mind and body healthy. She is making the least amount of money she has ever made in her life but is the happiest she has ever been. Like Wendy says, if there’s a will, there’s a way and she has definitely mastered finding a way.  If you want to retire at age 40, you can do it too, but you may have to be willing to give some other things in your life up. Tim Ferris actually discussed how this in his book
Save headaches and money problems! Episode 008
April 7, 2016 • 2255 MIN
Brenda Geiger talks about things we didn't know about estate planning. You can listen to the show by subscribing on your iPhone or Android or scrolling to the bottom of this page and hitting the little arrow play button. Brenda Geiger helps save headaches and money problems for her clients and their families! She wanted to be a figure skater when she was little, but instead she grew up to be an estate planning attorney. Brenda has been helping her clients for over 12 years. In California, if you have done no planning, your family could wind up paying up to 8% of your gross estate! The GROSS estate is the value of your property, without subtracting what you owe on it.  This causes headaches and money problems for your family! Brenda’s practice focuses on trusts, estate planning, trust administration, business, and Elder Law. Brenda Teaches us how to save headaches and money by explaining: • The difference between a Trust and Probate, and how choosing the wrong one can cost your family thousands of dollars. • Why leaving children or grandchildren large sums of money is not a good idea. • What is Protective Planning? • Share of Cost in California and what it means for Medi-Cal purposes. Brenda is also an accomplished author and has also written several books which can save headaches and money problems for your family: * Secrets of Great Estate Planning * Safeguarding The Nest 2nd Edition (Pb) * The Smart Family's Guide to Protecting An Aging Parent from a Long Term Care Financial Crisis In California * How to Avoid the Catastrophic Costs and Effects of Long Term Care: A California Elder Law Guide * Protecting You and Your Business: A Practical Guide for California Business Owners * Protect Your Children’s IRA Inheritance: with a Retirement Protector Trust As a special offer to our listeners, Brenda has graciously offered to give a FREE copy of her newest book. Estate Planning Secrets of the Affluent: Protecting Your Family and Preserving Your Wealth but ONLY when you call her office and use a special code mentioned in the podcast. Listen to the show to get it and receive your free book! Brenda can be reached at 760-448-2220 http://Geigerlawoffice.com info@geigerlawoffice.com
Get out and Do Something! Episode 007
April 4, 2016 • 30 MIN
What to do after retirement? Teri Lippert gives advice on what to do after retirement based on her experience. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/get-out-and-do-something-episode-007 Get out and Do Something! Why is Teri's advice to get out and do something?  Before Teri Lippert retired always had a volunteer spirit.  She worked for the Girl Scouts program and had planned on working for a few more years before retirement.  However, after working 14 hour days and dealing with some difficult work situations, she decided to retire early while she was still young enough to travel and do other things that she wanted to do. Luckily, she had planned well financially and was able to do this.  But what was she going to do with her time?  When she was working, she had NO HOBBIES.  Her work was her entire life.  After a year, she started feeling depressed and figured that she’d better figure it out, so used her work skills to find out how to Rock her Retirement.   She knew that she had to get out and do something.  So she did.  She is now Rocking her Retirement in the following areas: Social and Family: * Teri did some research and joined the Riverside Women’s Club. The Riverside Women’s Club is celebrating their 128th The group is under the California Federation of Women's Clubs, which is under the General Federation of Women's Clubs.  There are Women’s Clubs all over the United States, and you do not have to be retired to join. * The Riverside Women’s club was formed in 1896 and now has about 62 members. Terri will find out if she gets elected as president of the club in April 2016. * Teri was elected to the to serve as membership chair with the club which was honored by earning the coveted SHOE award and is currently serving as the first Vice President or Dean. * The club serves over a hundred charities in the Riverside area. * Teri mentioned that she cannot have the club be her entire social life because she doesn’t feel that this is healthy so has outside activities that she does as well * Teri realizes that she needs to balance the time she spends with her social activities, hobbies, and still have time for her family. She schedules time in her calendar so that she makes time for everything and everyone in her life, including her sister, Barbara Lippert. Adventure and Travel: * Teri and her partner travel extensively, mostly throughout the USA since they have a time share. They normally take one big trip a year and 3 smaller trips.  This definitely helps her get out and do something! * Since they have a time share, there are over 300 properties where they can stay, and they enjoy finding new places to visit. * Her favorite trip so far was New Orleans. They loved it because of the jazz music, the above-ground cemeteries, and of course the food.  Not only do they travel by land, but they are also planning a cruise for September 2016. Volunteer and Philanthropy: * Teri found the Women’s Club by going to VolunteerMatch.com * Many times you can also find ways to volunteer by going to your city’s website. * Teri’s social life is tied to her volunteer work...
Technology can help your parents stay in their home 006
March 31, 2016 • 2154 MIN
Did you know that technology is not just for young people? Toby Cohantz developed a technology that can help us take care of our parents. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/technology-can-help-your-parents-stay-in-their-home Technology can help your parents stay in their home. Toby Cohantz's technology can help your parents stay in their home longer.  How does he do this?  He works with several organizations that work with seniors, particularly, Fall Prevention.  These organizations include: * Life Support Medical, a research and development company where he is the director of the Mobile Fall Risk Assessment Lab * San Diego Fall Prevention Task Force * Aging and Independent Services * Electronic Caregiver Company All of these companies can help your parents stay in their home longer than if they were trying to do everything on their own. The reason why many people need to leave their home is because it is no longer safe to live there. Toby runs the first mobile gait lab in the country, run in conjunction with the New Mexico State University.  The lab collects data on how seniors walk.  They generate a report on the spot that gives a risk assessment for falls.  That data is now being used to create products and services for seniors, and will launch in the 3rd quarter of 2016. These will include smart phone and tablet apps that can help your parents stay in their home. For example, the app will monitor your loved one's gait, and if it changes, an alert will be generated. It will also work as a medical alert system that will alert you (or someone else) if there is a fall. Because their current in home systems have alerts that go out in case the battery begins to die, Toby expects that the apps will have similar features.  Systems like this are called PERS, or Personal Emergency Response Systems. Toby's company has backup systems that catch additional activity, such as when someone cannot push a button because they've had a stroke or have fallen out of bed.  They've also considered the fact that many people will remove their devices so can install buttons in areas of the house such as near the bed, in the shower, and in the kitchen.  These are the places where most falls happen. Virtual Care Givers (remember the Jetson's TV show?) are coming out at the end of the year.  Stay tuned in to his website to hear more about that as the technology develops. This is a much-needed service, and if you'd like to contact Toby, you can reach him at http://www.ElectronicCaregiver.com or tcohantz@lifesupportmedical.com http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/006_V_Toby_Cohantz_160217_IFinal.mp3 This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. ©2016-2017
Playing Softball to Keep Young 005
March 28, 2016 • 2041 MIN
Keeping physically active is a great foundation in aging well. Let's take a look at how Ed Elliott discovered that playing softball can not only keep you young, but can also help you meet and make a lot of friends. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/playing-softball-to-keep-young-episode-005 Today I spoke with Ed Elliott, who wanted to be a singing cowboy when he grew up, changed his mind to become a “cementing cowboy”, and then became a teacher.  He is now retired and is playing softball to keep young. Ed retired from teaching severely handicapped children and then became a principal, hearing officer, and director of Special Education Programs. He worked in the industry after 40 years. He and I have something in common as I worked for Harborview Developmental Center in Valdez Alaska right after high school, which was an institution for severely mentally disabled adults.  Harborview has since closed, and there are no more institutions such as that in the United States. He planned for retiring when he was sixty-two until he went to a faculty meeting and found out that he should look carefully at the retirement chart and not to forget that he could retire at age sixty-one and a half, so he didn't wait. Ed retired without a plan, except he needed to wrap up some loose ends, which he is still in the process of doing (aren't we all!). Ed is Rocking his Retirement by playing softball to keep young. He found the softball league in the newspaper.  He and a friend scoped it out first to make sure that there were no former star baseball players in the league!  It seemed fine, so they went to a batting cage to assess their skills.   They could both still hit a ball (after fifty years) so decided to purchase the equipment needed to play the game. The average age of the players (which includes women) in his league is seventy-one.  The majority of the team-mates who are playing softball to stay young are from sixty-five to seventy-five years old, but they do have some fifty-five and fifty-six-year-old players who are the stars of the game.  Most of the young ones are still working in their business.  They even have a player who is ninety! Ed said that the main benefit of joining the league, in addition to the health benefits, is the advantage of spending time with friends every week.  He also gets to find out about new activities when members invite each other to activities that they might not have known about. They are all playing softball on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and so they know where they are going to be on those two days.  Otherwise, they might not know what day it is! Another way Ed Rocks his Retirement is by volunteering to spend time doing things for others, such as walking his wife's dogs, spending time with grandchildren, and generally helping people who are still working.   Ed can now do what he wants to do. That's not all that Ed does.  He's considering becoming an Ombudsman for people who live in Senior Communities.   He also is trained in a type of dyslexia called Irlen syndrome, which is a reading problem (words swimming, words curling up, etc.,) that can be easily remedied by using colored transparencies.  He is considering helping others who have this syndrome, which is so easy to correct. Listen to Ed's story on today's episode of Rock Your Retirement. This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on
Help Your Parents Find a Safe Place to Live #004
March 24, 2016 • 37 MIN
What are the things we need to consider in finding a safe place for our parents to live? Mitch Au will be talking about this in today's podcast. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/help-your-parents-find-a-safe-place-to-live-episode-004 Mitch Au is very close to his family.  His own grandmother had Alzheimer's disease, and he watched her suffer for 20 years.  His family is most important to him, so when his aunt and uncle needed a break, additional family intervention was needed.  Because of this, he moved to help with the caregiving and to give his aunt and uncle some respite care when they needed a break.  During this time he learned a great deal about caring for the elderly.  His aunt had a 24 hour care giver and was able to stay in her own home. This was when he first learned about how to help your parents find a safe place to live (or grandparents as the case was here). Mitch and I discussed the differences between having a 24 hour caregiver and having more social interaction through senior living or adult day care facilities.  Your parent's own home may be safe, but it might not provide the social interaction that a loved one needs. Due to the experience with his grandmother, he realized that he really liked the senior care industry.  Mitch went into business for himself and opened a couple of board and care homes.  Highly regulated, these homes must be certified with an RCFE (residential care facility for the elderly) and licensed. During the day he had two caregivers and a cook in each facility.  There was also “awake” staff 24 hours a day in each business.  Both of the homes were in Arizona, and they found out that moving from San Diego to Arizona was too much of a culture shock, so they moved back to San Diego.   It's tough to move from perfect weather to anywhere other than San Diego! He moved back to San Diego for the perfect weather, and normally works with the adult children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or friends of elderly adults who are no longer safe to live at home.  He helps you help your parents find a safe place to live.  The organization that he works for is called “A Place for Mom,” which is a national placement agency that can help your parents find a safe place to live. Many people call when they are in crisis, but you don't have to wait until they are a crisis to start speaking with them about their living situation. One benefit of working with Mitch is that he can help your parents find a home even if they do not live in the same state you live in. Listen to today's episode to find out more about your options for Senior Living Communities and also Home Care. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/004_V_Mitchell_Au_160210_IFinal.mp3 This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. ©2016-2017Help Your Parents Find a Safe Place to Live
Deal with Pain through Hugs and Laughter #003
March 21, 2016 • 32 MIN
Dealing with pain is one of the toughest thing to do. But did you know that you can make it easier to deal with pain through hugs and laughter? You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/deal-with-pain-through-hugs-and-laughter-episode-003 Joyce Leverich was working as a Legal Secretary for the corporate department of a large law firm.  Her friends were met at work.  Gradually she found that her back problems caused her to retire in her early 60s.   The pain was so great that she found it difficult to do anything.  Because of the pain she became depressed and wasn't sure what she was going to do to get out of her slump.  Not only that, but all of her friends were working, and she was home alone.  She went through a pain management clinic who taught her how to cope with the pain and how “getting out” is the most important thing to deal with depression.  She still deals with chronic pain, but she learned how to deal with pain through hugs and laughter. Socializing is a great way, according to Joyce, to deal with depression. After she moved to San Diego with her husband, she searched the Internet for social groups.  She found some couples groups, but also found a group that was specifically for women.  An opportunity arose that allowed her to take over that Meetup group that was floundering.  After taking over the group, she decided that she would have activities, and if even ONE other woman decided to join her in an event, she would get together and spend time with that woman. The group started off slow, and the first woman she met for coffee never came back.  Joyce was afraid that the group would end because of that, but she didn't despair.  She kept posting events, and the group flourished. She took that group and turned it into a massively successful, and very active woman's group that meets weekly.  Not everyone attends weekly, but all the members are active in the group. And they all deal with pain through hugs and laughter. Some of the pain is physical, and some of it is emotional.  Really, the group is about having friends and having fun! The group volunteers, has line danced, gone bowling, and do all kinds of things.  There are 20 or 30 women who help post activities.   A lot of women in the group deal with pain through using hugs and laughter. Learn how she grew the group in today's episode of Rock Your Retirement. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/003_R_Joyce_Leverich_060212_IFinal.mp3 This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. ©2016-2017Deal with Pain through Hugs and Laughter
Dad finally got a Stair lift: Safe at Home #002
March 10, 2016 • 38 MIN
Do you care about your parents' safety? Of course we all do. Let's take a look at how one family managed to get their dad a stair lift. The family was very nervous and wanted to make sure he wasn't going to fall down the stairs.  They wanted him to be safe at home.  Dad was stubborn and didn't want to admit that he was getting older, and they were nervous knowing that he could fall down the stairs at any moment. How did they do it? What did they say to him to get him to ride the stair-lift to find out that it was safe for him and his beloved dog?  How were they able to make him safe at home?  You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out. Kindra at 101 mobility makes it easy for her clients to keep their parents' homes safe.  101 Mobility is a national franchise that assists elders in the area of: * Aging Safe at home * Stair lifts * Ramps * Auto Lifts * Platform Lifts * Everything but Face Lifts! Her company does a free home assessment to let you know where the dangers lie in your parent's home.  In my own case, I knew that the throw rugs in my father's home was dangerous, and it would have been nice to have a professional tell that to my father. You can help free your parents from their home. It happens to elders as they become less and less mobile.  Kindra tells us how we can help.  She knows how because she is a certified aging in place specialist. They can widen doorways, add grab bars, and complete other work that will make your parent's home safe to live in.  After all, we all want to live in our own homes, right?  We all want to be safe at home. Hear about how you might be able to get your own reluctant family member into 101 Mobility or another organization that can help.  It can be done. You will have peace of mind and will be able to Rock Your Retirement when you know that your parents are safe at home. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Kindra_French_160213_Final_with_intro.mp3 This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. ©2016-2017
Reinventing Life after Grief: Madilyn Troike #001
March 10, 2016 • 1972 MIN
Madilyn talks about Reinventing Life after Grief. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/reinventing-your-life-after-the-death-of-your-spouse   I met Madilyn at the San Marcos Senior Center.   She stopped by my table and we started to talk.   This 78-year-old woman was such an inspiration I had to interview her!  She is the epitome of reinventing life after grief. Her husband died after they were married for almost 60 years. Stricken with grief, she didn't know what to do.  He was her dance partner, her business partner, and her friend.  They had lived a wonderful life and had done almost everything on the 101 things on your bucket list. Once he died, Madilyn didn't know what to do.  She had grown up with him; she had cared for him, and now he was gone.   As a woman of faith, she knew he was in a better place, but how was she to go on without him?  How was going to be able to begin reinventing life after grief?  They had been friends and lovers for such a very long time. Her story literally made me cry.  I had to interview her so that my listeners could get over their own grief when they had lost a spouse. After about a year of grieving, Madelyn decided that it was time to start living again.  She sold her husband’s tools and created a dance studio (for her own use) in the garage.  She started volunteering again at the San Marcos Senior Center, and she started taking care of her body and now runs 3 miles every day. Madilyn is also an organic gardener and loves her pet turtle, Nessie, who has had 50 babies in the time that she has had her.  She's in a constant battle with the raccoons in the neighborhood, but thankfully, Nessie is too big for the raccoons to eat. At age 78 Madilyn has also started using the computer and is now on Facebook so that she can keep in contact with her friends and family. Listen to Madilyn tell her story of the two different worlds that she has lived in.  Her story will inspire you. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Madilyn_Troike_160216_Final_with_intro.mp3 This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. ©2016-2017Maddy Troike shows us how she is reinventing life after grief
Why Rock Your Retirement? An FAQ- #000
March 4, 2016 • 9 MIN
Why Rock your Retirement?  A FAQ Retirement is not just about money. Why Rock Your Retirement?  Hi, I'm Kathe Kline and I've been working with retirees and pre-retirees since 1990.  Over the years I've noticed that happiness in retirement had very little to do with how much money you had, (unless you are living in poverty) and had a lot more to do with what you decide to do with your time after you retire.  I had clients who had huge houses who were not having a good retirement, and clients who were living in tiny mobile homes who were having the time of their lives.  What was the difference?  Why were some having a great retirement and others were miserable? In 2015 I gave up my securities license and decided to live a slower paced life.  I wanted to help people, but in a different way than I was doing it before.  Although I still have a small financial planning practice, I generally do not accept new clients. How can I help you?   Many times it is difficult for people to go from working 2000 hours to zero.  It's great for the first few months, but then some of us hit a wall.   Depression sets in.  Sometimes it even leads to divorce because two people who were apart for 8-10 hours a day suddenly find themselves together for 24 hours a day.  For some that works… but for others it doesn't. What do we talk about at Rock Your Retirement? We talk about retirement in a different way.  Each week I interview two types of guests.  The first are the Retirees that are “Rocking their Retirement” in some way.  The Rock Your Retirement Show focuses on: * Social and Family * Adventure and Travel * Volunteer and Philanthropy * Spirit/Soul/Health Issues * Sex (But we usually don't ask our Retirees about this!) * Baby Boomer/Sandwich Generation Issues (Taking care of your children AND your parents at the same time) How often are the Rock Your Retirement shows released? Rock Your Retirement Retiree Interviews: My intention is to release these interviews on Mondays.   These will be interviews with people who can show you how to Rock Your Retirement, because they are rocking their own retirement in one of the ways we discuss.  Are they traveling?  Did they get closer with their spouse or children because they had more time to do that?  Whatever the retiree is doing, we want you to hear about it so that it will spark something in YOU so that you can decide how you want to live in retirement…regardless of the amount of money you've saved. Rock Your Retirement Vendor Interviews: These interviews are with people or businesses that can help with the issues of helping your family members.  Most people who find out that they need to help a parent or spouse do not understand all of the options available to them.   For example, my own father has Parkinson's Disease and I did not find out about Adult Day Care (I hate that name) until 2015.  Adult Day Care is not only is a less expensive alternative to Home Care, but I think it provides better care for your loved one because of the socialization aspect.  One would think that 1:1 care would be better, but often it is not.  When people are together in groups they often have better outcomes than when they are sitting at home with one caregiver. How long are the Rock Your Retirement Shows? We strive to keep these shows at about a half hour, give or take. How can I listen to the Rock Your Retirement Show? You have several options.  Once the show is released, you'll be able to listen on iTunes, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, and all the Podcast apps that go on a smart phone.  If you don't have a smart phone you can listen on your Android or Apple device.  If you don't have either of those, you can subscribe to the feed,