Retirement | Oops50

Archive for the ‘Retirement’ Category

Nice People Behaving Badly?

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Annice

One of the newspapers delivered daily to my home is the WSJ. Oddly enough, I don’t read it for the Money and Investing section but the front page news. I also enjoy the marketing and technology trends, recipes, and the wonderful week-end section. And, I usually let the papers pile up and read a few at a time, making the news outdated. I don’t care, it’s always interesting in the present moment when I’m reading it. One article, last week, that raised an eyebrow had to do with baby boomers.

Securities regulators and prosecutors are battling what they say is a nationwide surge

in investment fraud against baby boomers. In many cases, the victims pursued risky bets to

overcome losses suffered during the

financial crisis—a trend that regulators say is worsening.

Wall Street Journal, December 14, 2011

I'm not home!

Now that’s scary. I always thought it was “old people” who got suckered into scams.

Is my generation that gullible?

Well, it seems some of us cared about our future and that makes us vulnerable. It also forces some otherwise good people to behave badly.

I got somewhat scammed myself recently. I hired someone I knew for a small remodeling job in my kitchen (cabinets and a concrete countertop). I paid her a deposit after I paid her in full for the finished cabinets. I’d like to mention she asked to be paid in full when the job wasn’t even complete, and I did. Then, she made samples for the countertop and after 8 – I could not approve one of them. Nothing popped out at me, and I got tired of not having a countertop for weeks on end and honestly didn’t think after 8 tries, she could produce a good one. So, I decided to go with granite – something she did not do.

I apologized for not liking the samples and asked for my deposit back. Well, this friendly remodeler basically told me to f—off. She claimed the samples cost money and she bought the materials (concrete) already and I had to pay for that. I went back to the contract which did not say I had to pay for samples or material in advance, or that the deposit was non-refundable. To end the dilemma, I offered to split the deposit with her – for her troubles – and she basically said to to f–off.

Judge Judy

I’m guessing if the remodeling business was booming, this contractor would give my deposit back, but in this economy she’s behaving badly. I informed her I was going to file a complaint in small claims court because I can’t afford to lose that deposit, but she doesn’t seem to care. Now I will let a judge decide our fate.

What would Judge Judy say? Is this a case of nice people behaving badly?

Tags: baby boomers, judgejudy, wallstreetjournal, women over 50, womenover50, womenwritersover50
Posted in Businesses, Financial Planning, Getting Older, Home, Home Repairs, Investments, Main, Money, Retirement | 4 Comments »

Co-Housing: On the Way to Wolf Creek Lodge

Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

Bob Miller

One of the things I love about blogging is the ability to meet people anywhere – anytime. When Sue Counts (guest blogger) wrote about co-housing a few weeks ago, we got tons of emails and comments from readers everywhere. One such person was Bob Miller, and the next thing I knew, I was inviting him to be a guest blogger – our first male blogger on Oops50! Thank you, Bob.

Annice

My wife and I became members of a co-housing community called Wolf Creek Lodge earlier this year. The lodge is currently under construction in Grass Valley, California. We expect to move in sometime late in 2012. We have chosen Wolf Creek Lodge as an appealing environment for our senior life style.

Future Wolf Creek Lodge

The conventional American living environment can be hostile to the senior species. They want community, walking access to stores, entertainment and recreation. They want low maintenance, sustainable housing.

Community is important to me and my wife. Earlier in our lives we found this at our workplace, through our children’s activities, our extended family, our church and sporting activities. We no longer go out to work and our children are living their own lives and our older family members have passed away.

We watched our parents become isolated in their later years. We believe we can do better by taking action now before change becomes challenging.

Who's Slowing Down?

At Wolf Creek Lodge we will have our own condominium-style apartment, one of 30. However, we will also use the common room, living room, patio and gardens. We will invite friends to stay in one of several guest apartments. We will stroll on the adjoining trails, walk to the nearby shops and enjoy the cultural activities of Grass Valley.

Community will be at our front door. Most evenings we will dine in the common room sharing cooking and clean up activities. We will join others over coffee and relax on the patio. We will continue to ski, bike and hike in the northern Sierra, which are only an hour away.

What a Ride

We realize that as the years pass we may become unable to drive and our physical capabilities may become more limited. The Wolf Creek Lodge environment will continue to work for us. The lodge even includes an apartment for a care-giver, should we need extra help.

Wolf Creek Lodge is a creation of its evolving community. The community worked with the architect on the design to oversee the construction and formulate the processes which will guide the members’ common activities.

Already, months before moving in, we are enjoying the community. We are in constant electronic communication with all the other members and attend the General Meeting in Grass Valley once a month. My wife has a key role on the landscape committee reviewing the planting plans and identifying members who want to work in the gardens. I help on the marketing and technical committees.

Under Construction

On the marketing committee I am working to find people to join us and fill the remaining 6 apartments. It’s fascinating to talk to potential members as they try to understand this co-housing concept. They pay us repeated visits to decide if they want to spend the rest of their lives with us. They finally take the decision and pitch in.

We do not really know what it will be like to live at Wolf Creek Lodge. We are working hard with our new friends to make it happen and having both fun and challenges along the way.

Bob Miller is currently a ski bum in Truckee, California. Born in England of an English mother and a Scottish father, he moved to Scotland at the age of 11. After graduating from Glasgow University with a degree in Physics he married Claire, started a family, and moved to the Boston area in 1978. Bob’s career was in the computer industry. Since his retirement, he moved with Claire to Truckee. Besides skiing, he rides his road bike and hikes in the Sierras.

Tags: aging, alternativehousingforboomers, baby boomers, cohousingforboomers, communal living for seniors, grassvalleycalif, wolfcreeklodge, womengettingolder
Posted in Aging, Alternative Health, Environment, Family, Friends, Home, Journey, Main, Other Voices, Retirement, Travel | 2 Comments »

Senior Cohousing for Baby Boomers!

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Sue Counts

My friend, Sue Counts, retired three years ago as the Director of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Watauga County after more than 40 years in government. During her tenure, Sue initiated educational programs in the areas of sustainable tourism, sustainable energy, Hispanic outreach, and women in agriculture. Sue says, “At this point in my life, I’m seeking a better life for the Baby Boomers who are entering that stage of their lives known as ‘the senior years’.” So, when Dene Peterson, the founder of ElderSpirit Community came to Boone a few weeks ago to talk about her life’s work, Sue was there attending meetings about the possibility of creating such a community in Watauga County, NC. She graciously shares important information on “Retirement Housing.”

IT’S OFFICIAL! We are now in the “ERA OF THE GOLDEN BOOMERS!”. On January 1, 2011 the very first Baby Boomer turned 65, and 10,000 boomers will turn 65 every day for the next 19 years. This gigantic generation has transformed America as they have passed through every stage of life…..and housing for the elderly will not be any exception.

It's Official

Co-housing communities if you will! These communities bring together the value of private homes with the benefits of more sustainable living. That means common facilities and good connections with neighbors. All in all, they stand as innovative answers to today’s environmental and social problems.

According to Charles Durrett, author of Senior Cohousing Handbook — 2nd Edition, A Community Approach to Independent Living, “No matter how rich life is in youth and middle age, the elder years can bring on increasing isolation and loneliness as social connections lessen, especially if friends and family members move away. Senior co-housing fills a niche for this demographic — the healthy, educated and proactive adults who want to live in a social and environmentally vibrant community. These seniors are already wanting to ward off the aging process, so they are unlikely to want to live in assisted housing. Senior co-housing revolves around custom-built neighborhoods organized by the seniors themselves in order to fit in with their real needs, wants, and aspirations for health, longevity and quality of life.”

Elderspirit Community

The ElderSpirit Community at Trailview in Abingdon, Virginia is the living example of a community of mutual support and late life spirituality. It is the first mixed-income, mixed ownership Elder Co-Housing Community in the United States and in this capacity it is making its way as it “walks the talk.” The founder of ElderSpirit Community is Geraldine “Dene” Peterson, a “spry” woman in her 80’s who recently received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 2011 National Cohousing Conference in Washington, DC.

Dene Peterson

At eighteen, Dene Peterson left her parents and ten siblings to join a convent. She ultimately chose to leave the religious order, but her spirituality remained deeply rooted. In 1995, at age 65, she created the ElderSpirit Community in Abingdon, Virginia. Inspired by a Danish model, Peterson wanted to form a co-housing retirement community that would allow friends to live together in a collaborative and supportive setting while also offering some of the autonomy of private dwellings. Peterson also envisioned an alternative to institutional long-term care, a place where community members would have the emotional support of their peers as well as the necessary medical assistance to live out their lives at home. Using a creative patchwork of funding from public and private resources, Peterson raised $3.5 million, and her vision materialized. Construction of the 29 residences, common community building, and a prayer room was completed in late spring of 2006 and houses both the moderate and low-income. The model has gained national attention, and an ElderSpirit outreach extension program in now helping to plan similar communities in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Kansas, and Virginia.

The ElderSpirit Community is dedicated to making possible new opportunities for Elders in the 21st Century. The ElderSpirit Community values are: To live in a community of diverse spiritual paths; To give and receive support in relationship with neighbors in community; To belong to a community who make the decisions on how they will live together; and To encourage each other to live simply and care for the earth.

Tags: aging, aging gracefully, baby boomers, cohousingforboomers, elderspiritcohousing, elderspiritcommunity, Retirement, seniorcohousinghandbook, women over fifty, women's journeys, womenbabyboomers, writers over 50
Posted in Aging, Alternative Health, Books, Environment, Family, Friends, Health Tips, Home, Journey, Living, Main, Other Voices, Relationships, Retirement, Spirituality, The Environment | 7 Comments »

Paying for a College Education in this Country

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

JANE

Allow me to rant. I don’t know how many of you out there are in my same boat: approaching 60 years old but nowhere near retirement, due, in large part, to student loan debt! When I was younger, in my early days of working, I always imagined that when I was approaching 60, I’d be winding down, getting ready to do projects like putting old pictures into albums or organizing my closet. But here I am, 57 years old, and, instead of picking out a retirement village or planning a cruise down the Nile, I’m putting in my 40 hours a week and, even with that, trying to figure out how we’re going to pay tuition for another 9 years—at a minimum—for our 3 kids who are still in college!

Here’s our story, but all you have to do is change the small details and you’re hearing the story of lots of so-called “middle class” people in America: my husband and I both attended graduate school using student loans. Since we married fairly late—and, as a result, had kids fairly quickly—and therefore couldn’t earn as much as we might have if we’d gotten an earlier start on things—we couldn’t pay off those student loans until we were well into our forties. So, about the time we got completely free of our own student loan debt, we had only a few years before we had to take on new debt to help our kids go to college. And why did we have to take on that new debt? Because we made enough income at that point to not qualify for the kind of financial aid that could have made it possible for us to do it without loans. In fact, we would have had to live at or near the poverty level to qualify for that kind of financial aid!

THE COLLEGE DILEMMA

And, in case you’re wondering: the debt is pretty much the same, no matter where your kids go to school—unless he/she qualifies for a few amazing scholarships that are out there for the straight-A kids who play six instruments and five sports and started their own non-profit while in the 9th grade! The fancy private schools offer great financial aid, if they have good endowments—but that only brings down their massive tuition to the same level as the public schools—and the public schools offer only minimal financial aid. We’ve had kids at a big public university and at two small, liberal arts colleges—and the bill has, in each case, been about the same.

I have to say: it’s not hard to envision a time when our colleges, especially fancy private ones like Yale or Princeton or Duke or Davidson, will have as their student body a mix of only extremely wealthy kids, whose parents can pay their way, and extremely poor kids on scholarship. It’s happening!

(more…)

Tags: aging, babyboomerwomen, college, paying for education, Retirement, women's journeys, womenover50, womensharing, womenwritersover50
Posted in Financial Planning, Main, Money, Retirement | 4 Comments »

A Drop in the Bucket, or Living off the Grid

Monday, July 4th, 2011

ARJUNA

Our friend, Arjuna da Silva, lives at Earthaven, an aspiring ecovillage in a mountain forest setting near Asheville, North Carolina. Everyone living there is dedicated to caring for people and the Earth by learning, living, and demonstrating a holistic, sustainable culture. Arjuna helped start Earthaven in 1994, where she’s lived for the past twelve years. She just moved into her earth & straw temple of a house there. Everyone who knows this beautiful woman over 50, celebrates her spirit. Here is what she has to share…

ARJUNA'S HOME

: Upper West Window

Originally, I wanted to write a piece about what a joke it is to work my way through a day of living on the land, off the grid, learning to grow food, and recycling my waste into valuable (fertilizer) resources. But after several tries, I realized those choices deserve much more credit and that my inner voice is the one who’d rather let someone else do all the hard stuff.

So, yes, I do start my day by (sometimes anxiously) checking the meter to see how my batteries held up overnight storing solar-accessed electric power; and I do pay attention to the weather report regarding the day’s anticipated power access. I even pay attention to the calendar that tells me if the stars would treat my tomato seedlings better today than if I waited to plant them on Friday.

When I first started to write this piece, I called my draft, A Drop in the Bucket, intending to convey the double meaning of the “sustainable” life I choose to live.

Meaning 1: peeing and pooping in containers so those resources can be utilized as soil amendments (instead of depending on fertilizers that have to be bought and shipped, possibly scraped off another part of the earth).
Meaning 2: then there’s the more cynical reference being the effort us folk (who live in this valley) put into recycling, preserving, using renewables, etc., which is just a drop in the regional (let alone global) bucket.

ARJUNA ON THE LAND

But, today I’d rather tell you I’ve found ways to minimize the things I don’t like (carrying what’s too heavy, smelling what’s too foul, etc.), and feel pretty happy refining my rugged life into something that even fussy people might be able to handle. In fact, I’m thinking others might choose this path if they could feel the inner rewards that come from paying attention to what we do and what we use to do it.

The choice to take risks (as if anyone lives without them) and move in what looks like “the right direction” for oneself, one’s neighborhood or the planet, is such an uplifting choice! The experience of following through on the nitty-gritty details of trial and error with new systems and organic self-reliance is exhilarating at times and is mostly just deeply satisfying. Maybe you’d like to try it?

Please post your questions and comments here so we can have an open discussion. Arjuna’s workshop, “Your Enneagram and Your Sub-Personalities” airs August 10-21 at Earthaven. For more information, please email: arjuna@earthaven.org. All power to the people! Make your own, grow your own, and use your own!