What I’ve Learned After Self-Publishing 8 Books Have you ever entertained the idea that someday you’ll write a book? But does the process of taking your writing from thoughts scribbled in a notebook or typed into your computer to an attractive, published product seem overwhelming? There’s so much to know and do, it can easily…
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I turned 65 in early 2022, and I’ve been enjoying the benefits of traditional Medicare ever since. It’s one of retirement’s greatest benefits. It has lowered my healthcare costs and made obtaining care easier. It’s the system I wish I had throughout my working career. In the year preceding my 65th birthday, I received a…
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As of April 19, about 40% of the people in the United States have received at least one vaccine shot and many of us in the older age brackets have received both. The pandemic isn’t over by any means, and it will continue to be a factor in our lives for many months to come,…
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It’s easy to imagine an ideal retirement lifestyle, filled with stress-free days in which you are engaging in all those self-fulfilling pursuits you’ve always dreamed of but never had time for. You probably have a nice list of things you would like to do and places you want to go after you retire. Maybe you…
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There are now hundreds of Best Places to Retire lists on the Internet, as well as some Worst Places to Retire lists. They all offer different results. With so many contradictory lists, how are you to make sense of it all? Best Places to Live lists have a long history. Money magazine published a Best…
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Throughout your working years, you have probably viewed your retirement as a destination. It is a goal you are saving for and will hopefully reach one day. But once you reach this destination, then what? The perception of retirement as a destination may be why some people approach retirement with dread rather than anticipation. They…
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I’ve been retired for over seven years now. The newness and shininess of retirement has worn off, and I’m now well-settled into this chapter of my life. Work has receded into a distant memory. Has retirement turned out the way I thought it would? No. Has retirement turned out well anyway? Yes! Over the past…
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The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 has changed most aspects of our lives, in both subtle and dramatic ways. How we will celebrate the end-of-year holidays is no exception. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other government and public health authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere, have emphatically requested that people stay…
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I recently became acquainted with Chris and Susan Beesley, who created Living the Retirement Lifestyle. Chris and Susan host a podcast series, and I had the privilege of chatting with them recently. My recent article about retiring the word “Retirement” in favor of the term “Renaissance” resonated with them, and during the interview we explored…
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I like the word “retirement.” I always have. During my working years, the more I planned for and anticipated my retirement, the more I became optimistic about it. Don’t get me wrong. Retirement isn’t a panacea any more than everyday life during your working years is. There will be good days, bad days, and average…
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A couple weeks ago (mid-May, 2020), I was contacted by a writer for MarketWatch who was working on an article about “retiree resentment.” He was seeking input from experts on how retirees can reframe their resentment in a positive, proactive way. In order to give him the best information I could, I asked Retire Fabulously!…
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If you are like most of us, you probably don’t think much about how you will be remembered by your loved ones after you’re gone. But trust me – you will be missed and remembered more than you will ever know. Think about your loved ones who have already passed. Don’t you miss them? And…
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This article was written on April 2, 2020, about three months into the global COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, most state governors have issued stay-at-home orders. Everyone except essential workers is urged to stay home and only venture forth to procure necessities, maintaining a distance of at least six feet from others. Soon, we…
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If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? For now, assume that cost is not a factor and you could afford to live wherever you want. Hopefully you have at least one place in mind, and maybe several. Now for the bigger question: Why? What characteristics of the place(s) you thought…
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When I turned 62, I celebrated by filing the paperwork to start receiving my Social Security benefits. This goes against the advice offered by the vast majority of professional advisors. Almost universally, financial advisors recommend delaying your benefits for as long as you can. Yet I have analyzed the numbers and pondered the non-financial aspects…
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I’m always thrilled to have a conversation with Mark McNease, murder-mystery author, Emmy-winning TV writer, and editor of my first two books. My most recent print interview on MarkMcNease.com utilizes Mark’s “Six Question” format. Mark and I had just returned from cruises. His was a 14-day cruise from New York to Quebec with stops along…
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“I will never refer to myself as ‘XX years young’ and expect others not to, either. There is no shame in being old so let’s not manufacture it with patronizing crap like that.” That bold declaration was posted by my friend, author Mark McNease (the editor of my first two books) recently on Facebook. He…
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[ Last year, I was honored to be named one of Next Avenue’s 2017 Influencers in Aging. Subsequently, I was invited to write an article for that website about the one thing I would like to change about aging in America. This is the article I wrote in response to that question. Reprinted with permission…
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As you get older, doesn’t it seem as though time passes faster and faster? That’s the perception most of us have, although intellectually we know that time passes at exactly the same speed. But perception counts for a lot. And based on that perception, twenty years of retirement will seem to pass much more quickly…
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During the course of your working career, many factors such as technology and globalization have changed the work environment in countless ways. Many societal changes have impacted your personal life as well. It should come as no surprise that many of these same factors have also changed the retirement landscape. Some changes are positive, some…
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When you think about what type of community you plan to live after you retire, what comes to mind? Are you giving serious consideration to living in an age-restricted 55+ active adult community? Chances are, the younger you are today, the less likely you are to choose such a community after you retire. As I write…
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If you’re like most of us, at some point you will face the prospect of downsizing. Perhaps you want to move to a smaller house. Perhaps you want to move overseas or wander the country in an RV. Perhaps you just don’t want to leave a lifetime of stuff behind for your survivors to deal…
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In many of the other articles on this website, I write a lot about all the possibilities for what you can do with your life once you no longer have to work (or at least, work full-time). You can spend more time doing things you’re passionate about, such as writing, playing music, creating art, or…
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People have a lot of misperceptions about retirement. I’ve heard a lot of them over the years, and I’ve become especially aware of them since I started reading and researching extensively in order to produce content for this web site. Where do these misperceptions come from? Generally, misperceptions thrive wherever there is a lack of…
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Would you like to slow down your rate of physical decline by as much as 62%? Want to be able to reduce or delay the risk of cognitive decline? The answer is not some new miracle drug. I’m not even talking about exercising regularly and eating responsibility – although those habits are certainly important and…
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Do you ever wonder how you’ll be remembered after you die? At your memorial service and for years to come, what will others remember most about your life? What do you want people to remember about you and your life? Of course, you’ll be gone, so it may not matter that much to you. But…
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You have probably seen a bumper sticker, T-shirt, or coffee mug that exclaims, “He who dies with the most toys wins!” Many people in the U.S. and other first-world nations seem to have bought in to that philosophy to at least some extent. What does the person who dies with the most toys actually win?…
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I have been retired for nine months now. In some ways, it seems as though the time has flown by. In other ways, it seems like my life has been like this for a long time and work is now a distant memory. When greeted by friends, I’m often asked, “So how’s retirement?” My stock…
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Back in January, 1980, when I started my first job out of college, I was pretty naïve. I had no idea how to advance my career, navigate office politics, or even dress well. I can laugh now at how clueless I was back then and marvel that somehow things worked out and I enjoyed a…
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[Editor’s Note: An article which lists LGBT retirement communities and apartments appears here.] You are probably aware that the baby boomer generation (those born between 1946 and 1964) is now reaching the ages of 50-68, which means that we’re entering an era in which a lot of people are and will be retiring. According to Serena…
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Prior to December, 2013, I can’t recall that I have ever attended a retirement party held in the workplace. In fact, the only retirement party I can recall was a party for the father of one of my college buddies that took place soon after I graduated, and that one took place in their home.…
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This question is usually first and foremost on people’s minds when they contemplate when they can retire and what sort of lifestyle they will be able to enjoy in retirement. And it’s an important question – but one that’s not simple to answer. Most important, there are a lot of other questions you need to ask…
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Should You Take That Early Retirement Package?
My former employer (a large household name corporation) recently announced their intention to reduce their workforce by 15%. To accomplish that, they are offering eligible employees a generous early retirement package. So far, four of my friends who still work there are taking it. Another friend who is 56 and was planning to work at…
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