Finding More Time and Saving More Money with PERK By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement We can all use more time and more money, right? Well, I stumbled across an acronym that can help us do both. The acronym is PERK, and credit goes to Robert Pagliarini, an author, a certified financial planner, a columnist, and the President of Pacifica Wealth Advisors. Here\’s how it works: Think about all your activities and all your expenses (current and upcoming). Write them down. For each activity and expense, apply “PERK”: Postpone: Want a new car, but still... Read More

“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement If you haven\’t seen “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” I\’d recommend you get yourself to a theater and luxuriate in this gem of a film. It\’s the perfect movie for Boomer women (men, too – my husband really liked it). In addition to impressive acting by such notables as Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, and Judi Dench, it explores the concepts of challenge, transformation, hope, and resilience through humor and drama. I visited exotic and memorable India a few... Read More

Drinking Wine – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement Friend or foe? Pleasure or poison? There has been a lot of discussion about wine over the past decade. Let\’s take a look at how this “nectar of the gods” affects adults over 50. Studies are based upon “moderate” consumption of wine, defined as no more than one drink per day for women, and two drinks per day for men. A drink is defined as five ounces of wine. The Good (assuming wine isn\’t contraindicated because of medications, disease –... Read More

Can Money buy Happiness? By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement We\’ve heard the expression “Money can\’t buy you love,” but what about happiness? The answer may be yes. An April 2012 Marist Institute for Public Opinion poll found that people who made $50,000 or more felt younger than their actual years, felt less likely they will be burden to others, thought they wouldn\’t feel as lonely as they age, thought they would be more likely to travel and volunteer, and even thought they\’d have a better sex life than those making under $50,000.... Read More

How I Lost Six Pounds on a Two Week Asian Vacation – Eat Like the Chinese By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement I recently returned from a two-week tour of China. What a fascinating place! Hiking on the Great Wall, viewing the Terracotta Warriors, cruising the Yangtze, touring fabulous Shanghai – these are just a few highlights of the trip. And the people – it was hard not to notice how slender the Chinese were. After eating for two weeks as the Chinese do (we were on a tour that ate at local restaurants with authentic Chinese food), I can see why they... Read More

Surprising New Retirement Statistics By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement Here are several fascinating findings from the 2012 EBRI (Employee Benefit Research Institute) survey. This is the 22nd year that the EBRI has published its “Retirement Confidence Survey.” The results demonstrate that what we THINK will happen in retirement and what WILL happen are not always the same. I call this “Expectation vs. Reality.” For example: 70% of respondents planned to work in retirement, but only 27% are actually working in retirement. 8% of respondents planned... Read More

Do men and women think alike? Most of us agree with the title of John Gray\’s book, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. Ameriprise Financial\’s The New Retirement Mindscape City Pulse Index (2011) gives some insight into how the sexes think about various aspects of retirement: Are planning financially for retirement: Women 72%; Men 77% Are confident they will reach their financial retirement goals: Women 19%; Men 25% Have determined how much $$ they\’ll need in retirement:Women 20%; Men 31% Have invested in stocks and IRAs: Women 46%; Men 54% Are making plans to... Read More

Walk this Way By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement We\’re not talking about the Aerosmith song, we\’re talking about pole walking. Walking is the most popular exercise, and for people who can\’t or don\’t want to play tennis, jog, or exercise in more strenuous ways, or those with knee, back, or other aching or injured joints, pole walking might be the perfect choice for those looking for a low impact, more aerobic, more effective workout. Pole walking (also known as Nordic walking) has been around for 80 years or more, and is believed to have developed... Read More

Make Resolutions Stick By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE – HAPPY NEW YEAR! How many of us, when that ball is dropping, vow we will eat healthier/exercise more/be nicer/stop smoking/read more…you know the drill. There are a few ways to improve the chances that we\’ll keep our resolutions, at least beyond the first few weeks. People who actually keep their resolutions tend to share some common strategies. They: Make their goal specific. Example: Use the SMART acronym (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Sensitive).... Read More

Five Fabulous Functional Foods By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement We know we have to eat to live – food provides the building blocks to grow and repair our bodies, and we need food to produce energy to run vital processes. Beyond those basic needs, though, is the concept of “functional foods” – foods that might “provide benefits beyond basic nutrition” according to research and the International Food Information Council. What are some examples of these “functional foods” and what can they do for us? Blueberries –... Read More