By Anne L. Holmes, APR, NABBW’s “Boomer in Chief” Pamela J. Sams, CRPC, MBA, NABBW’s Retirement Planning Associate, sent an article recently, for me to share on our NABBW Facebook page. When I read it, a story written by and published at Marketplace.org, which I’ve published in its entirety below, I experienced one of those “gut punch” moments. I knew as soon as I read it, that I really had to do more than just pass along the link with a quick comment. Why? Because I recognized the unfortunately scammed people who were profiled in the article, even though... Read More

By Marie Langworthy, NABBW’s Transforming Retirement Associate Until now, you may have thought panic attacks — if they even existed — were reserved for “weaker folks.” You know, people like: Fathers-to-be in the OB-GYN room OR Prima donnas at their stage debut   Likewise, you may have been known for your equanimity, your “sang froid” attitude, your ability to remain composed and cool as a cucumber, assuredly confident that you could handle anything that came your way. Convinced that sudden breakouts of “flop sweat” were solely the domain... Read More

I’ve recently read three excellent books – one a novel – by two NABBW members, both dealing with the topic of widowhood. Life as a widow is not a scenario I’ve ever given much thought to, despite being advised, many decades ago in a collegiate gerontology course, that since women tend to live about five years longer than men, if we don’t want to end up widowed  it’s best to marry a younger man.  (In my defense, I was already married by that time, so couldn’t act on this sage advice.) More recent statistics, provided by WISER, the Women’s Institute... Read More

A NOTE FROM THE “BOOMER IN CHIEF:” Recently, one of my collegiate girlfriends posted photos on on Facebook, sharing that her newly retired husband had just beautifully completed an advanced yard project, and noting that if any friends thought it looked like something their yard would appreciate, she’d send him over, noting that he “has a lot of extra time between yoga and long road bike rides. Works cheap for good food and a glass or two of fine red wine.” One of her neighbors quickly responded, admiring the project, but noting that, “Sam (not his real name)... Read More

By  Anne L. Holmes, APR NABBW’s “Boomer in Chief” Recently, Rick Montgomery, a reporter for the Kansas City Star called me, in my role as the Boomer in Chief of the National Association of Baby Boomer Women, for an interview. He was seeking my point of view on a generational demographic tidbit he had picked up recently: the fact that sometime this year, the Baby Boomer generation will no longer be country’s largest. Due to our kids’ aging into adulthood, we’ll be losing our famed demographic “pig in the python” position to a younger generation, the... Read More

By Ann Leach NABBW’s Associate for Loss and Change  “You’re just a scaredy cat,” she’d say to me when I was in eighth grade gym class. I didn’t like it, but she was right. I was afraid of the balance beam and just knew I would fall to my death if I even got on the thing. How I wish that would have been the only fear I would have had to face in my life! But if we had known there was more to come, would we have been any better prepared? As we move our calendar pages closer to the end of the year,  I find myself coaching lots of clients about coping with their fears. The fear of... Read More

The Tragedy of 2013 Boston Marathon Reminds Us We Must Make Time to Celebrate Life By Anne Holmes NABBW’s Baby Boomer Expert The Boston Marathon has long been an event that celebrates human triumph.  It ranks as the world\’s second oldest annual marathon, and is easily one of the world\’s best-known road racing events. With a total purse of one million dollars, it is also one of six World Marathon Majors and annually attracts over 500,000 spectators.  With this being the 116th year for the race, “Boston Marathon or Bust,” has become the mantra of runners all over the world.... Read More

Mixed Feelings About the CDC’s Recent Call to Boomers By Anne Holmes NABBW’s Baby Boomer Expert By now you probably would have to be living under a rock not to have heard that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is suggesting that all Boomers get tested for Hepatitis C. Apparently statistic indicate that one in 30 of us Baby Boomers is infected with virus, according to the experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And most of us don\’t know it. So the CDC is moving ahead with a proposal that all baby boomers (those of us born between 1945 and 1965) get a blood... Read More

Recalling Favorite Fictional Reads of the 60s: Charlotte\’s Web, The Boxcar Children — And the Much Less Popular “Maida Series” By Anne Holmes NABBW’s Baby Boomer Expert I just read that it\’s been 60 years since E. B. White published Charlotte\’s Web. Hard to believe that wonderful classic is that old. But reading about this got me thinking about some of the other books I read back in grade school – or as they call it now, “middle school.” Charlotte, and a mystery series by Gertrude Chandler Warner called “The Boxcar Children”... Read More

What An Amazing Journey We\’ve Had: 50 Years Since John Glenn First Orbited Earth By Anne Holmes NABBW’s Baby Boomer Expert “Space.The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise…” I\’ve always loved the Gene Roddenberry-inspired Star Trek TV shows and movies. They\’re a fun diversion and often pose real-life moral dilemmas that really make you think. But space exploration is more than science fiction. I was amazedto realize this week, that in real life, it has been 50 years since John Glenn became the first American to orbit the... Read More