Writing Out Your Retirement Goals Before you begin looking for a financial advisor to advise you on retirement investments, it helps to write out a list of retirement goals. The writing exercise forces you to think both concretely and abstractly about what kind of budget you will live on during your retirement. As an example of how this exercise can help you, this article provides a discussion of 3 thought-provoking questions for future retirees. 1. How much monthly income do you need to live on during retirement? This is a big question. You can start by thinking about the age you want to retire... Read More

Compost By Deborah Clark NABBW’s Gardening Expert Every October when leaves fall, my neighbors complain. But I rejoice. I welcome dead maple leaves and tuck their crumbly remains underneath my shrubs to decompose and feed the soil. I started gardening to seek relief from my children when they were young. In the garden, my plants never argued. They always did my bidding. It\’s easy to love flowers and leaves for their beauty, variety, and fragrance. It\’s also easy to feel power over them. I could move plants around or even kill them on a whim, if I didn\’t like their looks,... Read More

The Virtues of Passion in Changing Times By Margaret May Damen, CFP, CLU, ChFC NABBW’s Philanthropy Expert “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens Gridlock in Washington, riots in London… has Charles Dickens’ epic novel A Tale of Two Cities become more fact than fiction some 152 years since it was first published? And what does all this have to do with philanthropy (the third sector)? From my perspective, quite a lot. If one believes as I do, the sage wisdom of the late... Read More

Living Life on the Cheap … A Green Case for Shopping Thrift By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Expert Years ago, after I got over myself, and realized that where I shopped didn’t define me, I actually allowed myself to love the art of thrifting. I’ve always been a blissful shopper and I took great thrill in discovering the vast array of treasures hidden beneath the rubble of someone else’s discards. The hunt became my game. Another motivation was the simple fact that during that frugal discovery period … I was broke. Therefore, the realization that I could buy fabulous things for... Read More

Fun in the Empty Nest By Natalie Caine, M.A. NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert Parents ask me what I do for fun since they are gathering new ideas for themselves. Here\’s a short list: Read about chefs, meet them and eat at their restaurants (do you know who is in the photo I captured?) Start my day with black coffee and pruning my organic veggie and flower garden Read novels and newspapers Movies with chocolate covered pretzels for snack Out to dinner with hubby so we can catch up and laugh away from home Day trips on the road Music Yoga Zumba Cooking Time with friends, anywhere,... Read More

Interview with Birding Adventurer – James Currie By Linda Ballou NABBW’s Adventure Travel Expert James Currie is the driving force behind Nikon Birding Adventures TV which focuses on destination and adventure bird-watching. He explores the best exotic birding destinations on the planet; the most unusual, rare and highly sought after bird species; amazing cultures and wildlife. He is the informative, passionate – and sometimes crazy! – host for BATV that portrays a unique blend of information and adventure, making bird-watching refreshing, contemporary, interesting and... Read More

Another Bad-Dog Book: Tales of Life, Love, and Neurotic Human Behavior Author: Joni B. Cole Website: http://www.jonibcole.com/ Reviewed By: Anne Holmes for the NABBW This fun little book is a collection of twenty-eight personal essays. Despite its title, it is not a dog book, and only the title essay concerns the author\’s dog Eli, a Chihuahua mix. No, this is a book about people, and its scope is personal. In it author Cole shares her most private thoughts: her worries that her husband is not her “best friend”; her obsession with her previous book\’s rank on Amazon.com;... Read More

Chronic Illness and Recovering from Loss By Mary J. Yerkes NABBW’s Living with Chronic Illness Expert “I have your MRI results,” said Dr. Price, my rheumatologist. I was in the midst of a strategic planning meeting at the office, but I quickly stepped out into the hall to take the call in private. Although I had been having back pain for the last three weeks, I wasn’t concerned. A recent bone density scan revealed I had the spine of a 20-year-old, which left me completely unprepared for what followed. “You have not one but three compression fractures to your thoracic spine.”... Read More

The New Normal after Separation By Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. and Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D. Do you want to know an unexpected finding from the Framingham Heart Study, a research project that has been conducted over six decades? Happiness is contagious and the secret may very well be in the connection. Social relationships correlate positively with happiness. That is, if your friend is happy, that increases your probability by 15%. If you\’ve recently separated from your partner, this can be a lonely time for you. Although your marriage may be over, your relationship with your children, family... Read More

Powerful Tools to Reach Your Career Goals! By Dumont Gerken Owen, Ph.D. NABBW’s Women & Work Expert Many of you are working extremely hard to reach your career goals with little success. Maybe this is the time to try another approach. Try some of these powerful ways to manifest success in your career goals. 1. Define your ideal career. Visualize each detail: What are you doing? In what setting? Who would you work with? Is it consistent with your passions? Often professionals such as athletes improve their performance by the use of visualization. 2. Attract the results you most desire.... Read More