Title: The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life   Author: Jan Cullinane (Foreward by Kerry Hannon) ISBN-10: 978-1-119-83815-9  Reviewed for the NABBW by Anne Holmes This the third edition of Jan Cullinane’s seminal work, and as Kerry Hannon says in her foreword, “(This book) is a persuasive reminder that retirement is vastly different today than in previous generations, and (it) will continue to mutate.” As I write this review, we are living in a time of rampant inflation, post-Covid, when everything – especially food and medical care –... Read More

By Jan Cullinane and John Brady for the NABBW Most of us know that one size cannot fit all when it comes to choosing our best place to retire. Just look at the tons of books, magazine articles and websites that try to answer that very question. Your authors, Jan Cullinane, and John Brady decided to take a different approach, and go right to the source by asking a half dozen retirement gurus, including the authors of this piece, where they chose to “retire.” The word “retire” is in quotes since most of the experts are still working (some more than others), although their work is free from... Read More

By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement I confess: In the secret recesses of my mind, I believe I’m immortal.  I don’t think I’ll ever succumb to heart disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis, or any of the lifestyle-related diseases that bedevil so many of us.  And, I like to eat junk food.  Not all the time, but much more than I should (I just devoured two large chocolate covered marshmallow cookies as I sat down to write this). Yet, as a mature woman, my “numbers” —  blood pressure, glucose, “bad” LDL, triglycerides, creatinine levels, and the other results... Read More

All the Single Ladies By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement Did you know that there are more than 25 million single women over the age of 45 in the United States, and that this demographic is growing? And, even if you\’re a happily married woman now, there\’s an 80-90% chance you\’ll be single at some point, and be responsible for all decisions, including where you\’ll live? I attribute the growth of this powerful group to what I call the “5Ds”: Divorce, Death of a spouse, Delayed marriage, Dumped (or did the dumping), and just Don\’t... Read More

Katie Holmes and her “First Love”: No Big Surprise By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement It\’s been hard to avoid the recent frenzy over the news that Katie Holmes has reunited with her self-proclaimed “first love” Joshua Jackson, her Dawson\’s Creek co-star. Guess what? When you look at the research of Dr. Nancy Kalish, an expert in this field and professor of psychology at California State University, it\’s almost a no-brainer. As I discuss in my new book, The Single Woman\’s Guide to Retirement, Kalish found that those... 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

The Sweet Truth about Dark Chocolate By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement What’s been around for 2,000 years, is nicknamed “the food of the gods,” and helps our aging mind and bodies stave off some of the consequences of growing older?  Dark chocolate. Let’s look at some of the research: Older adults (between 70 and 74) who ate chocolate performed better on cognitive tests that those who do not eat chocolate. (Journal of Nutrition). A small piece of dark chocolate/day (about 30 calories) can lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure by several points. Participants... Read More

Batter Up and the Power of Facebook By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement Many people look forward to retirement as a way to deepen or renew old connections. I want to share a short short story about how that recently happened to me. The first several years after graduating from college, I taught Biology at a high school in Maryland, and I coached the girls’ softball team. A few months ago, I was contacted via Facebook from the catcher on that girls’ softball team – we’re talking about something that happened 35 years or so ago! Lisa asked (via Facebook) if I was... Read More