Give your bucket list a new twist – infuse it with purpose Do you have a bucket list?  A bucket list, in case you don’t know, is a list of things you want to do before you die – things you want to see, do or experience. I, personally, have never been a big fan of bucket lists. But I am a huge fan of goal setting and in many ways they are similar.  The main difference, I think, is the motivation behind them. A bucket list is generally focused on you, the person writing the list. It is a list of your wants, needs and desires. Goal setting may be focused on you, but it can also be focus ..read more

Vacation to St. George, Utah – Don’t miss these 3 fun activities If you love active vacations, you’re going to want to consider spending some time in St. George, Utah. Long considered a top destination for people who love the outdoors, there is no shortage of things to see and do.  St. George is often referred to as the gateway to national parks. There are several national parks (Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon) within an easy drive. And that does not even begin to take into account the state parks, reserves and scenic drives that are basically everywhere you look.  ..read more

Work camping – a great alternative to traditional retirement for active retirees Are you longing to retire, but don’t have enough money saved?  You’re not alone. There are plenty of people in this same situation.  But if you think this means you are stuck in your job and forced to wait it out, you may be wrong. It all depends on how you define retirement and what you want your retirement to look like.   Make retirement a priority I firmly believe that if you want something bad enough, you will make it a priority and find a way to achieve it. Unfortunately, many people cho ..read more

5 keys to retirement happiness Many of us spent the first half of our lives in pursuit of money. Maybe you had a family to care for and needed to put food on the table and shoes on your kids feet. I get that. I pursued a similar strategy. Always working for that almighty paycheck, hoping to make it bigger and better every year. It was an endless struggle.  In retirement, I have tried to curb my financial pursuits. Instead, I have chosen to focus on the pursuit of happiness. But happiness is a slippery thing. What makes you happy may not make your spouse happy. In fact, what makes you happ ..read more

Don’t let the quarantine stop you from making mom feel special! What a strange year. Mother’s day is right around the corner and we still don’t know when the stay-at-home orders will be lifted. Since the elderly are most at risk, we will likely be cautious for a while longer. Which means you may not get to spend Mother’s Day with mom.  If that is the case, you may be wondering what would be a good gift to get her. Something that will be appreciated, used and make her feel special. This can be a tall order, especially for older moms who seem to not need anything.  Fun, useful gift id ..read more

Don’t underestimate the power of hope on a hurting world Do you know what is the most important commodity is during times of crisis?  No, it’s not toilet paper. Although I understand why you might think that.  It’s hope.  What is hope?  Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  But I think it is more than that.  I think of hope like a tiny little plant, a seedling. You bury a little seed in the dirt and sprinkle it with water. Day after day you look at the dirt, hoping to see a sign of life. The sun shines on that seed ..read more

Keep your mind and body busy – 12 practical ways It’s a strange, new world. The pandemic has turned our world upside down and inside out. It has left many of us, retirees and others, with more free time than we ever imagined. With stores closed and social distancing in effect, we are spending time at home – often alone. This can be tough on the mind, so I, personally, have decided to find ways to keep busy while home-quarantined. I plan to put this free time to good use and keep myself crazy busy so I don’t dwell on it.  There are two areas I see as potential productive time fillers duri ..read more

Providing resources for elderly parents – can help them remain self-sufficient As you watch your parents grow older, it can quickly become evident that some tasks are just more than they can handle, or should handle given their age.  Some challenges are obvious. For instance an 80 year-old woman should NOT be carrying 50-pound bags of water softener salt down a flight of stairs. But even less obvious chores can often be a struggle for the aging, such as going grocery shopping or vacuuming a home.  As responsible children, you may feel like you need to take on the tasks that have bec ..read more

Excitement and fear often go hand-in-hand when considering retirement If you’re considering retirement in the next few years, it is likely you are experiencing a lot of excitement mixed with some feelings of sheer terror.  At least, I know that is how I felt when I retired from my corporate job a little over a year ago.  I worked in the retirement industry for almost 15 years. And during that time, I talked to a lot of people about retirement. What I found most interesting was that even people who work in the retirement industry are often scared to retire.  They want to retire ..read more

A ..read more