Love, marriage in the time of pandemic

By Sheri Venema
Posted on June 18, 2020

The bride wore sensible sandals and the white lace dress she had fortunately purchased in pre-pandemic times. Her left hand clutched a small bouquet of white and pink roses. The groom wore a dark sports coat with a boutonniere to match her bouquet. Her hair was white; what remained of his was gray. The chapel pews were empty. With their Baltimore County retirement community under... READ MORE

Thinking of retiring? Conduct a test-drive

By Alina Tugend
Posted on April 01, 2020

Bev Bachel, 62, is trying retirement on for size.  For years, Bachel, a freelance communications professional in Minneapolis, took on highly demanding contract jobs that typically lasted more than a year. She put in long hours, often managed other writers and had to be available for on-site meetings. “A friend of mine said that when you’re self-employed, you never really retire.... READ MORE

Ease uncertainty with a reverse mortgage

By Steven J. Sless, CLTC
Posted on April 01, 2020

U.S. and global economic volatility due to the COVID-19 pandemic have many retirees (and those close to retirement) worrying how to survive these turbulent times.  Will you have enough assets to maintain your lifestyle and meet retirement spending goals in the face of a possibly long-term bear market?  Traditionally, older adults fund retirement with a mixture of Social Security,... READ MORE

How the move to a community felt to me

By Alice G. Miller
Posted on March 26, 2020

On the first day in my new retirement community, I was greeted by a neighbor in the hallway. She remembered meeting other newcomers who had experienced difficult first days here without the necessary cookware to prepare a proper meal. So, she offered to lend me some of her own pots and pans. Clearly, she was mistaking me for some kind of “kitchen goddess,” who could hardly wait to ... READ MORE

How to select an active adult community

By Harriet Edleson
Posted on March 26, 2020

Steve Thornton was driving along Interstate 75 in South Florida on a “scouting trip” for a place to live in retirement when he saw a billboard for Trilogy at Ocala Preserve. Stopping there, he was taken with the beauty of the place — and knew his wife would agree. “Lyndia would like it,” Thornton, 69, recalled thinking. While their children were growing up, the Thorntons... READ MORE

A new rental income tax break available

By Joy Taylor
Posted on March 25, 2020

Renting out property can create a retirement income stream that is Uncle Sam-friendly. The federal tax law is replete with breaks for landlords, and the 2017 tax law created a new write-off that many landlords can take for their Schedule E rental income. The new tax break falls under the special 20% deduction for individual owners of “pass-through entities.” Self-employed individuals ... READ MORE

Should you move or be a perfect guest?

By Alice Shapin
Posted on March 25, 2020

When we heard our 30-something daughter was pregnant with our first grandchild, my husband and I were ecstatic. Then came the bad news: Their family was moving to Portland, Oregon for her husband’s job. Our daughter assumed we would move out there, too. But when we visited, the city’s hippie vibe didn’t seem to fit us. We don’t know anyone there, and the winters are rainy, damp... READ MORE

Clutter and hoarding: not the same thing

By Margaret Foster and Harvard Women’s Health Watch
Posted on March 24, 2020

As a professional organizer in Baltimore, Amy Bloomer, founder of Let Your Space Bloom LLC, said that accumulation of possessions is a natural part of life. “There are a lot of people who live with a lot of clutter. Even if you’re very cognizant of editing your stuff, if you’re in a space for a long time, you’re going to accumulate a lot of clutter,” said Bloomer, who works... READ MORE

Is it worth relocating to trim your taxes?

By Mary Kane
Posted on January 17, 2020

Once retired, many people move to a state with low taxes or tax breaks that specifically benefit older residents. These days, people affected by tax reform’s squeeze on the federal deduction for state and local income taxes are feeling increased pressure to make such a move. No doubt moving from a high-tax state to a low-tax state can produce savings. For instance, a taxpayer in... READ MORE

Real-life Golden Girls? Co-living benefits

By Sam Ruland
Posted on January 16, 2020

On a chilly fall morning, Esther Courtney sat at her kitchen table, staring out the window overlooking the farmlands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was day four of her retirement, and she still wasn’t quite used to sleeping in past 5 a.m. and not dedicating eight hours of her day to doing other people’s laundry. So instead, she was talking with a reporter about the high... READ MORE