Gone are the days of rushing to work, fighting traffic, meeting deadlines and working overtime. Retirement is the time to slow down, blow off responsibilities, relax and play. But how will you spend your time? Can you ‘pull off’ total leisure or will you need some other activity such as volunteering or a part-time job?…

Recently I wrote a blog entitled: Transitioning to Life in a Nursing Home.  I outlined the struggles seniors may experience when living in a nursing home.  I also outlined several recommendations outlined in a research article entitled Being a Nursing Home Resident: A Challenge to One’s Identity authored by Maria Riedl, Franco Mantovan and Christa…

I’ve often written about the struggles of getting older, including the association of loneliness, loss of identity and self-image; all common problems when living in a nursing home. Seniors who move into a nursing home may experience different changes which can be stressful – change of social status, feeling of having no place to call…

Over the past several weeks, I’ve listened to people complain about the service they are not receiving from their financial advisors.  The complaints run the gambit from “my advisor isn’t contacting me about what’s happening in the market” to comments like “don’t worry, we’re in for the long term!”  As one 79-year-old said, “I don’t…

If you’re not yet retired, a well-prepared monthly budget provides a clear picture of what your current lifestyle costs.  You and your advisors need this information to determine when you can retire, how long your funds should last, whether you will need to make changes, etc. When you’re retired, setting and adhering to a budget…

One trend I uncovered as I interviewed retirees is the tendency to think about how we will be remembered after we have passed on. Both successful and unsuccessful retirees commented on this. However, successful retirees applied the results of their introspection quite differently. Unsuccessful retirees expressed a lot of regret – even bitterness – about…

Last Saturday, I attended the funeral of Rodney, who was a friend. Just prior to his passing, I, and two others who knew Rodney, visited him in the palliative care unit of a hospital. We had a wonderful conversation about shared experiences, common relationships, and memories. I didn’t expect our friend to die less than…

Retiring right requires a sound strategy. And if you didn’t get started early in your retirement planning, the second best time to start is now. Hear my insights and advice on how best to plan for life after work. Listen to my podcast which is part of the series created by The Retirement Wisdom. Here…

Today’s retiree understands that retirement is about much more than money, and that planning for non-monetary needs is important, including the prospect of living alone. Statistics:– 4.4 million Canadians live alone– 68% of seniors living alone are women– 20% of Canadians 65+ report lack of companionship as a major concern– 33% are at risk of…

Unfortunately, in today’s world there are many scams and frauds taking place – from charity misrepresentations and accounting frauds to computer scams, just to name a few. Extreme caution is to be exercised! If you are approached in person, by phone or e-mail to invest, send money, donate, or learn you have won a trip…