How important will Social Security be in your retirement? If you said “very important,” you’re not alone. Half of all Americans say Social Security will account for anywhere from half to all of their retirement income. Considering how critical this program is to the majority of retirees, there are certain things every soon-to-be retiree needs … Read more

As a parent ages, the toughest topic for adult kids to bring up is the question of when mom or dad needs a bit more help because they can no longer stay safely independent. These conversations can quickly turn argumentative, with parents desperate to cling to their personal freedom, and sons and daughters equally insistent … Read more

It may seem hard to believe, after you’ve spent decades setting aside funds for retirement, that you could ever have trouble actually allowing yourself one day to spend what you’ve saved. But for many if not most retirees, that’s the core of the problem. The hardest part of retirement is actually not the commitment to … Read more

A pair of articles on Medicare Part B caught our attention last week here at the AgingOptions blog, so rather than present each story separately, we’re combining these closely-linked reports into one article. Because Medicare covers nearly 62 million Americans, we know many of our readers and radio listeners pay close attention to policy changes … Read more

Typically, as we scan the web for articles to feature here on the AgingOptions Blog, we look for ones that reflect our general philosophy about retirement planning. We gravitate toward articles that emphasize retirement planning as a holistic endeavor, where all the key elements have to work together in a well-integrated strategy. Those elements – … Read more

Even in the best of circumstances, caregiving can be a significant emotional burden – and often a physical one as well. But when an adult child is caring for an aging parent, the burden takes on added challenges. Actual numbers are hard to come by but research indicates that there are roughly 66 million unpaid caregivers in … Read more

Here at the AgingOptions Blog, we’ve seen (and shared) quite a few articles that try to answer the question, “How will you spend your free time once you’re fully retired?” While many pre-retirees to struggle to answer that query, we suspect there are many who think the question is ridiculous – because they know exactly … Read more

There was a time a few generations ago when a large percentage of American workers retired with a pension – basically a guarantee of income for life, typically based on longevity with the company. The workers who retired with pension benefits weren’t just blue-collar laborers either: many white-collar employees enjoyed the sense of security that … Read more

“Whether it’s Megan and Thomas Markle or Britney and her teen sons, celebrity family feuds are having a moment,” begins our article today. And in fact, this sobering piece goes on to say that a whopping 10 percent of Americans are estranged from a parent or child. What a chilling thought! We’re referring to this article from Newsweek in which reporter … Read more

As the population ages and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia grows, scientists around the world are doing extensive research to find out what triggers cognitive decline. We know from other articles that we’ve featured here on the AgingOptions Blog that, while there seems to be no single dominant cause for … Read more