The other night, I had dinner with a friend who runs a nonprofit based in New York City. She’s in her late 50s and made the transition from a big-bucks financial industry post a few years ago. She loves her job.
 
That said, my friend was a bit wiped out when we first sat down. She was hot off the four-and-a-half-hour Megabus ride from Washington, D.C., which set her employer back around $11, a fraction of the $218 ticket for Amtrak’s Acela Express. My guess is that in her corporate days, hopping the train for the far faster, and probably more comfortable, two-and-a-half-hour journey would have been a no-brainer.
 
But taking the Megabus is the kind of tradeoff you make when you go to work for a nonprofit. That’s okay if, like my friend, you believe in your mission.
 
Switching to Nonprofit Work
Maybe you, too, are thinking about making the switch from a corporate job to a nonprofit. Many women in their 50s and 60s are — and plenty already have. If so, I have some advice on how to make the switch.
 
There’s something about hitting midlife that makes us pause and think: Is this all there is? Is it really all about making money? How can I leave some kind of legacy?
 
Jobs in the nonprofit sector — especially management positions in small and mid-size organizations — have traditionally been a sweet spot for women. Most nonprofits with budgets of $1 million or less have women CEOs, and women lead 64 percent of organizations with budgets under $250,000.
 
(MORE: The Boom in Job Seekers Looking for Encore Careers)
 
I think there are three key reasons why women gravitate toward nonprofit work (aside from our altruistic natures):
 
Flexibility. Nonprofits tend to offer more leeway than corporations in terms of hours, flex-time, job-sharing and telecommuting. Although my dinner companion took a colossal pay cut when she gave up her six-figure corporate job for her nonprofit position, she was able to bargain for nonmonetary perks, like plenty of vacation, as a tradeoff.
 
Opportunity. Men often aren’t rushing in to run a nonprofit or work full-time for one. The end result: less competition for women to get hired.
 
Collaboration. Women, by nature, tend to succeed in work situations where decisions are frequently made by consensus. And many nonprofits emphasize a collaborative workstyle.
 
9 Tips for Landing Nonprofit Work
In my forthcoming book, Great Jobs for Everyone 50+: Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy... And Pays the Bills, I devote a chapter to how to land a nonprofit job. Here are my nine top tips:
 
(MORE: Find a Nonprofit Job Matched to Your Passions)
 
1. Crystallize in your mind what sort of nonprofit would suit you, and then target that type. Would you be happiest working in a small group that has a tight focus? A start-up whose mission is based on recent news events, such as a natural disaster? Or are you drawn to a bigger organization, which might offer training to help you get started in the nonprofit world? Do you want a job that would involve travel?
 
2. Find out if other corporate refugees are working at the nonprofit that interests you. If others like you are already in staff and leadership positions, you’ll be more likely to convince the group that they should hire someone with your background. You can learn about the backgrounds of a nonprofit’s executives by going to the management team area of its site.
 
3. Decide what you have to offer and then sell these skills. Your usefulness to a nonprofit could run the gamut from having legal knowledge to financial management expertise to fundraising to writing skills that can shore up a group’s grant-writing efforts. You could look for posted jobs requiring these skills or cold-call some nonprofits to see if there are appropriate openings.
 
4. Go to school to become a stronger candidate. Consider taking a course or getting a degree at either a local college or online to fill in gaps in your background. For instance, you could enroll in a master’s degree or certificate program in public administration, philanthropic studies or social work. Some community college programs are designed specifically to help corporate professionals transition into nonprofit jobs via training programs, fellowships and part-time assignments.
 
5. Stay current with what’s happening in the nonprofit world. You might subscribe to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a biweekly paper ($62 a year) whose website is philanthropy.com. Subscribers get free access to the site’s premium content.
 
To see who's hiring, visit LinkedIn.com, which has a section dedicated to nonprofit management job postings. Idealist.org is a good site for other types of nonprofit openings.
 
6. Develop a nonprofit-oriented resumé. This version of your resumé would clearly explain how your work and volunteering experience could be useful in the non-corporate world. Next Avenue has an article with advice on how to rework your resumé to snag a nonprofit job.
 
7. During a job interview, flaunt your passion for the organization’s mission. After all, the group will want to be sure that any new staffer is a true believer. Your passion is what can set you apart from other candidates, says Laura Gassner Otting, president of Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, an executive search firm.
 
8. Volunteer. One way to switch into nonprofit work, albeit not for financial reasons, is by volunteering to aid a cause that interests you. This will build your network in the sector, increase your knowledge about its trends, and help you get a feel for the culture. It could even lead to a paid position. To find a nonprofit board that might need you, sign up at BoardnetUSA.org. Once you’ve posted your information, you’ll get a weekly e-mail with organizations looking for people who fit your profile.
 
9. Work for a nonprofit as a consultant. If you can’t afford to volunteer for free, you might be able to land a part-time position at a group on a consultant-fee basis. This is a great way to prove yourself and get nonprofit cred.
 
If you do wind up working in the nonprofit world, enjoy the ride. Megabus has wireless.


How Women Can Find Work at a Nonprofit

Kerry Hannon

You know the stereotype: aging narcissists who've lost their creative edge, coasting downhill and taking up space at work as they wax nostalgic about Leave It to Beaver and Woodstock to stave off the inevitable midlife crisis. Or something like that.
 
To many, the image of the baby boom generation has been reduced to a monolithic and decidedly unsexy demographic. But break down the stereotype and you'll find little more than a series of myths.
 
So let's look at them one by one. Here, nine prominent observers — from the celebrated PBS filmmaker Ken Burns to futurist J. Walker Smith to authors Patricia Cohen and Suzanne Braun Levine — puncture the prevailing myths about boomers and replace them with what is far more useful: the reality.
Myth: We all have to go through a midlife crisis.
 
Reality: Only if we're sitcom characters.
By Patricia Cohen
 
Like alligators in city sewers, the midlife crisis should join the list of modern myths. For more than 20 years, dozens of researchers have been involved in what could be considered the Manhattan Project of middle age — the mammoth, ongoing study known as Midlife in the United States (MIDUS). And what they've discovered about the midlife crisis is that those most likely to suffer from it are fictional characters in television shows, movies and novels.
 
In fact, fewer than one-fifth of actual Americans between 40 and 60 have undergone any sort of crisis, and a mere 10 percent of those crises were related to a looming sense of mortality, the defining characteristic of the midlife crisis. For most MIDUS respondents, turning 30 was much more disruptive than reaching 40 or 50.
 
What's more, those who claimed to have had a midlife crisis frequently misremembered the timing — their crises, more often than not, had not even occurred during middle age. As University of Pennsylvania psychologist David Almeida argues, "Many of the stereotypical hallmarks of a midlife crisis, such as the sudden purchase of the expensive sports car, likely have more to do with middle-age financial status than with a search for youth."
 
For most of us, says Orville Gilbert Brim, the first director of MIDUS, "midlife is the place to be."  
 
Patricia Cohen, the author of In Our Prime: The Invention of Middle Age (Scribner; January, 2012), has been a New York Times reporter for 13 years. She has also worked at The Washington Post and Rolling Stone.
 
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Myth: Our generation is one-dimensional.
 
Reality: Our story is complex, and it keeps unfolding as we continue to reinvent ourselves.
By Ken Burns
 
More than any generation before it, baby boomers have been saddled with sweeping assumptions — about our makeup (weak, self-absorbed), our relationship to history (sentimental, nostalgic for either Hopalong Cassidy or Sesame Street) and our motivations (always suspect). Like a massive demographic rat passing through the python of our polity, we boomers are trapped in facile judgments. But even a cursory glance back belies these canards and suggests, in fact, a generation so influential and positive that it is hard to fathom the contempt directed our way.
Sure, we didn't endure the Great Depression or save the world from tyranny, as the so-called Greatest Generation did. But that generation also prosecuted a Cold War and several ill-advised hot ones; created the CIA, from which I can't discern a useful outcome; and alternately suppressed and coddled their progeny — uh, us.
Boomers, on the other hand, demanded a history free of the cloying and lily-white fables of a past filled with the Romantic exploits of Great Men. We elevated women and labor and minorities to our pantheon. We made rock and roll the dominant music form for more than half a century. We demanded that women have the right to control their own bodies, that the United States withdraw from an immoral war, that our politics be more transparent. We continually reinvented not only ourselves but also our country. How we live today — with technology, with mass media, with our complicated and increasingly exposed inner lives — it's all a boomer phenomenon. Then again, we often slacked off, gazed at our navels, and thought it was all about us.
 
This is the problem with sweeping generalizations: They're false. There's always another side to the story. When the Greatest Generation fought World War II (and they were self-sacrificing), more than a quarter of all financial transactions — in an economy heavily regulated by rationing — were on the black market.
As the Bible reminds us, "there is no new thing under the sun." That means human nature never changes. Within each generation are slackers and activists, Puritans and the prurient, the greedy and the generous. The important thing is what you do with your time, not the label an accident of birth and history has unfairly burdened you with.
Ken Burns is an award-winning director and producer of PBS documentaries including The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, The War and Prohibition. His latest film, The Central Park Five, is set to debut this month at the Cannes Film Festival.
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 Myth: Innovation is the province of the young.
 
Reality: Millions of Americans 50 and older are starting their own enterprises.
By Marc Freedman
 
These days, when jobs are hard to find, especially for older applicants, many in midlife are drawing from their experience to become entrepreneurs. Recent research from MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures shows that 1 in 4 Americans ages 44 to 70 — about 25 million people — are interested in starting their own businesses or nonprofit organizations in the next five to 10 years.
 
These findings reinforce research from the Kauffman Foundation, which shows that for 11 of the 15 years between 1996 and 2010, Americans age 55 to 64 had the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity of any age group or shared that distinction. National Journal reports that 9 million of the nation's 15 million small business owners were born before 1965, which means they're 47 or older.
 
Later-life entrepreneurship often involves another later-life trend: the urge to give back. Research shows that half of the people who want to become midlife entrepreneurs also want to meet community needs or solve a critical social problem. For more on these pioneering encore entrepreneurs, click here.
 
Marc Freedman is founder and chief executive of Civic Ventures, a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose; and publisher of Encore.org. He is the author of The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife (PublicAffairs, 2011) and Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life (PublicAffairs, 2007).
 
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Myth: As people get older, they lose their creative spark.
Reality: In many ways, they actually become more creative.
By Sally Koslow
When I was editor-in-chief of McCall's, throughout my 40s and half of my 50s, my life would have been simpler if all I had to do to mint ideas was to hire a young staff. I quickly realized, however, that people in their 20s and 30s didn't necessarily gestate lively brainchildren; they often presented shopworn concepts ("Cook four meals from one chicken!" "Make over a room in a day!" "De-clutter your life!") that just happened to be new to them.
I'm convinced that we get more creative as we age. In fields like biology and novel writing, for example, it takes years to master the prerequisite knowledge, but when — and if — you do, your creativity may reach new heights. Toni Morrison was 56 when she published Beloved, widely regarded as her masterpiece. Many novels and awards (including a Nobel and a Pulitzer) later, Morrison is still going strong, at 81. Her latest novel, Home, made its debut in May.
As Dean K. Simonton, a psychology professor at University of California–Davis, sees it, "We can continue to innovate for our entire careers as long as we work to maintain the perspective of the outsider" — that is, remain innocent and open to new ideas. 
I agree. And with experiences and perhaps some success behind us, we can also cop a what-the-hell attitude. More risks = fresher ideas.
 
Sally Koslow, a former editor-in-chief of McCall's, is the author of three novels and Slouching Toward Adulthood: Observations From the Not-So-Empty Nest (Viking; June, 2012).
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Myth: People lose interest in sex as they age.
 
Reality: Many enjoy it more, but talk about it less — or not at all.
 

By Suzanne Braun Levine
 
Recent neurological studies show the mention of a beloved's name lights up the same area of the brain in an 80-year-old as it does in an 18-year-old. Sexologists from Kinsey on have reported that the body can experience arousal and orgasm as long as it can experience anything. Those are the facts.
 
Puritanical shame over sexuality, stemming from deep-seated values inherited from the previous generation, may account for the widespread denial of these facts, as does the pervasive distaste for the image of older folks (our parents?!) "doing it." When we are the older folks, the shame and distaste confuse our impulses and censor any discussion of our sex lives.
 
In the course of researching How We Love Now, I talked to hundreds of "mature" women who were having sex and longing for sex — and many were enjoying "the best sex ever." But whenever I shared that finding, I met with derision, discomfort or dismissal.
 
When I blogged about the negativity I encountered, I got a wave of countervailing feedback. So far I have had more than 1,000 comments from both men and women in and beyond midlife. When they could speak honestly in the privacy of cyberspace, they couldn't stop talking — about everything from erectile dysfunction to snuggling to one-night stands. A true picture of what our aging bodies are up to can be painted, but we cannot appreciate it if we avert our eyes.
 
Suzanne Braun Levine, the first editor-in-chief of Ms. Magazine, is the author of How We Love Now (Penguin, 2011), Fifty Is the New Fifty (Penguin, 2009) and Inventing the Rest of Our Lives (Penguin, 2005).


 
Myth: Older workers keep young people from getting hired and promoted.
 
Reality: The current job lock is simply the result of a poor economy.
By Chris Farrell
 
The catchphrase of the moment is "intergenerational warfare at work." But the idea behind it — that a fight for jobs and promotions has broken out between generations — is actually popular every time there's a serious spike in unemployment.
 
Adding to the perception of friction this time around is fear on both sides. There is a widespread realization among many aging boomers that they'll need to earn an income well into the traditional retirement years. Meanwhile, younger people are often left to hang out in coffee shops and zap off resumés, or to face mounting frustration in their current jobs because they aren't moving up the corporate ladder.
 
Yet the notion of an intergenerational conflict at work doesn't withstand scrutiny. The current job lock is a consequence of a poor economy. It's what economists call a cyclical (temporary) change rather than a structural (fundamental) transformation. When the economic gloom lifts (I know, it has been like Waiting for Godot), we'll see an exodus of boomers from their current jobs. One reason: Many are eager to get out. In a 2009 Conference Board survey, just 43 percent of workers 65 and over said they were satisfied with their jobs, down from 71 percent in 1987. Dissatisfied workers aren't going to stick around the office if they can find an alternative.
 
Many boomers who do keep working into their 60s or beyond — either because they need the money or because employment gives them a sense of fulfillment — will choose to work differently than they do now. After saying goodbye to their long-time colleagues, they may downshift into part-time jobs, move into less stressful full-time positions, start their own businesses or try encore careers.
 
Chris Farrell is a Next Avenue contributing writer and economics editor for Marketplace Money, American Public Media's syndicated personal finance program. An award-winning journalist, he is economics correspondent for Marketplace Morning Report. His most recent book is The New Frugality: How to Consume Less, Save More and Live Better (Bloomsbury Press, 2010).
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Myth: Most of us will be more unhappy in old age than we were in our youth.
 
Reality: You may never be happier.
By Karl Pillemer
 
There's a pervasive belief that aging leads to unhappiness. So the findings of a decade of psychological research may come as a surprise: People in their 70s and beyond are as happy — or even happier — than many who are younger.
 
Although they are more likely to bear the burden of chronic disease and to have lost significant others, older people routinely score higher than those in middle age on standard measures of well-being. This finding has turned up in so many studies that it even has a name: "the paradox of aging."
 
In a series of surveys I conducted as part of the Cornell Legacy Project, people in their 80s and older generally held positive views of later life. Rather than seeing old age as a time of decline, many described aging as a "quest" or an "adventure," involving new opportunities and freedom from the onerous responsibilities they had when they were younger. In addition, older people reported being more selective about how they use their time, concentrating on rewarding relationships and activities, while shedding negative ones.
 
The sense of a limited time horizon appears to have a positive effect: It allows older people to savor everyday experience and to appreciate "the small stuff."
 
Karl Pillemer, Ph.D, is a professor of human development at Cornell University and founder of the Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging. An internationally renowned gerontologist, he is the author of five books, including 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice From the Wisest Americans (Hudson Street, 2011). 
 
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Myth: Marketers don't want to sell to people over 50.
 
Reality: As boomers stay in the workforce longer, they're an enormously attractive audience for companies pitching products and services.
By J. Walker Smith
As the new millennium dawned, twentysomethings took center stage from aging boomers, pushing them out of the media spotlight. The long first act of the baby boom generation hadn't ended, but it had lost its audience, and few people thought boomers would star in Act Two. They were wrong.
The global economic downturn changed everything. It put boomers back in the spotlight, as they began to change the rules once again.
Shrinking savings, investments and pensions have left many boomers no choice but to remain in the workforce. For marketers, the current financial struggles of young people make them less attractive. But the longer boomers work, the more alluring they become as consumers, since they are extending their peak consumption years.
The result: In a remarkable reversal of traditional marketing presumptions, boomers are making older people the most attractive consumer group. And marketers have taken notice.
 
J. Walker Smith is executive chairman of The Futures Company, a global foresights and futures research consultancy. He is a columnist for Marketing Management; a blogger for Branding Strategy Insider; and the co-author of four books, including Generation Ageless: How Baby Boomers Are Changing the Way We Live Today ... and They're Just Getting Started (Harper Collins, 2007).
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Myth: All of us are fearful of growing old.
 
Reality: A growing number of us recognize that old age is nothing to be afraid of.
By Dr. Bill Thomas
 
Many of us fear aging largely because we live in a bitterly ageist society that stigmatizes and belittles older people. The good news is that there is a rapidly growing subculture of independent thinkers who actually embrace normal human aging and celebrate the changes it brings to their lives.
 
I call them the Enthusiasts, and they will change aging in America forever. The Enthusiasts are taking hold of labels like crone and sage and using them without a trace of shame. They gather in small groups to celebrate elderhood and aging as sources of worth and meaning, and they hold conferences with provocative titles like "The Poetics of Aging." Their ability to see around the corner in such a positive way is a remarkable gift.
 
The Enthusiasts view each stage of adulthood as something to be outgrown, like the caterpillar's chrysalis, and not an end in itself. Still an underground movement, they will soon emerge to help us all understand that, no matter what our youth-obsessed culture says, it is possible to construct a new, entirely distinct and better old age.
 
Dr. Bill Thomas is a geriatrician and a professor at the Erickson School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He has founded two movements that aim to reshape nursing-home care: The Eden Alternative and the Green House Project. His most recent book is the novel Tribes of Eden (Sana Publications, 2012).
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Talkin' 'bout Our Generation: The Myths Versus Reality

Next Avenue Staff

(This story originally appeared on Grandparents.com.)
In an era of cheap goods and planned obsolescence, finding merchandise that just won’t quit is darn near miraculous. Smartly designed and built to last, these nine products just keep going.  And at the end of this list, you'll find one product, which despite popular claims to the contrary, will not last forever.
1. Singer Sewing Machines
If there’s one product that embodies durability, reliability, and just plain ability, it’s the Singer sewing machine. Tennessee-based Singer has been churning out the devices since 1851 — a stunning 167 years  — for both home tailors and industrial operations. Odds are, you own one yourself. And if the stars aligned, maybe you even have the 1950s-model Singer Featherweight, a favorite of modern quilters.
2. Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers
If you know baking, you know that KitchenAid Stand Mixers have always been the gold standard, no matter how much space they take up on your kitchen counter.
Sturdy and stable (unlike hand mixers), the appliances were introduced to home cooks in 1919, and haven’t changed dramatically since the Great Depression — even the attachments of the era still work. The 1980s saw a huge bump in sales; many of those mixers are still running today.
3. Navy Pea Coats
Retailers have sold less durable versions for decades, but there’s only one real pea coat: the woolen, slightly stiff, double-breasted mammoth of a jacket worn by sailors around the world since — no lie — the early 1700s.
If you’re lucky enough to own an authentic military-issue pea coat, you’ve probably passed it down to your kids and grandkids. There are two reasons for this: A) it never goes out of style, and B) dang, that thing is warm.
4. Electrolux Vacuum Cleaners
For pure vacuuming power, there was Electrolux, and then there was everybody else.
The Swedish company’s canister cleaners, many of which still work today, were immensely popular in the U.S. during the 1960s. Why? Well, they weighed less than competing vacuums and were legendarily excellent at sucking. In fact, as one 1960s U.K. ad put it, “Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.”
5. JanSport Backpacks
Half school supply, half indestructible lifestyle carry-all, there’s a good chance your JanSport backpack has far outlasted your formal education. Introduced in 1967, the compartment-style carriers seamlessly transitioned to hiking packs, diaper bags or briefcases, depending on your needs and stage in life.
And if it’s a little worse for the wear these days? No worries — JanSport still makes good on its pledge to repair or replace broken bags.
6. CorningWare Dishes
If you didn’t drop it during the Carter administration, you probably have a CorningWare dish sitting in your kitchen cabinet right now.
First produced in 1958, the glass-ceramic cookware worked on every part of the stove, from burners to broiler. Unlike other dishes, they were pretty enough to be used for serving, as well — especially if you nabbed the iconic Blue Cornflower design.
7. Boots from L.L. Bean, Dr. Martens or Frye
Good boots get you fun places. Bad boots get you fungus.
Fortunately, vintage footwear from Frye, L.L. Bean, and Dr. Martens are the former — quality kicks manufactured by reliable companies for decades. Founded in 1863, 1912 and 1960 respectively, all three brands still produce boots, though Dr. Martens experienced a much-maligned drop in quality after shifting production to Asia in 2003. Lesson learned: Don't mess with a good thing.
8. Lodge Cast-Iron Pans
Sure, your Teflon-coated aluminum pan with the molded stay-cool handle is nice. But for cookware that will outlast you, your relatives and most modern societies, you have to go cast iron.
The consummately heavy pans aren’t just durable — they actually impart flavor and iron into the foods they cook. Lodge, in business since 1896, remains the premier company for the skillets, which are still bargains at around $30 a pop.
9. CutCo Knives
Multilevel marketing companies like Amway and Herbalife can be controversial — many walk a fine line between legitimate business and pyramid scheme. But some, like CutCo, sell genuinely superior products.
CutCo knives aren’t just sharper and stronger than most store-bought cutlery; they’re made in the U.S. and come with a Forever Guarantee, explicitly stating they’ll be replaced if you’re not satisfied. That’s probably why many buyers still have their sets decades later.
The Product That Won’t Last: Twinkies
Urban legend has it that the cream-filled cakes consist entirely of chemicals, have 100-year shelf lives, and would survive nuclear annihilation relatively unscathed.
Of course, while it makes for a great story, none of it is true. There are flour, shortening and eggs in those little yellow wonders, and as a result, Twinkies only remain fresh about 25 days. Great for dessert, but not a reliable source of sustenance for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.


9 Popular Products That Are Made to Last

Kristen Sturt

I can’t believe I’m 64.
 
As every boomer knows, this is a milestone birthday — as important as turning 21, 40 or 65 — made famous by Paul McCartney in his song, “When I’m 64.” Who of our generation doesn’t know it by heart? “Will you still need me? Will you still feed me?” It’s in our DNA.
 
The song, of course, is off the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, which was released in the summer of 1967. How far away 64 seemed to me then. Forty-five years away, to be exact. I was 19 and living at home when Sgt. Pepper came out. I first saw it in the LP record rack at Long’s Drug Store in San Pablo, Calif. Its cover art — the Fab Four dressed in Day-Glo military uniforms, surrounded by a collage of famous people in cardboard cutouts — stopped me in my tracks.
 
I had to buy it, though I’d yet to hear any of the cuts. Didn’t matter, it was the Beatles! Once I did play it, I couldn’t stop listening. Both my parents worked so the house was empty most of the day. I’d put the record on the turntable of our Curtis Mathis stereo and play it over and over from beginning to end. Songs like “Fixing a Hole” and “She’s Leaving Home” spoke to the heart of this lonely, mixed-up teenager. The exotic Indian instrumentation on “Within You, Without You,” put me in a hypnotic trance. I felt stoned when I played Sgt. Pepper.
 
The only song that didn’t speak to me was “When I’m 64.” Although I liked its bouncy melody, I couldn’t relate to its message of aging. I was never going to be 30, let alone 64.
 
So here I am turning 64 on October 9, the same day that John Lennon would have turned 72. By now you’d think I could finally identify with the song. But I can’t — and it’s not the Beatles fault. Being 64 today isn’t what it was in 1967. Times have changed.
 
Not so long ago life was pretty much over at 64. The song says as much: mending fuses, knitting sweaters, digging weeds — those, say McCartney’s lyrics, are the activities that await us as seniors. Tell that to the boomers who pack health clubs, run triathlons and go on kayaking excursions in the Yukon.
 
In 1967 people who were 64 seemed ancient and very square, like Bing Crosby, Arthur Godfrey and Lawrence Welk. Compare these entertainers to today's 64s: Billy Crystal, Steven Tyler and Ozzy Osbourne for starters. In just 10 years Madonna will be 64.
 
And who today has grandchildren with such old-timey names as Vera, Chuck and Dave? Nowadays, it’s more like Madison, Cole and Dakota. And try putting them on your knee, as the song says we’ll be doing. They’re way too busy texting. 
 
As for getting older and losing my hair, that didn’t happen either, at least for me. I still have a full head of it, even if it is gray.
 
Ours is the generation that swore it would never grow up. So far, we’ve done an excellent job of fulfilling that pledge. Like it or not, what we couldn’t have foreseen is how the economy would conspire to keep us from slowing down and growing complacent. McCartney’s lyrics talk about renting a summer cottage on the Isle of Wight “if it’s not too dear.” A three-month rental in a resort area known for its sailing regattas? Sorry, Paul. Not unless you’re a 1 percenter.
 
My grandfather retired when he was 65. He and my grandmother settled back and watched the world go by. He had a pension on top of his social security so he could afford to kick back. And his house was paid for. It should have been. He and my grandmother lived in it for 30 years, paying off the mortgage.
 
Like so many boomers, I’m still weighing employment options: Do I work to 70, 80 — and then what? Be a Wal-Mart greeter? I’ve refinanced my condo so many times I’ll never own it. Maybe the only person still needing me and feeding me will be myself.
 
“When I’m 64” is not the only song on the Sgt. Pepper album whose meaning has changed for me over the last 45 years. I used to think the opening song, “With a Little Help from My Friends,” was about drugs, and the comfort they bring. Not anymore.
Times are different and I'm different too. At the end of the day it’s my friends who get me by. If not in person, they’re there for me on speed-dial and email. Some I’ve known since the summer of 1967. At 64, some things haven't changed.


When I'm 64: It's Not What I Thought

John Stark

You probably just heard that 36 percent of Americans haven’t saved a penny for retirement, according to a new Bankrate.com survey. (And 26 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds haven’t put away any money for it either.)
 
I suspect that they — and, frankly, most of the rest of us — could use some advice to get our retirement planning on track. The question is: Where should we get it and how good would it be?
 
A fascinating new study has some answers to those questions.
 
For Inside Retirement Income Advice 2014: At Retirement Focus, the Rye, N.Y. financial research firm Hearts & Wallets analyzed advice from 29 financial advisory firms, online calculators and employee retirement plans. The point wasn’t to select particular companies or tools as best, but to see how helpful their brands were during their "experiences" offering advice.
(MORE: Retirement Calculators Can Be Bad for Your Wealth)
 
“When we ask people in focus groups where they think financial firms are on service quality and product quality, many draw question marks,” said Laura Varas, co-founder of Hearts & Wallets. “They have no perception.”
 
For part of the study, its fifth, Hearts & Wallets created the hypothetical pre-retiree couple George and Nina Banks, 64 and 56 (the names of the parents of the bride in the film, Father of the Bride) and then sought advice for them. “We wanted to see if a couple was getting advice, what kind of advice would they get,” said Varas, a former Fidelity exec.
 
The study's results were eye-opening and can be quite useful for people in their 50s and 60s deciding where to get retirement-planning advice.
 
Hearts & Wallet broke into four categories the firms and tools it reviewed: Prelude to a Sale (typically calculators designed to get you to hire the firm behind them); Self-Directed /Media (calculators for DIY'ers); In-Plan (for participants in 401(k)-type plans) and Full-Service (firms that offer access to financial professionals, including the new “robo-advisers”).
(MORE: You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think — Maybe)
 
9 Takeaways From the Study
Here are my nine takeaways:
 
1. Overall, the quality of the retirement-planning advice and the ease of using the tools has improved. In the past, the advisers and tools focused on “The Number” and whether you’d have enough money in retirement. Now, they’ve moved to outlining actions to improve your overall chance of success. Two years ago, only 4 percent of the firms helped pre-retirees optimize their retirement income; this year, 21 percent did (still not all that impressive, though). And more firms now help people make decisions about when to stop working than in previous surveys.
 
2. Many firms are doing a better job offering retirement advice to couples rather than just to one individual in a couple. An impressive 83 percent of the experiences Hearts & Wallets analyzed were for couples, up from 61 percent in 2012.
 
3. The range of the results was all over the map. While 32 percent predicted the Banks would fail to achieve their goals based on their retirement income sources ($1.6 million of investable assets, a pension and Social Security; no mortgage), 60 percent forcasted success and 8 percent had no prediction.
(MORE: Finding Financial Advice You Can Trust)
 
Investment recommendations varied greatly, too. One adviser told the Banks they should have 60 percent in equities; another said 12 percent. The average: 45 percent. The Social Security estimates for the first year George Banks could claim benefits ranged from $22,236 to $41,405.
 
4. There was also a wide variety in the amount of information pre-retirees could provide and the number of “what if” questions they could ask. Full-service firms were the most comprehensive and 401(k) plans [so-called In-Plan] the least. Full-service firms, on average, took in 14 pieces of information, but the 401(k) plans amassed only eight. What-ifs “were a particular area of weakness for In-Plan,” the report said.
5. Many advisers and retirement calculators won’t factor your real estate into your plans. Just 34 percent of the firms and tools asked people about the eventual sale of their home or potential rental income. Only one in six experiences for the Banks was set up to realize that the couple planned to sell their primary home.  
 
“Some of the full-service firms [questionnaires] and all of the In-Plan tools we looked at couldn’t take real estate assets into account,” said Varas. “But mass-affluent retirees often have quite a lot of assets in real estate and could be overspending on them.”
 
6. Some retirement-planning calculators had more depth than others. “Firms like Fidelity and T. Rowe Price have invested more in their online tools than places like Vanguard or AARP,” said Varas. “I’m not saying Vanguard or AARP aren’t good; they just have a different strategy. Anybody looking at these sites would see that.”
 
7. The scope and quality of the advice offered by 401(k) plans has improved dramatically. Hearts and Wallets said “a stunning development” in this year’s study was that the 401(k) experiences “can parallel Full Service in their capabilities.”
 
Said Varas: “One of the big findings is that compared to our study in 2013, some of the advice behind the log-in plan providers [where employees must log in for access] is pretty good. It’s in a simple format and shows you tradeoffs.”
 
Problem is, very few people with access to 401(k) advice take it. A just-released survey of 1,000 401(k) participants, commissioned by Schwab Retirement Plan Services, found that only 23 percent of those with access to professional 401(k) advice say they’ve used it.
 
8. It was so difficult to find out how much the firms would charge, Hearts & Wallets gave up trying. “There is little consistent information on price — for that matter, on any transparent mechanism for determining who gets access or how much it costs them,” said the study. A small consolation: 46 percent of firms said their policy regarding pricing is to “proactively discuss with clients,” up from a mere 11 percent in 2010.
 
9. The firms and tools often aren’t addressing some real-world concerns. Only 10 percent let people include information about their health considerations; just 48 percent let them put in their tax bracket; a mere 7 percent offered the “what-if” scenario of one spouse dying before the other and 10 percent gave people the opportunity to ask “What if I’d need long-term care?"
 
Advice From the Study's Creator
I asked Varas what advice she’d offer a pre-retiree who wanted to get retirement-income advice. Her suggestions:
 
"First, try to get a sense of the scope of the questions you’re considering and which ‘what-if’s you want answered. Then see if the firm has the capabilities to handle them.
 
"Second, know how much the advice costs.”
 
(As a rule, you can expect to pay a minimum of about $200 to $300 an hour to meet with a financial planner; some charge 1 percent or more of your assets. Robo-advisers’ fees vary enormously. In a Next Avenue article, investor advocate Jack Waymire (of Paladin Registry) said a pure Robo with an automated investment process and limited human contact might charge you 0.10 percent to 0.35 percent of your assets under management; others charge $10 a month and many offer free services.)
 
“And third, shop around at three to five advisory firms or services.”
(Bear in mind that some firms won’t even let you in the front door if you don’t have enough money. A Principal Financial Group survey of 614 financial advisers found that 30 percent prefer clients to have at least $500,000 to invest and 57 percent want at least $250,000.)
 
Do you really need to work with a human?
 
Varas said “that depends on your financial skills and the time you have to devote to this.” Hearts & Wallets focus group participants who said they had the best experiences met with their financial advisers every year and had periodic check-ins — “like going to the doctor,” said Varas.


Retirement Advice: Getting Better, But Still Deficient

Richard Eisenberg

Thinking of retiring abroad in 2020? Have you seen these headlines in recent months? “Death Toll in Chile Protests Since October Rises to 27,” “Nicaragua Has a Simple Message for Protesters: Don’t,” “Thousands Flee to Shore as Australia Fires Turn Skies Blood Red," “Hong Kong Protesters Return to Streets as New Year Begins,” “Strike Bites French Economy” and “Seven Days of Unrest and Counting: Thousands Stream Into Ecuador’s Capital.”
Lisbon, PortugalOn the face of it, the news about these protests, strikes and fires might seem enough to keep you firmly planted in the United States for retirement (we never have such problems here, right?). But the truth is, no place in the world is immune from altercations or natural disasters. So, if you are considering retiring abroad, keep that in mind. Better yet, do your homework to learn about the pros and cons of potential locations.
One way to start is by poring through the Best Places to Retire Around the World lists just out from International Living (The World’s Best Places to Retire in 2020, which ranks 24 countries) and Live and Invest Overseas (World’s Top 10 Retirement Destinations for 2020), the two colossals on the subject. Both crunch numbers for key factors ranging from cost of living to health care to climate, though they often come up with different places.
"If a correspondent feels a place is not safe or secure, they'll tell us."
For 2020, however, both lists cite Portugal as No. 1; Live and Invest Overseas lists cities or regions, so its winner is actually the Algarve area of Portugal, for the fifth year running — and it’s now tied with Mazatlán, Mexico.
Another way to prepare for retirement abroad is to read stories with advice about such relocations; Next Avenue has published a bunch, and they’re noted at the end of this post.
Dan Prescher, an International Living editor who lives with his wife Suzan Haskins in Merida, Mexico, notes that his publication’s reporters around the world factor in safety when producing their annual rankings. “If a correspondent feels a place is not safe or secure, they’ll tell us,” he says.
So, protests aside, International Living believes its Top 10 places to retire abroad for 2020 — five in Latin America and Mexico; three in Europe and two in Asia — are safe for American expats. Two of them weren’t in its Top 10 in 2019: France and Vietnam (they’ve replaced Peru and Thailand).
The International Living Top 10 for 2020
1. Portugal
2. Panama
3. Costa Rica
4. Mexico
5. Colombia
6. Ecuador
7. Malaysia
8. Spain
9. France
10. Vietnam
The Live and Invest Overseas Top 10 for 2020
The Live and Invest Overseas Top 10 list for 2020 (five in Latin America and Mexico, four in Europe and one in Asia):
1. Algarve, Portugal
2. Mazatlán, Mexico
3. Cuenca, Ecuador
4. Valletta, Malta
5. Città Sant’ Angelo, Italy
6. Ambergris Caye, Belize
7. San Ignacio, Belize
8. Bled, Slovenia
9. Medellin, Colombia
10. Chiang Mai, Thailand
"Many of the new destinations are not well-known and not yet on the mainstream radar," says Kathleen Peddicord, author and publisher of Live and Invest Overseas, about her list.
Why Portugal Is No. 1
One reason Portugal rose to the top of the International Living list this year is that this ranking organization changed the way it scored countries for climate. “Countries with a range of climates were given more weight than just ones that are warm all-year-round,” says Prescher.
Portugal also “doesn’t seem to be going through the flips and twists that a lot of European economies have been going through," Prescher adds. “It’s incredibly affordable and not a basket case.” Portugal received the best International Living score for Housing, Health Care and Climate of all 24 countries ranked.
International Living’s Portugal correspondent, Tricia Pimental, says Portugal is the second least expensive country in Europe, after Bulgaria. Pimental and her husband spend about a third of what they did in the United States, adding that you can live a comfortable lifestyle in Portugal for about $2,500 a month. By contrast, International Living’s report says a couple can live in Mexico for $1,500 to $3,000 a month, depending on location.
Retiring in Panama
Panama, No. 2 on International Living’s list for 2020, frequently ranks at or near the top of its annual list. This year, it had the top scores in the categories of Retiree Benefits & Discounts, Visas & Residence and Opportunity (how well the local authorities support small business, whether it’s easy to work remotely and whether there’s a strong economy).
“Panama made residency a lot easier to get,” says Prescher, who describes the country as “a very cosmopolitan place” and with “a government as stable as governments in the Americas get.”
He adds: “They’ve standardized the amount needed for a retirement visa and an investment visa. It used to be a lot more complicated and costlier.” U.S. expats can get the “Friends of Panama” visa by having at least $5,000 in a Panama bank account, and either buying real estate, starting a business or getting a job in the country.
Retiring in France
France’s appearance on International Living’s Top 10 for 2020 may surprise you, considering the high cost of living in places like Paris and Lyon. Truth is, the country only scored a 66 out of 100 in the Cost of Living category.
“Yes, France can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be,” says Prescher. “You can live in the countryside very easily.” International Living’s France correspondent, Tulla Rampont, writes in her Best Places to Retire report that “outside of major cities like Paris and Lyon, rent is about a third of what I paid in California and so is my mortgage payment.” She manages an English-language school in Toulon, in the south of France.
Prescher offers a word to the wise about retiring to Mexico: “Health care is in flux there right now,” he says. “The country has plans to combine private health care and public health care so everyone has access to the same, affordable health care.” But no one knows when that will happen.
Retiring in Mexico
That said, according to the new book about boomer retirement in Mexico, The Fun Side of the Wall  by Travis Scott Luther, more than a million U.S. citizens currently live in Mexico and the country is the No. 1 nation for American expats. The most popular cities for them: Tijuana; San Miguel de Allende; Mexicali, Ensenada and Chapala. And, Luther notes, Puerto Vallarta, Merida and Tulum are growing fast as expat hotspots.
Luther writes that Americans considering retiring in Mexico need to prepare themselves for a slower pace of life, which has its pros and cons.
“A leisurely life may sound great when you decide to bury your watch in the sand and just lay on the beach until you feel like going home, but it might not be so great when you are waiting for someone to come repair your broken shower,” Luther says in the book.
Also, Luther notes, “for almost all Mexico boomers [from the U.S.], working in Mexico is impossible. Even if they wanted to pursue meaningful employment, they would be locked out due to residency or tax and benefit restrictions.”
Next Avenue Stories on Retiring Abroad
And for more advice about retiring abroad, check out these five Next Avenue articles:
“Nuts and Bolts of Preparing to Retire Abroad”
“Want to Retire Abroad?” Answers to 14 FAQs”
“Is Retiring Abroad Right for You?"
“How to Choose Your Ideal Place to Retire Abroad”
“4 Myths About Retiring Abroad"


The Best Places to Retire Abroad in 2020

Typically, when you hear about the top places to retire abroad, South and Central America spots lead the way; for instance, International Living recently called Ecuador the No. 1 “World’s Best Retirement Destination.” But European locales take three of the top spots in the new Retire Overseas Index list from the Live and Invest Overseas site and the Overseas Retirement Letter.
Chalk it up to the strong dollar — and the revised methodology that went into the third annual Retire Overseas Index from publisher Kathleen Peddicord, who’s been covering this beat for 30 years.
The Top 9 for 2015
Actually, nine places get A grades in Peddicord’s new list; five weren’t even among last year’s best-in-show. In descending order, they are:
1. Algarve, Portugal  This beachfront region was No. 1 last year, too. It boasts a low cost of living, great weather, an established expat community and a new retiree residency program. A one-bedroom apartment near the beach costs about $100,000. One advantage: Portugal (like France, Spain, Italy and the Dominican Republic) has no restrictions on foreign ownership of property. One drawback: No direct flights from the U.S. One surprise: You can get by speaking only English here, says Peddicord.
2. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico  The luxurious Pacific Ocean resort town is a newcomer that didn’t make last year’s list of top spots. The researchers noted its well-established expat community.
3. Cayo, Belize  Peddicord’s team calls this Central American community (also a newcomer) a “leave-the-world-behind, embrace-the-simple-life, off-grid” outdoorsman’s paradise with a sizable expat community. Belize tied with Malaysia and Panama for a top A+ score for its taxes. But no place is perfect; Cayo’s described as “a culture vulture’s inferno” and is hot and humid year-round.
4. Languedoc, France  The second top scorer in Europe is described as “French country living at its best and most affordable.” Languedoc also has one of the fastest Internet speeds in the rankings. France received a C- for taxes, though.
5. Abruzzo, Italy  The last of the European trifecta is fabulous for foodies and has one of the lowest crime rates in Italy. It’s billed by Live and Invest Overseas as “like Tuscany” but at half the cost. Italy scored a C for taxes.
6. Medellin, Colombia  The highest-ranking South American locale, Colombia’s cultural capital is billed as a “pretty, pleasant, civilized city” with good weather (not the drug cartel haven of yore). Medellin was a favorite last year, too.
7. and 8. Hua Hin and Chiang Mai, Thailand They’re Asia’s best scoring places; Hua Hin is new to the winner’s roster but Chiang Mai is a repeat from last year. Internet’s cheap and pretty fast.
9. Cuenca, Ecuador  Like Algarve and Medellin, the temperature stays below 80 degrees all-year-round. It was a favorite last year, too, though Cuenca slipped from the No. 2 position.
Rounding Out the Winners List
A dozen other places are on the Live and Invest Overseas list of the world’s best retirement destinations; six are in Central America/Caribbean; three are in Asia; two are in Europe and one is in South America.
They are, in descending order: El Valle, Panama; George Town, Malaysia; Granada, Nicaragua; Ambergris Caye, Belize; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic; Istanbul, Turkey; City Beaches, Panama; Barcelona, Spain; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cebu, Philippines and Da Nang, Vietnam.
How the Rankings Are Done
So how in the world do Peddicord’s researchers come up with their list?
They crunch numbers for 12 categories that “represent the most important criteria that retirees must consider when shopping the globe for the best places to live out their retirement” (from cost of living to climate to health care to safety to taxes to the existence of an expat community to whether English is spoken). Then they supplement the data with on-the-ground reporting from Overseas Retirement Letter correspondents.
What you won’t find are any places in Australia or New Zealand (too pricey and too far from the U.S.), Costa Rica (rising cost of living, failing infrastructure), or Uruguay (too expensive for the lifestyle).
I mentioned that the methodology changed a bit this year. “I decided to mix it up,” Peddicord recently wrote. A few examples:
The infrastructure scoring now includes “fast and reliable Internet”To compile health care data, the researchers shifted focus from general to very specific. Instead of awarding a grade based on the quality, standard, and cost of the health care in a country, they scored particular destinations.The taxes category now takes sales and property tax into account.And the ranking staff added an Affordability of Real Estate category. In the past, they included the cost of buying real estate as part of the overall cost of living category.Peddicord recently wrote: “Thanks to a strong U.S. dollar and recessed and depressed property markets, this is the best time perhaps in our lifetimes to be thinking about owning digs of your own in locations of particular interest to the retiree. Europe, especially, is a bargain of our age.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the winners or in getting advice about retiring abroad, you might consider attending the fifth annual Live and Invest Overseas Conference in Orlando, Fla. running Sept. 13 to 16. Cost: $695; $1,095 for two. Safe travels.


The World's Best Places to Retire

(This article originally appeared on Simplywise.com.)
In 2019, 64 million Americans were estimated to have received Social Security benefits, and for more than half of beneficiaries age 65 or older, Social Security represented over 50% of their income. Nonetheless, a recent SimplyWise survey found that less than one in eight Americans aged 60 to 70 considered themselves “very knowledgeable” on the topic.
Worse, only one out of 300 people asked knew the correct answer to all five of the following questions below.
These questions are fundamental, and confusion leads to some people missing out on Social Security income they desperately need. Whether you’re single, divorced or married and looking to maximize your retirement income, familiarizing yourself with the Social Security claiming rules is paramount to a relaxed retirement.
Question 1: Claiming at which age maximizes your monthly earned Social Security benefit?
Correct answer: 70.
While non-disabled people can begin collecting their Social Security benefits at 62, the monthly benefit amount will increase for every month they wait until turning 70. After that, the benefit does not increase.
Waiting past your Full Retirement Age will earn you delayed Social Security retirement credits and result in an increased benefit amount.
How many got it right: 42%.
Most common wrong answer: 35% of people believe that you earn the maximum monthly benefit at Full Retirement Age. Full retirement age — typically 66 or 67 — entitles you to 100% of your Primary Insurance Account or PIA, which is the amount you’ve earned based on your working record. But waiting past your Full Retirement Age will earn you delayed Social Security retirement credits and result in an increased benefit amount.
Question 2: For non-disabled people, what is the earliest age you can receive survivors benefits?
Correct answer: 60.
How many got it right: 9%.
Most common wrong answer: 21% of people surveyed believe that the age is 62. In the case of earned benefits and spousal benefits, this is correct, but the age drops for survivor benefits. Similar to earned and spousal benefits, waiting past the earliest age can increase the monthly benefit amount.
Question 3: Does your spouse need to be receiving Social Security benefits for you to qualify for spousal benefits?
Correct answer: If you intend to collect Social Security benefits based on your current spouse’s earnings record, your husband or wife must already be collecting his or her Social Security earned benefits. When it comes to collecting spousal benefits on an ex-spouse’s record, however, this is not necessary.
How many got it right: 20%.
Question 4: Can divorced spouses receive survivor benefits?
Correct answer: Yes. The criteria differ slightly from those of married spouses — for example, the marriage must have lasted for at least 10 years and there are rules around remarriage — but divorced spouses can collect survivor benefits in relation to a deceased ex-spouse.
How many got it right: 38%.
Question 5: Can divorced spouses receive spousal benefits?
Correct answer: Yes. As is the case for survivor benefits, some differences do exist for divorced spouses, but they are eligible for spousal benefits.
How many got it right: 67%.
The Bottom Line
Increasingly, online Social Security blogs and free calculators are emerging to help people avoid costly mistakes. Hopefully, with better education around the topic, Americans can maximize what they’ve earned.


Only 1 in 300 People in Their Sixties Know These Social Security Rules

I’m always curious to see the latest best places in the world to retire rankings from expat experts. But I have to tell you: Some of the Top 10 spots on the new 2016 Retire Overseas Annual Index, from Live and Invest Overseas, made my head spin like a globe.
No. 2, Valletta, Malta? (Could you find it on a map?) No. 5, Ljubljana, Slovenia? (Could you spell it? Pronounce it?) No. 6, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia? (Same questions; pardon my provincialism.)
I suppose part of the fun of dreaming about far-flung places to retire is learning about ones that are unfamiliar. On that score, the Live and Invest Overseas folks have a winning list. And it's worth noting that this year’s No. 1 place, the scenic beachfront region of Algarve, Portugal, often shows up on great places to retire lists. (It was No. 1 on Live and Invest Overseas’ 2015 and 2014 lists, too.)
Below is the Top 10 list, followed by an explanation of how the creators came up with it; you can read about each place in the slideshow at the bottom. You’ll note that four in the Top 10 are in Europe, three are in North America and the Caribbean (two of those are in Mexico); two others are in Central America (both in Belize) and one’s in Asia. And nearly all are not just peachy, according to Live and Invest Overseas, but beachy.
No. 1: Algarve, Portugal
No. 2: Valletta, Malta
No. 3: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
No. 4: Cayo, Belize
No. 5: Ljubljana, Slovenia (pronounced LOO-blee-ah-na)
No. 6: Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (pronounced Ko-tah Kin-a-BA-lu)
No. 7: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
No. 8: Crete, Greece
No. 9: Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
No. 10: Ambergris Caye, Belize
The way author, entrepreneur and international retirement expert Kathleen Peddicord and her Live and Invest Overseas team come up with their annual ranking is part objective, part subjective. They gather local data in 12 categories (from climate to taxes to health care to cost of living to entertainment to existing expat community), weighted equally, and get on-the-ground opinions from correspondents; this year's list has 21 winners overall.
“Algarve and Valletta check all the boxes,” says Lief Simon, the Live and Invest Overseas real estate editor who’s also Peddicord’s husband.
Why Algarve and Valletta Are Tops
Peddicord says Algarve has “everything the would-be retiree could want — great weather, an established and welcoming expat community, top-notch health care, an extremely affordable cost of living (a retired couple could live comfortably on as little as $1,400 per month), undervalued and bargain-priced property buys, including right on the ocean, a great deal of English spoken thanks to the longstanding British presence, First World infrastructure and easy access both from the United States to and from all Europe.”
Valletta, Malta, according to Live and Invest Overseas is “quintessential Mediterranean Europe — from its weather and food to its history and culture.”
Sometimes, places bubble up on the Live and Invest Overseas list in a given year because they've become more affordable. That’s one reason why four European spots — and two Mexican areas — made the 2016 Top 10.
“The strong dollar is helping from a budget perspective. That helped bring Europe back into the mix,” says Simon. “People think, ‘I can’t afford to retire there, but the Euro has been about a buck ten for the last year or so, which is much more affordable than if it was a buck sixty.”
In fact, Simon says, the current currency exchange rate is so favorable to Americans, you might want to “buy a retirement home in Europe now. Then your real estate costs are locked in and you can create a buffer should the currency go against you.”
Why Places Drop Off the List
Sometimes, popular expat spots don’t make the cut because they’ve grown expensive. It’s why Cuenca, Ecuador isn’t on the 2016 list, for example.
And sometimes, tweaks in the methodology either boost or nick potential retirement locales around the world.
I wondered, though, how the new list could be so different from the one Live and Invest Overseas published in January 2016, where Medellin, Colombia; Pau, France; Abruzzo, Italy; George Town, Malaysia and Chiang Mai, Thailand were in the Top 10, but the current list’s Valletta, Ljubljana, Kota Kinabalu, Playa del Carmen, Crete and Ambergris Caye were not.
Peddicord’s explanation: The January list consisted of her personal picks; the new list, which is described in great detail in a Live and Invest Overseas 211-page report, comes from her data crunchers and correspondents.
“This is much more data intensive,” Peddicord notes. “We invest months of research and have dozens of editors and researchers involved.”
One thing to keep in mind, says Simon: “No place anywhere is perfect.” Even some of this year’s Top 10 places scored low in certain categories. Valletta, the report notes, has poor air quality; the two Belize communities get D's for health care and Kota Kinabalu scores a D+ for infrastructure.
Live and Invest Overseas is out with its 2016 Best Places to Retire Overseas Annual Index and what follows are thumbnail descriptions about each of its Top 10 places. Four are in Europe, three are in North America and the Caribbean, two are in Central America and one is in Asia.
No. 1: Algarve, Portugal
Described as “an inexpensive Old World destination” (monthly budget: $1,476) with “more sunny days than almost anywhere else in Europe” and “some of the best golf courses in Europe,” this area on the southwest tip of Portugal is No. 1 on the Live and Invest Overseas annual list for the third year in a row. It’s an all-around winner, snagging A+ grades for health, cost of living, recreation, crime and taxes and A’s and B’s in all the other categories. Nearly everyone speaks English, too. But the nearest big airport is 2½ hours away, in Lisbon.
No. 2: Valletta, Malta
The safe, tiny capital of the small Maltese archipelago south of Sicily, Valletta offers weather, food, history and culture that are “quintessential Mediterranean Europe,” according to Live and Invest Overseas. And the rankings staff gives Valletta an A+ for health (though they describe the air quality as poor).
Since the country’s second official language is English, the friendly locals speak it fluently. As for weather, think southern Spain. Malta’s Global Residence Program for non-EU citizens lets you obtain residency by renting or buying real estate. One plus: you won’t need a car. One minus: the nearest major connecting airport is a two- or three-hour flight.
No. 3: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Live and Invest Overseas calls Puerto Vallarta — known locally as PV — “a developed, luxury-level Pacific Ocean resort town with history and charm.” More than 40,000 expats live here; mostly North Americans. As a result, Puerto Vallarta scores an A+ for its expat community. It gets A’s and B’s in all the other categories. The sport fishing haven is convenient, too: there’s an airport nearby with direct flights back to the states.
No. 4: Cayo, Belize
Cayo is a “leave-the-world-behind, embrace-the-simple-life, off-grid paradise," says Live and Invest Overseas. Belize makes obtaining permanent residency extremely easy and gets an A+ for taxes; it’s also the only country in the 2016 Retire Overseas Index where English is the single official language. Although Cayo is “an outdoorsman’s paradise,” it has two serious drawbacks. The ranking’s editors call it a “culture vulture’s bad inferno” and say that health care isn’t up to international standards here, or anywhere in Belize. 
No. 5: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Along with another first-time winning destination (Crete, Greece), Ljubljana is described by Live and Invest Overseas as a “bargain choice in the Old World” and “one of Europe’s unknown gems.” A couple could live in the safe Central European capital of mountainous Slovenia — between Italy and Croatia — on under $1,500 a month.
Beaches are an hour away and ski resorts are easily accessible (yes, it snows in Ljubljana). But, with a 22 percent sales tax, the country only scores a C for taxes in this ranking. What you won’t find in Ljubljana: many U.S. expats or any direct flights to America.
No. 6: Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
“A breakout destination” featured for the first time among Live and Invest Overseas’ top picks, this laid-back, inexpensive (monthly living cost: about $1,155) and highly walkable beach destination is described as “an incredibly welcoming place.”
And, Live and Invest Overseas says, Malaysia — a former British colony — “actively encourages foreign residents to relocate here” with an “incentive-packed residency visa called Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H).” There’s never snow, but you could run into a monsoon. But getting there or back is not much fun: there are no direct flights to the United States.
 No. 7: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
A longtime favorite of Live and Invest Overseas, safe, affordable, little Playa del Carmen — an hour south of Cancun — offers what the ranking creators call “one of the best choices available today for the Caribbean beach life.” In fact, correspondent Kat Kalashian says the area “feels just like a typical American boardwalk beach town.”
It’s home to more than 10,000 foreigners — about 7 percent of the population — helping to explain why the area gets rated A+ for its expat community. Roughly 65 percent of real estate buyers now are Americans, due to the strong dollar and Playa del Carmen scores an A+ for its low cost of living (estimated at $1,161 a month). Nearly everyone here speaks English, too.
No. 8: Crete, Greece
The largest Greek island (slightly bigger than Maine) with more than 1,000 miles of coastline and three international airports, Crete has “vibrant, picturesque little towns, stunning beaches, mountains and countryside,” according to Live and Invest Overseas. It also scores an A+ for cost of living; a couple can live on under $1,200 a month.
Crete has been a popular retirement spot for British expats for decades. Although health care gets high marks, you won’t find any nurses in hospitals on Crete; families are expected to care for all patients’ needs, say the ranking’s editors. And, the editors say, if you want modern culture, you’ll need to head to the mainland.
No. 9: Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
Live and Invest Overseas publisher Kathleen Peddicord calls Las Terrenas “one of the most interesting expat communities I’ve encountered anywhere in the world. Her data crunchers give this quiet, relatively isolated beach town an A for taxes and an A- for cost living, noting that health care is “extremely affordable,” though “the standard [of quality] can be poor.” Worth noting: American expats are few and far between and the major international airport is about two hours away.
No. 10: Ambergris Caye, Belize
Live and Invest Overseas calls the sailing paradise of Ambergris Caye “a bustling tourist destination with world-class restaurants, wine bars, great night life, tons of live music and a broad variety of activities and pastimes.” And Belize has many lures for foreign retirees, including low taxes, an easy system to obtain permanent residency and English as the single official language.
Ambergris Caye gets an A+ for its expat community; roughly 10 percent of the permanent population is expat. There’s no hospital here, however, and Live and Invest Overseas says health care anywhere in Belize “isn’t up to international standards.” One other consideration: you’ll need to travel a couple of hours to the airport.
And, of course, the factors that matter to you in choosing a place to retire might not match with what the number crunchers looked at. With those caveats, happy retirement home hunting!


The 10 Best Places in the World to Retire

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages, it's hard to envision an end in sight. But with vaccines moving forward and new treatments emerging, there will be a day when we can get back out into the world and resume our lives.
What will those post-pandemic lives look like? A majority of U.S. adults (86%) polled by Pew Research Center say there is some kind of "lesson or set of lessons" to be taken from the pandemic, like the importance of wearing a mask to protect others, the value of spending time with family and loved ones or the need for universal health care.
Here are nine pandemic changes that might just become part of our future survival guide:
1.  Mask Wearing
In Asian countries, face masks are an accepted part of everyday life, which might be one reason death rates from the coronavirus there are relatively low. It's common in those nations to wear masks to control respiratory droplets especially during cold, flu and hay fever seasons. In Japan, face masks are nearly universal in public areas, despite not being mandated.
Though relatively new to our culture, masks have now morphed into fashion statements (just look at Nancy Pelosi's matching masks and outfits). The company Second Wind, whose masks include decorative chains, recently told the New York Times that within just 24 hours of announcing a pre-sale on Instagram last July, the company sold 10,000 products.
When rules that require mask wearing are eventually lifted, it's possible the habit may become permanent, at least when people are indoors in crowded spaces like bars, restaurants and arenas.
In a recent white paper, the professional consulting services firm Deloitte reports "A short-term regulatory intervention, like compulsory face masks, can trigger a settling-in period which influences the 'new normal.'"
2. Our Personal Approach to Wellness
The pandemic has inspired many people to take a more active role in their health.
In its recent trend report, the marketing communications agency Wunderman Thompson notes that companies are recognizing a rising need for technology that allows us to track our health status in our homes — like blood pressure monitors, sleep sensor patches and devices that measure lung function and respiratory rates. 
"We have witnessed the reinvention of our homes as a core element of the health care pathway with telehealth, virtual and remote care technologies as the key drivers for change during COVID-19,"  Deeptha Khanna, chief business leader of personal health at Philips, a global health technology company, said in a statement. 
He predicts the changes will be permanent.
3. Telehealth
The urgent need to practice social distancing combined with fear of seeking medical care has sped up the adoption of telehealth by many patients and practitioners. During the first quarter of last year, as the pandemic was starting, telehealth visits increased by 50% compared to the same period the previous year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
"By allowing for generous reimbursement policies at the public and private level, providers quickly had to pivot, and patients quickly acclimated," noted Dr. Howard Forman, a practicing physician and professor of management and public health at Yale University.
As patients grow more comfortable with the technology and regulations evolve to make it easier for providers to get reimbursed, widespread use of telehealth may stick after the pandemic is over. 
4. Home Fitness
While home fitness was popular prior to the pandemic, the closings of gyms and fitness clubs have driven sales of home workout programs and exercise equipment, like Peloton, to an all-time high. And when gyms reopen, nine in 10 people say they will continue their home workouts, according to fitness company Beachbody in its The Future of Fitness survey.
Many people have adjusted to the convenience and ease of home workouts. In the future, gym-going might become more of a hybrid activity, like employees who split their time between home and the office.
5. Working From Home
With the working from home trend, companies save money on office space and employees who can do it save on commuting time and costs. Twitter and Google support the practice, while Netflix isn't a fan.  
Working from home is nothing new. Prior to the pandemic, surveys showed many employees desired the setup, at least part of the time. Yet going forward, it may become more acceptable and attractive, as more employees settle into its routine and more employers recognize its value.
The Harvard Business Review reports that the number of employees working at home will probably increase, now that "most professionals found ways to be productive outside the office."
Yet not everyone sees it that way. Many workers feel a lack of community and creativity when working from home writes New York Times columnist Kevin Roose. 
"Studies have found that people working together in the same room tend to solve problems more quickly than remote collaborators, and that team cohesion suffers in remote work arrangements," said Roose.
6. Retreat From Supermarkets
It was a dream to live the life of the Jetsons, futuristic cartoon characters from the 1960s TV show who lived in 2062, where Jane Jetson shopped for groceries at the touch of a button. But the future is now. In the first months of the pandemic, a survey of shoppers showed that nearly 80% had purchased groceries online, compared to less than 40% prior to the pandemic. 
Jim Hertel, senior vice president of analytics at the data and analytics firm Inmar Intelligence, told Supermarket News that the online grocery shopping trend "is likely to continue even as restrictions are lifted." That's because shoppers have grown accustomed to this routine, with convenience being the main driving force, he said.
Irene Levine, of Pleasantville, N.Y., said she's been ordering online groceries since the start of the pandemic and will never look back. "We're pleased with the quality of the food, the ease of ordering and the time savings," she said.
7. Increased Hotel Hygiene 
Hotel bookings have taken a blow during COVID-19, but the industry is trying to bounce back by adding measures to ensure their customers' health and safety. The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., for example, has made permanent some initiatives it implemented during the pandemic, like hand-sanitizing stations throughout the resort, touchless guest transactions, advanced cleaning measures and air filtration systems. 
Hilton Hotels is partnering with Lysol and the Mayo Clinic to help ensure a feeling of safety and cleanliness. The chain is also considering providing hybrid daily work environments in some of its rooms for local workers and staycation customers, reports MarketWatch.
8. Hybrid Work and Conferences
The hybrid approach offers the ability to gather a small group in person and to involve a larger, virtual audience, said Nancy Davis, chief creative officer of the Global Wellness Summit. The result, she noted, is that those who can access an event virtually feel they are part of something dynamic and those in person have a wider audience with whom they can connect. 
While virtual conferences may not offer the same benefits as in-person meetings, according to Global Workplace Analytics, executives will learn that the savings outweigh the costs much of the time.
9. Comfy Fashion
Casual Fridays have become casual everydays, as companies like Banana Republic have launched work-from-home collections featuring relaxed styles with comfort and function in mind.
But how will fashion re-emerge once we're back out into the world?
Beauty historian, author and trends expert Rachel Weingarten predicts a move toward what she calls high concept comfort. 
"When there's an industrial revolution of sorts, fashion follows. Although our current fashion world isn't exactly fashionable, in many ways it's become a lot of fun," said Weingarten. "You might see sequins or embellishments on the comfy clothing; it will likely be unlike anything we've worn previously."
Weingarten also sees the re-emergence, for women, of bold pieces and longer earrings, "since right now they're difficult to wear while donning a mask," she said.



9 Things We Learned During COVID-19 That Will Endure

Sheryl Kraft

There is power in talking openly about mental health and mental illness. Featuring expert insight and personal stories, find support and resources on how to challenge stigma and rethink mental health as we age.

In the last 10 years, Americans aged 60 and older have amassed debts quicker than all other age groups, partly because too few saved enough to retire comfortably. This series seeks to raise awareness about common debt traps and how to escape them

For some, leaving the workforce proves to be unfulfilling or not financially sustainable. We’ll feature stories about people who ‘unretire,’ including those who start a new business.

Through interviews, personal stories and practical advice, this special collection encourages the cultivation of our whole selves — body and mind — as we all look for ways to slow down, reset and recharge. Over the next few months, we will explore Writers & Books, Wellness & Fitness and Travel & Adventures.

Talking About It: Aging and Mental Health

Debt Free

The Great Unretirement

The Living Quarter