Will the SECURE Act Really Bring Retirement Security to Older Americans?

For millions of older Americans, the retirement years are far from “golden.” One in three retirees have no money left at the end of the month and must dip into their dwindling savings to pay monthly bills. Record numbers are declaring personal bankrupt… Continue reading

Aging in America: News and Trends From 2 Summits

Last week, I spent four days at the American Society on Aging’s 2019 Aging in America Conference  and the What’s Next Boomer Business Summit, both in New Orleans. My goal: to learn and report on the latest news and trends concerning money, work and vol… Continue reading

Is the Swelling in Retirement Confidence Believable?

A new landmark study of America’s workers and retirees shows they’re significantly more confident than a year ago in their ability to live comfortably throughout retirement. I wish I could believe them. But based on actual retirement savings trends, re… Continue reading

To Retire or Not to Retire?

Crossing the threshold into retirement can feel like a high-wire act without a net. As a retired therapist, I can tell you that during this transition, whether we are retiring or rewiring, feeling disoriented or purposeful, most of us have moments of f… Continue reading

Retiring on Next to Nothing in America

(In her blistering new book, Downhill From Here: Retirement Insecurity in the Age of Inequality, sociologist Katherine S. Newman paints a bleak picture of the state of retirement in America. The book comes from two years of analysis and 300 interviews … Continue reading

How the Oldest People in America’s Blue Zone Make Their Money Last

(In 2008, National Geographic writer Dan Buettner published his bestselling book, The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, about the five “longevity pockets” around the world. For this weekly series, Next Av… Continue reading

Your Second Half of Life Should Be Filled With These 4-Letter Words

The second half of life (I’ll optimistically call it the 50-to-100 phase) is rife with both opportunity and challenge. It’s a time when social expectations expect us to begin to “wind down” rather than “rewind;” to “land” and not “take off;” to retire … Continue reading

Blue Zones, Part 2: How the World’s Oldest People in Asia and Europe Make Their Money Last

(In 2008, National Geographic writer Dan Buettner published his bestselling book, The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, about the five “longevity pockets” around the world. For this weekly series, Next Av… Continue reading

More Answers to Tax Questions for 2018 Returns

Next Avenue recently asked readers to send us their top questions about their 2018 tax returns and we would answer as many as we could. In the story published in late March, three tax experts sorted out confusion about: who needs to file; standard dedu… Continue reading

Blue Zones, Part 1: How the World’s Oldest People Make Their Money Last

(In 2008, National Geographic writer Dan Buettner published his bestselling book, The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, about the five “longevity pockets” around the world: The Nicoya Peninsula of Costa R… Continue reading