Seniors Site

It is not right to put all the blame on the recession. Truth be told, we were living a very spoiled life prior to the recession and some countries were not hit as hard as we had been. Granted, some of us seniors suddenly found ourselves in face of our deepest, darkest fears: losing our homes, no jobs, vulnerable nest eggs, etc. All we could think about is why these things are happening when we’re so close to retirement. Times may not be as easy as it once was but certainly you can do something about it since it is all a matter of right frame of mind and kicking bad money habits we’ve been practicing for too long!
· Procrastinating on your retirement plan. Save NOW! It’s not too late, you know. Scrape everything you have, no matter how small you think your income is right now. If you are one of the millions who are jobless at the moment, don’t dilly dally, instead think of other ways to generate income with your available resources. Hey – manpower is one of the most valuable resources a man can have! Be creative, you might find an opportunity where you least expect it.
· Obsessing on tax breaks. Give your taxes a break. There are indeed many ways to cut down on your taxes however this should not be the sole purpose of your existence. Don’t obsess on the numbers instead start examining what taxes can do for you in the future, particularly on your retirement benefits.
· Feeding your work-pay mentality. We were trained to see work as pay so if you don’t work, our minds quickly assume that there’s no pay too hence the panic. However, we must admit that we are not getting any younger and it’s time to slow down, nest egg or none. Work on whatever you can today and save while you can. You can never work forever, you should know that.
· Depending too much on your inheritance. This is something that is not certain. Just think of 101 things that could go wrong before your inheritance reaches you. You’re lucky if it reaches you in full amount that you have been expecting, in some cases, you don’t get even a dime.
· Not getting life plans. You should know that the biggest dent your retirement money is potentially facing would be your healthcare. The more years added to your age, the more medical procedures your body will need.

Holidays are not safe from scammers, in fact, this is the very time when scammers take advantage of the gift-giving feeling when you put your guard down and really soak up the holiday cheer assuming that everybody is doing the exact same thing. Unfortunately, scammers are more active than ever during holidays and they continually improvise new ways to trick innocent merrymakers!

Dupe online shops. In truth, your search engine a.k.a Google, takes time before they catch dupes – those websites that copy legitimate websites hoping to deceive consumers into entering their personal information (credit card details included) and making transactions with their site. Of course, if you happen to use dupe websites, don’t expect for your ordered items to ever reach your door, instead, brace yourself for your next credit card’s billing statement since that dupe site, must have by then, maxed out your credit line. When shopping online, make sure you are using the right website and not a dupe.

• Online shopping directories. A little bit same when using your search engine and end up in a dupe site however, those found in shopping directories are more organized as they will present themselves as legitimate sellers, their websites all legit looking, designed to only operate during holidays and be gone soon after. If they are not after your credit card details, they are most likely to infect your computer with malware.
• Gift cards from racks. Gift cards must be the most sensible thing to give to loved-ones especially if you don’t have any idea what to get them! Young adults love receiving them as it allows them to shop and get whatever they want and not just contend with a horrible, knitted sweater every single year. However, authorities warn public from buying off department store racks as they are very much exposed to unscrupulous people who steal gift card codes and use it as
  soon as it is activated.
• Online greeting cards. Anything that has a link and the sender asking you to click it should send you doubting big time! Most ecards or electronic cards – the kind that you view on your computer – can be embedded into the email itself which won’t prompt the receiver to click any link anymore. Others will just give you a code which you can use in their website to view your electronic card.
• Undeliverable package notice from your local courier. We’ve had reports from several seniors receiving emails and calls from purportedly “couriers” telling the seniors that they have been trying to deliver a package and wasn’t able to do so. That they needed for the senior to claim it personally or call a number where they can claim their holiday package. Of course, at the other end of the number is a scammer waiting for you call.

No matter how poor you see yourself right now, there is definitely an estate to plan hence the need for an executor. An executor is someone who will administer your estate when you pass away and he or she should be someone who is very much capable of doing so — not to mention, willing to. To be able to know both, you and your executor should have “the talk” as soon as possible and get things straight.
Bear in mind that the talk between the executor and you is, most of the time, not a one-time talk. As long as there are changes in your life, or something came up, the need to talk with your executor is instantly there. For example, if one of your kids die ahead of you or you remarried or perhaps there has been a change in your financial flow, these things will prompt a talk with your executor and shouldn’t be delayed. Buying a new home and even thinking of adopting – whether a pet or a child – should also prompt a brief discussion with your executor.
As soon as you determined what is included in your estate, choosing the executor is the next step. If your chosen executor is not your own personal lawyer, it would be a good idea to bring him or her to meet with your lawyer to discuss your estate and straighten things out. Discuss and be honest about what’s involved and what needs to be done. The executor’s role should also be discussed straight away such as distribution of assets, paying off your acquired debts, handling of insurance policies and inventories, and lastly, handling the sale of your home and other saleable items you own. He or she should be empowered to handle your estate and be the point of contact when there are issues pertaining to your assets. Your executor, to be able to successfully handle and facilitate this, should have a copy of the list of people who would get in touch with him or her for certain issues. While it is quite honorable to be chosen to be an executor, he or she should realize this is more than your trusting them with your asset but a responsibility to make sure everything will run according to plan. This is why choosing the most suitable executor is a must – it may not necessarily be a relative but someone who has the capabilities of executing your will as written.
Spending some time with your executor is also recommended as it will somehow explain the things you have written in your will like why this should go to who and what should go to who. Distribution of asset has always been a touchy subject for surviving families and you wouldn’t want your executor to weather these things our right?

About half of the senior population is taking at least two medications per day, whether it is maintenance drug or to cure a current condition or perhaps vitamins, to help you maintain your body’s tiptop shape. Bad news is, it only keeps on piling up, usually. Hence, it is only logical to one day find yourself scrimping on other things just to be able to fulfill your day’s set of medications. Or you intentionally skip one dose which is not really recommendable considering your age and your health needs.
This is why seniors have grown wiser when it comes to saving on medications and other tricks to help lessen their medication cost. Below are some of the tips and tricks shared by my fellow seniors who are basically on first name basis with their next door pharmacists:

* Go for low cost drugs. To do this, you will need to speak with your doctor and come clean about your financial concerns. Don’t be embarrassed to get your doctor involved in this as you are certainly not alone experiencing this concern. Your doctor might switch brands or give you an altogether different medication for your condition.
* Go for generic drugs instead of branded ones. Notice there are two names written on your drug packaging, the one highlighted with a box is your generic name. This generic name is used ACROSS ALL drugs with the same component/ingredients. The one without a box, usually underneath the generic name, is your brand name. This is what you hear on ads. Needless to say, when you buy the generic name, no matter if you recognize the brand or not, it will still have the same effect, as long as you’re buying it from a reputable pharmacy.
* Buy local but take advantage of discounts. Sometimes when you are already first-name basis with your friendly neighborhood pharmacist, he or she will be willing to give you discounts and/or adjust their price to match local lowest price. However, if you find discounts and they are miles away from you, try to think up of someone who’s conveniently there to buy them for you.
* Stalk pharmacies’ websites. Nowadays pharmacies, both big and small, update their websites regularly and the fastest way to get wind of their discounts is through their website. If you find this hard to do, then go look them up on your favorite social network and they will be there for sure.
* Buy them in bulk especially if this is a maintenance drug. Usually medications are prescribed to be taken in 7 days or two weeks, even a month. Generic drugs usually offer their meds in bulk a.k.a small boxes which is cheaper, of course.

If there are two things seniors need to remember when dealing with a potential financial fraud, they are 1. There is too much talk and 2. It’s getting quite confusing. Bear in mind that nowadays money doesn’t come easily and truth be told, it’s harder than ever to earn! Now, if someone approaches you today telling you that they will double your money, cut the conversation and walk away – don’t even give them the opportunity to talk anymore – just walk away, never mind your manners, they won’t take offense anyway.
A scammer is most likely to approach seniors since they tend to believe that old people have money stashed away somewhere and since seniors are most likely to die anytime soon, they won’t need the money anyway. Sad but unfortunately true.
Below are some of the most popular financial fraud tactics to target seniors:
· Ghost investment. In this fraud tactic, a senior will be promised with an investment in some far flung, remote country which basically makes it really impossible for the said senior to confirm. It could be a newly discovered oil well in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, if such exist we don’t know for sure. The idea is to convince a senior looking for something to put their money on as an investment, that they are indeed the right person to trust.
· Name dropping. We seniors tend to listen when we hear words associated with someone we respect or who has our highest regard. Scammers know this and they will play on it.
· Deals and steals. By telling you that you are going to get the biggest benefit of all, a freebie or a discount, and that you might owe them someday by believing them now, a senior may feel the urge to give it a shot since they are getting an unbelievable deal from this kind fellow.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
While being vigilant means being on your toes 24/7 and suspecting every Jane and Joe that comes your way running off with your money in tow, it won’t hurt you to think first before you actually commit into something, let alone release any money to anyone, reputable sounding and otherwise. Also, be forewarned that there were reported cases wherein the scammer is someone who knows the senior personally – it can be the caregiver, or their own sons and daughters, or a close friend. Learn to say “no” the moment you realize there is money involve and that money happens to be yours. If a certain deal catches your attention and it sounds legitimate enough then take a rain check and do a little research. There are organizations that can help you confirm if a deal is existing or not and most of the time, they are just a phone call away.

So there still exists a battle of senior independence against their need for assistance. A senior won’t readily accept that he or she is in need of assistance whether the reasons are quite obvious. If caregivers would have it their way, the decision would be unanimous; it’s the nursing home or the highway! But seniors see nursing homes as stripping them off of their dignity and your not being able to understand that what you are trying to make them accept is that they no longer have the ability to look after themselves. For me, this is only a matter of not communicating properly, unfortunately, most seniors and caregivers do have communication problems to begin with.

So meeting halfway means the senior should be able to move in accordance to their own will but at the same time, have someone look after them from afar. The tricky part is, if you, as the caregiver, pose as the “other person looking from afar”, your senior won’t like it and it will feel like you’re hovering but if you get someone to look after them and pay them, your senior won’t like it either because it will feel like they badly needed help, so what else is there to do? Room them with someone their age, as if they are off to college!

Shared housing is exactly that and more. This is very ideal for seniors living alone and with rooms to spare. Also, it will ease the pressure of having your senior moved in an assistive facility or even to your own home, especially if they don’t really need too much assistance – that is, if they can still move around on their own. In a shared housing setting, a senior is paired with another senior so they will both feel independent but still be looking after one another.

Shared housing is when two unrelated people decide to live under one roof. That means, they are not family nor lovers, they are just two seniors who happen to need someone to share house with. Ideally, they should have their own rooms but all other parts of the house could be shared. However, it is expected for them to share responsibilities with regard to the home as well as decisions over matters of bills and extra services the other person might need.

Shared housing can work to your advantage since it can dramatically reduce your housing cost by half. Also, a senior can continue to enjoy their independence and still benefit from having a housemate in case you need help. Then there’s security of course since it is much safer to live with someone than to live alone. Best of all, you’ll have someone to talk to and your family will have someone to call if they can’t reach you so basically, it works both ways.

If you are interested with shared housing, whether you are the house owner or house seeker, check out organizations specializing in senior living and care as they sometimes do house matching.

The problem with life insurances is that you can never be sure that your beneficiaries will receive them after you go. More troubling is the fact that many seniors failed to tell someone about their life insurances thus their beneficiaries not even knowing they can claim money from insurance companinsuries – some seniors don’t even remember their insurances anymore hence money down the drain. This is especially true for Alzheimer’s sufferers.

Doubts were raised after insurance regulators made an alarming discovery that there is a huge percentage of life insurances not being paid properly to beneficiaries. According to the investigation, even if the insurance company knew about the death of the senior, they didn’t take the initiative to contact the beneficiaries and call action for claim. It is almost always the beneficiary going to the insurance company armed with supporting documents to claim what’s due to them. FYI, unclaimed insurances are supposed to be forwarded to the state as required by law.

To make sure your loved ones get what they deserve, here are the things you and beneficiaries can do:

* Make a written statement of all your life insurances and other assets and have it notarized or ask your family attorney to keep a copy of it. For this, you will need a trusted witness. It is only understandable for seniors to be hesitant in making their fortunes known unfortunately this is the only way to make sure your beneficiaries will get their money otherwise you are leaving them in the dark.
* Be as specific as possible. Don’t make vague statements like “my one and only child” or my “favorite niece” or whatever. State your beneficiary’s name and if possible his or her social security number. This way, the insurance company will know who you’re referring to exactly.
* Update your records on a regular basis. Take note of your personal details like address, contact number, etc, any chances on these you should report or update with your insurance company. If you are having a hard time remembering updates, then do it within the week of your birthday, every single year.
* Sit down and count your benefits. Start from the very recent and go all the way back when you first started working. That may be a whole lot of work and if luck is not heading your way, some of the companies that owe you may no longer be around but hey, it’s worth a try.
* For beneficiaries who worry that their inheritance must be sitting someplace unknown to them waiting to be claimed or worst, suspect that it has already been turned over to the state, check with your state first. Best to start with NAIC or National Association of Insurance System then check with unclaimed property division.

I’m a bit bothered about all these national and local cuts on senior care funds happening nowadays, some of them are cleverly disguised as changes which promise better senior care etc. I won’t be bothered too much if I am not seeing a rise on the senior population which means there is enough reason for our government to apply changes just to balance things out. Seems to me that people in our government think they have been spending too much for senior care and they have to do some damage control if they don’t want to be rocking their budget boat.
Which to me, unfortunately, does have a point. In our fight against death, we unknowingly opened up a new can of worms. Statistics say that the fastest growing age group nowadays is 85 and beyond. Meaning, too many people are now reaching this age and worst, most have no means to support their ever-raising medical cost which their boomer daughters and sons are most likely to shoulder.
I am not saying that it is better to commit suicide than reach this golden age, only that expect a lot of financial hurdles on your way and as much as possible, prepare for it so that you won’t have to bother your kids sometime in the near future.
Growing old is good. There is so much in life you have yet to discover. Don’t let financial worries bother you and your family. Here are some of the things you can do to prepare yourself for a battle against financial hurdles:

· Senior-proof your home while you still can. Let’s face it, living in a nursing home can drain your savings faster than a newly repaired drain pipe. Not only that, nursing homes are laden with horror stories that the mere act of finding the right one for you is almost scary and downright doubtful. By senior-proofing your home, you can age comfortably at home and just move into a nursing home when it is absolutely necessary.

· Find a family that will take you in. this may not be the ideal solution to your problem but this absolutely remedies your financial problem, and it may even help your host family in the long run as local government nowadays has incentives for families with seniors living with them.

· Find a reasonably priced senior community. This is the trend nowadays. There is a boom in building communities for seniors; in Florida alone, there are recently built communities advertised over the internet and around shopping malls and surprisingly, seniors from neighboring communities are flying in to move and fill these communities.

· Inquire about latest insurance coverages for seniors. Because of these changes, insurance companies are now designing insurance coverages which include other incentives for seniors. It may not benefit you now but who knows?

Today I am going to share my experiences about blogging and how seniors can make a little money out of it. Because of my virtual assisting stint, I’m able to work with fabulous people who do this on a regular basis – I mean, do these things for a living which in my eyes made them a pro. However, I found out that there is indeed more to it than just blogging and adding ads. You can actually make money out of it in so many ways that it is impossible to count them off your fingers! Let me share to you these examples:
CLIENT 1: CONTENT IS KING. This client made me write articles and blog posts 6 times a week, despite bad grammar just as long as it is understandable and keyword enriched. The idea is to populate the blog with content that is related to his niche. For my fellow seniors who aren’t too techie yet, “niche” is your blog’s overall topic. This is what keeps you in line and not blindingly shooting whatever happens to be in front of you.
TIP 1: Find a niche that is neither too broad nor too slim/narrow. Make sure you go for something you can write for a long time without having to repeat yourself after 2-3 months.
CLIENT 2: SOCIAL NETWORKING IS THE KEY. This client happens to be a social media coach so she’s very particular with her “tone” when talking to her community. She doesn’t want me anywhere near her blogs so she propped me on her social media sites, adding friends and posting news and quotes which won’t require me to do a couple of words inserted on every post. Of course, my posts should all be related to her niche and they should, every now and then, promote her websites and blogs.
TIP 2: Engage with your community. Expect people to ask questions and they expect you to answer in return. This is good since you are getting feedbacks which will help you grow as a better blogger.
CLIENT 3: THE AFFILIATE MARKETER. This is where the money-making part starts. After polishing your blog nice and shiny, you can now apply for affiliate programs. When approved, you’ll be able to post ads on your website/blog such that when someone clicks on it and buys something, you’ll be rewarded with a commission. Commissions can go as low as 4% to as high as 7% depending on your program. Some of the most popular ones are: Google Adsense, Amazon and Clickbank.
TIP 3: You might want to wait, say 6 months, before applying into anything as affiliate programs are quite strict in approving applications.
CLIENT 4: PHYSICAL PRODUCTS. Indeed you can use your blogs to promote whatever product you are now selling – physical products, I mean. While marketing campaigns are not as concentrated on blogs as you would when affiliated, your blogs can serve as an additional marketing tool and establishing online presence. You can even install third party applications on your blog for your customers to be able to buy your product online.
TIP 4: Going online with your product is a good decision since localised products on web are really a hit these days.

If you plan to do all these things, be prepared to spend a lot of time in front of the computer however, if you do have the time to do so, I assure you it’s rewarding and worthwhile. Retired seniors who are getting a little bored and anxious at home can start incorporating these things, have fun and make money all at the same time!

No matter what age you are in right now, your credit score is important however, maintaining it on a good credit standing is more important than anything else. Unfortunately, in America, this is easier said than done.

Almost every adult living in America has at least one credit card in their wallet, waiting to be swiped. That, my fellow senior, is a temptation refusing to be ignored. Guts will tell you that if you recognize the problem, you just have to eliminate it, but in this case, your credit card is simply not something you could eliminate as it is a part of an American lifestyle. I even found an article about credit scores encouraging seniors to maintain a credit card since this is the easiest way to create and improve your credit score. While it makes sense, I am still hesitant in bringing my credit card to the mall whenever I need to make a quick shopping dash for fear of running out of cash and eventually using my credit card to pay the bills.

If somehow you find yourself denied of a loan just because – surprise! – your credit score is way too low, here are the things you need to do to improve your credit score:

• Monitor your credit reports on a regular basis. By “regular” I mean at least once a year just to see if there are discrepancies and mistakes on your record. This will allow you decent enough time to notify responsible companies and have them correct the mistake. I am talking about late dues you have paid but was not updated by the loan company. This will also remind you of loans you accidentally forgot – if there is such a thing.
• Examine your credit card terms. Normally, the credit card you have been maintaining the longest is the one that is most beautiful in your credit score’s eyes. Try maintaining just one or two of these babies and terminate all others especially those that are very recent unless it has the lowest interest rate, of course. Two things to remember, age and interest rate.
• Avoid late payments. This is the easiest way to lose points on your credit score, late payments. If you are paying, then pay early, never on the last minute. To avoid late payments, write due dates on a calendar and pay dues a week earlier than the due date.
• Pay in cash. It is easier to monitor your spending habits if you pay in cash since it won’t give you false assurances that you still have money to spend. Moreover, try to invest some of your money so it will somehow grow and eventually be able to help you with paying your debts.