Archive for the 'Baby Boomer Beat' Category

How Boomer RV'ers Can Keep Their Brains Fit

I was looking forward to attending a seminar in my home town of Scottsdale, Arizona, entitled: Keeping Your Brain Fit. Unfortunately all I could do was read about it in the newspaper cause I missed it. I would like to say that I had another engagement that night but the truth is I just plain forgot. And that is the crux of the matter here isn't it? Anyway, it was a seminar put on by a group called Boomerz. The featured speaker was Marwaan Sabbagh, author and geriatric neurologist, the writer that brought us the best-seller, The Alzheimer's Answer. He was talking to retirees about how there are ways to tell if you might be at risk for dementia. Seems that there are tests that can tell a trained person what your chances of developing Alzheimers are.(gulp!)

Boomer RV'ers At Risk

At what point in a baby boomers life do they stop making fun of the older set and start worshiping at the feet of their local geriatric neurologist (how do you get that job?). For me I think 50 was when it hit me and I started exercising a bit more patience. What was that writer's name again?, oh yeah, Marwaan. Like I mentioned earlier he says that there are tests that can be conducted to see if you are at risk for Alzheimers and/or dementia and more importantly, how you can slow down and sometimes even prevent the disease's progress. For guys like me who are towing a 30' rig or are driving a luxury motorhome, it might be comforting to know that there are ways to insure that we get to go RV'ing longer.

Do RV Enthusiasts Really Want To Know?

I say yes! That's good news for us baby boomer RV'ers because most of us are just getting started with our RV adventures and if we can know by testing that we are at risk for dimentia sometime later on in life we can take measures to delay it or even prevent it. Now all I have to do is get up the nerve to take that first test! What happens if I fail it? Does that mean they sieze my drivers license on the spot? Will I have to register with the local cops like a sex offender? Warning! demented old man on the block. My kids will be encouraging me to finalize my will - today!

This is a serious subject that I chose to treat somewhat lightly. The style is called: dark humor, (which really means I am a chicken). Because as a 59 year old guy who already can't remember where he puts his glasses and car keys it ain't so funny any more. (Remember, I forgot the seminar) But like most dark things I choose to deal with them on a humorous level. That's how I keep MY brain fit.

Annual RV Show in mountain town of payson, arizona

There is a big RV sale every year about this time in my hometown of Payson, Arizona which, if you don't know the area, is about 90 miles northeast of Phoenix and in the cool pines at 5000 ft elevation. RV fans from all over the country come here to camp and play in the largest stand of Ponderosa Pines in the world, natures lung we call it. The show is being put on by my friends at Star Valley RV and from all reports is doing quite well. It started last Thursday and will run for two weeks and is located at the junction of Hwy 87 and Hwy 260. If you are in the market for a motorhome, 5th wheel, pop-up camper, travel trailer or toy hauler - new or used, I urge you to go check them out - they have a huge selection of RV's to choose from.

Great deals with a small town approach

As reported previously in this blog Star Valley RV is where I purchased my KZ Durango, 28ft fifth wheel. Ray Vela, the manager there gave me one heck of a deal and I encourage you to visit his website or call him before you purchase any RV.  His low-overhead, small town dealership allows him to make some great deals and his no pressure approach to sales will have you telling all your RV'ing friends. (more…)

Are super mileage cars the wave of the future or just a "green" smokescreen?

With the advent of last summer's (2008) disgustingly high gas prices now topping $4. per gallon and rising and with the media fueling gas rage by reporting that petrol prices could get to $8. per gallon by next summer (shoot, you guys, I am still trying to get used to the possibility of $5. per gallon, why can't you let us adjust to that figure first before you doom and gloom me again?) I am seeing a lot of cars like the Aptera on the drawing board with claims of super mileage. These kinds of cars that combine electric motors with combustion engines have been around a long time but only now are gaining widespread attention (and investment capital) due to gas prices going through the roof.

Baby boomers and current retirees are the ones who suffer most

As a baby boomer who just retired and is on a fixed income I hope things will soon stabilize or the feds will get involved and do something to help this situation. How about it Mr. Obama or Mr. McCain, any plans to do anything about this mess? Our great and wonderful capitalist society is to blame, but who can fault a company for trying to make as much money as possible - isn't that the way the game is played here in the Magic Kingdom? (more…)

Older means happier

According to my sources at the University of Chicago (actually John Faherty of the Arizona Republic newspaper) the older you are the happier you may be. There has actually been a study going on over the last three decades where 28,000 people were interviewed and it was found that the odds of being happy increased 5 percent with every 10 years of your life.

Being content with who you are 

This research indicates that it is time to throw out the notion that older people are lonely and unhappy. People learn to be content with who they are as they grow older. And, speaking strictly for myself, I can tell you that this must be true because at this moment in my life I am happier than I have ever been. Being a baby boomer of retirement age I am enjoying new freedoms. The kids are grown and happy with kids of their own. Work is conducted at my pace with no one looking over my shoulder or second guessing each decision. I come and go as I please and I am blessed (so far) with reasonably good health. Ask me again how happy I am when I am 85 and you might get a different answer.

Staying socially active key to maintaining happiness 

A persons social circle can shrink over the years for many reasons, among them divorce, death, moves, etc. So it is important to maintain a socially active lifestyle if you want to maintain your positive attitude and happiness. One way to do this is to be a joiner. Get out and meet people who's interests mirror yours. Hiking, cooking, travel, crafting, volunteering are only a few ways you can meet others with mutual interests and make new friends.  

Blame the Meltdown

I read an article in the March issue of Newsweek written by Daniel McGinn and Temma Ehrenfeld that addresses a baby boomer issue facing those of us who may have thought retirement was just around the corner only to discover that it may have to be put off a bit.  Retirement Postponed  tells the story of some unlucky baby boomers who had expected to quit work by now but discovered they couldn't afford it. Based on current economic conditions it seems as though some boomers are electing to stay on the job. The housing bust, tumbling stock portfolio's and the weakening economy are being blamed for this crisis now facing us baby boomers on the brink of retirement. 

Timing is Everything

They say that timing is everything and it's so true. I invested in a can't miss real estate deal in 2006 that has turned my retirement dreams upside down along with my home's value. To say this didn't work out as planned is a mild understatement. Similar situations has baby boomers concerned (panicked) about just when they can pull the plug. The Newsweek article sites several examples of boomers who were counting the days till retirement, people who worked decades and saved diligently only to discover their dream of selling the house and downsizing to that sun-belt condo has to be put on hold.

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Baby boomers launch RV Boom

Whether you realize it or not us baby boomers are right smack in the middle of an RV boom! Travel trailers like the McKenzie Lakota (Native American word meaning dialect of the Sioux tribe) pictured here are selling like crazy to those of us baby boomers who want to venture out and discover the world - one mile at a time. And thanks to RV manufacturers like the folks at McKenzie you can have all the comforts of home - on the road!

RV growing popularity with baby boomers no surprise 

Why it would surprise anyone, especially baby boomers, that RV travel is growing in popularity, is beyond me. After all it's the number one thing a boomer wants to do when they retire. You can read the article by Sharon OBrien in the Senior Living Section of About.com that inspired this commentary. It was written in July 2007 so it is relevant news that reinforces my views about a trend that I believe will not be too much affected by the current economic climate and/or the price of gas. I can only speak for myself as a soon-to-be-retired baby boomer that I have been looking forward to the purchase of my RV for a long time. I am less than four years away from retirement at age 62 (fingers crossed). After retiring I will not have an extravagant lifestyle, spending my days in a private golf club community, not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not my style. An RV of some kind is in those plans and it's going to be fun and challenging to find it, negotiate the price, and drive it off the lot.

Full time RVers or bust? 

Whether our RV turns out to be the kind where we sell the house and seriously downsize our knick-knacks, spending the rest of our days on the open road or a just a three-month romp with family and friends when the mood strikes, has yet to be determined. This is the one thing you need to figure out pretty quickly before you jump into any RV purchase. Is this case bigger is not necessarily better!

But even if I was retiring tomorrow I still wouldn't let the price of gas dictate where I go or how I do it. I am a baby boomer for pete's sake, I not only have money for gas to take me where I want to go but I like to eat out occasionally too! I don't intend to spend my money foolishly but I am not going the cheap route either. Am I going to be irrational like my mom and dad and do without so that I can save, save, save, and my kids can fight over it after I'm gone? No way, not this boomer! (more…)

Social Security welcomes baby boomers

Our Social Security Administration's Press Office kindly allowed me to borrow their "First Baby Boomer Files For Social Security-Online!" headline by way of announcing some good news and some bad news to our boomer audience. The good news is that it is now easier than ever to apply for retirement benefits when you become eligible. The bad news is you have to be almost 62 to apply!

A baby boomer dream or a boomer nightmare!?

Can it really be happening?, us guys and gals that grew up in the midst of a sexual and social revolution, vowed to never trust anyone over 30, can it really be true that we have grown old? We fought hard on so many fronts; Viet Nam, Kent State, JFK, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Civil Rights, Watergate, Nixon, The Beatles, anti war protesting, rock music, The Women's Movement and the rights of minorities. Can it be that we have survived the worst and now get to reap the rewards of a peaceful and fulfilling retirement? Baby Boomers hung it all out there, changed the world and made it a better place. Music, sexual mores, fashion, religion, politics and yes, even the scandals that kept us entertained, during the turbulent 50's, 60's and 70's all played a part in building our futures. I won't be the first one to play the "O" card because even at 58, I don't feel old, but I was a 19 year-old Marine in Viet Nam in 1969 so you do the math. (more…)