Baby Boomers U. S. (The Blog)

Monday Musings for Baby Boomers – Age Barometer

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 03:59 AM PDT

Smile!

Monday has always been a little bit of a let down, what with it being the beginning of the work week and all.

So to start things out on a bright note for the week, I bring you the…

Baby Boomers Monday Musings.

Age Barometer

Total the number of these that you remember:

1. Blackjack chewing gum
2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water
3. Candy cigarettes
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed bottles
5. Coffee shops with tableside jukeboxes
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers
7. Party lines
8. Newsreels before the movie
9. P.F. Flyers
10. Butch wax
11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (Olive – 6933)
12. Peashooters
13. Howdy Doody
14. 45 RPM records
15. S&H Green Stamps
16. Hi-fi’s
17. Metal ice trays with levers
18. Mimeograph paper
19. Blue flashbulbs
20. Beanie and Cecil
21. Roller skate keys
22. Cork popguns
23. Drive-ins
24. Studebakers
25. Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 0-5 You’re still young.

If you remembered 6-10 You are getting older.

If you remembered 11-15 Don’t tell your age.

If you remembered 16-25 You’re older than dirt!.

Hope that put a little smile on your face and Keep On Smilin’

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How to Be a Responsible Baby Boomer at Retirement

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 04:23 AM PDT

This is a Guest Post by Hannah Munson. If you would like to Guest Post for Baby Boomers US, check out our Guest Post for Us page.

Are you baby boomer on the brink of retirement? Have you recent retired and you don't know what to do with your time? Regardless of what your situation is, you're going to want to make sure that you're living a comfortable lifestyle. One wrong financial move and you could be on the brink of living in the poor house. To make sure that you're responsible during your retirement, here are some key tips to keep in mind:

#1 Do you have enough money?

If you haven't retired just yet, you will want to make sure that you have enough money to retire and live comfortably. I can't really give you a number on what you need because everyone is going to be different.
Someone that wants $100,000 a year is going to need a lot more at retirement than someone that only wants $30,000. Play around with some retirement calculators online to see exactly how much you need and DON'T retire until you hit those numbers.

#2 Where is the money coming from?

Whether you have a 401(K), stocks, CDs or a money market, you need to create a plan to know exactly how much you're going to take from your accounts. Are you going to withdrawal just from the interest? Are you going to take 3% of your principal each year? Whatever the case may be, you will want to have a best case scenario and a worst case scenario.
This definitely the case if you're going to have a lot of money in stocks or other high risk investments. Each year, make sure that your net worth is on pace with your charts. If there is a short fall, you may want to reconsider things. If there is more money than expected, you can either save for a rainy day or consider spending it.

#3 Always budget each month

If you plan on having $3,000 each month, you will want to make sure that your bills are paid first. Hopefully, when you retire, your home is going to be paid off. If it isn't, you may want to consider downgrading to a paid off home or working until you can pay it off, a budget is going to help you manage your budget each month. With that budget, whatever you
have left, you can decide to freely spend it on activities or save it for future big purchases such as a vacation.

#4 Be prepared for disasters

You have been on this planet for quite some time now and you probably already know about the curve balls that life throws you. This can include a broken down car, new air conditioner, roof and more. Are you prepared for these disasters? Always make sure that you have a rainy day fund that includes a few thousand dollars. Remember, this is retirement and you need to feel a little relaxed and not stressed out!

#5 Stretch your Money

Retirement is supposed to be all about fun. You have worked years to get where you are today. Take this time to do something that you enjoy.
Whether it's fishing, vacationing or heading south in your RV, you're going to find that no matter what you do in life, there are going to be ways to save. By using the Internet, look for great deals, coupons and take advantage of daily deal sites. By doing so, you're bound to make more of your money.

About the Author: This post was provided by Hannah Munson. She has help create the cost helping resource, howmuchisit.org. Whether its lasik eye surgery cost or something else, they have a guide to help you research the price!