Category: Health and Wellness Issues
Sept.30, 2025 - It seems counterintuitive - so many people really look forward to their retirement. Yet when they finally get there, many not only keep working, but they seem happier than their non-working peers. That is the suggestion from a recent study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.
The finding applies to men more than women. Working post-retirement age is related to women's satisfaction only if it is in lucrative occupations, and is not related to emotional well-being. It doesn't seem to matter to people with higher or lower incomes. Even part time work seems to create more happiness than no job at all. Volunteer work can have the same positive effect.
Work doesn’t necessarily have to be for pay, and it could be a hobby. The photo below shows the work of a model town created by a Shed in Adair, Ireland. The group of men meet several times a week to socialize on a work of projects.
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Published on September 29, 2025
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Category: Social Security
September 18, 2025 - Anyone who has been following Topretirements for a while knows that we are a big proponent of delaying taking Social Security benefits as long as possible. But maybe is time to change that position.
Up to now the advantages of waiting to claim Social Security retirement benefits to age 70 have been pretty clear (for most people). For every year you wait to claim after age 66 you get an 8% increase in your benefits, up to age 70. Delaying has a second benefit because ir raises your COLA $ increase be every year. And, if your spouse's benefit isn't as high as yours, he or she will get your higher benefit for the rest of their life at your passing. If your finances are tight, all these advantages could be worth a lot. On the other hand, for people and couples who have a very short remaining life expectancy, or who need the money now to survive, it might not be a good idea to wait.
So what has changed?
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Published on September 17, 2025
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Category: Adventurous retirement
September 17, 2025 — The dream retired accountant Kent Broussard had since 1968 was to play in a big time college marching band. Now at age 66, the Sousaphone player has reached that goal, and is loving every second. Kent, a freshman at Louisiana State University, is thrilled to be…
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Published on September 16, 2025
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Category: Life Care or CCRC
This article was originally published in 2021. Updated Sept. 2025 with updates from several people we know, including the couple profiled in the original article.
For most people, the answer to the question when is the right time to move to a Life Care community is, "when I get older". It pretty much doesn't matter how old the person is at the time; some undefined date in the future is always the answer. True, a minority make the decision when they are in their 60s or early 70s, but they are the outliers, often with a good reason for doing so.
Good friends
Topretirements has some good friends who have wrestled with this decision for years. Jane and Jack's current situation illustrated the problem so many people will face. Several years ago he was in his mid 90s and she in her early 80s. She has wanted for some time to move from their town home into a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC, often known as a Life Care Community). He, however, was never quite ready. Fortunately, they put a deposit down at a Connecticut CCRC, delayed making a decision to wait for one of the larger units. After a serious medical incident requiring an extended hospital stay with an uncertain future, so they took an available unit. It was not easy downsizing and moving a jam-packed town home's contents to fit into a much smaller apartment, but with help they did it.
Update Sept. 2025 - Our beloved friend passed at age 98 in July after a steady decline. The couple's move there worked out great - their life got simpler and he got the care he needed. Jane lives on in the CCRC, very glad she moved there. She has many friends and social engagements - in fact it's hard to get a dinner date with her!
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Published on September 10, 2025
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
September 10, 2025 -- Gov. DeSantis seems to be a big fan of MAHA - Make America Healthy Again - or at least its anti-vax conspiracies. Florida recently eliminated vaccine mandates for school children, which will almost certainly bring polio, measles, and other life-threatening, but preventable, deaths to the State's school age children. For adults, the problem is the State's honoring recent changes made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new policies, which require prescriptions or the existence of certain underlying conditions to get a shot, are causing chaos and concern. People over 65 can still get the jab in many states without the prescription, but not in Florida. The South Florida Sun Sentinel recently covered the unfolding situation in its "Covid Vaccine Decisions Bringing Anger and Confusion" article.
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Published on September 9, 2025
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
Sept. 7, 2025 -- The NY Times asked trainers for their ideas on the best training tests. They came back with four tried-and-tested self-assessments for strength, balance and cardiovascular fitness. One of them is a good screener to see if you are ready for pickleball. Others measure upper body strength, cardio vascular conditioning, and balance - so important to prevent falls. Try them and see how you do! (Note: These tests were not designed with any age group in mind - some versions might be too challenging for some seniors). Here is a link to their "Training Tests" article.
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Published on September 7, 2025
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Category: Home Owners Associations
Sept. 4, 2025 -- Unfortunately, condo properties can go bankrupt. It happened back in the housing crisis of 2008-9 because many homeowners, who had lost their jobs or most of their income, defaulted on their HOA dues. The same danger exists for many condo properties in 2025, but for different reasons.
3 Problems Taking Condos to the Precipice.
Three big problems are causing many HOAs to realize they might be able to continue as viable organizations. Combined together, they are creating financial liabilities that are higher than the value of the property. In which case, does it make sense for the owners to sell the property to a developer or other buyer.
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Published on September 3, 2025
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Category: Medicare
August 30, 2025 — Prior authorization is one of the biggest dissatisfactions with health insurance plans. It entails getting approval for certain kinds of procedures or treatments before they can happen, and is an unpopular part of many private and Medicare Advantage insurance plans. While the policy saves money for…
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Published on August 30, 2025
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Category: Retirement Real Estate
August 26, 2025 -- Thanks to big changes in the way people wanted to live, the Covid pandemic five years ago caused the Florida real estate market to explode. To escape cities and live someplace warm, home buyers came to the Sunshine State from all over the states and foreign countries. They often paid way more than the asking price, many times never even setting foot in their new home until the day they moved in. Today it is a far different story.
There are many different reasons why, but the upshot is that the Florida market is now saddled with a 10 month supply of homes. That's the highest since 2011. In 2Q 2025 the number of available listings statewide (73,225) was nearly 25% higher than a year before. That has had a corresponding effect on prices. According to the Florida Realtors Trade Association the median sale price of condos and townhouses has fallen 6% over the past year, to $310,000.
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Published on August 26, 2025
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Category: Medicare
August 21, 2025. IRMAA is not a hurricane, but it could have that effect on finances for higher income Medicare recipients who are not careful. The rule determines how much your Medicare Part B premiums will be beyond the base rate, based on your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) from 2 years prior.
The standard monthly Part B premium in 2026 is expected to be $206.50, an 11.6% increase and the largest in years. For married recipients with income over $216,000 the Part B premium will go up an estimated $216, increasing through different brackets until taxpayers with MAGI over $750,000 will pay $635.50 per month (the final figure could change substantially).
Kiplingers has an article, "I Missed the 2 Year IRMAA Rule, Now My Medicare Premiums Are Soaring" which explains the problem. IRMAA stands for income-related monthly adjustment amount, and it affects your Part B and Part Medicare premiums.
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Published on August 20, 2025
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