Ideas For Retirees
Financial Issues
- www.morningstar.com
Morningstar is a firm that analyzes mutual funds. Its website includes articles about investing and financial planning—including great articles on personal finance. - www.529directory.com
Directory of 529 college savings plans. 529 plans provide good ways for grandparents to provide gifts to their grandchildren that help them pay for higher education. Earnings on 529 plans, if used for qualified higher education expenses, are tax-free. - www.smartmoney.com
Website of Smart Money, the Wall Street Journal’s consumer magazine, oriented toward investments but with some general financial information. - http://fidelity.com
Click on retirement and guidance. The asset allocation feature helps you find the best mix of stocks and bonds for your retirement goals. The Retirement Income Planner tool helps you reduce your chances of running out of money. - http://troweprice.com
Click on tools link. Enter a few simple pieces of information and get the odds that your portfolio will last through retirement. You can then see how tinkering with your withdrawals or investment mix might improve your chances. - http://immediateannuities.com
Give your age, gender, and the amount you want to convert into a guaranteed income stream. You’ll get an estimate of how much an insurer will be willing to pay you (and /or your spouse) each month for the rest of your life.
Check Your Credit Report and Credit Score
www.annualcreditreport.com
Check this every twelve months and get a free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus.
The three credit bureaus:
- www.equifax.com Equifax
- www.experian.com Experian
- www.tuc.com Trans Union
Checking Out Scams
http://whocalled.us/lookup/
You put in the number of a mystery call and find out where it came from. A good way to check out where a call came from and whether or not it came from a source you consider legitimate.
www.snopes.com
A place to check out rumors and suspicious information someone may have sent you. It is a great place to spot whether information about people or rumors is phony or true.
Starting a Business
www.sba.gov
US Small Business Administration
HEALTH & WELLNESS
www.positiveaging.org
The mission of the Positive Aging Resource Center is to promote positive aging by providing information and resources to older adults and caregivers, health and social service professionals, and policy makers.
www.cwag.org
Website of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups. Excellent resources regarding Elder Law and issues of interest to seniors.
http://longevitycalculator.aarp.org
This is a fun and potentially life-saving way for you to review your lifestyle habits, estimate how healthy you are, and make some changes.
www.healthcompass.org
Provides older adults and caregivers with a self-study program designed to help seniors make well informed decisions about health and lifestyle issues.
www.firststeptoactivehealth.com
A website sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AARP, and the American Geriatrics Society designed to help seniors stay healthy.
www.alz.org
Website of the Alzheimer’s association, with extensive information about the disease, and support and services for patients and caregivers
Insurance and Prescription Drugs
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/seniorcare/
Website describing Wisconsin’s Senior Care program which provides prescription drug coverage for Wisconsin seniors.
www.drx.com
A website that helps you find out if there’s a generic equivalent to your medication, as well as details about your drug, its costs, its side effects, and other information.
www.crbestbuydrugs.org
Consumer Reports website about prescription drugs and average retail prices.
www.oci.wi.gov
For Wisconsin insurance complaints and consumer information.
Long Term Care
www.longtermcare.gov
US Department of Health and Human Services provides a national clearing house of information to help families plan.
www.eldercare.gov
Locater for Elder Care resources
www.caregiver.org
Website of the Family Caregiver Alliance
www..caremanager.org
Website of the Association of Geriatric Care Managers
www.nahc.org
Website of the National Association of Homecare and Hospice
SOCIAL & COMMUNITY
www.aarp.org
Great general articles about a wide variety of topics. Try subscribing to one of the AARP newsletters.
www.seniorresourcesonline.com
Comprehensive information available to older adults in Wisconsin, covering a variety of topics and references.
www.pueblo.gsa.gov
Consumer Services Catalog from the Feds; many interesting topics and resources
www.elderhostel.org
Opportunities for travel, education, and fun
www.wtcsystem.edu
Wisconsin Technical College System website. Check for educational, travel, and volunteer opportunities.
www.wisconsin.edu/campuses
University of Wisconsin System website, with links to each campus. Check for educational, travel, and volunteer opportunities
College Days is an annual event hosted by UW Cooperative Extension’s Family Living Programs which, brings participants from all over the state to the UW Madison campus for 3 days of exciting lectures, seminars, tours, early morning exercise programs, evening entertainment and college life in the newly built Ogg Hall. This year join us to hear from Wisconsin authors about subjects like Wisconsin’s Effigy Mounds, the birth of radio in Wisconsin, the history of gas stations, the history of the Pabst Mansion, ways to lead a more healthy and productive life, and much more! Visit our website for the full brochure and registration form.
www.seniorlearning.wisc.edu
UW organization offering a variety of social and learning experiences
http://www.cew.wisc.edu/retirement/planning-for-retirement.aspx
This online, self-study course walks participants through a process for exploring what they want to do in retirement. The course is designed for new retirees or those considering retirement and is offered through the Center on Education and Work at UW-Madison.
Volunteer Opportunities
www.volunteermatch.org
Identifies nationwide volunteer opportunities with descriptions.
www.nationalservice.org
Corporation for National and Community Service Clearinghouse for individuals and organizations for volunteer work - Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), foster grandparents and many others.
www.score.org
Service Corps of Retired Executives – SCORE Professionals provide advice on starting and managing a small business
www.createthegood.org
AARP’s source for checking volunteer opportunities
Encore Careers
www.retirementjobs.com
Features more than 30,000 postings from companies specifically looking for candidates older than 50.
www.workforce50.com
Browse salaries by sector and position; check to see schools recommended for training needed for most positions
www.enrge.us
Helps federal, state, and local government workers looking to remain in their respective fields after retirement
ESTATE PLANNING & LEGAL ISSUES
www.estateplanninglinks.com
Provides helpful links to resources for estate planning, elder law, and many related topics
www.partnershipforcaring.org
Provides information about end of life issues. Also has state-specific forms for living wills and medical powers of attorney.
www.naela.org
Website of the national Association of Elder Law attorneys.
www.seniorlaw.com
Website with information about elder law issues, Medicare, Medicaid, estate planning, and the rights of the elderly and disabled.
www.eldernet.com
Provides links to other websites of interest to seniors. It was developed by a Massachusetts attorney who practices elder law.
www.dhfs.state.wi.us
Wisconsin state agency dedicated to providing human and family services, consumer information and services for older adults. Standardized Power of Attorney Forms may also be downloaded.
Remember, to protect yourself and your family, it is wise to consult with an attorney to help you with estate planning and other legal issues.