Do you Tweet, Plurk, Digg, or StumbleUpon? To an aging Baby Boomer these may seem to point to bodily malfunctions. However, these terms are part and parcel of social networking and personal sharing sites that are prevalent on the web today. Beyond those that are listed below are various specialized sites that target a particular group of individuals.
Where do we as Baby Boomers fit into the growing phenomenon of social network sites? If we have spent any time at all on the internet Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: baby boomers. Rocking Chair Wisdom, personal sharing, Social Networking
We hear a lot about truth in advertising. But what does truth really entail? Is there such a thing as absolute truth or is truth relative? I want to explore a little bit in this post my thoughts about truth and solicit your comments.
Does truth transcend time or is it a function of time?
As a former Business Manager I am used to preparing both balance sheets and profit and loss statements. While a balance sheet is a snapshot of an organization’s financial postion as of a particular date in time a profit and loss statement represents a summarization of financial activity over an established period of time. Both of these documents are true by definition and by principle, but do they really reflect the truth? If you pay your landlord $1,000 for rent, your bank balance on the balance sheet will reflect the $1,000 reduction in cash and the profit and loss statement will show a $1,000 expense. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: absolute truth, retirees, Truth
This is my first “Retiree’s” Christmas. Without the confines of having to be at an employer’s location I am able to enjoy the greater freedom of attending granddaughters school events and even more time appreciating the effort many folks make in preparing enjoyable web sites around the Christmas theme.
With this post, I want to share some of the web sites that have caught my attention.
Tags: Christmas, retiree, retiree Christmas, Rocking Chair Wisdom
The First Thanksgiving Feast
The English colonists we call Pilgrims celebrated days of thanksgiving as part of their religion. But these were days of prayer, not days of feasting.
Our national holiday really stems from the feast held in the autumn of 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag to celebrate the colony’s first successful harvest. View the slideshow here to see what this first “Turkey Day” might have looked like. (See Scholastic.com)
Tags: Blessing, Rocking Chair Wisdom, Thanksgiving, Traditions, Turkey Day
Rocking Chair Wisdom would like to provide the following information during this holiday season to help keep you safe during this joyous time of the year when we may not be quite as alert as we normally are. The hustle and bustle of the season may result in our taking short cuts that could be costly.
Computer Safety – On Line Shopping
Tags: Holiday Safety, Rocking Chair Wisdom, safety
As many of you know, we have recently moved from Arizona to Nevada. What has become quite apparent is the difference in the topography and the associated weather patterns.
The Scottsdale, Arizona area seemed to have 2 seasons: Summer ON and Summer OFF. Nevada comes closer to the 4 seasons I remember as a kid growing up in the Midwest. Here we have seen cooler temperatures, snow, tree leaves turning colors, and leaves even falling to the ground. I know my old school textbooks talked about 4 seasons, but having lived in Arizona for more than 30 years I guess I thought maybe the textbooks had been rewritten.
Tags: Change, Dash, rocking chair, Seasons, wisdom
Retirees and the financial crisis
September 29, 2008 will go down in the history books as the first time the Dow Jones Industrial average dropped 777 points in one day. While not the highest daily percentage drop (that occurred on Black Monday, October 19, 1087 when the Dow fell 23%) it was certainly significant in light of the financial turmoil the United States and the world in general is experiencing.
I suppose numerologists could have a great time with this as triple 7’s are usually represented as lucky number especially in simplified slot machines in gambling establishments. From what I have read, holding 3 sevens in a game of Black Jack almost ensures a win since they add up to 21. The number 7 in scripture is often referred to God’s perfect number, the number of completion. I would also suspect that most of us would conclude there is no numerical significance to the events of that day.
Rocking Chair Wisdom doesn’t begin to represent itself as knowledgeable in the area of economics to easily understand everything that is happening in the financial arena, let alone to try to explain it to someone else. Like many other Americans, and from what we’ve read many economists, RCW doesn’t know the real answer.
For most of us in the “retired” community, we are just as concerned as those in the “non-retired” community about trying to maintain our current standard of living. Many retirees have taken jobs to supplement their retirement income and others have started their own businesses.
With credit markets becoming tighter, it may be more difficult for retirees to secure loans to grow their business or obtain favorable financing when purchasing vehicles or other durable goods.
As values in retirement funds decrease, at least short term, the ability to withdraw the necessary funds to satisfy your retirement dreams may be compromised.
Watching the news reports on American television could give one a false sense of the severity of the current financial problem. However, this crisis reaches beyond our shores and becomes a global problem. Financial institutions in other parts of the world are failing or are being propped up, bailed out, or rescued by their governments as well.
Dave Ramsey is a nationally syndicated talk show host, and many thousands of people have followed his advice and followed a path to recovery from debt. Now he has provided some advice for our nation’s leaders to consider in Three Steps to Change Our Nation’s Future and in The Common Sense Fix. In addition, you can read up on some of the debate going on related to the mark to market rule that is getting quite a bit of press here at Zacks Investment Research. If you don’t understand this accounting rule, CNNMoney.com has an interesting article.
$700 Billion has been the most quoted figure for the cost of the bail-out which is now being called a rescue. However, some have used figures up to $1.5 Trillion dollars. A lot of us have a difficult time conceptualizing those dollars when we may be trying to stretch our fixed income retirement and social security checks. To give you some perspective as to how much this affects the individual resident of the United States let’s assume the cost is $1 Trillion. With a US population of approximately 305 million people, this amounts to an approximate cost of $3,300 per person including men, women, and children, whether they pay taxes or not.
Once we get a handle on the bleeding and the pain associated with this disease, we need to identify and eradicate the root of the disease. There will be many committee hearings, task forces, and investigations all pointing to a “cause”. However, Rocking Chair Wisdom believes that when you strip everything away you will find the root of the problem is “Greed”. Money in and of itself is not evil. It is the “Love of Money” that is root of evil and results in the problems of today.
To say we are in troubling times as a nation would be a gross understatement. It is at this time that we are reminded of 2 Chronicles 7:14. When we go to the polls this November, let’s do so as an informed electorate seeking to adhere to the admonishment of 2 Chronicles 7:14 by humbling ourselves and turning from our wicked ways. If you are interested, here is a link to the Presidential Prayer Team web site as well as their Pray the Vote web site.
If you wish to do some reading about the candidates, take a look through the Rocking Chair Wisdom Store. Check out the Kindle wireless reading device category for some suggestions for wireless reading.
Remember, stresses and friction will help us become stronger, just as a plant becomes stronger by pushing through the dirt and by being buffeted by the wind, we will emerge stronger as individuals and as a nation.
From Rocking Chair Wisdom
ENJOY your Life After Retirement
Tags: bail-out, biden, financial crisis, Life After Retirement, mccain, obama, palin, retirees, Rocking Chair Wisdom
Change – What does it mean?
There has been a great emphasis on change coming from all fronts lately. The most prominent emphasis coming from the current political candidates, with each promoting change in the way things are done in Washington. Whichever candidate wins the election will result in changes in Washington. Some people will lose their jobs while others will gain new jobs. Attitudes will change and the decision making process will change. This is inevitable.
This got me thinking about other changes, especially changes as they relate to the retired or nearly retired population. It also got me to thinking about some interesting things about society in general.
Of course one of the biggest changes the newly retired individual faces is the different daily routine from being accountable to an employer or business. The retiree needs to find the appropriate rhythm for his or her lifestyle, that rhythm that continues to help give their life meaning. Some retirees may discover that they will need to experiment to find the retirement lifestyle they are comfortable with while others have it all planned out.
Most of us have seen the missives passed around by email over the years comparing life today to that of 25 or 50 years ago. We become amazed at the change that has taken place just within our lifetime and wonder what more could there be for our children or grandchildren?
Some of us can remember the first television sets and how they grew from table top sets to consoles with built in AM/FM radio receivers and turntables that played records (even 78 rpm’s). The fact that this new gadget commenced to utilize our time didn’t matter. We then began to desire television that could travel with us and thus the portable battery operated television came on the market. Now we didn’t have to miss our favorite shows. Then we wanted color Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Change, ideogram, petroglyph, retiree
Have you ever been called a deadbeat? What image first comes to mind when you hear that word? Is it a picture of someone running away from his or responsibilities? Even though this probably isn’t you, did you know that you may be called a deadbeat and not even know it?
A Deadbeat in the credit card industry is a card holder that pays their bill on time and never carrys a balance to the next billing cycle. Even though you are using your credit cards for how they were designed and exercising discipline in managing your finances, credit card companies are not making much, if any, money from your activities and you are then classified as a deadbeat. I have read of cases where not only did the credit card company not make any money from these so called “deadbeats, but they actually paid them to use their cards through cash back incentives.
Credit card companies may actually make money off these deadbeat card holders, but it won’t be through interest they pay. It will be through various banking relationships and merchant fees charged to the merchants that accept the cards.
Credit cards, when used with care and discipline, can be a great asset affording some protection on purchases that paying in cash or by debit may not afford. In tight financial times it can be tempting to pull out the credit card, but unless you are disciplined enough to pay it in full at the end of the month, it can be a costly adventure. Enjoy being a deadbeat for once.
In the July 22, 2008 edition of the New York Times, OP-ED columnist David Brooks writes an opinion entitled The Culture of Debt . In this article he points out the debate between those who say the predatory lenders are at fault for the debt crisis and those who believe the borrowers are at fault. While there are very valid arguments for both sides, is it possible that there may even be a third position to be considered?
According to Brooks, “America once had a culture of thrift. But over over the past decades, that unspoken code has been silently eroded.” As such, what has happened to our financial system is part of a larger social story. Rising home prices presented temptations for people to take on more risk. With an over abundance of easy credit, Americans were able to acquire designer goods. Or how about buying something on credit now with no money down and no payments for 4 years? Make Sense?
Are we like the proverbial frog, that when placed in a pot of cold water won’t notice that the heat is being turned up until it’s too late? It would seem that we absorb the patterns and the norms of those around us. So instead of recognizing the pattern of over indulgence, we start making excuses or jokes about it, which seems to make it a bit more palatable. As Brooks says, “We mimic the behaviour around us. Only at the end is there self-consious oversight.”
What happened after the Depression? A general attitude of frugal living and saving set in. When the dot com bubble burst, we saw a sobering of investments in technology endeavors. With our earlier oil crisis Americans changed their driving and purchasing habits and moved into more efficient vehicles. But once the crisis ended and incomes rose, people began to think the crisis is over and this country began moving in large SUV’s. Sociology must be a fascinating study.
Rocking Chair Wisdom believes it is time for our public institutions, including our places of worship, to begin teaching and speaking about the values our country was founded on. While this would be a worthwhile step, we need to return to teaching these values in our homes. There is nothing wrong with having nice things and even luxurious things. But deep down we need to get back to the basics of where our joy comes from. We are a free people, but seems that in many ways we are trying very hard to lead an “imprisoned” life.
Before we leave you this month, please note that we have added a new category on the right called Inspiration. It is here that Rocking Chair Wisdom will periodically publish articles we find to be uplifting. We encourage you to take a look. Our first article is entitled “Daddy’s Empty Chair”
Until next time, keep on Enjoying Life After Retirement.
Don’t forget your KINDLE
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Tags: credit, credit card, debt, thrift
A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows.
An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of the visit. ‘I guess you were expecting me, he said. ‘No, who are you?’ said the father.
The minister told him his name and then remarked ‘I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up.’
‘Oh, yeah, the chair,’ said the bedridden man. ‘Would you mind closing the door?’ Puzzled, the minister shut the door.
‘I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,’ said the man. ‘But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head.’ I abandoned any attempt at prayer,’ the old man continued,’ until one day for years ago, my best friend said to me, ‘Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. ‘Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky because he promised, ‘I will be with you always’.
‘Then just speak to him in the same way you’re doing with me right now. So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day.
I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.’
This minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon. Did he die in peace?’ he asked.
Yes, when I left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to the bedside, told me he love me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him. But there was something strange about his death.
Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?’
The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, ‘I wish we could all go like that.’
Spanish Springs Baptist Church, Sparks, Nevada Sunday Bulletin July 20, 2008
Tags: daddys empty chair, Inspiration
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