Vol.7 No.5
How much your Social Security benefits will be in 2019
Retirement Today Doesn't Come as Easily as It Did in Past Decades
Best and Worst Charities for Your Donations Old Enough for Sex: Boomer Sex Poll: 7 Big Shockers
Millennials Don’t Feel ‘Adequately Prepared’ to Deal With Finances Boomer Healthy Eating: Real Deal Winter Bisque
Picture-Perfect Destinations For Your Winter Travel List F (Forget)– Being Old: 12 Days of X-Mas Wishes Today’s BoomeR
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This Issue November / December 2018 Volume 7, Number 5
Social Security 5 How much your Social Security benefits will be in 2019
Founders: John Vardallas & Alexandra Maragha
Boomer Consumer Watch 8 Best and Worst Charities for Your Donations
Editor-In-Chief: Alexandra Maragha
Boomer Travel 10 Put These Picture-Perfect Destinations On Your Winter Travel List ASAP
Advertising: Team
F (Forget)-Being Old 15 Johnny V’s 12 Days of X-Mas Wishes
The American BoomeR.com
Retirement Today Doesn't 16 Come as Easily as It Did in Past Decades Millennials Don’t Feel 18 ‘Adequately Prepared’ to Deal With Finances
Old Enough For Sex 20 Boomer Sex Poll: 7 Big Shockers Boomer Healthy Eating Real Deal Winter Bisque
Contributing Writers : Chef Eben Atwater: Healthy Eating
For Letters to the Editor, articles and feedback as well as advertising inquiries email Alexandra@TheAmericanBoomeR.com
John Vardallas CEO/Founder Professional Speaker Business/Lifestyle Strategist Boomer Sage and Blogger JohnVardallas@TheAmericanBoomeR.com (608) 577-8707 Alexandra Maragha Founder & Editor-In-Chief Today’s BoomeR Alexandra@TheAmericanBoomeR.com Today’s BoomeR Vol.7 No.5 Today’s BoomeR is published six times (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/ June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec) a year by The American BoomeR.com 769 North Star Drive (Suite 207) Madison, WI 53718 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
22 The American Boomer @American_Boomer Today’s BoomeR 3
EDITOR’S LETTER
Simplicity Be Kind. Keep a Positive Mind.
(feature)
Calmness. Reflection.
Ascension of thoughts. Descension of Chaos. Revelation of Truth. The Release from Our Youth. Time. Calm Mind.
Always p. 4 Kind. Simplicity
Alexandra Maragha Editor-In-Chief
p. 12
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Social Security:
Online notices can show you how much your Social Security benefits will be in 2019
By Lorie Konish, CNBC
"While thousands and thousands of our beneficiaries are accessing their notices online, our online portal is experiencing higher than normal
volumes of log in attempts," a Social Security spokeswoman said. "Some of our customers are not receiving their one-time pass code. "If they experience this problem, we ask them to please try again later." •
•
•
The Social Security Administration has announced a 2.8 percent increase to benefits in 2019. Though Medicare Part B premiums will also increase, many retirees will still see bigger checks starting in January. There are two ways to find out just how much you will receive: through your online Social Security account or paper statements you receive in the mail.
Social Security recipients will get a 2.8 percent increase in 2019, following a cost-of-living adjustment
announced by the agency in October. That marks the biggest hike since 2012, when the cost-of-living adjustment was 3.6 percent. The Social Security Administration is also scheduled to send cost-of -living adjustment notices by mail this month.
If you're like other retirees, you're eager to see just how big your Social Security check will be next year. The Social Security Administration has released its cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, notices online.
To find out what your payment will be, log on to your My Social Security account. Your cost-of-living adjustment will be found in the message center. Be warned: It may take more than one try in order to access your notice. Today’s BoomeR 5
Current beneficiaries, including those who receive online notices, will receive paper notices. Online notices will not be available to individuals with foreign addresses or those who pay higher Medicare premiums because of their income. The Social Security Administration previously released a fact sheet that shows how the 2019 cost-of-living adjustment could change monthly benefits for beneficiaries.
Medicare changes
Medicare Part B premiums are also slated to increase in 2019, but not enough to wipe away the Social Security COLA for many beneficiaries. Most people will be subject to the standard Medicare Part B premium rate of $135.50 in 2019. But if your modified adjusted gross income exceeds a certain amount — $85,000 or more and you file as an individual — you will pay more. What you pay in
premiums in 2019 is determined by your 2017 tax return. About 2 million Medicare beneficiaries will actually pay less than $135.50 next year due to the "hold harmless" provision that protects certain beneficiaries from paying more for their Part B premiums.
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TheAmericanBoomer.com Thanks You for your continual Support and for making your voice heard in Saving Our Social Security! While we have heard YOUR voice through signing our petition, the work to maintain and preserve the Social Security Trust Fund is far from over.
URGE YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEADERS TO PRESERVE THE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUND! MAKE THEM HEAR YOUR VOICE BY CALLING, WRITING, EVEN TWEETING YOUR VOICE TO SAVE OUR SOCIAL SECURITY! #SOSS
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Boomer Consumer Watch: Best and Worst Charities for Your Donations By Consumer Reports If you're planning to make a charitable donation this holiday season, make sure you know more about the group than just the name it goes by.
Choosing charities by name alone is a mistake some donors make, and their money sometimes ends up going to less-than-worthy groups. Those organizations perhaps spend too much on administrative costs or are outright scammers, says Bennett Weiner, chief operating officer of the charity watchdog BBB Wise Giving Alliance. The problem is particularly important now because about 20 percent of giving occurs during December, he says. The best course of action before giving is to check out a charity with Weiner's group and the two other major charity watchdogs, Charity Navigator and Charity Watch. They can help you feel confident that a group you're donating to deserves your support. Charities differ a lot in how much of the money they raise goes for programs instead of covering the expense of raising money. To become accredited by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, the watchdog requires charities to spend at least 65 percent of their total expenses on their charitable missions and no more than 35 percent of their contributions on fundraising.
To help you discover charities that are worthy of your support and those to avoid, we've provided a list of organizations the watchdogs agree deserve high and low ratings. We looked for a consensus among all three watchdogs. However, in some cases we included groups that were evaluated by just two. If a group didn't disclose requested information to the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, we didn't include it in our list of high-rated charities, although it may have been included on our list of low-rated charities. Keep in mind that our table below is a partial list of high- and low-rated charities in only some categories. You can find more by going to the watchdogs’ websites directly. CharityWatch is the only one of the three that requires visitors to make a donation for full access to its reports, although it provides a list of its top-rated charities and other useful information free of charge. If the watchdogs haven't evaluated a group you're considering supporting, you can research it yourself, Weiner suggests. Check the group's website for information about its mission, a list of the board of directors, and its latest financial reports. If the site doesn't have those details, "it is sending you a message that the organization is not very transparent," Weiner says.
Among the documents you should look for, he says, is IRS form 990 or 990EZ, which charities that have total CharityWatch, which uses a letter-grade rating revenue of more than $50,000 are required to file system, gave National Veterans Services Fund an F and unless they are a house of worship. The form provides the National Military Family Association an A. a lot of information about how much a charity raises “You can get more bang for your buck by giving to an A and how it spends its money. You also can find 990s at -rated charity," says the watchdog's president and the charity information site GuideStar (free founder, Daniel Borochoff. registration required).
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Cause
High-Rated
Low-Rated
Animal Welfare
American Humane, Washington D.C.
Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue, Mount Airy, Md.
PetSmart Charities, Phoenix, Ariz. Blind and Hearing Impaired
Helen Keller International, New York, N.Y.
American Council of the Blind, Alexandria V.A.
Cancer
Cancer Research Institute, New York, N.Y.
Cancer Survivors’ Fund, Missouri City, TX
Child Assistance Protection, and Sponsorship
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, Triangle Abandoned Children’s Fund, Santa Rosa, V.A. C.A.
Environment
National Park Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Health
Lupus Research Alliance, New York, N.Y.
International Relief and Development
Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, Aid for Starving Children, Windsor, C.A. Evanston, I.L.
Mental Health and Disabilities
Brain and Behavior Research Foundation / Autism Speaks, New York, N.Y. NARSAD, New York, N.Y.
Police and Firefighter Support
Defeat Diabetes Foundation, Madeira Beach, F.L.
American Federation of Police & Concerned Citizens, Titusville, F.L.
Veterans
Gary Sinise Foundation, Los Angeles, C.A.
Disabled Veterans National Foundation, Lanham, M.D.
Youth Development
Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Atlanta, G.A.
Law Enforcement Education Program, Troy, M.I.
Tips for Giving
among some charities. You also can ask the groups not to send you further appeal letters, email, or phone solicitations. Check the charity's privacy policy before giving.
• Verify tax-exempt status. If you're not sure whether donations to a particular charity are taxdeductible (don't assume they are), confirm a group's status by checking with the group or by going • Be on guard for sound-alikes. Some low-rated to the IRS website. charities have names that resemble those of • Give directly. If you're contacted by a professional high-rated ones. For example, there's the low-rated fundraiser for a charity you want to support, hang up American Breast Cancer Foundation of Columbia, Md., and the high-rated Breast Cancer Research and give directly instead. “The fundraiser might be keeping 75 to 90 percent of the money,” says Daniel Foundation of New York, N.Y. "In some cases, sound-alike charities are there with the intent to Borochoff of CharityWatch. Sometimes, he says, deceive donors into thinking they are donating to charities may end up paying fundraisers more than somebody else," says Bennett Weiner of the BBB they take in, leaving the group with a loss. Wise Giving Alliance. In other instances, groups have • Request privacy. If you don't want to be bothered similar names because they're focusing on the same by endless fundraising appeals, tell groups you causes. support that you don't want your name and contact • Consider donating to the charity watchinformation sold, exchanged, or rented to other groups or for-profit companies, a common practice dogs. They're charities, too.
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BOOMER TRAVEL
Put These Picture-Perfect Destinations On Your Winter Travel List ASAP By Venus Wong, Refinery29
Leaving your house in the dead of winter can feel like an herculean task, especially when the weather is gloomy and there's black ice on the ground. But getting out of town sounds like the perfect antidote for our mounting seasonal affective disorder: We want a vacation, and we want it now. While we would normally recommend a beach break as a nice way to deal with the weather, there's something to be said about destinations that pull off the winter wonderland look spectacularly. We're 10 Today’s BoomeR talking about places that offer impressive holiday decorations, lively Christmas markets, and readily
available fireplaces. If a city looks quaint enough to be featured in a holiday card, we can (maybe) overlook the frostbites.
slopes.
Edinburgh, Scotland There's no better season than the winter to retrace J.K. From a quaint ski town to a snowy wonderland, we've Rowling's footsteps in Edinburgh, the place where she rounded up five postcard-perfect trips you should take wrote the majority of the Harry Potter series. The city while there's still snow on the ground. And, just so you'll looks extra magical when covered in snow, like a know what to do should you decide to make an Hogsmeade came to life. Grab a drink at The Balmoral, impulsive visit, we've also included the coziest hotels in the grand dame hotel where Rowling finished the last the area, plus the insider intel you need to know. chapters of the final book. After than, have a wander on Victoria Street and peruse wizardry merchandise at Park City, Utah Diagon House, a shop dedicated to the franchise. AHA There's way to more Park City than the Sundance Film HA HA Jokes & Novelties, a prank shop with a look that Festival. For one, it's a great destination for skiing, rivals Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, is just a few doors thanks to the crisp mountain air and powdery peaks. The down. ski town's Main Street has an old-world charm, thanks to the well-maintained 19th-century facades. Even if you're not a fan of Harry Potter, Edinburgh is still well-worth a visit: Time your trip around the end of the The Deer Valley region should be on any foodie's radar year to catch Hogmanay, an outdoor festival of due to its emerging culinary scene: High West Distillery & fireworks and concerts that ends with a dip in the Saloon offers a unique pairing menu for its blended freezing River Forth on New Year's Day. whiskies, while The Deer Valley Grocery Cafe will give your the best comfort food fix after a day of hitting the Where To Stay: The recently-opened Principal Hotel on
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Charlotte Square, which overlooks the landmark National Archives building, is designed with a muse in mind: Hamish — a fictional character conjured up by the owners of the hotel — is a well-heeled Scottish gentleman with a love for books and travel. The rooms has a much more modern look in contrast, punctuated by a gallery wall above the beds and Scottish tartan wool blankets. The well-lit atrium of the hotel, with towering houseplants and a greenhouse-like ceiling, is one of the most stylish places in Edinburgh to eat breakfast. Insider Tip: If you can brace the cold winds, the one-hour hike up Arthur's Seat is truly worth it. There's no better place to take in the skyline of the whole city, and it's a great place to go sledding when covered in snow. Nagano, Japan Nagano is home to some of the most gorgeous landscapes in Japan. There's vibrant foliage in the autumn, cherry blossoms in the spring, but what you see in the winter is extra special: There are snow monkeys warming up alongside you in the outdoor hot springs, for one, and frosted expanse for skiing, sledding, and snowboarding. Our pick would be Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort in northern Nagano, where there are all-natural, powdery snow and over 13 free natural spring baths open to the public. 12 Today’s BoomeR
For an additional dose of culture, stick around for the Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Festival on January 15, the folk celebration to fete happy marriages and first-born children through a massive bonfire watched by a huge crowd.
stands out from the other ramen joints in town, thanks to its silky pork bone and soy sauce broth — a family recipe passed down for generations.
Where To Stay: You'd be remiss if you didn't experience a ryokan, a traditional Japanese guesthouse with tatamis (woven straw flooring) as beds. Oshi Ryokan is a traditional inn managed by a family and is within walking distance to three historic shrines in the area, including the famous Togakushi Shrine. Insider Tip: If you leave Japan without having ramen at least once, did you ever actually go? Ramen Zunpachi Today’s BoomeR 13
Check Out Our Neighbors to the North... Montreal's Best Events This Winter By Evelyn Reid, trip savvy Montreal is home to some epic winter events. There is so much to do, and to celebrate, during winter in Montreal. From outdoor raves in sub-zero temperatures to restaurant week to festivals honoring snow, lights, or anything else winter related. Here are some crowd-pleasing Montreal events that also happen to be affordable and sometimes even free during winter 2018-2019. IglooFest
When: January, usually the last three weekends Fête des Neiges Snow Festival
A new tradition was forged in the Old Port in Montreal in 2007, courtesy of the boys behind Piknic Electronik. It's called Igloofest and it's the most anticipated outdoor rave of the season, attracting thousands of electronic music fans every night.
Every late January to early February, Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau turns into a winter wonderland, a childhood delight that features activities to entertain kids as well as adults although the festival's focus is on the family. Admission is free as are several events, but equipment rentals are not.
From January 17th to February 2nd, 2019, Igloofest, billed as the coldest music festival in the world, will bring warmly-dressed music lovers to Montreal.
The event takes place this upcoming year from January 19 to February 10, 2019, on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. When: End of January through the beginning of February, usually three weekends Montréal en Lumière Every year since 2000, Montréal en Lumière lights up Montreal with free outdoor events, culinary delights, beautiful light shows, and displays throughout the city. In 2019, the event takes place February 21 to March 3. When: February, usually the last two weeks.
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F– (Forget) Being Old:
My 12 Days of Christmas Wishes By John A. Vardallas, Founder/CEO, www.TheAmericanBoomeR.com
Wishing you all a happy and joyous holiday season and New Year! 1.
ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS—STOP WHINING AND FOCUS ON WHAT YOU HAVE VS. WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE!
2.
ON THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS-- BE THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOUR LOVED ONES AND FRIENDSHIPS!
3.
ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS--ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FEELINGS-TAKE TIME TO LAUGH/CRY/FEEL SAD/HAPPY!
4.
ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS--REACH OUT AND CONNECT WITH LIKEMINDED FOLKS TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS!
5.
ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS--LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF THE SEASON NOT ALL IS ROSY DURING THIS TIME OF YEAR!
6.
ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS--TIME TO BURY OLD HATCHETS AND CLEAN THE SLATE FOR BETTER REALTIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS!
7.
ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS--KEEP YOUR SAME SCHEDULE AND VOW TO KEEP YOURSELF ENERGIZED FOR ALL THE FESTIVITIES!
8.
ON THE EIGTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS—SET A LIMIT OF BUYING AND GIFT GIVING AND STICK TO IT!
9.
ON THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS—TAKE A BREATHER AND ALLOW TIME FOR YOURSELF - AVOID ZOMBIE SHOPPING!
10. ON THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS—LEARN TO SAY “NO”-DON’T BE FORCED INTO SITUATIONS JUST TO APPEASE PEOPLE! 11. ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS—DON’T STRESS OUT OVER THE HOLIDAYS/ RECOGNIZE THE WARNING SIGNS THAT CAN TRIGGER NEGATIVE EMOTIONS! 12. ON THE TWELVE DAY OF CHRISTMAS—BE GLAD YOU SURVIED THE HOLIDAYS AND REWARD YOURSELF!
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Retirement Today Doesn't Come as Easily as It Did in Past Decades As pensions disappear, retirement savers are left This to fill that gap on their own, and that job's getting system largely automates the process of tougher to do all the time. By Jeff Bush, CLU, ChFC | Informed Family Financial Services
America has a retirement problem. Over the past decades, macroeconomic trends and shifts in corporate thinking have made the process of planning for retirement harder to navigate for the average worker. A drift from defined benefit pension plans in favor of employer-sponsored 401(k) plans has impacted the current generation of pre-retirees. The change has introduced variables to retirement planning that were never part of the equation for the retirees of yesteryear. With a population older than it has been at any point in history, some experts are predicting a "retirement crisis," wherein tens of millions of Americans become simultaneously unable to work and unable to afford to retire. It has never been more important for workers to understand how the landscape has changed — and how to adjust their planning in order to meet individual retirement goals. Yesterday's pension is today's 401(k) Pension plans make retirement planning straightforward for two reasons. First, employers are responsible for regular contributions to the plan during an employee's working years. Second, converting that lump sum into a stream of income to meet living expenses during retirement isn't a step for which retirees themselves are responsible. 16 Today’s BoomeR
building a nest egg and drawing it down once they retire. Unfortunately, few companies offer pension programs anymore, opting instead to provide workers individualized 401(k) account access. Quantifying the extent to which pension plans have vanished from the corporate environment is easier than you might think. Last year, 16% of companies in the Fortune 500 offered pension programs, a drop from 59% that did in 1998. This generational shift has made today's pre-retirees more responsible for their own retirement planning. 401(k) plans are dependent on the capital markets
Another challenging variable associated with 401(k) plans is their level of exposure to stock and bond markets. Though the risk associated with these securities varies greatly from asset to asset, there's always uncertainty. Particularly in equities, sharp short-term corrections can wipe out significant amounts of paper wealth in short timespans. An ill-timed market crash devastated many retirement portfolios when investors panicked and sold low. Retirement savers’ 401(k)s are universally involved in these markets. They depend on them for solid investment returns. A 2017 study found that over two-thirds of all 401(k) plans feature stocks in their
portfolios. It's highly unlikely that anyone plans of old. considering retirement is entirely immune to These options include: market downturns, given more 401(k) plan participants hold stocks today than at the height of • Short term bond strategies: Adding short-term bonds to your portfolio can provide stability and the pre-recession bull market in 2007. even income to a portfolio, while minimizing That makes these new retirement accounts risk, based on the limited volatility of bonds of inherently less reliable at any given point in time short duration. than more old-fashioned pension plans. • Dividend-producing stock strategies: Choosing Market volatility in dollar terms has risen stocks with a stable history of dividends is In addition to increased exposure to the stock and another way of producing stable income. These bond markets, today's retirement investors are stocks are generally less volatile than the likely to see more turbulence than earlier market as a whole because of the dividend generations. Two accounts with identical asset component. allocations, one from 1995 and one from 2018, • And annuities: These financial products pay a would have significantly different risk profiles. fixed amount to an individual over time.
The reason is simple: The market itself is larger. The same phenomenon that makes the stock market an excellent long-term play makes it increasingly uncomfortable for investors who crave stability.
Annuities can provide a steady stream of income for a predetermined interval of time, and in some cases for life. They're highly customizable to suit any time horizon and income flow desired. As the market has expanded over the past 100 Selecting annuities depends on several factors, years, a change of 1% in either direction has including risk tolerance, the timing of payments and become increasingly extreme in real terms. A 1% tax efficiency. There are a lot of choices out there, rise worth 8.25 points on the Dow Jones Industrial including single premium immediate annuities, Average in 1980, for instance, would have fixed index annuities and variable annuities. represented a 250-point swing earlier this summer. Although they are complex investment choices and should be thoroughly understood before investing, The amount of dollar value that can be gained or the annuity marketplace is wide open today, loss in a short amount of time has increased, offering consumers a lot of options. making volatility feel greater and increasing the psychological difficulty of retirement planning. It is important to have annuities as part of an overall income plan, to provide safe, stable income, Fixed income investments are a way to recapture which is guaranteed by the insurance company. long-lost stability These annuities are designed to simulate a pension All this is not to suggest retirement is impossible for of yesteryear. This strategy has a similar type of people today — far from it. It is more complex and benefit and will reduce the overall risk of a requires a more thoughtful approach to plan and portfolio. execute. Fortunately, there are options available to workers looking for the stability of the pension Today’s BoomeR 17
A Millennial Moment; Insight on Babies of Baby Boomers
A quarter of millennials don’t feel ‘adequately prepared’ to deal with finances: survey By Kristin Myers, Yahoo Finance
A quarter of millennials don’t feel their education prepared them adequately to deal with their finances, according to a new survey from Ally Financial. More than half of the 2,000 surveyed said they need help with their finances. The millennials in the survey ranged from 18 to 34. While other generations might not have received personal finance or financial literacy classes either, the financial world has gotten a lot more complicated, says Kimberly Palmer of NerdWallet.com. That’s causing millennials to search for information they didn’t learn in school. “There is a huge demand,” Palmer says. “When millennials graduate from college, they’re really hungry for information on how to do that [their finances] effectively. They turn to friends and family for advice but they’re not the best sources for information.” It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that only a third of the millennials surveyed (35%) feel “very confident” in their financial knowledge, including taxes, investing, and retirement planning. But it might not just be that millennials are unprepared for financial adulthood, but rather a function of their age, says Palmer. “In terms of other generations, millennials have the least experience and are just starting to navigate this,” Palmer says. “I would guess as you get more experience and have practice managing your finances, you become increasingly confident.” Well-founded fears Despite all the flack millennials get, there are reasons for their fears. Millennials simply aren’t as well-off as their parents were, a Credit Suisse report found last year. Millennials must deal with lower salaries, higher home prices and tightening lending criteria.
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The Ally survey found that in order to feel comfortable, millennials believe they must earn at least $53,000 or more. Millennial men, according to a TD Ameritrade survey, bump that figure up to $118,000. That’s a far cry from the $35,000 that the average U.S. millennial makes, according to SmartAsset. On top of this, Palmer says, millennials have residual unease borne from their experience with the Great Recession. “I think that the bigger part of that is that millennials are scarred from coming of age during the financial crisis,” Palmer says. “They saw their parents and how crushing it can be when everything seems to implode at once. It wasn’t the Depression of their greatgrandparents but it left a lasting impact.” Perhaps because of this concern, millennials are known for strong saving habits. But even here, lie concerns. The survey found that more than 80% of respondents
say that they are saving — but 57% are only saving through their employer’s 401(k) plan. “It is great that so many millennials are saving through a 401(k),” Palmer says. “But it definitely shouldn’t be the only way. A good goal is saving 20% of your income including retirement.” Even more startling? About half of respondents fear they won’t ever be able to retire. It might sound surprising, but millennials aren’t alone. “For millennials — a lot of them, even if they have full-time jobs — don’t have access to a pension, unlike previous generations. They have to prepare for retirement all on their own. They might have a 401(k), but that’s still on their shoulders. And a lot of millennials don’t have a full-time job with benefits like a 401(k). So it’s easy to feel that fear.” “But I think a lot of older Americans are feeling similarly unprepared for retirement. But with millennials there’s a longer time horizon,” Palmer says. “It feels daunting because it’s all on their shoulders.”
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Old Enough for Sex : Boomer Sex Poll: 7 Big Shockers By CBS News
have more What's going on in boomer bedrooms? Less than you resources," to learn might imagine. about sex, A new poll shows that 24 percent of 45- to 65-yearolds are dissatisfied with their sex lives. Maybe that's noted Jennifer not surprising, given that's the age women undergo Bass, menopause. director of But the findings of the Associated PressLifeGoesStrong.com poll weren't all predictable. Keep communications at reading to see some big surprises‌ the Kinsey Sexual Know-It-Alls Institute for Sex, Gender and Reproduction. Women know more about sex than men do - or at least think they do. Among people aged 45 to 65, the poll shows, 59 percent of women think they know all about sex, while just 48 percent of men share that confidence level, the poll found. "Women historically
Sex Drive Disconnect Men seem to want sex more often than their partners. The poll found that among those aged 45 to 55, nearly half the men - 48 percent - complained that their partners don't want to have sex as often as they do. Just 13 percent of women in that age group say the same. "Men certainly do tend to have higher sex drives, as a whole," said Debby Herbenick of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University though she noted that some women also have quite high sex drives. At that age, she pointed out, women tend to be going into menopause, which can have marked impacts on their sex lives, having hot flashes and feeling tired. Sexless but Satisfied? Is it possible to have a strong relationship even if sex isn't in the picture? Among men between 55 and 65, 59 percent say it is possible. Among women in that age group, 69 percent say it's possible. Flagging Sex Drives Most female boomers - 56 percent - say their sex drive isn't as strong as it used to be. Only 46 percent
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Not So Satisfied More than one in four men in the baby boom generation 28 percent - say they are less than satisfied with their sex lives. Among women in the same age group, 21 percent say they are dissatisfied.
of male boomers say their sex drive has decreased.
That means baby boomers are unhappier with their sex lives than people who are younger or older. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, 12 percent say they are dissatisfied. Twenty percent of 30- to 44-year-olds are dissatisfied, as are 17 percent of those over age 65
Other Lover
Waiting for Marriage
Who's more likely to fantasize about having sex with someone other than their usual partner? If you guessed men, you're right.
Did boomers marry their first sex partner - or did they play the field before tying the knot? Among married boomers, 62 percent said they had had sex for the first time with a partner other than their first spouse, while 35 percent said their first spouse was also their first sexual partner. More baby boom men, 73 percent, than women, 54 percent, said their first sexual partner was someone other than their first spouse. Just 15 percent of women over age 65 said they had sex for the first time with someone other than their first spouse, while 54 percent of men over 65 said their first partner wasn't their first spouse.
The poll found that 72 percent of men aged 45-65 have fantasized about having sex with someone else, compared with 48 percent of women.
About the Poll
The poll was conducted Oct.1-10. It involved online interviews with 945 adults between the ages of 45 and 65, as well as companion interviews with an additional 587 adults of other age groups, ages 18-44 and over 65 years of age.
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BOOMER HEALTHY EATING: Real Deal Winter Bisque – It’s all about shellfish and great stock
Recipes and Photos from Chef Eben Atwater
www.urbanmonique.com
I love serendipity. Yesterday, Jerry Lobdill, an old friend from Texas, got in touch looking for a shrimp bisque recipe. When I got home, Monica had bought fresh shrimp – That’s just gotta be a sign, right? I knew I had a recipe, and I do, but it turns out it hadn’t been published yet. Time to correct that glaring omission.
was Butternut Squash Bisque, so I’m guilty as charged. It’s high time we posted up the real deal. Before we build, a bit of where bisque comes from. This thick, rustic soup goes back at least 500 years in France. Back when, it contained crushed seafood shells, even when the proteins involved were game, rather than shellfish. Bisque languished for a while before returning to the spotlight as a somewhat more When you think ‘Bisque,’ what does that conjure in refined dish in the late seventeenth century, (shells your minds eye? These days, it might be anything in a were still used to make the stock, but not crushed and thick, rich creamy soup, and that’s sort of correct, but left in, as they had been). There are many old saws f we’re talking the genuine article, bisque is made about the name deriving from the Bay of Biscay, but with shellfish – lobster, crab, shrimp or crawfish. The that’s likely romanticizing – ‘Bis cuties’, roughly ‘twice key is starting with a great stock – If you don’t have cooked’, which reflects the creation of stock followed that as the base of the dish, you ain’t got real bisque – by a second cooking of the bisque itself, is the more It’s that simple. likely root. That said, many things are called bisque these days, but really, that’s just done to sell stuff – Bisque sounds infinitely sexier than Cream of Whatever, doesn’t it? Fact is, the only thing I found on this site
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In any event, bisque may seem fussy and difficult, but it’s really not. If you’ve poked around here at all, you know we always start a soup or stew with homemade stock, and so should you. From absolute scratch, this stuff can be made in a couple of hours, and faster yet if you do stock one day and bisque the next. The other musthave aspects of a genuine bisque are, a solid foundation made with fresh, aromatic bases, the freshest herbs you can get, and thickening done with a buerre manie, (more on the latter technique in a bit.) What we’ll detail here could be used with any of the shellfish I mentioned above, although you might want to tweak things a bit – like crab with mire poix and Irish whiskey subbed for the brandy, lobster with soffritto and rum, or crawfish with a Cajun Holy Trinity and bourbon, or something else you come up with on your own – You get the idea.
A note on buerre manie, since that may be a new trick some of y’all. If you’ve ever wondered how professionals make such lovely, thick, shiny soups, stews, and sauces, this is how it’s done. Buerre manie is a classic French technique for thickening – it couldn’t be easier, and there’s no better way to get
the job done. Buerre manie means kneaded butter, and that’s exactly what you do. Equal portions of butter and flour are combined by hand to form a smooth, uniform paste. What this does is evenly coat the flour with butter, allowing us to introduce prodigious thickening power without clumping – A most important thing, oui? Once mixed, you roll up roughly teaspoon sized balls of the stuff and add one at a time to whatever you need thickened, thoroughly whisking that into the mix, et viola – la perfection!
Shrimp Bisque a la Urban For the Stock 2 Quarts Water Shells from 1 1/2 pounds of medium sized shrimp. 1/2 Cup yellow Onion, chopped 1/2 Cup Celery (Leaves are preferred), chopped 1/2 Cup Carrot, chopped 1/2 fresh Lemon 3 cloves fresh Garlic, crushed, skinned, and minced 5-6 whole peppercorns 2 Bay Leaves, (I like Turkish) Two 3” sprigs fresh Thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil Fresh ground pepper Pinch fine grind Salt Shell, devein, and chop shrimp. Return shrimp to fridge and retain shells. In a stock pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Add carrot and saute for a couple of minutes. Add onion and celery, season lightly with salt and pepper, and saute until the onion begins to turn translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
Finally, and as always, you want the freshest ingredients you can get, and that doesn’t just refer to the shellfish – Your aromatics, herbs, and dairy should be top notch as well. So here ya go, Jerry, and the rest of y’all as well. Today’s BoomeR 23
Add garlic and saute until the raw garlic smell dissipates. Squeeze lemon juice into the pot, then toss the half lemon in as well. Add the shrimp shells, water, peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaves – Stir to incorporate. Bring stock to a boil, then reduce heat to just maintain a simmer – Cook for one hour, uncovered. Remove pot from heat and carefully pour stock through a single mesh strainer. Set stock aside, and discard the solids.
For the Bisque 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream 4 Tablespoons unsalted Butter 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/2 teaspoon Turkish Oregano 1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Thyme 1/2 teaspoon Tarragon 2 Turkish Bay Leaves 2-4 shakes Tabasco A few sprigs fresh Parsley, chopped fine Salt Fresh ground White Pepper Reserve and set aside 8-10 whole shrimp. The rest should be shelled, deveined, and chopped. Pull butter from fridge and set aside. If you have fresh herbs, you can combine and mince them ahead of cooking. In a Dutch oven over medium high heat, add olive oil and heat through. Add carrot and saute for a couple of minutes. Add onion and celery, season lightly with salt and pepper, and saute until the onion begins to turn translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add brandy and stir until raw booze smell dissipates. Add tomato paste, and all herbs – Stir to incorporate and saute for 2 minutes.
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Add stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a bare simmer and cook for 60 minutes. Carefully process bisque with an immersion blender, until you have a smooth, even consistency. Add a couple shakes of Tabasco, taste, and adjust salt and pepper as desired. In a small mixing bowl or cup, combine flour and butter and knead by hand until you’ve got a nice, uniform paste – This is a Beurre Manie – The classic French thickener for soups and stews. Add beurre manie a teaspoon at a time, whisking it into the bisque – Once that’s all introduced, simmer for another 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream in a thin stream. Increase temperature to medium, (you want a rolling boil). Add the shrimp and cook for another 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls, garnish with a couple whole shrimp and a pinch of parsley. Serve hot, with crusty bread and a nice dry white wine or cider.
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