shAARP Talk: Observations from AARP

Forbes: "Universal Design" Helps Seniors Age In Place

Ashlea Ebeling writes, "A survey by AARP found 90% of folks 65 to 74 want to live out their years in their current homes. Yet many will find those homes ill-suited for physical limitations that can come with old age. One solution is to remodel while you're spry and able to supervise the work." The "key" to this kind of remodeling "is what's known as 'universal design.' That doesn't mean installing ugly wheelchair ramps that destroy your house's curb appeal," but making a "home safe and accessible" to people with "limited mobility." Neither do homeowners "need to settle for fusty design; architect Michael Graves, 73, who's relied on a wheelchair since 2003, is creating a new line of home products for people with limited mobility that includes a handheld shower massager and a bath bench." If "the idea of preparing now for possible future decline strike you as morose or a waste," the "consider the alternative, says Elinor Ginzler, AARP's senior vice president for livable communities. 'If you fall and break your hip, and want to go home after rehab, but you don't have a way to get to the second floor, then you can't go home,' she says."

US News And World Report: Older Workers Must Compete For Jobs As Retirement Plans Unravel

"While the economy is rocky for all age groups and jobs are scarcer than they were a year ago, older workers may face employers who think they're overqualified, too expensive, or -- not to put too fine a point on it -- just too old. That's a tough reality for nearly 30 percent of older workers who are rolling back their plans to retire, a figure recently reported by AARP." Jon Zion, executive at staffing company Robert Half International, says that companies "are becoming less focused on the potential drawbacks as baby boomers reach retirement age and create talent shortages." Zion offers some advice on "nabbing the interview as an older worker." Zion suggests that a "résumé shouldn't be any longer than 1 1/2 to two pages." Zion also says "networking is still the best way to find a job."

USA Today: Roth IRAs Better If Tax Rate Increases

Matt Krantz writes, "Roth IRAs are often described as nothing short as the best thing going for investors. And that naturally creates some skepticism. ... After all, why would the government be willing to give up on the lucrative toll they take on money taken from other retirement savings accounts?" Krantz says readers shouldn't "worry about the Internal Revenue Service, it's collecting its tax dollars whether you contribute to the Roth or the traditional IRA. It's just that you're essentially prepaying the tax when you contribute to a Roth and paying the tax when you take the money out with a traditional IRA. That means a Roth is a great deal if you think your tax rate will be higher in the future than it is now."