ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

So if any of you are like me, you've probably heard about the Federal Reserve Board cutting short-term interest rates by three quarters of a point and wondered: What does that mean for me? Well, when the Fed lowers the interest rate, rates also drop for things like credit cards, mortgages, and home equity lines of credit. Also, if you can get a loan for something like a car, you should be able to find bargain. However, these are only useful benefits with people who can get loans. With the credit markets so tight, anyone with less than perfect credit may find themselves unable to enjoy some of these benefits. While everyone might not be able to get into the party, lowering rates are definitely a step in the right direction as we try to pull ourselves out of this recession.

While it’s been quite a dramatic year, older Americans have had many victories to celebrate as 2008 comes to an end. Here are a few reasons we have to celebrate:

• The passage of the economic stimulus package, which will extend stimulus support to about 20 million Americans who depend on Social Security.
• Our Keep Medicare Fair campaign came out victorious when Congress overrode President Bush’s veto of the Medicare reform bill.
• Most recently, a bill that would waive penalties for retirees for mandatory withdrawals in 2009 passed the House and the Senate, now awaiting Bush’s signature.

With that being said, there’s obviously a lot of nervousness about larger looming problems for the new year, such as the future of the economy and the health care crisis. With the new Obama administration to focus on change for this country, what should be America’s resolutions for 2009? More specifically, what issue means the most to you? Take our poll and let’s open up the discussion in comments!

Bob Crowley, a 57-year-old school teacher from Portland, Maine bested rivals half his age to win $1,000,000 in this year's season of CBS's Survivor. Here is Bob on CBS's Early Show explaining how his aged proved an asset for the competition. Congrats, Bob!

You needn't look any further than this blog to see that the headlines have been pretty bad lately. News of the credit crunch, high gas prices and foreclosures have been top stories since the summer. When the economy is having tough times like this, you need to worry about more than just your stock portfolio. There are people out there looking to swindle you out of your money by using many elaborate scams that piggy back off of the current condition of our economy. Be diligent when considering a company that claims they can help you reduce your debt or give you huge profits by investing in foreign currency or energy. With tough times looking like they are here to stay for a while, we can all ill-afford losing money to some scammer.

As part of his farewell tour, President Bush made unannounced appearances in both Iraq and Afghanistan over the weekend. While at a press conference in Iraq, the President got the boot, literally, from an Iraqi journalist who threw both of his shoes toward the President as he stood with Iraqi President Nouri al Maliki. In Muslim countries there is no deeper insult than to throw your shoe at someone. Thankfully, the President was able to deftly dodge the flying footwear and later joke about the whole incident. "All I can report is a size 10," Bush told reporters. Whatever your thoughts may be on the President's politics, you have to admire his athletic prowess: