aarp

Last fall my mom got an iPhone so she could text with her children and grandchildren. It turns out she’s part of a trend of older Americans embracing technology to keep in touch with family and friends.

A career in Washington, DC, means a lot of turnover, and so, at the tender age of 50, I was job hunting after leaving the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative towards the end of the Clinton Administration. Freshly polished resume in hand, I recall going through at least three different job interviews where the questioner probed for my age instead of focusing on my qualifications and experience. While I didn’t feel a need to hide how old I was – I certainly didn’t consider myself to be “old” – perhaps the interviewers were reacting to my head of white hair. Whatever their reason, it was disconcerting, to say the least.

“Any changes to Medicare should help, not hurt, patients,” say the PhRMA ads. Yet PhRMA’s actions tell a different story.

 

AARP continued its mission to empower all people 50 and over by being a sponsor at all four major diversity and inclusion journalist conferences: the National Association of Black Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. AARP hosted booths, workshops, and panel discussions on topics ranging from health and caregiving to the Midterm Elections and what it means to be ‘gay and graying’ in America. AARP’s goal at each conference was to support and cultivate relationships with multicultural media professionals, educate them about AARP’s various programs and services designed for diverse audiences, and offer them story ideas, expert sources, and resources on the issues that matter most to their target audiences.

How we cope with stress is an important factor in our mental well-being which, in turn, impacts our brain health as we age. How we personally view getting older is also related. Adults who look at aging positively report higher mental well-being scores, says a new survey.

The midterm elections are some 25 days away. And there are now 54 million smart speakers in the U.S. with more being purchased each day. In response, AARP has an innovative new "Raise Your Voice" smart speaker app designed to increase civic engagement of voters age 50 and older.

With less than a month until Election Day, political campaigns are in high gear, and party control of Congress, Governor’s mansions and state houses are on the line. The landscape is volatile to say the least. But, one thing is certain . . . candidates who ignore older voters do so at their peril.

Esta semana en FinCon18 presentamos la variedad de programas e iniciativas que tenemos para ayudar a las personas en el país a planificar —e idealmente alcanzar— una jubilación segura. Incluso la embajadora financiera de AARP, Jean Chatzky, presentó en la conferencia un poderoso mensaje sobre las finanzas personales durante la próxima década. Con eso en mente, pensé en temas importantes para las mujeres en particular. El rol cambiante de las mujeres en Estados Unidos ha sido el centro de atención en los últimos años. Puedes darte cuenta al mirar los números históricos de mujeres postuladas para un cargo este año y el número récord de empresas cuyas propietarias son mujeres. Pero ¿sabes qué no está cambiando? El hecho de que las mujeres son más propensas a enfrentar la pobreza que los hombres durante la jubilación, especialmente las mujeres afro-americanas y latinas. Las mujeres enfrentan una batalla cuesta arriba cuando se trata de su seguridad financiera. En promedio, viven por más tiempo que los hombres, por lo que sus ahorros jubilatorios necesitan durar más. Además de eso, sus salarios usualmente son más bajos, por lo que se les hace más difícil ahorrar, y sus beneficios futuros del Seguro Social son menos. Más aún, muchas toman tiempo fuera del trabajo (o recurren a planes alternativos de empleo, como a tiempo parcial o por contrato) para cuidar de hijos, padres ancianos y otros seres queridos. Todos estos factores hacen que sea todavía más difícil que las mujeres hagan crecer los ahorros que necesitan para un futuro próspero y seguro. Si bien el Seguro Social es una pieza fundamental del rompecabezas, depender solo de él no es suficiente.  Sin embargo, muchas mujeres de 65 años o más dependen del Seguro Social como la fuente casi todos de sus ingresos familiares:

We’ve all experienced our phones ringing off the hook with a barrage of telemarketing calls. While these calls can be a real nuisance, some are far worse. Scammers use the latest telemarketing technology to rip off victims to the tune of millions of dollars each year. The threat of financial loss is especially great for older Americans living off of their retirement nest eggs.