Category: Taking Care of Business

Literally!  I have become obsessed with stickers. In younger years I don’t recall using a lot of stickers but the more I learn about making my planner appealing, the more I have embraced my inner child.

Have you ever checked the sticker aisle of your local craft store? Oh my! Hobby Lobby, where I select many of my stickers, has an entire aisle designated just for stickers. An additional aisle for photo albums, planners, and calendars holds a section of stickers in pads made specifically for planners.

Bloom Planners also has great stickers. https://bloomplanners.com/collections/all-accessories Their stickers come in packets, usually by months or themes.  Several other sites sell stickers for planners, too.  I’m telling you this is a big deal!

There are stickers for every imaginable holiday and special events such as birthdays, weddings, vacations, and seasons. You can see flat stickers, glittery ones, puffy, and even three-dimensional stickers. Some are large, some are small, some are even itty bitty mini sized. Special stickers are available for food, drinks, health and wellness, budgeting, fitness, travel and transportation. Some stickers are for empowerment and encouragement. Some help with list making. The possibilities are endless!

With all of the options available, you would think I could find just the right sticker. However, I still have to use my creativity.  For example, on days when I have scheduled my workout that is targeted towards my spine, I use cute skeleton stickers. When the cleaning ladies are coming I slap on a vacuum or a feather duster.

When I can’t find exactly what I am looking for, I have to create my own stickers. I can use blank printables such as Avery brand labels which provides templates for using their various size and shapes. I bought a packet of round stickers and have printed pages of Reiki symbols, meditation scenes, and Zoom meetings so I can slap those on the scheduled day.

Obviously, using stickers is fun. It makes the page more interesting. But practically, it also signals at a glance what the requirements, meetings, and activities for the day will be. Embellished with colored pens and highlighters, looking at my daily deeds is cheerful and uplifting. And when I’m in a funk (we all have those days, now admit it!) I can add an inspirational quote as a reminder to take life a little less seriously.

Planning with stickers may not be your “thang.” Still, it can be a fun, creative activity when staring at the mundane pages of your calendar or planner. You don’t have to go crazy and have so many that they have to be categorized and filed, as I do. But if you decide to give it a whirl, just don’t be surprised if you end up finding a sticker on your arm or ankle. Happy Sticking!

In these days of e-Everything, I, as many of you, use an electronic calendar.  I can call up my appointments on my desktop computer, tablet, or phone at any time of day or night. However, I still like to use a paper planner.  For me a planner is more than just a calendar. The planner is a daily journal, an organizer, a thinking tool, and – well – a planner!

Until recently, I had planners going back more than ten years.  Begrudgingly, I finally recycled the pages after perusing the years of activity and notes. I have to admit it was hard.  As with pictures, planners serve me as memory joggers. Some notations make me smile; others are bittersweet; all provide snippets of my life for a year’s time.

Interesting, too, is how life evolves from year to year.  Engrossed in our days, weeks, and months, we may not be aware of our focus and how we navigate our lives. Yet looking back we begin to see patterns lending themselves to those things important to us at the time.

Each year I look at many planners before selecting just the right one. You might say planners are like jewelry or perfume – very personal. [grin] My current planner is an 8” x 10” spiral-bound book that includes a two-page spread for each month, two-page spread for each week, and note pages. Each month is separated by a designed cardstock page followed by an inspirational quote from a famous person.  Although I selected this year’s planner, my sister purchased it for me for my birthday last October.

During the fall I may begin making notes that occur into the next year. Hair and doctors’ appointments that are scheduled months in advance. Concerts and theater performances in which tickets are purchased ahead of time. Pre-paid travel and excursions. And birthdays to be celebrated! I even include notes of when to plant certain flowers, fauna, and foliage.

In addition to appointments, I include current daily and weekly items. Things to do.  I write down phone calls I need to make, notes to write, special checks to write or gifts to send. Being retired, it is easy to waste the day away and then think, “I should have done this today.” By jotting notes about what to accomplish that week, I am reminded and more likely to complete the task. Plus, I get the added pleasure of checking off the task!

As you can tell, I enjoy using a planner.  It may sound like a lot of work, but in reality I simply jot down the tasks, reminders, and lists and then glance at the planner once or twice a day, depending on how much I have going on. And I embellish with stickers for colorful fun. But that obsession is for another blog post.  Happy planning!

Mary Ann

Do you ever feel that you are powerless to change the world?  I did and often still do. However, there is a glimmer of hope out there that can empower you, and change is possible if only one person at a time.  This epiphany dawned on me when I retired. I realized I had a voice, and I needed to use it for good and stand up for my beliefs.

In Stephen R. Covey’s classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey ‘s first habit is Be Proactive.  He discusses your circle of influence and being proactive within that circle.  We all have the power to influence those close to us.  It may not be a huge difference, but it is still a difference.  You have more power than you think. 

I have had so much fun monitoring what my congressional representative and senators are doing in Washington.  Since I am retired, I have the time to follow how they vote, and I can let them know if I agree or disagree and that does make a difference. My little local paper documents our national and state representatives’ votes on various bills. If a vote is forthcoming, I will contact them to encourage them to vote a certain way.  If they vote for my position, I will write or call to say thank you for being brave for taking a stand, and I will also call if they vote against what I believe and tell them why I disagree.  I learned I could make my beliefs heard. I could express my opinion.  This is not hard to do.

Just put your congressman or congresswoman’s name or senator’s info in your search engine, and it will take you to his or her website.  On the website, contact info is provided.  You can send an email right on the site, though it is limited to the number of words you can write.  I have sent Part I and Part II to get my total view across.  You can get the address for their office should you want to write a letter, and phone numbers are also provided.  I email, but I also call.  Usually, you don’t get an answer at the senate offices, however you can leave a message.  The representative office is a different story. I usually get a young staffer (maybe a future leader), and I can tell someone directly what I think.  It makes me feel better, regardless the outcome.  Often you will get a letter or an email from the representative thanking you for your input and then telling you how they voted.  This has been my experience.

I haven’t written the president YET, but you can easily contact the White House either through text, an email, write a letter (using the famous address), and you can call.  All this info is on the website.  I need to give this a whirl!

You may ask, does any of this do any good?  Can I really make a difference?   Let me share a story with you that illustrates that you most definitely can.  I will not give specifics to avoid being political.  In my home state, one of our senators held a certain belief that was contrary to what most of his constituents believed.  A bill was coming up for a vote.  I wrote to him explaining my view that I agreed with his personal position, but in the bigger picture it was about rights for everyone which I believed. The senator changed his position truly representing his state, and the bill passed.  As much as I would like to take credit for the change, I know that I was just one of many, many letters, texts, and calls that made the difference.  

I have had fun contacting my representatives.  I am exercising my right as a citizen of the United States – Miss Bowman, my civics’ teacher,  would be proud!  I may not be making a big difference, but my voice is making a difference if only for me.  At least I feel better when I write my beliefs and share my convictions. You can do this too.  Don’t be frustrated.  Make a difference if only for yourself.  You can write your representative, you can work for a political campaign, you can financially support a candidate, and most importantly, you can vote!  You have a voice, so SPEAK UP! 

Mary Ann

When I was a little girl, I compiled a list of things I wanted to see before I died.  It was a bit serious for a child of 6 or 7.  However, I am sure that I read about some of these wonders of nature in my Weekly Reader(Remember Weekly Reader?), and I didn’t want to miss anything. My list included: a hummingbird, a falling star, a rainbow, a monarch, and finding a four-leaf clover.  This was my bucket list as a child.  It was more like a small pail than a bucket. 

Eventually, I saw everything, and my little Bible was full of four-leaf clovers. Since those early years, I continued setting goals – getting a puppy, going to college, and on and on.  I never did talk my parents into getting me a horse. I had a perfect plan for a stable by our creek.  

Fast forward to adulthood, and it was time for grown-up goals.   You can set goals, but life has a way of changing everything thus changing your goals.  Nevertheless, every New Year, I would create a list. I bet you do, too!  Then a few months go by, and the goals are forgotten until the next New Year.  It is kind of a vicious cycle.  So how do you get a handle on setting goals?

Since I have been keeping in touch with Cynthia, we have done annual goals.  No one else I know does goals as well as Cynthia.  She makes spread sheets, lists goals with sets of to-do lists and deadlines, and we set goal reviews on Zoom every few months. it all puts me to shame.  I have created all the same sheets, but I just couldn’t keep up. 

So, this year, I decided I was going to make a few big goals and keep it simple.   I created four meaningful goals that included: the Blog, my Estate Notebook, my School Materials, and Healthy Living – So far so good.  Cynthia and I got Silver Sage Sisters up and running.  I have written 24 blogs.  We do need to get better with the photos, and I promise we are working on that.  I went through my School Materials and have found homes for most it. I need to get my Estate Notebook finished to make my inevitable passing easier for my family when it comes. Finally, Healthy Living is moving along.  I really want to create menus of healthy recipes, so I can plan meals and my shopping list.  I waste too much food which makes me very guilty when I throw it out.  I also started working out on the machines at the gym, and I can tell I am stronger. Now, at the half-way point of the year, I am at a pretty good place.  All the goals’ loose ends will be finished by year’s end. This is the best I have ever been with goals at the mid-point.

Another technique that has been very helpful is working with a buddy.  It makes you accountable, and you can cheerlead one another on.  Cynthia and friend L have done this with me for health goals and financial goals.  If you do one small thing, they will add up to the one big thing you want to accomplish.  It also makes it fun to tag team with a bud.

Please know that Cynthia and I do some goals over and over.  It is funny because we don’t ever seem to get ahead. An example of this is organizing our cookbooks and recipes.  I think I could have my cookbooks suddenly disappear and nothing would change.  Again, I am constantly finding new recipes, so the pile of clippings and new cookbooks keeps growing.  In any given year, I can hardly get all my favorite meals prepared let alone new ones, yet I try.  It really isn’t that bad of a problem, and it all tastes good!

In conclusion, when goal setting, keep it simple, determine what really matters to you, and get a buddy to keep you honest.  It has worked for me this year, so it will be my goal to keep doing it.   

My dear friend, Patty, would often talk about having a boodle.  Her mother told her that every woman needed a boodle, a stash of her own money, often secret.  I had never heard of it before Patty used it.  I thought it was a Yiddish word, but it’s not. I thought it was a family word. It was not.  However, boodle is a real word. A boodle means a large quantity of something, often ill-gotten money. It is from the Dutch word boedel from the 1600s.  A few of our politician have boodles that get them into a lot of trouble. We are going to talk about the good kind of boodle.

When I was a young woman, we really didn’t think about having our own money. You might save your babysitting money or what you made as a waitress or another job.  You used it to buy clothes or to have a good time. We weren’t taught how to invest or build your credit score.  We hardly knew how to balance our check books if you had one. Then we married and often our husbands took over the finances. I imagine many women had their own boodles from pennies pinched here and there that was stashed away somewhere in the pantry.

 I was a military wife, so I had to do the bills since often my husband was deployed. That was a blessing in disguise for me.  When my husband left me, my eyes opened, not how to pay a bill, but how economics worked.  I had no credit since my credit was tied to my husband’s.  Yet, I was responsibility for caring for two children. 

 I had a good, stable job which was lifesaving for my family.  I was able to get a place to live since I had the money for deposits. The car was a whole other ball game.  With no credit, it was hard to get a loan for a car.  A very nice salesman at the Renault dealership worked very hard to get me a lease so I had a car.  That kind man was a guardian angel.  Angels come in different forms. 

As time passed, and I slowly began building a credit history by paying the rent and the car lease payments, I bravely applied for a Shell gas card.  When I got approved for it, I was walking on air.  I had a credit card. I had a new beginning to take care of myself and my family. Then, the big whammy hit.  My ex did not pay the bills that had my name on it, so what little credit I had built was now in danger. I was back in the hole again. I ended up slowing paying off the loans and credit cards of the joint accounts.  You need to be careful what you sign – if your name is on the account, you are responsible regardless the circumstances. 

I wish I had a boodle.  I could have taken better care of myself if the “stash” was available. I could have eased the challenges I faced.  However, I may not have learned the money lessons I needed to learn. Obviously, I did thrive on my own and grew my credit history.  It was not easy, but it can be done. I am living proof. 

When I became a principal, I would always tell my young female teachers to build their own credit, grow their savings, invest in their retirement, and create a boodle which today is an emergency fund.  It is easier today for women to build credit and manage money but not necessarily easy.  I would also give this advice to older women for many of them still don’t know how to manage their finances.  Life can change so quickly from the passing of a spouse to an unexpected divorce.  It is always better to be prepared.  If you don’t know where to begin, I suggest reading Jane Bryant Quinn’s How to Make Your Money Last or Get Good with Money by Tiffnay Aliche.  Both finance books can help you to self-educate.  You can do it! 

Mary Ann

Cynthia

Malicious access to personal data seems to flow in waves.  Recently we have seen yet another series of hacking (or more accurately named cracking) events. Unfortunately, unauthorized access is one of the challenges of our Internet-based society.  Most people are concerned about this type of activity when personal data is acquired.

Every element of information about ourselves and our lives is “out there” – and once posted your personal story will be on a server in perpetuity. The only safe electronic data, is stored on a computer that is turned off, unplugged, and disconnected from the Internet. The reality is that unauthorized access is a fact of digital life.

Some of the major financial institutions have recently experienced cyber attacks. Not long ago, TIAA, a major retirement fund, was hacked, as have some credit reporting agencies. What is an individual to do?

While we cannot prevent hacking, we can take precautionary steps to safeguard our data.  For example, using anti-virus software on our computers and phones; ensuring we don’t click on any links we are not familiar with; never giving out personal information on the telephone, text messages, or email; and keep personal information only in trusted sites.

Financially, we can lock our credit accounts so that new accounts cannot be opened in our name with our identifying information, such as social security number, birthdate, address, and credit card or bank account numbers.  Locking accounts is easy.

An individual can lock his/her account at no charge but may need to create an access account.  This is different from a credit protection account which will cost a monthly fee. Credit protection accounts are beyond the scope of this post but may also be helpful. Credit protection accounts are available from several companies, in addition to the credit reporting agencies.

To lock your credit account, go to each of the three major credit reporting agencies websites. These agencies are Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

From the Experian home page (Experian.com) scroll to Freeze or Unfreeze your Experian Credit File. You will need to “Create a free account.”

On the Transunion home page (https://transunion.com) scroll to click on Credit Freeze & Unfreeze, Get Started, then Add a Freeze.

On the Equifax site (https://equifax.com) scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on Place or Manage a Freeze, and click on Place a Security Freeze.

From there on each of the sites, follow the prompts. You may have to create an account on each, but you do not have to sign up for their security service.  You must freeze your account with each of the reporting agencies. Freezing your account on one site does not freeze your account on the others. Remember, also, that if you do freeze your account, no one can open new accounts with your PID (personal identifying data). To open a new bank account, credit card, or other credit account, you will need to unlock or unfreeze your accounts with the credit reporting agency your intended business uses.

All this sounds much more difficult than it is. You are just a few clicks away from protecting your data.

Mary Ann

During Covid, my good friend L and I did a non-fiction book club. We lived in different states, so this was a way to connect during our confinements.  It was only the two of us, and each Saturday morning, we talk for two or three hours about the reading assignments and life in general.  Even though we could have stopped when the pandemic ended, we have continued reading 60 plus books over the last four years. We focused on nonfiction that included topics on money, health, happiness, self-actualizing, retirement, getting ready to retire, etc.  We wanted to learn about topics that would help us in our lives.

One of the first books we read centered on finance.  I had retired, and L is going to retire at the end of 2024. We needed to get a handle on our money and know how to best support ourselves in the years to come.  The first finance book was How to Make Your Money Last – The indispensable Retirement Guide by Jane Bryant Quinn and is the bible of finance as far as I am concerned.  I frequently refer to this book.  Another finance book that I love is a gem of a little book called How to Retire with Enough Money and How to Know What is Enough Is by Teresa Ghilarducci.  It is the Cliff Notes of finance.  Both are excellent books and very well-written.

Recently, we have added a new book to our All-Star Finance List.  It is Get Good with Money – 10 Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole by Tiffany Aliche.  She is known as the Budgetnista.  Ms. Aliche breaks down money into categories and in simple terms explains how a budget works, how to invest, how to buy insurance, and how exactly is your credit score determined.  These elements among others add up to 100% and in the end gives individuals a blueprint to get their finances in order.  Topics are clearly explained, good examples are given for understanding concepts, and most importantly, Ms. Aliche has personally lived through most of what she recommends. She has made all the mistakes and knows what it is like to be penniless. Her firsthand experiences gives everyone hope. She also offers finance worksheets and the like in her book and on her website, getgoodwithmoney.com.

This book is a good gift to give your children and/or grandchildren. L and I have done just that.  I wish that Ms. Aliche would write a finance book for little old ladies like me that would advise elders about medical costs and a guide for signing up for Medicare- the ABCD programs can be so confusing and then you have the supplement alphabet!  Investments for someone retired is different from building retirement funds. I am sure that Ms. Aliche could help investors to help themselves. I gained so much information from Aliche’s book, but I could use some help with my retirement finances. 

All three of these books were written by women.  They all offer good financial advice regardless of gender; however, it is so nice to see women lead on finance.  I can remember years ago when that wasn’t the case.  Thank you, Ms. Bryant, Ms. Ghilarducci, and most recently Ms. Aliche!  You are making all the difference! 

Mary Ann        

When I was a young woman, I was a single mother living on a teacher’s salary and supplementing it with tutoring and summer work.  There wasn’t much left over to save for retirement.  I was just trying to get by.  What little saving I did have was precious.  At the time a friend of mine suggested I move the money to a fund that was getting around 8% which was much better than the return I was currently getting so I moved the money.  As the months passed, the fund kept losing money, and I kept calling the firm asking why this was occurring. No one could tell me why, and after losing half my money, I returned to the original company.  With a little research, I found the fund was junk bonds and the bottom was falling out of them. 

I was so mad at myself that I said never again would I be “fooled.” I had my Scarlett O’Hara moment yelling in my head I will never be hungry again or rather I will learn about money, investments, and retirement.  I spent the next 40 years doing just that reading about investments, talking to advisers, starting investment clubs, and being awake. I did not have much money to invest in the early years, but I would always match what the schools were offering in their retirement programs.  After my children were on their own, I began to max out my annual contributions, and then you turn 50 and you get to make up for lost time with even bigger contributions.  I did just that.  Then there is the magic of compound interest which is the gift that keeps on giving.  

As I was moving with career advancement, I would move my money from the 403bs (the non-profit retirement programs) to IRAs with Vanguard. It was there that my investments really grew.  I also decided to work until I was 70 to max out my Social Security.  The extra years allowed me to grow my retirement savings as well and have more Social Security quarters at a higher rate thus giving me a higher Social Security payment.  I had put my learning to use setting me up for a comfortable retirement. 

Now, that I am retired those early decisions have given me financial security.  I developed a plan, stuck to it, and have reaped the benefits from it all.  When you work in the Independent School world, you must create your own pension from your savings. There is no state pension.  

I feel confident about all my decisions until I start reading the articles online about finance and retirement then I panic.  Inflation, taxes, life expectancy, medical expenses, and low investment growth dominate the headlines.  Will you outlive your money?  What!  I thought I had that all taken care of.  These articles are mind-blowing causing sheer terror and constant anxiety.  If I did everything right, why am I going to be a Bag Lady in a few years.  I read somewhere that women all think that they are going to be Bag Ladies. It makes sense, doesn’t it?

I have recently decided that I need to just enjoy the day.  None of us know how long we have.  It is time to stop reading the articles.  I am going to be Scarlett O’Hara and think about all this tomorrow.  To worry now, doesn’t solve anything.  You need to enjoy life and not fret all the time. You still must be wise about money and watch your investments, but there is more to life than constant worry.  If you remember, Scarlett O’Hara was a bag lady in her lovely green velvet curtains and had lost most of her family fortune.  She would just say fiddle-dee-dee and go about living!  

 Mary Ann

Mama Bears are fierce mothers.  They would defend their babies with their lives.  As they rear their cubs, the mamas teach them how to take care of themselves.  Then one day, Mama Bears send their cubs up a tree and walk away.  Suddenly, the cubs are on their own and eventually climb down the tree and begin their lives.   

I think there are real lessons that the Mama Bears could teach all parents.  Of course, we aren’t sending our children up trees and are not going to walk away from them.  However, learning to be independent is a real gift for life.  Over my 40 years as an educator, I wrote several articles about letting children fail, and afterwards, learning to pick themselves up and begin again.  When children make mistakes, they need to know that they can recover from them.  Each small lesson builds on one another, so they learn how to handle bigger challenges later in life. 

Every time we swoop in to save our children, we are telling them that they cannot help themselves.  Life is hard, and children need to learn how to manage those tough times.  When you start small, it builds self-confidence for children.  As a parent, I picked my children up way too many times. Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!  I tried to make a perfect world for them.  Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!   As I look back, I should have made them figure out their own problems and save them less.I realize that once you become a parent, you are a parent forever.  However, you are not responsible to take care of your children when they become adults.  Statistically, 65% of parents are supporting their adult children and grandchildren in some way.  Many cannot afford this and pay for their own retirement.  As older adults, we don’t know how long we will live and will we have enough money to last for the whole retirement.  Life is indeed hard, and if you can underwrite your children’s lifestyle, more power to you.  Nevertheless, many retirees cannot fund their children’s lives.  It is a hard decision, but we need to be independent and take care of ourselves.  Most financial advisors will tell you to do this.  It is time to be Mam

Mary Ann

Kiplinger’s Retirement Report

Occasionally, the universe rewards you with an unexpected gift, and that gift for me came via the Kiplinger’s Retirement Report.  This monthly newsletter is worth every penny of its subscription price. The newsletter is filled with valuable information about government actions regarding Social Security, Medicare, and other policies that affect your life. It has investment advice, information where to retire in the US or internationally, tax updates, consumer guidance, travel info, and on and on. 

My gift was finding a nugget of information in one of their Social Security articles.  Divorced people who were married for 10 years or more, older than 62, and have not remarried could claim Social Security against the former spouse’s benefits.  You must be divorced for at least two years, and the ex-spouse must be eligible to collect Social Security. You can collect half of the ex-spouse’s benefit, and if the ex-spouse is deceased, you can collect the full amount of the benefit.

I may have read this in the past, but it had not registered.  Social Security certainly is not going to contact you about this option.  As soon as I read the article, I made an appointment at the Social Security Office to see if it was indeed true.  It was, and I could collect the benefit.  Later, when I turned 70, my own Social Security kicked in. I was able to share this information with one of my colleagues at work who was in the exact situation as I was, and her former husband had passed so she got the entire benefit.  This gift from the universe allowed me to buy a house prior to retiring, and it allowed my colleague to retire earlier.  We both collected our Social Security at 70 getting the maximum benefit and preventing two little old ladies from becoming bag ladies.   

I think of all the women (and men) who did not know about this benefit and missed out on the extra money.  It may have made all the difference in the lives of those eligible people.  It does not affect the former spouse at all, and the former spouse would never even know this is occurring.  However, you still must pay taxes on the funds.  You must meet the criteria for the claim. Always check with Social Security. The Social Security website post all the details in the Divorced Spouse Benefit section.  In the end, it allows you to build you own future Social Security by delaying claiming it earlier.   So, all I can say is thank you Kiplinger, thank you universe!