Hi again,
I have been away for awhile. Still working on getting some good content on this blog showing up on this page and need some help..(Is there no-one out there??) no? ok for you..
The doctors at the VA said to cool it about stopping the hormone shots. They convinced me to cool it and wait..and stay frosty-The current treatment is what is best for me..
If you want the gory details, leave a comment and ask me what they are..I don't feel like telling right now...
Anti-aging and getting wellness everyday is not a walk in the park...and did I ever tell you that being sick ain't cheap....Should have thought of that a whole lot sooner....but I will keep on keeping on...
Lets stop feeling sorry for us and start to do things that will make us well again.. Good diet, good excercise, good positive thinking...some positive intention and hang out with some good people, like your family...
I must run now...keep positive, hang in there and keep on reading this BLOG...See ya next week, same time , same place...be there.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Hi fans,
Big news tomorrow. You will benefit from my visit to the Doctor at the Veterans Clinic.
To keep my prostate cancer from spreading, I have been receiving Female HORMONE SHOTS every 90 days for about a year. The treatment is supposed to retard the testesterone from allowing the cancer from spreading to other organs in the body.
That's the explanation I have been given. However, This treatment , I think, has caused a general overall chemical change in me. I believe that my PSA has been around ZERO or very low for quite some time.
So the treatment MAY be no longer necessary but stays on the treatment schedule. I know my body and it has not been working well for some few months (fatigue, low energy, aching joints and general lousy general feeling...
I am asking the Doctor to tell me why I can't just stop the shots to my belly. and allow the body to heal it's self. I am going on a exercise and weight training to build back some large muscles that have atrophied over some time.
I will turn 79 on the last day of this month. I have been a professional baseball player with ZERO ailment for over 50 years.. I believe that sticking strong chemicals into my body has gone on long enough. I must have some better control over my treatment.
I will, of course, listen and respect the Doctors advice but I don't want to just roll over and take what may be the ordinary treatment without speaking up.. (if it is not working) to my satisfaction.
I'll share my findings on Monday evening as soon as I have some information..I fully expect to live another 10 to 15 years...That is my Intention. Follow my results and it might help you in your own quest for better health.. As God has reminded me so often , we are all in this life together. LOve from Don...
Big news tomorrow. You will benefit from my visit to the Doctor at the Veterans Clinic.
To keep my prostate cancer from spreading, I have been receiving Female HORMONE SHOTS every 90 days for about a year. The treatment is supposed to retard the testesterone from allowing the cancer from spreading to other organs in the body.
That's the explanation I have been given. However, This treatment , I think, has caused a general overall chemical change in me. I believe that my PSA has been around ZERO or very low for quite some time.
So the treatment MAY be no longer necessary but stays on the treatment schedule. I know my body and it has not been working well for some few months (fatigue, low energy, aching joints and general lousy general feeling...
I am asking the Doctor to tell me why I can't just stop the shots to my belly. and allow the body to heal it's self. I am going on a exercise and weight training to build back some large muscles that have atrophied over some time.
I will turn 79 on the last day of this month. I have been a professional baseball player with ZERO ailment for over 50 years.. I believe that sticking strong chemicals into my body has gone on long enough. I must have some better control over my treatment.
I will, of course, listen and respect the Doctors advice but I don't want to just roll over and take what may be the ordinary treatment without speaking up.. (if it is not working) to my satisfaction.
I'll share my findings on Monday evening as soon as I have some information..I fully expect to live another 10 to 15 years...That is my Intention. Follow my results and it might help you in your own quest for better health.. As God has reminded me so often , we are all in this life together. LOve from Don...
Monday, March 03, 2008
I don't know how many of you get these notices but will continue to chenk them out for you.
These prescriptions are making the drug companies rich at our expense and I won't stand for it any more..
T
By MARTHA RAFFAELE, Associated Press Writer Mon Mar 3, 2:47 AM ET
ENOLA, Pa. - Leigh Bradshaw could be mistaken for a drug-company sales rep as she pulls out charts and leaflets to tell Dr. Ernest Josef about the costs and benefits of various cholesterol-lowering drugs.
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But notably absent during her visit to his family practice is the swag typical of a pharmaceutical marketing arsenal — the free pill samples, the logo-emblazoned pads and pens, the free lunch for doctor and staff.
That's because Bradshaw, a registered nurse, isn't trying to pitch a product for a drug manufacturer. She works for Pennsylvania taxpayers.
In a David vs. Goliath battle, Pennsylvania is among a handful of states trying — with modest results at best — to counter the pharmaceutical industry's multibillion-dollar marketing and cut costs for prescription-aid programs for senior citizens, who are bombarded with "ask your doctor" advertising.
"The more times they see it on TV, they feel that implies it is a better drug, which might not necessarily be the case," Josef said.
Josef, who is 45 and has been practicing medicine for 16 years, said he had already begun prescribing more generic cholesterol drugs in response to patient cost concerns, but that Bradshaw's presentation gave him more information to back up his recommendations.
State officials here say they are trying to ensure that patients get the most effective treatment. But driving the outreach is an effort to hold down expenses — in some cases by steering doctors to generics, in others by showing how lifestyle changes can sometimes be preferable to medication.
Pennsylvania is not the first state to try what is known as an "unsales" strategy, but its program, begun in late 2005, is considered the most extensive. The state spends $1 million a year on its "unsales" force — 11 consultants, including some former pharmaceutical salespeople, assigned to the 28 counties with the highest concentrations of seniors enrolled in discount drug programs.
West Virginia ran a similar program in two cities from 2003 to 2005. Vermont has a program focusing on rural medical practices and South Carolina began one last fall, focusing on mental-health prescriptions.
In visits with doctors, Pennsylvania's consultants share findings such as:
_The cost of a 20-milligram daily dose of various cholesterol drugs can range from 13 cents for generics to $4.53 for one of the more expensive brand names.
_A 30-day supply of some popular brand-name heartburn drugs can cost anywhere from $111 to $124, compared with just $1 to $2 for an equivalent supply of over-the-counter antacids.
With generic drugs already accounting for two-thirds of all prescriptions, the pharmaceutical industry's main trade group questions the value of the "unsales" programs.
The group said care could suffer if steering patients to generics is the primary objective — which the programs deny. It also maintained that state consultants are not held to the same strict standards as drug company reps in their presentations.
"A less expensive treatment may be more costly in the long run if it is not the best therapy for the patient," Ken Johnson, spokesman for The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said in a written statement to The Associated Press.
Bradshaw said generics are not pushed "unless the generic is the better choice," noting there are cases where brand-name products are deemed the most effective.
States are clearly outgunned.
The industry spends more than $7 billion a year on direct marketing to doctors and employs about 90,000 salespeople — one for every five doctors, according to the Prescription Project, a campaign funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts to challenge pharmaceutical marketing practices.
Still, Pennsylvania reports some slight cost-control success in its assistance programs, which last year enrolled 360,000 people 65 and older and cost the state $325 million, up more than 30 percent in the last decade.
For patients of nearly 300 participating doctors, average monthly spending on some pain relievers dropped from $400 to $340 per doctor within six months after a state consultant visit, a preliminary analysis found.
Another analysis found that the program saved Pennsylvania about $572,000 a year alone on heartburn drugs.
In both instances, the state took into consideration other factors influencing doctors' prescriptions — such as publicity about dangerous side effects and a strong push for generic drugs by insurance companies, said Thomas Snedden, director of Pennsylvania's prescription drug discount programs. The evaluations included control groups of doctors who either did not participate in the program or practiced in counties where it is not offered.
To develop Pennsylvania's program, state officials consulted with Dr. Jerry Avorn, a Harvard Medical School professor who pioneered the practice in the late 1970s.
He determined that the best way to combat industry marketing was to try to beat them at their own game — by using the industry's basic tools to tell medical professionals about a broader base of medical research in a more engaging style than the pedantic lectures he endured as a medical-school student.
But states have found it hard to staff their programs, let alone measure the results.
West Virginia used pharmacists to educate doctors but because it could not pay enough, the state had difficulty recruiting enough consultants to expand beyond Morgantown and Charleston, said S. Suresh Madhavan, a professor at West Virginia University's pharmacy school, which collaborated on the initiative.
Vermont relies on a two-person staff and a $50,000 annual budget which leaves little room for extensive evaluation, said Amanda Pinckney, a co-director of the program. The state is now considering partnering with Maine and New Hampshire.
In her recent visit with Josef, Bradshaw presented data compiled by Harvard researchers, including a cholesterol chart showing when lifestyle changes should be pursued as opposed to medication, and a price comparison of various brand-name and generic drugs.
Josef said he was initially skeptical about the value of an "unsales" pitch but now appreciates getting a broader view of research into various classes of drugs.
"It makes me feel more comfortable that I have some data to back up that the generic drugs are just as efficacious," he said. "It saves me time from having to do a lot of the research."
He said patients do not put up much resistance to switching once he can assure them a generic is just as effective.
The state uses data it keeps on the number of prescriptions doctors write for certain drugs covered by the prescription-discount programs to identify potential participants, and passes it along to the consultants so they can set up visits, Snedden said.
Participation in the program is voluntary, and doctors can earn continuing medical education credits from Harvard for doing so.
"I think the physicians are very receptive to these calls, in large measure because it is the state calling," Snedden said. "Physicians have a good deal of respect for the (prescription drug-assistance) program."
To no one's surprise, Bradshaw said she often runs into drug industry reps when she's out in the field.
She said they are relieved when she tells them she works for the state, and not a competitor.
___ ell your friends what is happening. Let's stop being taken advantage of. read on::
These prescriptions are making the drug companies rich at our expense and I won't stand for it any more..
T
By MARTHA RAFFAELE, Associated Press Writer Mon Mar 3, 2:47 AM ET
ENOLA, Pa. - Leigh Bradshaw could be mistaken for a drug-company sales rep as she pulls out charts and leaflets to tell Dr. Ernest Josef about the costs and benefits of various cholesterol-lowering drugs.
ADVERTISEMENTdocument.write('');
if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object();
window.yzq_d['iuKzXELEYpI-']='&U=13b7s0ll0%2fN%3diuKzXELEYpI-%2fC%3d645313.12297601.12716967.1442997%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d5238967';
But notably absent during her visit to his family practice is the swag typical of a pharmaceutical marketing arsenal — the free pill samples, the logo-emblazoned pads and pens, the free lunch for doctor and staff.
That's because Bradshaw, a registered nurse, isn't trying to pitch a product for a drug manufacturer. She works for Pennsylvania taxpayers.
In a David vs. Goliath battle, Pennsylvania is among a handful of states trying — with modest results at best — to counter the pharmaceutical industry's multibillion-dollar marketing and cut costs for prescription-aid programs for senior citizens, who are bombarded with "ask your doctor" advertising.
"The more times they see it on TV, they feel that implies it is a better drug, which might not necessarily be the case," Josef said.
Josef, who is 45 and has been practicing medicine for 16 years, said he had already begun prescribing more generic cholesterol drugs in response to patient cost concerns, but that Bradshaw's presentation gave him more information to back up his recommendations.
State officials here say they are trying to ensure that patients get the most effective treatment. But driving the outreach is an effort to hold down expenses — in some cases by steering doctors to generics, in others by showing how lifestyle changes can sometimes be preferable to medication.
Pennsylvania is not the first state to try what is known as an "unsales" strategy, but its program, begun in late 2005, is considered the most extensive. The state spends $1 million a year on its "unsales" force — 11 consultants, including some former pharmaceutical salespeople, assigned to the 28 counties with the highest concentrations of seniors enrolled in discount drug programs.
West Virginia ran a similar program in two cities from 2003 to 2005. Vermont has a program focusing on rural medical practices and South Carolina began one last fall, focusing on mental-health prescriptions.
In visits with doctors, Pennsylvania's consultants share findings such as:
_The cost of a 20-milligram daily dose of various cholesterol drugs can range from 13 cents for generics to $4.53 for one of the more expensive brand names.
_A 30-day supply of some popular brand-name heartburn drugs can cost anywhere from $111 to $124, compared with just $1 to $2 for an equivalent supply of over-the-counter antacids.
With generic drugs already accounting for two-thirds of all prescriptions, the pharmaceutical industry's main trade group questions the value of the "unsales" programs.
The group said care could suffer if steering patients to generics is the primary objective — which the programs deny. It also maintained that state consultants are not held to the same strict standards as drug company reps in their presentations.
"A less expensive treatment may be more costly in the long run if it is not the best therapy for the patient," Ken Johnson, spokesman for The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said in a written statement to The Associated Press.
Bradshaw said generics are not pushed "unless the generic is the better choice," noting there are cases where brand-name products are deemed the most effective.
States are clearly outgunned.
The industry spends more than $7 billion a year on direct marketing to doctors and employs about 90,000 salespeople — one for every five doctors, according to the Prescription Project, a campaign funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts to challenge pharmaceutical marketing practices.
Still, Pennsylvania reports some slight cost-control success in its assistance programs, which last year enrolled 360,000 people 65 and older and cost the state $325 million, up more than 30 percent in the last decade.
For patients of nearly 300 participating doctors, average monthly spending on some pain relievers dropped from $400 to $340 per doctor within six months after a state consultant visit, a preliminary analysis found.
Another analysis found that the program saved Pennsylvania about $572,000 a year alone on heartburn drugs.
In both instances, the state took into consideration other factors influencing doctors' prescriptions — such as publicity about dangerous side effects and a strong push for generic drugs by insurance companies, said Thomas Snedden, director of Pennsylvania's prescription drug discount programs. The evaluations included control groups of doctors who either did not participate in the program or practiced in counties where it is not offered.
To develop Pennsylvania's program, state officials consulted with Dr. Jerry Avorn, a Harvard Medical School professor who pioneered the practice in the late 1970s.
He determined that the best way to combat industry marketing was to try to beat them at their own game — by using the industry's basic tools to tell medical professionals about a broader base of medical research in a more engaging style than the pedantic lectures he endured as a medical-school student.
But states have found it hard to staff their programs, let alone measure the results.
West Virginia used pharmacists to educate doctors but because it could not pay enough, the state had difficulty recruiting enough consultants to expand beyond Morgantown and Charleston, said S. Suresh Madhavan, a professor at West Virginia University's pharmacy school, which collaborated on the initiative.
Vermont relies on a two-person staff and a $50,000 annual budget which leaves little room for extensive evaluation, said Amanda Pinckney, a co-director of the program. The state is now considering partnering with Maine and New Hampshire.
In her recent visit with Josef, Bradshaw presented data compiled by Harvard researchers, including a cholesterol chart showing when lifestyle changes should be pursued as opposed to medication, and a price comparison of various brand-name and generic drugs.
Josef said he was initially skeptical about the value of an "unsales" pitch but now appreciates getting a broader view of research into various classes of drugs.
"It makes me feel more comfortable that I have some data to back up that the generic drugs are just as efficacious," he said. "It saves me time from having to do a lot of the research."
He said patients do not put up much resistance to switching once he can assure them a generic is just as effective.
The state uses data it keeps on the number of prescriptions doctors write for certain drugs covered by the prescription-discount programs to identify potential participants, and passes it along to the consultants so they can set up visits, Snedden said.
Participation in the program is voluntary, and doctors can earn continuing medical education credits from Harvard for doing so.
"I think the physicians are very receptive to these calls, in large measure because it is the state calling," Snedden said. "Physicians have a good deal of respect for the (prescription drug-assistance) program."
To no one's surprise, Bradshaw said she often runs into drug industry reps when she's out in the field.
She said they are relieved when she tells them she works for the state, and not a competitor.
___ ell your friends what is happening. Let's stop being taken advantage of. read on::
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Hello Again fans and friends,
In reading Deepak Choppras excellent book: AGELESS BODY-TIMELESS MIND, I was able to see what he found to be the most important in Anti-Aging psychology.
It seems that he, in his medical experience, has learned that it's not enough just to delay getting old, it's the quality of that older life that really matters.
What good is it to gain a few more years of longevity if they are sick, painful years for us.? I do not want to become a burden to my children so have paid strict attention to the recomendations he has for us to stay in the "New-Old" ..The new old is when we are 70, we expect to look and feel 50. and why not?
He talks about our INTENTION being clear. That when we place our intention on staying young, we can...The more I read, the more I see that we need to spend a lot of time on the correct attitude.
Have the intention of not stressing out over anything, get happy about what we have and not whining about what we don't have.
Deepak writes about how our cells "know" when we are positive and come to help manifest a happier state of being. I, for one feel that if he is correct in his analysis , then we have something to say about our condition.
May I suggest that you go to Amazon and order the book. I am not pushing for any commission, just that you can follow along with me..I think the book will be around $10 to $12.. Thank you until next time-get positive and get better. Don
In reading Deepak Choppras excellent book: AGELESS BODY-TIMELESS MIND, I was able to see what he found to be the most important in Anti-Aging psychology.
It seems that he, in his medical experience, has learned that it's not enough just to delay getting old, it's the quality of that older life that really matters.
What good is it to gain a few more years of longevity if they are sick, painful years for us.? I do not want to become a burden to my children so have paid strict attention to the recomendations he has for us to stay in the "New-Old" ..The new old is when we are 70, we expect to look and feel 50. and why not?
He talks about our INTENTION being clear. That when we place our intention on staying young, we can...The more I read, the more I see that we need to spend a lot of time on the correct attitude.
Have the intention of not stressing out over anything, get happy about what we have and not whining about what we don't have.
Deepak writes about how our cells "know" when we are positive and come to help manifest a happier state of being. I, for one feel that if he is correct in his analysis , then we have something to say about our condition.
May I suggest that you go to Amazon and order the book. I am not pushing for any commission, just that you can follow along with me..I think the book will be around $10 to $12.. Thank you until next time-get positive and get better. Don
Hi again fans, thanks for hanging in there with me. Loyal fans for this old ballplayer. I never told you I was a professional baseball player, did I? well I played for four seasons , secondbase journeyman, fair player, great fun..
Now on to getting in great health with good diet, good exercise, good attitude..
Some of the people I am following are Doctor Deepak Choppra, author of AGELESS BODY-TIMELESS MIND.....Excellent book.
My brother is 80 and going strong still..We both solved the prostate cancer problem. I'll talk about that later.
Short post today. You can post on this Blog if you want to say something..Let's communicate some stuff whats on our minds.....Bye for now rounding third and heading for home
Spring Training is underway, it was always a fun time. Although I stayed in shape all year round.
Now on to getting in great health with good diet, good exercise, good attitude..
Some of the people I am following are Doctor Deepak Choppra, author of AGELESS BODY-TIMELESS MIND.....Excellent book.
My brother is 80 and going strong still..We both solved the prostate cancer problem. I'll talk about that later.
Short post today. You can post on this Blog if you want to say something..Let's communicate some stuff whats on our minds.....Bye for now rounding third and heading for home
Spring Training is underway, it was always a fun time. Although I stayed in shape all year round.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Bankrate.com
How to retire well and well off
Tuesday February 26, 6:00 am ET
Alanna Nash
In their new book "Fiscal Fitness," fitness guru Jack LaLanne and investment adviser Matthew J. Rettick team up to offer "8 Steps to Wealth and Health" that they believe will help readers live well into their retirement while having enough money to enjoy it. Eat right -- it's long-term health insurance.
Exercise -- build your body's bank account.
Think positive -- reverse the aging process.
Plan ahead -- financial security is worth it.
Insure your future -- for long-term care.
Bu annuities -- the path to retirement security.
Get investing aid -- max returns, minimal cost.
Tap home equity -- you've earned it.
According to a statistic in their book, 57 percent of seniors have assets below $5,000, or less than the cost of one month of nursing home care. And only 19 percent of elderly people claim assets equal to three or more years of the average cost of nursing home care.
"The problems we have in America with obesity and the fact that we're just eating up Medicare and Medicaid with medical expenses because we're not in good shape amounts to a national catastrophe," says Rettick, CEO of Nashville, Tenn.-based Covenant Reliance Producers. "The No. 1 fear used to be dying shortly after retirement. But that's been replaced by the fear of outliving one's assets."
Your health and your finances are intertwined, the book insists, and lack of physical and fiscal fitness is all about risk. Follow these 8 steps, the authors say, and you'll be ready to leverage your longevity.
8 steps to fitness
1. Eat right: long-term insurance for your body
One of every five Americans -- approximately 72 million people -- will be 65 or older by the year 2030. What you do now determines if you are physically or fiscally flabby, the authors say. This step offers instruction on what to eat, how to prepare it, and what vitamins and mineral supplements will help insure your health.
"I just bought a new Corvette," says LaLanne. "Would I put water in the gas tank? How about your human machine? You put the wrong fuel in the human machine, and it's not going to run properly. We have more fat American people than ever before in our history. Did you ever think about 'FAT?' Fatal. Awful. Trouble." Rettick, 54, has adopted his colleague's advice, shedding 20 pounds in the last year and a half.
"I started thinking, 'I'll just eat smaller amounts,'" says Rettick, "but that didn't work because I still loved the fries and hamburgers." When eating in restaurants, Rettick says, he now asks the waiter for suggestions for low carb, low fat foods. "If I'm going to cheat a little bit, I have two or three pieces of dark chocolate at night. Everything in moderation."
2. Exercise for life -- building your body's bank account
Being fit prevents diseases, says LaLanne, and the dividends include saving on medical expenses and ultimately, long-term care costs. In Step 2, LaLanne offers common sense, easy head-to-toe exercises and stretches for men and women.
"Everybody has an excuse: 'I've got a little pain my back, and I can't exercise,'" LaLanne mocks. "There may be 10 exercises you can't do, but there's 100 you can do. Get in the pool! If your spine is screwed up, you can still work your legs and your arms, can't you? You've got 640 muscles in your body, and every one of them is different. I'm not as strong as I was when I was 21, but I'm going pretty damn good for 93. That's what counts."
Rettick found he couldn't keep his commitment to the health club, so he installed a small gym in his house, walking the treadmill 30 minutes every other day, and lifting weights on the alternate days. "Everybody has to find his optimal time to work out. You just have to find out what it is you're willing to do, and make a commitment to follow through. No matter how far down you are physically, exercise can immediately improve your life."
3. Think positive -- you can reverse the aging process
The most important commitment to getting your body or your bank account in shape, the authors say, is to replace the "I can't" mind-set with a positive attitude. In Step 3 LaLanne and Rettick address the defeat of negative self-worth and depression, and encourage social connections and keeping an active mind.
"Our big message is that it's never too late, no matter what age, to control your health and your wealth," Rettick says. "We also want to see you get excited about the better person you can become, both from the physical side and the financial side. You just have to make small changes." No matter how bad you're dug in financially, he says, you can dig out, as Rettick did in the early 1990s when he was two mortgage payments behind and saddled with mounting credit card debt. Then he remembered the positive thinking books that inspired him as a young man: "Think and Grow Rich," by Napoleon Hill, "Psycho-Cybernetics," by Maxwell Maltz, and Denis Waitley's tapes on the psychology of winning.
"To maintain good physical health," LaLanne says, "the correct mental attitude has to go along with it."
4. Plan ahead -- peace of mind and financial security is worth it.
Peace of mind equals quality of life, says Rettick. "If you don't pay attention daily to your body, you won't live long. If you don't pay attention to your finances, your money won't last long. And if you don't do either, you're at the mercy of charity." This step covers the basics of investing, and points a finger at financial sharks.
Rettick became interested in financial services and retirees after watching his own family struggle in the 1980s. First, his maternal grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and over the course of seven years lost not only her mental and physical capacities, but also her finances, and ended up living with a relative. Then in 1986, both of Rettick's paternal grandparents became ill and entered a nursing home. His grandmother lived only two years, but his grandfather, "being a tough old German," spent 12 years in private care.
"I learned firsthand how without proper planning you lose everything. You become a prisoner of the state, almost. That just really got under my skin, and I developed a passion for helping people avoid this process. Because with the proper steps, you don't have to go through this. Now I tell people how to avoid paying unnecessary taxes, how to avoid probate, how to stretch assets to last an entire lifetime."
5. Insure your future -- for long-term care
"In my speeches to seminars or groups, I'll say, 'We depend on insurance for a lot of things in our life. How many of you have life insurance?'" Rettick says. "A good amount of hands go up. 'How many have automobile insurance?' All their hands go up. 'How many of you have homeowners insurance?' All their hands go up. Then I'll say, 'All right, how many of you have something will affect one of every two of you, which is long-term care insurance?' And only three or four hands go up. It's interesting how we insure the things that have a low likelihood of happening, but don't insure the one thing that has a high likelihood of happening. People don't want to think about ending up somewhere like assisted living or a nursing home. But almost half of those Americans who are married and reach age 60 will live to age 95.
"If you buy a long-term care insurance policy, you want to get as close to what the true cost of care is today as you can. And make sure you have an inflationary rider because the experts say that with inflation, the cost of care today will double in 10 years, and potentially triple in 20 years. I would shoot for the moon and get lifetime coverage, say $140 a day with a 5 percent inflationary rider. That would be ideal."
The best line of defense is to have a good long-term care policy, Rettick says. But according to AARP, about 25 percent of all applications from ages 55 and above don't qualify because of pre-existing conditions. One possible alternative is a modified endowment contract, or MEC, a life insurance contract that is similar to an annuity in terms of tax-deferred accumulation of your initial premium. However, in an annuity, if the owner passes away during the annuity's accumulation stage all deferred income taxes on growth become due. MECs can avoid that by including a "rider" designed to pass the entire account value to your beneficiaries income tax-free.
6. Annuities -- the path to retirement security.
Annuities often get a bad name, if only in the press, says Rettick, primarily because they're subject to ordinary income taxes, instead of lower capital gain treatment.
"But Albert Einstein said the eighth wonder of the world was the miracle of compounding interest," Rettick says. "So even after paying taxes, you're going to have more money to spend than if you had that money in the bank in a CD, where you're paying taxes every year on that interest. For money that you don't want at risk, this is an ideal account." Rettick advocates fixed indexed annuities which are tied to a popular equities index such as the S&P 500.
7. Investment management -- maximum returns, minimal taxes, fees
"When you go looking for a financial adviser, you'll find there are lots of different designations out there, some of which are important and some of which are not especially valid," says Rettick. "Look for somebody who is insurance and securities licensed. Your normal CFP doesn't understand Medicaid. If you ask somebody what he specializes in and he says, 'I help anybody age 20 to 100,' then he's a generalist, not a specialist. Find somebody who focuses on the pitfalls of retirement and the challenges of making sure your money lasts, especially if you have a catastrophic illness.
8. Tap your home's equity -- you've earned it
"Reverse mortgages once looked like a fad, but they are now endorsed by the government," says Rettick. "If you have a house that's worth $200,000 and it's debt free, that's a good thing. The bad part is that it's not generating any income. If you don't need any additional money, then leave it alone. But if someone needs to pay for long-term care or supplement his Social Security income, a reverse mortgage company will either provide a lump sum of 60 (percent) to 70 percent of the house value, or a monthly income stream that will last for life. Once that person passes away, the house is sold and the company recoups its investment plus interest. The balance goes to the heirs. However, in some situations, you might want to compare an equity line to a reverse mortgage, even though the equity line might have a high interest rate."
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Hello Brothers and Sisters. I have been gone for quite some time, relocating from Moseley , Va to Williamsburg, Va. Several months have sped by and I have missed talking to you all.
I have tried to construct a real WebSite but have failed miserably. I will continue to work at it but am very discouraged with the system not working.
The new WebSite will be all about the subject of Franchising. I have been in that field for over 35 years and can help new people starting to research franchising to miss some mistakes. I made enough for everyone and can help you from just repeating the same errors.
In the meantime, more months have gone by and I an aging just like everyone else. Perhaps a little faster as I have not been exercising as I should to remain healthy. The reason is that I have been just too lazy and blame the cooler weather.
This blog will continue to do research on health matters just as before. I have experienced a few new ones to share with you. I contacted Vertigo and have not been able to get rid of it yet.
Still uneasy on my feet..It's a strange malady having to do with the inner ear "rocks". It does requite the services of a Neurologist to treat it...Back soon- hope you are still there-LOve
I have tried to construct a real WebSite but have failed miserably. I will continue to work at it but am very discouraged with the system not working.
The new WebSite will be all about the subject of Franchising. I have been in that field for over 35 years and can help new people starting to research franchising to miss some mistakes. I made enough for everyone and can help you from just repeating the same errors.
In the meantime, more months have gone by and I an aging just like everyone else. Perhaps a little faster as I have not been exercising as I should to remain healthy. The reason is that I have been just too lazy and blame the cooler weather.
This blog will continue to do research on health matters just as before. I have experienced a few new ones to share with you. I contacted Vertigo and have not been able to get rid of it yet.
Still uneasy on my feet..It's a strange malady having to do with the inner ear "rocks". It does requite the services of a Neurologist to treat it...Back soon- hope you are still there-LOve
Monday, November 20, 2006
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