Welcome to Boomer411. We hope you will visit again. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed.

For those living in Canada, Jonathan Chevreau of the Wealthy Boomer column in Financial Post has a very interesting, informative interview about Canadian Pension Plan and its possible future direction, in his latest interview with Malcolm Hamilton in Part 4 of the interview. Malcolm Hamilton is a retirement consultant at Mercer Canada. You can view the interview by clicking here. Thanks to my dear friend Alex for sending this link.

In this interview Malcolm discusses briefly the history of the Canadian Retirement Benefit system and the direction they have taken. He also compares it with the American Retirement System or the Social Security system in terms of the respective direction for the two systems.

It is an interesting and informative interview for anyone interested in the retirement system of either of the countries or for those wondering about their future options for retirement in Canada.

One important thing to keep in mind is that any government retirement benefits system is only designed to supplement your retirement income, never as a sole source of retirement income. Also, it is really upto you to take responsibility, interest in your own retirement savings and start contributing early, often and as much as you can to build your nest egg. This is the only way to be really sure that you will have a good retirement. Or one also has a second choice, and that is to hope things will work out and if they don’t, then simply blame it on the government or someone else. Please note that, in spite of your blaming someone else, you will still be the sufferer and not the other person, organization or government being blamed. So for you to not suffer, there is really only one choice and that is the first choice of taking responsibility to make sure you have enough saved and invested.

Check out the Wealthy Boomer column and other financial sites to educate yourself on how to take care of your retirement.

All the best in your efforts.

We all know that we have two parts to our brains. Our left brain that is analytical in nature and our right brain is the source of our creative juices. Some are more left brained while some others are more right brained. But how much do we know or realize the capabilities that our brain gifts us with? How much do we understand the capabilities of each of these parts?

I can almost hear you say, why should I care?

Yes, Why should you care?

If learning about this helped you live your life more holistically, if learning about this helps you relieve some of your stress-points, if learning about this changes who you are for the better that you always wanted to become, wouldn’t you care?

Judith Auslander of Wise Heart Coaching (commercial break: Judith has joined the privileged group of Boomer411 trustees. So watch for her web site/article recommendations on Boomer411) shared this insightful video, titled ‘My Stroke of Insight’.

Click here to watch the video, titled ‘My Stroke of Insight’.

In this video, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, neural anatomist shares her own experience in an engaging, gripping conversation with us. To keep the element of surprise, I am not revealing her experience. But I am very positive that it will touch you and stimulate you to look at your life differently; it sure touched me. Be sure to sit down, relax and watch the video with a calm and open mind for maximum learning.

As you watch this, think about how annoyingly left-brain oriented, as a society, we have become. What a wonderful gift it would be to our lives to find that Nirvana, that inner joy to resonate throughout our lives?

After you watch the video, scroll down and answer this question…

Who has the power or control to let that life force, that inner joy to resonate throughout our lives or not?

Do post your comments/thoughts on the same.

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

In our Guest Blogs series today, consumer specialist Rita Robison (of Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide) talks about spending plans. You can find more information about Rita here on her Boomer411 trustee profile page. You can also read her previous post here.

If the word budget scares you, you may want to set up a spending plan instead, Consumer Reports magazine suggests in its August 2008 issue.

In the article, “Budgeting: Create a Spending Strategy,” these steps are offered to make your spending plan simple and painless. Read the entire article from Consumer reports here.

• Set goals
• Track expenses
• Plan for surprises
• Set priorities
• Fill the gaps
• Update regularly

For tracking your plan, a pad, pencil, and calculator will work. However, Consumer Reports says you could save time following your plan electronically.

Here are three free Web sites, which offer budgeting functions, that Consumer Reports’ staff reviewed.

• Buxfer (www.buxfer.com)
• Geezeo (www.geezeo.com)
• Yodlee MoneyCenter (www.yodlle.com)

The article advises consumers to be sure to check the privacy policies of sites before they sign up to determine how their information will be used.

We are delighted to introduce you to our new guest columnist, Rita Robison. Rita is a consumer writer and runs the blog, Boomers Survive and Thrive Guide and she also writes a Boomer Consumer blog on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. As times are tough these days, financially speaking, and stretching those few dollars is a really good idea, we requested Rita to pen a guest column for our readers on a weekly basis and share her insights with our audience. Rita has gracefully accepted our request. Thank you Rita. Let’s hear more about Rita in her own words…

Since 1977, I’ve been fortunate to be able to be a consumer writer.

My columns have appeared in The Anchorage (Alaska) Times, The (Tacoma, Wash.) News Tribune, The Spokesman (Spokane, Wash.) Review, and The Olympia (Wash.) News.

My favorite job was being a consumer action column writer for The Anchorage Times. I answered questions from readers. My column was called Tell It to Bud – Bud stood for ombudsman.

I love doing consumer research. It’s fun to do all the interviews it takes to get a story. I’ve obtained quotes from the White House, tracked down Ralph Nader, and convinced Elizabeth Kubler Ross that she should take the time for an interview.

Knowledgeable specialists in retirement, heart disease, stress management, insurance, housing, relationships, hearing aids, dentistry, foot care, finances, aging, and dying have also provided information for my columns. Writing consumer columns for newspapers has brought me much joy. I’ve been able to research issues of importance to readers.

Here are 15 items that are among the key things that I’ve learned during my years as a consumer columnist:
-  The importance of having a living will.
-  How to decide whether to buy long-term care insurance.
-  Tips for the new retirement – the go-go, slow-go, and no-go phases.
-  What consumer books and green gifts make good presents for the holiday season.
-  How to handle credit card debt and collection agencies.
-  What to do about clutter.
-  How to buy cell phones, long-distance phone service, and computers.
-  How to avoid accidents in the home.
-  What you need to do to be prepared for emergencies.
-  How to pick out a charity.
-  How to select contractors and roofers.
-  How to buy a manufactured home.
-  The benefits and drawbacks of Medicare Advantage, a way to combine Medicare and supplemental policies under one private company that manages a person’s Medicare benefits.
-  The benefits of massage.
-  Stress reduction techniques.

Now I’m a blogger for boomer consumers. My blogs are:
- The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide – http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com.
- Boomer Consumer, a reader blog for the Seattle (Wash.) Post Intellingencer – http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/boomerconsumer/.

I’m pleased that Boomer411 has asked me to be a weekly guest blogger. I’m looking forward to having a conversation with you on how consumers can take action during these trying economic times.