Kendal at Oberlin Blog

We start the new year with a new date, but often with an old resolution – eat better or exercise more or a variation of the two. Something is obviously awry. Yes, change is not easy.

One of the many perks I’m looking forward to when my husband and I retire is traveling when we want, not at the whim of workplace calendars. Years ago, my husband was a photographer for a TV station and could not get time off during the rating “sweeps” periods. (OK, they did make an exception for the birth of our May baby.) Now he’s a teacher, and travel is limited to school breaks and the two months in the summer when the rest of the country is also on the move.

In late December 2017, Congress passed a major reform of the Internal Revenue Code, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Now it’s time to pay close attention to these changes as we gather our 2018 records and prepare federal taxes.

The biggest change that affects all taxpayers is the standard deduction amount. The new tax law almost doubles the previous standard deduction amount to $24,000 for married filing jointly, $12,000 for single filers, and $18,000 for heads of households. This increase means that while in past years you might have itemized, this year you might be better off taking the standard deduction.

Romantic getaways are hardly a one-size-fits-all, and often our preferences change as we grow older.

Spending a week at an all-inclusive, adults-only resort on a tropical island might fit the bill when we were busy with children and careers, but now we are retired and have more leisure time to create our special getaway. Spending a couple weeks meandering along Italy‘s scenic Amalfi coast in a convertible or getting snowed in during Michigan’s Upper Peninsula winter wonderland might be the ticket.

Holiday music and movies,

Colorful lights and ornaments,

Religious and spiritual meetings,

Presents made and bought,

Festive parties and gatherings,

And food every step of the way.

Often during the holidays, we pass over healthy food and forgo good eating habits when confronted with scrumptious appetizers, plentiful buffets, cookie platters galore and festive drinks.  What’s the harm, we think as we overfill a plate with pastry puffs and rich dips, followed with the excuse, I don’t want to be rude, as the host passes around desert trays.

At a recent creative non-fiction conference I attended, the organizer asked the 300 writers what kind of book they were writing or interested in writing. When “memoir” was mentioned, almost everyone’s hand went up.

“Once upon a time, fiction ruled the market. Today, however, nonfiction is just as heavily competitive – and memoir is a key corner of that genre,” writes Jack Smith in The Writer.

My mother rarely turned down a dinner invitation or get-together with friends. In later years when she lamented that her “social calendar” was skimpy, she tried to find creative ways to fill it.

But like many older adults, my mother also cherished solitude, often with a good book, devotional or Lexi, her toy fox terrier, in her lap.

For many of us, the holidays bring out our best as we go the extra mile to make a special gift for a loved one, plan a dinner party for friends or donate money to our favorite charity.

But for con artists, holidays bring out the worst as they look for new and clever ways to prey on our generous spirits, especially those of older adults.

Like every chapter of their lives, Baby Boomers have redefined what it means to work and play, form relationships and find inner peace, and now grow old.

Even our language is undergoing a change as we talk about Boomers. For some Boomers, full retirement age is defined by Social Security as 65, for others 66 or 67. But many “retired” Boomers are or plan to continue working.

If you’re thinking about moving to a retirement community, condo or smaller home, you’ve probably read an article or two about downsizing and these 3 key points are not new:

1. Your children don’t want your stuff;
2. Your stuff isn’t worth what you think it is;
3. You have too much stuff.