45 Forward

As you approach traditional retirement age, you probably know the importance of enrolling on time in Social Security and Medicare—the bookends of retirement planning. But what you may not be aware of is that only a small percentage of recipients maximize their benefits, which could have a significant impact on their standard of living in their later years. Both programs are designed to support retirees, but optimizing one’s benefits requires careful planning and strategic decisions. In today’s episode, I talk with Todd Whiton, the president of Colby Jackson Advisors, a veteran Social Security and Medicare expert who offers an integrated approach in providing effective planning strategies for the two programs together. Todd reviews a litany of key provisions people need to consider when evaluating their coverage; mistakes people make or misconceptions they have about these programs; and what significant changes may be coming down the pike in 2025.

As we kick off October with the United Nation’s International Day of Older Persons, it’s fitting that we begin the month with Maria Alvarez, an iconic leader who has been at the forefront of advocating for older Americans for more than 30 years. In today’s episode, Maria who is Executive Director of the New York Statewide Senior Action Council, explains the mission of her grassroots organization, which brings seniors together from across the state for self-empowerment and improvement of the quality of life for older New Yorkers and their families. She’ll explain why it’s critical to have consumer representation and involvement in public policy and why seniors are so vital to strengthening the fabric of our society. And Maria will offer her broad perspective as to what aging looks like in the years ahead, and how the Senior Action Council will continue to conduct its wide-ranging advocacy campaign for future generations.

In an age of when technology has become an integral part of virtually every workplace, you might think that STEM skills—science, technology, engineering and math—are the top skills sought by corporate managers when looking for new hires. Not so. Several studies have shown that the top two skills that 75% of managers look for in recent college graduates are the “soft skills” of critical thinking and communication. And a large percentage of these managers rate recent graduates as lacking in these important skills. This “Skills Gap” has had serious consequences, with poor communication skills costing companies an estimated $3 billion a year and poor writing skills costing $400 billion a year. In today’s episode, Jim Rowe, a seasoned marketing expert, talks about what he decided to do about this skills gap when he retired after more than 45 years in his field. He would write a book, but not just another boring business book. Inspired by the best-selling “Who Moved My Cheese?” Jim wrote a simple fable to provide managers and HR personnel with a practical training tool to teach a structured process of critical thinking. His book, “Get Your Ducks in a Rowe,” has actually grown into two books: Book 1, which teaches Jim’s simple 10-step business communication formula to critical thinking; and Book 2, the A-D-A-P-T-E-R Method, a holistic approach to strategic business communication. Jim’s books have already been introduced in a number of educational institutions—to highly acclaimed reviews—and his approach may eventually change how students learn these fundamental skills—BEFORE they graduate to their first jobs.

As we prepare for the second half of life, many of us think about estate planning, our long-term care needs and our legacy. Lots of questions arise about the things we know—and the things we THINK we know—but realize we don’t. In today’s episode, I talk with Aaron Futterman, an experienced elder law attorney and tax expert who helped many individuals and families plan for their future while alleviating the fears, anxieties, and concerns that we often experience when facing the unknown or inevitable. Aaron will give us an overview of advance directives, the latest in long-term care planning and how to navigate health care coverage between Medicare and Medicaid. He’ll also explain the many complexities and options in estate planning, including probate issues, estate litigation, what families can accomplish with trusts, and new provisions for transfer of death deeds. And in an age of rampant fraud—especially victimizing seniors—he’ll offer insights into how estate planning can reduce the risk of scams.

We’re in an age driven by fast-moving technology, but how do we find ways to intersect these technological changes with everyday human behavior? In today’s episode, I talk with Howard Fields, a former IBM executive whose career has evolved as the Founder and Principal Consultant of Rethink Alignment Howard is a future-focused leader, who takes a holistic view of problem-solving, spurring innovation and helping companies overcome and realign multiple issues that are limiting their bottom-line. There are very few new problems, he says, only better ways to solve them. A long-time, out-of-the-box thinker, Howard helps individuals and organizations and individuals envision how problems may be solved in the future—before the future slaps them in the face!

If you’ve ever seen the documentary, “Alive Inside,” a documentary that shows people with Alzheimer’s responding to personalized music—music that has been deeply meaningful to their lives—you’ve surely been amazed to witness what happens to individuals who are virtually unable to communicate verbally suddenly become animated, able to sing and dance with joy. In today’s episode, you’ll meet Dan Cohen, who was the driving force behind the documentary as the visionary Founder of Music & Memory, a nonprofit that began by providing personalized music to dementia patients in nursing homes via iPods and MP3 players. Since that time, Dan has drawn on a decade of field experience to found Right to Music, broadening his advocacy for “beloved music” as our best non-pharmacological tool to benefit individuals with dementia, Parkinson’s and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as help alleviate loneliness and despair. He’ll describe how his mission has grown to promote the widespread adoption of music-based interventions globally, educating healthcare professionals about the benefits of music; changing government policies to incentivize the use of beneficial music; and shifting the focus of music research to more practical initiatives. When he sees nursing home residents “light up” with their favorite music, Dan questions why can’t everyone, especially our most vulnerable fellow citizens, benefit from music that the rest of us are able to play whenever we want? By spreading access to personal music—a human right—we can make a meaningful change in the status quo, Dan says. There’s nothing to lose, and so much potential for good.

When we think about our later years, we know that because we’re living longer these days, we need to create a realistic financial plan for retirement—to make sure we don’t run out of money. But we still have a hard time talking about how to deal with long-term needs, even though the data show that two-thirds of us will need some sort of care after age 65. And we also have trouble facing the fact that adult children often become the caretakers and decision-makers for aging parents—and that a lack of planning can ruin our families. In today’s episode, Carroll Golden, a renowned expert in the field of extended and long-term care planning, offers a pragmatic, but personal and refreshingly accessible approach to this complicated and emotional subject. Carrol, the author of “How Not to Pull Your Family Apart: A Practical Guide to Caregiving and Financial Stability,” will spell out her three-step guide that provides a multi-generational approach to proactive planning, enabling families to gather information, put together a planning process, and structure a care planning team. She’ll unpack the emotional obstacles to effective family communication and present specific financial options to help families sort through the maze of alternatives. Ultimately, Carroll’s goal is to help us avoid the handwringing of uncertainty and live our best possible lives as we age.

We know that exercise is an essential factor in maintaining our health and overall well-being—and it’s no less important as we get older. But often with age comes pain, the result of accidents, injuries, physical labor or the toll of daily wear and tear on our bodies. So how do we make sure to keep movement in our lives? In today’s episode, I talk with Ahmed Ahmed, a personal trainer and founder of Lotus Fitness, who specializes in helping older adults overcome pain through gentle strength-building and exercise. Ahmed works with people of all ages who have varying goals: grandmothers who want to be able to walk on the beach with their family without any issues; working professionals who want more energy to tackle their day; and people with sensitive conditions, like recovering from car accidents, arthritis or knee replacements. Ahmed will describe his data-driven approach to help people understand what's going on with their bodies and what exercises they need to get them where they want to be, so they can spend time with their grandkids, make the most of their retirement, and do all of the activities they enjoy in life. Exercise is more than movement, says Ahmed. It has the ability to change your life.

As a nation of immigrants, we’ve long been interested in genealogy, curious about our home countries, the families we left behind, and what motivated them to come to America. In recent years, genealogical research seems to have taken off as a hobby, with the availability of internet resources and DNA technology. It’s particularly popular among older people, who enjoy the challenge and activity—it’s also a good way to keep your brain sharp. But researching family history can be frustrating; there are so many blanks you often must fill in. In today’s episode, I talk with Kerri Tannenbaum, a genealogist who has turned her passion into a dynamic—and often surprising—profession as the owner of Family Dot Connector. Kerri will explain how modern genealogy has developed into much more than DNA tracing through Ancestry.com or 23andme, providing a range of specialties in areas like geographical or ethnic searches. She’ll tell us where to find resources to get started on your genealogy journey; when and how to hire a professional; and what kind of training and education it takes to become a pro. Most of all, she’ll share an array of compelling stories about her detective-like work with families, helping them find the clues they need to reveal long sought-after pieces of their history. “As people get older,” Kerri says, “they want answers. I like to give them answers.”

As older adults move into their traditional retirement years, a growing number of them do not want to retire their minds. In fact, many experts note that those who continue learning and engage in meaningful social interaction on average live longer and healthier lives. In today’s episode I talk with Murray Shapiro and Ron Susser, two active members of PEIR, which stands for Personal Enrichment in Retirement, a unique and highly successful lifelong learning organization affiliated with Hofstra University on Long Island. What makes PEIR so distinctive? The classes, discussion groups, and events are self-directed, planned, created and presented by PEIR members themselves. Murray and Ron will describe how the organization has evolved over more than four decades, how it survived through the pandemic, and how it’s run and thriving today. Every month, PEIR members offer a far-flung array of topics, whether you’re interested in literature, history, religion, philosophy, natural or social sciences, the performing or visual arts, economics or technology. PEIR is also a social organization, and Ron and Murray will tell us how its members build camaraderie, sharing their curiosity, opinions, knowledge and passions with others each semester.