As the year draws to a close it is only natural to reflect on all that has happened. We made history in so many ways. Some of the things we thought would never change have probably changed forever and retirement is just one of them. Retirement does not look like it did even a year ago, as so many of us watch our 401k’s become 201k’s. The idea of retiring from work completely is less likely than six months ago and may even be out of reach for some of us.

So, if you are considering re-entry into the workforce and want to be trendy and hip, there is probably something you should know: yellow is the “in” color for 2009. Pantone, which provides color standards to the design industry and influences what colors fashion designers use, has designated yellow as the optimistic color, so let’s all be optimistic and wear a little yellow, paint a wall or two yellow, and think yellow thoughts, as we all need an optimistic attitude for the New Year!

Since so many people are “in the red” that was apparently a bad color choice. Green would have been in bad taste, since few of us have seen much green lately. Orange appeared a few years ago and a pale blue was the choice for 2008, so yellow is really the only choice we have. Yellow is the color of sunshine and happiness. Many people have abandoned a sense of optimism, so if seeing splashes of yellow in our living space and on our clothes helps; that is an easy fix.

But for those who are looking toward a year where new fashion is a luxury and new furnishings may not be in the mix, there is one thing everyone can take into the new year. And that is hope. Hope that the things can and will change, like bigotry and skepticism. And that going forward we all have hope for the future, no matter what color it is.

While some pundits compare our economic climate to those suffered at other times during our history,I disagree.

What we are going through has never happened in history. While some compare our crisis to that of the the Great Depression, this one is different on many levels, but no less traumatic!

If you have recently retired, or are thinking of retiring, it is a particularly stressful time. As 401K values plunge and home values spiral downward, it is hard to be optimistic about the future. Quite frankly, there is little to compare too, as the whole world has joined our bad times with no end in sight.

However, I was recently reminded that there is a big difference between retiring and being laid-off. Most people have planned for their retirement, and have some assets to rely upon during hard times.Being laid-off is a whole different experience and, unfortunately, is a predictor of just how long and painful our current recession could last, since the worst and most fearful symptom of recession is the loss of jobs and the devestating impact this can have on millions of lives.

In the last month, I have seen at least one person I know layed off each week. This is the most real evidence I have seen of what is happening. While, it may not be you or I, when our neighbors and friends are laid-off, it affects all of us psychologically. Some may have seen it coming, but some may have been caught totally off guard.

With the holidays coming and economic forecasts bleak, it is hard to keep our resolve and not to become discouraged. But perhaps, this is when we need to draw upon lessons from history, and the laws of nature. Historically, when times are rough, we still can draw from optimism and the hope that things will get better.And we can also thwart the theory of self-fulfilling prophecy, where we make things happen that we don’t want to occur.

It is a time to be hopeful, but if each of us reaches out to others that may be suffering just a little more than we are and offer them assistance and solace during the holidays this could be our best Christmas ever - a Christmas when look to help the fortunes of others even when our own prospects may not be as good as we had expected last year.Christmas can be a time of giving to others, so let’s embrace this idea not only in the presents we give but all our good deeds.

If you are of retirement age, perhaps you have heard people talk about what it was like to have lived through the times called  “The Great Depression”. ‘Those that lived through those hard times were forever changed by the experience.  For better or worse they and their world were never the same.

Now, it is our time  to experience something no one has ever lived through before and it will be interesting to see where it all takes us.  In a way, it is comforting to me that economists are admitting that they don’t know what to expect.  It is also scary because I always thought they did know.  If you are like us, we are watching our retirement accounts dwindle away, and the very concept of a comfortable retirement has changed.

For many of us, working beyond retirement age has become a necessity rather than a luxury; second homes and yachts a fading thought; and extensive travel plans have turned into weekend trips to Paducaville.

If you listen to the TV News Shows, you can get different advice from as many people as you listen to.  Perhaps, some of the best advice I have heard came from self-help coach Tony Robbins.  In an interview on the Today Show he gave some tips for getting through this historic time.  While it would be easy to get depressed, don’t.  Realize what is important in life and that we will get through this. In times of strife and crisis, it is a time to realize what is important.  He cited a recent health scare that both he and his wife have had.  It has been said many times, but if you have your health, you are indeed fortunate.  He also called on people to get outside themselves and do something physical.  There is a mind body connection that can’t be denied and research shows you do feel better if you exercise or do active hobbies.  Don’t sit behind the computer or television and watch the world go by, get out there and experience it yourself.  We are a generation that was known to get out and experience things.  Now is not the time to become inactive and unengaged.

It would be very easy to become discouraged with the world economic issues, so perhaps, November, which brings the holiday of Thanksgiving couldn’t come at a better time.  We  are living in historic times and we are fortunate to live in a democracy where we will have a chance to vote in an election that will change history.  Get out a vote, whoever your candidate, for it is time to make a change, and strong leaders will be required.    Now, more than ever, we should reflect not on what we have lost, but what we have.  These are historic times but resist the temptation to be an observer.  Hard times are also times of great opportunity and those of us that live with a view toward the future rather than the past will be best prepared for what lies before us.

If you are like most Americans, you may suddenly be questioning what is going on with the economy. And if you are recently retired you might be questioning whether you did the right thing. While I am certainly not an economic advisor, I do realize there are things one can do to minimize the stress associated with rising prices, loss of investment value and a fixed income.

First it is important to take a realistic assessment of your current situation. It is time to sit down with family members and talk about the current status of investments. If you have money in the stock market it is imperative to know how much you have lost, or in rare cases, gained. The mortgage crisis necessitates that one look realistically at the market value of your home and what are your total costs of home ownership, including any mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance and utility costs. I always think it is good to put the information on a computer spreadsheet, or paper, so you have a visual reference.

It is also important to look at where you have your money. Investments we thought were safe a few years ago may not be that safe anymore. Money should be in a bank of good standing. By that, I mean one that is identified as one of the top five banks in the country. The government will insure savings up to $100,000 for each depositor. Therefore, if your retirement nest egg exceeds that amount, it may be a time to move savings to make sure all your money is secure.Also, look at what your investments have earned you in the last year, the last five years and the last ten years. Diversification is the key in this investment environment. Losses are minimized by diversifying your portfolio in most cases.

If you do not have a financial advisor, it may be time to go to one that is recommended by someone you trust. With the instability of the housing market and stock market, it may be time to put money where there is minimal financial risk, such as CD’s. When you find a financial advisor, make sure he is not paid by commissions on transactions he or she may make for you. You never want a person who would churn your money but one that looks for stable, long term investments.

On the bright side, I feel very fortunate that now that I am retired I do not have to commute to work each day and pay the high gas prices. I recently read there is a shortage of bicycles in major cities because people are reevaluating how they get to work. There are always errands to do and this is the perfect time to start riding a bike, or walking to places that before would have seemed too far away.

Another factor that may bring peace of mind to retirees is you can always go back to work. You may not want to go back to the high pressure job you had before, but you might sleep better at night if you bring in a few extra dollars to hedge against rising prices. Retirees are often highly sought out by employers who know they can employ well trained staff members who have a history of reliable work habits.

Finally, we are not alone. We are all in this together. While it might be scary to face the truth, it is the first step to assessing what really needs to be done.

If you are of retirement age, you might sometimes reflect on what the legacy of our generation will be. Several things have made me think recently.

The first was a little girl walking in park with a t-shirt that said “Save our Planet”. I know we do not want to be known as the generation that destroyed the earth for our decendents. The second was when I received our water bill and realized that a hose not turned off completely can result in as much as 970 gallons of water wasted in 24 hours with as little as 1/16″ leak. It made me think there are a multitude of things that can make a difference. And starting small, may indeed help save the planet.

Certainly, the environmental revolution has been greatly advocated by a Baby Boomer, Al Gore. While he has long been an enviromentalist, it was his documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” that really got people thinking about what is now a common term, Global warming or more generically one’s carbon footprint. The internet now has many websites with ideas to start thinking about what we can do as individuals to make a difference in what happens to our planet.

The new 3 R’s get people thinking in a different way: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Think of these terms in priority order. The foremost thing to do is reduce what we use in the first place. Reduce what we need and we reduce what is produced in the first place, including enery. The second term, reuse, is as simple as giving your unnecessary things away to another family member, friend,or community member. It is a better thing to do than recycling, since reuse does not involve any reprocessing costs or energy usage, other than the energy we use to take our unwanted things to a new home. Finally, there is recycling, which is now available for many people through their communities. Recyling has become much more commonplace in the last ten years and is now more economically feasible too. People will actually pay for many recycled goods now.

Another idea that is catching on at the grocery store is that instead of the usual paper or plastic, it’s now “BYOB” bring your own bag. People are bringing a reusable bag to carry their groceries home. And people are more conscious of what they are putting in the bags. A little meal planning helps make sure that no food is thrown away.

The internet and libaries offer recycle guides, which tell what can be recycled and how to do it. And reuse can be as simple as putting a “Free” sign an item that no longer is useful for you, but may be just what someone else is looking for. Also, many cities have Reuse Centers where you can find everything from bicycles to door knobs at reasonable prices.

Perhaps our greatest wastage in this country is energy. Have you ever thought to do an assessment of your home for energy efficiency, or better yet, to have your utility company perform an energy audit? They will identify where your home is losing money and it is usually done for free or at a very low cost. Households use about one fifth of the total energy consumed in the United States and the average household spends about $1,500 a year. 42% of an average family’s energy bill is spent to keep homes at a comfortable temperature. A two degree adjustment in the thermostat (lower in the winter, higher in the summer) can lower heating bills by 4% and prevent 500 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

So, there are many simple things we can do. It is not too late for our generation to be known as the generation that began the environmental revolution to save our planet!

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” St. Augustine

It’s summer.  The time many people looked forward to all year when they were working.  A time to break the routine and relax.  So, why is it when we retire that we think vacations are no longer necessary?  Maybe its because we think we do not deserve a vacation since we haven’t earned it by working.

This is garbage.  Retirees have earned the right to vacation too through many years of hard work and sacrifice. Variety truly is the spice of life.  Traveling, even a day trip, stimulates the mind and gets us out of our routine.  Even though the price of gasoline can make some long distance trips prohibitive, with a little planning, a day trip or a week-end getaway can make everything seem fresh again.

Our brains need to be challenged. Just like our bodies become unresponsive when we do the same workout routine every day, our mental skills aren’t as sharp when we do the same thing day in, day out.  Meeting new people, seeing different scenery, eating different food, all help to improve our minds. Retirees are prone to establishing routines and these routines can sap the energy and mystery of new life experiences.

It is true that when you are working, vacations take a higher priority in our lives and are highly anticipated and planned for.  A report published in the Journal of Travel Medicine in 2005 said workers who felt most recuperated after their vacations had:

Visited warmer, sunnier places.
Enjoyed more free time.
Exercised more.
Slept more.
Made new acquaintances.

Granted we can do these things every day when we are retired, but do we?  If you have found yourself in a rut since you retired, perhaps the time is right to change the scenery and take a vacation.    The internet provides information on special summer events and activities.  With our current economy, many places are offering discount packages to offset the price of fuel.  Libraries also offer sources of information for summer activities.

So, even if you are retired, don’t feel like you can’t take a vacation.  You need one.  And you will return with a renewed appreciation for where you are in life.

I hesitate to write this month’s column because people who know me, may now start looking a little more closely. However, in the interest of sharing ideas on retirement and aging, I submit the following:

First, let me preface this by saying I have had no cosmetic surgery, not that there’s anything wrong with that. However, one of my friends has, and she invited me to an informational seminar at her doctor’s office one evening. Our area seems to have a lot of plastic surgeons who sponsor events to give you an idea of how much better you could look.

There were about fifty other women who were also curious about what they could do to improve their appearance and the office manager gave us a brief overview of different options. There are many different things, from lasers to chemical peels that can reduce wrinkles.

As the evening progressed they had a raffle for different prizes. When we arrived we were given three tickets and we had a choice of putting them in different bowls for a drawing. I had my eye on a gift basket filled with expensive skin care products, so that is where my first ticket went. My second ticket went into the bowl for a facial and eyebrow waxing. And my last hope was tossed in a bowl for a photo-facial, a procedure that reduces wrinkles and sun damage. As the drawing started, there were elated screams as people won Botox injections. My hopes were dashed as a name, other than mine, was drawn for the gift basket.

A hush came over the crowd as the drawing for the most expensive gift, valued at nearly $2000.00 took place. Facial Fillers or injectables as they are called, held little interest for me. I had seen the demonstration earlier in one of the treatment rooms and the needles and pained expression on the recipient, had frankly scared me.

And then all of a sudden I heard my name. How can it be me I wondered? Apparently, I had put my ticket in the wrong bowl. My immediate reaction was to say, please draw another name because I have no interest in the prize. But I didn’t. I wondered if there had been a cosmic intervention. Was there a reason I had won this prize I wondered?

My friends congratulated me and my husband encouraged me to buy a lotto ticket to see if my good fortune held. But I agonized. I was scared. I didn’t know if I wanted this prize. I would look in the mirror and try to imagine how I would look without my prominent laugh lines. Certainly, I would look better, but did I really look that bad?

Apparently, I did, because everyone encouraged me to go ahead.

After many sleepless nights, I decided to call and make an appointment. Again, cosmic intervention: they had an opening that day and could do it that afternoon. And the rest, as they say, is history.

My husband took me to my appointment and bravely sat in the treatment room as I had my procedure. I sat in a semi-reclined position as a nurse rubbed numbing cream on my face. Then she came in with a syringe and began making small injections into my laugh lines. It hurt a little, but certainly not a lot. The whole procedure took about 45 minutes. I was told to go home and put ice on it and rest. Other than that, no restrictions.

I was done and it would take about three weeks to completely heal. Initially, I was bruised for a few days, but that was it. I don’t look that different to me, but when I look at the before picture that was taken, I can definitely tell a difference.

It is expensive and I can see how it could become addictive. To me, when some wrinkles are diminished it is almost like the others become emphasized. But the reason I am happy I did it is because I was afraid. And sometimes it is just feels good to do something that is scary.

I would encourage anyone that is not happy with their appearance to explore this option. Whether or not you decide to proceed, at least you will know what is available.

And believe me, there is a lot.

When my husband and I first retired I was very keen on the idea of starting a business with him. I didn’t really care what we did, as long as there was an income and something that provided a chance to use creativity. We had both retired from the nine to five world and I was not quite ready to retire completely.

My brother and sister-in-law had opened their own coffee shop and it looked like fun to me. It looked like fun until I heard that they often got up at 4:00 a.m. to make sure everything was ready for people on their way to work. It looked like fun until I heard the horror stories of trying to find reliable help. And it sounded like fun until they were forced to sell their business.

Fortunately for me, my husband brought me back to reality with the statistic that half of all small businesses fail in the first year. And for those that succeed, another fifty percent will fail within the next five years.

I thought I had lost the urge to work with my husband until I recently read an article about couples who work together and saw a book entitled Couplepreneurs: Prosperity through Partnership, written by Jean Charles. The book is written to help couples already in business together, or couples who are thinking of going into business together. However, Charles also notes that most small business fail within the first few years of operation, regardless if whether or not they are run by married couples. But if done carefully, husband and wives might have a better chance of succeeding than regular business partners.

Having a plan is key. I guess that was the step I could never get past. I never fully developed a plan. However, I do believe one of the advantages of being in business with a partner is that you know their work and life ethic. Often you complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

However, one lesson I learned in retirement, is that it is an adjustment in itself. To start a business at this stage of the game takes a lot of courage. And the thought of jeopardizing all that you have worked to have over the years is daunting. No matter what idea or plan you come up with, as the National Federation of Business Education Foundation points out, 39% of small businesses are profitable, 30% break even, and 30% lose money.

Retirement is different things to different people. If starting a business, or being your own boss has always been your dream, and you and your partner work well together, it might be a worthwhile idea to explore.

Many studies show the advantages of owning a pet. They offer companionship. If you are a responsible pet owner, they offer you an excuse to get some exercise when you take them for their daily walk. They give unconditional love and offer a deeper connection to a world outside ourselves. They can offer protection and often become a member of the family. Some research has gone so far as to suggest pet owners live longer.

Retirement then seems like the perfect time to have a pet. When you are home you can enjoy the animal more than when you were working and came home after a long day, giving them some quick affection and a half-hearted walk. There is no question that animals thrive in an environment where the owner is present. Too much separation is not good for an animal and leads to behavior problems. Depending on what type of pet you have, they can live for many years and become part of the daily interactions in our lives.

If you have ever owned a pet, you will eventually have to deal with the inevitable loss of a pet. This recently happened to two sets of friends and how they have handled it represents different approaches to having pets in your life.

Even though retirement does seem like the perfect time to have a pet, I think it is a mistake to get a replacement pet spontaneously. Which is what one of our friends did. While walking past a Pet Supermarket, which was sponsoring an event for rescue dogs, one of the caged dogs pulled at her heart strings. She got the dog that day and never looked back. The dog has become a welcome member of their family and filled a void that they were feeling.

My other friends are still dealing with their grief and it is too soon to contemplate getting another pet. Good advice for the grieving process applies to pets too. And while quickly replacing a pet can sometimes work out, I think waiting six months to do anything makes sense.

Retirement can be a time of many changes. Perhaps, traveling has always been something that you have wanted to do. However, a pet is a responsibility that must be taken into consideration when making traveling plans. Pets thrive on structure, consistency and discipline. Perhaps, retirement is a time when you would like to break away from all the years of structure that you have had in your daily life and enjoy some spontaneity that being a pet owner may preclude.

Recently, I felt like we have been given a reprieve on how easy it is to get in shape and stay in shape. Experts are now saying 30 minutes a day of walking can do wonders. Ten minutes of stretching a day and ten minutes of weights three times a week is enough to keep bones strong. And the piece de resistance ten minutes in the sun, without sunscreen, is actually now considered a requirement to aid in Vitamin D production.

In retirement, I figure I should always have time to do the things to keep me in shape, but unfortunately, when I look in the mirror, I can see that working out is not always enough.

There are things that age you and there are things that you can do to help. When you reach the age of retirement, you are probably no longer a kid, but there are age appropriate changes you can make that will make you seem younger to the outside world and yourself.

Number one is to start with the basics and that means new underwear. The other day in my yoga class, a fellow yogi was doing a Downward Dog with her granny panties showing. Not a flattering look and one that screams it is time for an overhaul. Start with basics and that means updating undergarments.

Next starting at the top, when was the last time you changed your hairstyle? If you are still sporting the Farrah Fawcett waves of yesteryear, it is time for an honest assessment from a friend, or perhaps, it is time to try a new hair stylist. And gray hair? Get rid of it. It is easier than ever with great new hair color products available at drug stores. And get some bangs. Once you reach a certain age, almost everyone looks better with a little face framing fringe.

Skin is one of the most tell-tale features of aging and one that probably has the most products out there to help. Sunscreen is still a necessity for the face and more than ten minutes in the sun can cause damage. However, there are tinted moisturizers with sunscreen that are easy to apply and make a huge difference in your appearance. Also, there are now microdermabrasion kits available in the drug store that can really help with cell turnover. And don’t forget the body. Lumps and bumps are always less noticeable with leg tanning spray. Plus it gives you an opportunity to forego pantyhose; especially the ones with a reinforced toe. And speaking of toes, manicured nails are always a way to stay ahead of the aging game.

And last but not least, teeth. Dental hygiene is so much easier now with the home whitening kits and great looking teeth can make you look and feel great.

There are many things you can and should do to look better because the benefits of looking better are not superficial. The better you look, the better you feel.