November
Accidental Americans Launch Lawsuit to Refund Cost of Renouncing Citizenship
The price of being an American who lives abroad is often an accent that sticks out, jokes about culinary inferiority, and sometimes even issues when opening a bank account or buying a home.
But for some former citizens, the price to renounce that status has long been steep. Now many of them want refunds, filing a class-action lawsuit Wednesday to try to get their money back. Read the article …
What They Don’t Tell You About Getting Old
I recently turned 83, and while there are many joys to getting older, getting out of taxis is not one of them.
What you don’t want to do is get your left foot caught under the front right seat before you try to swing your right foot toward the door; otherwise, you’ll topple over while attempting to pay the fare, possibly injuring your ankle, and causing the maneuver to go even more slowly. If you make it past the taxi door, there is still the one-foot jump to the street. You’re old. You could fall. Happens all the time.
And that’s when it’s just you in the taxi. Read the article.
Ed. I find it sad that we are losing so many potential voters due to the difficulty and cost of filing tax returns.
October
Elaine LaLanne’s morning exercises
often begin before she’s even out of bed. Lying on top of the covers, she does two-dozen jackknifes. At the bathroom sink, she does incline push-ups. After she dresses and applies her makeup, she heads to her home gym, where she walks uphill on a treadmill for a few minutes and does lat pull-downs on a machine.
“Twenty minutes a day gets me on my way,” she said at her home on the Central Coast of California. Read the article
Still Minor Offenses - Femicides against Seniors Women in Germany
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the number of violent crimes against girls and women, which are all too often fatal, has been rising continuously for years
- this development remains largely hidden from the public, because the official police crime statistics (PKS), published annually in November, refer exclusively to "partnership violence". In concrete terms, this means that all femicides carried out by fathers, sons, grandsons, brothers, neighbors, stalkers and/or caregivers remain entirely unmentioned. Read the article
I asked a friend …
who has crossed 70 and is heading toward 80 what sort of changes she is feeling in herself? She sent me the following:
- After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have now started loving myself.
- I have realized that I am not “” The world does not rest on my shoulders.
- I have stopped bargaining with vegetable & fruit vendors. A few pennies more is not going to break me, but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.
- I leave my waitress a big tip. The extra money might bring a smile to her face. She is toiling much harder for a living than I am.
- I stopped telling the elderly that they've already narrated that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane & relive their past.
- I have learned not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. The onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.
- I give compliments freely and generously. Compliments are a mood enhancer not only for the recipient but also for me. And a small tip for the recipient of a compliment, never, NEVER turn it down, just say "Thank You.”
- I have learned not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. Personality speaks louder than appearances.
- I walk away from people who don't value me. They might not know my worth, but I do.
- I remain cool when someone plays dirty to outrun me in the rat race. I am not a rat and neither am I in any race.
- I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. It’s my emotions that make me human.
- I have learned that it's better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. My ego will keep me aloof, whereas, with relationships, I will never be alone.
- I have learned to live each day as if it's the last. After all, it might be the last.
- I am doing what makes me happy. I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to myself. Happiness is a choice. You can be happy at any time, just choose to be!”
I decided to share this with all my friends. Why do we have to wait to be 60 or 70 or 80, why can't we practice this at any stage and age?
Posted to Facebook by Starlette Tolver, no source mentioned
August/September
Americans are Moving Abroad
As we know, moving abroad is not all glamor, travel, and wine tastings. It comes at an emotional cost.
Many countries have visas designed for retirees. Typically, they require applicants to disclose income and assets to prove they won’t become a financial burden. This WSJ article tells us the financial story. But it hasn’t ended as well as retirees imagined. Many move several times before they find the culture they feel comfortable living with.
If you’ve experienced pain or joy moving overseas, we’d like to hear your stories.
More Americans are flocking to Spain for longer, whether as so-called digital nomads working abroad or to enjoy a new life in retirement.
The number of Americans living in Spain grew by 13% from 2019 to 2021, and home sales to Americans jumped 88% from the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2022, according to a report by the General Council of Notaries in Spain.
With so many of us retiring in France, here is a lovely article confirming “the good life”. We know it’s not la dolce vita for us all, and we found this article interesting on the pros and cons of living abroad.
June
Home Modification Offered; O’Neill Center Selected for Pilot Senior Program
The O’Neill Center (Marietta, Ohio) announced in a press release it has been selected as one of three agencies across the state of Ohio to provide minor home modification projects funded by the Ohio Department of Aging’s pilot program supported by the Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In addition to O’Neill, the Wood County Council on Aging and United Senior Services of Clark County were selected for pilot programs.
The release said that for more than 37 years, the O’Neill Center has served thousands of older adults providing many important services and life enrichment activities. The center also partners with the City of Belpre for management of the Belpre Senior Center, which is an extension of the offerings at the Marietta location, ensuring services throughout the entire county. Read the article.
April
A recently published study from the University of Minnesota, “The power of data is showing researchers what older LGBTQ+ Americans actually need,“ is the third in a decennial series first undertaken in 2002. It is an essential and fascinating look at the needs of LGBTQ+ older Americans, including the wave of Baby Boomers now entering retirement and the Silent Generation that preceded them. Read the article on Facebook or on MSN.
Driving While Elderly
Have you had difficulty renting a car while traveling abroad? We have too, now that we’ve turned the page on 65.
Are you an older driver? If not, you probably know one — a parent, grandparent or neighbor down the street. Between 2011 and 2020, the U.S. population of people 65 and older increased by 35%, and in 2020 the number of people 65 and older killed in traffic crashes made up 17% of all traffic fatalities.
During Older Driver Safety Awareness Week (December 5–9, 2022), we reminded you that simply getting older doesn’t mean it's time to hang up your keys, but you should evaluate how you — or your loved ones — drive.
Read Keeping Our Older Drivers Safe on the Road.
March
Visiting 'Home': The Double Life of an Expat
“I recently took my very first trip home to England a year after moving to America to live with my American husband in the autumn of 2012. Due to conflicting work schedules, I took the trip alone, leaving my husband in the States while I visited family in England. After establishing a new life abroad, it felt like I was living a double life. I’m sure I’m not the only expat to feel this way.” Read on …
February
France changed how I think about money
Year 1: In year one, I was just thrilled to be in France. Living costs were very close to what I paid in San Luis Obispo, CA. I loved the high-quality medical care at a laughably low cost. Even before I got the Carte Vitale, my out-of-pocket cost for doctors and prescriptions were about the same as what I would have paid in the US (co-pay). And since there are no monthly premiums or deductions, WooHOO!!!
Year 2: I file French tax forms for the first time. Even though I don't pay income tax in France, I do pay Taxe Foncière, which is still cheaper than what I paid in CA on a similarly sized apartment. In discussions with French friends, I'm starting to get a feel for just how different France and the French are, regarding work, money, taxes. The minimum wage for employees is higher at 11€/hr (gross). BUT after tax, the median US salary is about 50% more than the median French salary. (See table "Economy" in this link. https://www.worlddata.info/country-comparison.php...) Their minimum wage is higher, but the median salary is lower, meaning that there is much more income equality.... less of the extreme rich, less of the poor, and a bigger middle class in France. They pay far more in taxes, but healthcare and education are practically free. They get pensions from the government.
Year 3: A French doctor I dated told me he was proud to be able to pay taxes, because not everyone can afford to pay taxes. I asked him to repeat that. Yes, he said PROUD. A seismic shift occurred in my thinking that day. My little American brain just about exploded. As Americans, we grow up in a capitalistic dog-eat-dog world, each man for himself, time is money, money talks, protestant work ethic, we live to work, we cheat on our taxes if we think we can get away with it. In France, EGALITÉ is not just an empty word. It means Everyone has access to healthcare regardless of income, whether poor refugees or comfortably retired American FOBs (fresh off the boat). I don't understand how the French health system can afford retirees like me who have never contributed, but get all the same benefits as a French citizen.
Year 4: Inheritance taxes are high in France. And that's what keeps the rich from becoming dynasties. Children cannot be disinherited. And children have a legal financial obligation to their aged parents. The French system is starting to sound more and more logical, and more humane. As I benefit from the medical system, I realize that when I die, without a spouse or children, my assets will go to France. Shock and revulsion at first. I'm over it. I now look forward to helping sustain a system that generously took me in for "free," but it's time to give back when I die. Yep. Sounds fair and right.
Year 5: I am grateful to all my wonderful friends who explain how the systems work.... I know people who have worked in hospitals, schools, banks, construction, and private industry. Their environment shaped their values, and I too am adopting this new set of values. I see the paternalistic attitude of government programs in "le bouclier tarifaire”, free vaccines, free Covid testing, even for noncitizens. I see the continuous healthcare my French friends with cancer receive and feel grateful for their care. I see discounts for the needy and young students. I see public day-care for babies, and generous maternity leave. FAR less racism, No crazy serial shootings every day. Presidential elections that are fair, transparent, where mud-slinging attacks are illegal, and winning is not about how much money you can raise.
I'm so happy to be in the system, that I want to be part of the system. I'm volunteering by teaching English classes. No surprise that I submitted my dossier to request naturalization. Vive la France. Vive la République.
Have these changes happened to you yet? — Janice Wang
A Sneaky Form of Climate Obstruction Hurts Pension Funds
In several Republican-led states, the officials who oversee pension funds for millions of state workers are being told, or may soon be told, to ignore the financial risks associated with a warming world. There’s something distinctly anti-free market about policymakers limiting investment professionals’ choices — and it’s putting the retirement savings of millions at risk.
The Texas comptroller, Glenn Hegar, recently announced that 10 financial firms and 348 funds could be barred from doing business with the state’s pension plans because they appeared to consider environmental risks in their investment decisions regarding the fossil fuel industry. The day before, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida announced a similar move. Other states, including Idaho, Louisiana and West Virginia, have either taken or are thinking of taking similar actions, which amount to ideological litmus tests that will likely result in lower returns for pensioners. Read more