“I’m sorry for your loss.” The pastor held out his hand as he looked down at me seated in the velvet covered folding chair underneath the mortuary tent of the same color. I looked up at him and felt my right hand rising to meet his. He grasped it warmly and shook it as his …more

Many people dream of retirement—time for travel, precious moments with family or just taking it easy. Some take classes or seminars to prepare for retirement; others talk with their financial advisers and accountants. But few of us take the time to plan for hospitalization. After all, who wants to think about ill health, let alone …more

Last year we began a year rent free in Tallahassee, as we started our retirement. I had won a contest from a non-profit group called Choose Tallahassee who was targeting retired or soon-to-be retired Baby Boomer couples. (“Baby Boomers” are one of the largest generational groups in the U.S. More than 25 percent of the …more

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Do you have a Bucket List? My husband and I didn’t for the longest time. We talked about it, dreamt about what we would have on it but just didn’t get around to writing one. Maybe what prevented us from getting serious was spending time passively dreaming rather than figuring out what we really wanted …more

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“Don’t just dream; dare!” That’s the first line of my book. Yes, I not only had a dream but I dared. I retired in a foreign country, traveling in an unfamiliar way with a Caucasian husband. There were indeed tremendous risks, but there were also overwhelming rewards. It was good I was financially prepared, and …more

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I first started going there when I was about four or five years old. Way early in the morning while it was still dark, my grandma would load up a cooler with Shasta pop and bologna sandwiches and put them in the trunk of the car. She would make sure there were plenty of blankets …more

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Are you ready to retire? Today’s financial advertisements promise that, if you make the right choices, you will be able to live a life of leisure. Leaving the drudgery of an eight to five job should be the promise of a better life—shouldn’t it? The truth is, this message is playing on our desires to …more

The rainy season has come to a close bringing with it the hot and humid air. The past few days in Yokohama had been almost unbearable. I had to cut my daily walking in half and even in the early morning my clothes were soaked within the first few minutes. The temperature is now exceeding …more

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