On the other hand, those who delay their benefits until age 70 will collect as much as a third more each month. A retiree who would receive $1,000 a month at full retirement age would collect just $750 at age 62 — or $1,320 a month at age 70, The New York Times explains.

Those born from 1943 to 1954 are eligible to receive benefits at age 66. “For people who choose to defer benefits until age 66, it generally takes about 12 more years to collect as much as if you started getting checks at 62,” according to the Times article, meaning that the “break even” age will be 78.

In a way, financial planners say, deciding how to time the start of Social Security benefits depends upon whether people plan for a long life — and that is, of course, what they recommend.

Still working? That will influence the decision as well. AARP explains the limits of how much workers can earn and still collect benefits.

For more information:

AARP.org: Social Security Benefits

Social Security Retirement Benefits Estimator

AnalyzeNow.com

And — for fun — if you want to know, that is:

What’s My Real Age? quiz

We want to hear from you. How will you determine when to collect Social Security benefits? Please share your thoughts below.

“As we get older, our sleep patterns change,” according to WebMD. “In general, older people sleep less, experience more fragmented sleep, and spend less time in stages 3 and 4 and REM sleep (for example, deep sleep and dream sleep) than younger people. However, regardless of your age, good restorative sleep is essential to physical health and emotional well-being.”

To improve the quantity — and quality — of sleep, RealAge.com offers the following tips from the National Sleep Foundation:

• Get up and go to bed at the same time each day, even on weekends. A regular sleep schedule helps you get better sleep and can even improve your mood.
• Tidy up. Coming back to an unmade bed and messy room at night can be stressful. Which is the last thing you want when you’re trying to wind down.
• Create a sleep oasis. Is your bedroom calm and comfortable? Everything from the paint color on your walls to the quality of your pillow can affect your sleep.
• Switch to decaf in the afternoon. It takes hours for the effects of caffeine to wear off, so try to have your last cup 6–8 hours before bedtime. Try peppermint or lemon tea for a pick-me-up that won’t keep you up later.
• Get some exercise. Working out regularly has been shown to help you sleep better and longer. Late afternoon is an ideal time. Before beginning or modifying an exercise program, consult with your doctor.
• Stock up on bedtime snacks. Small portions of high-carb foods like bread or cereal, or foods that contain tryptophan, like bananas, milk or peanuts can help induce sleep.
• Leave work at work. Before you leave work, make a to-do list for tomorrow. It will help keep your mind clear when you’re trying to sleep.
• Take a warm bath. A bath can be a relaxing nighttime ritual. Just be sure to cool off before you get into bed. Cool temperatures are better for sleep.
• Skip the nightcap. Alcoholic beverages may help you fall asleep; they also make it harder to stay asleep. Wind down with some herbal tea instead.
• Don’t work in bed. Or watch TV or eat or sort through your mail. Your bed should be associated only with sleep and relaxation.
• Use the 30 minute rule. If you can’t fall asleep within a half hour, get up. Go to another room and relax by reading or listening to music until you get sleepy.
• Breathe deep. If you still can’t sleep, try some deep breathing. Feel your stomach rise and fall. Count as you inhale and exhale. This helps you relax by placing your attention on your breath.

For more information:

National Sleep Foundation

Sleep Better: A Goodnight Guide from Tylenol PM

HelpGuide.com: Sleeping Well As We Age

Health.com: Are Sleep Problems Normal As We Get Older?

That’s the conclusion drawn by researchers Ricki J. Colman and Richard Weindruch at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute on Aging, who have recently published the results to a 20-year study on caloric restriction in the journal Science.

The study shows that rhesus monkeys are “showing many beneficial signs of caloric resistance, including significantly less diabetes, cancer, and heart and brain disease” — effectively slowing the aging process, according to an article in the New York Times.

The monkeys were fed a diet that contained normal, healthy ingredients and 30 percent fewer calories than usual. In previous, similar studies, mice fed such a diet from birth lived about 40 percent longer than other mice.

The dieting monkeys are expected to live 10 percent to 20 percent longer, researchers said.

The New York Times story added that few people can be expected to consumer 30 percent fewer calories, so scientists have been searching for drugs that might mimic the effects of restricting calories.

Read the full article.

“Your retirement account should serve as the last line of defense when working through financial difficulties,” writes Francis, president of Francis Investment Counsel LLC, in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Taking a distribution can absorb as much as 40 percent of a 401(k) account because the money is taxed as regular income, and those under age 59 1/2 will be hit with an additional 10 percent premature withdrawal tax.

One option, for those who are still employed, is to request a hardship withdrawal. The IRS allows such withdrawals from 401(k) plans to cover certain circumstances, such as medical expenses, college costs, funeral expenses, casualty losses, and to prevent eviction from or foreclosure on one’s home, Francis explains.

A second option may be to take a loan from one’s 401(k), if it is allowed by the employer. Borrowers aren’t hit with taxes or penalties, but there are restrictions. Generally the maximum loan amount is 50 percent of the 401(k) balance or $50,000. Loan terms are usually five years. But this idea, too, has pitfalls: double taxation, penalties if employment is terminated, and ultimately, less money for retirement.

And with more Wisconsin companies cutting back on their 401(k) matches — as Milwaukee Public Radio recently reported – that’s a hit few can afford.

Read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article.

For more information

Bankrate.com: Need Cash Fast? There’s Always Your 401(k) …

SmartMoney.com: Should You Borrow from Your 401(k) or 403(b)?

TheDollarStretcher.com: Borrow Your Own Money? 401(k) Loans

Linda Remeschatis, 60, is a Wisconsin baby boomer who followed up a career as a prosecutor as the creator of Wisconsinmade.com, an online food and gift store. She says that would-be entrepreneurs need to prepare to work longer hours — she puts in more time now than she did as an attorney and makes less money — but the rewards can be worth it. To save on overhead costs, Remeschatis, like many small business owners, works from her home in Madison.

Those with the desire to start a business must have a backup plan if things don’t work out — and only 44 percent of startups last four years, according to the Small Business Administration.

“You have to be very comfortable with the worst-case scenario for the outcome of that business,” said Dan Olszewski, director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In addition to the 6 Tips, U.S. News & World Report explores 10 Great Places for Entrepreneurs to Retire. Find out why Madison is on the list.

Ettinger, now an emerita senior outreach specialist at the Center on Education and Work (CEW) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, also spoke with others facing this significant transition in their lives and found that many of them had become confused over how they should prepare.

The available literature on retirement planning, which focuses mostly on money and medical concerns, doesn’t cover the full range of issues someone approaching retirement should consider, she says. So she hatched the idea of creating a course that helps people address the pressing question “What am I going to do with the rest of my life?”

As result, CEW recently launched “Planning for Retirement: Exploring Your Career and Leisure Options,” an online, independent-study course using the university’s Learn@UW Web site.

According to the stereotypical view, retirement involves ceasing to work and going off, for example, to travel and visit the grandkids. Today, however, baby boomers reaching that stage in their lives have more options, Ettinger says. And they don’t necessarily stop working.

“People are appreciating the fact that careers go on, sometimes until the very end of their lives,” she says.

As she approached retirement, Ettinger says, “I thought about working in a whole new field, but realized I would be happiest taking the parts I loved of the job that I was already doing and focusing on those aspects.”

While she continues to work at CEW, she adds, “I’m working differently now.”

Ettinger, who has designed and taught career-related courses that are delivered online, created a retirement-planning course that can assist individuals regardless of what type of work they do or where they reside. She says the program is best suited for individuals who are interested in self-study and reflection and are sufficiently comfortable working online.

The structured program, with a series of 18 units, guides individuals through the retirement-planning process and helps them address such issues as:

• How much should you work, or should you work at all?
• What are your interests, values and skills? Which of these do you want to pursue?
• Do you want to do something different from what you’ve done before? Do more of what you’ve already done? Work in the same field in a different way?
• How will you go about networking, transitioning and re-balancing?

Course topics include exploring your personality characteristics, work values and skills; decision-making style; marketing yourself; considering external factors; and accessing alternative sources of career information. The program includes two personal career-counseling sessions, by phone or in person, with a qualified career facilitator.

“The key is how people take what they love into the future,” Ettinger says. “How do you leave what you’ve been doing and find something that’s equally as satisfying or even more so?”

Participants may join the course at any time, and will have six months to finish. During the pilot study in developing the course, Ettinger found that participants varied in their needs for engagement and guidance, so the course is designed to be flexible.

Each registrant is assigned to an instructor, who responds to assignments and online postings. The discussion board on the Learn@UW site  provides an online place to interact with the instructor and other participants. Participants also may communicate privately with the instructor via e-mail.

Those who complete the course will be able to continue exchanging thoughts and experiences through an alumni discussion group or blog.

Ettinger hopes that each person who takes the course ultimately discovers that kernel of self-information that proves invaluable heading into this phase of life.

Details about “Planning for Retirement: Exploring Your Career and Leisure Options,” including registration information, are available here.

Reprinted with permission from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education.

“The majority of burglaries and thefts are spur-of-the-moment crimes which take place once an easy target is found,” according to a Chippewa Herald article.

“There are many things that homeowners can do to help prevent their residence from being burglarized or their property from being stolen. Many of these suggestions, referred to as ‘target hardening’ may seem quite simple, but they can be effective in deterring theft,” the Herald writes.

These familiar tips include:

• Lock all windows and doors, even if you’ll be gone just a short time.
• Roll up windows and lock car doors, even those in a driveway or garage. Don’t keep a purse or other valuables out in plain sight.
• Install motion-sensitive lights outside the home and garage.
• Before leaving for vacation, create the illusion of occupancy by placing a hold on mail and newspaper delivery, setting a timer to turn on lights or even a television for noise, and asking a neighbor to check on your home.

For more information:

The National Crime Prevention Council offers advice on home and neighborhood safety

Curious about how your city compares? CityRating.com offers crime statistics, along with a wealth of other information, for many Wisconsin cities

Launched in 2004, the Wisconsin Hospital Association’s CheckPoint web site provides data on 128 hospitals, which serve 99 percent of the state’s population. Click on “Reports” to get started.

Additional information is available from Hospital Compare, a web site maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This service rates health care providers nationwide on how well they care for patients that have certain conditions and procedures – including heart attack, heart failure, chronic lung disease, pneumonia, adult diabetes and chest pain; angioplasty, bypass, and other heart surgeries; abdominal surgeries; back and neck surgeries; bladder, kidney and prostate surgeries; and female reproductive operations.

To use Hospital Compare, click on the “Find and Compare Hospitals” button. Be sure to also read the section “Learn how to use the information from this site” under Additional Information.

The Leapfrog Group also collects information on hospital safety standards. You can find data on overall patient safety ratings or search for data on selected procedures.

“The data available now is just the front edge of what people will have exposure to five years from now,” said John Brixius, a principal with Safe Harbor & Retirement of Manitowoc in a recent Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter article. “End users will be more educated, and as a result, you will be a better consumer and we will have less expensive health care.”

Born and raised in Milwaukee, author Maggie Rose Crane graduated in 1965 (as Margie Bartz) from Custer High School and attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee while working part time at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She went on to graduate with a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and now resides in California.

Here, she answers questions about her book Amazing Grays: A Woman’s Guide to Making the Next 50 the BEST 50 - Regardless of your hair color!

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

I am most passionate about encouraging women to embrace the second half of life as a fresh start. By becoming an “Amazing Gray” (again, it has nothing to do with hair color), I’m hoping that the gigantic pool of talent and experience that lies in the sweaty palms of baby boomer women can help to remedy many of the key issues facing our society today.

We are at a pivotal moment in history and have an opportunity to use our feminine perspective and wisdom to become spiritual midwives to a culture trying to give birth to a better way of being in the world. So many of us have put our personal dreams on the backburner for any number of valid reasons. All of us have wisdom and experience we can bring to the table. Now is the time to reawaken slumbering dreams and uncover what we value. We can take steps to heal old wounds, forgive and let go of the parts of ourselves that we’ve outgrown, summon our courage and move on to live mindfully and authentically as the amazing women we’ve become — and have fun doing it! That in and of itself is a wonderful contribution.

What are you doing to learn or improve on your skills?

In an effort to challenge my own fears and expectations about aging, I’m trying new things and pushing through my fears. I had forgotten how much I love to dance, so I took a dance class. My teacher encouraged me to try out for my city’s “Senior Follies,” a variety show featuring folks over 50. I was petrified, but tried out anyway and was offered a role as a dancer and — get ready for this — a showgirl! At 60! It was great fun and I learned some things about myself. Check out the Amazing Grays book trailer on my web site and you will see that the lady in the red-feathered costume is … moi!

I also went to a spa that provides a challenge course. I walked unaided across a 30-foot telephone pole suspended 40 feet in the air. (Yes, I had a belay line so if I fell I wouldn’t die!) It was terrifying - but so empowering. I was also harnessed and hoisted 40 feet into the air holding on to a small rope, which, once I let go, allowed me to freefall and swing in huge arcs. I got to see how hanging on with fear was hard work - and just keeps me stuck in a standstill. Things tend to open up when you simply let go.

I also took an online course in social marketing so I can communicate with 21st century tools. Frankly, I’d rather walk across the telephone pole!

I share this not to toot my own horn, but to give midlife women an idea of what’s possible in your 50s, 60s and beyond. So many of us believe that the best is behind us. Not so! We are only limited by our beliefs of what’s possible.

What is the most important thing in your life right now?

Connecting with midlife women and opening up the conversation about what’s going on with our bodies, our emotions, and the unrest many of us are feeling. I want to explore how we can reclaim our vitality, reawaken slumbering dreams and support one another in making decisions that allow us to live with grace, gratitude and gusto!

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

I would encourage readers to take the time to answer the questions scattered throughout my book. They have been crafted to facilitate awakening of the unconscious mind and to help us look beyond the norm. Hopefully, they inspire contemplation and create insight, which is necessary for change.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

That changes in one’s life are purposeful. It takes more time and energy to resist life than to simply let go and live it. Life is happening in the here and now.

Read Part 1 of the interview with Maggie Crane.

More About the Author:

As a leading-edge baby boomer, Maggie Rose Crane has experienced many life passages common to her peers: college, marriage, divorce, single motherhood, career changes, and creating a blended family. The author of Amazing Grays: A Woman’s Guide to Making the Next 50 the BEST 50 - Regardless of Your Hair Color!, Crane is also a sought-after speaker who crisscrossed the country for more than a decade speaking to thousands of women on topics including leadership, stress reduction and life balance. She is also a guest editor for the Dove “Real Women/Real Beauty” web site campaign. See www.maggiecrane.com for more information or to order an autographed copy of her book.

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Born and raised in Milwaukee, author Maggie Rose Crane graduated in 1965 (as Margie Bartz) from Custer High School and attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee while working part time at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She went on to graduate with a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and now resides in California.

Here, she answers questions about her book Amazing Grays: A Woman’s Guide to Making the Next 50 the BEST 50 – Regardless of your hair color!

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Q. Welcome, Maggie. I love your title. Could you please tell us a little about your book?

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A. Amazing Grays draws on my journey through midlife. Balanced somewhere between a memoir and a how-to, my intention is to provide baby boomer women insights, strategies and tips on how to traverse the rocky waters of midlife with grace and accept the purposeful seasons of a woman’s life. (And that it’s OK to do a little kicking and screaming along the way!)

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Amazing Grays is not just about reclaiming our zest for life – it’s about the tough choices we need to make to heal the past, let go of roles that no longer serve us, take accountability for our health and fitness, deal with menopause, hormones, graying hair and a changing body, and uncover what we value now. By redirecting our focus from our packaging to our essence we are better able to embrace the ongoing circle of life. It’s through this work that we are blessed with the ability to reclaim our vitality and age with grace, gratitude and gusto!

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While the book is a little about gray hair (I do share my own process of going gray as well as some stories and photos from several other women who took the plunge), it’s mostly about gaining a fresh perspective. “Gray” is so much more about age than hair color. (Although if you peeked at the roots of 90 percent of boomer women, you’d find the gray hair, too!)

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I believe that by taking the journey a step at a time and engaging with the people, activities and events that bring a smile to your lips and a song to your heart, you can create a life that reflects the woman you’ve become. I’ll let you in on a secret – this is actually the key to living longer. You don’t really add years to your life – you just live those years so fully grounded in the present moment that it feels like a very long time, no matter how the years add up.

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Q. Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

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A. Actually, yes. I had a life-changing epiphany in a hair salon where it became clear I would never color my hair again. Little did I know it was the start of a very bumpy journey. Going gray was the precipitating event that threw me up against all my fears and expectations about aging in a culture obsessed with youth. While not every woman decides to go gray (nor should she) – the effects of aging eventually show up for everyone. Children leave home, careers wind down, bodies change, relationships evolve, values mature and the seeds of unrest begin to bloom.

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After wrestling with my fears, compiling stacks of research and going on a three-month silent retreat, it “came” to me. (You know, it’s never really silent inside one’s head.) I realized that as a leading-edge boomer, it might be useful to chronicle my experience and share what I had learned so that midlife women could have a guidebook as they traversed these rocky waters. It’s so empowering to know you’re not alone – and you’re not going crazy! I wanted to extend a hand to help them not only go through it, but also explore these purposeful changes in a woman’s life and better appreciate the circle of life. In the process, I share my “not so graceful” journey.

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Q. What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

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A. There are several books available about aging and midlife written by celebrities. While they are wonderful women, most of them live very privileged lives. They have notoriety, personal stylists, hairdressers, drivers, cooks, personal trainers and the money to purchase any product or treatment they desire. While I see no problem with that, most of us can’t relate.

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Amazing Grays focuses on my experience as an everyday baby boomer woman maturing in a youth-obsessed society. I’ve been married, divorced, a single parent, fired, remarried, dealt with a blended family and survived several careers. I drive my own car, do my own hair and makeup, cook my own meals, live on a budget, pick out my own clothes and go to the gym. I believe these commonalities will allow women to see themselves in my story and relate to my journey. My intention is to share insights and strategies on how to age mindfully, with style and grace (allowing for a little kicking and screaming!)

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Q. What are some of the fears midlife women experience as they age and how might they release those fears?

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A. Underneath it all, I imagine many of us wonder, Will I continue to be lovable? Respected? Desirable? Important? Can I still make a difference? Will I become invisible? Why are my looks so darned important? Is everyone this afraid of dying? Who am I now that I’m no longer of reproductive age? Am I doing what I came here to do? What do I want to do with the rest of my life? Is it almost over?

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If we don’t confront our fears head-on, they will run our life from backstage. I recommend that women take some time to brainstorm every fear, belief and expectation they have about aging and write it down. Then, by asking some simple questions – Is this true? Who said so? How do I know this? – they can begin to question the truth of these fears.

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In my workshops, I encourage women to look at the fears they can do something about, and determine an action they can take to alleviate it. The rest of their fears will most likely fall into the category I call “irrational” and are best dealt with by challenging the voices in our heads that keep insisting they are “true.” There is no easy fix, but often just naming these fears can dilute some of their power.

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Don’t believe everything you think! The quality of our life is determined by what we pay attention to – so I encourage women to stop focusing on who they were and focus on the woman they’ve become. How can this woman make a difference in the world? How can we become “spiritual midwives” for a generation following in our footsteps? How can we give back in a way that feeds our souls?

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Read Part 2 of the interview with Maggie Crane.

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More About the Author:

As a leading-edge baby boomer, Maggie Rose Crane has experienced many life passages common to her peers: college, marriage, divorce, single motherhood, career changes, and creating a blended family. The author of Amazing Grays: A Woman’s Guide to Making the Next 50 the BEST 50 – Regardless of Your Hair Color!, Crane is also a sought-after speaker who crisscrossed the country for more than a decade speaking to thousands of women on topics including leadership, stress reduction and life balance. She is also a guest editor for the Dove “Real Women/Real Beauty” web site campaign. See www.maggiecrane.com for more information or to order an autographed copy of her book.

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