retired texas teacher blog

Texas Retired Teachers and the Elections

2012-08-13T20:53:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for some hardball? OK, so hank Williams Jr. said football, not hardball but hardball may be the sport retired teachers need to play during this election season. So what do I mean by playing hardball?

I first heard the term hardball used by Richard Nixon, who was himself quoting Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt said that in politics we must play hardball, meaning"reward our friends and punish our enemies". In a political context that means vote for your friends. I'm a pretty consensus kind of guy and don't like to think about enemies but I do think we need to vote for our friends: but first we have to find out who our friends are.

How Do We Find Our Friends?

The current general election season is the perfect time to find out who our friends are. My suggestion is that we should go to the candidate forums and have a list of questions for the candidates. Our best friends, TRTA , may have some suggested questions on their website www.trta.org . I have not seen such a list though, so here are my suggested question

1. Are you aware that Texas Retired teachers do not have any automatic cost of living adjustment and have not received any cost of living adjustment since 2001. This means that retired teachers have lost 30 per cent of their purchasing power since 2001, putting some at the poverty level

2. If you believe that this situation should be corrected , are you willing to raise the state contribution to give the teachers some relief?

3. What other legislation or ideas do you have to rectify the cost of living situation for Texas retired teachers?

4. Are you aware that Texas teachers do not pay into Social Security or receive social security but have a defined benefit retirement program . Some have suggested changing the defined
benefit plan be changed to a defined contribution plan where Texas teachers will be completely dependent on their own knowledge of investments to fund their retirement. Do you favor changing the current defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan?

What Do We Do With This Information?

After we have the answers to out questions, what can we do with those answers ? Here are some suggestions:

Write letters to your local newspapers and explain the issues concerning retired teachers and the candidates stand.

Work for a candidate. I have worked in many campaigns through the years and, believe me, they always look for and appreciate help.

Go to your trta local meetings and share what you learned about the candidates stands and see if there are any other suggestions.

Your Turn:

Do you agree with the suggestions above about playing "hardball?

Do you have any other issues you think the candidates for office should address?

Just scroll to the bottom and click on comments. a screen will appear for your comments. Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments.

Texas Retired Teachers , Defined Benefits, Defined Contributions And Social SecurityThree Proposed Reforms

2012-01-20T00:22:00.000-06:00

Does the current Teacher Retirement system of Texas need reform? Apparently some politicians, journalists and other inquiring minds think so. The main purpose of this blog is to discuss the two main reform suggested: moving from the current defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan and moving the retired teacher system into social security.

The Current TRS defined benefit Plan

The current retirement plan for Texas Retired Teachers is a defined benefits plan. www.investopedia.com/terms/d/definedbenefitspensionplan.asp The defined benefit plans are a promise of a defined amount of pension for life based on a predetermined formula. In the case of the Texas retirement system the formula is to multiply the number of years paid into the system by 2.3 and then multiplying the average of the three highest salaries by that number. Lets say a teacher had taught for thirty years ; multiply thirty by 2.3 and you get 69; lets further suppose this retired teacher had an average of $ 50,000 for their three highest years; multiply that number by .69 and you get $34,000 for our fictional teachers lifetime pension. You probably already know the average retired Texas teacher makes quite a bit less. Though the purpose of this blog is descriptive and not persuasive I will reveal that this current TRS defined benefit plan, with some tweaking, is my choice. Now, onward to the proposed alternatives.

The Defined Contribution Alternative

Some state legislators and political commentators such as Bill King, Houston business man and occasional Houston Chronicle columnist. www.billkingblog.com have suggested that future the TRS be changed from a defined benefits plan to a defined contribution plan. What would that mean? Well, rather than a guaranteed lifetime amount, the retired teacher's final retirement amount would be based on the amount of contributions made by the teacher( with possible contribution from their school district) and how well or ,how poorly, these investments chosen by the retired teacher or at least those choices allowed by their district, perform over their active career in education, very much like the 403B plan most of us are familiar with. Obviously the investor ( teacher) would need to educate themselves about investing, which would require not only an interest in investing, but probably some aptitude for investing as well. My speculation is that under this system, some retirees would be better off, some about the same and some worse off, maybe a lot worse off.
Moving To Social Security

A second reform mentioned is that Texas would move all the teachers out of the TRS and join the social security system. www.ssa.edu. Would this be good for future teacher retirees? Probably not. The average social security recipient receives $18,000 while the average TRS annuitant makes $ 32,000, so although I was not a math major, I think I know enough math to recognize a bad deal when I see it. However, if retired teachers go another decade without a cost of living adjustment then the Social Security option might start looking better. I also think a case could be made for changing Social Security into a true retirement system by requiring that all Americans including members of Congress join the system and assuring that all American workers receive a pension worth 80 % of their working salary. However that's a topic for a future blog.

Your Turn

I would really love to have your opinion on:

1. Do you favor keeping the current defined benefit TRS system or one of the reforms.

2. Is there another reform you would favor?

3. Another comment you would care to make?

Just scroll to the bottom, click on comments and a space will magically appear for your comment Thanks for reading.

The pensions of Texas legislators and the pensions of retired Texas teachers

2011-10-21T00:43:00.000-05:00

The Face book page of the Texas Retired teachers Association www.face book.com/pages/TRTA-Texas-Retired-Teachers -Association/126989714019649 recently posted an article from USA Today describing how state legislators pass laws to give themselves lucrative pensions. In the case of the Texas Legislature, the House and Senate passed a law tieing their pensions to the salary of state judges, and then in the intervening years raised judges salaries from $42,000 to $125000, and thus have now guaranteed themselves a retirement pension of $125,000 per year. By way of contrast the average retired Texas teacher receives a pension of $ 30,000.

This obviously reflects poorly on the legislatures' sense of equity and openness. Perhaps the old joke is true that" no man's life or property is safe as long as the Texas Legislature is in session". Should something be done to correct this accumulative abuse of power? Absolutely! Would this make us feel better? Probably! However this would do little to improve the problems of retired teachers in areas where laws could ameliorate those problems. Instead we need to insure we have clear goals , and strategies to reach those goals, in order to persuade the public and the legislature to favor our cause.

Goals

1. Cost of Living Adjustment. As most of us are well aware retired Texas Teachers have not received a cost of living adjustment since 2001. Although, fortunately, the inflation rate has been low the past couple of years, the inflation rate has still averaged three% for the decade, meaning a teacher who retired in 2001 with an annuity of $ 30,000 now has the equivalency of $20,000 in spending power. Ten more years without a COLA and the same inflation rate would leave the same retiree with $ 10,000 in spending power. I, therefore, believe that a COLA is the most pressing problem facing retirees. However there are others that the legislature needs to adjust such as:

2. TRS Care. The TRS Care program for retirees is currently serving 212,000 retirees, their spouses and their beneficiaries. Unfortunately the program is funded on a pay as you go basis meaning each session of the legislature must declare the funding is available for the next biennium. The fund is currently due to run out of funds by 2014. Some form of permanent funding must be created quickly. These two problems must be addressed at the state level but some others must be addressed at the national level, such as:

3. WEP and the Offset The U.S. Congress passed two laws referred to by the acronyms WEP and the offset. One of these laws limits the amount of Social Security a TRS retiree can draw by up to two-thirds, while the other prevents the spouse of the retiree from drawing any of his/her social security.

4. Paying TRS Care premium pretax. One of the benefits enjoyed by many workers including those still employed by school districts is the premiums for health care are paid pretax ; a benefit not currently enjoyed by TRS annuitants. To illustrate, a current TRS retiree might be receiving a pension of $35,000 and paying $4,500 a month in TRS Care premiums. Under current laws the TRS annuitant must pay taxes on all $35,000. If Congress were to change the tax laws to give TRS retirees the pretax befit of most employees, the retiree in the previous example would only have to pay taxes on $30,500 of their pension, rather than on the entire $35,000. This would be a nice bit of relief for most retirees.

5. You may be aware that Medicare has frozen their premiums the past two years because social security recipients did not receive a cost of living adjustment. Guess who did get an increase in their medicare premiums. Well, yours truly for one. When I called Medicare to inquire about my increase I was told that Congress only exempted Social Security recipients. I explained that in Texas teachers did not have a social security option and not only did we miss a cost of living adjustment in 2010, like social security recipients, but Texas teacher retirees had not had a cost of living adjustment since 2001! After some weak attempt at sympathy I was told that nothing could be done because Congess' action only dealt with Social security; so my medicare premiums are now$110 rather than $ 96. So we are basically punished for not being part of a system we were not allowed to join.

6. In a future blog I will suggest some strategies I believe will help reach some of these goals.

Your Turn.

Please give your thoughts on the goals mentioned. Which of the goals do you consider most important ?Are there other goals you think we should push for that were not mentioned?

How To Comment:

Just scroll to the bottom of this page; click on comments and a box will open for your comments. Thanks in advance for your participation.

Retired Teachers: Finding a Way to Use All That New Time

2011-09-30T06:02:00.001-05:00

Some of you may remember the old Hank Williams song If You Got The Money Honey I Got The Time. Well in retirement we may or may not have the money but we do have some new found time. How could we use that new found time? Well we could tell our spouse what to do but the only use of time that would provide is the time building the dog house we would soon be living in. A more productive pursuit might be to find a hobby, voluntary activity or part-time work. The purpose of this blog is to provide some ideas concerning hobbies or part-time work using a career personality survey called the Self Directed Search. www.self-directed-search.org

What Is The Self Directed Search

One man deserves credit for the Self Directed Search: Dr. John Holland. Dr. Holland is a professor of psychology at Johns Hopkins University and one of the nations preeminent career counselors. He developed the theory of the Self Directed Search while working as a classification specialist with the U.S. Army. Dr. Holland concluded that there are six basic personality types and six work environments and that by matching the personality with the work environment , one could help career searchers and those searching for college majors choose a satisfying career. The tests and surveys based on these personality types( Dr. Holland called them codes) have become the widest career counseling tools in the world. So what are these six types? Glad you asked; here they are:

Realistic

Investigative

Social

Artistic

Enterprising

Conventional

Realistic: Realistics are people who prefer what they consider the real world, the world they can see hear, smell , touch and feel. They like to work outdoors or with their hands. They usually like sports and are often quite good at them. Their favorite T. V. shows might include Extreme House Makeover and any sports shows.

Possible hobbies and jobs for Realistics:
gardening, landscaping, woodworking, golf, tennis work at Home Depot or Lowes, teach a physical skill.

Investigative: Investigative types usually like math and science and enjoy solving problems. Favorite T. V shows CSI; House

POSSIBLE HOBBIES AND JOBS:
Webb designing, math and science tutor, work in electronic stores like Best Buy and Frys , detective

Artistic: Artistic types not surprisingly , are creative and like music the visual arts or writing. Favorite T.V shows: Glee, American Idol

Possible hobbies or jobs: square dancing or Latin dancing, writing classes, learn to play a musical instrument, freelance writing, dance or art teacher, photography

Social: Social types enjoy working with people and also excel usually at mentoring and teaching. They are also good team players. Favorite T. V. shows: Dr. PHIL, Oprah

Possible jobs and hobbies. teaching,tutoring, any retail work that is service related, church worker, volunteering in hospital

Enterprising: Enterprising types like to be in responsible positions, are good decision makers, and are action oriented. They also are often good at speaking to groups. Favorite T.V.shows: Donald Trumps Apprentice

Possible jobs and hobbies: Toastmasters , sales, speak to groups about jobs, start their own business announce sporting events for school

Conventional: Conventional types like to use organizational or clerical skills. They are usually very good at detail work and math. Favorite T. V. show: Numbers

Possible jobs or hobbies: Helping others with income tax or budgeting, cooking, working in bank, helping people organize

Your TURN

1. Which of the Holland personality types are you and does it fit with any of your work history or hobbies?

2. How do you spend or plan to spend your extra time in retirement?

3. Any other comment you wish to make as long as it's not a personal attack or overly political.

4. To comment, just click on "comments" below and a screen will appear for your comments

Seven Questions And Hopefully Some Answers For Retired Texas Teachers

2011-04-22T01:45:00.000-05:00

   If you’re new to this teacher retirement thing, this is meant as a primer for those who are just taking those baby steps into the world of retirement. I will present this in a question and answer format ( the Socratic method though I make no claims to be a Socrates) with the questions based on questions I myself had when I retired in 2005 and questions I have been asked by more recent retirees. If you have a question I don’t ask please go to the comments page at the bottom of this blog and ask your question. O K here goes:

   1. Where Should I Start
   If you’ve already decided to join our group of happy retirees the best place to start is by visiting the TRS website. www.trs.state.tx.us . There , if you haven’t already done so you can order the packet you need to fill out to make your retirement official. The TRS website also has calculators for determining your retirement annuity( TRS refers to your monthly payment as an annuity) and you can also find out where TRS is holding meeting for retirees. I found these meetings most useful and reassuring and I believe most of you will also.

   2. What Is A Standard Annuity And What Are My Options

   The standard annuity is quite simply the maximum annuity you can receive. The standard annuity is calculated by : first the average of your five highest salaries , second multiply your years of service by 2.3 and, third multiply your second figure by your average salary and you have your annual annuity. In addition to the standard annuity there is the joint and survivors annuity. These options allows the retiree’s spouse or beneficiary , in return for a reduced standard annuity, to receive a percentage of the retirees annuity if the retiree predeceases the beneficiary. Under option 1 the beneficiary would receive 100 percent of the annuity, under option five 75 percent and under option 2, 50 percent. This is a critical decision and the employee and his/her spouse needs to think this over carefully. The amount of the reduction from the standard annuity depends on an actuarial calculation. You will need to contact TRS to get the exact amount; hey, sorry, I measured in history, not math.


   3. What About Health Insurance?

   You could of course try to go with out health insurance just as you could choose to sleep over night in a rattlesnake den but neither would be a wise choice! If you are a “seasoned” citizen and have reached the age of 65 you will need to apply for Medicare. If you are eligible or receiving social security, Medicare will contact you; however if you are only with TRS you will need to contact Medicare at least three months before you turn 65 to sign up. If you are retiring before 65 you will probably want to sign up for the health insurance option for retired teachers: TRS Care. You can also sign up your spouse for TRS Care if she is no longer working. TRS Care has two options with different deductibles and premiums; make certain you reflect carefully on these options as TRS will not allow changes When you turn 65 ,TRS Care will become your secondary policy and will pay most of what Medicare does not pay. Also if your spouse is still working you could find out the cost of the coverage for you and compare this to your Medicare and TRS Care options.

   4. Can I Work In The Public Schools After Retirement?

   The short answer is yes. However the state legislature passed a law in 2001 that limited the amount of work a retiree can work in a public school or college to 50 percent of what is considered full time for that month. For example in the public schools, a retiree may teach for a half day or two weeks of a month. Adjunct professors at a community college could teach two classes in the spring and fall semester since five classes are considered a full load and one semester in the summer since two classes are considered a full load. So what happens if you exceed this limit? You will receive a nice little letters from TRS saying you must return your annuity for that month; I know because I once received one of those “ nice little letters”. There is no limit on the amount a retiree can work in a private school and no limit on substituting, except your desire to go fishing that day.

   5. What About My 403 B

   If you have a 403 B plan at work, which allowed you to invest tax free, and hopefully was matched by your district, (sometimes referred to as an annuity) you will need to decide what to do with your investment. Your first step should probably be to visit with your plan administrator to check on your options; usually these include rolling over to an IRA or keeping your investment with your districts plan. If the thought of investing is about as appealing as translating ancient hieroglyphics ,you might want to consider finding a financial advisor or better yet educating yourself. Allow me to make one suggestion: there is a wonderful website called www.bogleheads.org that has a lot of guys and gals who are very knowledgeable about investments. Best of all they will answer your questions with great insight and the only cost is the time needed to sign onto the internet.

   6. Are There Any Organizations For Retirees

   I’m really glad you asked that question! We have a wonderful organization called Texas Retired Teachers Association. www.trta.org Austin and Washington. You will also be able to avail yourself of many discounts such as dental insurance and you will have an opportunity to meet a lot of nice folks in your local chapter.

   7. What Will I Do With My New Spare Time?

   This is not a trivial question and merits serious thoughts; however I think I have thrown enough words at you so I’m going to make that the subject of my next blog. Yes this is a shameless enticement to keep reading my blog.

   Your Turn

   I would be very happy to have your comments on:

1. Any elaborations or corrections you might have

2. Any questions you might have not brought up in this post.

3. Any other comments you might have.

   How To Comment

  1. Scroll to the bottom of this page

2. Click on Comments

3. A box will appear for your comments.

4. After your comments click “publish”

5. My complete Thanks in advance for your comments.

6. Please return to the blog because I will always reply to your comments.

Sucessful Retirees Need Three Kinds Of Health

2011-02-21T23:09:00.000-06:00

   Be healthy. A television anchor I once listened to used this simple but sagacious sign off to his program. Health is a condition we should all strive for but for retirees health is an even bigger factor as age increases the chances of health problems and a short-circuiting of retirement’s pleasures. There are three types of health essential to any retirement: physical, financial, and mental/spiritual.

   Physical Health

   Are you feeling ill? Well, if you are, hopefully that’s not because you’re reading this blog, and ,of course hopefully you’re not feeling ill at all, but absence of illness at the moment does not, unfortunately, mean one is healthy. As I pointed out in another blog; http://www.myretiredteacherblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/numbers.html; in order to be healthy one has to know at least three numbers. The first number is blood pressure and you want to keep the top number below 140 and the bottom number below 90. For maximum health we should try to keep the top number below 120. The second number is cholesterol. The key numbers here are 240 and 200. If your cholesterol level reaches 240 you are considered to have high cholesterol, and below 200 is considered best for maximum health. The third number is blood sugar. The trenchant number here is 100. Normal blood sugar is considered below 100 and a number between 101 and 125 is considered pre diabetes . So what can we do about these “darn” numbers?

   Well we could just sit in the front yard with a glass of ice tea and contemplate those numbers. Though I myself enjoy occasionally drinking ice tea, sitting in the yard and contemplating; that alone is not likely to lower any of those numbers. The answer is basically pretty simple: eat right get the proper exercise and keep our stress level under control. So what does that mean “eat right’ ; well it means about what our Mom told us all those years ago “eat your fruits and vegetables”. Nutritionists who study such things tell us we should eat between 5-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I know, I know, that’s easier said than done but we could at least try to eat some fruits and vegetables a day . Of course eating right also means less sugar, salt and fat, so a daily lunch of a Big Mac, French fries, and a large coke is probably not so great an idea though ,since I’m a great believer in “good ole Aristotle’s” idea of moderation, I think an occasional splurge is probably not too sinful.

   Exercise is another must, which means put that glass of ice tea down and do something . The exercise you choose should be something you enjoy so you’ll make it a habit. That might include riding your bike, swimming, running or walking. Though I myself am a long time jogger( over 50 years now) as I get older I become more convinced of the simple advantages of walking. One great way to motivate ourselves is to buy a pedometer, which is under 5 dollars and will add up your number of steps each day. Take 9,000 steps and you’ll have those numbers heading in the direction you want.

   Financial Health

   So just what is financial health? Financial health for retirees means we have enough resources to live comfortably, meaning we can choose whether our vacation will be a cruise to the Caribbean or a flight to Disney World rather to choose between food or medical care. Those who write on finances often say retirement funds should come from social security, a private pension if available from your work and investments. For retiring Texas teachers that means our TRS annuities, 403 b investments and social security for those eligible for it. If you are considering retirement but aren’t sure yet, my advise is to set up an appointment with TRS in Austin and make sure exactly how much you will receive from you TRS pension. This will allow you to know exactly how much you will need to take in the future from you 403 B , savings and part time work, if necessary, or desired.

   In addition to your annuity, investing your money wisely is another necessity for financial health. Let me repeat again I am most assuredly no financial advisor but I do have a suggestion. Learn as much as you can about investing even if you later decide to hire a financial advisor. I have a further unsolicited piece of advise ; my greatest teacher on investing is a website called http://www.bogleheads.org ,a group of successful investors who follow the philosophy of the founder of Vanguard, John Bogle. That philosophy includes asset allocation investing in low cost index funds and avoiding attempts to beat the market. Visit the site, read for yourself and I think you’ll find yourself much better informed even if you don’t accept the Bogleheads advice on the best route to reach financial health.

   Mental/Spiritual Health

   Mental health is not just the absence of mental illness but the ability to adapt to life’s ups and downs, find some balance in our life and managing our emotions. One of the advantages for we retirees is that we have lived a long time and have had a lot of practice at all those skills. Speaking of managing emotions, we are really talking about what the writer Daniel Goleman calls emotional intelligence, the ability to understand our emotions ( Am I feeling gluttonous or do I really need that second piece of cheesecake) and managing those emotions so they help us meet our goals whether physical, financial or mental health.

Mans Search For Meaning. Many of us find that meaning best through religion, but there are other ways of reaching spiritual health including volunteering in such activities as Habitat For Humanity or Wounded Warriors, or some passionate hobby whether gardening or golf , or best a combination of all these.

   Your Turn

   You are now invited, heck I’ll even beg you to join in on the conversation and leave a comment below.

   1. How do you handle the three types of health

   2. Do you have another type of health other than those mentioned that you would like to comment on.

   3. Any comment, suggestion even criticism ( Be nice though) you would like to leave

   How To Leave Your Comments

   1. Scroll to the bottom of this page and click on comments

   2. A new page will appear for your comments
   Click on Publish your comment

Retired Texas Teachers Get A Tax Increase

2011-02-18T23:28:00.000-06:00

   Last month President Obama and the leaders of Congress proudly announced they had “ saved Americans from a tax increase” Surprise! Surprise! Apparently the President and Congress should have said” We have saved everyone but the retired Texas teachers from getting a tax increase”. That’s what we found out recently when our new annuity checks had been reduced by $50.

   According to the Texas Retired Teacher Association (http://www.trta.org) the reason for the annuity reduction was that “though the Bush era tax cuts were extended” some of the “ tax brackets were extended”. In other words out taxes were increased! Another factor mentioned was that the program called “Making Work Pay” was allowed to expire. In other words our taxes were increased!

   Can This Be Changed

   The TRTA suggests that we should write our Congressman and “ let them know that the tax increase is making a bad situation worse” given that there has been no cost of living increase for10 years for teacher retirees in Texas. ( notice TRTA is asking you to write your Congressman in Washington, not your state legislator as the tax increase is a national action not on the state level). While the chances that Congress will give retired teachers back the tax loss are slim and none and slim just left town, the TRTA suggestion is undoubtedly still worthwhile just to plant in our Congressman’s mind the problems we face as Texas retired teachers ,especially with no cost of living adjustment . I do have one other suggestion though, and that is we ask our Congressman to vote to pass the proposed legislation that would tax us only on the income after our health insurance is deducted. In other words if a retiree has an annuity of 3000 dollars a month and pays 300 dollars a month in TRS premiums the retiree would be taxed each month on 2700 dollars rather than the full $3000. This would at least offset the new tax increase. I have more discussion of this in my earlier blog The Texas Legislature And TRS Hold That Line.


   Your Turn

   My blog is shorter than usual today, mercifully so some might say. LOL! I would be greatly pleased to hear from you on the following and anything else you would like to comment on

   1. Has your annuity been decreased? If you would like to tell us, by how much?

   2. Do you have any other suggestions to alleviate this problem this problem?

   3. Any other comments you would care to make.

   How To Comment

   1.Scroll to the bottom and click on ‘‘comments”

   2. A new page will come up with a block for you to write your comments.

   3. Click on “publish your comments“

     Thanks For Visiting

Seven Questions And Answers About Medicare And TRS Care

2011-02-09T23:37:00.000-06:00

   Texas teachers were ‘‘ present at the creation” of Medicare. President Lyndon Johnson who, signed the Medicare bill into law in 1965 ,was a Texan and a former Texas teacher. Another bit of historical info is that the first Medicare card was given to former president Harry Truman who was present at the signing ceremony and had been a committed supporter of the idea of health insurance for the elderly. The purpose of Medicare was to provide health insurance to the elderly( senior citizens was not yet widely used ,so we were still just ‘‘the elderly”) Most retired Texas teachers will, at least at some point in their lives, be a beneficiary of Medicare; so the purpose of today’s bog is to look at some questions tra retirees might have about Medicare and it’s relationship to TRS Care, and hopefully provide some answers.

   1. W hat Are Medicare Part A B C And D ? The bill signed into law in 1965 created Medicare part A and then Medicare part B; the two together are sometimes called “original Medicare”. Medicare part A is called hospital insurance and covers inpatient hospital care, inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice care and some home health care. Long term custodial care or nursing home care were not provided for in the original Medicare nor or they covered today. Medicare part B is called medical insurance and covers doctor’s bills , outpatient care, and some home health care. Notice that doctor’s bills are paid separately in part A and B , so if you go into a hospital your care in the hospital , nurse care, tests, food etc., will be paid by part A while any doctor visits while you are there may be paid by Part B. Part C is often referred to as Medicare Advantage and though paid for by Medicare is administered by private insurance companies , usually as HMO’S or PPO’S. Medicare Part D IS The Medicare prescription plan enacted in the 2003 Medicare Reform Act. This program is again paid for by Medicare but administered by private companies. TRS Care already has a prescription drug program administered by Caremark and advises their retirees on Medicare that they are usually better off staying with the TRS prescription drug plan.

   2. Should Someone With TRS As His Primary Medical Insurance Enroll In Medicare? Absolutely. W hen a retiree reaches 65, TRS assumes that the retiree has Medicare and pays accordingly. So for example if you go in the hospital or to a doctor TRS will assume that Medicare is paying 80 per cent of your expenses and TRS will pay the other 20 per cent minus the deductible. A person with a total doctor bill of $ 40,000 but who had not applied for Medicare when she became eligible would find TRS assumed Medicare had paid 80 percent and would pay only $8000 leaving the retiree to pay the other $32,000!

   3. How Do I Apply For Medicare?  If you are already on Social Security you will be contacted 90 days before your 65th birthday. However if you are not on social security ,but only on TRS , you will need to contact Medicare or Social Security yourself to enroll. I found this out the hard way as I am not on social security but only retired on TRS. I waited to hear from Medicare and finally 30 days before my 65th birthday I called Medicare and found out that I was the one responsible for calling and enrolling. ( Another lesson I learned from my call was that the folks at Medicare are very nice, but you should have something to read, perhaps Gone With The Wind ,because you will wait a long time on the line) So unless you enjoy trying last minute heroics, I suggest calling Medicare at least 90 days before your 65th birthday. Medicare will then send you the appropriate enrollment forms.


   4. Is Medicare Free? The Noble Prize winning economist Milton Friedman wrote a book called There’s’ No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. This is certainly true of Medicare. Start off with the fact that Medicare will pay only 80 percent of your total medical bill. In addition Medicare has premiums ; most Medicare recipients will not pay a premium for part A because they have paid into the system for their 40 quarters, but the premium for part B is currently $110.50. Medicare part A has a deductible of $1,100
and Medicare part B has a deductible of $155 per year. Oh well, who expected a free lunch anyway?


   5. What About Medigap? Medigap policies are private insurance policies that pay most or all of the amount not paid by Medicare. Since Medicare only pays 80 percent and medical bills today can quickly run to $ 50,000 or more, most retirees could quickly fine their savings vanished “ without a trace” . So though Medigap policies can be expensive they are certainly worth the expense if you have a large medical bill, an eventuality none of us can be sure we can avoid. If you choose a private Medicare part C plan mentioned above you will not need a Medigap policy.

   6. Is TRS a Medigap Policy? Although TRS does not consider themselves a Medigap policy they act much like one as they pay most of the 20 per cent Medicare does not pay. I have found TRS to be a good secondary plan, though fortunately I have not yet had any serious medical bills.

   7. Should I Get A Medigap Advantage PlanTRS Care. Many Medicare Advantage plans provide dental and vision coverage which traditional medicare does not. None the less, if you are on Medicare and your spouse is still using TRS Care as the primary insurance: beware! This is true in my personal case. I could actually get some better options price wise by using a Medicare Advantage plan. However when I called TRS the person I talked with said that since my wife was eligible for TRS Care only because she was my spouse, that if I chose a Medicare Advantage plan I would no longer be on TRS Care and therefore my wife would no longer be eligible.



   Your Turn

   I thank you for reading this far. Now I would appreciate your thoughts. If you have any Medicare TRS questions you would like to discuss or if you would like to add anything or correct any of my answers please feel more than free to do so.

   How To Comment

   To comment, just scroll to the bottom of this page, find the orange “comment’’, click and then a new screen will appear with a square for your comments. Thanks in advance.

Retiring Abroad: Some Thoughts From Experience

2011-01-31T06:19:00.000-06:00

   White sanded beaches. Exotic, friendly neighbors. A low cost of living. If all of these pictures occasionally dance into your daydreams, then retiring abroad might be something for you to consider. Since I am , as the title of this blog would suggest, retired ,and also living abroad, I’ll spend today’s blog relating some thoughts on the pros and cons of retiring abroad.

   Be Informed
   Just the facts mam. Some of you may remember that request from Sgt Joe Friday on the old Dragnet television series. Knowing the facts is essential if you are going to make a wise choice on whether to retire abroad and where to retire if you decide to do so. Fortunately the internet gives today’s researcher an incalculable resource for investigating retiring abroad. Of course not all information is equally valuable or accurate, so as always on the internet, remember “caveat emptor”. However, I will mention some of the sites I have found to be most credible.

   One of those valuable sites is http://www.retire-abroad,org. This site contains a plethora of articles from expatriates from the U.S. and other countries, discussing their experiences. Another valuable website is http://www.escapeartist.com. The information here is oriented toward senior citizens retiring abroad, but also gives links to many other retirement abroad forums. Since I am personally living in the Philippines I will mention a couple of websites and forums that are Philippines specific, but provide insight about expatriate life that can be generalized for other countries, especially developing countries. The first such site is http://www.liveinthephilippines.com. This is a web magazine run by an American who lives in Mindanao in the Philippines and is well organized and balanced. A second Philippine oriented site is http://www.livinginthephilippines.com. This was not a misprint, the only difference in the domain title of the two sites is the ing. This is the oldest of the sites and gives useful information, though occasionally views life in the tropics through rose colored lens.

   Climate

   Life in a warm tropical climate probably sounds awfully appealing to any of you shivering in sub freezing temperature. I have to admit that knowing I’ll be nice and warm, makes getting out of
bed each morning here in the Philippines much easier . On the other hand as the day wears on and the heat and humidity take their inexorable toll, I start thinking some cool weather would not be so insufferable. (Notice I wrote “cool” not “cold’’). If you like the four seasons you need to keep in mind that in the warm balmy tropics you only have two seasons, rainy and dry and both are warm. Deciding what type of climate you prefer is a key question in determining where and if you want to leave the climate in the U.S. you are currently accustomed to.



   Cost Of Living

   I enjoy playing a game occasionally where I ask my friends and acquaintances “ if you had unlimited resources and could retire and live anywhere in the world, where would that anywhere be? ( My choices are San Diego and Hawaii but I’m open to new options) Well, in the real world most of us don’t have unlimited resources so we have to take into account the cost of living. There are some countries where a person can retire on a social security, or a military pension alone and not work at all , at least for a salary. These countries are usually in the developing world and three countries that are often mentioned are Panama , the Philippines and Thailand. I know some Americans who are living in the Philippines or Thailand with their families for as little as 1,200 U.S. dollars. My own opinion is that if you live in the provinces or small towns you could probably do fine on 2000 U.S. dollars, but if you lived in the cities such as Manila, Bangkok, or Panama City you would need about 2,500 U.S. dollars. This would also depend on lifestyle choices such as how many American foods do you feel you couldn’t live without ( they are more expensive because they have to by imported) and how often you feel the need to travel back to the U,S, to visit family and friends. Airfare from a Pacific area country could cost as much as 1,200 U.S. dollars while flying from Mexico or Panama City would of course be much less expensive.

   language

   I have found one of the more surprising and stressful factors in living outside of the United States for me is the frustration of not understanding what is being said around me. I find this limit’s the experience of living abroad because I can’t communicate with as many people and they also are not comfortable in communicating with me in English. ( I actually have learned a lot of Bisayan words, the language spoken in the part of the Philippines where I reside , but the combination of my age, the idiomatic expressions of any language, and my trained in Texas tongue, keeping up with conversations is a huge obstacle) and so my advice is to try and learn the language of the country you would like to retire in ; my own personal belief is that some people have a natural skill at learning language like some people can naturally hit a jump shot) or retire to a country that has a low cost of living and speaks English. Belize comes to mind.

   Summing Up

The Texas Legislature and Teacher Retirement: Hold That Line?

2011-01-20T00:26:00.000-06:00

   Hold that line. Most of us in the teaching profession have heard that old cheer, which basically means to keep your loss of yardage to a minimum. Given the current financial turmoil in the state budget, maybe “hold that line” should become our lead cheer. Let me explain.

   The Budget Shortfall

   Most of you are aware that the state of Texas Gone to Texas: A History of the Lone Star State currently faces a looming budget deficit of between 20 and 27 billion dollars. State law forbids the state from running a budget deficit and, unlike the U.S. government ,Texas can’t just print money so cuts across the state budget are almost inevitable. So how does that affect retired teachers?

   A recent update on the TRTA website http://www.trta.org/viewupdate quotes Carl Eiland as saying that the state will probably cut the state’s contribution to the TRS fund from to the minimum amount; 6 percent from the current 6.6 per cent. This would mean the TRS fund would be further away from being fully funded and reduce the chances of retirees getting a cost of living (COLA) in the near future. So I believe our number one objective in the current state legislature should be convincing the state legislature to keep their contribution to at least the current state contribution of 6.6 per cent. In other words “hold that line”.

   Another piece of bad news in the TRTA update linked above, is that the state may reduce the contribution to the TRS Care fund from 1 percent to .05 percent. This will almost certainly mean a premium increase for those who are either relying on TRS Care as their main health insurance and those who , like myself, are on Medicare and have TRS Care as our supplemental insurance. A premium increase in combination with a continued absence of a COLA would be a double whammy. So my second priority would be to persuade the legislature to keep the state contribution to TRS Care to the current 1 percent. In other words “ hold that line”.

   Federal Priorities

   The need to “hold that line” on the state level might give us more of a chance to advance the ball on some Federal legislation that could be helpful to retired Texas teachers. One helpful step world be for the Congress to allow TRS Annuitants to be taxed on their income after health insurance premiums are withheld. Many of you probably remember that you were taxed only on the amount of your salary after medical insurance, TRS withdrawals and other exceptions, while working full time. Current Federal law does not allow the same advantages for TRS retirees. TRTA has long pushed for legislation that would allow this tax advantage for retirees. As an example of how this would be advantageous , if a retiree was drawing a monthly pension of $ 3000 and paying $450 for TRS Care , he/she is currently taxed on the entire $3000, but under the change mentioned above a retiree would be taxed only on the amount after TRS Care premiums are withdrawn, or, in other words, the $3000 minus the $450. The taxable income would now be $2550 rather than $3000; a modest but still helpful benefit.

   Another change in Federal law that would be helpful for many TRS retirees would be to r remove the “off set” provision on social security. This has been a long term fight but probably one still worth fighting, especially since advances at the state level will be most difficult.

   Summing Up

   1, The chances of getting a COLA, given the states budget problems are probably slim and none and slim just left town. So should we completely give up on the COLA this session? No, we should continue to educate the legislature about the need for a permanent COLA, and make sure they are aware that retirees have received no cost of living adjustment since 2001 ;but we should lower our expectations and also realize that we can’t just always only ask’ what can our state do for us” ( Hard to believe it’s been 50 years since JFK made that statement in his inaugural address)

   2. We should instead make our main goal this session to hold onto what we already have by convincing the Legislature to keep the state contribution to the TRS fund at 6.6 percent and the TRS Care contribution at I percent . Again “ Hold that line”.

   3. So what can we do? Support our major voice by joining TRTA if you haven’t already done so and keeping yourself and your legislators informed.

   YOUR TURN

Please leave your thoughts and comments by going to the " post a comment" page at the bottom of this blog, click and leave your thoughts. Without your contribution there is no purpose to this blog. Thanks for reading.

The Year 2001 And Texas Retired Teachers

2010-07-07T06:02:00.000-05:00

   September 11thThe September 11th Terrorist Attacks (Days That Changed the World) is another day that will “live in infamy“. As a matter of fact, on a macro level the whole year will probably live in infamy, given the fact that it lead to war. However, this blog is concerned with the more micro level and two acts of the Texas legislature that were passed in 2001. The two acts concerned :
Working after retirement
Cost of living adjustment


   Working After Retirement

   Before 2001 there were no restrictions about working after retirement; a retiree could continue working after retiring in a public educational establishment as much as he/she desired. However by 2001 there was much concern that many teachers and administrators were working out agreements with their districts that allowed them to retire, then be rehired at their former job, be compensated as they had always been and also draw their TRS annuity The Financial Insider's Annuity Guide: Understanding Annuities And Your Financial Portfolio. Because of fear that the TRS fund would be severely damaged by this practice, the legislature passed a law that limited retirees in the amount of time they could work in public schools and universities . Retirees could work only 50% of what would be considered full time. There was no limit on working in private schools. If I remember right TRTA supported this 2001 law because they were quite appropriately concerned about the viability of the TRS fund .

   However I believe that some reforms of the 2001 legislation would be in the best interest of retirees. Please indulge me a couple of personal examples of my experience with the legislation.

   When I retired from the public schools in 2005, I continued with my part time job teaching classes in a community college Because the community colleges consider five classes as full time I was allowed to teach only two classes, since obviously I could not teach 2.5 classes. In addition since the community colleges pay by course I was limited, in my case, to a salary of $3,400 per semester or at most $10,200 a year ; but someone hired by a public school for one half day could earn half of a full time teacher’s pay , let’s say $20,000.

   A second surprise I received that first year was in the Summer when I taught my usual schedule, two classes in the first semester but none in the second semester. In July I received a miserable missive in the mail(miserable for me anyway) which informed me that I would have to return my annuity to TRS for the month of June since I had exceeded the amount I was allowed to work. It seems that 2 classes per semester is considered full time in the Summer, so I was in violation. Notice that the salary I received for the Summer was exactly the same I would have received had I taught one class per semester, the allowable amount. I called TRS and pleaded ignorant,(not hard in my case) and fortunately for me was able to speak with a very nice lady in TRS who told me I would be forgiven this time but not a second time. I thanked her profusely and made sure there was no “second time”. I know another retiree who was asked to return their annuity because they taught two college classes and did some substituting. The 2001 law allows unlimited substituting but if one reaches the 50 % rule , no substituting is allowed.

   This 2001 work after retirement law is confusing enough that some colleges have a full time staff member assigned to assuring no one breaks the rule . I even had a staffer at TRS tell me over the phone that they wished the law would be repealed because of the amount of confusion from retirees and even occasionally on the part of TRS staff themselves. I believe that ,though the 2001 law had some merit, that reforms are needed to make this law conform to the best interests of retirees today. My suggested reforms are:

   1. Simply require that a retiree cannot work full time for one year after retirement. This rule is already in effect for principals and assistant principals and should be a sensible solution for all.

   2. Require that any retiree who returns to work will pay into the TRS fund but cannot expect any larger annuity from the fund than the annuity earned at the time of retirement. This should actually strengthen the fund and give the retiree the option of whether they wish to work full time. I believe this law especially needs reform given the cost of living problem for retirees.How to Love Your Retirement: Advice from Hundreds of Retirees (Hundreds of Heads Survival Guides)

   The Last COLA

   For some inexplicable reason whenever I hear or write the word cola, my mind snaps back to my childhood and the drink RC Cola. (Anyone remember those? Are they still around?) Oh well, forgive me for that aside and back to the COLA that is the topic of this blog. Another act of the legislature in 2001 was the granting of a cost of living adjustment to retired teachers. This has turned out to be the last cost of living adjustment. That means for the last ten years when inflation has averaged 3 % a year that Texas retired teachers have lost something like 20 % of their spending power More explicitly a retiree who receives $40,000 at retirement in 2001 would now have the equivalent annuity of $32,000. That is the reason that the staff of Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) and many members on the local level have worked so hard to get the Texas legislature to grant a permanent cost of living adjustment. I think TRTAtrta.org

   Will they succeed in getting this cost of living adjustment at the next legislative session. Let us hope so; but I fear not. The reason I fear not is that a looming battle is near on funding public pensions throughout the country with states like Colorado having passed legislation to reduce the amount of COLA going to retired teachers and state personnel. . In addition the Texas Legislature is under pressure from many fronts to spend more money on highways, prisons welfare, schools etc; and to keep from raising taxes.

   I know that scepticism toward our legislators is a Texas tradition Stand Proud (Texas Tradition Series No 13) ( No man’s life or property is safe as long as the legislature is in session) but I think as Texas citizens we have to feel some sympathy for the dilemmas they face. After all we are, in addition to being retired Texas teachers ,also taxpayers, and use services such as driving on the highways. So can we get our Cola and still help the state keep spending under control. I would like to make a proposal that is different than the usual approach but I think might give us at least part of what we want. Remember this is only a proposal, more in the form of a thought experiment:

My proposal. Rather than ask for a full cost of living proposal for all retirees, why not phase in the COLA. Those who retire before 65 would not receive a cost of living proposal. The rationale for this is that we are healthier than ever and most of us can continue to work, at least part time, if needed. From 65-70 there would be a COLA of 1.5 %. After the age of 70 there would be a full cost of living adjustment. My reason is that after the age of 70 health concerns might keep many from working. This proposal has two main advantages:

   1. It gives us, at least many of us, an immediate cost of living adjustment and would assure the rest of us that there would be one later.

   2. The legislature might be willing to accept this proposal as less expensive than the full cost of living proposal usually suggested.

   Sorry for the length of this post but these are key issues for retired teachers and those who will be retiring. Now I would dearly love your comments;

   Were you aware of the 2001 law on work after retirement and do you think changes are needed?

   Do you think my proposals for a cost of living are wise or just half witted. Do you have any suggestions?

   Some further comments of my own

1. Please no political comments
2. For those who are not teacher retirees, there will be more general blogs on retirement soon. Thanks to you all for your patience
3. The place for your comments is below. Thanks a million.

IN Pursuit Of Happiness

2010-07-03T00:55:00.000-05:00

All men are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill. July fourth is a propitious time to think about those rights Mr. Jefferson Thomas Jefferson - A Film by Ken Burnsclaimed on that July 4th 1776. Most of us have a pretty good idea of the meaning of life and liberty, but what about happiness; how do you pursue happiness and would we recognize the often elusive emotion if we caught it?

   Wealth and Happiness

Will money make you happy. A comedian once joked that money may not bring you happiness but it will buy anything that what will bring you happiness. A good line, but can money really buy you happiness and if so how much of it do you need? Aristotle gave an answer many years ago that has held up quite well with time: Enough wealth is needed to provide for the needs of life but anything beyond that brings only limited satisfaction Modern happiness surveys have confirmed Aristotle’s belief. Wealth that allows an individual and family to escape poverty certainly can add to happiness, but beyond that, money contributes little to happiness. But is this true, that we only need enough wealth to provides for our basic needs, such as food shelter and clothing. What if I’m happy with an 1800 square foot house but you want a 3000 square foot house? Also has modern technology and advertising changed what we need to be happy. Could we be happy without our computers, colored televisions and mobile phones? I’m feeling unhappy just writing about it. LOL

   Health And Happiness

What role does good health Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer with Advanced Omron Health Management Software play in our pursuit of happiness ? Common sense tells us that we are happier when we are healthy. Can someone who suffers from chronic pain, for example, be happy and if not does that again bring fourth the question of money and happiness; after all, wouldn’t one need enough money to buy the medication to manage the pain? The good news is, that counter intuitive though it may be, studies have concluded that people undergoing even the most difficult health challenges such as dialysis and cancer can continue to be happy. Possibly the reason good health doesn’t add more to our happiness is we don’t realize what a blessing good health is till we lose it..


   Attitude And Happiness

If wealth and happiness don’t guarantee happiness, What is the key to pursuing happiness? More and more evidence is accumulating from the fields of cognitive science and neuroscience that our attitude and the way we think about life’s occurrences may play a bigger role than any other happiness factor. These factors sound an awful lot like what we were taught as children: Be grateful for what we have, help others, look for the positive, and work to maintain our relationships with family and friends. The good news is that studies shave shown that as we age , our skills at these simple but vital attitudes improves, and thus the chance for happiness actually grows . So hopefully I haven't rambled so much I've made you unhappy! I would love to hear your comments on:

Does wealth bring happiness and if so, how much wealth do we need?

Can we be happy even in bad health?

Does happiness really matter anyway?

Looking forward to your comments below

Pension Funds And Texas Retired Teachers

2010-06-28T02:29:00.000-05:00

  The website for Texas Retired Teachers Association  http://www.trta.org had some good news last week. The TRS fund has increased by $30 billion dollars to $96.6 billion. In 2008 the fund had been down to only $67 billion ,after the financial meltdown of 2008. This represented a 35 % increase. For those of you who have not seen the report, the TRTA had several conclusions including :

   These investment gains are among the best in the country

   The TRS fund may be in a stronger fund than just about any other fund in the country

   The gains have still not made the pension fund actuarially sound

   The Texas Legislature must find a way to make the system more actuarially sound.

   Some Not So Good News

   The TRTA site also reported that the New York Times was reporting that the TRS fund had 14 million shares invested in BP. Of course as most of you are probably well aware these are not exactly happy times for BP and their stock shares have taken a corresponding hit. The good news within the bad news was that supposedly this represented only one tenth of one percent of the TRS fund. One more reason to hope the oil leak in the Gulf is soon just a distant memory.

   Other State Pension Funds

   A USA Today article reports that, according to a study By the Manhattan Institute the pension funds of the 50 states are underfunded by $950 billion. The report says the average state teacher funds are funded only at about 54 %. More good news;TRS is doing much better than the average. Still, you may be sure that these funding concerns will be used by those who are opposed to any cost of living adjustment. Another interesting ( or maybe disturbing) part of the USA article was that the study proposed converting state pension funds from a defined benefits plan as now constituted, that is pensions are based on number of years of service and salary and member the contributions are invested by a state pension fund, to a defined contribution system, much like 403 B’s in which each teacher would be responsible for investing their own money and their retirement would be based on the outcome of their investments. . The Texas Retired Teachers Association has been vehemently opposed to changing to a defined contribution system .

So DEAR HEARTS AND GENTLE I would be “pleased as punch” if you would leave your always thoughtful comments.

Are you worried about TRS investments or do you have trust?

What do you think of the BP investments?

Do you think moving to a defined contribution system from our current system would be wise?

I look forward to your comments.

The Numbers

2010-06-27T03:47:00.000-05:00

   One of my favorite Americans ,Benjamin Franklin, stressed the bountiful benefits of being healthy, wealthy and wise. I think most of us would agree that remaining healthy is a goal we desire for ourselves and those we love ,whatever their stage in life. Certainly most of us who are retired know that keeping up our health is a key factor to maintaining a happy and productive retirement. There are three numbers that we absolutely need to know to maintain our health. Those three numbers are :

Blood Pressure

Cholesterol

Blood Sugar

   First a caveat: I am not nor have I ever been a doctor. Again I was just a ‘little ole history teacher“. But I’ve done a lot of research and this is the result of that research into the “numbers”

   High Blood Pressure

   The chances of developing high blood pressure increase with age and estimates are that over half of all Americans over 65 have high blood pressure! So what can you do about it? Well, you can’t do much if you don’t know you have it, so get that physical you’ve been putting off. What are the numbers? Well, blood pressure is given in two numbers. The upper number is called systolic and the lower number is diastolic. The top number is measured when our heart is pumping life giving nutrients to our beautiful bodies and the second number is when our heart is taking a well deserved rest. According to the American Heart Association your heart is said to be normal when the number is below 120, pre high blood pressure between 120 and 139 and when above 139 you have high blood pressure. Because our blood pressure varies, the pressure needs to be taken more than once to reach a definite conclusion.

   cholesterol

   And what “Great Caesar’s Ghost” is cholesterol? According to our friends at the American Heart Association, it is a fat waxy substance (yuck) that is naturally found in our body and is even helpful, but the problem arises when our diet causes us to have too much of this good thing. To much cholesterol can lead to plaque blocking the blood flow to our brains and heart and result in heart attacks or strokes. So what are the desirable numbers? Total cholesterol numbers below 200 are considered desirable, those between 200 and 239 are considered borderline and those above 240 are considered high. However as in high blood pressure there are two numbers we need to know: HDL and LDL. Low density or LDL is the bad guy that causes the plaque mentioned earlier. An LDL total should be below 100 to be really optimal but when the number gets above 160 your LDL needs attention High density or HDL proteins are the “good guys”. you want this number to be high. Because HDL helps remove the bad LDL. An HDL number above 40 for men and above 50 for women is thought to provide some protection against heart disease and stroke

   blood sugar

   The third number we need to be aware of is blood sugar. The blood sugar level you need to know is actually one type of sugar called glucose. The body needs glucose for energy, but once again too much of a good thing can lead to something bad like type 2 diabetes, as well as damage kidneys, eyes and the heart. Doctors will usually suggest you fast before the blood sugar test ( just use this as an excuse to have a big breakfast after the test) to increase the accuracy of the test. Normal blood sugar measurements are considered to be less than 100, pre-diabetes between 100-125 and diabetes is diagnosed when the number gets above 126.

   So What Now

   Knowing and managing these numbers can play an essential role in having a happy energetic and productive retirement. You say you don’t know your numbers; then what are you sitting there for ,get up and make that doctor’s appointment.

Bad news department: The chances of developing bad numbers on all three go up with age

Good news department: these numbers can be managed with medication, if necessary, but often with just a change of lifestyle and the same changes can lead to better numbers for all three: those lifestyle changes are a healthy diet , exercise for 20-30 minutes four or five times a week, don’t smoke, keep stress under control and keep up those relationships with friends and families.

Now dear hearts and gentle people I would love to have your comments below on:

1. Do you have a good story about how you and/or someone you know has turned bad numbers into good numbers.

2. What steps do you take to keep those numbers under control.

Thanks for reading

Are You In The Retirement Box?

2010-06-25T00:48:00.000-05:00

     What in the “heck” do you mean by the “retirement box” Well I actually took that term from the renowned career counselor, Richard Bolles What Color Is Your Parachute? 2010: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers. Mr. Bolles says that we usually allow ourselves to be placed in three boxes : the education box, the work box and the retirement box.

   The education box

We usually find ourselves locked firmly in the education box until the age of about six.( even longer for today’s pre-kinder kids!). “Up in the morning and off to school, the teacher is teaching the golden rule. O.K. I couldn’t escape the “nostalgia box”. Does anyone remember that song? All right back to the education box. Of course, during our high school and college years we might escape into the work box temporarily, but usually we are expected to go to school and study. When we finish our schooling, whenever that might be , then “poof” out of the education box and jump right into the work box.

   The Work Box

Welcome to the wonderful world of work. Most of us can remember that first pay check, mine was $3,900 in 1968, and then we settle into our work box and forget the education box we now have managed to escape. Though many of us worked in jobs such as teaching, that required us to occasionally update our education, we did so only because this was a requirement to remain in the work box and not because we chose the education for the pure joy of learning. After about 30.-40 years ( Wow that seems like a long time when put in that way) we decide to retire, so we submit a letter and “ lo and behold” the education box opens and we step into the retirement box.

   The Retirement Box

According to Richard Boilles, this third box was supposed to be spent in leisure, which traditionally might mean just sitting on one’s front porch until one died. No thought was expected to be given to returning, even temporaraily to those other two boxes we escaped from, the education and work boxes.

   Breaking free of all the boxes

Today we have a more promising paradigm . Instead of one box for each stage of life more and more of us are mixing education, work and leisure at each stage of our lives. Here ,dear hearts and gentle people, is what I would love to hear your comments on:

1. If you’re in the retirement stage, do you escape the retirement box by engaging in work and/or education. Keep in mind, “work” could be something you volunteer to do. Of course there is nothing wrong with just enjoying your leisure!

2. If your in the work box, how do you escape ,at least occasionally, into the world of leisure and education.

Look forward to your comments below.

My Retired Texas Teacher Blog-A Welcome

2010-06-16T01:19:00.001-05:00

   Thanks for landing on my blog. Like the airlines say I know you could have chosen a lot of other blogs. O.K. enough of these airline analogies. What is this blog all about?

  Well the name tells a lot. This is my blog, but I certainly can't have a blog without you. So this is really our Texas retired teacher blog. I don't think Blogger would mind if we change this ; just between us.

   Second this is about retired teachers in the state of Texas, so we'll look at some issues that effect Texas retired teachers, like the cost of living adjustment. ( This retired teacher blog, of course, includes retired administrators. Your input is much valued.) We'll also just discuss some issues that effect retirees in general such as maintaining our health, traveling, hobbies, and the good and bad of retirement. Of course I also hope we'll have some visitors who are just thinking about retirement or maybe only dreaming about it. After all, all of us retirees were once just dreaming and thinking about retirement.

   Third, I can't help adding a little nostalgia topic now and then. Elvis Ike and Marylin may even make an occasional appearance. I will tell you that my next two topics will be:

   The Retirement Box

   Those All Important Health numbers

   I'm told that all first blogs should be mercifully short, so, dear hearts and gentle people, ( Anyone remember that song?) I'll close for now. Please comment below and especially share ideas to make this post an enlightening and enjoyable experience for us all.