Retirement planning starts in your 50's

When I was in my early 50’s I start to be more serious about retirement and retirement planning.  A survey out of New Zealand shows that most people did the same and are doing the same today. 

Survey data released by the Financial Markets Authority on Wednesday revealed confidence of a decent retirement was highest among people who sought retirement savings advice and information ten or more years before retirement. The survey of people aged 60-74 showed these people made up just 37 percent of respondents, indicating much more were doing even shorter sprints.

New Zealand has a retirement web tool that can help its citizens do some concrete planning for retirement. Of the 27,000 users so far, 35 percent were within 10 years of turning 65, and almost every other user was aged over 45. Older workers were also the most likely to increase their contributions rate to their retirement plan after using this tool. The survey found 37 percent of all contributions increases were done by people aged 55-64.

The survey revealed that time was just one of four key "ingredients" to being able to afford a decent retirement.  The others were; putting in the effort to make a plan, seeking advice or information when making the plan, and choosing growth investments when young enough to take the risk.

An online poll of indicated overcoming your fear may be a hidden fifth ingredient. In all 7400-people answered the poll. A total of 46 percent saying they knew how much they would need in retirement and would get there.

An American poll mirrors the New Zealand concerns. Worries about health care costs and Social Security uncertainty have many Americans planning to make financial sacrifices in retirement, according to a survey conducted by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).

The survey found that only 46% of non-retired Americans are confident they will reach their retirement goals, compared with 49% who are not confident (29% not sure, 20% don’t think they ever will). Only 5% of non-retired Americans report they have already reached their retirement goals.

This lack of overall confidence tracks with anxiety about the financial aspects of retirement—with two-in-five non-retired Americans (42%) saying they are either very anxious (14%) or somewhat anxious (29%). When these Americans were asked the specific cause of their anxiety, health care cost (71%), health care uncertainty (68%), affording everyday expenses and bills (67%), Social Security uncertainty (62%) and uncertainty over tax rates (52%) were cited. In addition, figuring out how much money will be required in retirement (70%) and the overall difficulty of planning for retirement (54%) are causing anxiety for a substantial percentage of non-retired Americans.

Overall, non-retired Americans are more likely than those who are currently retired to plan on making at least one financial sacrifice in retirement (92% vs. 72%). Those sacrifices include working when retired. Working throughout your life was once a reliable route to a comfortable, financially secure retirement. Over the years, Americans have been asked to take on more responsibility and become more self-sufficient when it comes to their retirement planning. 

The traditional "three-legged stool" model of retirement planning involves Social Security, a pension and personal savings, including employer-sponsored defined contribution (DC) retirement plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The survey found that, among those currently retired, the model holds up well, with these Americans citing Social Security (61%), pension plans (36%) or cash or savings accounts (25%) as their top sources of income in retirement.

However, for non-retired Americans, anxiety over Social Security and a sharp decrease in company pensions may have led to an increased emphasis on personal savings. Overall, for non-retired Americans, the percent who anticipate relying upon Social Security (48%) or a pension plan (17%) as one of their top two primary sources of income differs significantly, with a more likely dependence on cash or savings accounts (39%). And non-retired Americans are more than three times as likely as those who are retired to say they expect to rely upon a 401(k) (43% vs. 14%) as one of their two primary sources of income during retirement.

Harris Poll conducted the survey within the United States between March 24 and 27, 2017, among 1,018 adults (505 men and 513 women ages 18 and older) including 650 adults self-identified as “non-retired” and 322 as “retired.”

Working full-time longer than expected (45% non-retired vs. 11% retired);

Working a part-time job (43% vs. 17%); Moving to a less expensive city or town (40% vs. 22%); Forgoing medical care or treatment (28% vs. 14%).

Sleeping 9 hours or more linked to greater dementia risk

The following is from an article in the Medical news Today and was written by Ana Sandoiu for the full article go here

For this study, a large number of adults enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study ( were asked to report how long they usually slept per night. The researchers then clinically followed the participants for 10 years to see who developed Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers then examined the data collected on sleep duration and calculated the risk of developing dementia.

The team found that people who sleep regularly for 9 hours or more were twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's within 10 years, compared with those who consistently slept less than 9 hours.

Additionally, as the study's lead author explains, education seems to be playing a role in staving off the risk of dementia.

"Participants without a high school degree who sleep for more than 9 hours each night had six times the risk of developing dementia in 10 years as compared [with] participants who slept for less. These results suggest that being highly educated may protect against dementia in the presence of long sleep duration." Dr. Sudha Seshadri

The study also found that people who slept longer seemed to have smaller brain volumes. Being observational, the study cannot establish causality, but the researchers suspect excessive sleep is probably a symptom rather than a cause of the neuronal changes that come with dementia. As a consequence, they speculate, reducing sleep duration is not likely to lower the risk of dementia.

The authors believe the findings may inform future dementia and cognitive impairment detection practices. Co-corresponding author Matthew Pase, Ph.D., who is a fellow in the department of neurology at BUSM and investigator at the FHS, weighs in on the significance of the findings.

"Self-reported sleep duration may be a useful clinical tool to help predict persons at risk of progressing to clinical dementia within 10 years," he says. "Persons reporting long sleep time may warrant assessment and monitoring for problems with thinking and memory."

The sooner a patient is diagnosed with dementia, the more time they and their families have to plan ahead and make crucial healthcare decisions.

Brushing your teeth is important

There is a recent science-that supports the idea that there is some evidence between oral health – (yes, simply regularly brushing your teeth), and thereby reducing chronic inflammation… and possibly reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

An American based science team discovered that reducing plaque buildup lowers the levels of chronic inflammation as measured by C-reactive protein (CRP). The study was led by Prof Charles Hennekens, of Florida Atlantic University. In the trial, 61 patients were given either the special or normal toothpaste and followed for 60 days. Their plaque and inflammation levels were tested before and after the study. Those using the disclosing toothpaste reduced their plaque levels by 49 per cent compared with 24 per cent for the control group. Inflammation, measured by levels of c-reactive protein, also fell by 29 per cent for the special toothpaste group, but rose by 25 per cent for the control group.

The team points out that managing chronic inflammation may be critical to preventing heart attacks and strokes.

The correlation between chronic inflammation and plaque was studied based on the knowledge that people with diseased gums – a condition associated with inflammation, suffered higher rates of heart attack and stroke. However, this recent controlled study, using a specialized plaque-targeting toothpaste, reduced inflammation (by 29%), which is close to a range typically only achieved by using statins (reduction of 39%). 

Although additional clinical studies are underway, there is now arguably reasonable proof that good dental health, in conjunction with other lifestyle choices, may be an element in managing chronic inflammation and reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke. 

Sleep Hygiene, is important in getting a good nights sleep

In the workshop on getting a good nights sleep that I give for COSCO Health and Wellness, I talk about good sleep hygiene and how important this is to have a good nights' sleep. Sleep hygiene is not about being clean, it is about the habits we have that may cause us to have a bad night's sleep. Her are some tips to a better sleep.

You're not doomed to toss and turn every night. Consider simple tips for better sleep, from setting a sleep schedule to including physical activity in your daily routine.

Think about all the factors that can interfere with a good night's sleep — from pressure at work and family responsibilities to unexpected challenges, such as layoffs, relationship issues or illnesses. It's no wonder that quality sleep is sometimes elusive.

Although you might not be able to control all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, you can adopt habits or improve your sleep hygiene that encourage better sleep. Start with these simple tips.

1. Stick to a sleep schedule

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends, holidays and days off. Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle and helps promote better sleep at night. There's a caveat, though. If you don't fall asleep within about 15 minutes, get up and do something relaxing. Go back to bed when you're tired. If you agonise over falling asleep, you might find it even tougher to nod off.

2. Pay attention to what and when you eat and drink

Don't go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Your discomfort might keep you up. Also limit how much you drink before bed, to prevent disruptive middle-of-the-night trips to the toilet.

Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol deserve caution, too. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine take hours to wear off and can wreak havoc on quality sleep. And even though alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night. Don’t eat too close to bedtime as it may cause you problems in falling asleep.

3. Create a bedtime ritual

Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to wind down. This might include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music — preferably with the lights dimmed. Relaxing activities can promote better sleep by easing the transition between wakefulness and drowsiness.

Be wary of using the TV or other electronic devices as part of your bedtime ritual. Some research suggests that screen time or other media use before bedtime interferes with sleep. The bedroom should be used for sex and for sleep, not for reading, watching TV, playing video games etc.

4. Get comfortable

Create a room that's ideal for sleeping. Often, this means cool, dark and quiet. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.

Your mattress and pillow can contribute to better sleep, too. Since the features of good bedding are subjective, choose what feels most comfortable to you. If you share your bed, make sure there's enough room for two. If you have children or pets, try to set limits on how often they sleep with you — or insist on separate sleeping quarters.

5. Limit daytime naps

Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep — especially if you're struggling with insomnia or poor sleep quality at night. If you choose to nap during the day, limit yourself to about 10 to 20 minutes and make it during the midafternoon.

If you work nights, you'll need to make an exception to the rules about daytime sleeping. In this case, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight — which adjusts your internal clock — doesn't interrupt your daytime sleep.

6. Include physical activity in your daily routine

Regular physical activity can promote better sleep, helping you to fall asleep faster and to enjoy deeper sleep. Timing is important, though. Do not exercise too close to bedtime, you might be too energised to fall asleep. If this seems to be an issue for you, exercise earlier in the day.

7. Manage stress

When you have too much to do — and too much to think about — your sleep is likely to suffer. To help restore peace, consider healthy ways to manage stress. Start with the basics, such as getting organised, setting priorities and delegating tasks. Give yourself permission to take a break when you need one. Share a good laugh with an old friend. Before bed, jot down what's on your mind and then set it aside for tomorrow.

Know when to contact your doctor

Nearly everyone has an occasional sleepless night — but if you often have trouble sleeping, contact your doctor. Identifying and treating any underlying causes can help you get the better sleep you deserve.