We spent some wonderful time with friends over the holidays and instead of just talking, I had a great idea about singing Christmas Carols. So I warned everyone before the first glass of wine was poured that singing was also on the menu....after a few "nahs" and "you're kidding" they eventually agreed to go along with my plan. We sounded awesome as we sang "The Little Drummer Boy" with the mix of sopranos, altos and baritones and not too bad on "The Twelve Days of Christmas" but one of my favorite winter songs, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" we just couldn't... Continue reading

I decided this year my personal Christmas card would be a picture of my grandkids. Easy- right? Should have been- but 2 hours later and still no card. Was it "operator error" or a CVS glitch? Both. The templates were standard and not many changes could be made. Not a problem but I took three tries to find what I wanted...ok, well now it should be easy. Kelsey, the technician was terrific. ( Narraganset has the best CVS...do you think having the president trade here matters?!?) Ready to print and Kelsey suggested I let another customer (Ro) use my machine,... Continue reading

I'm happy to be an exhibitor at the semi- annual conference of Geriatric Care Managers tomorrow in Marlboro, MA. where the keynote speaker, Rabbi Howard Kushner will present his latest book. In 1981 Rabbi Kushner wrote his best selling book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People," one of my favorite books for learning to deal with life's disappointments without becoming bitter. Continue reading

Sign up for daily specials at www.groupon.com. This site is listed by major cities and sign up is free. Local businesses offer coupons for nearly 50% off products. Yes, there are expiration dates but generally they are reasonable. I recently purchased $50 worth of products at Weston Nurseries for $25. They have beautiful items and I plan to buy my Christmas wreath there. I also found a site called www.soap.com which has great savings. I bought vitamin D and the same exact brand was more than 60% off my last purchase. My kids love when I buy them diapers and... Continue reading

I met with clients yesterday at the Hopkinton Senior Center to help them with their budgets. My goal was to have them look realistically at income, expenses and what was left. While planning I began thinking that budgeting was really boring. Why then did I think it was important enough to create a business about it? If it's not about putting numbers on a piece of paper... what is it about? Yeah, you need to see those numbers to tell you where you're spending, but it also shows you how you're spending. Do you really need those two Starbucks Venti... Continue reading

Not long ago, I started looking for places to volunteer... I wanted something to do with finances and people and found the perfect fit, the AARP Money Management program. Within a short time, I had a client named Rita, a single woman of 68 who lived in subsidized housing and did not have a handle on her finances. Though she earned very little money, she received lots of help to make her life easier financially. Yet I couldn't figure out where her money was going. On one occasion she had just withdrawn $200 from her account and now had $15.... Continue reading

Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerrilla Marketing fame notes that seniors prefer to be called "older" rather than senior or elderly. Interesting, because I thought I was being politically correct by saying seniors rather than elderly, but I guess I'm wrong. I visited the AARP site and they refer to their audience as 50+....so from now on it's "older adults" or the 50+ group. Continue reading

A trip down the canal in Copenhagen Continue reading

I just spent a wonderful week in Denmark with friends... Copenhagen is a great city but we hit a hot spell...it was nearly 90 degrees and unfortunately not much A/C. The food was great, especially the bread and pastries ( Danish) and the people were terrific and all spoke English. I love to travel but am always glad when we hit the ground at Logan... Continue reading

It's a concept where members get credit for services they provide to other members, such as cooking and home repairs and a "one time dollar"is deposited in their account, good for purchasing services offered by other members. This is a new form of bartering opening in hard-hit communities helping them survive in these difficult economic times. For more info go to http://www.timebanks.org . Continue reading

7 things to stop doing now on Facebook This article appeared in June 2010 Consumer Reports Magazine. Using a weak password Avoid simple names or words you can find in a dictionary, even with numbers tacked on the end. Instead, mix upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. A password should have at least eight characters. One good technique is to insert numbers or symbols in the middle of a word, such as this variant on the word "houses": hO27usEs! Leaving your full birth date in your profile It's an ideal target for identity thieves, who could use it to... Continue reading

Though I lost the seat for Hopkinton Housing Authority, it was a great experience and I met many wonderful people. Thanks again to all who voted for me.... Continue reading

I'm running for Housing Authority tomorrow in Hopkinton, MA. The polls are open at the Middle School from 7am-8pm and I'll be there with a sign, -- stop by and say "hi". Thanks for voting for me! Continue reading

Hope the market recovers today after the huge drop yesterday. At least the Dow finally settled at a drop of 347.8 points...very scary. Was it real or due to a "fat fingers" error while keying a trade? via www.balanceyourchecks.comMake that....good news that we had a increase in jobs. Not so good that the unemployment rate edged up to 9.9% after 3 months at a 9.7% rate. Continue reading

Hope the market recovers today after the huge drop yesterday. At least the Dow finally settled at a drop of 347.8 points...very scary. Was it real or due to a "fat fingers" error while keying a trade? The great news today is that unemployment rose to 9.9%, with a gain of nearly 300K jobs. Let's hope this helps the market today. Continue reading

Tax season is over... but it's like having your annual check up. So all the tests are back and what's next? Did you get a big refund from the IRS? That's nice, but do you really want the government holding your money until next year? Think about changing your with holdings and banking the money monthly. I know it's hard but there are ways that can make saving easier. Try opening an account in a bank you don't frequent and not getting an ATM card. Give your money to a relative who will do the banking for you. This helps... Continue reading

Bev, my grand doggie keeps my company some days... Continue reading

Great turnout today at the Assabet Senior Conference...even the Governor and Attorney General stopped by. Continue reading

http://www.natickvna.org/content325.html An Evening Featuring Local Chefs and Fresh Ingredients June 17, 2010 6:00 - 9:00 PM at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley All Proceeds Benefit the Natick Visiting Nurse Association, Inc. and the home health care provided to people in 20 MetroWest Communities since 1899 . Continue reading

http://www.senatoreldridge.com/events Senior Conference - sponsored by Senator Eldridge's office Apr 22 2010 - 9:00 am Assabet Valley Regional High School 215 Fitchburg St Marlborough, MA Don’t miss out on the fun - workshops, entertainment, exhibits, prizes, lunch, and free samples! For more information or tickets, call District Director, Peggy Schwarz Ayres, at 508-786-3040 Continue reading

Daily Money Managers Just read a great article about what to throw away and what to keep by Laura Cohn of Kiplingers and she talks about how Daily Money Managers can help. But the rates listed are not typical of this area. http://tinyurl.com/y3vh7f5 Continue reading

Living in one of the seven counties of Massachusetts, I have until May 11, 2010 to complete my taxes but today I finished and filed them! I couldn't stand the thought of delaying the filing for nearly another month, so now it's done....I feel so relieved! Now I have more time to do blogging... Continue reading

Tax Credit for Mssachusetts Seniors The below url shows information about the tax credit available to Mass seniors who own or rent their homes. Read more to see if you qualify. http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001AOTdCtwnZM9ae-Mh6fbyVu2MySQPEo1q_xO7_CMfnOeWLhzWC3QyexZwdGHZxTuHJGuDBbQusn46nox5PkqhxwlaZFkiPPI47RtYQmB75IU%3D Continue reading

http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/krr-watch-out-for-scams-targeting-seniors.html Don't be fooled by con artists' offers to get-rich-quick. If it seems too easy, it probably is...read the article for different types of schemes commonly used. Continue reading

Here's a great article from Forbes why we shouldn't have family manage our money. http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/01/family-member-money-personal-finance-money-management.html Continue reading