For those considering retirement or for retirees who need a fresh approach to examining their financial issues, practical suggestions are always helpful. A local expert on the psychology of money has some advice for the over-50 crowd.
An experienced educator and professional coach in the field of financial education, Syble Solomon, a nationally recognized motivational speaker, has several tips for seniors. Here are a few of them: Read More
“The Social Security program cannot remain static. Changes in our population, in our working habits, and in our standard of living require constant revision.”
— John F. Kennedy
The Social Security Trust Fund manages its finances the same way that a family manages its finances. The family has cash inflows coming from wages and cash outflows going to pay living expenses. If cash outflows equal cash inflows, the family experiences a zero-net cash flow, meaning that it has no excess cash to save nor does it have to dip into prior savings to meet living expenses. When inflows exceed outflows, the family has excess savings that it invests in a reserve savings account. Over many years, this reserve savings account can grow not only from excess cash deposits, but also from earnings on the balance in the account. If the family runs into financial difficulties and withdraws cash from the reserve account long enough, it will eventually deplete the account. If that happens, the family must either figure out a way to increase cash inflows, possibly by a family member taking on a second job, or decrease cash outflows by cutting some of its living expenses. This is basically how the Social Security System also manages its finances. Read More
Warm tropical breezes usher in gently rolling waves as they wash over pristine sandy shores. Glistening turquoise pools sit expectantly, awaiting the first morning’s splash. Mountains stand proudly, dotted with small villas as the first rays of sun announce morning. All is sacredly serene. As we stroll out onto our balcony of our condo, we inhale the fresh clean morning air and celebrate our all-too-brief visit to Acapulco, Mexico. Read More
Women are on the move — especially women of the Baby Boomer generation.
If you’ve felt the urge to see different places and experience a new adventure, you are not alone. The Travel Industry Association estimates that 32 million single American women traveled at least once last year — and a lot of them were Boomers. Read More
When it comes to battling cancer, it isn’t just money that’s being raised by the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Honor is what is on the minds of the organizers, volunteers and participants.
“The relay is all about honoring and celebrating survivors and the ones that we’ve lost,” says Erica O’Brien, the community manager for the New Hanover American Cancer Society, which is holding its annual walk on April 27-28 at Ashley High School in Wilmington. Read More
Surf City, N.C., could possibly be considered a sleepy little beach town to some. Others may even refer to it as a well-kept secret. Visitors enjoy the area as “the way the beach used to be” — family-friendly, quiet, not too commercialized and gingerly stretching across its six miles of oceanfront in a raw and natural form. Read More
There are many ways for a community to determine its diversity. Some look at enrollments in local schools, others look at census numbers, while others may look at reports like those compiled by news agencies like CNN, which reported that Wilmington’s level of diversity is greater than the national average.
Diversity brings much to a community; and, locally, a visual cue to the growing diversity of the community is the increase of new restaurants with an international flare that the dot the landscape. Read More
God’s Favorite
Big Dawg Productions at Cape Fear Playhouse
613 Castle St., Wilmington
April 12-29, Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.
Tickets: $15-$20 Senior Discounts Available
Call 910.367.5237 Read More
Just north of the Isabelle Holmes Bridge on the Cape Fear River, the bustling industry of downtown Wilmington gives way to ever-thickening cypress trees. Five miles up river they become a forest. At eight miles, they crowd out the swamp grasses, closing in on either side of the river as the channel takes a hard northeast turn.
This is where the Black River begins. Read More
Bald Head Island, with its limited human footprint, is an ideal place to watch coastal ecosystems at work. Each of these interrelated environments — nearshore, beach, salt marsh and maritime forest — have an important role to play in ensuring the health of our planet. They work best when left as undisturbed as possible. Read More
