Re-thinking age: Your best years
Our November 2020 workshop was an uplifting presentation by aging experts Lucy Rose and Mark Fischer. Lucy Rose was an award-winning sociologist and gerontologist before switching gears and becoming an award-winning artist and author. Her husband, Mark, had a long career as a financial planner before becoming a retirement coach and author.
They began the workshop by noting the revolution in life expectancy. In 1934, when Social Security was instituted, average life expectancy in the U.S. was 65 years. In 2018, it was 79.
If you are already 65, your life expectancy is now 83 if you are male and 85 if you are female. The point is that many of us will have quite a few years ahead of us, and we need to think about what we want to do with those years.
One basic issue we need to address is how to be financially secure through those extra years. We need projections of our income and spending, and then an investment plan and a spending plan. Investing in a professional financial consultation to help with these things will likely be worth the money.
Think BIG and be ALIVE
Beyond our basic needs, we need to think about how we will spend our time in fulfilling and meaningful ways. Mark urged us to think BIG - to consider setting Bold, Imaginative Goals, things like starting a business, learning a new skill, or working to change the world.
Lucy Rose talked about the ALIVE concept: Activity, Learning, Intimacy, Vitality, and Engagement. Paying attention to each of these areas increases our changes of having a happy and satisfying retirement.
They cited examples in their own lives to illustrate both the BIG and ALIVE concepts. Mark bicycled down the Mississippi, learned to play the cello, and became heavily involved in charitable work. Lucy Rose learned to do painting on glass and authored award-winning books. Their presentation was accompanied by beautiful slides of Lucy Rose's artwork.
Visit seriousaboutretiring.com to learn more about Mark's work and publications and lucyrosedesigns.com to learn more about Lucy Rose's work and publications.
- Ron Matross, chair, Workshop Committee
Time for a radical re-thinking of age
Tue, November 17 2020, 11am
Lucy Rose Fischer
Event to be held via Zoom.
We are living at a time of age revolution. With people routinely living longer than ever before, the post-retirement stage of life can be almost as long as the working years. It’s time for a radical re-thinking about this stage of life.
Using a combination of research, practical information, personal stories, and vivid illustrations, this workshop will show how our older years can be the best time of lives.
Our presenters are Lucy Rose Fischer and her husband, Mark Fischer.
Please register for what promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking workshop via Zoom at 11 a.m. on November 17.
Lucy Rose Fischer had a 25-year career as an award-winning teacher, researcher, and writer. She has a PhD in sociology with a specialty in the study of aging. The Gerontological Society of America honored her as a fellow for “outstanding achievement and exemplary contributions to the field of aging.” She then developed another side of her talents, becoming an artist and speaker.
Her art has been in more than 100 exhibits and is on permanent display in private collections and public institutions. Twin Cities Public Television featured her in two documentaries: “The Creative Power of Aging” (2008) and “Life Changing Art” (2010). Her book, I’m New at Being Old, a colorful and whimsical picture book about the experience of aging, received a Midwest Book Award and an Independent Publishers Gold Award.
Mark S. Fischer, PhD, MBA, CFP, CPRC, had a long career as a financial and life planner. He is now a certified professional retirement coach and author of the book Serious About Retiring.
—Ron Matross, chair, Workshop Committee
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.