Housing Archive
Articles
Working late, by choice or not
Report after report has made abundantly clear that job growth is weak, but there’s one wide swath of the population where employment growth is going gangbusters: older Americans. A record 7.2 million Americans age 65 and...
Cheap and colorful, an overseas home beckons
They might have to contend with a monsoon season. Their electricity may go out on a regular basis. And they probably won’t have the choices they once had at the grocery store. But some people...
New estimate sees rise in medical costs in retirement
Medical costs continue to loom large over retirement, a report from Fidelity Investments says. A 65-year-old couple retiring this year without any employer-based health coverage would need an estimated $240,000 to cover medical costs through retirement, according...
In the backyard, Grandma’s new apartment
When her father became ill just before Christmas last year, Dr. Socorrito Baez-Page faced an increasingly common conundrum. Her aging parents wanted to stay in their town house, but her mother couldn’t handle the caregiving...
Don’t wait for Social Security check in the mail
Starting next year, the check will no longer be in the mail for millions of people who receive Social Security and other government benefits. The federal government, which issues 73 million payments a month, is phasing...
Big gaps found in nursing homes’ disaster plans
Tornado, hurricane or flood, nursing homes are woefully unprepared to protect frail residents in a natural disaster, government investigators say. Emergency plans required by the government often lack specific steps such as coordinating with local authorities,...
An age-appropriate assist
John Antsy keeps a busy schedule. Tuesdays and Fridays, he heads over to see Don and Prudence Allender, who might need groceries or prescriptions picked up or a light bulb changed. “It’s a great boon, because...
Why panic? A couple’s nest egg better left alone
Imagine for a moment that your fairy godmother had appeared on Jan. 1, 2000. She told you that, over the coming decade, there would be two recessions, high unemployment and a major financial crisis that...
New retirement rules for a new economy
Retirement. Most people have it all wrong. They think it's about accumulating a "magic number" on a balance sheet, proper asset allocation, or the right percentage to withdraw from a balanced portfolio. That's the message...
The future: No lattes, no movies
Thanks to the Elder Index, I now know that if I were a single adult over age 65 in good but not excellent health, renting a one-bedroom apartment in Essex County, N.J. — where I...