How to Lose 1,000 Square Feet — and Keep It Off...

This writer found joy downsizing to a small apartment and offers five tips Five years ago, when I sold my 1,700-square-foot condo in St. Louis County, Mo., in preparation for a move to a small apartment in San Francisco, Calif., I knew I had to get rid of at least two-thirds of my stuff. That required touching every single thing I owned. I sold, donated or gave away everything from a crystal chandelier to a recliner I’d bought six months earlier to a package of powdered onion soup from the pantry. The man who painted my condo prior to the sale bought the pub table and chairs from my kitchen, so I gave him the concrete elephant statue from my deck. I pared down my Christmas decorations from five boxes to one. I found good homes at a university, a prison and a senior center for 46 boxes of books. And once and for all, I got rid of my collections of paper bags, plastic bags and cardboard boxes. What did I bring to California? My grandmother’s golden oak rocking chair, her dresser and her cedar chest. My mother’s living room lamps and her black sequin beanie. My father’s jewelry box and his Navy duffel bag, to hold jumper cables in my car. My son’s grade school art projects. And my Mickey Mouse Club membership certificate. OK, I admit I am a sentimental sort. If you are making plans to run away from the life you’ve always lived, if you are downsizing or if you are just weary of living with the same old stuff, here are five tips from someone living small and loving it: Don’t leave your past behind A fresh start does not require erasing who...

Convincing an Interviewer You Want to Downshift...

To snag a position with less stress, take these three steps If you’re nearing retirement, you might be thinking about finding a less demanding job with a better work-life balance: One with fewer hours, less responsibility or reduced travel demands. But when you’re ready to apply for a less-stress job for less pay, how do you communicate that effectively to potential employers? More to the point, how do you do so without seeming like you’ve lost your competitive drive? It’s a challenging situation. We are taught to approach the career ladder as a forward climb — one that leads progressively upwards to positions of greater status, pay and responsibility. But when you reverse direction and want to take a step downwards, employers tend to react with skepticism. They worry that downshifting is code for “tired and checked out.” (It doesn’t help that a Gallup survey last year found that workers in their 50s and 60s are America’s least engaged.) And they fear that if you accept a lesser role than the one you just had, you’ll be bored and leave when a better opportunity arises. Given these concerns, the key to convincing an employer to let you downshift is to do three things: Reformat your job search materials — resumé, LinkedIn Profile and cover letter — to be in alignment with your desired job. Target employers and industries that are receptive to midlife career changers and flexible work schedules. Prepare yourself to effectively address the employer’s concerns during the interview process. Now, let’s take a closer look at each of these “must-do” strategies: Reformat Your Job Search Materials If you want employers to take your request to downshift seriously, you need to edit your resumé and LinkedIn profile so...

Social Security: Best Ways to Max Out Your Benefit...

A ‘Get What’s Yours’ author says claiming as early as you can is ‘crazy’ You think taxes are complicated? Try figuring out the best time and best way to claim your Social Security benefits. Laurence J. Kotlikoff, co-author of Get What’s Yours: The Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security says: “There are 2,728 rules in Social Security’s handbook and maybe another 500,000 — it’s impossible to count them.” Hence the instructive 324-page book he just published along with financial writer Phillip Moeller and PBS NewsHour business and economics correspondent Paul Solman, to help people make wise Social Security claiming decisions. How Much We Expect From Social Security “At the beginning of this project, my coauthors thought I was far too angry about Social Security. They didn’t get my anger because they didn’t know the rules,” Kotlikoff told me. “By the end, they were saying tougher things than I would.” Although Kotlikoff is a Boston University economics professor, his book is anything but academic. After all, according to a Bankrate.com survey to be released tomorrow, 27 percent of Americans expect Social Security to account for at least half of their retirement income. I recently interviewed Kotlikoff for his advice on how to get the biggest Social Security benefit allowable. “There’s no perfect rule for everyone. You need to be strategic about your options,” he said. Highlights of our conversation: Next Avenue: Why is it so hard for people to figure out when and how they should claim Social Security? Kotlikoff: The bureaucrats and politicians over the years have made this the most complicated social insurance system you can imagine. Everything you say about Social Security has to come with a ‘but’ or an ‘if’ or five ‘buts’ or ‘ifs.’...

7 Secrets to Get Good Customer Service by Phone...

Agents are now better trained, if you can get past phone purgatory Over the past few months, I’ve had to make more than my usual share of calls to customer-service centers. The calls dealt with issues mundane (trying to learn what happened to an undelivered online order); frustrating (seeking help setting up a new printer) and serious (trying to assist my daughter in signing up for health insurance). I’ve spent hours trying to get these issues resolved and here’s what I discovered: Once I reached customer-service agents, almost all were polite and patient, knowledgeable and helpful. But… it’s become increasingly difficult to reach live ones. Making It Hard to Find the Number Many companies seem to have made it deliberately hard to find the appropriate number to call. Phone numbers are conspicuously absent from monthly bills and useful contact information rarely appears on websites of manufacturers, retailers and service providers. When I did manage to find the right number to call, I typically had to wait at least 30 minutes to speak with someone. And that was often just the first step in a series of transfers to other people who could allegedly help me. Sometimes they could. But often, my call was transferred to another person or disconnected, forcing me to start all over. After speaking to four customer-service experts, I learned that my experiences were not uncommon. They Don’t Want to Talk to You “There’s no question a lot of companies don’t really want to talk to you,” says Chris DeRose, co-author of Judgment on the Front Line: How Smart Companies Win By Trusting Their People. “It’s no accident that you have difficulty finding a number to call. Many companies promote FAQs and email queries aggressively and...

7 Easy Ways to Build Strong Bones...

Jump 10 times, crush some cans and other tips to boost bone density Bone building reaches a peak during adolescence but then slows after age 25. In addition to this natural bone loss, we’re less likely to perform high-impact, bone-stimulating exercises (such as jumping) after age 50. This adds up to an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone breaks and fractures. Fortunately, you can build stronger bones at any age. A recent study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion shows that people who jumped 10 times twice daily increased bone density by .5 percent compared with those who didn’t and lost about 1.3 percent. (Note: the study did not include women with osteoporosis; jumping is not recommended in cases of weak bones.) Experts offer these seven easy tips for men and women to keep bones strong throughout their lives: Snack on yogurt and other calcium-rich foods. Including yogurt, cottage cheese and other low-fat dairy foods adds bone-strengthening calcium to your diet. “In addition to dairy products, choose fish with bones such as salmon, sardines or whitebait,” says registered dietitian Laura Jeffers. For additional benefits, serve these foods with a side of dark leafy green vegetables or broccoli, which also contain calcium. Other bone-building snacks include almonds, dried figs, calcium-fortified tofu and, if you prefer non-dairy, soy milk. Take a hike. Try to engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, by jogging, brisk walking or aerobics — at whatever level of ability, says Susan Randall, of the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF). “As you build stamina, increase the duration and intensity of your exercise,” she says. To see real improvements in bone density, you need to push your intensity, says Cleveland Clinic physical therapist Maribeth Gibbon....

What’s Causing Your Leg Pain, Burning and Numbness?...

Leg discomfort can knock you off your feet for a variety of reasons — but it should never be ignored Aching calves, burning legs, numbness in the feet — pain and discomfort in the lower extremities is a common complaint that sends many of us to our doctors seeking relief. But unless the cause is something obvious, like a fall, pinpointing the source may require some medical detective work. Trying to tough it out, though, will not get you any closer to the answers. “Leg pain that comes on acutely with a bang, is severe and doesn’t resolve within minutes probably needs to be seen right away,” as it could be a sign of a more serious condition, says Dr. Benjamin Wedro, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin and an emergency physician at Gundersen Medical Center in Lacrosse, Wis. “There’s no trophy for suffering.” Here are some of the potential causes of leg and foot pain: Blood Vessel Distress Pain that occurs when walking or exercising may be the result of claudication or decreased blood supply to the legs. This condition is most often a symptom of peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, a narrowing of the arteries that deliver blood to your limbs, typically caused by the buildup of plaque or fatty deposits. Smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity are major risk factors for PAD. “The leg pain from PAD tends to occur when you’re active,” says John Fesperman, a family nurse practitioner at Duke Primary Care in North Carolina. “When you’re active, muscles need more blood. The lack of adequate blood triggers pain, which is known as intermittent claudication. Once you stop moving, the pain usually disappears.” Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT,...

Still Working After 75 — And Loving It...

Growing numbers of Americans that age have no plans to retire Willie Nelson is 81; Warren Buffett is 84; Mary Higgins Clark is 86 and David Hockney is 77. All are still working and going strong. So are more and more Americans 75 and older. You might be one of them someday — and glad of it. In a recent interview, British painter David Hockney — one of the world’s greatest living artists —captured the joy, meaning and youthfulness he continues to draw from his profession. “When I’m working, I feel like Picasso, I feel I’m 30,” he told Tim Lewis of The London Observer. “When I stop I know I’m not, but when I paint, I stand up for six hours a day and yeah, I feel I’m 30.” ‘It’s What I Enjoy Doing’ I imagine that sentiment rings true for Mark Paper, age 81. He’s President of Lewis Bolt & Nut Company in Wayzata, Minn., a firm owned by his family since 1927. Paper took the helm from his father in 1962 and remains deeply involved in the company’s expanding operations. He gets daily and weekly reports, stays in touch with its executives and flies out to visit the manufacturing plant in La Junta, Colo. several times a month. “Why not stop working?” I asked Paper. “You have money. You’re 81-years-old. Haven’t you heard of retirement?” His answer: “It’s what I enjoy doing.” Plenty of other septuagenarians and octogenarians feel the same way. Although people working at age 75 and over are a distinct minority— comprising less than one percent of the total labor force — roughly 11 percent of American men 75 and older are still at it and 5 percent of women that age are....

Why Now Is the Time to Leave Guilt Behind...

You need to take care of yourself when caring for someone else Nothing’s more important than family and friends, right? Few disagree, and we cherish the people we can depend on. In fact, you may be one of those people: When something goes wrong and a relative or pal needs you, you’re there, no questions asked. While that’s a great trait, it can come at a steep price: your health. In fact, it could be that one of the biggest risks to your health isn’t backed-up arteries or sky-high blood sugar, but something that’s usually associated with Freud and your mom: Guilt. If you’re so focused on being there for everyone else, there’s a good chance you’re not spending enough time prioritizing your own health. Dr. Jordan Metzl, author of The Exercise Cure and a sports medicine doctor at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery, puts it this way to his patients: “If you’re taking care of everybody else, are you taking care of yourself? People in their 40s, 50s, and 60s have often dedicated their whole adult lives to taking care of others, and sometimes neglected their own health.” Regular workouts — hard to fit in under the best of circumstances — are one of the first things to go when you put others first, says Jennifer Huberty, an associate professor in the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion/Exercise and Wellness at Arizona State University. Huberty sees it all the time with the midlife women she works with in Fit Minded, the book club-based program she created to encourage physical activity. “I hear a lot, ‘I have to go home and feed my family.’ That’s baloney,” says Huberty. “Nobody’s going to die if you eat dinner at 6...