55-ALIVE LOOKING FOR BOOMER BANDS

The Boomer website 55-Alive is sponsoring a Battle of the Boomer Bands. Are you ready to Rock?
If you are a musician born before 1964 and want to feature your current band or perhaps call together your old buddies from your garage band, you have until October 15th to enter. Wouldn't it be great to see some BoomerBabes Bands!

Check out this website to see some of the bands who have already entered. This is also where you will find the application process.

www.55-alive.com/BattleofBands.php

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON RETIREMENT

What happens to our brains when we age? What can we do to keep our brains in good health when we are preserving our physical and mental health? Do we have to lose our brain power?

We humans are learning machines, and the brain is the engine that drives that machine. Crammed into the three pounds of convoluted tissue inside our skulls is a dynamic mass of a hundred billion or more nerve cells, each one capable of making thousands of connections with others. These nerve cells are what makes our learning machine run.

From the day we are born—and even before—the brain is primed for learning, ready to capture the experiences of our lives and encode them into its web of nerve connections. Learning organizes and shapes and strengthens the brain’s connections. It fine-tunes the brain, preparing us for all that life has to offer, whether mundane or extraordinary. And according to the latest brain research, actively engaging our brain in learning throughout life can have a significant impact on how well we age.

While searching on the internet for more information on the power of the brain and how we can keep it running smoothly with just some minor adjustments and repairs as we age; I found some very interesting information about a book from which you can read excerpts or read the entire book online. The book is called The Learning Revolution . The book describes what it calls

“History's newest revolution: the power to change your life”

This book is based on eight main beliefs:
1. The world is hurtling through a fundamental turning point in history.
2. We are living through a revolution that is changing the way we live, communicate, think and prosper.
3. This revolution will determine how, and if, we and our children work, earn a living and enjoy life to the fullest.
4. For the first time in history, almost anything is now possible 5. Probably not more than one person in five knows how to benefit fully from the hurricane of change - even in developed countries.
6. Unless we find answers, an elite 20 percent could end up with 60 percent of each nation's income, the poorest fifth with only 2 percent.1 That is a formula for guaranteed poverty, school failure, crime, drugs, despair, violence and social eruption.
7. We need a parallel revolution in lifelong learning to match the information revolution, and for all to share the fruits of an age of potential plenty.
8. Fortunately, that revolution - a revolution that can help each of us learn anything much faster and better - is also gathering speed.
This book tells its story. It also acts as a practical guide to help you take control of your own future.
The main elements of the revolution are twofold. They link the modern marvels of brain research with the power of instantly available information and knowledge.

You can read excerpts or the entire book online at The Learning Revolution This the chapter that I found fascinating:

Meet your amazing brain (Read Chapter) 113

You're the owner of the world's most powerful computer

The Statler Brothers - Do You Remember These

Here is the video version.

Retirement and Memories

After seeing our blog yesterday, my brother sent me one that he had found. I hope you don't mind two videos in a row; but I couldn't help myself.

With a big high school reunion this summer, for which I regret I was unable to get back to Nebraska: I think that I have been spending a lot of time in recalling memories. I've pulled out the old yearbooks and have been poring over the faces, trying to remember names and things about them. Then of course you spend time in the "I wonder whatever happened to ___________"?

If you watched the video of The Remember Song by Tom Rush at a concert at Humpreys by the Sea, (right here in San Diego) and thought to yourself--"I resemble that remark", watch the following video by The Statler Brothers. I am sure you will remember these.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5sgDD2DhTc

The Remember Song

I found this video which I found as a wonderful opportunity to have my laugh of the moment, even if it is a senior moment.

The Remember Song-For those who can't | Funny Jokes at JibJab

Retirement Savings Scare

Consumer advocate David Horowitz tossed out some stats from his radio show "Fight Back!" a while ago that both startled and frankly concerned me. Trust me, I do not listen to much talk radio as most of those bozos leave me with the same feeling I get from finger nails on a chalkboard. I actually found his website link in our Costco magazine recently and found more details there.

Mr. Horowitz was sharing an observation that a healthy individual retiring today at age sixty-five could expect to live to 90 years of age. His point being that many people are simply not planning their retirement strategy in a way which will save or generate enough income to reach that age. This certainly rang true for my wife and I. We did her calculations on 82 and mine on 78. We are finding that from a savings standpoint, we are not even close for those ages, let alone 90. Obviously, this is why we are working on becoming Internet entrepreneurs! We are not alone as he points out that the Society of Actuaries has said that 68% of retired men and 60% of retired women have underestimated their life expectancy in retirement calculations.

If you are growing concerned as you read the above, I recommend you visit our newsletter site at www.RetiredandReady.com for more information about retirement strategies. When you subscribe to our fre*e newsletter, you can also to get a fre*e "retirement calculator tool" from the link in the newsletter. Hopefully your new calculations will put your mind at ease.