The Platinum Living Network

In my "book in process," Platinum Living , I make several recommendations as to how our government could reform the social security system, but they boil down to this. Only 20% or so of all "baby boomers" are planning a traditional sort of retirement. This represents a great opportunity for our government to "save" the social security system. And boomers, for our part, must be open to such changes, getting past the usual "How does this affect ME right now," analysis and looking at the effect on our country and our children. In other words, boomers must take the lead in eliminating the idea that social security reform is the "third rail of American Politics." Meanwhile, I came across these interesting, if more traditional, proposals from Kiplinger at http://www.kiplinger.com/businessresource/summary/archive/2007/10_retirement_steps_NCPA.html

... so does financial planner Jeff Bogue , in Maine Today , and he makes some good points, at: http://business.mainetoday.com/financialsense/011437.html

Whether you're the manager or the "managee," if you're still in the corporate environment, here are some good tips on the care and treatment of older workers: http://wimvdd.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-to-manage-older-workers.html

New Book Review: I hate to give bad reviews to a book, but you need to be warned. I added this, my first "one star" rating, to www.platinumyears.net today: Leap!: What Will We Do with the Rest of Our Lives? , by Sara Davidson - When I first envisioned a book review section for this site, I thought it would be cool to give ratings from one to five, and use platinum bars rather than the usual stars. But then I started arguing with myself (don't you ever do that?), reasoning that I'd never use the "one bar" rating because I wouldn't waste the time reading such drivel. Well I was wrong. Leap earns my very first, and I hope last, one bar rating. Do not waste time or money on this book. Where do I begin to tell you why? Well, for starters, the title itself is false advertising, for it doesn't even attempt to answer the question of "what will we do with the rest of our lives," which is what duped me into attempting to read it in the first place...

I am adding a new "Platinum Link" to www.platinumyears.com today. It's called "The Boomer Blog," the combined effort of four women. Lots of good stuff, mostly for the ladies, but much applicable to everyone. Check it out at http://www.theboomerblog.com/