Saturday, February 23, 2019

Salemtowne Move-in

I got a call from Salemtowne Retirement Community on 4 NOV 18 that an apartment in the style I wanted in the location I wanted was available, so I accepted it. Since then, I have been as busy as a beaver in a virgin forest. My move-in day was 12 FEB 19 and I am almost fully settled in. My house closes on 25 FEB 19.

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Transition update

Renovations to the apartment in Salemtowne are on schedule; all kitchen appliances are being replaced with stainless steel, new washer/dryer, quartz countertops, new paint, new flooring, new doors and hardware, crown molding, new bath fixtures, etc. Most of the old stuff looked new, but it's all being replaced.

I've visited, measured, photographed, and graphed about every inch of the apartment to see what would fit where, how it would function, how it would look, etc.

My sisters and I have done a lot of furniture shopping. My current furniture is still like new but since I'm transitioning into another phase of life, I decided to get new furniture. My final choice Kincaid's Foundry style for the bedroom set and the living room entertainment console, end table, and cocktail table and The Nook style for the dining table and chairs. The sleeper sofa and recliner are from Lazy Boy. My den will be my office so I choose a large Magellan Performance L-shape desk and bookcase from Office Depot. I'm donating my Wavemaster punching bag and other exercise equipment to Salemtowne; that way everyone will get to use the equipment (including me) and it won't be taking up space in the apartment. I'll store my bicycle on the balcony using a bike cover.

I set up a temporary photography area and photographed all my martial arts trophies and plaques, and then trashed them. I went through hundreds of 35mm slides and photos, kept the ones with people I knew, and trashed all the ones of places. Big Ben looks the same today as it did 40 years ago so I can just use the internet for memories. I went through every closet, cabinet, drawer, and box and donated or trashed everything I didn't need or haven't used in years. I've still got the furniture, tools, and lawn equipment to deal with.

My dog Fuji is starting to look worried about being next but he's a keeper.


Thursday, December 13, 2018

Present and future planning

Things I am doing in preparation for my move from a house to an apartment in a retirement community.

There is a lot involved with any move but your final independent living move has a lot more things to consider than a normal move. Every decision you make must take into consideration how you want to live now, while also considering how each decision will affect your living as you get older and frailer. If you don't consider these things now, you will have to deal with the consequences later when you may not be healthy enough to deal with them by yourself.

Navigation

Navigation by Salemtowne is a program that allows its members to age at home and not have to worry about their medical care. The program will have a new offering in 2019 for those who want to live in their current home as long as they can and then move into Salemtowne. The new plan will cover 65% of in-home care services and up to 96% of the one-time Navigation membership fee may transfer to the Salemtowne entrance fee.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Merry Mingle

I went to a Merry Mingle at Salemtowne this afternoon. Its the annual Christmas gathering of the Towne Club (people on the waiting list for residency at Salemtowne). Lots festive, friendly folks getting to know their future friends. You never meet a stranger at Salemtowne, everyone seems like someone already you know; that's one of the reasons I chose to live there.

Monday, November 26, 2018

Savers will understand

I signed the reservation agreement for my apartment in Salemtowne so I'm now committed to the move. As it is with anyone moving to a CCRC, there is a lot I have to do in preparation for the move. I have to downsize, consider all I need and don't need due to the lifestyle change, and then prepare the house for selling and put it on the market. All that keeps you busy every day, but for some of us, there is another is another concern. The reality of having to spend the money you have saved just for this occasion. When you are a dedicated, lifelong saver, spending is painful and keeps you awake at night second-guessing all your decisions.

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Financial Trackers

I like to manage and track my finances myself instead of paying someone a lot of money to do a relatively simple task. For major investments, I use mutual funds that have very low management fees and have better growth over time than that of any financial firm. The online services of major mutual fund groups offer all the information and analysis iI need

For over 20 years, I’ve used Quicken software to track all my finances and keep track or net worth. It’s been very useful, but it's always had a lot of features I don’t need or use. Over the years it’s become slow and prone to problems, but I stuck with it because it was familiar with it. However, under new ownership, it has switched from being an application you could use for years to an overpriced annual online subscription, so in January I began evaluating some top FREE online money managers. I narrowed the choices to three, Mint (owned by Intuit, the old owners of Quicken), Personal Capital, and the Money Manager provided to Truliant Credit Union members (other credit unions also offer money managers to members).


I used all three trackers simultaneously for a few months to evaluate them. Personal Capital ads and phone calls can be annoying and it doesn’t allow you to split transactions into different categories or delete them. If you don’t need to track your spending closely, then it's okay. Truliant Money Management is easy to use and has no ads. It lets you split transactions but not delete them. Mint has ads but they are unobtrusive. You can split transactions and delete them. It automatically updates your home and vehicle values. Although the Truliant tracker is a good choice, overall, all I like Mint the best and have been using it as my sole financial tracker for the last 6 months.