Author: Easin' Along

By now, Easin’ Along readers are aware that we have used the beginning of a new year to focus on a commitment to improving our overall health and well being. I’m well into the fourth week of the Nutrisystem diet and delighted to report a loss of seventeen pounds. After a challenging start, I feel great. The exercise routine is ongoing as well and is made easier now that I’m not lugging around the extra weight I was carrying at the end of last year.

The effort to add a few hours of sleep per night is still a work in progress although I’ve had some wonderful suggestions and words of encouragement from our readers. The comments both here and by email, to last week’s article on sleep suggest that this issue is one that affects many. I plan to adopt a few of the suggestions and hope readers will continue to comment on this subject so that I may share your thoughts with others. One reader sent me an article on sleep segmentation that was especially informative and I have placed a link to it here (link).

Writing this series of articles has allowed me to focus on the fact that Helen (adorable wife) and I are truly blessed to have good health. We also know that at our age, things could change in an instant. While helping to organize my 50^th high school class reunion I made the sobering discovery that 37 of my classmates out of a class of 215 are no longer with us. Several more are not well. Therefore, being blessed as we are, we consider it almost an obligation to ourselves and to each other to maintain that good health regardless of the lifestyle we choose – active or otherwise.

Obviously, there are steps in this process other than the few that we have touched on here. It is rare that I have to see a doctor for any reason, but that is not an excuse to take my good health for granted. Without fail, I schedule a physical exam every year and eagerly await the results of any tests performed. I am astounded by the number of people that I know personally who do not do the same

Procedures to screen for diabetes, prostate and colon cancer among other illnesses are also part of monitoring my health. I see my dermatologist regularly and it’s rare when she fails to find something to remove from my body and send off to biopsy. My fair skin and my refusal to wear hats in my younger days can be blamed for that. Those visits will continue as will my semi-annual appointments with our dentist.

Medications, in relatively small doses, are necessary to augment our health program. Helen requires an assortment of pharmaceuticals for a thyroid condition, but I only take one prescription drug, Nexium, for acid reflux. I do, however, take a few daily supplements and have for many years. I’m not certain why or when I began the practice of adding supplements to my diet but it was probably at some point in my twenties. At that time I was not eating breakfast; I was eating fast food for lunch and I probably felt that I had to do something before bad things began to happen. The fact that most of the statements or claims made by supplement manufacturers are not evaluated by the FDA does not overly concern me since I tend to buy them from reputable companies like GNC.

Presently, I take a supplement for eye health; saw palmetto for men’s health and, until a few months ago, a multivitamin from GNC for men over 50. I have persisted in taking them because I assume that a history of relatively good health indicates that perhaps something is working and, since I don’t notice any side effects, there is no reason to stop. Frankly, side effects notwithstanding, I don’t notice much of anything with one exception, and it is the exception to which I want to dedicate a few words.

A few months ago I was contacted by an Easin’ Along reader who wanted to place an ad on our website. I was somewhat reluctant at first. I have never taken ads, preferring instead to share our experiences in retirement with others who might have similar interests and leave it at that. Furthermore, just as I do not write about things that do not interest me, I would not advertise a product I would not use. At any rate, I wanted to be polite, so I accepted some information and samples of the product–a vitamin and mineral supplement–while giving the assurance that I would try it.

Within a few days of receiving the samples and, having emptied the bottle of my GNC multivitamins, I opened the bottle of RestoreV (click here for link) and swallowed two capsules. Another dose followed the next morning. On the third day I went to my regular Tuesday morning exercise class at the YMCA and felt a noticeable elevation in both my mood and my energy which continued through most of the afternoon. My immediate suspicion was that the supplement contained caffeine, so I reached out to the reader who initially contacted me for some information. I was told that this supplement had no caffeine and that the energy and lift I was noticing was due to the nutritional ingredients being absorbed more efficiently than other vitamin I was using. All I know is that the product worked and, as a result, I use it in the place of the multivitamin that I have taken for years. Helen also takes it and has experienced the same result…in fact; she insisted that I order another bottle before we exhaust the sample. 

Going forward, our intention is to stay the course. By the time this article is published we will be in the second month of 2017.  All too often in the past my New Year’s resolutions would have been cast aside long before now and old habits had resumed their familiar place in the daily routine. However, age does bring wisdom and, hopefully, a smattering of discipline which is essential in the quest for improved health.  One of my favorite quotes related to the pursuit of a personal accomplishment is “If it is to be, it is up to me”. That quotation seems apropos as we continue our pursuit of an active lifestyle…and continue Easin’ Along.

Next week another retirement road trip – Florida!

This month, Easin’ Along is focused on our approach to improving our health and well being as we pursue an active lifestyle in our retirement. As a supplement to that effort, I thought it might be an opportune time to include a few articles related to the pursuit of better financial health as well. I offer these articles not as recommendations, but as options to consider.

This post was written by guest blogger Lingke Wang. Lingke is the Co-Founder of Ovid Corp., a life settlement exchange where consumers can sell their life insurance policies through an auction to institutional investors. He believes in helping consumers to understand all of their financial options so they can make the most out of their hard-earned dollars. You can learn more about Ovid at www.ovidlife.com.

Helping Seniors Fund Retirement with Life Settlements

Many people with permanent (whole or universal) life insurance policies believe they must choose between surrendering or lapsing a policy. The policyholder gets to keep any accrued cash value on a permanent life insurance policy, but they may not realize that there is a third and possibly much more lucrative option.

Reputable companies offer seniors who don’t need their permanent life insurance policies a chance to do the things they’ve always dreamed of

 

For many people, accessing the cash value of a life insurance policy makes perfect sense after they’ve raised their family and no longer need to replace future income upon death.

Permanent life insurance policy holders are allowed to surrender their policy any time, but people who have this type of insurance are often unaware that they may get more money from a life settlement.

Is it safe to seek a life settlement?

 

Selling a life insurance policy to an investor for a percentage of its value is an option that many seniors choose. The industry is now highly regulated and much safer for consumers than it was decades ago.

Policy holders are entitled to receive comprehensive consumer disclosures in most states. This includes the risks related to government assistance eligibility and taxation. Most states require life settlement companies to obey federal and state privacy laws. Life settlement firms also must submit their anti-fraud plans to the states where they operate.

Life settlement transactions are now some of the most regulated and transparent in the entire insurance industry. In fact, according to LISA, 42 states are now protected by life settlement regulations. This includes covers 90% of the US population.

As life settlements become more popular, individual states are beginning to recognize the need to protect their residents. Their efforts to make life settlements a safe option have effectively overhauled the industry. Since January of 2012, there have been only two nationally reported complaints that involved settlements.

Surprisingly, the newest legislation enacted aims to protect people from their insurance companies – when they have to choose whether or not to lapse or surrender a permanent life insurance policy.

Life settlements decrease profits for insurance companies. Because choosing a life settlement can be much more financially rewarding to policy holders than simply accessing the cash value of the policy from the insurance company, some states have recently created laws that require insurance companies to inform their customers that life settlement is an option to consider. 

How can a life settlement help?

 

Many people in retirement or on the cusp of a life changing event wish they had more money; a bigger nest egg, a larger traveling fund, extra money for health care, or a more substantial financial cushion as a fall-back for starting a new business venture. While it’s true that the longer a policy has been in force and active, the larger the pay out at surrender, it’s also true that in many cases the policy holder will be much better off financially if they seek a life settlement with a reputable company.

Most policy holders haven’t thought about their life insurance as anything other than a means by which to provide for their loved ones in the future. New laws recognize that permanent life insurance is so much more versatile with life settlements as an option.

Easin’ Along is grateful to Ovid Corporation for providing this information to our readers.