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Thursday, September 12, 2024

September is World Alzheimer’s Month: Early Signs and Support Resources

 


September is recognized as World Alzheimer’s Month, a time to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, promote understanding, and encourage early diagnosis. Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, eventually impacting the ability to carry out even the simplest tasks. With an estimated 6.2 million Americans aged 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s in 2024, understanding the early signs and knowing where to find support can make a significant difference.

Recognizing the Early Signs of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease often begins with mild memory loss and confusion but progresses over time to more severe cognitive impairment. Here are some of the early signs to watch for:

  1. Memory Loss that Disrupts Daily Life: Forgetting recently learned information, important dates, or repeatedly asking for the same information.

  2. Challenges in Planning or Solving Problems: Difficulty following familiar recipes, managing finances, or keeping track of monthly bills.

  3. Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks: Trouble driving to a known location, managing a budget, or remembering the rules of a favorite game.

  4. Confusion with Time or Place: Losing track of dates, seasons, or the passage of time; forgetting where they are or how they got there.

  5. Trouble Understanding Visual Images and Spatial Relationships: Difficulty reading, judging distance, or determining color or contrast, which may cause problems with driving.

  6. New Problems with Words in Speaking or Writing: Trouble following or joining a conversation, repeating themselves, or struggling to find the right word.

  7. Misplacing Things and Losing the Ability to Retrace Steps: Placing items in unusual places, losing things, and not being able to retrace steps to find them again.

  8. Decreased or Poor Judgment: Making uncharacteristically poor financial decisions, neglecting personal grooming, or giving large amounts to telemarketers.

  9. Withdrawal from Work or Social Activities: Avoiding social engagements, hobbies, or work projects due to difficulty keeping up with conversations or tasks.

  10. Changes in Mood and Personality: Becoming easily upset, confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful, or anxious, especially in unfamiliar situations.

Why Early Diagnosis Matters

Early detection of Alzheimer’s is crucial for several reasons:

  • Access to Treatment: While there is no cure, early-stage diagnosis allows for treatments that may help alleviate symptoms or slow progression.

  • Planning for the Future: Early diagnosis gives individuals and families time to make informed decisions about medical care, legal, and financial planning.

  • Participation in Clinical Trials: Early detection allows access to clinical trials that could provide new treatments and advance research.

Support Resources for Those Affected by Alzheimer’s

If you or someone you know is experiencing signs of Alzheimer’s, several resources can provide support:

  • Alzheimer’s Association
    The Alzheimer’s Association offers a 24/7 helpline (1-800-272-3900) for support, information, and resources. Their website also provides educational materials, support groups, and caregiver resources.

  • Local Community Services
    Many communities offer local resources such as memory cafes, support groups, respite care, and adult day programs for those living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.

  • Medical Professionals
    Consult with a healthcare provider for a proper evaluation and diagnosis. Neurologists, geriatricians, and other specialists can help manage care and symptoms.

  • Caregiver Support Networks
    Organizations like the National Institute on Aging and AARP provide resources for caregivers, including tips on managing stress, legal advice, and planning tools.

Getting Involved During World Alzheimer’s Month

September is an excellent time to get involved in raising awareness and supporting those affected by Alzheimer’s. Consider participating in a local Walk to End Alzheimer’s, hosting a fundraising event, or simply sharing information about the disease with your community.

By recognizing the early signs of Alzheimer’s and knowing where to find support, we can work together to make a difference in the lives of those affected by this challenging disease.

Sources:



Brought to you by Tara Schumann, Digital Media Specialist for The Society of Certified Senior Advisors.
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Retirement Accounts for Small Business Owners




Whether you’re a solopreneur, a gig-worker, or the CEO of your own company, self-employed workers have options for retirement savings. The key is to pick an account and start investing in it.


If you’re one of the many CSAs who own their own business, you’ve doubtless grappled with the question of how to save for retirement. Building a nest egg isn’t as straightforward when you’re your own boss. There’s no easy “set it and forget it” option like signing up for your employer-sponsored 401(k) and calling it a day. 

But the self-employed have good options for building wealth in retirement. And since we’re working with older adults, we know how important smart retirement planning is. For all of you younger CSA small business owners out there, here’s a rundown of today’s best retirement accounts for self-employed workers. Take a hint from your best-prepared clients, the ones who are feeling financially secure in retirement, and consider how you’re saving today.

If you employ yourself and others, you might consider a SEP IRA or a SIMPLE IRA. If it’s just you, consider a solo 401(k) or IRA. Of course, be sure to consult a financial adviser about the best options for you depending on your particular situation.

SEP IRAs

The SEP IRA, or simplified employee pension individual retirement account, is a flexible and easy-to-administer option for business owners with employees. SEP contributions are tax-deductible and non-exclusive with other IRA contributions. In 2024, business owners can contribute 25% or up to $69,000 of net earnings per year. That high contribution limit is a big pro of the SEP IRA option. These accounts are also easy to open at most banks, with low fees. A downside is that, as with other IRAs, there’s a penalty for withdrawing money early. Keep in mind that employers who open a SEP IRA and contribute to their own account must also contribute to eligible employees’ accounts. 

SIMPLE IRAs

The Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees, or SIMPLE, IRA is another option for business owners with fewer than 100 employees. Instead of starting a 401(k) for your business, you might choose the SIMPLE IRA for the easier and cheaper start-up. As the business owner, on the one hand, you can contribute to your own plan as an employer and an employee, allowing you to save more. On the other hand, you generally can’t have another retirement plan along with a SIMPLE IRA.

Solo 401(k)s

For solopreneurs and gig workers, a solo 401(k) may be a good fit. If you have your own employer identification number and no employees, you can open a solo 401(k), no matter your age. Like IRAs, solo 401(k)s can be either Traditional, with contributions made pre-tax, or Roth, with contributions made after-tax. The maximum contribution is $69,000 in 2024, with catch-up contributions of $7,500 allowable for those 50 and older. Now, that $69,000 maximum technically accounts for two contributions: $23,000 from you the employer, and $23,000 from you the employee. It’s important for gig workers to note that if you also have a 401(k) with an employer, the limits apply by person, not plan. Your total contribution limit would encompass both plans.

IRAs

Whether or not you’re self-employed, anyone can set up an IRA. As with the solo 401(k)s, with a Traditional IRA, you pay taxes later. With a Roth IRA, you pay taxes now. The annual contribution limit for IRAs will be $7,000 in 2024. That low limit is the downside, but the upside is that IRAs are very accessible: easy to set up, with many investment options to choose from. 

To summarize, here are some considerations for business owners choosing a retirement account: 
  • If you make a lot of money, you’re going to want the higher contribution limits offered by the solo 401(k), SEP IRA, or SIMPLE IRA.
  • As compared to the SEP and SIMPLE IRAs, solo 401(k)s and the Traditional and Roth IRAs tend to offer more flexible investment choices.
  • Consider whether you prefer tax deductions now (Traditional IRA, SEP IRA, Solo 401(k)) or tax-free withdrawals in retirement (Roth IRA, Solo 401(k) with Roth option).
  • Of all the plans, solo 401(k)s might require the most up-front work to set up.
  • The SEP and SIMPLE IRAs are only available to business owners with employees.

CSAs own businesses large and small. We’re solopreneurs serving older adults as wellness coaches, financial advisers, counselors, interior designers, and more. And we’ve started AgeTech companies, transportation agencies, living communities, and other businesses that employ many professionals. Whatever your field, as a self-employed person, be sure to take the same care planning for your own retirement as you do caring for your older clients during theirs. 


This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional financial advice from a qualified financial advisor.




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Jump Around! Best Exercises for Bone Health




Did you vibrate your bones today? If you’re looking to build bone density, your answer should be yes! Here’s why–and how to add weight-bearing exercise into your routine.

Pop quiz: remember Newton’s Third Law of Thermodynamics? “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” To understand how weight-bearing exercise can build bone density, let’s start with a little physics refresher course.

When you jump on a flat surface, thanks to the trusty gravity we can count on here on Earth, the ground is there to meet you. That gravitational force is one of the two main components of weight bearing exercise, according to Margaret Martin of MelioGuide. The other key component is your muscular force, which stops you from collapsing when your body lands after your jump. When the force of the ground meets the force of your muscles, the meeting “create[s] vibrations that talk to your bones,” says Martin. Amazingly, these vibrations stimulate cells in our bones–namely mesenchymal stem cells. These stem cells possess the potential to turn into bone, cartilage, muscle, or fat, and the vibrations of jumping encourage them to choose bone. 

What Else Can I Do to Build Bone Health?

  • Ask your doctor if any of your medicines may cause bone loss. 
  • Eat foods rich in calcium and Vitamin D, like dairy, soy products, and leafy greens.
  • Quit smoking and reduce or eliminate alcohol. 
  • Understand your risk factors and consider asking your doctor for a bone density test. It’s recommended that all women over 65 schedule one. 
Thanks to this responsive quality of our cells, the thermodynamic forces of weight-bearing exercise enable our bodies to build bone and prevent further bone loss. Pretty cool, right? Everybody, but especially people with osteoporosis or low bone density, can take advantage of physics to support bone health. Here are three different kinds of exercise you can try today. 

Jumping for bone health

If you want a gold star from your doctor, next time she asks what you’re doing for exercise, tell her you’re practicing plyometrics. It’s a fancy word for jumping, and a great way to get your bones vibrating. Jump training has been shown to build bone density, and when practiced correctly, it’s safe and effective for older adults. 

Try It: Here’s the most basic plyometrics exercise to get you started: ankle hops. 
  1. Bend your knees and hop in place. Start with two sets of five hops.
  2. With time, increase to ten hops.
  3. ou can also increase the benefit by jumping a little higher.

Walking for bone health

Is walking a weight-bearing exercise? “It is weight-bearing,” says Martin. “However, how fast you walk will dictate whether or not it’s fast enough to stimulate your bones.” She notes a study that found that 3.1 miles/hour is sufficient to benefit hip health. Speed matters because, as we walk faster, we hit the ground with more force, and our muscles have to work harder to keep us from falling. It’s Newton again: those two equal and opposite forces, the ground and our body, need to meet with enough force to vibrate our bones and build bone density.

Try It: Here’s Martin’s suggestion for how to increase your walking speed to about 3 miles per hour. She recommends taking two short walks per day of 20 minutes each. You’ll have more energy to move faster when you split up a longer daily walk into shorter ones.

  1. In the first 5 minutes of your walk, warm up by walking at your normal speed.
  2. Then, when you’re ready, decide to walk from one landmark to another as quickly as you can; for example, from this mailbox to that one. 
  3. Walk at your normal pace for a minute or two, and then pick another set of landmarks for your mini-sprint.
  4. Repeat this pattern for the rest of your walk, twice per day.

Over time, your baseline walking speed will increase. In the meantime, you’re getting the bone-building benefits of these high-intensity walking intervals. Martin stresses that people who are building their balance should still walk, but they’ll need to pay extra attention to their balance while walking quickly.

Water-based exercise for bone health

Aquatic exercise builds less bone compared to land-based exercise, since it isn’t technically weight-bearing. But a 2022 study found that aquatic exercise can help build bone density among older women. And, precisely because it’s lower-impact, exercising in the pool is a great option for people who are in pain or at a high risk of bone fracture. And it’s good to remember that building bone density isn’t everything; studies show that water-based exercise can make a difference in reducing pain, building muscle, and just improving quality of life. 

People who have osteoporosis may try aquatic exercise for the first time when it’s recommended to them by a doctor as a safer, more comfortable option than weight-bearing exercise. 

Try It: If you’re just starting out with aquatic exercise, try these simple movements to get a feel for standing in the water: 
  • Take big steps forward through the water. Then, try taking long sideways strides.
  • Stand holding the side of the pool, and lift one knee up, keeping your back straight. Then, extend that same leg out straight behind you. Repeat with the other leg.
  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart and float your arms on the surface of the water, elbows straight but not locked, with the water height a little under your armpits. From your core, move your torso and swing your arms back and forth.

Remember, you don’t need expensive equipment to make weight-bearing exercise a part of your daily routine. Walking with a buddy, joining the YMCA, and practicing strengthening exercises on Youtube are all great lower-cost options. Try these free strengthening videos from Margaret Martin or a la carte sessions from MelioGuide.  




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Can a Squatter Take Over My Home?




This year, several states introduced much-needed updates to the laws governing squatting. 

This spring, the media spotlight illuminated an obscure corner of state legal code: squatters’ rights. Legally, to squat means to move into a vacant property that doesn’t belong to you. Depending on each state, squatters may or may not have certain rights protecting them from eviction and even granting them ownership of a property after years of occupancy.

Several outrageous instances of squatting ramped up concern and anxiety among home and property owners. In more than one case, AirBnB guests refused to leave when their weekend was up, invoking squatters’ rights. At least one AirBnB squatter then started renting out the basement of the house on AirBnB himself. Another woman found squatters occupying her childhood home. When she changed the locks, the squatters had her arrested. 

A Very Brief History of Squatting

The seeds of U.S. squatting laws were planted by settlers who moved into the Midwest and West in the early nineteenth century. They lobbied Congress for, and won, preemption laws that gave them the right to own the land they occupied before speculators could snap it up. 

Modern squatters’ rights laws were put in place to discourage property owners from resorting to vigilante justice when trying to evict people.
To top it off, a TikTok influencer, Venezuelan citizen Leonardo Moreno, started trending for posting videos encouraging other migrants in the U.S. to take advantage of squatters’ rights laws. Moreno has since been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

As a result of the increased media attention on squatting this year, at least ten state legislatures have introduced or passed new laws to shore up property owners’ rights and close long-standing loopholes around squatting. 

All 50 states have some sort of legal code related to adverse possession, “in which someone who has used property belonging to another for a particularly long time, in a manner that suggests that he or she was the owner, can be granted legal ownership by a court.” For squatters, that “long time” depends on the state: as little as five years in California and Montana, or as many as thirty years in New Jersey and Louisiana. 

Whether or not squatting is actually on the rise is a matter of debate. While some city governments including Los Angeles say they have seen an increase, there’s no evidence of a national surge in squatting, nor of a trend of undocumented immigrants invoking squatters’ rights. In general, squatters aren’t violent. 

But the renewed attention on these laws has revealed that many of them are antiquated. And there’s no question that for property owners, the consequences of dealing with squatters can be devastating–emotionally and financially.

“Some people will make the argument that this is a very rare occurrence. But I think if it happens once or twice, it’s unacceptable,” said New York state senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton. She introduced a bill in the state to make it easier for landlords to evict squatters. “I think that just seeing the cases that we’ve seen over the last couple of months in the news is reason enough to move forward with legislation.”

Take 81-year-old Jean, for example. An Idaho resident, she inherited a property in Los Angeles, and squatters moved in. She told CBS News that about twenty people in a dozen RVs occupied the land and refused to move out. Jean spent her savings of $100,000 on property taxes and legal fees trying to evict them, to no avail. When she finally found a buyer for the property, she had to drop her asking price by $800,000. 

This year, Florida and West Virginia have passed laws criminalizing squatting. Florida and Georgia also introduced new provisions for removing squatters from homes. Similar laws have been introduced or passed in Alabama, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, among other states.

So, can a squatter take over your home? 

If you’re living in your home, there’s no reason to stress. In no state can someone get away with moving into your home while you live in it without your permission–that’s just home invasion. Now, if you gave someone permission to move in as a roommate or caregiver and they refuse to leave, they may have gained tenants’ rights that could make the eviction process a major headache; but that’s a different story than squatting. 

Property that sits vacant most of the time is more appealing to squatters. If you own vacant property, you might want to take steps to occupy or protect it. The best defense against squatters is to keep them out in the first place. Here are steps to consider to help prevent squatting:

  • Keep an eye on your property’s public records by calling your property appraiser or signing up for a monitoring service. In Broward County, Florida, for example, residents can sign up for a new tool called Owner Alert to find out if any claims of ownership have been made on their property. 
  • Consider leveling up your security with cameras, fences, and alarm systems. 
  • If you don’t live at the property, attempt to make it look like someone’s living there, and stop by regularly to monitor any activity. 
  • Knowledge is power. Understand the squatting laws in your state, and keep up to date on any changes.
  • Take legal action quickly if you know or suspect someone is squatting on your property. Where squatters’ rights laws are still in place, the length of occupancy is a key factor for establishing ownership.

In the end, legally, squatters are at a disadvantage against property owners in every state. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of making a big, expensive mess. 




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Monday, September 9, 2024

The Best New Apps for Low Vision



AI is changing the landscape for low-vision tech.


The next time you sit down at your dentist’s office, you might notice that the person next to you, rather than taking out their reading glasses to examine the office policies, takes out their phone instead. They snap a picture of the document and then have AI interpret it for them through their headphones–no glasses needed. 

For people who are blind and for those dealing with age-related vision loss, AI provides surprising new ways to read the surrounding environment. App developers are taking note, and several new phone applications offer impressive image description and navigation services designed specifically for people with blindness or low vision. 

As with all new AI technology, developers and users alike are concerned with accuracy, safety, privacy, the environmental toll of AI processing, and the potential for bias in AI-generated output. At the start of what seems to be an AI technological revolution, the disabled community is very much a part of the conversation. According to the developers’ websites, all the apps below were developed in close collaboration with blind people.

Translating a Picture into a Thousand Words

Be My AI is a new collaboration between Be My Eyes and OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT. Since 2015, Be My Eyes has used video calls to connect people who are blind with volunteers. The volunteer provides the blind person with visual assistance by describing what they see in the video call and answering the person’s questions. While By My Eyes still engages volunteers, now Be My AI also enables blind people to upload photos of their surroundings and get back detailed, AI-generated descriptions, immediately.

Writer Milagro Costabel says she reserved her enthusiasm when she heard about the update. Previous AI-powered apps, like Seeing AI from Microsoft, had made similar promises about image description, but Costabel found that they delivered only bare-bones commentary. With ChatGPT4 powering Be My AI, the story changed. 

“Suddenly, I was in a world where nothing was off limits,” she writes in Slate. “By simply waving my cellphone, I could hear, with great detail, what my friends were wearing, read street signs and shop prices, analyze a room without having entered it, and indulge in detailed descriptions of the food—one of my great passions—that I was about to eat.” Costabel also appreciates that with Be My AI, unlike with previous apps, she can get her questions about each image answered because she can chat with the AI in real time. She’ll take a picture of a menu at a restaurant, for example, and ask for a recommendation of a dish that meets her criteria, like something vegetarian under $20. The app will tell her the choices. 

Be My AI has changed how Costabel interacts with the world, but she still has hesitations. “Artificial intelligence can be wrong,” she says, “and a blind person like me would have little way of noticing unless I knew in advance what was in an image.” She and other users also express concern about the privacy of the images they upload.

Be My Eyes includes the Be My AI feature, and it’s free for iPhone and Android. Seeing AI, “A Talking Camera for the Blind,” didn’t impress Costabel when she first tried it, but has since updated its AI technology. That app is also free and has positive reviews. 

Note, too, that the free version of ChatGPT itself has features that people with low vision may find useful. ChatGPT can describe images and can chat with you in voice as well as text. 

Navigating the City with AI

For pedestrians with low vision, crossing the street can be a logistical challenge. In New York City, a recent class action lawsuit brought by Disability Rights Advocates found that only 4% of the city’s intersections were accessible to pedestrians with low sight. While there’s no substitute for building accessibility into infrastructure, a few new apps are leveraging AI to make navigating the city much easier.

Lazarillo guides users through urban environments with detailed audio directions. With its guide dog logo, the app aims to be a digital companion. It enables users to search for businesses and locations around them and then offers spoken walking directions. 

Google Maps also navigates pedestrians through the streets with audio, but Lazarillo goes a step further (so to speak). Listeners can take Lazarillo indoors and let it guide them through businesses, schools, museums, banks, and public transit. Its “indoor wayfinding technology” includes prompts like, “Front desk 20 feet in front of you.” However, only some businesses offer this indoor wayfinding. Lazarillo works with organizations to make their indoor spaces navigable through the app. 

People who are blind and older adults with sight loss can learn to use Lazarillo through a series of tutorials on the website. It's free for both Android and iPhone and is available in 25 languages. 

Another new app, Oko from the developer Ayes, focuses the power of AI on the problem of when to cross the road. Oko uses the phone’s camera to identify the walk signal on the opposite side of the street. When the app identifies the signal, it notifies the user through haptics, like a slow buzz for “Don’t walk,” and then alerts the person with a faster buzz when the signal changes to “Walk.” For people who have some vision, there’s also the option to display the signal on the phone instead. Like Lazarillo, Oko also provides voice navigation for your route, and it helps you find restaurants and businesses that meet your specified accessibility needs. 

The company behind Oko makes it clear that the app isn’t meant to be a replacement for any of the tools that people with low vision already use to navigate: a guide dog, white stick, or mobility training. Rather, like other AI-powered apps, it’s another tool that blind people and those with low vision can keep in their toolbox. 




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Thursday, September 5, 2024

Do You Really Want to Retire in Florida?



How do you weigh Florida’s tax benefits against its erratic weather? The natural beauty against the insurance premiums? Only you can decide: here are some factors to consider.


If you’re considering moving to Florida, you’re not alone. The third most-populated state was also the second-fastest growing state in 2023—and the fastest-growing in the two years before that. The Sunshine State also saw its largest tourism bump ever last year, with 140.6 million visitors.

So, when retiring in a place packed with natural beauty and world-class attractions, you’ll probably find yourself competing for parking spaces. What other trade-offs should you consider today, if you’re thinking of retiring to Florida in the future?

Housing

Pros

Florida’s median home price is just a little above the national average, so retirees coming from more expensive states like New Jersey and California will feel some relief. Plus, property taxes are lower than in most other states, and Florida incentivizes year-round residency with homestead exemptions. 

Cons

Florida has many beautiful condo communities to choose from, but the cost of living in them is rising, fast. In 2021, when a condo collapsed in Surfside, Florida, killing 98 people, state legislators started calling for more frequent building inspections. A law, passed last year, will likely make condos safer, but could also send homeowner association fees skyrocketing. A contributing factor is the rapid rise in insurance premiums in the state, especially for older buildings and homes and condos in flood-prone areas (more on that below). Dan Severson, a president at one of Florida’s 27,000 condo associations, told ABC News that in 2023, he received insurance quotes 13 times higher than what they’d paid in 2019. For the residents at his condo, the worst-case scenario could see their fees rising from $500 a month to $3,000 to cover inspections and mandated repairs. “And that would be devastating to a lot of fixed-income senior people,” he said.

The Weather 

Pros

No surprises here… Florida’s balmy winters are a huge selling point. Scraping ice off the windshield at 7am, picking your way down treacherous sidewalks, and shivering through another polar vortex—plenty of retirees are ready to leave all that behind.

Cons

As the climate warms, Florida is experiencing some unwelcome changes. The number of extremely hot days each year continues to rise. Heat is an important consideration for older adults, who are at higher-than-average risk of heat-related illness. More frequent and stronger hurricanes put lives and property at risk in Florida. Even run-of-the-mill thunderstorms can cause serious flooding. 

As flooding risk increases, so do insurance premiums, and many Florida homeowners can’t do without special flood and windstorm coverage. These days, some insurers, including AAA and Farmers Insurance, are pulling out of the state entirely. Prospective Floridians should know that shopping for a house and shopping for insurance go hand-in-hand in the state. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation offers a Homeowners Rate Comparison Tool to help Floridians estimate insurance premiums county by county.

Taxes

Pros

Florida doesn’t have state income taxes—and that applies to retirement income from 401(k)s, IRAs, Social Security benefits, and pensions. No inheritance or estate tax means that, when you live in Florida, your loved ones avoid a state tax burden on their inheritance. No wonder it’s considered one of the most tax-friendly states for retirees.

To take advantage of Florida’s tax law, you have to prove you live there at least 183 days in a year—more than half the year. To help you establish residency, keep a record of where you spend each day, and take steps that show that Florida is your home base: change your driver’s license and car registration, register to vote, and open a bank account. Even shopping locally and getting a library card can show auditors that you’re living in Florida.

Cons

While the state of Florida won’t collect on your income, they will collect at the pump: at 36.5 cents per gallon, the gas tax is higher than the nationwide average. 

Wildlife 

Pros

Florida will always draw people in with its natural beauty. Think world-class seashell hunting on Sanibel Island and the blue lagoons of the Keys. For gardeners, moving from colder states will mean learning how to grow in the subtropical climate, but the beauty is that, in Florida, the growing season never ends. 

Birding is booming in popularity these days, and Florida is a birder’s paradise. The Everglades, famous for its wildlife, particularly migratory birds, is home to dozens of species, including the American flamingo. You could spend a few years just exploring The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, which connects 500 wildlife viewing sites across the state. 

Cons

If you’re coming from Minnesota, the size of the insects in Florida may be alarming at first, and the alligators in your local waterway will take some getting used to. But in terms of Florida wildlife, there’s one word you need to know before locking in your retirement destination: pythons. 

If you haven’t been to Florida lately, you might not be aware that there’s a new kid on the block. Burmese pythons—escaped exotic pets—roamed the Everglades as early as the late 70s, but it’s only since the early 2000s that their numbers have exploded. Today, they’re devouring native Florida wildlife like wading birds and marsh rabbits. They’re competing with—and also devouring—predators like raptors, panthers, and even alligators. Pythons average 6 to 9 feet in length, but the largest ever caught in Florida measured 18 feet and weighed in at 215 pounds.

How big a priority is python removal for Florida wildlife officials? The South Florida Water Management District hires Python Removal Agents at an hourly rate, plus $50 per python, plus a bonus of $25 per foot for pythons measuring more than 4 feet. If you’d rather not encounter even one foot of python in your basement, yard, or garage, add it to the “con” side of your Florida retirement pro/con list. 




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Famous & 65

Look who's turning 65 this month

Find out which celebrities are turning 65 this month!


Image Source: Wikipedia

September 21 - Dave Coulier, actor and comedian  

Two sitcom heroes of the late 80s and early 90s turn 65 this month. First up: Dave Coulier, best known for his role as Joey Gladstone on the hit TV show Full House, which aired from 1987 to 1995. 

In Full House, Coulier played the lovable, goofy friend and roommate of Danny Tanner, played by Bob Saget. His goodhearted character, Joey, was known for his zany humor and pitch-perfect impressions. Beyond Full House, Coulier voiced characters on the popular animated series Bob & Doug McKenzie and Muppet Babies.

Coulier dated Alanis Morissette for 2 years, right before she released her classic album Jagged Little Pill. Here’s a fun unsubstantiated rumor: Coulier is allegedly the subject of Morissette’s hit song “You Oughta Know.” 

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Coulier began his career in stand-up comedy. Outside of his professional life, Coulier is known for his enthusiasm for hockey and gets out on the ice for charity games and events. He’s also a licensed pilot.






Image Source: Wikipedia

September 23 - Jason Alexander, actor and comedian

“I’m disturbed, I’m depressed, I’m inadequate—I’ve got it all!” Oh, George. Over nine seasons of Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998, the neurotic George Costanza entered TV’s pantheon of immortal losers, thanks to actor Jason Alexander. 

In one famous season 5 episode, “The Marine Biologist,” George recounts how he saved a beached whale while pretending to be a marine biologist (to impress a woman, of course). During filming, the original ending wasn’t landing with the live audience, and writer Larry David asked Alexander how long it would take him to memorize a new one. Minutes later, Alexander delivered one of the most iconic Seinfeld monologues. It begins, “The sea was angry that day, my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup at a deli”—and ends when George reveals the surprising object that was obstructing the whale’s blowhole (watch here). 

While he’ll always be beloved as George Costanza, Jason Alexander was just warming up with Seinfeld. The Emmy and Tony award-winning New Jersey native has acted in dozens of stage, TV, and film productions. You may have seen him in Pretty Woman (1990), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001, 2009), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019). Today, he hosts a weekly podcast with Peter Tilden, Really? No, Really?, where they investigate “life’s most baffling, intriguing, confusing and annoying questions.”

Alexander’s latest credits include a starring role this past spring in the comedy play Judgement Day at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He’ll also appear in the upcoming science fiction thriller The Electric State.





Image Source: Wikipedia

September 24 - Steve Whitmire, Muppeteer

When Steve Whitmire was 10 years old, a show called Sesame Street debuted. “I was a real fanatic about the show,” he says, and even wrote to Jim Henson to ask if he had authored any books on puppet-making. Henson wrote back to encourage the kid to keep learning puppetry. He did—and in 1977, landed a job working with his idol as a Muppeteer. 

Tragically, Henson, who shared Whitmire’s September 24 birthday, died suddenly from an infection in 1990. Upon his death, Whitmire took on the role of voicing Henson’s most famous and well-loved Muppet: Kermit the Frog. During his 26 years with Disney as the voice of Kermit, Whitmire was also the voice behind the Muppets Ernie and Beaker, and he developed and voiced the character of Rizzo the Rat, among others. Whitmore appeared in all 8 Muppet movies, including the classics A Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996). 

In 2016, Whitmire and Disney parted ways over what Disney described as a pattern of “unacceptable business conduct over a period of many years.” According to Whitmire, the reason had to do with differences about Kermit’s characterization and an ongoing labor dispute. Whitmire lives with his wife and high school sweetheart, Melissa, in their native Atlanta.





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