The first one arrived about four months ago. It was an invitation to join AARP. I laughed it off. Must be some kind of random email blast. Three weeks later I received another one, a month later, and finally, one today. Is someone trying to tell me something? I was almost offended. Hell, I'm only one month away from my 39th birthday - nowhere near the 50 years of age that is the requirement for AARP membership.
Now my mother has always said that I'm an old soul. I'll be honest, ever since I was a little girl, I've always wanted to be 35 or 40. To me, that is when life truly blossomed and all the time you spent before that was in preparation for this incredible life-changing experience. The world would open up and become this sweet, succulent, ripe fruit just yours for the taking. I even had a theory on the evolution of a Diva. From birth to 25 you're an infant. From 26 to 30 you're a Diva in training. From 31 to about 35/36 you're a Diva apprentice and somewhere between 35 and 40 you reach full Diva status. Everything I thought about getting older and approaching Divadom has turned out to be true... But that sure as hell didn't prepare me for receiving invitations to join AARP at 38.
I don't know what it was but something told me to go to the AARP web site and just take a look around. Giggling, I looked at the different discounts and benefits that are available to AARP members. Then I started looking at the articles and the assistance that is available to AARP members. It became crystal clear that we of Generation X and those that came after us are blissfully and painfully unaware of what is ahead of us as we approach middle age and retirement. To all my GenXers, do you have the slightest idea what Medicare part D is? You'd better figure it out! Do you know how much money it will take to maintain your current or desired standard of living after retirement? You better start doing the math NOW! Do you have any clue about secondary insurance markets, how many of our elderly have to maintain jobs because they were unable to sustain themselves on pensions and Social Security or the legislation that's currently going on in Washington DC that directly effects those over 50? Did you know that doctors are leaving the Medicare program in droves because of their reimbursement rates being cut? What about the fact that Social Security doesn't pay JACK and that it is estimated that by the time I retire the funds will be depleted (so should I stop paying into a system that will not support me later? We'll save that for another blog). Have you thought about the cost of blood pressure, diabetes, heart, etc., etc., medication? Have you thought about any of this or do you secretly think that you're invincible and will never have to encounter these issues. WAKE THE HELL UP.
Why, at 38, am I so concerned about these issues now? What happens from now to 2017 will have a tremendous effect my and future generations as we age and retire, and we're not paying attention. I'm one of the lucky ones. I get professional financial advice and have made provisions for my life after 50 but what about the majority of us who haven't. As Baby Boomers age and usurp the resources that three or four generations have paid in to and we all age, what will be left for us? Will legislation be created that will protect all of us or just a few?
The journey into AARP's web site was an eye opening one. Everyone, regardless of age, should take a look and educate themselves. The only inevitable factors in life are birth, aging, death and the IRS.
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