AARP Roadmap for the Rest of Your Life

WASHINGTON POST Bestseller List 3/30/14

Solid solutions and step-by-step instructions for planning the next stage of your life

Life after 50 isn’t what it used to be. The rules have changed. No more guaranteed pensions, retiree health plans, or extensive leisure and travel. It’s time to forge new paths and create innovative models. That’s where the AARP Roadmap for the Rest of Your Life comes in. Bart Astor, author of more than a dozen books, offers a comprehensive guide for making lifestyle decisions, growing your nest egg, and realizing your goals. This AARP book—

• Provides guidance on the key areas you’ll need to consider: finances and work, health and fitness, Medicare and Social Security, estate planning, insurance, housing, and more
• Offers expert tips on creating age- and health-specific goals through a personal “Level of Activity” scale based on how active you can and want to be
• Includes tips for finding fun and fulfilling activities and even completing your bucket list
• Supplies ready-to-use worksheets to help you set and meet financial planning goals, get your legal affairs in order, and maintain adequate health insurance
• Contains a comprehensive list of valuable resources

Foreword ix

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Where Are You on the Level of Activity Scale? 1

Chapter 2 What Are Your Goals for This Stage in Life? 9

Chapter 3 Staying Healthy for the Rest of Your Life 21

Chapter 4 All About Health Insurance 51

Chapter 5 Making It Last for the Rest of Your Life 71

Chapter 6 Transitioning from Full-Time Work 95

Chapter 7 What Do You Want to Do with the Rest of Your Life? 107

Chapter 8 Transitioning What You Own 131

Chapter 9 Have “the Talk” with Your Heirs 147

Chapter 10 Home Sweet Home 161

Chapter 11 Relationships with Family and Friends 179

Afterword 199

Acknowledgments 201

About the Author 203

Index 205

Bart Astor (BartAstor.com) is a recognized expert in life's transitions and eldercare. His Baby Boomer's Guide to Caring for Aging Parents is in its second printing. Author of eleven other books as well, Astor has appeared on television and radio shows, including ABC's Good Morning America, PBS's Marketplace, and Ric Edelman's The Truth About Money.

"Bart Astor has written a marvelous, eminently readable guide for achieving balance and happiness in all the areas of life as you grow older. Health, wealth, lifestyle, leisure, family: If you're looking for a shot-by-shot course map as you play life's back nine, this is it. This book deserves—and will earn—a prime spot on your desk or night table."
—Tyler Mathisen, anchor, CNBC

"For a personal GPS, pick up a copy of the AARP Roadmap for the Rest of Your Life. Bart Astor delivers with a comprehensive, easy-to-read, tip-laden guide that will make the rest of your life the best of your life. This holistic roadmap will put you on a path toward successful and rewarding years ahead—whether you retire or not."
—Jan Cullinane, retirement expert and author of AARP's The Single Woman's Guide to Retirement

"In my experience, people who are most successful in this special chapter of their lives prepare themselves well in advance to meet their financial, health, intellectual, and social needs. Astor addresses all the major opportunities, issues, and challenges."
—Thom Clement, Executive Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University