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VOL 36 • NO. 8
www.theactiveage.com Helping our readers live healthy, fulfilling and active lives.
July 2015
Septuagenarians work for lively bodies, minds
(Editor’s Note: The active age recently convened a focus group of those in their 70s. This is a snapshot of what we learned.)
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By Elvira Crocker They’re feisty, involved and filled with purpose. They haven’t lost their sense of humor. This is no rocking chair crowd. Some are still in the workforce. Truth be told, nearly all of them are working — only now they call it “volunteering” because there’s no compensation. As one put it, “I’ve graduated from money to no money.” Some 270,000 or 9 percent of Kansans are in their 70s, according to the U.S. Census (2012). In a word, they are septuagenarians. They are members of a group that includes Barbra Streisand, Jane
and Peter Fonda, Julie Christie, Tom Selleck and Robert DeNiro. That’s a reminder that we all age, whether we’re famous or not. Some have lived here all of their lives; others left and came back, or came here by choice or circumstance to pursue an education or career. They’re here because they like Wichita’s size. One woman left in her 20s and lived all over the Southwest before returning two years ago. “I had forgotten how friendly it was. It’s a small city with no traffic. It’s also cheaper to live here than a lot of places I’ve lived in.” “I love the small town atmosphere,” added a woman who is a playwright. See 70s, page 12
Courtesy photo
Remember Joyland? For 55 years, if it was summer you probably visited the amusement park on South Hillside. It closed in 2006, and this year it was demolished. The Old Woman’s Shoe was a favorite with the younger kids. Revisit those summer-day memories. Page 14.
Love? What do taxes have to do with it?
By Jo Anne Lofland
Everyone is asking “WHY?” We’ve been dating off and on since 1970 and, as Art so indelicately said to my Aunt LaVon recently, “We’ve been shackin’ up since 1993!” Why would we get married? Our single status quo posed no problems. Studies tell us that cohabitation among couples over 50 is on the rise, not marriage. Apparently we’re bucking a national trend. So, why? There are financial and legal reasons, but for us, it was mostly sentimental. A news article in USA Today about Social Security and a visit with my financial advisor first sent my thoughts down the matrimonial path.
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I learned that my social security payout might be higher if we married. Mine. Not Art’s. Because I have earned less along life’s path, I would receive a lower level of SS payout as a single woman. But, if we married, I would become eligible to receive his higher level if he were to pre-decease me. (BTW, pre-decease is a word I had never used before I started thinking about marriage.) Other considerations? Taxes. Being married is a plus for estate and inheritance taxes. I won’t get specific about this because I appreciate the complications of the law. Trusts, prenuptial agreements and other legal options should be reviewed. Google “Why marry after 50?” and
Central Plains Area Agency on Aging or call your county Department on Aging: 1-855-200-2372
you’ll find plenty of information. Individual circumstances vary on so many levels that a visit to your financial advisor and/or attorney is important. In our case, health insurance won’t change for good or bad. But for many couples it’s a valid consideration. And it’s possible that we might get a better rate on our auto insurance. Another phrase new to my world is spousal rights. Being married ensures we can visit each other in the hospital and make health decisions on one another’s behalf without convening a meeting of the hospital’s management team. Could joining the state-licensed couples club actually simplify things? I have always held tight to Joni See Love, page 2
Butler County: (316) 775-0500 or 1-800- 279-3655 Harvey County: (316) 284-6880 or 1-800-279-3655