What to do with your 401K.

Dear Linda:

I’m changing jobs and am not sure what to do with the 401 (k) that I began with my previous employer.

Financially challenged

Dear financially challenged:

You have three options: leave it with your previous employer, take cash, or roll-over your assets into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

The problem with leaving it with your previous employer may be that the 401 (k) isn’t invested diversely enough to be advantageous. Before deciding, begin with analyzing your retirement needs and developing a comprehensive plan to meet them.

Determine the age you’d like to retire and find out what you can expect from Social Security (visit www.ssa.gov to determine your benefit). Then calculate all your expenses and add 4% per year for inflation (Remember to add in the cost for health insurance and medicine, if they won’t be covered by a company during retirement). Deduct that total from your Social Security income, and you have the supplemental amount your retirement account must generate.

Contact a financial planner or investment representative to guide you in this effort. Be sure this person has your best interest in mind and isn’t representing financial products that divide loyalties.

After this planning, you can decide if you want to cash the 401 (k) or reinvest the money into a new or existing Roll-over IRA. The drawbacks of cashing the 401 (k) are the various taxes (state and local, if applicable, and 20% federal income tax) and penalties you’ll pay, particularly if you’re under age 59 ½ (an additional 10% for early withdrawal). In addition to dramatically reducing the value of the withdrawal, you’ll be defeating the purpose of saving for retirement that the 401 (k) originally intended.

Roll-over IRAs generally offer a wider variety of investment options, so you can customize them to better fit your investment needs. Roll-over IRAs also continue to defer income taxes, allowing more of your money to work for you.

Changes in Vision

Dear Linda,

       I have a golf buddy who’s constantly rubbing his eyes. Now he’s blaming his bad game on seeing through a haze. Isn’t it time to get his glasses checked?

Birdie in Bedford

Dear Birdie:

       No, it’s time to have his eyes checked and by a good ophthalmologist. Everyone over age 50 should have an annual exam that includes eye dilation. The doctor tests for many conditions including near and farsightedness, high pressure that can cause glaucoma (a cause of blindness), and harmful changes resulting from diabetes.  Call EyeCare America at 800-222-3937 or visit www.eyecareamerica.org to see if you qualify for a free exam and treatment.

       Presbyopia is the impairment of vision caused by aging. The change in ratio of water to protein in the eye lens makes it less flexible and able to focus. Additionally, the crystalline lens of the eye loses its elasticity causing the point of clear vision to be farther away, so though the eyes are truly the “windows to the world”, as people age, those windows often fog up.

       Numerous conditions cause hazing including cataracts and dry eye (sometimes the result of dehydration or medications for lowering cholesterol and combating allergies). Both problems must be resolved for health and comfort.

       A healthy life style beginning in our twenties is key to preventing cataracts and macular degeneration of the retina. Give up smoking, drink in moderation, and avoid Ultra Violet (UV) light by always wearing sunglasses outside. Follow a diet rich in vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin. For those who don’t eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, consider a multivitamin/multimineral supplement with components specific to eye health.

       Research vision correction procedures: Cataract Surgery (no stitch and no shot method), LASIK for the treatment of near and farsightedness and astigmatism, and Crystalens (results in seeing at all distances). Be sure to read the layman-friendly book Mayo Clinic on Vision and Eye Health: Practical Answers on Glaucoma, Cataracts, Macular Degeneration & Other Conditions by Helmut Buettner.

The Cross

Next to Christmas, Good Friday and Easter are a Christian's most important celebrations. We worship Christ on Good Friday because that was the day he died an excruciating death on the Cross to atone for mankind's sins so that we would be forgiven by a Holy God.

We celebrate Easter Sunday because that was the day Jesus overcame death and rose to heaven to sit beside His Father and ours. Jesus' work on the Cross secured forgiveness of mankind's sins and His resurrection secured eternal salvation for all those who believe.

Believing is tough for those realists who require proof. I know my faith waxed and waned through my life, but finally God took off my blinders, and I stopped resisting the unmistakable evidence of His existence and operation in my life.

God has disclosed Himself to us all in various ways: through nature, a world that is so magnificent and intricate that a creator was necessary, through providential acts and miracles throughout history, and because humanity has a general moral conscience.

God has also revealed Himself through the Bible. There is no other book ever written that is so unique. Despite the facts that it was written on three continents, by 40 authors over 1600 years, it is perfectly consistent and historically accurate. Translated into 1500 languages, it is the most read book and God's message to His people about how to live, how to die and how to live forever.

I got an interesting email today that talked about laminins. They are the network of proteins that form the foundation for our cells and organs and are vital for the maintenance and survival of all tissue. They are, in fact, the integral part of the structural scaffolding in almost every tissue of an organism. Laminins are cell adhesion molecules that literally hold us together. Without them, we would fall apart.

Here's what's amazing--the structure of a laminin is the Cross. The very glue that holds us all together is in the shape of the Cross. Coincidence...I think not. Just read Colossians 1:15-17, New International Version (NIV) regarding The Supremacy of the Son of God.

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.

Have a blessed Easter!

Get Ready to Hit the Road

Dear Linda:

I’m retired, want to travel but am on a budget. I keep hearing about the Elderhostel program. Will you explain?

A traveling man


Dear Traveling Man:

Elderhostel is the world’s largest educational travel organization for adults 55 and older. A non-profit association that has been organizing itineraries for over 30 years, its expert instructors give in-depth lectures, and lead thrilling field trips and excursions in over 10,000 programs in more than 90 countries.

The educational programs delve into subjects including religion, culture, art, food, language, literature, music and history. Participants are led by university professors, academic specialists, museum professionals, and local scholars. There is no homework or exams, but the program prides itself on challenging exploration, great camaraderie, and probing discussions that encourage sharing new ideas and experiences.

The types of programs are varied. “Exploring North America” allows participants to pursue adventure within the borders. Imagine hiking through the Grand Canyon, seeing the Mississippi from the deck of a paddle boat, or investigating black holes at the Space Center in Houston.

Travel to the corners of the world with the international program. Visit Scandinavian palaces, greet Moroccan shamans in Africa, or cross into the Greek Isles to savor Mediterranean cuisine. A cruise ship becomes the classroom in the “Adventures Afloat” program, and if giving service is an interest, there are programs offering the opportunity to help in struggling communities internationally or in the United States.

Lodging is simple but comfortable and can be in hotels, inns, and retreat centers, not just in dorms on college campuses. 95% of the time, rooms are private and have their own bathroom. The cut-rate costs for accommodations, three-course meals, gratuities, insurance, lectures, field trips and cultural excursions are all included.

The value is extraordinary given the excellence of the program and the superior quality of service provided by a well-trained staff that attends to the participant’s special needs and modifies programs for those who are disabled.

Call 877-426-8056 or visit www.elderhostel.org for information about the various programs and to register for your great adventure.

Capturing Memories

Dear Linda:

       I love hearing my grandparents tell the stories of their lives. How can I preserve them for future generations?

Wanting Sweet Remembrances


Dear Wanting:

       A memory is a precious piece of history. Preserving that kind of historical data is the mission of an organization called StoryCorps. Founded by Dave Isay of Sound Portraits Production (the parent company) in October, 2003, StoryCorps has conducted and archived over 5,000 oral histories.

       Modeled after a 1930’s program in a section of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal which hired unemployed writers to document oral history and folklore throughout the United States, StoryCorps, is “a national project intended to instruct and inspire people to record each others’ stories in sound”.

       In the process of building sound-proof recording studios across the country, StoryCorps offers several brick and mortar locations called StoryBooths and traveling studios called MobileBooths. A trained facilitator aids in question development suited to the person being interviewed, handles all the technical aspects of the recording, produces the CD (a digital recording with broadcast-quality equipment), and archives the 40-minute interview with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

      A non-profit organization, they do not charge a fee except for cancellations, but they encourage donations, of course. The actual $200.00 cost is underwritten by various organizations including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio (on which these interviews are broadcasted), and is supported by public generosity.

       The process is simple: Choose an interview partner (must be over 10), make a reservation online or call 800-850-4406 (24 hours/7 days a week), develop a list of questions, and arrive 10 minutes before scheduled time to conduct the interview (or tell your own story).

       If you live too far from a Story or MobileBooth, visit http://storycorps.org to download a Do It Yourself Guide that lists equipment needed and outlines the complete process for conducting a StoryCorps interview including questions, tips and an interview checklist. Read Flophouse, a book based on the Sound Portraits Production radio stories by Dave Isay, for inspiration.

 It may not have the same professional lighting or high tech film quality, but you still will have captured the tone, mannerisms and memories of those you love.

Teeth Whitening

Dear Linda:

       The older I get the darker my teeth have become. I'm trying to decide between tray bleaching at home or an in-office procedure. What do you suggest?

Graying in Benbrook


Dear Graying:

       Teeth darken for a variety of reasons. The good news is that those discolored from aging are most responsive to whitening, but it's important to see a dentist for an examination that includes radiographs and to determine any contraindications like severe tooth sensitivity.

       According to Dr. Susan Hollar of Arlington, “the use of custom-fitted trays is the safest and most cost efficient method for whitening teeth. That process provides the best ultimate result with the longest duration.”

       The technique consists of bleach with 10% carbamide peroxide (approved by the American Dental Association), an application prosthesis made of a thin, clear, soft material, and a treatment regime.

       The regime consists of wearing the loaded prosthesis at night or in 2-4-hour intervals during the day, if sleep is disrupted. Treatment time for normal teeth can be 1-6 weeks, 1-3 months for nicotine-stained teeth, and 2-6 months or longer for tetracycline-stained teeth. Visit www.dearageless.com for more information.

       Because of the desire for faster whitening systems, in-office procedures that combine lasers or a light with an infra-red filter and higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide have become popular.

       The disadvantage of power bleaching is that it's expensive ($400-800 per visit), usually requires three visits to be successful, and is uncomfortable. The lips are pulled back to expose the teeth and a rubber dam is put in place to protect the gums during the hour-long procedure.

       Another drawback is that lights and lasers dry out the teeth. Temporarily, this result gives the illusion of whiter teeth, but after a day or so of hydration, teeth may revert back to their original color.

       In either process, time required for whitening varies from one patient to another and expectations must be realistic.

Wheelchair Bound

Dear Linda:

My aged father has needed a wheelchair for quite some time, but he’s been resistant. I finally convinced him, but I’m not sure what type to buy or what the costs will be. Can you help?

Wheelchair bound


Dear Wheelchair bound:


Wheelchairs fall into two general categories: manual (powered by the user or someone pushing) or motorized (power wheelchairs or scooters). Both mobilize the user, but have drawbacks. Manual wheelchairs, particularly those collapsible for transport, (costing between $150–550.00) aren’t as sturdy and don’t offer as much independence, and power wheelchairs (costing $1,500–7,500) are heavy and require more maintenance.

Before making any decisions, consider the following: that the chair width should be narrow enough to pass through his home but wide enough to accommodate his hips with two inches extra on each side; the chair frame should be designed for durability (a folding chair is less sturdy because of its moving parts but a rigid-frame chair is harder to transport), the chair material should be comfortable (vinyl to cloth to leather) for the user, and should have easy-to-apply brakes, a safety-lock system, and a warranty.

Wheelchair cost is a consideration, so have your dad’s physician write a Durable Medical Equipment (DME) prescription. Medicare Part B (for those over 65 or with certain disabilities) will cover 80% of the approved amount, not including the deductible, if the DME is reasonable and necessary in the treatment of an injury or illness and is used in the home. Call Medicare at 800-633-4227.

If your dad isn’t covered by Medicare Part B, other sources of wheelchair funding include Medicaid and the Veterans Administration, and call Wishes on Wheels at 800-535-3063 for help in acquiring a power wheelchair.

Remember that losing anything as precious as our mobility and independence is a major event, often wrought with anger, sadness and depression. The senior must recognize and accept that the body, a betrayer of sorts, is not only aging but ailing as well, so it’s important to understand, empathize, and be patient during this process.