10A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL September 21, 2016
Retirement saving
for late bloomers
Today’s young profession-
als hear about the importance
of saving for retirement seem-
ingly from the moment they
are hired. In addition to dis-
cussions with human resourc-
es personnel about employer-
sponsored retirement plans,
young professionals are learn-
ing about the importance of
saving for retirement thanks
to the abundance of fi nancial-
planning advertisements on
television, the radio and the
Internet.
Older workers may not
have been so lucky, and many
may fi nd themselves trying to
play catch up as retirement
age draws closer. While it’s
important to begin saving for
retirement as early as pos-
sible, late bloomers whose re-
tirement dates are nearing can
still take steps to secure their
fi nancial futures.
• Pay down debts. Eliminat-
ing debt is good for men and
women of all ages, but espe-
cially so for those nearing re-
tirement. Substantial debt may
delay your retirement and can
greatly reduce your quality of
life during retirement. If you
still have substantial debt,
eliminate that debt before you
start saving additional money
for retirement. Once your debt
slate has been wiped clean,
you can then increase your re-
tirement contributions.
• Eliminate unnecessary ex-
penses. If your retirement sav-
ings are low (many fi nancial
advisors now advise men and
women that they will need at
least 60 percent of their pre-
retirement income each year
they are retired), start cutting
back on unnecessary expenses
and reallocate that money to-
ward retirement saving. Cut-
ting out luxury items, such as
vacations to exotic locales or
country club memberships, is
one way to save money. But
don’t overlook the simpler
ways to save, such as cancel-
ing your cable subscription or
dining at home more often.
• Downsize your home.
Many empty nesters down-
size their homes as retirement
nears, and doing so can help
you save a substantial amount
of money. If the kids no lon-
ger live at home or if you
simply have more space than
you will need after retirement,
downsize to a smaller, less ex-
pensive home. Monitor the
real estate market before you
decide to downsize so you can
be sure to get the best deal on
your current home. Downsiz-
ing saves on monthly util-
ity bills, property taxes and a
host of additional expenses.
Downsizing also means less
maintenance, which gives you
more time to pursue your hob-
bies upon retiring.
• Take on some additional
work. While you may have
long felt you would slowly
wind down in the years imme-
diately preceding retirement,
taking on some additional
work outside of your current
job is a great way to save
more for retirement and per-
haps even lay the foundation
for a post-retirement career.
Workers over the age of 50
can be invaluable resources
to startups or other businesses
looking for executives who
have been there, done that.
Look for part-time jobs that
seek such experience. Even
if the initial jobs don’t bowl
you over fi nancially, part-time
consultant work in retirement
can make up for lost retire-
ment savings and may even
make your retirement years
more fulfi lling.
Men and women on the
verge of retirement can take
many steps to grow their re-
tirement savings and make
their golden years that much
more enjoyable.
It's easy to fi nd the right nursing home
Medicare’s Nursing Home
Compare website now has the
long-awaited star ratings. An-
nounced months ago, the site
has added six more quality mea-
surements and has added the
star features, making it easier to
do comparisons when the time
comes to pick out a nursing
home.
To fi nd the nursing home rat-
ings, go online to www.medi-
care.gov and put “nursing home
compare” in the search box. Put
in your ZIP code, and you can
compare up to three at a time.
The devil is in the details, as
always. Look for tiny items like
the number of minutes of physi-
cal therapy per resident per day,
dates of last inspections, resi-
dents rights defi ciencies, any
mistreatment complaints, phar-
macy service defi ciencies and
any penalties and fi nes in the
past three years. Be sure to click
Grab a BITE of Cottage Grove
R
estaurant
G U I D E
FIESTA CANTINA SPECIALS
M-MARGARITA MONDAYS
T-TACO TUESDAYS W/FRESH MADE TORTILLAS
W-WELLLS DOWN CALLS UP
TH-TRIVIA NIGHT
FRI. & SAT. DJ & DANCING
SUN FOOTBALL PRO SPECIALS, GIANT TV
EL
TAPATIO
Mexican Restaurant & Cantina (541) 767-0457
and read the actual inspection re-
ports. You might fi nd that clean-
ing materials and foods were
comingled, or that food was left
uncovered in the freezer.
What’s concerning is that not
all the inspection reports are
there. You’ll need to know if a
facility has eight fi re-code defi -
ciencies, or that the ceiling over
the food-prep area has peeling
paint, or that insulin wasn’t kept
at the correct cold temperature
or had expired.
One thing lacking in the rat-
ings is that nowhere will you
fi nd resident or family satisfac-
tion. The data is mostly self-
reported by the nursing homes
themselves and the measures
aren’t necessarily comparable
between facilities, especially
the ratings that don’t include
full inspection reports.
While the star rating is a good
place to begin, it shouldn’t be
the end of your research into a
good nursing home. Ask for rec-
ommendations from your doctor
or people you know.
Professional Makeup
Certifi ed Eyelash Extension Specialist
Customized Waxing and Brow Tinting
M
Maybe it’s Megaleen
Makeup Artistry & Aesthetics
Megan Sayre
541- 844- 4872
License # COS-FT-10178694
We strive to off er
you, our customers
quality products,
as well as our
friendly, courteous,
and helpful service
from our staff
members.
Clean Burn
Wood Pellets in Stock
Family owned and operated for over 47 years.
LANDSCAPE AND
BUILDING MATERIALS
Open 7 days a week!
79149 N. River Road
541-942-4664
Did You Know?
With your subscription you receive access to the mobile
friendly Cottage Grove Sentinel e-Edition.
• Get Local & Breaking News, Sports and Classiieds
• View our News Archives
• Read Special Publications
SANDWICH
Daily Specials
20% OFF for
Active Military &
Vets
Tuesday Night
is Senior Night
4pm-8pm
OF THE WEEK
Open Daily for
Breakfast,
Lunch & Dinner
6 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sun-Thurs
6 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Fri. & Sat.
KNUCKLE SANDWICH
Come in and ask for details!
Fresh Homemade Soups Daily
Hot & Cold Sandwiches, Salads
Cookies, Brownies, Breakfast Croissants
and other Baked Goods
Daily 9am-6pm
616 East Main St.
Cottage Grove, OR
541.649.1117
CAROUSELDELICATESSEN.COM
Call In Orders
Dine-In Catering
View it on your computer, tablet and smartphone, with
unlimited access, no need to download an app.
Not taking advantage? Call or email us today!
Cottage Grove Sentinel
CONES
SHAKES
SUNDAES
FLOATS
www.cgsentinel.com
541-942-3325
You trusted local news, sports
and special publications since 1889.
