SPEAKER 01 : 0:00

about certain things that are going on in the economy, things that are going on legislatively, and that sort of thing. My number is 303-744-1128. And one thing that I will be talking about repeatedly, because it’s extremely important, that the Social Security Fairness Act was passed into law about two months ago. And essentially what that did, it eliminated the penalty that people were facing who participated in a pension crisis. and were not contributing to Social Security during that period. Those people include state workers, teachers, many firemen, many police officers, and so forth. And the way it used to be is if someone worked and paid into Social Security and they have their 40 quarters, which is 10 years, But then after that, subsequent to that, they may have worked for the state of Colorado for 20, 25 years and have a nice pension. And the old rule was that pension was radically reduced. Not the pension itself, but the Social Security benefit was radically reduced because of this other pension that people received earlier. while they were not participating in Social Security. And this also affects spouses or widows of people who contributed to Social Security that may not have been eligible in the past because of their participation in something like PERA or another pension plan. And if that’s something you would like to check into or learn about, if you qualify or anything like that, give my office a call. Again, the number is 303-744-1128. Today, I’m going to talk a little bit about what is important once people do fully retire. I often talk about the importance of having a plan. Most of the people who come into my office have been good savers, and they need some assistance in certain areas. They would like to add some structure to the savings that they’ve been doing. to make certain that what they have will last during their retirement and so forth. And most of the people who come in are going to have a relatively comfortable retirement because they’ve been good savers and they’ve lived well within their means. However, once someone retires, the big question becomes, well, it appears that I have enough money, but now what am I going to do? If you don’t specifically plan how you’re going to spend your time in retirement, you end up sort of reacting to things that may come along rather than proactively deciding what you would like to do. Some of the people I know who are the happiest in retirement who have found ways of giving back. Volunteerism. And that is such an enormous topic that I could probably spend the next four to six weeks talking about nothing but volunteering in retirement. But that wouldn’t honor my show having it be a financial show rather than a show about volunteerism. But I think it’s extremely important. And the reason I believe that is because the people who experience the most joy in retirement from my communications and interactions with those people are those who bring joy and fulfillment to other people. And the list of ways that people can volunteer and to give back in retirement, that list is enormous. My home and office are both in the downtown Littleton area, and I began my search, so to speak, for ways that people can give back and volunteer and so forth. It began with with volunteer opportunities in Littleton. And Littleton, I believe, is a well-run community. The local government has done a lot for the residents and the businesses. During COVID, they permitted the restaurants to remain open. They even blocked off the streets in downtown Littleton during COVID so that the restaurants could put tables and chairs out in the middle of Main Street. and do a booming business when many other restaurants and other parts of the metro area were failing. But some ways to give back in Littleton include volunteering at the Bemis Library. It’s been there for a long time. They have like clerical positions, positions involving, you know, putting the books back and some things like that and assisting people who come in who aren’t familiar with the library. The Littleton courts require volunteerism, and there’s administrative work, checking people in who have court appearances, and you can even volunteer to be a bailiff. which I thought was interesting. If you’ve ever watched Night Court, they have the bailiff there. Well, that’s something that you could volunteer for. And I think getting to see the workings of government in part of your volunteerism, I think that would be very useful and you can help the cogs of government work smoothly. There’s also a museum in downtown Littleton. People can be greeters there, reception. You can also be part of the people who are doing research, living history, things of that nature, which I believe are extremely important. Crisis intervention. There are places where you can do victims’ services. And first of all, this is not exclusive to downtown Littleton. If you, for example, would like to volunteer in a museum, you could probably find out about opportunities in the Denver Museum. If you have a real joy for art, you could probably find… a volunteer position at the Denver Art Museum. So volunteer opportunities in places like this are clearly not limited to Littleton. But if you are familiar with that part of town, there are a lot of opportunities. The third week in August, every year in Littleton, they have what’s called Western Welcome Week. And they have been doing that for, don’t hold me to this number, but I think about 80 years now. And that involves parades. It involves booths that sell a lot of things. And it’s a very, very big deal. They have a concert at Stern Park, which is a few blocks from downtown. So it’s a very big deal. And It’s only made possible because of all the many, many volunteers. I know my own business, Golden Eagle Financial, for the last three years. I’ve had a booth there where people can spin a wheel and see if they win something. But if you enjoy… a lot of activity and volunteering in a very vibrant environment, so to speak, and you live in the Littleton area, consider volunteering for Western Welcome Week. They do a lot of planning for it because it’s a very big deal. Again, it takes place the third week of In August, every year, a lot of music, a lot of parades, a lot of fun things happening. And also in downtown Littleton, there is earlier in August, normally, there is the Littleton Criterium. which is a professional bike race, and these are the best cyclists in the United States who go to various places and race, and they block off the streets for that, and that is a big deal also if that’s something for which you’re more enthusiastic. Now, also, South Suburban Parks and Recreation, there are some opportunities there. Now, that’s not directly affiliated with downtown Littleton, but if you’ve ever been down the Platte River Trail between Santa Fe and the Platte River there, there’s what’s called a nature center. And I’ve met people who volunteer there. It’s very near the brewery, the Breckenridge Brewery. brewery, and it’s sort of just a little offshoot off of the Platte River Trail, and it’s part of the South Suburban Parks and Recreation, and it’s called the Nature Center. Now, these are some local, very local places that people can volunteer, and in some of the things I was looking up, I’ve met people who really volunteer in order to help those who are in some of the most dire circumstances that you can possibly imagine. There’s a country called Burkina Faso. I’ve never heard of it until I did a little bit of research today. It is the third poorest country in the world. I believe it’s a very small country in Africa, but there are people volunteering there which is a much bigger deal than going to the local library or something. And they’re assisting the people who live in this country, especially women, with doing things that can generate income for themselves since they live in such a poor country. And that includes soap making, weaving, things of this nature. And these are things that, you know, I… never even learned about until I started doing a little bit of research. But this kind of volunteerism is very different and basically what it involves, it would end up being what’s called a volunteer vacation. Now churches, most churches do have missions and there can be local missions which we sort of call outreach and international missions where they will send people for maybe a week or two to assist other missionaries in other parts of the world where the gospel is being preached and some of the places where that’s happening are places like the Czech Republic which are you know extremely civilized and so forth other places like places in Africa where a great deal of the work involves you know truly helping the less fortunate in addition to sharing the gospel so if you would attend a local church and want to learn about volunteer opportunities in addition to local outreaches, find out about opportunities to go on a short-term mission trip. And usually those are at your own expense, but the people I know who have done these have gotten a great deal of joy themselves from helping other people, helping the less fortunate. And I will have more information about volunteerism after the break.

SPEAKER 02 : 12:37

We’ll be right back. Let him help you understand how things like life insurance and real estate can fit into your plan. Al doesn’t just use a systematic process. He is relational and gets to know you and your goals. In this uncertain economy, Al helps you keep ahead of inflation so your retirement isn’t dwindled away because of rising costs. If you or a loved one needs some extra wisdom in your retirement plan, contact Al Smith of Golden Eagle Financial to start a conversation. There’s no obligation. Find him on the klzradio.com advertisers page. Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management LLC, a registered investment advisor. BCM and Golden Eagle Financial Limited are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through BCM, but are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents.

SPEAKER 01 : 13:48

Welcome back to Retirement Unpacked. We’ve been talking about volunteerism. And the reason that’s important is because for the people I work with who have saved enough financially to enjoy their retirement, finding ways to give back and help other people can bring a lot of joy and fulfillment to their lives. to your own retirement because nothing against playing golf and going on cruises and things of that nature, but when you find ways to give back and you can see the joy you bring to other people because of your volunteerism, I think that can have your life become much more well-rounded. And one of the ways I think people can help is by tutoring children. And I don’t mean tiny children, but maybe high schoolers, maybe middle schoolers. Engineers, for example, have tremendous skills in math. And some kids in middle school and high school have difficulty with algebra, trigonometry, and things like that. And so something like that can be a real fit for someone who has a strong math background. So I think if you’re wanting to give back, I think a couple of things you could ask yourself. One is, what do you really enjoy doing? And the other one you can ask yourself is, where do my skills lie? What am I good at? What is my educational background? I know people who are retired nurses that enjoy so much helping other people that they volunteer to substitute for a family caregiver. A high percentage of people who are receiving care are receiving that from a family member. And in many cases, the family member is the primary or the only caregiver. And substituting so that caregiver can go out to lunch or go see a movie or have a weekend off, that is a tremendous way that you can be helpful. I don’t think a medical background is necessary because most caregivers aren’t providing highly skilled medical care. They’re just being there to help this friend or relative or whoever it is do things that they used to do by themselves, things like eating and bathing and going to the grocery, a ride to the doctor, things of that nature. Some other ways of helping, we talked about tutoring kids. Some of them may involve trade skills. People who have skills in the trades can share that with younger people, especially as people are transitioning from high school, choosing not to go to college. Someone who has skills in plumbing or welding or or electric, things of this nature can be very helpful to a young person making that transition from high school into the working world. A lot of people I know just really love animals and animal shelters, especially dogs and cats. Those are places that are always needing volunteers because many people who adopt a pet or purchase a pet don’t think it through. And they don’t realize that having a pet is a big responsibility. And some people don’t. Look at certain pets or certain, especially dogs, as, oh, they are so cute, not realizing that that particular breed of dog needs a lot of activity. And if your lifestyle doesn’t involve a lot of activity, then some of those dogs end up back in shelters because people aren’t well suited for the activity level of the dog. Shelters often have a lot of dogs, especially high-energy dogs, dogs like huskies and border collies, and dogs that are young and vibrant and full of energy. When the people adopted them or purchased them, they didn’t think it through. Shelters really need dogs. A lot of volunteerism to help them. And it may be things like actually taking care of the animal. It may be things like answering phone calls or emails for all of the inquiries with people who are interested in a dog. I mentioned being a senior caregiver, and something else I think is a really good way to volunteer if you have a big heart is places like Samaritan’s Purse. They are always looking for volunteers because they are one of the first ones who are there like in northwestern North Carolina and in Florida following the hurricane. Samaritan’s Purse is often the first one there. And they have people who are compensated, but they also have a lot of volunteers. And I think given some of the disastrous circumstances those people are in after the floods and the hurricane and everything, I think anything that we can do to help on a volunteer basis can be greatly, greatly appreciated. A lot of people I know truly enjoy the outdoors, myself included. I like to hike. I bike. I haven’t skied as much as I did in years past, but I enjoy the mountains. And we have… 85 million acres of national parks. There are 418 different sites. And that also doesn’t include national monuments. Mount Rushmore, for example, is a national monument. There are a lot of national monuments that are different than national parks. But the point being, all of those parks have volunteers. So if you wanted to spend a reasonable amount of time near a park or if you don’t live terribly far from possibly Rocky Mountain National Park, I think the opportunity to volunteer. and be a guide or someone who can assist the many, many visitors who come to those parks. That’s a way to enjoy the outdoors, if that’s a big part of your own life, as well as participate in some really good volunteerism and so forth. There is an entity called Senior Companions. where volunteers provide services to the elderly who need help. And it may be they need a ride to the doctor, they may need a ride to the grocery store, they may just need some companionship, or they may enjoy meeting with your dog. So all kinds of ways that you can become a senior companion to someone who is elderly which brings me to Meals on Wheels. And I’m sure you’ve heard of that, but you probably didn’t know that there are 500, I’m sorry, not 500, 5,000 independently run local programs that provide meals to seniors. And that’s an area where you can volunteer. You can be the one delivering the meals. You can help prepare the meals. You can help logistically. I know a lot of people are very skilled administratively. but maybe wouldn’t like to drive around because that’s just not something that they enjoy. So all of these entities that I’ve been talking about need administrators. They need people to answer the phone and so forth. So Meals on Wheels, that is a tremendous organization providing nourishment for the elderly who may not get out of their home much, may have difficulty doing their own chores. food preparation, and so forth. And I think with 5,000 locally run entities, there’s probably availability to volunteer for Meals on Wheels. Another great organization, and this isn’t one organization. This is one that’s all over the United States. It’s called Therapeutic Riding, and that has to do with horseback riding specifically for people who have special needs. Those can be children or adults. And what they have found is when children or adults who have special needs, like children with Down syndrome or some other particular deficit in their development and so forth, they get enormous joy from writing very gently about And one of the reasons for that, they feel like they have some control over something they haven’t had in the past. And that is a tremendous program that helps those with special needs. And I think if you were to Google therapeutic riding, I know there is one in the Denver metro area. I don’t have their information, but thank you for listening. We’ve wrapped up another 30 minutes. And if you want to have a bit more joy in your retirement, think of some ways that you can give back and you’ll receive joy by providing others with joy. Thank you for listening. God bless you. Let’s continue to pray for our leaders and the folks in Israel. Bye now.

SPEAKER 03 : 24:57

But are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents.