Or do what my mother-in-law did — Now that I’m in my golden years, funerals often come up. Okay, maybe not a lot since some of my peers refuse to discuss it. But since it feels closer to sooner than later, I’ve been giving it some extra thought. I’ve decided I want a party like Jim Henson’s. The Muppet creator died in 1990, and because of…

Her finances were a disaster — My ex-wife is horrible at handling her money. I dealt with the bills when we were married. She’s been caring for her sick mom for a couple of years and has finally reached a point where she is in serious trouble. Late fees, cancellation fees, and collection letters have become her norm. She desperately needed someone to look…

But don’t try to use them as excuses — My wife and I love wine, and I blame my former roommate. He is a serious wine person. He met his wife in a wine bar, and he throws big parties with his wine friends. Since they are also wine lovers, everyone brings the good stuff. Trying 20 great wines at a time led me to also become a wine person. The…

See if these are the same for you — Have you noticed that the more things change, the more they remain the same? I was at a get-together where the subject came up about what’s the same as when we were young. For example, have our parties really changed? It’s incredible how closely my current get-togethers compare to my…

Your kids will make fun of you the way you make fun of us — I have a friend with two kids. One graduated from high school last spring; the other is now a senior. The younger one recently had trouble at school, so the older one thought she would offer advice. The younger one’s response? He told her she didn’t know what she was…

There’s no harm in trying to avoid using your age as an excuse or limitation — The mirror tells me everything people see. It’s all there: the gray mustache, the age spots, the bald head, and the wrinkles. Yet, I am still reluctant to admit my age unless I have to. When someone asks, my first response is usually a dad joke. …

Your mindsets may also be significantly different — Mel Schlesinger’s article about retirement money scared the bejeebers out of me. It turns out that what my wife and I have in the bank may not be enough to carry us through to the end of our lives. Mel does an excellent job explaining the numbers and has some…

How do you want to be remembered? — I saw a movie that had an interesting take on cemeteries. A woman dies and is buried, but there are short towers with video screens instead of a traditional headstone. Her husband inserts a flash drive and uploads her profiles and pictures, including videos. …

It’s all about the jumpstart — Old joke: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You may have heard self-improvement and productivity gurus throw around the idea of doing something for 10 minutes a day as a way of accomplishing a goal or learning something new. Those 10 minutes are your bite…