​Choosing a care home for you, or for a loved one, can be a daunting experience if you don’t know where to begin. Whether searching for care homes in London, up north, or anywhere in between, the decision is an important one regardless, and getting this right is vital for ensuring comfort in later years. The question remains, however - how do you go about doing just that? We’ve pulled together this simple guide to help you through the decision-making process, so you can ensure that you or your loved one is comfortable in their new home.

There are a number of different types of care on offer in homes around the country, and understanding which is needed is the first step to knowing where to begin your search. These are as follows:

• Residential Care – This is ideal for those that need around-the-clock care. It’s possible to retain independence here while receiving any support that may be needed with day-to-day activities.
• Nursing Care – Residential care often comes with nursing, but some will have a nurse onsite 24/7. This is ideal for those with medical conditions or with physical disabilities.
• Dementia Care – While most care homes will now offer dementia care as standard, some may specialise in the care, treatments and personal needs of those with Dementia.
• Respite Or Short-Stay – If the primary carer is away, or if you or your loved one is recovering from an illness where specialist care is required, a short-stay care home may be ideal.
• Intermediate Care – This is an alternative to a hospital stay, usually following surgery, a fall, or while recovering after illness. Intermediate care can either be provided within a care home, or in your own home.
• Specialist Care – Care homes will often have specialist areas, so if you or your loved one is in need of a specific type of care, then it’s important to research what help and specialist care may be available.
• Palliative/End-Of-Life Care – Palliative care is carefully designed to provide support and care for those who are usually within 12 months of death. This kind of care aims to ensure individuals are comfortable by managing pain and distress where possible. They will also offer support to family members and carers.

​While it’s not impossible to find a care home that has it all, determining your priorities from the offset can make your search much simpler. Some individuals need to stay locally to family or friends, others might need to give up locality in order to receive the best care for a certain condition or illness, and others may want something small and cosy. Deciding on the priorities can help you whittle down the hundreds of care homes across the country to just those with exactly what you need.

​When you begin to research, it’s important not to settle on one care home and one care home only. Make a shortlist of some of your top choices, and then list out what each one has on offer. When researching a number of homes, you can easily forget good and bad points, so making a shortlist and then expanding on why you should and shouldn’t choose each one can clear your mind and make the decision-making process much easier. Work out the costs, what you can afford, what they have on offer and what could potentially cause an issue in the future – all of this will play a huge part in your later years, so making a careful decision is paramount.

The final thing you should do is visit your shortlisted homes. While you may have picked one out that is perfect on paper, you may visit and find that it isn’t at all how you pictured and that you aren’t comfortable there at all. Similarly, a care home that may not appear to have much on offer could actually prove to be much more comfortable and viable to live in. 
Only you or your loved one will truly know what it is you need from your care home, but hopefully with our simple guide you have a good starting point to get you going. Most importantly, it’s vital to remember that a good care home will do exactly what the title suggests – care. It’s just up to you to decide which one suits your needs more. 

​According to the most recent statistical data available for the 2016 calendar year, over 85% of folks aged 50 - 64 and 65% of folks over 65 are regular internet users. With the constant push toward online banking, shopping and social communication, the amount of boomers and retirees will only continue to grow in the coming years.

If you have a hobby, skill, or any kind of product or service you want offer for the benefit of other people, then owning a website in retirement can help build a solid bridge between you and your desired audience. Specifically, owning a website in retirement can provide the following benefits:

1. A website provides you with a dedicated, professional showcase to advertise and offer your ideas, expertise and/or goods and services for sale
2. Building off of #1, a website gives you the potential to increase your retirement income to supplement your living expenses and enjoy life even more
3. A website can even help create a healthy emotional bond between you and your visitors, especially when dealing with personal subjects and ideas

There are three main types of websites that are common on the Internet today:

1. Personal. A personal website is simple. It usually has an introduction (or home) page, a biography page, a contact page, and a blog article section. A blog is very similar to a journal, in which you can post articles detailing your life experiences, ideas, skills, expertise, or anecdotal stories that can help add value to other people's’ lives.
2. Business. A business website is more in-depth than a personal website. It usually has all of the components of a personal website, but also has one or more pages to outline/detail the goods and/or services your business offers. The blog article section on a business website usually has articles on specific goods, services or anecdotal information demonstrating your industry expertise.
3. E-Commerce. An e-commerce website generally involves all of the components of a business website, but it adds a dedicated section where you can list individual goods or services for sale. Most e-commerce websites also have some sort of checkout function that includes a way for customers to pay for your offerings directly through the website (either through a platform like PayPal, or a credit card processing company).

The kind of website that is appropriate for you depends entirely on you individual reason(s) for having a website. What is more, choosing a website development platform that allows you to change or expand your online exposure/presence as your desires or needs change ensures your website can always be expanded or customized to grow as you do. 

A website development platform is the software program you choose to either build your website yourself on, or to have a professional construct your website for you on. ​

• Some platforms are very limited. This means if you decide to start with a simple, personal or business website you will not be able to add an e-commerce section to it without building a new website that is e-commerce capable. 
• Other platforms are very expandable, meaning you can start with a simple personal or business website and add many different customizable features as your online presence and/or personal desires grow. 

It is very important to make sure you choose a website development platform that has the capability to grow with you, so that you never need to change platforms because doing so can take time and money you would not need to spend with a bit of foresight and planning.

Besides building a website, you should consider the following things in order to construct your safe, professional online presence:

1. URL Domain Privacy Registration. In order to have a website, you first need to purchase a domain name. A domain name is what a customer types into a search engine like Google to be taken to your website, like www.joepublicswebsite.com. When you purchase a domain name, your personal information is automatically registered in WHOIS, an international database of domain name owners. However, many companies like Google allow you to add privacy registration. This means that your name and personal information remains private with a Google based address and contact information put in its place. This is totally legal, and strongly recommended. 
2. A Reliable Website Hosting Company. Just like a URL, every website requires a host. The host is the connection point between the development software and becoming a live site on the world wide web. It is important to choose a website hosting company that provides its clients with personalized customer service, and is not so large that it treats its customers like ID numbers instead of individuals. It is also important to make sure its pricing is straightforward, and its service does not experience periodic maintenance that causes the websites it hosts to go offline at inopportune times. 
3. A Professional Email Address. This uses your domain name in the address instead of Gmail, Yahoo mail or another free personal account. For example, a professional website would be something like “[email protected].” This allows you to have a public email address that is seperate from the personal address you use with family and friends. For businesses, it is also a way to present yourself as a professional, which can help your visitors feel comfortable trusting you.
4. A VOIP Phone Number. If you plan to provide your website visitors a way to reach you by telephone, a VOIP phone number allows you to have a dedicated phone number that is separate from your personal one. Many VOIP numbers even allow you to download an application on your smartphone to make and receive calls through that number than you give your family and friends. This turns your smartphone into a two-line phone without having to purchase two seperate phones to conduct personal and professional business. This also helps protect your privacy by allowing you to have a dedicated, professional voicemail message to help your visitors feel comfortable trusting your business experience and acumen. 

​It is important to understand that just having a website is not a guarantee for online success personally or professionally speaking. After all, there are over 1 billion websites on the internet today. Therefore, you should make sure that your website looks professional and functions flawlessly if you want visitors to be impressed with the presentation of your idea, goods or services versus the many other websites they might choose to visit instead. 

1. Self built websites are usually the lesser expensive option, but they can tend to become overwhelming to some folks who are not computer savvy, or do not have previous web design and build experience
2. Professionally designed websites can cost more to create, but can lay a solid foundation for you to grow online from because you are trusting a team of professionals who design successful websites for a living.

Additionally, a professionally designed website can provide you with specific features like search engine optimization.

• Search engine optimization involves structuring a website for Google to be able to scan, index and recommend the most efficiently and effectively. This includes using keywords that potential visitors search for in Google, Yahoo and other major search engines when searching online for the goods, services or ideas you offer on your website. 

It is important to keep in mind that today, just about every business, and many private citizens, have a website or at least an online presence of some sort. This makes websites as common as listings in the White or Yellow Pages phone books used to be. This is why it is extremely important to trust a professional with creating a new, or reformulating an existing website. 

A professional website developer who is versed in design and search engine optimization can build you a visually appealing, psychologically appropriate, emotionally engaging, and fundamentally solid website separating you from other websites and/or businesses in less time, and with less hassle, than you could build a website yourself. This combination of factors significantly increases your chances for sustained, prominent online success. 

seOdona offers professional website development services to a diverse array of people of all ages, professional backgrounds and general walks-of-life. Although seOdona began in Arizona, their dedicated team now operates satellite locations in Southern California and Washington State that allows their team to serving clients throughout the United States. 

The seOdona team specializes in designing elegant, intelligent and engaging websites that are organically search engine optimized to help clients achieve a prominent online presence personally or professionally. With very fair fees for their expertise and services, as well as a straightforward pricing policy, seOdona believes in educating and empowering its clients while positioning them for long-term online success. 

The seOdona team welcomes you to visit their beautiful, informative website by clicking here, and to contact them if you would to discuss your ideas and visions…. as well as set up a free, no-obligation consultation to help you decide if they are the right professional website development company for you! 

​Finding the best retirement plan to suit your needs can be a tricky task. After all, your life after retirement is completely dependent on this decision! Ultimately, in order to find the best retirement plan for you, you must decide whether you want to undertake a private pension scheme, pension from the government, a workplace pension or a personal and stakeholder pension. Whilst Wizzcash loans might be able to help you if you encounter a financial emergency while you are still working, if you are retired, then you may have to turn to an alternative option. There are several tips that you can take into consideration as you begin to save for your retirement. Discover how to find the best retirement plan for you below.

When it comes to finding the best retirement plan, it is paramount that you understand the options available to you and what they include. The main types include:

• Private Pension Schemes. Have you considered a private pension scheme? This is an effective way to help ensure you have extra money in addition to your standard State Pension.
• Pensions From The Government. Your State Pension is based on your NI (National Insurance) number record the moment you turn State Pension age.
• Workplace Pensions. Workplace pensions are now mandatory for employers to provide, and as such, they can make significant contributions on top of what you have agreed to pay into your pension.
• Personal & Stakeholder Pensions. A personal and stakeholder pension is a great option for those that want to save extra money and top up their workplace pension.

Your Earnings
Ultimately, the first step to finding the right retirement plan is to consider your earnings. It is paramount that you carefully plan your retirement income as it is one of the most effective ways to save money for later in your life. Overall, you may be able to attain:

• A pension from the government
• Money from pension schemes 

You must identify how much money you will need when you retire, because you may discover that you need more money than the State Pension offers.

When Do You Want To Pay Taxes?

Understandably, nobody wants to pay taxes, but unfortunately, we have no choice. Luckily for you, when it comes to your retirement savings, you do in fact get to choose when you pay them. Ultimately, this is one of the major differences between two key types of retirement plans.

If you opt for a traditional retirement plan, you might be able to qualify for a tax deduction regarding the volume of your contributions. However, when the time comes to withdraw the money in retirement, it will be taxable, just like normal income. With this in mind, some forms of contributions however aren’t conclusive, but when you withdraw the money in retirement, it will be 100% tax-free. Ultimately, when it comes to finding the best retirement plan for you, you must consider when you would favour a tax break more.

Will You Need The Money Right Away?

When it comes to finding the best retirement plan for you, it is paramount to consider whether you will need to access the money right away. This is because with pre-tax retirement plans, such as the traditional retirement plan, you are required to start taking distributions after the Stage Pension age. Essentially, this means that once you reach this age, you will have to withdraw an unquestionable percentage of your account’s value per year. With other retirement plans however, this is not a set requirement, and you can keep the money in your account for as long as you wish. 

Working Past State Pension Age

When you reach State Pension age, you may decide that you don’t want to leave your job. Luckily for you, you don’t have to! If you do however stop working when you reach State Pension age, you will no longer have to pay National Insurance. Moreover, the law protects you against discrimination if you have surpassed State Pension age, so rest assured you can find a new job or stay in your current job without worry. Despite this, there are certain circumstances where employers may decide to set a compulsory retirement age, such as those in the construction industry.   

​There are countless factors you need to consider when it comes to finding the best retirement plan for you, including taking your earnings into consideration to pick a suitable plan. Ultimately, there is no ‘best option´ for everyone, which is why when you answer these questions yourself, you will gain a better understanding of what retirement plan you would like to undertake. Good luck! 

While this reduces your total taxable income in the present, you will be forced to pay taxes on your retirement savings later in life when you go to withdraw. On the other hand, if you invest in a private pension fund, the likelihood that you’ll invest from your net-income (or post-tax income) is high, and your withdrawals during retirement will be completely tax free. Regardless of which fund you choose, having tax benefits on the front or back end of your investing is a definitive benefit of pension fund investing.

Another advantage to pension funds is that, in many cases, an employer will contribute an equal amount up to a certain percentage of your pay towards your pension fund. These match programs can drastically increase your overall retirement savings, and if you contribute wisely at the beginning of your career, you’ll be able to earn interest on a greater amount of funds invested for a longer period. These extended earnings have the potential to set you up nicely in your retirement.

While pension funds do offer a secure way to invest and save for retirement, they can also be disadvantageous. The most notable disadvantage of pension funds is the lack of flexibility in when you can access your money. In most cases, you won’t be permitted to withdraw funds from your pension until you’re 55, and even then you’re subject to taxation. For those who are interested in possibly retiring early or taking an untraditional retirement in which they start a second career, go back to university, or choose to live internationally, these pension fund withdrawal limitations may be restricting.

Additionally, the performance of pension funds depends entirely on the investment of your assets. If you invest poorly, or in too conservative a way, your funds may not grow much, if at all. This means that your pension fund is essentially a glorified savings account with employer contribution and better than average interest. Still, for many, this isn’t enough for them to live the way they want to during their retirement.

When you choose to invest your retirement funds in property rather than a traditional pension fund, you have significantly more flexibility when managing your investments. For example, you can monitor the real estate market to select the perfect property investment, and from there you can choose to either live there full time, use the property as a vacation space, or make even more money on your investment by setting it up as a rental property. If you ever want to sell your property, it is a physical asset and you have the capability to do so. Whether you’ve decided you’d like to use your funds earlier than planned, or you are ready to invest them in another market, selling property is much easier than cashing out your pension fund early.

Additionally, the property market has more flexibility with the levels it can fluctuate. You can purchase a property in a buyer’s market and sell for significantly more in a seller’s market, often making much more on your investment than you would have made had you put the same funds in a traditional pension fund.

Admittedly, property investing is much less stable than pension funds. Property markets tend to fluctuate with some regularity and little to no warning. There are also more maintenance expenses and up front taxes involved with a property investment. These upfront expenses can often be a deterrent to those looking for investment opportunities, and few view an expensive property as a viable means to save for retirement as a result. Despite the inherent volatility of property investing, it can often be an excellent vehicle for those looking to invest or to access the return on their investments sooner than a pension fund would allow.

The answer to that is a glowing “yes, absolutely”. If you are going to go with property investing in spite of the inherent risk you should consider doing so abroad. Some countries like Romania can offer staggering returns of 7, 8 or even 9% annually. You could potentially diversify your overseas property investments over 4-5 developing countries (in which homes are very cheap in, with high annual rental yield) and minimize the risk, and be much better off upon pension.

​To each his or her own. Both options are valid, it just depends on how risk averse you are, and of course, your financial status. No matter whether you choose to invest in property or a pension fund, be sure to consult a qualified adviser who can help you make the wisest choice based on every factor affecting your decision. 


Retired Brains does not offer direct financial investment advice, nor do we affiliate ourselves with any particular financial advisers or firms in the United States or worldwide. Rather, the sole purpose of this article is to present educational, helpful information that can help you decide what kind of investing strategy is right for you in your retirement. If you are interested in learning more about property or pension fund investing, we recommend seeking out a reputable adviser or firm in your area for assistance.

No matter your reasons for wanting to find temporary and part time jobs, it is important to know that you have more options than ever before when it comes to landing the perfect retirement job.

More and more are opting to turn to workers with a more mature, loyal outlook on employment. Some of the reasons employers are gravitating toward retired workers to fill temporary and part time job positions include:

This shift in attitude is plainly seen in the steady increase of retired workers in the job force. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS), retired workers currently comprise over 8% of the workforce. This number is expected to increase to 11% by 2022. Additionally, recent data from the USBLS shows that as life expectancy continues to increase, so does the amount of older retired workers in the workforce. Specifically, since 1985, the number of retired workers over the age of 75 has more than doubled from 3.6% to 8% currently.

Although some retirees decide to continue working a full time career into their retirement years, we feel this is a decision best left to your individual needs and situation. There is something to be said for allowing yourself to enjoy your retirement as you see fit. The responsibility and, many times, stress accompanying full time career occupations can become more difficult to successfully manage as we age. However, the job can accentuate and compliment your leisure time, and not take away from them in any regard.

Many temporary and part time retirement jobs allow you the freedom to make your own schedule, as well as the other benefits of employment we have discussed already. What is more, many temporary and part time retirement jobs allow you to help other people in various capacities, which is always a wonderfully effective way to be involved and feel great doing it!

You might be asking yourself how you can go about finding jobs that allow you to choose your own schedule, and provide you the opportunity to embark on employment that compliments your retirement living? Well, let’s discuss that right now. ​

Retired Brains has found a company that takes a uniquely effective approach to helping retirees find part time or temporary retirement jobs. Since 2012, Shiftgig has helped match businesses in the hospitality and service industries (so people-based businesses) with people seeking flexible, fun and fulfilling part time or temporary jobs.

Shiftgig helps make finding part time or temporary retired jobs easy. First, you fill out an application on their website. From there, a member of the Shiftgig team will reach out to you via email to set up an in person interview. If hired, you'll use their mobile app to browse available work and other specifics relating to the job you choose.

Shiftgig is currently located in 12 cities around the country: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Phoenix and Tampa. However, their popularity means you should be on the lookout for them to put roots in your city soon. No matter where you look for and find part time or temporary retired jobs in your area, we hope that you find it. What is more, we hope it increases your quality of life by adding value to your retired years, while having some fun in the process!


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*Retired Brains is not an employment service, and does not offer job counseling or personalized employment advice. We simply strive to help boomers, seniors and retirees of all ages find resources that help add value to their lives. Retired Brains is not affiliated with Shiftgig, but find their platform to be unique and potentially helpful when looking for part time or temporary retirement job opportunities. Therefore, we always recommend doing your homework to make sure the job resources you choose are a good fit for your wants, needs, situation and of course, technological abilities. ​

With increases over the past several years in regulations protecting borrowers, reverse mortgages are being considered viable options for helping some people fill gaps in their retirement income. However, the question of, "Are reverse mortgages a good idea?", is solely dependent upon several factors. These factors relate directly to the individual or couple looking to enter into a reverse mortgage agreement.
​
If you are wondering are reverse mortgages a good idea, we welcome you to read this reverse mortgage information article and learn whether or not you may be a good candidate for one*. Reliable, unbiased information about reverse mortgages can be difficult to come by. If you are looking for trustworthy information about reverse mortgages, it is important to consult organizations that have no direct financial stake in whether or not you enter into a reverse mortgage agreement.

According to the Federal Housing Administration, approximately 30,000 people entered into a reverse mortgage in 2016. This number is down significantly from the peak of the reverse mortgage boom in 2009, which saw over 115,000 of these types of home loans processed. During the boom of 2009, the reverse mortgage market was deregulated, which ended up causing serious issues for many borrowers.

However, increased lender regulation has afforded better protection for borrowers. Even with more protection, you still should ask yourself “Are reverse mortgages a good idea for me?” based on your specific situation--instead of relying on existing industry safeguards, which might not apply to your situation anyway when push comes to shove. The following information about reverse mortgages can help you decide whether or not you are an ideal candidate for a reverse mortgage…

1. Someone in good health. According to the National Endowment for Financial Education, a good candidate for a reverse mortgage is in their late 60’s, and is in overall good health with over 15 years of life expectancy. Although the law states that all reverse mortgage borrowers must be at least 62 years of age, if you plan to ‘age in place’, which means being able to stay in your current home for the duration of your life, then you might be a good candidate for a reverse mortgage. This is because the loan costs you will accrue may significantly cut down on the amount of money you would receive upon the sale of your home. Should you not be able to maintain financial and maintenance obligations, or should your health falter and you need to sell your home before you pass away, you might not be left with much, if anything at all once the reverse mortgage is paid off.
2. Someone who can afford upkeep. Reverse mortgage lenders expect you to keep current on property taxes, insurance and maintenance while you remain in your home. Should you fall behind on any of these obligations, you can end up defaulting on the reverse mortgage and the lender may choose to foreclose. Additionally, if you end up being unable to maintain these terms and have to sell your home prematurely, you could end up with little to no money after the sale to find a new place to live. Therefore, it is extremely important to make sure your pension, Social Security benefits, retirement accounts, or any other sources of income are sufficient to cover both expected and unforeseen upkeep expenses that might arise.
3. Someone with a low debt and high equity. If you have a valuable home with significant equity, or that is paid off in full, then you might be a good candidate for a reverse mortgage. This is because you will remain in your home while receiving money to supplement your cost of living expenses. However, it is important to understand that by taking out a reverse mortgage, you are depleting the equity in your home. What is more, because your reverse mortgage will come due once you are no longer alive, you might be depleting the assets you will leave your heirs. If this is not a concern for you, then you might be a good candidate for a reverse mortgage.
4. Someone with stable retirement income. This especially applies to co-borrowers and borrowers with spouses who will be a widow or widower upon your passing. Keep in mind that in some cases, pension funds and other sources of retirement income stop when the principal passes away. In these cases the survivor not only loses a spouse, but also the spouse’s income. This makes it extremely important to plan for the surviving spouse’s ability to handle all financial obligations that will keep the reverse mortgage in good standing once his or her partner is gone. Although as of August 4, 2014, retirees (both borrowing and non-borrowing) cannot be foreclosed upon due to the death of their spouse alone, the lender can indeed foreclose if the surviving spouse cannot maintain financial obligations.

Before applying for a federally insured reverse mortgage covered by the US. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), you are required to meet with a counselor from an independent, government approved housing counseling agency. Your counselor will go over the loan’s cost, as well as any financial implications you should be aware of. This consultation can be incredibly helpful in deciding are reverse mortgages a good idea for your situation. You can visit HUD for a list of counselors, or call the agency at 1-800-569-4287 to learn more. Please note that counseling agencies usually charge for their services. However, their fees can be paid from the loan proceeds, and you cannot legally be turned away if you can’t afford the consultation fee.

*Retired Brains is not a reverse mortgage lender, and we do not provide direct or indirect advice on whether or not you should enter into a reverse mortgage agreement. Our sole purpose is to provide you with information that can help you decide if you would like to find out more about whether or not a reverse mortgage is right for you. Therefore, we cannot be held legally or financially liable for your personal decisions. If you have any questions about a current or potential reverse mortgage agreement, we urge you to contact a professional adviser who can help you find the answers you seek.