Grace Wilson bowls at the Calgary Lawn Bowling Club.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
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Mike O’Reilly first came across lawn bowling when the Calgary Lawn Bowling Club moved into his neighbourhood six years ago. He and many of his friends were in search of a new activity.
“We thought, ‘wouldn’t it be fun if we all got together and went out as couples and tried this?’ ”
As Kathy Kerr reports, the sport is growing in many parts of Canada, and the amenities are pretty good, too. Many clubs have facilities with kitchens and liquor licenses and offer fun-oriented tournaments and weekend events. O’Reilly likes that it’s a game he can play well into retirement.
“It was a thrill to find an activity that is going to challenge me for many decades to come.”
Why terrible phone service impacts seniors the most
Something that unites us all in these fractious times is anger about terrible phone service from businesses and government, writes Rob Carrick, the Globe’s personal finance columnist. Banks and insurance companies are part of the problem, but so are telecom companies, airlines, the Canada Revenue Agency and other government agencies.
Seniors face additional obstacles if they have arthritis, neuropathy or other conditions that affect their accuracy as a typist, or if they’re not comfortable with online transactions. Mr. Carrick summarizes the issues and a possible solution.
Can this 60-something couple retire from running their business?
After years of running a successful business, Tim, 63, and Tamsin, 67, are hoping to retire by the end of 2023. They have two children in their 30s.
“I founded a tech company 11 years ago and much of the profits (from the operating company) have been channelled into a holding company,” Tim writes in an e-mail.
He draws a salary of $140,000 a year and pays Tamsin $42,000 a year. The business is generating about $500,000 a year in income, he writes. Tim plans to wind down the operating company when he retires because the technology is becoming outdated. They are looking for the most tax-efficient way to generate retirement income from the holding company, which has about $2.5-million in retained earnings.
In the Globe’s latest Financial Facelift column, Brinsley Saleken, a fee-only financial planner and portfolio manager at Macdonald, Shymko and Co. Ltd. in Vancouver, looks at the couple’s situation.
In case you missed it
Why more boomers are turning to spirituality as they age
Retirement offers time to tend to the spiritual side of life that often gets neglected in the overheated world of work.
“We have spent our whole lives working and building our careers, often at the expense of our families and personal relationships and worked long hours ... boomers turned busyness into a virtue,” says Sheila Macgregor, lead minister and minister of worship and pastoral care at Siloam United Church in London, Ont.
“Now boomers are faced with the question ‘Who am I now that I no longer have the job? Who am I now without the title, or staff or colleagues? Who am I without the kids at home?’ ” adds Ms. Macgregor, who is also the author of Re-Designing Your Life: A Practical Spirituality for the Second Half of Life.
“These are questions around identity and purpose ... they’re fundamentally religious questions.”
Whether it involves traditional houses of worship or spiritual practice of various types, religion continues to be of interest to retirees. Kathy Kerr reports.
Are you ready to get back on a cruise ship?
Six months ago, retired B.C. couple David Lang and Cathy Brusegard booked a cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver that sets sail in April, 2022.
It will be the latest in a long list of ocean voyages they’ve taken to different parts of the world, including in the Caribbean, Cuba, Mexico, Alaska and the Panama Canal, but the first since the COVID-19 pandemic left most passengers ships onshore. The couple has missed life on the sea.
“We love the idea of the ship being your moving hotel; you wake up each day in a new place,” Mr. Lang says.
While they’re looking forward to the trip, and are fully vaccinated, they’re having some second thoughts as the number of COVID-19 cases is rising again in the U.S. and around the world. They have until the end of January to cancel, which would cost them their $260 deposit.
As Dene Moore reports, the couple is among thousands of Canadians who love to cruise and are anxious to get back to it. Statistics show that, per capita, Canadians are among the most ardent fans of sea voyages in the world.
What else we’re reading
What a financially savvy NFL player can teach us about retirement
NFL player Rob Gronkowski became famous in January, 2019, for more than being a great football player, writes Josh Sailar, an investment adviser in Los Angeles in this piece. He retired after nine seasons without drawing his NFL salary, living on his endorsement money instead. Mr. Sailar outlines how to live within your means and save for retirement, even without a multi-million-dollar contract to support you.
Best English-speaking places to retire overseas
Many English-speaking retirees in Canada think about moving to another country to experience a new culture and society. However, learning a new language is considered a barrier. This article helps retirees pick a place where the culture is different but the language is the same. If a different language isn’t a deal-breaker, this sister article looks at some good places to retire overseas, taking into consideration lifestyle and cost of living.
Have a question about money or lifestyle topics for seniors, or want to suggest a story idea for the Sixty Five series? Please e-mail us at sixtyfive@globeandmail.com and we will find experts and answer your questions in future newsletters.