The SOLOIST Archives | 2021

Patient Advocates —A New Player in the Solo Safety Net

Financial planners, estate lawyers, Aging Life Care™ Managers, accountants and daily money managers— there’s a whole cadre of professionals just beginning to awaken to the Solo population.

Life Expectancy - Estimating Your Own Longevity

When I was in grade school, I calculated that I would be age 52 at the turn of the century. I couldn’t begin to imagine living that long. But I did—and then some. Which begs the question, have I gotten any better at guessing my life expectancy?

How Long Will You Live? Part III

This article is the third in a series that can help you pressure-test your assumptions and estimate your life expectancy in a more informed way. In my first article, I talked about some of the reasons people avoid thinking about their life expectancy. In a second piece, I discussed people’s tendency to overestimate or underestimate their longevity by five years or more.

Where Will You Live? A Curated Reading List for Solos

“Can you recommend any good reading on living arrangements for Solos?” asked a subscriber to The Soloist. Can I ever, I replied. As a researcher (who is also a Solo), I collect everything I can about aging solo—including the factors to consider in choosing your living arrangements.

How Long Will You Live? Part II

People’s ideas about how long they’ll live are often pretty fuzzy. In fact, more than half of adults age 50 or older misjudge their life expectancy by at least five years.

How Long Will You Live? Part I

Thinking about our own mortality makes most of us uncomfortable. We hope that our lives end quickly, rather than after a long decline or a health catastrophe. Yet we all know people whose deaths—as well as the months or even years leading up to it—have been painful to witness.

Finding a Home

Deciding where to live as we age is one of the most important decisions Solos make—or sometimes postpone making. Should we stay where we are or move?  Strike out on our own or choose a community that can provide on-site care and support, if and when we need it.

“Have the Talk of a Lifetime”— But with Whom?

Frequently, my eyes drift to the display ad that appears in this section and is given an extra-large space before holidays. “Have the Talk of a Lifetime,” reads the headline. In an era when society aims to become more inclusive, these talk-of-a-lifetime ads are still stuck in the 1950s, when (heterosexual) couples and kids filled every home—or were thought to.

An Age 50+ Horror Movie—With a Twist

I Care a Lot has been streaming on Netflix for just a few months. Yet the movie has already had an impact on our clients and friends. After seeing it, you’ll never forget why having a financial safety net is so important.

Rich Solo, Poor Solo

The self-proclaimed, best-selling personal finance book of all time is Richard Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! At its core, the book has a simple message: that “regular” people can become richer by learning from the money-management practices of the wealthy.

Estate Planning for Solos

Most of us drag our heels when it comes to estate-planning. It simmers quietly on the back burner, muffled by more immediate issues. Whether we’re Solos, married, and/or have children, we’re seldom eager to contemplate our own mortality.

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