Meet Our CSA Spotlight – Jenn Chan

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Jenn Chan is an entrepreneur in the senior care industry and truly wants to celebrate, appreciate, recognize and educate new senior caregivers with a party called a Senior Shower.Read her story.

I’m an entrepreneur in the senior care industry, and I truly want to celebrate, appreciate, recognize and educate new senior caregivers with a party called a Senior Shower!

As a caregiver for my 95-year-old grandmother, I assist her with activities of daily living and exercise. Over the last seven years of caregiving, I’ve developed a passion for caregiving and learned that this role requires love, compassion, patience, hard work, communication, time management and a whole lot more. When I shared my caregiving duties with my colleagues, I noticed a majority responded with empathy but also with a lack of enthusiasm for the caregiver role. This response sparked my curiosity to research the common perception of the caregiver role within my social and professional network. While I personally looked forward to the rewarding caregiving experience, many others expressed that they would not know what to do as a caregiver or they would not feel confident in providing for an elderly person in their family. With this discovery, I recognized an opportunity to educate my peers about caregiving.

Around the same time, I attended my friend’s baby shower where attendees were congratulating the mom-to-be on her new parental role, happily sharing parenting advice and stories, giving useful gifts and thoughtful presents and having fun together. At this party, I realized that new senior caregivers can benefit from a similar party model.

So, I developed a new party concept called Senior Shower. At a Senior Shower, family and friends get together to recognize the individual on his/her new caregiver role, celebrate the love involved in the caregiver role, talk about their senior caregiving experiences, discuss community resources and bring useful gifts for the new senior caregiver. I believe this party is an educational experience for all attendees and provides everyone, especially the new caregiver, with insight on caregiving and senior-related topics.

With my sales and marketing background, I started the Senior Shower Project to spread the word about Senior Showers. But as I conducted market research and attended senior care-related conferences, I realized I was missing the big life picture. With the party, I was only focused on the beginning stages of senior care, but I did not address the rest of the aging care process. I researched senior care educational programs online, and I found the Society of Certified Senior Advisors’ (CSA®) website. As soon as I watched the “Becoming a CSA” video, I immediately knew I wanted to complete the CSA course. The curriculum offered the big picture I was looking for. The course provided the structure for me to become a resource for caregivers when they need help with senior-related financial, health and social matters.

With a Senior Shower, I hope to provide individuals with celebration, education and support at the beginning of their senior caregiving journey. And when the party is over, I, as a CSA, will offer my help and advice to families throughout the caregiving and aging journey.

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Senator Inouye: Most Senior Member of U.S. Senate http://www.csa.us/email/spirit/ssarticles/1112SeniorSpotlight.html

Senator Daniel Inouye is not only a leader in Congress, but he is also the highest-ranking Asian-American politician in U.S. history. Added to his legislative accomplishments is his heroism in World War II, which earned him the nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor. Read his story.

At age 88, Sen. Daniel Inouye has a lot of accomplishments to his name. He’s president pro-tempore and the most senior member of the U.S. Senate, is the second longest serving U.S. senator in history (after Robert Byrd) and the highest-ranking Asian-American politician in U.S. history. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, he is the son of a Japanese immigrant father and a mother whose parents had also emigrated from Japan. The senator from Hawaii was the first Japanese-American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and later the first in the U.S. Senate. And he’s not quitting while he’s ahead. Inouye has already announced that he plans to run for a record tenth term for senator in 2016, when he will be 92 years old.

Add to that a distinguished military career that started when he was a medical volunteer at Pearl Harbor during the 1941 attack and ended with a Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for military valor. In between, Inouye enlisted in the army as soon as the U.S. Army dropped its ban on Japanese-Americans in 1943. Quickly promoted to sergeant, he saw action in Italy and France, where he advanced to second lieutenant and dodged a bullet that hit two silver dollars in his shirt pocket rather than his heart.

On April 21, 1945, while leading an assault in Italy against the Germans, Inouye was shot in the stomach, but proceeded to attack and destroy two machine gun nests before collapsing from blood loss. While crawling toward the final bunker, he was shot with a German rifle grenade that struck him on the right elbow, severing most of his arm that was holding his own primed grenade. He was able to transfer the live grenade from his useless right hand to his left and toss it into the bunker and destroy it. The remainder of Inouye’s mutilated right arm was later amputated.

When he left the Army in 1947, he received the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. President Bill Clinton later upgraded Inouye’s Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor. (This was done alongside 19 other Nisei servicemen who were believed to have been denied proper recognition of their bravery due to their race). Inouye’s World War II service was featured prominently in the 2007 Ken Burns TV documentary The War.

Inouye’s first foray into politics came when he won a seat in the Hawaii Territorial Legislature in 1958 and then the U.S. House of Representatives as Hawaii’s first full member, taking office on the same date Hawaii became a state—August 21, 1959. He was re-elected in 1960.

In 1962, Inouye was elected to the U.S. Senate and has since served nine terms. He received national attention when he gave the keynote address at the turbulent 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and then as a member of the Senate Watergate Committee in the 1970s, whose investigations led to the impeachment of President Richard Nixon. Inouye also chaired a special committee from 1987 to 1989 on the Iran-Contra investigations of the 1980s, a political scandal under the administration of President Ronald Reagan.

In 2005, Inouye joined 14 other moderate senators, known as the Gang of 14, to forge an agreement that retained the Democrats’ power to filibuster a President George W. Bush judicial nominee only in an “extraordinary circumstance,” thus allowing for a vote by the full U.S. Senate of Bush’s appellate court nominees. In 2009, Inouye took over leadership of the powerful Senate Committee on Appropriations after Senator Byrd resigned.

Source: Wikipedia

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Hurricane Relief for Seniors
Hurricane Sandy reaped havoc on the east coast leaving over 7 million Americans without electricity. Senior citizens were among many of those left without power, with limited supplies and fearful of their safety during this tragic storm. Watch at Hurricane Relief for Seniors.

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Sage-ing: from Being Elderly to Becoming an Elder in Life

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A new movement called conscious aging, or sage-ing, aims to encourage seniors to view this time of life as one of profound insights that can be used to review one’s life, take steps to get rid of old grudges and negative attitudes and determine what should be done with the remaining years. Click here to view article.

When Gary Carlston retired at age 56, after a 30-year career as a scientist, he knew he wanted to explore other facets of life. For one, he wanted to take up pottery and do more volunteer work. But he also wanted to discover the “role conscious aging might play in my coming elder years.”

Conscious aging, or “sage-ing,” is a new movement that aims to encourage seniors to appreciate their own wisdom and to think of the aging process as a time to turn inward and consider their life and what they want to do with their remaining years.

In Gary’s case, he went from being a ”full-time scientist working for a large corporation one day to a full-time self-employed studio potter the next. . . . It was challenging and exhilarating to learn new skills and start a new business, and I found I loved the challenge and the change of identity that being a potter represented.”

He also became more involved in his “inner work,” while spending more time in nature, especially watching birds, and began to feel a “stronger connection with all of the animals and plants that I share this earth with.” He began meditating and practicing tai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art. He volunteered at the local nature center and with hospice.

Sage-ing Guild

Eventually, he worked with others to create the Sage-ing Guild, whose focus “is to change our society’s current belief system from aging to sage-ing—that is, from simply becoming old to aging consciously.” Gary serves as an example of “conscious aging,” a time of looking inward as well as giving back to the community. He describes his years of growing into elderhood as “the best time of my life without a doubt, and I expect the joys of living and growing to continue as I enter my eighth decade” (Gary Carlson, “The Heart’s Path” Conscious Aging Network of New Mexico).

The sage-ing/conscious aging movement became well known when Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi wrote a book called From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older (with Ronald S. Miller, Grand Central Publishing, 1997). In the book, the author, one of the major founders of the Jewish Renewal movement, discusses society’s narrow view of death, as well as the role of ceremonies and the power of forgiveness. He recommends meditation, exercise and spiritual healing to help in the aging process.

In a youth-oriented culture that worships what’s new, the elderly are often pushed aside. As a consequence, many seniors feel they need to work hard to keep up with young people by trying to stay as youthful as they can. In contrast, proponents of conscious aging want to encourage “elders”—their preferred term for elderly—to value their wisdom and accept this time of life as one of profound insights.

Categories of Conscious Aging

While different concepts have been emphasized by different groups, the components of conscious aging basically fall into these categories:

Awareness. This is a period in life when we have the luxury of time to ask ourselves the deepest questions and reflect on our lives. This awareness is the first step in the process of conscious aging. When we look at past experiences that are painful, we become aware of how we’ve held onto old hurts, grudges and pains. Part of awareness is letting go of the negative emotions that don’t serve us anymore and slow us down for this next stage of life. Tools that enhance awareness include meditation, prayer, journal writing, nature walks, gardening and slow exercises such as tai chi or yoga. Writing, especially, is one way to help clarify values and better understand the meaning and purpose of our lives.

New habits. After becoming more aware of our actions, attitudes and behaviors, we can start to change what doesn’t work anymore. In our early years, we may have adopted coping behaviors, perhaps for work or raising family, that are no longer necessary. This opens the doors to new attitudes that can help us in this stage of life. Viewing our past, especially what was painful or difficult, and seeing what we’ve learned and what we can use in our elder years helps us grow. Like learning new physical skills, such as tennis or golf, we can learn new ways of thinking. Recent findings in neuroscience show that the brain can adapt to traumatic events such as strokes and find new neural pathways.

Guidance and support. We don’t have to do it alone. We can look to others, including our spiritual connection, whether it’s God or a higher power, to find support for our journey. The idea is to connect to something bigger than ourselves. This can involve meditation, contemplation, prayer, journaling, reading inspirational works, reading or writing poetry or engaging in silence. Books, classes and support groups with other seniors or individuals who are on the same spiritual path are also helpful.

A larger vision. This means thinking about our hopes for the world. What would make it a better place? What can we do to contribute to that vision? We’re not talking about a financial legacy, although it can take that form. A vision larger than our own daily concerns shifts our thinking from worrying about ourselves to considering other people. We may feel moved to be more active in the world and volunteer, like Gary did with hospice or the nature center, spend more time with family or just offer a friendly word to someone who needs it.

Accepting death. We live in a culture that wants to push all ideas of death away, seeing it as something to be controlled with medicine or surgery or hidden away in nursing homes. But conscious aging advocates urge us to accept death rather than deny it. Once we accept that we will die, we can enjoy life’s simple pleasures. We have a renewed sense of appreciation for our lives and others.

Everyone’s heard the expression, “growing old gracefully,” but what does it really mean? “This requires a true transformation in how we view life as well as, perhaps most importantly, how we hold on to what is pleasant and familiar. . . . The aging process can be an opportunity for such a transformation. . . . This involves letting go of expectations and past beliefs or experiences that may mask or block what is true in the moment. This letting go allows a deep and natural joy, a joy that lies beyond pleasure and pain, to emerge” (from Aging With Awareness).

Sources

Aging With Awareness by Ron Valle and Mary Mohs in Consciousness and Healing: An Anthology of Integral Approaches to Mind/Body Medicine, edited by In M. Schlitz, T. Amorok and M. Micozzi (Elseveir, 2004).

Awakening: A Center for Exploring Living and Dying.

Conscious Aging Institute.

A Curriculum for Conscious Aging by Marilyn Schlitz, Cassandra Vieten and Kathleen Erickson-Freeman, Institute of Noetic Sciences.

“The Inner Work of Conscious Eldering,” by Ron Pevny, Sage-ing Guild.

Gary Carlson, “The Heart’s Path,” Conscious Aging Network of New Mexico.

Sage-ing Guild.

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Investing 101: Even the Mattress Has Risks

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Investing has inherent risk, even for places that seem safe, like putting your money under the mattress or in bonds. You can do several things to protect yourself, including finding a reputable financial planner and spreading out your investments. Click here to view article.

When you hear the word “investing,” what comes to mind? The stock market, Bernie Madoff or do you simply get beads of sweat on your forehead? Every investment, whether it’s burying cash in the backyard or investing in your friend’s latest “get rich” scheme, has an element of risk, no matter what anyone tells you to the contrary. The first rule of investing should be, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” So walk away or, at a minimum, get a second opinion.

Finding a Financial Planner

When you consider seeking investment advice, you will want to find a competent and ethical financial planner. The Financial Planning Association and the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. both have search engines to help you find a financial planner in your area. Both websites also have information regarding the questions you should ask any financial planner from whom you seek help. After getting a name, check with your state insurance and securities regulator for any disciplinary problems.

When you meet with a financial planner, ask for a free one-hour consultation, which allows you to meet the planner, ask questions and share your personal situation. No reputable financial planner will offer a solution at that initial meeting nor try to sell you any product. If he or she does, walk away and never return. Prior to discussing solutions, the financial planner needs to determine your goals, tolerance for risk, cash flow needs and your various sources of income. He or she needs to fully understand your personal situation. Be sure to ask for references.

Safest Place Isn’t Under the Mattress

Some people believe that putting cash under the mattress has no risk, but it comes with its own unique set of risks. Due to inflation, each year the money under the mattress buys fewer goods and services. Although by historical standards inflation has been low the last few years, some predict that as the economy improves, this will no longer be the case. A 3 percent rate of inflation doubles the cost of living every 24 years. So, the first risk you need to consider is inflation risk. Putting money into CDs isn’t much better today than putting it under a mattress, but you have taxes to consider, which is another form of risk.

Over the past several years many investors have sought the safety of U.S. government bonds. During that time, interest rates have fallen dramatically. As interest rates decrease, the price of bonds increases. If you bought a 10-year bond with a 3.5 percent rate of interest several years ago and now interest rates are 1.7 percent, your bond is likely worth more than face value if you sell it. Conversely, when interest rates go up, the price of bonds goes down.

Bond holders may be disappointed as the economy improves and interest rates rise. Their so-called “guaranteed” investment will decline in value. If you own an individual government bond and hold it until maturity you will get full value, but if you want or need to sell the bond prior to maturity, you may have a problem. Thus, when investing in bonds, you must seriously consider interest rate risk, which is very high today. In today’s environment, you probably want to buy short-term bonds, which won’t yield very much but will protect your principal.

Risk of Volatility

The next risk to consider is volatility—most commonly associated with the stock market. Clearly, over the past five years the stock market has had significant instability. This unpredictability has not been limited to the U.S., but to stocks all around the world, as many economies have had to deal with banking and fiscal issues since 2007. On a long-term basis, stocks, including dividends, have generally produced a return better than any other asset class, but with that higher return comes greater volatility.

We have all heard the expression, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” This is certainly true when it comes to investing. Based on your comfort zone, risk tolerance and need for cash flow in retirement, you will want to work with your financial planner to set up an asset allocation plan that works best for your unique situation. In other words, you will want to have cash, bonds (domestic, foreign, corporate and government) and stocks (big, medium, small and both foreign and domestic), sprinkled with some real estate and perhaps some broad commodity exposure. Investing money to make money is not so much about how much you can earn in the good times, but rather about how little you lose during the tough times. Yes, there will be times any portfolio will likely lose money, but, generally speaking, different assets don’t all go up at the same time nor do they all go down at the same time. There are exceptions, and we saw one of those exceptions during late 2008 and early 2009.

Stick to the Plan

Once you have your asset allocation set and have an investment plan, the most important thing to do is to follow the plan. Unfortunately, some people’s tendency is to panic and get out of investments at exactly the wrong time and unfortunately either not get back in at all or, as is usually the case, jump back in when prices are higher than when they sold. It takes discipline and patience, but with the allocation and investment plan, you should be able to achieve a reasonable degree of success.

Finally, it is important to monitor the investment plan and visit with your financial planner at least once each year to make sure nothing has changed in your financial picture that might warrant a change in your investment approach.

In our next article we will look at different types of investments for different types of investors.

Checklist for Interviewing a Financial Planner

1. Do you have experience in providing advice on the topics below? How many years?
     ? Retirement planning
     ? Investment planning
     ? Tax planning
     ? Estate planning
     ? Insurance planning
     ? Integrated planning
2. What are your areas of specialization? What qualifies you in this field?
3. How long have you been offering financial planning advice to clients?
4. How many clients do you currently have
5. Briefly describe your work history
6. What are your educational qualifications? Give area of study.
7. What financial planning designation(s) or certification(s) do you hold?
     ? Certified financial planner™ or CFP®
     ? Certified public accountant-personal
        financial specialist (CPA-PFS)
     ? Chartered financial consultant (ChFC)
8. What licenses do you hold: insurance, securities, CPA or other?
9. Are you personally licensed or registered in a state(s) as an investment adviser representative? If no, why not?
10. Are you or your firm licensed or registered with the state or federal government as an investment adviser? If no, why not?
11. What services do you offer?
12. Describe your approach to financial planning.
13. How are you paid for your services: fee, commission, fee and commission , salary or other?
14. What do you typically charge? If fee, is it hourly or flat, and how much? If percentage of assets under management, what is the percentage? If commission, what is the approximate percentage of the investment or premium you receive on stocks and bonds, mutual funds, annuities or insurance products?
15. Do you have a business affiliation with any company whose products or services you are recommending?
16. Is any of your compensation based on selling products?
17. Do you have an affiliation with a broker/dealer?
18. Are you an owner of, or connected with, any other company whose services or products I will use?
19. Do you provide a written client engagement agreement?

Adapted from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board)

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