The Best Alzheimer’s Resource on the Net

By Art Koff. Founder RetiredBrains.com

Every year more and more people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As baby boomers come of age, the number of people afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to reach 13.8 million by 2050. This is millions more than previously expected. Of the millions who have this disease today as many as half don't have specific arrangements to help them get care. Health care costs for those with the disease and for people who have other forms of dementia are more than three times higher than costs for older Americans who are not afflicted.

If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one and wish to see recent Alzheimer’s research as well as see the answers to the questions you might have about this disease, this is the place to find it.

Our just completed Memory Loss & Alzheimer’s Section includes hundreds of links to where additional information can be found and the resources our viewers have requested.

Below are some of the resources included

·  The 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's

·  Checklist of Symptoms

·  Reduce Your Risk

·  Alzheimer's Drugs

·  Extend Quality & Length of Life

·  Diet and Alzheimer's

·  Forgetfulness & Memory Tips
·  Senior Moments

·  Symptoms, Care and Help

·  Traveling With People That Have Alzheimer's

·  Care Outside the Home

·  When to Stop Driving

·  Do You Have Mild Cognitive Impairment

·  Determining the Care Level Needed

·       Assisted Living Facilities

·       Skilled Nursing Facilities

·       Adult Day Programs

Please pass this information on to those you feel will find it helpful.

Note: Should you be aware of content that we have not included we would appreciate your passing it on.  Please contact us placing Alzheimer’s in the subject line.

How to figure out how much risk to take with your retirement money

By Art Koff Published on MarketWatch March 29, 2016

Are your investments too risky? For those who are retired or near retirement, this is a particularly important question because they have a shorter investment horizon. If you suffer a large loss now, you don't have a great deal of time for your investments to recover. This is exactly what happened in 2008 to many people.

On the other hand, we are living longer, so you are likely to still need to get some growth out of your investments in order to make sure you don't outlive your savings. It is certainly difficult to grow your investments without taking at least some risk.

There is currently plenty of anxiety in the markets, either real or imagined: China's growth or contraction, Britain departing from the European Union, oil crash ripples, recession fears, political uncertainty in the U.S. in an election year, market volatility, interest rates, and global terrorism.

The question is how should you adjust investments to maximize safety while still enjoying a combination of return and growth potential? The answer is your "risk tolerance" or the amount of risk you should be taking in your portfolio. Everyone should know their risk tolerance and everyone's risk tolerance is different. Your adviser should help determine this, or you can use one of the many online tools to help.

This is more important than ever. A recent study by ERBI has shown that only 21% of Americans are "very confident" they have enough money for retirement. As a result, a number of pre-retirees feel they must invest in vehicles which are expected to provide adequate income, but some carry undue risk. "We occasionally see instances of near-retirees trying to throw a 'Hail Mary' pass in order to hit their retirement goals," says risk tolerance expert Kendrick Wakeman, CEO of FinMason, Inc, "but it's better to increase savings and/or adjust retirement expectations than to potentially lose retirement completely."

The question is how should you adjust to maximize safety while still enjoying a combination of return and growth potential? Nearly 80% of workers underestimate how much they will need to save for their retirement.

How much investment is needed for your retirement years depends on a number of factors. Your current age, what age you plan to stop working, how much income you project you will need, what your current financial situation (net worth) is, are you likely to inherit substantial funds prior to or during retirement, and how long you will need your retirement money to last.

Each investor must make her or his retirement investment decisions based on their particular needs. Recommendations that are designed for everyone are just not appropriate.

Here are some tools to evaluate your needs:

This questionnaire helps you determine your risk profile.

This calculator uses helpful charts to let you gauge your risk tolerance and compare it to your current portfolio.

This calculator will estimate your personal risk over the next 5, 10, or 15 years. Risk Calculator.

This calculator uses helpful charts to let you gauge your risk tolerance and compare it to your portfolio.

This is a more academic approach with an extensive set of psychological questionsdesigned to determine your risk tolerance.

T. Rowe Price Retirement Income Calculator (you must register as a guest to use).

Fidelity Retirement Score (answers 6 questions to see where you stand.

For more in-depth information, check out these articles:

Retirement planning guide (What must I know to plan for the future or to prepare for a meeting with a retirement planner.)

Increase your retirement income (Annuities, Social Security, Reverse Mortgage and more.)