Free money waiting for you: You put money in and you should get money out. The National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits helps you find money being held from prior employers.
Grandparents are making big money as social media gurus
New word for you: Grandfluencer. That’s grandparent + influencer for all the folks trading in retirement for social media fame. We’re talking millions of followers, thousands of comments … and a lot of money. One paid post can land a particularly big grandfluencer over $150K.
Take 79-year-old Lynn Yamada Davis, for example. She rakes in a cozy six-figure salary from her Cooking With Lynja channels. Over 17 million people have watched her build a 10-foot hotdog and make popcorn with a hair straightener. Unusual? Yes. Entertaining? Definitely.
Offering up some elderly wisdom
You probably assumed the fans of grandfluencers are older adults. Nope, most of their fans are young adults. There are dozens of accounts where elders offer their wisdom. Many of these creators are like warm, motherly and fatherly figures.
You don’t need to be a lifelong entertainer to go viral on social media. The wacky chef cookingwithlynja is a retired MIT engineer. You wouldn’t have guessed that from how naturally entertaining she is in the kitchen.
If you want to know how to unstick a zipper with petroleum jelly, find yourself an internet mom/grandma. Brunchwithbabs is one of the queens of this genre, providing tips and tricks to her 4 million followers.
The internet’s grandpa
Kim Komando with “Old Man Steve” (Komando.com)
“Old Man Steve” on TikTok, 85-year-old Stephen Austin, has over 1.7 million followers. He posts short clips of drinking coffee, eating cookies and talking to his fans from his assisted living kitchen in Dallas.
Steve has been on my show a few times, and he told me he gets a lot of messages from young fans asking him to be grandpa. “Making fun videos gets me up in the morning,” he said.
Grandparents of comedy
Best gigs for seniors to make extra cash without a 9 to 5 job
You may need or want to make some extra money after you’ve retired, but it can be tough to find full-time, in-person work after being away from the employment scene for a while. Not only are jobs hard to come by, but competition is stiff.
How downsizing brought a couple closer together than ever
Open/download audioAfter retirement, Hal and Jackie decided to downsize, live in an RV and travel the country. What started out as a fun idea became a new lifestyle and the adventure of a lifetime. Their love grew stronger and they are now inseparable. Listen to their story, their day to day life on the road, and what they learned along the way.
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Heartbreaker: A 79-year-old man lost nearly $1 million to scammers pretending to be WWE wrestler Alexa Bliss. Over the years, they drained his retirement savings and even his granddaughter’s college fund (paywall link). The saddest part? When his son moved the last $100,000 to a safe account to protect it, the man sued and disowned him. He then sent that $100,000 to the scammers, too.
$300,000 or 6 years’ worth
Of lost retirement savings for serial job hoppers. It all comes down to retirement savings rates. When you switch to a new job, you’re starting back at 3% and adding a percentage each year. Too many job changes can lead to a 41% smaller nest egg.
Security warning: Watch out for Social Security scammers
Since much information is tied to your Social Security number, scammers often look for ways to get their hands on it. A recent change to Social Security benefits has scammers out in full force, and you must know how to protect yourself.
True or false: That email you got from the Social Security Administration is a phishing scam
We all know the risks that come with surfing the internet. Spoofed websites, malicious links and malware are more prevalent than ever. That’s why many people are cautious when handling suspicious correspondence.
After all, more than 80% of emails sent daily are spam. To drive more awareness about spam emails, various government departments often urge users not to open any messages that supposedly come from them.
⚠️ Targeting older adults: A 76-year-old man was duped out of $740,000 by criminals pretending to be government officials (paywall link). He had trouble logging into his retirement account and received a message from the firm (complete with a legit logo), telling him to call the fraud department. He sent money via bitcoin, wire transfers and gold to “secure” places. PSA: Government agencies will never call and tell you to move your money.
⚠️ He was scammed, then taxed for it: A California man lost his life savings to scammers posing as the FTC. The fraudsters convinced him to move his money to a “secure account.” Huge mistake: He sent thousands in cash and gold through couriers and dipped into his retirement accounts, racking up over $30,000 in taxes. It’s one thing getting scammed, but it’s a double whammy to pay taxes on it.
Plan for the future: AARP has you covered with its retirement calculator. Answer a few questions to find out how much money you need to live to retire comfortably.
Acts Retirement Services data breach: It happened in 2022. If you had an account with them, you could get $25 per hour for the time you spent dealing with the breach. And if your identity was stolen, get up to $3,500. Submit your claim by May 1.
Want to make some extra cash? 15 best-paying side jobs for seniors
Retirement can be a ton of fun. After decades of grinding out long hours, you can finally sit back, kick your feet up and relax. Often, though, people can get tired of the unstructured days and the lack of cash.
In cases like these, many seniors will dip their toes into the working world. After all, the right job can teach you new skills and even fulfill you. Plus, it can bring in some much-needed money.
Ready for retirement? This tool will estimate your monthly Social Security benefits
Planning for retirement can feel overwhelming. How much money will you need? When should you start saving? Can you retire within the next few years, or will you be working longer than you expected?
Social Security is just one of the many things you must consider when making retirement decisions. You also need to be aware of Social Security scams out there. Tap or click for 6 sophisticated scams fooling even the savviest internet users.
How much is my house worth?
Have you been thinking about putting your home up for sale? If so, one of your first steps is to get an idea of what it’s worth so you know what you’re getting into. As they say, knowledge is power.
Many factors go into determining the value of a home. Location, square footage, the age and condition of the house, and neighborhood “comps” to name a few.
7 ways to get your unclaimed money even if you checked before
There’s something attractive about the idea of buried treasure. And that’s how it feels when you find unclaimed money just lying around waiting for you to claim it. Here are some free places to search to find money that belongs to you.
Hack-Proof (almost)
Open/download audioThe steps you can take now to protect your bank, savings,retirement,investment and credit card accounts.
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