Issue 77 August 2021

Chat With John Donaghue, 66, Award-winning Advertising Art Director; Creator of "Under Cardiac Arrest" Comics
--Larry Hayes


If Advertising Is a "Young Person's Game," How Does John Donahue, 66, Compete With 20 Year Olds?

Publisher's Note: “Ageism” is rampant in all professions but especially so in advertising. In a recent study among ad agencies, 79% of people 30 and older believe "ageism" is a bigger problem than racism. How has John Donaghue, 66, a freelance art director and cartoonist, managed to keep working in a "young person's game?"
This is his story.

Q: At age 66, what are the challenges you face working in a youth-oriented business?

Most advertising agencies want to hire younger and less expensive people. There is a perception out there that young people are more
up to date with our rapidly changing technology. So to get around
that, at my age, I tend to work on more conservative accounts like health care and finance, mostly going directly to the client and skipping the agency altogether. This is what inspired me to write a comic strip about older people and their challenges. One of the challenges of being looked over in the workplace.
 
Q: Have you experienced “ageism?”
 
It is pretty subtle. You can feel it sometimes when you walk into a room full of 20 somethings. I get the feeling they think they know everything but on the other hand, they are intimidated by someone who has more experience and accolades. 

However, just getting your foot in the door can be a challenge. You contact 100 agencies for freelance and it seems when they see the work you’ve done, they know how old you are and then you are immediately discounted. But it is not only in advertising. I have friends in the tech world that feel they need to lie about their age.

Q: As you get older, is it harder to come up with fresh ideas?
 
 Don’t think so. The part of this business which I love most is coming up with the ideas and fortunately, that does not require technology.
 
Featured Video of The Month
"Never Look Up To Anybody. Never
Look Down On Anybody."

Wisdom To Ponder from Sadhguru. Check it out!  
Tips For Preventing Cataracts
Did you know that cataracts are the most common cause of
vision loss in adults over forty and the world’s leading cause of blindness? Did you also know that cataracts are a common medical condition where the risk can be controlled or minimized? Read on
for simple steps you can take to keep your eye sight healthy and enjoying the activities you love.
 
Maintain a healthy diet
Eating foods high in antioxidants may help prevent cataracts and
will also aid in maintaining a healthy weight, blood pressure and
blood sugar.

Quit smoking
Smokers have a higher tendency of developing cataracts. Regardless of how long you have smoked, quitting can help reduce your risk of cataracts.

Wear sunglasses
Ultraviolet light can damage the proteins in your lens, increasing the risk of cataracts. Sunglasses block the UV light, effectively protecting your eyes.

Don’t skip regular eye exams
Routine exams are recommended every two years to track any changes in your eyesight.

Stay active
Studies show regular exercise reduces the risk of cataracts and supports overall health.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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the community for 40 years with more than 1,000 doctors in 460 offices plus we speak 30+ languages. Call 888-988-8682 or visit pmgmd.com
for more information.

Chateau-Cupertino
Senior Independent Living Community With a Flair

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Housekeeping and laundry services, all basic utilities, great activity programs, game rooms and transportation--all included starting at $3,000 per month.

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Come and see for yourself. Schedule a Tour Today! Call us today. 408.446.4300. Or email:MarieLouise@chateau-cupertino.com

ASK LARRY
 --Larry Hayes, The Scoop Publisher

"Your 65+ Tennis Team Is Going To The National Championships Again. What Keeps You Playing At 81?"--Andy, SF

A: Despite playing in 100F heat, resurging Covid and recurring bad air quality, my Sunnyvale 65+ team endured and won Norcal's 7.0 Sectional tournament last week in Oakley, CA.
We now advance to the National championships in January in Surprise, AZ--competing against the best teams in America.

Winning is a nice bonus and I've been to four National championships
in the past six years. But it's NOT the only reason that I've continued to captain and play USTA tennis for over 30 years. What keeps me going is the bonding and building of long term friendships with many of my teammates. Some teammates have been with me before computers became ubiquitous. At 81, I'm the second oldest player on our team. The oldest is 83 and he's undefeated this year like me. Most guys are in their mid 70s with a few "youngsters" in their mid to late 60s. We play to win but congratulate each other after a match. After all, it's just a game.

What keeps me going? I try to eat healthy foods, watch my weight and believe the "glass is half full." Playing tennis helps keep me fit along with fishing and lawn bowling with my wife. Having a supportive, caring spouse is my secret for longevity.

Every day is a special gift. I'm truly blessed to be captaining and playing competitive USTA tennis after all these years. With a little
bit of luck and help from "up above," I hope to keep hitting that
"little yellow ball" back and forth without making too many unforced errors.
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Got a Question? Ask me anything. If I don't know the answer, I'll ask someone who does. Email me at larry@activeover50.com. ASK LARRY is written by Larry Hayes of A050 ActiveOve50. ActiveOver50.com/Ask Larry
"Social Insecurity" is a new book of charming, witty, crazy, offbeat, happy comics about getting older from the comic series "Under Cardiac Arrest" by John Donaghue.
John Donaghue is an award-winning advertising art director and cartoonist from San Francisco. To order a copy of his new e-book
"Social Insecurity," CLICK HERE.
What Is a "1031" Exchange?

By Evelyn (Evie) Preston, The Money Lady

A friend sold her rental property
a few years ago—too much to manage—but she wanted to avoid the capital gains taxes on her highly appreciated beach house. And she still needed income. Fortunately, she was able to invest in a much used real estate strategy, an IRS approved 1031 Exchange of like-kind properties.

Many well-known property management companies exchange personal income properties for professionally managed real estate investments throughout the U.S. including apartment complexes, malls and businesses. Structured to kick-out considerable ongoing income, 1031s have been a boon to investors who want to have a worry-free, diversified asset as well as receive income in retirement.
 
Q: I’d love to sell my house which is way too big now but I
don’t want to pay the huge taxes. Can I use this 1031 deal?
 
Sorry, 1031exchanges are only allowed on similar types of income properties whether a single property or pooled with other investors to purchase a syndicated asset. You then own beneficial shares for greater diversity and reduced liability. Your personal residence
doesn’t qualify.
 
Q: What’s the main advantage to 1031s and why are they so popular?

A key tax advantage is the stepped-up basis to current market value upon transfer, unlike your residence during your lifetime. It’s a reset button to long-held property and ability to defer capital gains taxes.
 
Q: Why can’t I put the apartment building I own into my trust when I die? It will get the same stepped-up basis to market value, and my three children will inherit it without paying any fees to some real estate company?
 
An extra benefit of some 1031 investments is greater flexibility for multiple heirs, ease of title transfers and no management responsibilities. Some companies offer diverse investments within
one exchange so heirs can easily divide ownership units in one or more properties. If only one wants to sell, each can get a separate valuation for his/her own needs and timing.
 
Q: I read that Biden’s American Family Plan would eliminate 1031s to fund critical domestic programs but only for investors with over $400,000 yearly income. So most of us with rentals or small businesses wouldn’t have to worry, correct?
 
Who knows? It’s all still in the works but trillions planned for social programs will require serious funding. Sell a business or most highly appreciated CA rental/small apartment property, family farm or a small business in California and that year’s income would quickly skyrocket.

These owners probably wouldn’t qualify for the 1031 exchange and could incur a whopping capital gains tax. If forced to sell to pay taxes, they might lose on-going income and forgo passing on cherished businesses or property. This could be the end of the line for many long-term family assets.
 
Q: What can an individual do to insure passage of lifetime homes, businesses and income properties to family? After all,
so many seniors worked hard, saved always and even scrimped in many cases to pass a financial legacy to their children.
 
Contact your Congressional Representatives to: 1) not abolish the stepped-up basis for property, a long established allowance upon death for individual owners and upon sale for business/income properties.

2) Keep the 1031 Exchange feature of like-kind properties and not strip families of generational assets, a bedrock of American prosperity.

Remind our legislators that it’s the American Way to take care of ourselves and our families through individual initiative, hard work and lifelong savings instead of expecting the Government to take care of us. 
_____.________________________________________________________
Evelyn (Evie) Preston is a financial columnist for The Scoop and has worked as a financial advisor for over 25 years. She can be reached at 650.494.7443. Her book: Memoirs of The Money Lady is available at eviepreston.com.
Looking
For Senior
Living Housing?

Sue Gibson is with CarePatrol and she helps families find assisted living, memory care, board & care and independent living facilities.

She checks the state care and violation reports and only recommends safe options. She tours with her families to be there to ask and answer questions. She follows up 2, 7 and 30 days after move in to be sure all
is going as planned.

CarePatrol is a FREE placement service. Sue is compensated by the 200+ homes and communities in her network. She is a trained Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and has helped over 600 families in the past 6+ years. And although she personally covers San Mateo county, there
are over 150 CSAs in her network so she can help you all across the
U.S. with just one phone call or email. 

What people are saying about Sue Gibson and CarePatrol:

"It has been wonderful to work with Sue Gibson. She is competent, helpful and extremely knowledgeable. She has provided an invaluable service to our family."~Helen S.

"Sue is amazing! She guided us through the process of finding
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It was clear she had done the hard work for us. We were able to place my mom within 36 hours. I highly recommend Sue."~Diane P.

Contact Sue at 415.656 6869 or sgibson@carepatrol.com. Visit her website at: sanmateo.carepatrol.com.
ALASKA IS UNIQUE. AND BIG!

Like Visiting
Another Country

--Bill Moniz, World Traveler

When thinking about traveling to Alaska, most people think of cruising through the inside passage from Seattle or Vancouver B.C. to Juneau, sailing past glaciers and snow caped mountains with stops in some
of the few towns in the area such as Ketchikan, Wrangel, Sitka and Skagway. This area is referred to as Southeastern Alaska and represents a tiny fraction of the entire state. 

Alaska is BIG! Alaska is about one-fifth the size of the Lower 48.
The next largest state, Texas, would fit into Alaska 2.5 times. In fact,
if you combined the area of Texas, California and Montana, it would still be less than the size of Alaska. Yet there are less than 800,000 people in the entire state, 50% of them in Anchorage. That’s less than half the population of Santa Clara County and there are only four other states in the U.S. with less population (the Dakotas, Wyoming and Vermont).

There are maybe 10 named highways in Alaska; none are freeways as we know them. There are another 6 to 7 dirt or gravel highways and your rental car contract is void if you drive on them. The two main highways go from Homer/Seward to Anchorage, ending in Fairbanks (the Parks Highway) and the other from Fairbanks through Tok to the Canadian border via the Alaska Highway. More than 90% of the state doesn’t have roads.

Itinerary
My wife and I both have been to Southeastern Alaska, so we decided to see the other Alaska--the midnight sun, vast open spaces, snow capped mountains, dirt highways, grizzly bears, swarms of mosquitos and flies, fjords and glaciers, the Alaska pipeline, the Yukon River and old gold mining towns, wild animals roaming freely, the Arctic circle and Denali Park with the highest mountain in North America at 20,343 feet. 
 
To read the full, "day by day" account of Bill's August adventure with his wife in the great state of Alaska--CLICK HERE
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No, a borrower may designate an heir of their choosing.The heir(s) will inherit the home after the last surviving borrower passes away and may then choose to keep (by paying off the amount of reverse mortgage balance) or sell the home. Should they choose to sell, any remaining equity after paying off the loan (minus interest and fees) would be theirs.

Q: What is the lending limit of the HECM reverse mortgage?
As of January 1, 2021, it increased to $822,375. Which means it's very likely you can qualify for more money.

To learn more, call me today: 408.722.0010 

Marilyn Brown Ross Branch Manager & Reverse Mortgage Professional

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A Longer, Healthier, More Meaningful Life
San Francisco Bay Area reaching over 100,000 readers on multiple platforms including the A050 website and social media. For editorial and advertising opportunities, email: larry@activeover50.com. activeover50.com.