The Retirement Success in Maine Podcast

Practicing Gratitude in the Face of Adversity

Ep 063: The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier or thinking they can't feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.
Our next guest practices gratitude every day. He is a husband, father and successful salesman who has worked in the financial services industry for nearly 20 years. The Cincinnati native is also living with kidney cancer. He was first diagnosed in 2015, but after one of his kidneys was removed, doctors told him he was cancer-free. Then, in late 2018, the cancer returned, and the biopsied tumor was malignant. Since then, he started a blog to track his journey and inspire others. His disease has taught him that how you respond to situations you face defines who you are. Please welcome Matt Moran to The Retirement Success in Maine Podcast!
Chapters:
Welcome, Matt Moran! [4:45]
Matt’s journey with cancer. [9:02]
What is the meaning of G-R-A-T-I-T-U-D-E to Matt? [18:13]
How does being more grateful improve our relationships? [27:32]
What are the Four Houses of Health? [33:45]
What are Matt’s thoughts on practicing gratitude in a comparative way? [44:28]
Why is making amends so important to the practice of gratitude? [48:49]
How will gratitude continue to shape Matt’s life and his retirement? [52:13]
Ben and Curtis conclude the episode. [58:49]

Understanding an Alzheimer’s Diagnosis with Amy Angelo

Ep 062: Currently, more than 29,000 people in Maine are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and over 46,000 caregivers provide 68,000,000 hours in unpaid care. Dementia caregivers are providing 20% more care than in 2009. Alzheimer's and dementia deaths have increased by 16% during the COVID-19 pandemic. (alz.org/facts) Some of our long-time listeners of the podcast might remember we had an AWESOME conversation in EPISODE #8 with Dr. Cliff Singer of Northern Light Health Acadia Hospital breaking down what is "normal" cognitive decline versus something more serious. But what about Alzheimer's specifically? And what's happening with Alzheimer's in the State of Maine?
Our next guest serves as the Program Manager for the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Social Work from Temple University and has held previous leadership roles with Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, Lehigh Valley Aging in Place Coalition, Catholic Charities, United Way, and CarePatrol. Please welcome Amy Angelo to The Retirement Success in Maine Podcast!
Chapters:
Welcome, Amy Angelo! [3:29]
What is Alzheimer’s and what is its relationship with Dementia, Parkinson’s, or Lewy Body Dementia? [16:48]
What’s the best way to start a conversation with our loved ones about seeing a concern in their brain health? [22:14]
What should caregivers know about understanding and responding to dementia related behaviors? How can caregivers arm themselves with this knowledge? [28:13]
What are some things we can do today to help prevent developing Alzheimer’s and what’s out there on the horizon for treatment? [40:48]
How is Amy going to find her personal Retirement Success? [45:45]
Ben and Curtis conclude the episode. [47:46]

How to START Being a Bad Widow with Alison Pena

Ep 061: A few months back, one of our clients that we work with in our practice lost her husband after sudden cognitive decline. It was terrible, but also now, she, the spouse has been completely lost. She is trying to figure out her place in the world and has expressed to us that taking on everything her husband did is leaving her continually overwhelmed. She's questioned, how is it possible to find out who she is without her husband? The majority of her adult life has been made up of being in this relationship with someone she loves more than anything.
So how common is this occurrence of losing our spouse? According to US Census numbers, 40% of women and 13% of men aged 65 or older have lost their spouses. Our next guest is a lifelong New Yorker and entrepreneur who loves music, art, travel, and adventures. Her husband, David, and she were together 25 years, married for 20 of them. On October 12th, 2015, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer – life expectancy, 6 weeks to 4 months. Together, they learned to live fearlessly in the face of death itself.
Saturday, September 10th, 2016, without pain or fear, David took his last four breaths, and she was a widow. What did it mean to be a widow, though? It’s impossible to prepare for such a loss. She was isolated and lonely but could not find resources to solve how to reconnect, get back to work and open up to love again - so she created them. She began BadWidow.com and it resonated with people who had suffered a loss too. Our guest is now a grief resilience coach, #1 bestselling author on Amazon, global speaker, and Affluence Code® consultant. Her recently published #1 bestselling book, The Bad Widow Guide to Life After Loss: Moving Through Grief to Live and Love Again is now available on Amazon, and she also has a free 3-video mini-series supplement to her book and ongoing grief resilience tips. Please welcome Alison Pena to The Retirement Success in Maine Podcast!
Chapters:
Welcome, Alison Pena! [3:14]
Why does Alison call herself a Bad Widow? [14:35]
What did Alison learn about living fearlessly as David was fighting his cancer? [20:40]
How can we handle depression, fear, anger, grief, etc., after suffering the loss of a spouse? [26:49]
What steps did Alison take to rejoin life again after she lost her husband? [36:02]
What does it mean to make better distinctions as someone reinvents themselves after a loss? [47:12]
How is Alison going to find her own Retirement Success? [55:42]
Ben and Curtis look back on the conversation. [57:46]

Write Your Book and Get Published with Michael Bowker

Ep 060: One thing that we hear all the time from our clients – “You know what? I could write a book!”
And we will add, our clients are great storytellers! They've lived many interesting lives and can weave their experiences into story ideas that are very compelling. BUT many of us have never written before! Where would we start? What are some things that novice writers do that get us stuck? What things SHOULD we know before we go down this road? Well, that's the premise for this show..."HOW TO WRITE YOUR BOOK AND GET PUBLISHED!"
Our next guest is an award-winning investigative journalist and novelist, he is the author of 21 books and more than 4,000 articles. He also served as the senior speechwriter (wrote 232 speeches) and consultant to a guy who served two terms as Mayor of Los Angeles.  Additionally, he was the Executive Editor of one of the largest business magazines in the US, and for several years he worked as the Publishing Director for a series of health books.  He has successfully negotiated publishing contracts in 15 countries. He is also the co-founder of Sixty Degrees Publishing. Our guest enjoys sharing his passion for telling stories about the sometimes inspirational, sometimes illegal, but always compelling things that people do.
His newest novel, GODS OF OUR TIME: A Paris Love Story, recently won the Best International Novel of the Year award from the Book Publicists of South California. He has written for the L.A. Times, N.Y. Times, and Reader's Digest, and he and he has been featured on CBS, NBC, ABC, 20/20, the Oxygen Channel, HBO, and more than 150 radio stations nationwide. He has worked as a freelance writer and editor for several years and now serves as CEO of Sixty Degrees Publishing, which offers an author-friendly environment 'where art and literature meet'.  He loves working with authors to help them write, publish, and promote their work. Please welcome Michael Bowker to The Retirement Success in Maine Podcast!
Chapters:
Welcome, Michael Bowker! [3:00]
What are the right steps to take when starting your writing journey? [15:55]
What things lead novice writers to get stuck? [20:25]
What if I have a great story in my head, but I can’t develop the skills to write? How can I get my story told? [27:20]
What if my writing has some commercial success? What does a publicity tour for writing look like? [35:43]
What is the process of turning a story you’ve written into a television series or movie? How is ownership of your work affected? [43:47]
How do we go about writing our own life (or someone else’s) story? [49:36]
How will Michael find his personal Retirement Success? [57:49]
Ben and Curtis discuss the episode. [1:01:52]

REALLY Experiencing Food in Retirement with David Page, Creator of ”Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”

Ep 059: When working with retirees like as do, we know that one thing our clients generally like to do as a special treat is to go out to eat at restaurants, right? Sometimes we might have a local haunt that we visit routinely, say on a Friday or Saturday night to break up the week. Food is a big deal in our lives, not just from the enjoyment of the food itself, but also a gathering place for families to share stories and their lives. So, we wanted to have a show to not only talk about this big part of our lives that we all enjoy but how can we elevate it? How can we experience food better when dining out? What about doing a better job of finding the best places to eat for us as we vacation?
Our next guest is a two-time Emmy winner and changed the world of food television by creating, developing, and executive-producing the groundbreaking show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." Creating Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and hands-on producing its first eleven seasons took him deep into the world of American food—its vast variations, its history, its evolution, and especially the dedicated cooks and chefs keeping it vibrant. His next series, the syndicated Beer Geeks, dove deep into the intersection of great beer and great food. It is those experiences, that education, and the discovery of little-known stories and facts that led him to dig even deeper and tie the strands together in his new book, "Food Americana." Please welcome David Page to The Retirement Success in Maine Podcast!
Chapters:
Welcome, David Page! [2:15]
How did David come up with the show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”? [11:22]
What can the retiree population do better when eating out? [17:41]
How can someone find spots to go eat that they may not know about yet? [23:21]
How can someone elevate their vacation food experience? [30:49]
What are David’s top-five places to experience the best food? [38:53]
What is David’s food experience with the state of Maine? [53:28]
How will David find his personal Retirement Success one day? [57:43]
Ben and Curtis wrap up the conversation [1:00:27]

Giving Charitably to Fulfill Your Family Mission with Glenn Garbutt

Ep 058: So far in our show, we've uncovered the theme that there are many things that brings our lives fulfillment. One thing we consider as we discuss our own mortality is our legacy, right? What have we changed or made better? Sometimes our work is our legacy. Sometimes our volunteer work. Sometimes it's the family bonds and memories. But another way to build a legacy is to use our savings during or after our lives to give to a charity that can impact others' lives. There are countless worthy nonprofits and charities out there. So what should we know about finding which charity is the best match for our values and dollars? WHEN should I give to charity? HOW & HOW MUCH should we give them?  
Our next guest is a Vice President and charitable planning consultant for Fidelity Charitable®, an independent public charity that has helped donors support more than 328,000 nonprofit organizations with $51 billion in grants. In his role, he is a premier resource on charitable planning for advisors and their clients in the Northeast area. He educates advisors on current charitable planning trends and strategies, along with leveraging the benefits of Fidelity Charitable’s donor-advised fund program, to help philanthropic clients give more to the charities they support. Please welcome Glenn Garbutt to the Retirement Success in Maine Podcast!
Chapters:
Welcome, Glenn Garbutt! [2:54]
Why do people give charitably? [9:51]
How can someone identify which causes are important to them and what impact their donation is going to have? How can they figure out the best place for them to give? [16:52]
How do people today give to charity (from an asset perspective)? [31:00]
What are Donor Advised Funds and when did they come about? [37:39]
Many scenarios can immediately influence someone’s liquid wealth – what are some planning considerations for these types of scenarios? [46:39] 
How is Glenn going to find his personal Retirement Success? [52:53] 
Ben and Curtis wrap-up the conversation [55:37]

Accepting & Conquering Mental Health Challenges with Joanne P. McCallie

Ep 057: What should we know about HOW mental health issues present themselves, how should we identify them in ourselves or others, how do we field a successful team around someone we love that needs help, and what does the future look like for those aging with a brain health issue?
Our next guest is an author and elite-level NCAA Basketball coach. She received a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from Auburn University and has coached at Maine, Michigan State, and Duke, making National Coach of the Year 2005, and winning numerous championships at all three schools. She is the only coach in history to win Coach of the Year in four different conferences. An advocate for mental health and melanoma, she is also a wife, and mom of two, Maddie and Jack. She has extensive media experience, on radio shows and podcasts, and has provided color commentary for four years in the WNBA.
In her book, "Secret Warrior: A Coach and Fighter, On and Off the Court", she's written a compelling memoir following her own mental health journey through the realities and challenges within the sports world. Using the recurring theme of "faith over fear" to reduce the stigma associated with impaired mental health and encourage those suffering from mental health issues to reach out to coaches, student-athletes, and to all people across the world- she offers real direction, experiences, and personal stories to teach and reassure those adversely affected by the dynamics of the mind and body experience. Motivational and heartfelt, Secret Warrior drives home the need for more education, stories, action, and an overall change to the narrative about brain health. Please welcome Joanne P. McCallie - (Coach P as her players refer to her!) to The Retirement Success in Maine Podcast!
Chapters:
Welcome, Joanne P. McCallie (Coach P)! [3:02]
What does it mean to have a mood disorder? [16:07]
Would today’s day and age change how Coach P’s diagnosis was approached? [26:59]
Looking back at Coach P’s first Manic Episode (1995), how would that experience differ if it were to occur today? [36:35]
What has Coach P learned from her recent “Pivot” and what’s next? [41:43]
How can someone with a mental illness build a winning team around them? [46:22]
How will Coach P find her own Retirement Success? [54:48]
Ben and Curtis wrap up the conversation. [56:23]

Cognitive Decline and the Impact on Your Finances

Ep 056: Today's topic is something we have touched on here and there within our podcast - Cognitive Decline as we age. We think it’s something almost everyone worries about as we age - for our spouse and ourselves! So recently, our connections at Vanguard shared with us a new Vanguard whitepaper – "The Risk of Cognitive Decline: Investors' perception and preparation". It really addresses a lot of questions that we hear daily from clients and our listeners of this show.
Today's guest is a Senior Investment Strategist with the Vanguard Investment Strategy Group. She has a B.A. in sociology from the University of the Philippines Los Banos, an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology and demography from The Pennsylvania State University and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Carolina Population Center. She also authored the before mentioned whitepaper – “The Risk of Cognitive Decline: Investors' perception and preparation”, please welcome Anna Madamba, Ph.D. to The Retirement Success in Maine Podcast!
Chapters:
Welcome, Anna Madamba! [2:22]
How is cognitive decline defined? [10:25]
How do investors perceive their risk of cognitive decline? [16:56]
Who is likely to be named an agent in the event of cognitive decline? [21:16]
When should someone transfer control over their affairs? [33:16]
How should DIYers structure the management of their financial assets in the event that they experience a decline? [50:53]
What is Anna’s personal definition of Retirement Success? [1:00:10]
Ben and Curtis wrap up the conversation. [1:02:26]