Category: December – January 2015

  • You’re The Love Of My Century

    “I always tease him that I am the oldest,” says Adele Rickstrew, wife of Vernon. “And he laughs.” They are Hawaii Kai Retirement Community’s 100 years old couple. She was born in Nevada on June 1913, and he in Colorado on February 1914. Both came from large families, did chores and helped with younger siblings.…

  • Your Spouse May Be Covered

    If your spouse does not earn income or earns less than you do, he/she (including a samesex spouse) may be entitled to Social Security spouse’s benefits, based on your record. Perhaps one spouse earned significantly more or worked longer than the other. Maybe one spouse stayed home to raise children, care for elders or manage…

  • Healthcare Costs In Retirement

    With all the uncertainties of the future, it’s difficult for people to know exactly how much to save for retirement. While it may be relatively easy to gauge just how much you’ll need for everyday living expenses like food and housing, other expenses, such as the costs for healthcare can be a lot more difficult…

  • Na Hoaloha Elder Volunteers

    Na Hoaloha “Go Go” volunteers donate thousands of hours to serve Maui homebound seniors. On any given day throughout the year, there are Na Hoaloha volunteers driving a homebound senior, making a visit or helping family caregivers — with a mission to help Maui’s kupuna remain independent and stay in their homes for\ as long…

  • Two Traditional New Year Celebrations

    Treat yourself and the grandchildren to a cultural New Year celebration this year — one of the big benefits of living in Hawai‘i. Japanese Mochitsuki Mochitsuki is a Japanese New Year tradition of getting together to make ceremonial mochi. Ancient Japanese warlords with the most laborers and rice won wars, so rice came to signify…

  • Will I Outlast My Money?

    With Hawai‘i’s aging population and the majority living longer, we all start to worry about our financial security. How will I pay for my future expenses on a fixed income after retirement? Who will support me when I run out of money? What can I do to prepare myself? Educating yourself is the key to…

  • What Is Ai Chi?

    If starting a new exercise routine is part of your self-improvement plan this year, you may want to consider Ai Chi. Ai (meaning “love”) Chi (“breath/essence/ being”) is a graceful form of aquatic exercise that involves a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner using deep breathing and accompanied by relaxing music and…

  • Manoa Heritage Center: For Sam and Mary Cooke, Malama ‘Aina is the “Right Thing To Do.”

    Manoa Heritage Center: For Sam and Mary Cooke, Malama ‘Aina is the “Right Thing To Do.”

      Manoa Heritage Center in Manoa Valley is a non-profit organization founded by Sam and Mary Cooke to preserve and share with our community an ancient Hawaiian worshipping site that is located on their property. We were invited to visit the center and meet these gracious people who have devoted much of their lives to…

  • The Gift Of Daniel Palmer’s Hobby

    “Everyone should have a hobby when they retire” — that’s what the retired Honolulu dermatologist and part-time Michigan tree farmer Dr. Daniel Palmer says. “I didn’t know anything about ferns, but I had some friends who were preeminent fern researchers and I needed a hobby, so I just took it on and developed some skills.”…

  • Life In Focus

    This article will start with the ending results … “everything is so beautiful.” I recently underwent cataract, astigmatism and lasik eye surgeries. I never realized that what I was seeing was not how things actually appear to others. My eye doctor has been monitoring me for a few years and told me when it was…