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The World’s Most Beautiful Things

Have you ever had the experience of being virtually “knocked off your feet” by an endless onslaught of wonders, all gathered together surprisingly and impossibly in one single condensed, rich, atmospheric and utterly beguiling place?

That was the experience I had when I recently satisfied a long-time yearning and visited New York’s J.P. Morgan Library and Museum (Madison Ave. at 36th Street).  I’ve always held a fascination with J.P. Morgan, a man larger than life and one of the nation’s great financiers at the end of the 19th century.  Morgan, toward the end of his life, set out to build America’s leading collection of “the most beautiful things in the world.”  Not, say his admirers, as a tribute to himself; but rather to provide a range of the most beautiful cultural objects from around the world to America, the assembled for viewing by the public, out of his belief that Americans were being deprived of sufficient access to this type of culture in the day to day hustle and bustle of settling the country.

The range of articles he collected, both from ancient times, Renaissance Europe, and from American arts and history, is truly-awe inspiring.  Morgan’s original mansion including his sitting room and personal library, were recently renovated and you can see such rarities as examples of the Gutenberg bible, handwritten, signed music scores by Beethoven and Mozart, letters and manuscripts by Dickens, Twain, Thoreau, Poe, and Ralph Waldo Emerson; ancient and medieval illuminated manuscripts and objects of art, ornate tapestries, and period furniture.  Perhaps most startling is how accessible everything is–you can look closely at everything from the Gutenberg Bible to a 12th Century gilded artifact said to contain an original remnant of the Cross. 

Just as Morgan set out to create a collection of the world’s most beautiful things, we at the Boomers Retirement Network have set out to collect the world’s most beautiful and well-crafted solutions for our Baby Boomer members to put to use in creating your most satisfying life going forward.  You’ll see a number of these solutions featured in this issue of “The Beat Goes On.”  Each has been hand-picked to help you realize all your future dreams that you possibly can.  So don’t miss out on any of them! 

Committed to your success,
Richard Roll

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Thanksgiving Wishes

Thank goodness for Thanksgiving! It gives us the chance to stop the noise and the busyness, and remember to acknowledge and give thanks for our Blessings, Assets, and Gifts.

This past Saturday, my family and I helped assemble and deliver Thanksgiving baskets and turkeys to families in need in Bridgeport and New Haven, Connecticut. What a gift it was for us! We shared the spirit of the season with adults and children in a number of households. They were dealing with challenges, as we all are in this struggling economy. We shared our humanity together. It was a joyful and heart warming experience for all!

I wish you and your loved ones a joyous and peaceful Thanksgiving.

With warm regards,
Richard Roll

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Eye Opening Revelations: What I Learned at the AARP National Convention

I just got back from the AARP National Convention in Orlando, Florida, and it was fascinating to hear all the different points of view about the situation facing most Baby Boomers in our country.

Kathleen Sibelius—Head of the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, talking about how health care reform will affect seniors

Newt Gingrich—Talking about Health Care reimbursement Fraud that’s costing the tax payers tens of billions

James Carville & Mary Matalin—Talking about the upcoming election races

Whoopi Goldberg—Interviewing Larry King and talking about how he at age 76 still conceives children without viagra

Rob Reiner—who has a new film out that’s supposed to be terrific

Even Crosby Stills & Nash were there. I’m a big fan but I didn’t see them on this trip, I imagine they played their song “helpless helpless helpless helpless.”

It all reminds me of the man who fell off the top of the Empire State Building. He’s falling and falling, and by the time he gets to the 50^th floor, people are hearing about it and poking their heads out the window. Someone asks him, “How are you doing? Are you ok?” and he calls back, “So far, so good!”

Well we know how that’s going to most likely turn out. And the longevity we’re seeing today, and the future entitlements costs in this country, with 78 million Baby Boomers, the first ones turn 65 on January 1, 2011 (1/1/11).

I went to the AARP Convention to get a bird’s eye view of the state of over-50 America and I’ll tell you, I was fascinated to meet and talk to some the 20,000 people who were there, I’d say 80% or more were over 65, many in their 70’s. some in their 80’s and one lady I heard had just turned 90, lovely people and one thing I can tell you if you’re a Baby Boomer—one of these days that’s going to be you and me! And we’ve got to get ready for it now. The average Boomers will live more than half their adult life after 50.

More and more people are talking about what they’re calling the Third Chapter—the 25 years between age 50 and age 75—as a new stage of mid-life with a whole new set of possibilities, which is great. New purpose, new adventured, new passion. But it’s a lot tougher if you’re doing it without any money, or without enough money.

A lot of these older people I met there were teachers or worked for the Federal government. They’ve got great pensions so there were a few things I came away with from there that I believe stronger than ever:

1) There is no one number. You’ve got to work on your future, financial and lifestyle situations from both ends at the same time, money in, money out, over time

2) There is no one investment—its all about different buckets

3) Taxes and powerful strategies to minimize them are going to be more important to almost everyone than pure investment returns by themselves. Taxes are obviously going to be going up, all kinds of taxes

4) Every successful professional golfer, every successful pro tennis player, has a coach. They don’t try to do it all by themselves. Everyone must have some kind of coach, an unbiased, up to date coach or source of coaching. You’d have to be crazy not to.

But it’s hard to find that kind of coach today and that’s why I created the Boomers Retirement Network and the 10 Minute Retirement Quiz. It’s all about making what comes next work for you.

I’m going to tell you where to take the free 10-Minute Retirement Quiz that’s easy and confidential with no wrong answers. People tell me that it helps them get tremendous clarity about their priorities and then it gives you a lot of free resources and puts you on a good track to move forward. Again, it’s free and your privacy is protected.

Go to www.BoomersRetirementNetwork.com today—Take the Quiz. Thousands of people have already taken it and I highly recommend it.

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Check out this article I found

Check out this article I found in The New York Times on Woody Allen and his position on getting older.  The link is posted on my BBRC Facebook fan page.  Go there to read the article.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Baby-Boomers-Retirement-Club-BBRC/253436943585

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Consumer Protection in the Banking and Financial Services Industry

I’ve been a little upset at the organized, well-funded campaign of “disinformation” and obstruction taking place in the Nation’s capital to put the kabosh on any truly effective consumer protection in the banking and financial services industry ( I began my career in banking and after that provided consulting services to over 130 banks and savings banks).  Not long ago I sent this letter to Sen. Christopher Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, whose consumer protection efforts I’ve supported in the past.

Now I’m making this letter public to further press these key points.  When you read the letter, please let me know what you think and I’ll be pass them along where it will do some good. Continue reading Consumer Protection in the Banking and Financial Services Industry…

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