Retirement Planning Strategies - March 2021

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MARCH 2021

HEALTHY, WEALTHY,

&Wise

1 Denver Federal Center Building 45, Entrance E-9, Room 1050 Lakewood, CO 80225

WOMEN’S HISTORY AND YOUR FUTURE Despite Gains, Women Trail in Retirement Readiness

You may already be aware that March is Women’s History Month. It’s a good time to look back at the role women have played in global history, but it’s also to look forward to a future that is, in certain ways, brighter than the past. Women have always held important roles and carried immense influence and, in the last 100 years, have seen tremendous gains in our civil rights and the careers open to us. Every March, I can’t help but think of my grandmother, who wrote an essay in her senior year about why women should have the right to vote. That was in 1913, and 80 years later, that same paper reemerged from a time capsule planted in the cornerstone of the high school. When I read it, I hear the voice of a young woman who would be proud of my career in financial services, just two generations later. But I can’t pretend that my grandmother would be happy with some of the stigmas still in place — or in the fact that in 2021, only 16% of financial advisers are female. As far as we’ve come, we’re not quite there yet. And I’m often reminded of that when I speak to women about their retirement plans. In my experience, a large part of the reason few women pursue careers in finance is because of the assumption that you have to be “good at math” to do this work — and that women aren’t

completely retire at a reasonable age. I see that belief even in my female clients with the most technical and impressive careers you can imagine. It’s not about intelligence at all: I’ve had biologists with 20 years in their field turn to me and say, “Ann, this stuff is like a foreign language to me.” These are women who spent a decade earning the necessary degrees for a very scientific job! My point is this: Women in 2021 are tremendously empowered compared to those even two generations ago. But when they look back at today from Women’s History Month in 2121, they’ll see a number of places where our society still has room to improve. One of those areas will be that some women remained unable to get the future they deserved because of the intimidation surrounding financial literacy and retirement planning. To surmount that feeling of intimidation, you need a translator who will advocate on your behalf. You may prefer a female one, and I hope someday female financial advisers are as common as male advisors — after all, it is a great career path and one I really love. For now, though, I’m here for you. I want to answer your questions, translate the lingo, and secure for you the retirement you deserve. –Ann Vanderslice

as “good at math” as men are. Neither of these assumptions is particularly accurate, but the second one is truly harmful and incorrect. I don’t hear it said aloud as much as I used to, but if you are a woman thinking seriously about retirement, odds are good that you grew up in a time when that stigma was blatant and out in the open. And even today, at the very least, the field of finances targets young men willing to put in 70 hours a week at a bank or brokerage firm. Financial literacy is not a language developed with women in mind, and the places to learn it are overwhelmingly male. This is why I often find women aren’t planning for retirement the way they should be. About 53% of women think they won’t be able to retire until after 65, and almost the same number expect to still work part time when they do retire. For many working women, these statistics don’t represent what is possible, but rather the belief that they will never be able to “do the math” well enough to

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From Empty Nest to Full Hive SPOTLIGHTING THE BISHOP-COTNERS

For a retired couple, Retirement Planning Services clients Robert and Sheri Bishop-Cotner sure give “busy as a bee” new meaning. Their small business, BC Honey Hives, may have started in their backyard, but it’s taken on a life of its own — and taken them along for the ride! Robert started it all when he had a problem that many readers will be familiar with: His son left for college. Suddenly, the time spent at wrestling matches, cheering at football games, and doing pickups and drop-offs at swim meets was over, and Robert’s schedule was wide open. Robert says, “I knew we had to fill it somehow.”

about pursuing that interest in some of his newly-found free time. About that time, “I came upon an advertisement for a beekeeping class,” Sheri says. It seemed like kismet. At first, it was just two hives in the backyard. This gave Robert and Sheri a chance to get the feel for managing bees, which is as much an art as it is science. That, of course, isn’t to say science isn’t involved. Bees are hardy in some ways but vulnerable in other ways. Where the hives are located, how many flowers are nearby, air quality, and even the variety of pollen-bearing plants all play a factor in the life of the hive. But the biggest factor by far? “Climate is everything,” Robert says. “The yearly cycle of a beehive in the north is much different than one down south.” For one thing, it’s more of a cycle. Here in Colorado, a hive slows down for the winter, with a lot of seasonal die-offs. Similarly, it takes longer for a northern hive to get going in the spring. That might not be a problem if you’ve only got two hives in the backyard. But within a few years, Robert and Sheri had four hives in their backyard — and 44 more across the region! “Things just kind of took off,” they say. As it turns out, the son who left for college had restaurant connections which translated into a market for the locally sourced honey. So, they created more hives and found two other Colorado locations to sponsor them, and they’re still looking for a third. And the winter die-off? “We ship most of the bees to California during the cold months,” Robert says. “They go down there and stay warm and happy, and come back here in the spring already active — no slow starts.” It’s a win-win solution for everyone, especially the bee-intensive needs of the California almond groves. All in all, life for these two self-described “bee weirdos” is good, and they continue to expand. But they’ve also found new uses for the hive products as well. Sheri says, “We’ve got ideas for honey soap and lots of stuff.” We want to thank Robert and Sheri for letting us profile the wonderful work that keeps them busy together, and we wish them the best of luck!

That’s when Robert remembered an old episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” In this segment, the crew visited a honey apiary operation to see how the sweet stuff goes from hive to grocery store shelf. It had struck a chord with Robert, and now he thought

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GB and Matthew

THE FAMOUS GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDSON DUO

Watching grandparents become part of the social media community is heartwarming. Through videos with their children and grandchildren, the wholesome content they create makes most viewers smile! One such grandma, a TikTok and Instagram star, is smiling with a brand-new set of dentures in a video captioned, “They gave GB a piece of her youth back.”

of himself and his family as well as all the adventures, jokes, and sweet moments he shares with GB. One of the first videos Matthew shared on social media was a light argument about whether or not he should accept gas money from GB. Afterward, the pair quickly rose in popularity, but they became truly famous after uploading a particular video in late 2020. Before quarantines were put in place, GB would visit her beauty salon once a week to get her hair touched up. Knowing that his grandmother was down about not being able to go, he decided to bring the spa to her. Matthew washed, dried, and styled her hair for her, with a mimosa to top off the experience. This touching video reached thousands of people and prompted guest appearances for GB and Matthew on “Access Daily,” “Now This,” “Fox & Friends,” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” The antics of these two brings such joy across the nation that GB receives a large number of packages and letters regularly. Each video shows GB near tears, overwhelmed by the amount of love and support from her more than 173,000 Instagram followers and 2.9 million TikTok followers. In a video uploaded just before Christmas, GB received a wonderful gift from Affordable Dentures & Implants ORL: a brand-new set of dentures. Now she can continue making videos with her beloved grandson with a “beautimus” smile.

Matthew Stewart lives in Florida and spends most of his time with GB, Grandma Bobbe. His Instagram is full of photos and videos

BRAIN! Train Your

Asparagus & Smoked Mozzarella Pizzettes

INGREDIENTS

Inspired by EatingWell.com

• 1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese • 1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced • 2 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped • 1 sprig of fresh mint leaves, torn • Zest of 1 orange 5. Remove both trays from the oven, sprinkle cheese over the dough, then top with asparagus and scallions. 6. Return pizzettes to oven and bake until the crusts’ edges are golden, about 8–10 minutes. 7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with walnuts, mint, and orange zest before serving.

• 1 lb prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, divided into 6 equal portions • 12 oz asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 500 F and ensure there are two racks in your oven. 2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, stretch each piece of dough into a 7-by-3-inch oval and arrange evenly on the pan. 3. On a second baking sheet, toss asparagus with oil and 1/4 tsp salt. 4. Place dough on top rack and asparagus on bottom and bake for 3 minutes.

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issue INSIDE THIS

Women’s History and Your Future PAGE 1

From Empty Nest to Full Hive PAGE 2

A Brand-New Smile for Grandma! PAGE 3

3 Irish Travel Destinations for Your Bucket List PAGE 4

3 IRISH TRAVEL DESTINATIONS FOR YOUR BUCKET LIST Don’t Miss These Historic Spots!

IRELAND’S SPOOKIEST CASTLE — COOLDERRY, COUNTY OFFALY If you’re a fan of thrillers and true crime podcasts, you won’t want to leave Ireland without visiting Leap Castle. This 16th-century haunt was built by the fierce O’Bannon clan, who famously ordered two brothers to throw themselves off a rocky cliff as a test of strength. The survivor was named clan chief, and later Leap Castle was built on that very site which began its long and bloody history. Read more about the haunted priest’s house, murder hole room, and bloody chapel at LeapCastle.net and meet the many ghosts that haunt its halls.

Traveling to Ireland might not be an option for you right now, but like a leprechaun hoarding gold, you can still fill up your bucket list with all of the pubs, rolling hills, and lucky sites you’d love to see. When planning your trip to Dublin, Galway, or Cork, add these spots to your itinerary.

THE OLDEST BAR IN THE WORLD — ATHLONE, COUNTY WESTMEATH When Sean’s Bar closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire country of Ireland groaned. The pub is famous for its Irish whiskey, music, and history, which stretches back to 900 A.D., far enough to earn it the title of “Oldest Bar in the World.” As of this writing, Sean’s is slated to reopen when it’s safe again, and considering it has already survived

A FAMOUS SMUGGLERS’ SHORTCUT — NEWCASTLE, COUNTY DOWN

Get ready to tie up your hiking boots! This roughly 2-mile hike, called Hare’s Gap, is one of the most famous and beautiful routes in Ireland. When you climb through this pass in the Mourne Mountains, you’ll be rewarded with views of glacial cliffs, boulder fields, and ancient-looking stone walls. Legend has it that the pass was part of the Brandy Pad smuggling route, used to ferry goods like soap, leather, spices, and coffee.

the bubonic plague and the Spanish flu, odds are good that it will make it through this too! Soon, you’ll be able to raise a glass in the same rooms where the noblemen of nearby Athlone Castle shared drinks in the 12th century. Find more historical tidbits at SeansBar.ie.

Safe travels, and ádh mór (good luck)!

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