There are many paths through the bonus years

Several readers have asked, “When do the bonus years begin?”   If you think about it historically, life expectancy was 47 in 1900.  So, from the perspective of history and demography, the bonus years are all those years after 47.  Still, many people begin thinking about their bonus years in their 50s – prompted by…

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The wee small hours of the morning bring joy, reflection

Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland It all began with a talent contest at Bentwaters Royal Air Force base in Ipswich, England in 1958.  One of the competitors didn’t show up, and the organizers needed someone to fill the empty slot.  Roland Leone, an enlisted airman in the…

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Social Security and Medicare should be debated

Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland We are less than a month away from an election where issues affecting those in their bonus years hang in the balance.  These include: tax reform – especially what is to be done about so-called “death taxes” and the taxation of capital…

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Plan your bonus years like you plan your working years

An old business school riddle goes something like this:  If there are five frogs on a log and one decides to jump off, how many are left?   The answer: Five.  The reason: Deciding to jump is not the same as jumping.  The number of frogs on the log is reduced to four only by…

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