Don Akchin

Photo by Ionela Mat on Unsplash The EndGame is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. My wife and I took the fateful step of downsizing 17 years ago, selling our three-story Victorian house and purchasing a cooperative apartment. At the time, we knew we had moved into a walkable neighborhood. This week I learned that we have also landed ourselves in a NORC – a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community. Unlike housing built specifically for older adults, a NORC is a neighborhood or building that... Continue Reading

No. 55/April 24, 2024 NewScan is a biweekly briefing on news relevant to readers of The EndGame. NewScan is a premium feature exclusively for paid subscribers. Multigenerational Homes Are a Trend  Not so long ago, the kids couldn’t wait to leave the nest. Today, they can scarcely afford to live anywhere else. If one or more of your children (or grandchildr… Read more  Continue Reading

Photo by Chenyu Guan on Unsplash The EndGame is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. “What’s good for General Motors is good for the country,” the chairman of GM reportedly told Congress in the 1950s. The finance industry has its own version of this truism. Armed with well-funded lobbyists, it has convinced majorities in both major political parties that what’s good for big finance is good for America. In particular, we’re talking tax-deferred retirement savings such as 401(k) plans,... Continue Reading

Photo by infoxicated on Unsplash The EndGame is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The absolute best thing about retirement is the ability to nap with impunity. When I worked in an office, on most days at some point between 10 am and noon  there would come a 15- to 20-minute interval when I would stare at a computer screen without seeing, my eyes unable to focus, eyelids slowly descending, my brain unable to process. I could have spent those minutes to my advantage horizontally, enjoying a... Continue Reading

No. 54/April 10, 2024 NewScan is a biweekly briefing on news relevant to readers of The EndGame. NewScan is a premium feature exclusively for paid subscribers. Driven to Drink Alcohol-related deaths among people over age 55 have increased 237% over the past two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some of the increase runs … Read more  Continue Reading

Photo by Christian Bowen on Unsplash The EndGame is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Try a quick thought exercise with me: Imagine that you have just been diagnosed with a form of dementia (an umbrella term that includes Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, and others). How would you like your friends to treat you? I ask the question because there is ample material out there for caregivers, and even some material for the afflicted, but only a scintilla of information and advice for friends of... Continue Reading

Photo by Unsplash+ In collaboration with Behnam Norouzi As a person born in the 20th century – who would have been more comfortable in the 19th – I find keeping up with technology to be a perpetual challenge. This is despite the fact that I am, if not fully tech literate, at least an experienced user. I have been using a desktop computer since 1983, have several social media accounts, publish online, and can work the basics of a smartphone (iPhone 8 or below). Share The EndGame Still, I am occasionally floored by unexplained mysteries like the following. Mystery #1 My Monday morning... Continue Reading

No. 53/Mar. 27, 2024 NewScan is a biweekly briefing on news relevant to readers of The EndGame. NewScan is a premium feature exclusively for paid subscribers. Thousands Lose Their Homes to Medicaid Clawbacks Medicaid, the state-administered health care program that pays nursing home and home care expenses for qualified low-income adults, is the only public… Read more  Continue Reading

Photo by Unsplash in collaboration with Getty Images SPECIAL BULLETIN TO SUBSCRIBERS The EndGame is celebrating its third anniversary! Three years! That’s like 24 in cyber years! We’ve lasted longer than 47 TikTok trends, most celebrity marriages, and too many major appliances. Join the birthday celebration by upgrading to a paid subscription. As a paid subscriber, you: Support positive aging and the proof that we have years to enjoy and miles to go before we sleep. Support high-quality journalism on topics that impact your life today. Support the only publication... Continue Reading

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash The EndGame is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I have been bothered by this whole notion of retirement savings for some time. I strongly suspect it is not mathematically possible for most of us to save enough for a comfortable retirement. But what finally set me off like a blowtorch in a fireworks factory was one line from an article about retirement savings, which read: According to Fidelity Investments, by the age of 67, people should have 10 times their... Continue Reading