Searching for Friendship and Possibly Romance

Some boomers are no longer in a marriage or even in a relationship. However, coming into retirement alone is not always appealing to many single boomers. If you are a single approaching retirement, you have probably learned to be self-reliant, frugal with your finances, and devoted to a tight circle of friends and family. You are perhaps skeptical about finding a new partner at this stage in your life. Nevertheless, for some single boomers, finding a partner with whom to share ones golden years is a priority.

In this interview, InspiringBoomers talks to Irene Yarkoni, owner of The Single Option. Irene has been in the business of helping singles hook-up since 1996. She is a Dating Coach, an Events Organizer and the producer of Spin Dating^TM for her Ottawa-Gatineau based business. If you are a single boomer who is tired of being alone or disillusioned with Internet dating sites, you will want to read on!

Downsizing Boomers: Time to Trade-in the Family Home?

My fellow boomers are now all in their 50's and 60's. For the most part we are empty nesters and many of us are actively planning our retirement. Some of us have already retired or semi-retired. Regardless of our retirement status, many boomers find themselves living in houses which no longer suit their current needs. Many of us are looking for ways to cut back on expenses in anticipation of living on a reduced income, freeing-up cash-flow for travel, or reducing the amount of yard-work and maintenance that we have to do!

In this article, InspiringBoomers interviews three real estate agents to get some advice on downsizing and next steps. The three agents include Joe Schwartz, a Sales Rep for Keller-Williams Ottawa Realty, Larry Cunliffe, a Sales Rep for Keller-Williams VIP Realty, and Grace Glastonbury, a Sales Rep for Royal Lepage and a fellow member of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. All three provide useful, often complementary, but sometimes different advice on the topic of downsizing for boomers. Read on!

Co-operative Business Model

While the Occupy Movement is now less visible after recent evictions, the movement did have some valid points. In 2008, it was clear that excessive corporate greed coupled with lack of regulatory oversight, caused a financial crisis that necessitated government bail-outs of many banks at the taxpayer's expense. Nevertheless, aside from more government oversight, it was not clear what the 99% could do to prevent this from happening again. This got me thinking: "What about co-ops?" Co-operatives have an intrinsically democratic form of corporate governance. Each member must own at least one share in the co-op. However, there is one vote per member, regardless of how many shares are owned by a member. Furthermore co-ops are a valid corporate structure under federal and provincial law in Canada. Co-op's should be considered as a fundamental pillar of any shared enterprise business model. In this article, InspiringBoomers interviews Kenneth C. Pope, an Ottawa lawyer with a first-hand knowledge of how co-operatives work in Canada. In addition, InspiringBoomers has scoured the Internet for more information about co-operatives. The fundamental question is "when should a co-operative business structure be considered by entrepreneurs when starting a business in Canada." 2012 has been recognised as the International Year of Co-operatives by the United Nations and an official website has already been set-up. Perhaps it is time for co-ops to move into the mainstream! Read on!