Boomer Retirement Briefs

I'm just a little late posting my Women's History Month blog. But this topic is just too important to not get out there.

Married women can find themselves in a bind during retirement when they don't have access to any money. The 401(k)s and IRAs in their husbands' names don't include access for her. Our laws today allow this financial power imbalance between married people.

In this post, you'll read what happened when I got an email from a reader. He was staring right into his wife's very unhappy face. It was the first time either of them realized what individual retirement accounts really mean. Take a read. And make sure you have your own bucket-o-money available for retirement.

Married Women and 401(k)s: I Want My Half - Boomer Retirement Briefs™ Current US laws create a financial power imbalance in marriages. Just ask about married women and 401(k)s. Who controls the money?

Just back from another excellent Investments & Wealth Conference. My long-time colleague, Craig Adamson, and I won an Honorable Distinction award for a paper we wrote in the IWI Monitor magazine. Only 4 writing awards are given each year.
It was such a surprise to receive such an honor.

It was also a surprise to see the multi-colored unicorn bear in the lobby of the Wynn hotel...and to go to the Sphere. Vegas is certainly a lively town!

Had a fabulous discussion with none other than Stan the Annuity Man! He is so funny. Our conversation was chock full of all kinds of retirement planning insights. He kindly talked about my book "Cookin' Up Your Retirement Plan." Along with lasagna...and prison. I hope you enjoy watching on YouTube.

Marcia Mantell: Cookin' Up Your Retirement Plan IN THIS EPISODE, THE ANNUITY MAN AND MARCIA MANTELL DISCUSS:- The value of simplicity in understanding financial concepts- Getting ready for the emotional as...

It's women's history month! I've been talking and writing a lot about women and our financial journey. It was extra special to get to share some thoughts right in my own backyard. Steve Dubin hosts a new podcast from . We talked about and always my favorite topic: . It's only 20 minutes...I hope you'll listen in...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNXhGg5Zfkg

If you aren't too busy tomorrow, Tues, 2/27, at 11:00 - 12:00 ET I'll be sharing some thoughts about live on the NPR show 1A! I'll be on the live show with colleague Steve Parrish from The American College of Financial Services and Michelle Singletary from Washington Post!
This is quite a thrill. Hope you can listen in from 11 - 12 ET.

https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2023/07/11/future-of-financial-planning-making-innovation-work-for-your-clients/

I have been invited to participate on a live panel with Think Advisor and Atria Wealth Solutions tomorrow. We'll be talking about some of the new and important topics to consider in financial planning. You are welcome to tune in live at 1:00 ET.

TODAY: Don’t miss Your Money Map with Jean Chatzky and guests Marcia Mantell and Alliance Senior Fellow Jason Fichtner to discuss what we all need to know about Social Security, with special considerations for women who are approaching retirement. Tune in: https://www.facebook.com/JeanChatzky/

It was so fun meeting at the in Seattle earlier this week. I've seen this defiant pose somewhere before...oh right, from my own daughters!

This conference was truly a women's conference and it rocked! Thanks to the entire team at AssetMark, Inc. for inviting me to share some stumbling blocks.

Just got back from San Diego and the Investments & Wealth (and Retirement) conference. Another excellent line up of topics and speakers. Learned a lot. Loved seeing colleagues and meeting new people in the industry.

Next year, we're in Vegas!

Have you seen Houses with History on ? It is a fabulous reno show featuring a couple here on the South Shore / Plymouth MA -- very near where we live. They have a sweet antique shop in Plympton and save and restore some of the oldest homes in America.

Dan and I met the stars Jen and Mike this weekend at their shop. They are as personable and lovely in person as they seem on TV. Tune in Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. ET!
Mayflower Mercantile

I don't usually start my day on national TV...but today was different! Had an opportunity to talk about retirement planning tips for women. We can never talk about that enough! Especially during
Here's to more women doing more to own their .

For Women's History Month, we're honoring Hedy Lamarr - the glamorous movie star from the black-and-white era of film who co-invented a device that helped make possible the development of GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi technology!

Born in Austria in 1914, the mathematically talented Lamarr moved to the US in 1937 to start a Hollywood career. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, she was considered one of cinema's leading ladies and made numerous films; however, her passion for engineering is far less known today. Her interest in inventing was such that she set up an engineering room in her house complete with a drafting table and wall of engineering reference books. With the outbreak of World War II, Lamarr wanted to apply her skills to helping the war effort and, motivated by reports of German U-boats sinking ships in the Atlantic, she began investigating ways to improve torpedo technology.

After Lamar met composer George Antheil, who had been experimenting with automated control of musical instruments, together they hit on the idea of "frequency hopping." At the time, radio-controlled torpedoes could easily be detected and jammed by broadcasting interference at the frequency of the control signal, thereby causing the torpedo to go off course. Frequency hopping essentially served to encrypt the control signal because it was impossible for a target to scan and jam all of the frequencies.

Lamarr and Antheil were granted a patent for their invention on August 11, 1942, but the US Navy wasn't interested in applying their groundbreaking technology until twenty years later when it was used on military ships during a blockade of Cuba in 1962. Lamarr and Antheil's frequency-hopping concept serves as a basis for the spread-spectrum communication technology used in GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices. Unfortunately, Lamarr's part in its development has been largely overlooked and her efforts weren't recognized until 1997, when the Electronic Frontier Foundation gave her an award for her technological contributions. Hedy Lamarr passed away in 2000 at the age of 85 and, in 2014, she was as long last inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her invention of a "Secret Communication System" many years ago.

To introduce kids to her incredible story, we recommend the inspiring picture book "Hedy Lamarr's Double Life" for ages 5 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/hedy-lamarr-double-life) and the graphic novel "Hedy Lamarr and a Secret Communications System" for ages 7 to 10 (https://www.amightygirl.com/hedy-lamarr)

For adult readers, Hedy Lamarr's incredible story is told in the exceptional historical fiction novel, "The Only Woman in the Room," at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-only-woman-in-the-room

She is also the subject of an excellent documentary "Bombshell: Hedy Lamarr" at https://amzn.to/32xAHcI -- or stream it on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3f0bG1H

For a fun way to celebrate this pioneering inventor, she is among several women of science featured on the "Greatest Women in Science Socks" for teens and adults at https://www.amightygirl.com/greatest-women-in-science-socks

For children's books about more real-life women in engineering and girls who love to invent, visit our new blog post "30 Books About Mighty Girls and Women in Engineering," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=35594

And for science and math games to inspire the next generation of inventors, check out our blog post "50 Science & Math Games for Mighty Girls" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=16714

Thought you might like to read this interview I did with an industry publication Think Advisor. The journalist who wrote the story, Jane Wollman Rusoff, is great to talk to...and I think she captured what I'm trying to do with my new "Cookin' Up Your Retirement Plan" book exactly. Enjoy!

Marcia Mantell‘s Retirement Recipe for Advisors Who Don’t ‘Cook’ | ThinkAdvisor The popular consultant's latest book is for production-based advisors and agents whose clients need retirement help.

It's International Women's Day! A great day to celebrate all the women who went before us, but didn't get credit for their contributions at the time.

It's also important to understand the financial journey women have had to make just to control their own financial decisions. It has not been an easy path, but laws have changed and women are in more control today than ever before.

Have fun walking thru a brief history in time...You'll find my women's "herstory" timeline in the blog for some shocking realities.

Boomer Women and Their Money: A Complicated Past - Boomer Retirement Briefs™ Women and money have a complicated past. But, things are changing rapidly. Read on for our interesting history.

I spent some time last year getting my new kind of retirement planning book over the finish line. I think it's time we put more fun into planning for this amazing time called retirement.

For anyone 50 and older, trying to get started planning for all parts of retirement is not so easy. I think my new "cookbook" will give you a great start. I invite you to check it out!

Cookin’ Up Your Retirement Plan Marcia Mantell's latest book, Cookin' Up Your Retirement Plan, puts the familiar and fun into your possibilities for this exciting era!

Dropped by my local last week and saw this "sweet" announcement. Just in time for Valentine's Day, a historian was presenting the history of Baker's Chocolate. I had no idea this baking chocolate was made for decades just up the road.

Anthony Sammarco gave a terrific lecture. And I have a new book to read!

This is just about the best quote I've ever seen when describing life and retirement. It's from a long-time colleague of mine, Kim, who has the best outlook for retirement. She's the featured Baby Boomer in my blog. She's had a great journey I think you'll find fascinating and inspirational.

For Kim, retiring is a great way to start off the New Year. What are you up to?

“It’s My Time to Retire!” Many boomers are not putting off plans to retire. Meet one boomer who knew exactly when it was her time to retire. Yes, please!

It's beginning to look a lot like the holidays! I started ringing in the season at the Boston Pops Holiday Concert with my mom, sister, and sister-in-law. It's been years since I last attended, and it was as spectacular as ever. The tribute to Ukraine was especially heart-felt.

A total stranger reached out to me with a website to consider for my blog, BoomerRetirementBriefs. Turns out, it is a great find for all kinds of resources for seniors. Take a read...

Finding Resources for Seniors: Not So Easy Until Now Finding resources for seniors when they need caregiving, new housing, or dealing with health matters can be frustrating. No more...

I am a big fan of all types of retirement savings accounts. "Save more" is a common piece of advice I dish out. But it can be hard to take full advantage of a plan because the rules are so complicated. Especially if you work for a not-for-profit that offers a 403(b).

This article in the brings some clarity to these more complex retirement plans. Written by my friend and colleague , it is informative and provides some key information about 403(b)s. Plus a few quotes from me!

So, if you have a 403(b), make sure you are taking full advantage. Ask me questions...I'll try to help you out.

Buy Side | What Is a 403(b)? Close cousins to the 401(k), these retirement accounts have nearly identical tax benefits.

Got an unexpected email one day -- from a journalist! Tammy LaGorce asked about 401(k)s and if women often tap their retirement savings to support their families. We had a wonderful discussion...and she was kind enough to quote me in her article! Take a read...

When a Woman’s Retirement Account Becomes the Family Emergency Fund Women break into their savings to cover all kinds of expenses: home down payments, repairs, medical bills. That can hurt them years later.

The Social Security Administration recently updated the statement we receive. I’ve reviewed it carefully and laid out the pros and cons to help you better understand the changes. Overall, I give the new format a C+. Unfortunately, this new version removed way too much critical information. Read on to find out how and where you can still get all of the info you need. https://bit.ly/SSMstatementReview

This month we celebrate pioneering suffragette, Susan B. Anthony. You may know that she spent 50+ years fighting for women’s right to vote. But did you also know she was actually arrested in Rochester, NY for trying to vote illegally? And went on trial on this day in 1873.

When Susan B. voted in Rochester, that was the one and only time she saw her ballot drop into the box. Her arrest and trial actually amplified her voice and message. She fought for women’s rights for decades. Unfortunately, she died 14 years before the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, but what a debt of gratitude all women owe her!
https://bit.ly/3H2Dy3x

In celebration of Adopt-A-Cat Month, I’m celebrating my two: Whisky and Skye!

The American Humane Society sponsors this month of celebration to remind us to care for the many litters of kittens that end up in animal shelters. Our 2 beautiful, adopted kittens are a brother and sister pair that we were lucky enough to adopt from the Standish Humane Society in Duxbury.

They are such treasures…but there’s no way to keep them off the table! Or from drinking water from my glass…

Here’s more information about how you can help this month: https://bit.ly/3GVG7Eg

As the mom of an LGBTQ+ daughter, I am so pleased to see articles from strong leaders addressing some of the unique issues this community deals with. Time for us all to report injustices and be . Thanks for sharing the latest !

How The LGBTQ+ Community Can Feel Financially Empowered Money issues are all too common for everyone. However, the LGBTQ+ community face some unique financial struggles. Did you know that 22% of the LGBTQ

I had a terrific conversation about women, money, and emotions with superstars Jean Chatzky and Kathleen Burns Kingsbury. We covered a lot of ground about how women can build a better understanding of their money and why we might be uncomfortable talking about money and investing. As always, Jean asks insightful questions and draws so much good information from her guests. It was a privilege being back on her show.


https://www.protectedincome.org/kingsbury-mantell/

Today is the day we honor men and women who died while serving our country in the U. S. Military. Across the United States, many of us spend this day at family gatherings and BBQs, celebrating the unofficial beginning of summer. Between the burgers, let’s remember all those who served, who continue to work to keep us save, and who let us celebrate in our own backyards.

Enjoy your Memorial Day and the start to a safe summer making memories.

This month we celebrate Irish-born American labor leader, Mary 'Mother' Jones. Long before COVID took us by surprise, there was the yellow fever epidemic of 1867. During this time, Mary lost her husband and all 4 children.

After suffering such losses, she turns her focus to ways she could make a difference. Mary dedicated her life to advancing the causes of the labor movement. In particular, she focused on prohibiting child labor.

She spent decades fighting for labor and was known as an incredible leader, giving her last speech as she approached her 100th birthday! Here’s to celebrating a woman who turned the worst tragedy of her life into a life-long mission for others.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Jones

How much can those heavily-advertised drugs cost our oldest Americans? Are there any other hidden situations those on Medicare need to know about? In my 3rd and final article in the series on Medicare Part D, I’ll help you answer those questions and more.

Get ready for jaw-dropping findings!
https://bit.ly/3kWeFMG