January 21, 2018

Social Security and Medicare

We met with a counselor regarding Social Security and Medicare yesterday, another one of those retirement chores. Medicare and the insurance that wraps around it has to be one of the more confusing programs I've ever seen. It's full of acronyms and symbols with multiple references along with terminology and language that is foreign to the beginner. At a time when people are least capable of understanding the dozens of terms and policies, they are asked to make decisions that are emotionally charged and have long-term consequences.

In Monterey County, The Alliance on Aging provides free counseling on Social Security and Medicare . This is just one of the many services they provide seniors but it really is helpful. It's too bad the program is so complex that it takes highly trained counselors to explain it.

Easy, Once You Know How

In training, I used to have a saying, "Easy, once you know how." I ran into this when talking to subject-matter-experts (SMEs) in course development. They were deeply involved, often developing this new technology and, to them, it was easy. They couldn't see why students didn't understanding or why students were making mistakes. I have that feeling about Social Security. I'm sure it makes sense to the lawmakers. There's a lot of good information on the government web site but you have to know where to start and what questions to ask - a classic new-learner dilema.

I came away from yesterday's meeting with good information and a sense of understanding this complex system. More importantly, I saw first hand how one-to-one counseling was so helpful. It started me thinking of how I can apply my background and experience to help the senior community and those who truly are in need.

Getting and Giving Help

We're still trying to figure out the right path for us.

I came away from yesterday's meeting with good information and a sense of understanding this complex system. More importantly, I saw first hand how one-to-one counseling was so helpful. It started me thinking of how I can apply my background and experience to help the senior community and those who truly are in need.

Photo of the Day

Pigs on the Shelf

Luann and I were at the Ikea store in Palo Alto last November and I saw rows of pink pigs and blue pigs. A quick rearrangement summed up how I was feeling at work. It doesn't pay to be the blue pig, especially when there's a pink pig in the lead.