If you or a loved one is a Baby Boomer, the institute offers advice on how to avoid some of the pitfalls that could prevent those in the group from enjoying a happy retirement.

Be Realistic

Fitness is a high priority for boomers, so it’s not surprising that their average life span continues to lengthen. According to the Social Security Administration, the average 65-year-old man today can expect to live until age 84; a woman until age 86.

One of every four 65-year-olds today will live past 90, and one of every 10 will live until at least 95. That means it’s important to have a solid plan for funding your retirement years. If you don’t think you have enough for 20 or 30 years, it may be necessary to step up your savings or consider postponing your Social Security payments so you receive a higher monthly amount later on.

Know What You Need

You will need about 80 percent of your pre-retirement income to cover your expenses in retirement, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Many people who thought they were on their way to a well-funded retirement saw their investments reduced by the recent recession. The Retirement Pension Planner on the American Institute of CPAs 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy site can help you get a sense of how much you might need, and provide an estimate of when your retirement savings will run out.

Simplify

If you want to have more money for retirement, start changing your spending habits now.

Living within your means can help you stretch your money now and in retirement. A common change in retirement is downsizing from a larger home to a smaller one. You’ll want to talk with a trusted area real estate agent about how to approach that, and ways to maximize your profits from a sale.

Additionally, as you discard or give away things collected over the years, consider how many new things you’ll actually need to purchase during retirement. You may find yourself better able to enjoy what you already have.

Focus On Priorities

Saving for a second home or for a child’s or grandchild’s education are worthwhile goals, but be sure to put your retirement needs first. Remember, it’s always possible to use student loans to pay for college tuition, but there won’t be similar financing available to cover retirement expenses if your savings run out.

Don’t Give Up

If you’re near retirement, it’s not too late to create or enhance your retirement account. Remember, your money can grow tax-deferred in an IRA, 401(k), or annuity, so it’s possible to do some catching up. Many members of the ever-adventurous Baby Boomer generation are also working past the traditional retirement age, so consider your options for continuing with your current job or launching a new career.

Consult A CPA

No matter how close you are to retirement, a CPA can answer your questions and help you create a plan that addresses your short- and long-term needs. To find a CPA in Pennsylvania by location or area of expertise, see the institute’s website here.

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Remember you can make a difference and green your lifestyle with a simple step that will also save you money. Changing your traditional incandescent light bulbs or CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps are often recognized by their spiral design) to light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs will save  energy and dollars off your electricity bill. The bulbs feature longer life spans than traditional light bulbs, while still emitting warm tones to make your home cozy with illuminating, comfortable light.

Because LED bulbs consume far fewer watts to deliver the same level of brightness as traditional bulbs, they can save you money daily by reducing that light’s energy use by up to 85 percent, the Energy Department said.

Samsung, a major supplier of LED bulbs, contends that switching to them in your home is easier than you think. Quality LED lighting products offer average life spans between 15,000 and 40,000 hours depending on the bulb. This can amount to an approximate average of 25 times longer than traditional bulbs. Both energy- and cost-effective, these bulbs are the perfect solution when transitioning from traditional bulbs to the highest-quality, affordable and long-term lighting.

Five reasons to switch to LED lighting now:

• Energy Savings. Some LED bulbs use 75 to 85 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, which means savings for your energy bill and extra cash in your pocket.
• Convenience. Long-lasting life spans of 22 to 36 years means you will only have to change the bulbs a few times in your lifetime. You won’t be bothered to replace a dimming bulb for decades at a time.
• Versatility. LEDs come in all different shapes and sizes to fit any room or fixture in your home. The bulbs create a warm, natural illuminating light that set a comfortable ambience of your choosing inside, and many can be controlled by a dimmer to cascade any amount of light within your rooms.
• Save Money: According to the Energy Department, replacing just 15 bulbs in your home with more energy efficient versions can save an average of $50 off your energy bill annually – or up to $1,800 on your energy bill over the course of your LED bulb’s lifetime.
• Instant Lighting: Instead of waiting seconds or minutes for your lights to reach full brightness, LED lamps light up immediately to full brightness to illuminate your space.

Related (to energy use reduction):

• LED Bulbs Easy Way To Save Energy And Money
• Energy Star Awards, Recertifications Presented To Brandywine
• Area Commercial Developer Wins Energy Use Award
• Next At Google: Helping Consumers Read Their Electric Meter

Photo from Getty Images

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First-time awards were achieved for 700 and 755 Business Center Dr., Horsham PA. Re-certifications were awarded to 2000 Lennox Dr., Lawrenceville NJ; 200, 300 and 400 Berwyn Park, all in Berwyn PA; 101 W. Elm St., Conshohocken PA); One, Two and Three Logan Square, Philadelphia PA); and 401 Plymouth Rd., Plymouth Meeting PA. Other buildings owned by Brandywine in Maryland and Virginia also were awarded.

“We are excited to exceed our 2012 goal of having over 80 Energy Star-rated buildings in the portfolio,” stated George Johnstone, the company’s senior vice president of operations.

Related (to energy use reduction):

• LED Bulbs Easy Way To Save Energy And Money
• Energy Star Awards, Recertifications Presented To Brandywine
• Area Commercial Developer Wins Energy Use Award
• Next At Google: Helping Consumers Read Their Electric Meter

Photo from Google Images

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“Looking over this report, and considering other data on housing starts and sales, it is clear the housing recovery is gathering strength,” said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee. “Higher year-over-year price gains plus strong performances in the southwest and California, regions that suffered during the housing bust, confirm that housing is now contributing to the economy.”

Case-Shiller produces two composites that measure cumulative housing price results over 10 and 20 cities. In Wednesday’s report, both recorded annual increases of 3.4 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively, during October 2012. They were larger than the 2.1 percent and 3.0 percent annual rates posted for September 2012. In 19 of the 20 cities, annual returns in October were higher than September.

“One indication of the rebound is the gains from the bottom,” Blitzer added. “The largest rebound is 24.2 percent in Detroit, even though prices there are still about 20 percent lower than 12 years ago.  San Francisco and Phoenix have also rebounded from recent lows by 22.5 percent and 22.1 percent, with prices comfortably higher than 12 years ago.”

This article was cross-posted to the Polley Associates’ blog
Photo from PR Newswire

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As bad as that news might be, Zillow said, 2011 – when Philadelphia market homes lost $28.9 billion cumulatively – was far worse. Consider the year-over-year gain heartening, company Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries said. “After a sluggish 2011, the housing market really turned a corner in 2012, as historic affordability and sustained investor interest helped keep demand at a boil.”

Zillow is a provider of real estate information that includes statistics about homes, real estate listings and mortgages through online and mobile applications. Among the 30 largest metro areas covered by its analysis, only Philadelphia failed to record an annual gain in cumulative home values. The rest showed value gains of between $1.3 billion (Cincinnati OH) and $122.1 billion (Los Angeles CA).

Its press release gave no specific reason for Philadelphia’s failure to break into positive value territory.

Gains were calculated by measuring the difference between cumulative home values as of the end of 2011 and anticipated cumulative home values at the end of 2012.

Overall, Zillow noted, U.S. homes will have gained approximately $1.35 trillion in cumulative value during full-year 2012, to a total of approximately $23.7 trillion, up 6 percent from the end of 2011. By comparison, cumulative home values nationwide during 2011 fell almost $792 billion from 2010.

It expects value gains to continue into 2013, the company added. “As home values rise, and more homeowners are freed from negative equity, we can expect a continued slow transition to a more normal housing environment, driven by local market fundamentals and conditions,” Humphries said.

Graphic from Google Images

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The homes are built at no cost to veterans through the support of individuals, foundations and corporate contributors. Lancaster-based Armstrong, the group’s exclusive flooring supplier, said a portion of sales from its new American Scrape collection will support its effort. American Scrape features textured hardwood floors inspired by American landscapes; each floor is made in the United States.

The homes include many products that help veterans participate in and enjoy daily life with their families. Each is designed to provide maximum freedom of movement and the ability to live more independently after returning injured from service. Armstrong’s donated products include engineered hardwood and resilient floors that meet universally designed criteria.

Financial and supply donation are being accepted by Homes for Our Troops at its website.

Photo from Armstrong Floor Products

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Rose has more than 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry, and most recently worked at GMAC, where he was responsible for branch expansion in North Carolina. He previously was regional sales director for SunTrust Mortgage, where he built sales volume to $400 million per year in the North Carolina region.

“Adding Joel to our team creates an immediate impact for all of our branches and our future expansion goals into other markets,” according to GMH President Karen Bausman. “(It) helps us continue our positive growth outlook for the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013,” she added.

GMH Mortgage is currently licensed in 14 states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Photo from Clipart.com

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Not so fast, its Domestic Products Vice President Gary Reblin said Monday (Dec. 10, 2012).

Direct mail that leverages technology like QR (quick response) codes and personalized web addresses is proving to be a powerful advertising tool. A mail-mobile combination connects with buyers “on a deeper and more personal level,” Reblin claimed.

Direct mail includes postal carrier-delivered postcards, brochures, fliers, and letters. It’s long been “lauded for its ability to provide consumers with personalized and tangible information about products, promotions and sales,” he said.

Add to the mix what Reblin described as “augmented reality technology,” like personalized QRs or web addresses that identify the recipient-user by name and tailor an offer for them, and results indicate enhanced mail can drive increased numbers of consumers online for either more information or to make buying decisions. Personalizing a pitch in a mail-mobile duo “tells recipients (the seller) knows who they are and what they want,” he contended.

Of possible interest to real estate brokers and agents may be image recognition, a new technology that Reblin predicted was “gaining traction.” It allows consumers with smartphones to scan a picture – one of a house in a listings brochure, for instance – into software that immediately connects to mobile features. If buyers want a home like one they see, even if that address is no longer on the market, image recognition may be able to connect to a listing that looks almost like, if not identical to, the desired property.

Although consumers are becoming more familiar with mail-mobile technology, Reblin still recommends advertisers devote some portion of direct mail pieces to consumer tips on downloading apps and barcode readers. “Customers will appreciate the information,” he said, “and the effort will help build brand loyalty.”

This article was cross-posted to Polley Associates’ “Your Real Estate Career” blog
Photo from Google Images

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In his forecast for the coming year, Liberty CEO Bill Hankowsky said:

“In developing guidance for 2013, we have assumed that the economic recovery will continue to slowly improve. We expect occupancy to increase for both our office and industrial portfolios. We believe that market rents have bottomed in both office and industrial, but we are still experiencing roll-downs in rents in our office portfolio as we release space previously leased at height-of-the-market rates. At this point, acquisition opportunities are scarce and we expect our external growth to be primarily through development. We should continue to benefit from increased development opportunities as new space is required to satisfy pent-up demand and changes in how companies are doing business.”

This article was cross-posted to PolleyNJ.com
Illustration from Google Images

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Properties in the trust include acute care hospitals, behavioral health care facilities, rehabilitation hospitals, sub-acute care facilities, surgery centers, childcare centers and medical office buildings.

The trust, headquartered at 367 S. Gulph Rd., has 53 investments in 15 states.

Photo from Google Images

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