-
Let’s eat home
I ordered “The Everyday”—two eggs, toast, and sides of bacon and sausage. I’d been on the road for three days, eating at rest stops and restaurants on the U.S. Interstates between Philadelphia and New Orleans. Today, I had plans—a quick breakfast, a tour of the National World War II Museum, a walk along the Mississippi
-
The French Connection
In April 1985, the seniors in my high-school French program returned from three weeks in France: a week in Paris and two in a La Rochelle lycée. They shared a photo of the class in front of the Eiffel Tower. They detailed differences between high school in France and America. And they rhapsodized about the
-
Retirement on the house
When the pandemic, at last, retreated, I traveled to Traverse City, Michigan to hike, cycle, and kayak on the trails and waterways bordering Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. I met a friend who lives there. “The city is booming,” I said, remarking on bayside condo developments and the high prices for modest homes close
-
Timing is everything
Before 1922, 90% of people who developed Type 1 diabetes were dead within five years. In 1918, Elizabeth Hughes—the 11-year-old daughter of Charles Evans Hughes, a future Supreme Court Justice—received a diabetes diagnosis. She weighed 75 pounds. By 1922, she weighed 45 pounds and was incapacitated. She traveled to the University of Toronto for insulin
-
AARP: A reckoning
I’ve never eaten a Denny’s “Grand Slam” breakfast. I don’t subscribe to the Book of the Month club. And I don’t think I’ve ever flown on British Airways. But if these patterns change, an AARP membership could be the best investment of my life. The AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons,
-
The Bridge
In 1975, employer-sponsored retirement plans were mostly defined benefit (DB) plans, designed to pay retirees a fixed income for life. Some 70% of the private-sector workers covered by any kind of employer-sponsored plan were enrolled in a DB plan. In 2022, the figure was about 12% and falling. Today, workers mostly participate in defined-contribution (DC)
-
F.I.R.E. Hazard: Health-care costs
In 2021, U.S. workers retired, on average, at 65, the age at which they qualify for Medicare—government-sponsored health insurance. But like any average, “65” conceals as much as it reveals. Mark J. Warshawsky, a researcher affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute, calculates that some 25% of workers retire at 56. Another 25% wait until 75
-
What higher yields mean for you, me, and Mr. Darcy
In Jane Austen’s Price and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy attends a dance at Netherfield Park, a country estate leased by his friend. His entrance electrifies the ballroom. “Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien; and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes