Rejuvenaging with Dr. Ron Kaiser

John K. Ross is a nationally-recognized expert in estate planning, asset protection, and taxation. He runs one of the largest boutique estate planning and asset protection law firms in Texas, covering over 40 counties in Texas and Arkansas. His team helps families with a variety of needs, including designing asset protection strategies for high-risk individuals, helping the elderly protect their life savings from nursing home costs, and developing plans for disabled individuals including special needs trusts. On this episode of Rejuvenating with Dr. Ron Kaiser, John provides his insights and knowledge on how to better manage money and lead a high quality of life for as long as possible.John and Ron discuss the current state of the economy and how it is affecting retirees. They agree that inflation is out of control and that it is hitting retirees hard, as their Social Security checks and pensions do not go as far as they had anticipated. Additionally, many have seen their 401ks and IRAs drop 20-40%, meaning their savings will not last as long. John suggests ways for retirees to be less scared and make it to the end financially, such as budgeting and creating a plan as to what to do if something unexpected happens.This conversation focuses on people of all ages who are facing financial difficulty and explores the potential benefits of government assistance programs. The speaker notes that many people assume they won’t qualify for government assistance programs, but that most of the time these assumptions are unfounded. For those raising a family, a Children’s Health Insurance Program could be a big help in relieving the financial burden of health insurance for young children. For elderly people, food programs through the Area Agencies on Aging could provide much-needed relief on the cost of food. By taking advantage of these programs, people may be able to free up money to put back into savings.People tend to be unaware of the benefits available to them, especially seniors. To start, one can look into their state's Department of Health and Human Services website. Additionally, almost every metropolitan service area has an Area Agency on Aging which specializes in government programs specifically tailored to seniors. These can include meal programs, housing assistance, and other programs where Medicare premiums are paid for by Medicaid. Even a small savings of $160 per month on a Social Security check can make a significant difference for some seniors.Connect with John K Rosshttps://www.rossandshoalmire.com/bio/attorney-john-k-ross-iv.cfmUseful REJUVENAGING® ResourcesWebsite: https://www.thementalhealthgym.com/Book: Dr. Ron Kaiser -Rejuvenaging: The Art and Science of Growing Older with EnthusiasmEmail: ron.kaiser@thementalhealthgym.com TEDx Talk: Aging Enthusiastically to Make the World a Better Place

We live in a period of intense polarization. It seems like everyone has an opinion about something and there’s no room for it to be swayed. Times like these can be tough and confusing to understand. The lines between right and wrong start to blur and fighting for our convictions can seem like a never-ending, uphill battle.Dr. Ruth Backstrom is an author and speaker who started fighting for what she believed in at a young age. At just 13 years old, she was arrested at a civil rights rally, and ever since then, she’s been fighting to build a new world and a new democracy. Dr. Ruth’s book, Igniting a Bold New Democracy - Empowering Citizens Through Game-Changing Reforms, is a guide to creating a pro-democracy movement and was inspired by broken politics and diminished quality of life in America. Dr, Ruth joins me on the show today to talk about making change and the ways in which we can do it. She breaks down some great examples of democracy working well around the world and shares what can be done in America to move in the right direction. She also gives us a synopsis of what to expect from her book.Tune in to Episode 180 of REJUVENAGING® and let’s change the world with Dr. Ruth Backstrom.Some Questions I Ask:How did you get to be who you are? (14:47)Can you give us a cliff notes version of your book? (17:45)In This Episode, You Will Learn:How Dr. Ruth explains the environment of increasing polarization between individuals in societies today (4:40)How to become engaged in your local communities (9:38)About the idea of collective intelligence (13:12)How Dr. Ruth believes we need to adjust to the current period of transition that we’re in (20:17)ResourcesDr. Ruth’s book: Igniting a Bold New Democracy - Empowering Citizens Through Game-Changing Reforms Center for New Democratic Processes - Citizens' JuryCenter for Wise DemocracyConnect with Dr. Ruth BackstromLinkedInWebsiteUseful REJUVENAGING® ResourcesWebsite: https://www.thementalhealthgym.com/Book: Dr. Ron Kaiser -Rejuvenaging: The Art and Science of Growing Older with EnthusiasmEmail: ron.kaiser@thementalhealthgym.com TEDx Talk: Aging Enthusiastically to Make the World a Better Place

Life moves fast. Jobs, errands, and everything in between can start to take a toll. So how do we manage this? Among the plethora of coping tools, one stands out as simple, powerful, and (best of all) free - the expression of gratitude. Off the top of your head, I’m sure you can make a list of things that you are grateful for. The problem is our minds often gravitate towards thinking about what we don’t have instead of focusing on what we do have. In today’s solo episode, I talk about the importance of being thankful and the many benefits expressing gratitude has. I also break down why we often have trouble focusing on the things we are thankful for and ways of bypassing this type of roadblock.Tune in to Episode 179 of REJUVENAGING® and let’s get thankful!In This Episode, You Will Learn:About the mental and physical benefits of expressing gratitude (2:26)Why we tend to not express gratitude often enough (3:30)One of the great contributions of positive psychology (4:14)Some of the things that I am thankful for (5:42)Some different ways to express gratitude (9:42)Useful REJUVENAGING® ResourcesWebsite: https://www.thementalhealthgym.com/Book: Dr. Ron Kaiser -Rejuvenaging: The Art and Science of Growing Older with EnthusiasmEmail: ron.kaiser@thementalhealthgym.com TEDx Talk: Aging Enthusiastically to Make the World a Better Place