The Caja Mountains from my window -- writing from home, as a retiree, is a treat. I retired early and moved to Cuenca, Ecuador to give me the time and setting for writing a book. And it's coming out soon! sk

An update on my book: The Plan is about to go to the editor. Yea! I've been working eight hour days to get the final chapters completed. The wonderful thing about digital publishing is that readers don't have to wait for a year or more to get a book in their hands.

Important News: The Writers in Transition (WIT) group is giving our  monthly reading and you are invited. It's free at the California Kitchen in Cuenca. I'll be presenting Chapter 2 of The Plan, so I really look forward to your presence. Here's more information:

WIT Presentation - Click Here for Time and Day

Just recently, new information about a horrid prison camp in the southern Andes of Chile, Colonia Dignidad, made international news. Former victims and their families are suing the state of Chile over this horrid prison that was allowed to stay open until very recently.And what does this have to do with my new book? Plenty, believe me. So I've needed a little extra time to make updates.

As an expat in Cuenca, Ecuador, I have TIME to work on this new book -- all of the time in the world. I love the freedom of being able to have my own office next to my bedroom, so that I can get up at all odd hours of the night and write. Unfortunately, my best ideas come at 3 a.m. (It's not easy being my bed partner.  Ask my husband, Fred.)

P.S. We had a sad day. Our little dog was stolen.So today will be spent taking around flyers, posting ads, etc.


Here's a quick summary of what this new book is about:

A white Vicksburg, Mississippi private detective shoots himself in the groin while perched on the corner of his bed, cleaning his favorite rifle after a dove hunt. Suicide, concludes the state pathologist, a man nationally known for his amazingly quick (and frequently sloppy) reports. Detective John D. Sullivan’s death takes place one year after leaving his temporary job in New Orleans, where he was working for his old FBI boss and friend, Guy Banister, who dies strangely just six months following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Forty-eight years pass before Clinton Moore, a quiet and effective, gay black Mississippi Delta lawyer, gives a damn about what happened to Sullivan – and only after Moore’s best friend, a black Alabama lawyer, is murdered for knowing too much about what? Mollie Johnson and Sara Mercury pick up on the case IN SOUTH AMERICA , after Moore, himself, is killed – for knowing too much.  About what? Did someone go missing in Colonia Dignidad? Who?

ISBN-10:  0-9826049-7-1

ISBN-13:  978-0-9826049-7-7

The Plan is set for publication in May of 2013. 

Place on the Tallahatchie River where Emmett Till's body was dumped in 1955. This is one of many photos I took in the Delta when doing research for Who Killed Emmett Till? (the basis for my new fiction novel The Plan. I enjoy photography and use my pictures to help give readers a look at the places that I'm writing about. You can do this too when you retire.Think about places you've gone and put the information to writing books, poetry, music, plays! 

How to Kill Off Your Retirement Fund -- It's Relatively Easy, Says Insurance Expert

7 Expenses That Can Kill Your Retirement Fund

August 7, 2012 by Staff Writer, Life Insurance Quotes (lifeinsurancequotes.org) (Reprinted by Permission)

Every morning you drag yourself out of bed for work and tell yourself that soon enough, you’ll retire and won’t have to worry about money or working ever again. You’ve got your retirement plan set up and have been contributing faithfully for decades, but have you considered all the expenses that can pop up unexpectedly? You can adapt to some small costs, but these seven expenses can really eat up your retirement fund. Keep these in mind when setting up your retirement savings so you don’t come up short in the end.

1. Helping adult children:

   
   Even if your job or income wasn’t affected directly by the recession, there’s a good chance that your working children hit some hard times. In 2011, more than half of U.S. parents were helping their adult children financially with things like living expenses, transportation costs, and extra cash. For 7% of parents, this new burden meant they had to delay retirement. Most people only plan for one or two people when putting away money for retirement, but if a child moves home or needs help with rent money and groceries, your savings will be used for three. Consider what you can reasonably spare when helping out your children so you don’t all end up in the poor house.

2. Long-term care:

   
   While we’re lucky enough to face a longer expected lifespan, these extra years can put a strain on your retirement fund. After retirement, many people are living 25 or 30 years on just their savings, and it will likely become harder to care for yourself as you age. You should take into account as you make plans for retirement that there is a good chance you will need to hire someone to assist you in your daily life or move into an assisted living or nursing home at some point. Medicare and other insurance plans don’t normally cover long-term care, so the cost will be left to your loved ones if you can’t pay for it with your retirement savings.

3. 401(k) fees:

   
   Your employer-sponsored 401(k) plan may seem like a no-brainer when it comes to saving for retirement, but those plans can actually take a huge chunk of your money away from you through tricky fees. One progressive public policy research group found that these fees could eat up as much as 30% of your retirement fund (though trade groups say the cost is much lower than that research claims). Regardless of the actual percentage you’re losing, 401(k) administrative and marketing fees can add up, and trading costs can skyrocket in actively traded funds that are bought and sold rapidly. You can’t avoid all fees, but you can talk to your financial adviser to ensure you’re minimizing the extra costs as much as possible.

4. Health care:

   
   Out-of-pocket health care costs for retirees have been rising about 6% each year for the past 10 years, which can spell big trouble for your retirement fund. Medicare doesn’t go as far as many retirees think it will, and you can be caught by surprise when a huge bill comes in the mail. A recent report says that a 65-year-old couple will spend $240,000 or more out of their own pockets for health care during their retirement. Prepare for this extreme expense by delaying retirement, educating yourself on prescription drug plans and the retirement insurance your company offers, and factoring high medical costs into your retirement budget.

5. Debt payments:

   
   A hefty retirement fund can easily be canceled out by your debt, so don’t let your saving be all for naught. If possible, pay off the debts you have before you retire. It’s better to do it when there’s less interest to pay and you can go into retirement knowing exactly what money you have to spend. Some experts even suggest paying off debt rather than contributing to your retirement fund (if it’s a one-or-the-other situation), because of the high interest rates on debt compared to the low rate of return on retirement investments.

6. Home maintenance:

   
   With retirees living more active, healthy lifestyles, it’s likely that you’ll be able to live independently in your own home longer than retirees in the past. But houses bring their own set of costs with them that you might neglect to budget for. Besides the mortgage and utility bills, unexpected repairs can cost you a pretty penny. Whether it’s minor maintenance, like lawn care or appliance repair, or a major mishap, like a broken air conditioner or foundation problems, keeping up your home will likely use up a big chunk of your savings. Factor in these costs when deciding whether your house is the best financial decision for you after retirement or whether a retirement community would be a better use of your money.

7. Travel:

   
   You’ve probably got a few places on your bucket list that you’re going to visit during retirement, and you think you have the money for those trips. But check your numbers twice; most people tend to under-budget for vacations. In addition, if you have children or elderly parents who live far away, you may find yourself racking up more travel expenses than you expected as family events and emergencies come up. Traveling can be a great part of retirement, but make sure you save even more than you think you’ll need for life’s unexpected moments.

Retirement Work -- Travel Writing

Lenora Boyle of Fairfield, IA has a business that brings her and her clients to Italy for enjoyable and relaxing seminars. Many expats keep working, like Lenora does -- from teaching to setting up online businesses. 

YOU DO NOT REALLY think that retirement is a time for snoozing, do you? I know if you did, you would not be reading Retirement Monologues. This blog will SOON be serving as my new "home" for travel writing.


Fred and I are moving to South America in the next month, and I am quite excited about unique and new adventures there. Digging into my journalism past, I have decided to spend more time doing travel and adventure journalism, and South America is the perfect place to be for this venture. 


As I work as a travel journalist, of course I will share tips and secrets RIGHT HERE just in case you want to take on this lifestyle, too. Here is how I am introducing my new retirement adventure:

*****

JUST IMAGINE THE world beyond your own back yard. Close your eyes and smell the salt air of the Pacific ocean. Feel the breezes blowing across jeweled white sands of New Mexico. Soak up the warm Atlantic ocean waves under the South American sun. Explore hidden treasures in an ancient Andean village. Dig into the local cuisine. Imagine you are there

...with professional travel journalist Susan Klopfer.

PLEASE COME ALONG with me as I begin my new adventure -- from Gallup, New Mexico to Cuenca, Ecuador. Even if I am moving far away to South American, don't think for a moment that I will not be adventuring outside of my new home. There are so many adventures to share in and out of South America.

We have many places to go together, you and I. So let's begin.

First stop? Gallup, New Mexico, where I have been LIVING and ADVENTURING for the past two years. I will be writing about Gallup's unique culture and adventure opportunities. from enjoying Native American rugs, baskets, pottery, jewelry and culture, to bike, balloon events and still more. 

Post no. 1 -- Where is Gallup, why is it and Adventure Capital, and exactly what's to do there? How is Gallup changing?

Coming August 2012.