Queercents

Two weeks ago, Nina wrote an article titled: HIV and Surviving Retirement. I was especially intrigued by this one as it touched upon two extreme epidemics nobody likes to talk about these days (retirement and HIV). I remember seeing Madonna on MTV along with several other stars of the eighties warning us about the risks of HIV when it was known to affect and infect all sexualities. Nowadays, we hardly see even a push for more education on HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Furthermore, most of us don’t want to touch the topic of retirement for fear that we might actually come to grips that Uncle Sam probably won’t give us what he promised and we’ll have to fend for ourselves.

Outta Sight, Outta Mind

It’s like we Americans are living in a dream world when it comes to the long-term. Could it be due to the fact that we provide ourselves with too much of a safety net? Do we live under a blanket of ignorance so thick that sooner or later it suffocates our every free breath? Do we feel there is a parachute available to pad our landing as we break our legs on reality?

I am unclear as to the answers, but the questions could be asked of both epidemics. I refer to both retirement and HIV as epidemics because both are slowly eroding at the freedoms of all Americans. Without an adequate retirement plan – one that is carried out – there is no freedom to enjoy life unless it is at the expense of something or someone. With HIV, there is no freedom to obtain the proper life or health insurance. In fact, HIV carries the same uncertainties as an inadequate retirement plan because with neither can one tell how long the situation will continue. Read the rest of this entry »

“You live and learn. At any rate, you live.” – Douglas Adams

On Sunday, Ann Marsh at the Los Angeles Times profiled a gay man in the Money Makeover column entitled: AIDS survivor now needs a retirement plan.

She writes, “Michael Sausser, 45, never planned for retirement. Doctors diagnosed him with AIDS almost 20 years ago. His first symptoms of the full-blown disease – AIDS-related dementia – indicated the end was near. A doctor gave him two months.”

“But two decades later he’s still here. The dementia comes and goes. Survival hasn’t been easy, and Sausser has taken as many as 35 drugs a day to stay alive. The disease has also ravaged his finances.” Read the rest of this entry »

“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.” – Rabindranath Tagore

Here’s a “savings” stat to scare us as we head off to work on a Monday morning. According to Money magazine, “57% of workers age 45-50 have saved less than $50,000.” Earlier this year, I wrote a post about The Longevity Risk and outliving our money. While this is a valid concern for healthy people, how does it change when you’re living with an illness?

I recall a colleague telling me ten years ago in a very matter-of-fact way that he was HIV positive. Although the Grim Reaper wasn’t hanging out on his stoop, I remember him saying that he didn’t expect to live past fifty. We both recently turned forty and have remained friends. He’s been living a healthy life for over decade and I suspect he could live another two decades. He believes this too because at some point in his late thirties, he quit the circuit parties, saved money and bought a condo in Los Angeles. He started living and planning like someone with a future… a future where he didn’t want to be poor. Read the rest of this entry »

“For those who seek to understand it, death is a highly creative force. The highest spiritual values of life can originate from the thought and study of death.” – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

To be honest, until researching for this post, I never knew much about viatical settlements. Sure, I’ve seen the advertisements over the years about how people can get cash for their life insurance policies, but there wasn’t ever anything too personal prompting me to go check out the websites or click on the banner ads. Read the rest of this entry »