Here are items in the news that may be of interest:
The Securities and Exchange Commission has issued a report summarizing the results of its year-long examination of 110 securities firms and branch offices that sponsor sales seminars and offer a free lunch to entice attendees, who are frequently seniors. Half of the seminars featured exaggerated or misleading advertising claims, such as "How to receive a 13.3% return," or "How $100K can pay 1 Million Dollars to Your Heirs"; 23% offered potentially unsuitable investment advice, such as offering risky investments to a conservative investor; and 13% appeared to be outright fraudulent. As the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true....
AARP has launched a campaign called "Divided We Fail", designed to make quality, affordable healthcare an issue in the upcoming presidential election. The campaign is currently most active in states like New Hampshire, which are attracting the most visits from candidates.
The April 30, 2007 issue of the New Yorker, published an essay by a physician on the state of geriatric care in the US. I found the article easy to read (not a lot of technical medical jargon) and interesting. For one thing, it noted the different approach required by those who treat the elderly compared to other age groups. It also examines why geriatric care specialists are in short supply.
