Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-02
BY THOMAS COLLINS

retirement age to make New
Years resolutions. Still, it's
the beginning of another year.
| It's time for thinking. for
balancing the books and putting
the house in order. Your house
needs putting in order if you
are past SIS and are like most
people your age.
Here, from retired people scat
tered to all ends of the country,
is where you might start;
/. Make a will. Drawing up
a will" says a lawyer now re-
tired in Modesto. Calf, lis not
the same thing as deciding which
blue serge suit you want to be
buried in. can't see why grown
up people don't understand that.
Every sensible person past age
40 should have a will. It's not
just a matter of directing that
your money go where you want it
to go It's a matter of putting
your affairs in such shape that
you don't split your loved ones
Iasunder the day you die.
People have turned their
children against each other.
have deprived their wives and
husbands of necessities, have
caused family chaos all over the
map all because they were
too suspicious to draw will or
too pinchpenny to pay a lawyer
$25 or $50 for the necessary
help"
disqualification Insurance
2. Take whatever steps are
needed--if you possibly can-to
assure that you will have hos
|pitalization insurance the rest
Of your life. If you are still
workin. investigate now to see
whether or not your insurance
will continue in retirement. If
you are already retired, contact
Ia reputable insurance company
and see if you can afford the
premiums.
3. II you are man. see that
your wife is your partner in
retirement. 1T is my observa-
tion," says Fred G. Macdonald,
reired in Coral Gables, Fla. that
a man can get by with murder
at home after retires. A wife
who has served him for 40 years
will still wash the dishes and
make the beds alone after he
comes home with a pension. The
habit is ingrained.
But entirely apart from
what is fair in this situation,
the husband who let's her do it
is using an embroidered table
cloth to wash a car. Any fool
including him. can wash dishes.
But a congenial companion and
faithful friend, which any wom-
an vino has lived with him 40
years must be, is hard to come
by for a man after IS.
"A retired man should pitch
in and help do the routine house
hold chores and save his wife
for better things"
4. Give up forever the idea
your Office will, or does, miss
you If you are a woman. give
up for good the idea that any
younger man will love you for
yourself alone. If you are a man.
make up your mind not to 60
back to the company to visit.
Tell Your Wife
5. If you are a man, tell your
wife the facts of life. THE
woman who has lived with you
all these years" according to
Walter johnson. who has gone
to an Ozark farm. knows all
about the birds and bees, also
about the Speckled eggs and
the honey. She probably knows
just about everything except the
most important thing in the
world at this stage of her life
the truth about your position in
life. your insurance. your money
and your pension.
Your company is not really
going to send ,out a brigade of
tanks If you encounter troubles
after retirement. 1t probably is
not going to continue your PEN
sion to your wife if you die. The
bank is not going to give your
to your wife. just because
she's widowed. The community
won't invite her to tea because
she's alone. The insurance COM
pany won't pay her anything out
of sympathy.
Its uncanny how 66-year-
old men will continue to mis-
represent things to their wives
because of some childish big
shot complex they can't out
grow.
6. Finally. assess yourself. You
are fine human machine, else
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