“The Retirement Squeeze” is the topic this week on The Art 2 Aging’s feature podcast.

That’s what our guest refers to as the financial aspects of retirement that many fail to take into consideration.

Now, we have gone in depth in the past on what goes into a financial plan for retirement and it pretty much boils down to one thing: pay yourself first when you are a working stiff and invest wisely.

That means having a budget and a good dose of self discipline to stick to the plan as much as possible.

But many of us know there’s much more to it than just saving and investing to reach some magic number; you have to consider long term healthcare costs, a retirement residence perhaps (very costly, these days); what it might take cost-wise, to stay in your own home as long as possible – those sorts of elements.

David Conti, a financial writer who spent years with Vanguard, the enormous investment fund advisory with more than $13 trillion in assets under its management (gee, almost as much as Elon Musk!) is our guest.

What David has done is to create something called the Retirement Fear Index which he updates each month to track changes in 10 different categories that directly impact retirement and retirement planning.

David and I get pretty deep in discussing retirement and its surprising hidden costs and it’s a must-watch if you are close to or already in retirement. Look for 10 Ways Your Retirement Can Mess Up in your inbox, Friday morning on The Art 2 Aging.

When was the last time you saw a healthcare ad for older adults that actually spoke to you, that didn’t offend you by using demeaning, ageist language, or images?

Probably not in a long time because those ads are few and far between.

This week on The Art 2 Aging, a wide-ranging conversation with two marketing and advertising experts who were top of their field and who are still involved in the industry today.

Dave McCaughan has been a frequent guest on the show and has done research most recently for the Global Wellness Institute on what aging means in different countries around the world. Dave also spent decades in market research for McCann Advertising.

He’s joined by Jeremy Perrott, former Global Creative Director at McCann Health, who has created many ad campaigns that have won worldwide Clio awards – the advertising equivalent of Hollywood’s Oscars – along with many others.

Under his leadership, McCann Health was recognized as the most creatively awarded healthcare network in the world, four years in a row.

Together, Jeremy and Dave offer their opinions on why advertising keeps missing the mark when it comes to older adults and how ad agencies could make their messaging far more effective.

Diet.

Think about that word. It has two meanings, doesn’t it?

The first one connotes trying to lose weight, as in “I have to go on a diet.”

The second meaning relates to what we put in our mouths and stomachs three times a day, as in “My diet consists of healthy vegetables, lean meats and lots of protein.” Hopefully.

Somehow, both meanings of the word ‘diet’ have come together into such things as the Scarsdale Diet, the Atkins Diet, the South Beach diet, etc.

Each one favours certain foods and each one – if followed – claims some weight loss.

As we age, our dietary needs change along with our bodies. And we need to be aware of this. Instead, many people fall into diet camps: the Keto camp, the Paleo camp, the Carnivore camp and so on.

Dr. Richard Rocker, our guest this week on The Art 2 Aging, believes that ideology, rather than common sense, is leading many of us astray. Richard is an Integrative and Natural Medicine practitioner in Ireland who also holds certification as a blood chemistry analyst.

Michael Whelan was working in his dream job at HBO when he was asked if he wanted to undertake an enormous challenge.

His boss asked him to start The Golf Channel.

Creating a television channel from nothing but an idea, hiring the various people needed - on-air talent, editors, camera operators, and so on - finding the physical space for studios, edit suites, green rooms, and developing the content for a 24/7 niche sports channel is a huge undertaking at the best of times.

But Michael’s boss gave him an added task: do all that and do it in just five months.

Now 70 years old, Michael Whelan reflects on the time when he was asked to do the near-impossible back in the mid 90s.

This is an Encore Presentation

For most of the 20th century there existed a chasm between natural medicine and mainstream medicine, dominated as it is by the big pharmaceutical companies of the world.

But two and a half decades into the 21st century that may be shifting. There is a growing willingness by general practitioners and specialists to take an unbiased look at how natural medicine can complement their own work, especially when there are more and more concrete examples of the effectiveness of natural medicine.

Our guest this week on The Art 2 Aging is Amanda King, a doctor of natural medicine who works in the field of integrative oncology. What she can achieve with a cancer patient by taking a metabolic approach through diet is impressive.

When Scott Fulton was 40, he was active - sort of. He coached a lot of soccer and played golf.

But he was overweight and out of shape.

And, as so often happens in life - as if it was meant to - a chance invitation from a neighbour for a bike ride - changed Scott forever.

Scott Fulton is the author of a best seller titled “Function” in which he lays out the link between health and longevity.

“Well, obviously,” I can hear you thinking.

Not so obvious. The link between health and longevity is far more than just diet or exercise, important as they are. To hear our original discussion about Scott’s book, click this link.

But to hear Scott’s story which ultimately led to the creation of Function, listen to our conversation this week on The Art 2 Aging.

Now available in video form on YouTube, Spotify and elsewhere!

In the nearly 3 years that The Art 2 Aging has been offering views, opinions, and information on being older, there is one area that we haven’t tackled: grief over the death of a loved one.

Like life insurance, death is not something people want to discuss, let alone hear about.

But it is inevitable, isn’t it?

Yet even when we know it’s coming, it hits like a Mack truck.

Michael Whelan is not a name that may be familiar to many outside the television industry.

But if you’ve ever watched a boxing event on HBO or tennis from Wimbledon on NBC or a golf tournament on The Golf Channel, Michael Whelan’s name is all over it.

Professionally, he’s had a great life filled with success, accolades, Peabodys, Emmys – you get the picture.

However, that’s not who he is today. Michael lost his wife of nearly 50 years last March (2026) from Parkinson’s Disease.

All the Emmys, Peabodys, and accomplishments mean nothing now. His life story changed overnight.

Michael agreed to speak openly about the loss of his one love, Rebecca, and what he is learning about death and the impact that grief is having on his life.

When happiness expert, Kathie Donovan, began writing her new book, she had one goal in mind: to help women (and men, too) break free of roles that were imposed on them at a very young age and reinforced over the years.

These roles essentially rob each of us of our real power as human beings.

Kathie Donovan is our guest this week on The Art 2 Aging and this conversation is as powerful as her new book is. You won’t want to miss this one!