Ina Jaffe

Automatic-Enrollment IRAs Get A Test Run In California

Ina Jaffe — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:21:00 +0000

With all of the controversy over entitlement reform, there's one thing both sides can agree on: Social Security alone does not provide enough money for a comfortable retirement. For these workers, the Obama administration is proposing automatically enrolling workers in IRAs through their employers.

California adopted a version of this last year. Democratic state Sen. Kevin de Leon sponsored the bill to automatically enroll workers in an individual retirement account. The inspiration, he says, was his Aunt Francisca, who's 74.

"She's my second mother.

A Mother's Fight Against 3 Strikes Law 'A Way of Life'

Ina Jaffe — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:25:00 +0000

Since the November election, 240 California prisoners facing potential life sentences have been set free. That's because voters changed California's tough three strikes sentencing law.

As NPR reported in 2009, that law sent thousands of people to prison for terms of 25 years to life for minor, nonviolent crimes. Now those prisoners can ask the court to have their sentences reduced.

One of those set free under the new law is Shane Reams.

'A Lovely Feeling': Celebrating Older Women With Fabulous Style

Ina Jaffe — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:19:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4rppAHskqQ

A Retired Chicago Cop's Second Act Is At A Barbershop

Ina Jaffe — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 07:55:00 +0000

Increasingly, people are continuing to work past 65. Almost a third of Americans between the ages of 65 and 70 are working, and among those older than 75, about 7 percent are still on the job. In Working Late, a series for Morning Edition, NPR profiles older adults who are still in the workforce.

Some older Americans are passing up retirement in favor of starting businesses of their own.

For Elderly Midwife, Delivering Babies Never Gets Old

Ina Jaffe — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:42:00 +0000

Sometimes you can't retire even if you want to. For Dian Sparling, a certified nurse midwife in Fort Collins, Colo., there's no one to take over her practice.

At 85, 'Old-School' Politician Shows No Signs Of Quitting

Ina Jaffe — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:02:00 +0000

Politics is one field that has long been associated with people working into their later years — sometimes even into their 80s or 90s. And at 85, state Sen.

Baby Boomers Return To The Multiplex, And Hollywood Notices

Ina Jaffe — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 23:01:00 +0000

If you're not counting the days until the release of Iron Man 3, if you're not sure who Kristen Stewart is, and if the last romantic comedy you saw starred Meryl Streep, you just may be over 50.

That's a segment of the moviegoing audience that may have been neglected once — but no more.

When A Bad Economy Means Working 'Forever'

Ina Jaffe — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:08:00 +0000

Janet Sims-Wood is a 67-year-old librarian living near Washington, D.C., who, like millions of other seniors, has had to stay in the workforce past retirement age to make ends meet.

Series Overview: More Americans Working Past Retirement Age

Ina Jaffe — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:52:00 +0000

The top financial worry of Americans is that they won't have enough money when they retire, according to a recent Gallup poll. And the average age at which Americans expect to retire keeps rising — from age 60 in the mid-1990s to age 67 now, the survey showed.

Working past retirement age isn't an expectation. But for a growing number of older people, it's their reality.

For One Senior, Working Past Retirement Age Is A Workout

Ina Jaffe — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:43:00 +0000

Increasingly, people are continuing to work past 65. Almost a third of Americans between the ages of 65 and 70 are working, and among those older than 75, about 7 percent are still on the job.

Workshops Help Families Grappling With Alzheimer's Home Care

Ina Jaffe — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:41:00 +0000
There are more than 5 million people with Alzheimer's in the U.S., and most are cared for at home. Now, one company has begun offering training to family caregivers to help them deal with the special challenges of caring for an Alzheimer's patient.
The company, Home Instead Senior Care, is the nation's largest provider of nonmedical home care for seniors. The workshops are free and available to anyone, whether they're clients of the company or not.
A recent session in Los Angeles drew about half a dozen people on a weekday afternoon.

Online Sales Increase 16 Percent This Holiday Season

Ina Jaffe — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 11:08:00 +0000
Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
OK, so the final numbers are not in yet, but it looks like the Christmas shopping season was just OK. There were some bright spots, particularly in online sales.
NPR's Ina Jaffe reports.
INA JAFFE, BYLINE: The frenzy of Black Friday calmed down considerably over the course of the Christmas shopping season. Major chains began offering big discounts as the holiday approached and that'll cut into profits.
Before the Christmas shopping season began, some analysts were predicting sales would increase as much as 5 percent over last year.

In California, 'Republican' Is Becoming A Toxic Label

Ina Jaffe — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 08:26:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLIzzs2HHgY

Underdog Democrat Keeping Things Close In Nevada Senate Race

Ina Jaffe — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:10:00 +0000
Early in-person voting in Nevada starts Saturday, and it's not just the presidential contest that's being closely watched in this swing state.
The race for the U.S. Senate is also seen as a tossup, a bit of a surprise for Republicans, who have counted on retaining the GOP-held seat as they try to build a majority.
Republican Sen. Dean Heller — in office for only 18 months — faces seven-term Rep. Shelley Berkley on Nov. 6.
Heller, 52, was a three-term congressman from the northern part of the state when he was appointed by Republican Gov.

In Calif., 2 Democrats, 2 Incumbents, 1 Race

Ina Jaffe — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 20:41:00 +0000
One of the toughest, and strangest, congressional races in the country is between two Los Angeles incumbents. Redistricting put Democrats Howard Berman and Brad Sherman into the same territory. Their faceoff in this election is a result of California's new non-partisan primary system, which sends the top two finishers to the general election, even if they're from the same party.

Obama, Ryan Pitch Medicare Plans To Older Voters

Ina Jaffe — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 11:14:00 +0000
President Obama and Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan spoke Friday at the annual AARP convention in New Orleans, Medicare and Social Security topped the agenda for both. NPR's Ina Jaffe reports the organization represents millions of older Americans, who are among the most reliable voters.

Obama, Ryan Talk Medicare At AARP Convention

Ina Jaffe — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 21:30:00 +0000
Transcript
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Robert Siegel.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
And I'm Audie Cornish.
In New Orleans today, thousands of senior citizens were treated to two different visions for their future.

Los Angeles VA Has Made Millions On Rental Deals

Ina Jaffe — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 07:28:00 +0000
Most Los Angeles residents only know the Veterans Affairs medical center in West Los Angeles as something they glimpse from their cars when they're on traffic-choked Wilshire Boulevard. From the road it looks like a park, but within the grounds is the largest medical facility in the VA's health care system.
The campus is also one of the most fought-over pieces of property in Los Angeles. The nearly 400 acres are in the middle of a densely populated and affluent part of the city. Given its location, the land has been coveted for commercial development.