Book details 'kaleidoscope' of options for retirees

Overseas travel. Playing golf. Time with the grandkids. Or, perhaps, writing lots of books. Retirement can look different to different people. Findlay's Bill Ruse, former CEO of Blanchard Valley Health System, has spent a lot of time during his retirement writing books. Ruse and Donald Stansloski co-authored the recent "A Senior's Guide to Retirement Planning." A year ago, they wrote "A Senior's Guide to Understanding Medicare." This follows earlier books explaining things like the American health care system, as well as technology for seniors. Ruse said the retirement book came about when a friend remarked, "I don't have any friends anymore." She said she had had friends at work but she was in a supervisory position, and found that they didn't stay friends after she retired. Ruse said the conversation got him and Stansloski thinking about how there are so many issues people maybe don't think about when they're preparing to retire. Ruse encouraged people to start thinking about retirement even if it is a long way off — and to be sure they're saving enough for when the time comes. After all, he said, what you can do when you're retired depends in large part on what you can afford. And, he pointed out, it's important to think about what would happen if you lose your job if, say, your company is bought by another company. Would you get another job, or would you be forced to retire? Ruse, 86, said he never really thought about retirement as much as he should have, until it started to get closer. He realized relatively late in his working years that he needed to put more money aside. Now, he advises people, "Start saving as early as you can." Ruse said he's interested in educating people on the workings of Social Security and Medicare in order to help people understand them. He said people may see ads for Medicare Advantage plans on television, but do not understand how they work. Then, they may find out that physicians locally aren't in network for that particular plan. He advocated getting what's known as "Medigap" coverage "the day you retire" to prevent having more expenses down the line. He also sais "it's so important" to make sure you have legal documents in place, including a will and power of attorney. Ruse advocated paying attention to physical security, too. When he fell and injured himself, his smart watch asked him if he wanted it to call 911, he said. Having a device like this may lead to added security. "We all have this feeling of invincibility," but it's important to keep these risks in mind, Ruse said. The retirement book focuses also on how to stay active in retirement. Ruse said some people — "the golfers, particularly" — look forward to pursuing hobbies in retirement. But if you don't have a hobby, you can quickly learn "the days are very long," he said. In the book he covers travel. Ruse said that, too, is something you need to plan around your financial situation. He's a proponent of train travel, and said during his working years, he and his wife would take a long weekend going to Chicago by train. "That was delightful," he said. After retirement, he and his wife did more traveling, including taking cruises, primarily on smaller ships. Once you start exploring the options, from day trips to longer trips, you'll realize "there's a kaleidoscope of things you can do," Ruse said. Having spent his own retirement in part writing books, Ruse is now, after writing nonfiction books, working on a novel: "a James Bond-type of thing." "Writing keeps you busy," he said. "A Senior's Guide to Retirement Planning" and "A Senior's Guide to Understanding Medicare" are available on Amazon for $25 each or $9.99 on Kindle. Ruse said he and Stansloski are trying to get "A Senior's Guide to Retirement Planning" into as many people's hands as possible, and are offering it for $12.50 to Hancock County residents. Contact Ruse at bill.ruse@gmail.com for more information on how to pick up a copy. Arthurs: 419-427-8494