One of the first major milestones in a person's life is learning to drive. Getting behind the wheel gave you a sense of freedom. With a quarter's worth of gas, you could drive for miles. However, there are some signs that you might need to stop driving.


The Risks
When you think back over the miles you’ve driven in your lifetime, you can hardly believe it. Whether you learned to drive on a dirt road or in a crowded city, you might not have considered the risks involved when you took the wheel. If someone else was driving, your parents would certainly want to make sure they were responsible. Who could have seen down the road that eyes could fail, that reflexes would dull over the years? Based on miles driven, older drivers have higher rates of fatal crashes than any other group.


Signs
One of the earliest signs that it's time for you to stop driving is failing eyesight. If you are diagnosed with glaucoma or other debilitating eye problems, it is probably a sign that it's time to put your car keys away for good. Forgetfulness is one of the main reasons some elderly people cause car accidents. They forget which pedal is the gas and which is the brake. If you suffer from frequent tremors or seizures as with advanced Parkinson's disease or epilepsy, you probably should not be driving. Your doctor will look at your individual disease and situation and let you know for sure.


Coming to Terms With the Truth
One of the most heartbreaking parts of watching a loved one getting older is having to tell them it's time to stop driving. If you are that loved one and you are still sharp mentally, it can be especially difficult to hear. Regardless of how gently and lovingly it's done, it's a milestone you don't want to reach.​

Accepting the fact that it’s time for you to stop driving might be a difficult transition for you. For your whole adult life, you’ve been able to take yourself wherever you wanted without relying on other people. You might feel a loss of independence and frustration that you have to be driven around by other people. Unfortunately, things have changed, and you have had to make concessions that you don't like. Even though it might be something that you don’t want to do, it’s important to come to terms with the fact that it’s time for you to stop driving in order to preserve the safety of yourself and others. 

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What to Look Out for While Planning Your Retirement

Anyone who casually watches television or listens to the radio likely hears about someone selling a strategy to pay off debt. After all, debt causes many problems in people's lives. For many, they choose to avoid amassing any deficit in the first place. Debt, however, can serve a valuable purpose. You can't pay cash for everything all the time, so borrowing becomes a viable option. You can't go overboard, though. Borrow strategically. Doing so could help you amass wealth.

Good Debt vs Bad Debt
Maxing out your credit card with unnecessary vacations and eating out twice a day adds up to bad debt. You throw money away when borrowing nonessentials to live beyond your means. Borrowing money to purchase a reliable computer to help your business, however, makes sense. The new computer could help the business generate income in many different ways. Yes, there is both good debt and bad debt. Good debt works to your advantage and helps you further yourself in life. Bad debt serves no purpose and harm's your life. Bad debt drags down credit scores and takes away funds better served in an investment vehicle. Before you borrow, think about the pros and cons of the resulting debt.

Gearing Up
Borrowing excessively to launch a business can create troubles. Using your own capital, however, may deplete all your savings and liquidity. If the business' cash flow doesn't generate enough funds, you won't get your losses back. If the business folds, you may end up in dire financial trouble. Also, you may not have enough money to run the business properly. Undercapitalization can drag a company down. Saving money makes sense but cutting out necessary items due to a starvation budget isn't beneficial. Borrowing money incrementally at strategic points could lead a business to a stable footing. Be wise with any financing plans and business investments might benefit.

Things to Watch Out For
The lending and borrowing landscape could change in the coming year. The Small Business Administration may come up with an interesting new loan program. Private lending sources might free up additional funds at lower rates. And then there is CECL: current expected credit loss, a new type of accounting standard. CECL will be implemented in 2020, and while it will affect lenders, you don't have to worry about it affecting your investing strategy too much. Educate yourself about CECL to become aware of how it works.

Debt isn't always a bad thing. Learn how debt works for and against you. Then, leverage it properly to achieve your goal of building wealth.

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Whether someone you love has been diagnosed with a terminal illness or is simply getting older — or even if you are the one facing these decisions — end of life plans are an uncomfortable but necessary conversation. After all, people who take the time to plan their end-of-life care have a higher quality of life in their last days and tend to stay less time in the hospital. Discussing plans at this point is the best way to ensure your loved one passes away with dignity and peace of mind.
 
Bringing It Up
 
Many people prefer to take control of their own end-of-life arrangements and will feel confident enough to bring up the matter themselves. However, most people are not comfortable contemplating their death. A survey found that 60 percent of people feel it is important to spare their family from making tough choices, yet 56 percent had not yet broached the subject. If they are not forthcoming, it may be up to you to start the conversation. However, do not sideline them. Delicately say you think the subject needs to be discussed and ask whether they would rather do so now or at another time. If they say another time, schedule the conversation for a specific date and time.
 
What You Need to Talk About
 
Everyone will have different things they need to consider, but here are a few subjects most people will need to discuss.

• Money: How are you paying for end-of-life care and for funeral arrangements? You may want to discuss selling a life insurance policy to free up some cash for this. Just remember that in order for your policy to have a cash value, it needs to be a permanent life insurance policy (but it is possible to convert a term policy into a permanent policy). Also, if your loved one owns a house, you may need to sell the property to afford the cost of long-term care.
• Location: Where do they want to spend their last days? The vast majority would prefer to die at home, which has been shown to lead to more peace and less grief, but this involves more complex care and considerations.
• Care: What kind of care do they want to receive? Talk them through the multiple options (chest compressions, breathing and feeding tubes, etc) so they can get a clear idea of what they want.
• Funeral Arrangements: Do they wish to be buried, cremated, or another option entirely? Who would they like to be invited? What would they want to wear?
• Documentation: Have they made the necessary legal arrangements? According to the AARP, a living will and power of attorney are the minimum that they should have in place. If they don’t, what can you do to help them get this in order?

 
Making the Conversation Productive
 
There is no doubt that this is an incredibly difficult conversation to have. It is almost inevitable that you will feel overwhelmed at some point, but you will need to strike a balance in terms of how emotional you get. It is okay — and even healthy — to cry or express sadness. However, remember that the conversation should be about the person whose plans you are discussing, and their emotions should take precedence. Do not make it about you and your feelings.
 
You will also need to stick to the point. It is useful to enter the conversation with a list of points you need to hit. The Conversation Project, which works to facilitate end-of-life planning within families, has an excellent starter kit that can help with this. This document allows you to put your thoughts in order before approaching your loved one and gives you a frame of reference for the conversation.
 
Remember that if you do not get the answers you need now, it will only get harder. Making the conversation productive and keeping it on-topic means you don’t have to have it again and allows everyone to make the most of the remaining time.
 
Making end-of-life plans can be one of the hardest conversations you have, but that is no reason to avoid it. The bottom line is that these decisions must be made at some point. Talking about it now means your loved one gets to be included in the decisions surrounding their own death and you won’t have to worry about wondering whether you’re getting it right in a time of crisis.