State Pension payment

margaretclare

Hi schiff

My main worry about loulou's situation is her statement that 'if something happens to her he would be lost'. Usually the situation is reversed - husband takes care of all money matters, wife is happy to let him get on with it and takes no interest, then something suddenly happens to him and she's the one who is lost!

Anything can happen to anybody at any age. My younger daughter certainly did not expect to die suddenly a couple of weeks after her 39th birthday. DH and I each look after our own finances, but we tell each other what we're doing, we can look at each other's Quicken (personal accounting system).

The trouble with the idea of 'leaving technology alone' is that it's difficult to live without. For example, all the fuss and noise about the withdrawal of pension books (mental note: watch the BBC1 'On the Fiddle' programme Wednesday evening) and all that was said about what was, to many people, a major change in their routines and their lives. Even now, if we go into our little town centre for a freshly-baked loaf from the local bakery, on a Monday morning we can see a line of about 30 people waiting outside the post office for it to open. My DH was amazed to see it on a freezing-cold morning in the middle of winter, but apparently it's the same every Monday morning winter or summer.

Embracing technology is IMHO a great help if one becomes less mobile, less active, less willing to wait for the bus and then stand outside the post office! I've sat in here in the warm checking my online accounts and seeing people struggling by with their shoppers-on-wheels.

It's not that new, anyway - telephone banking has been around for ages. I used to do phone banking when I worked in Saudi Arabia in 1989. There are all sorts of options.

Best wishes

Margaret Clare

loulou41

Thanks for this Margaret Clare. I have been trying to get husband interested in his finances, but he has left it up to me. Although he is very interested in finances as he does all buying and selling shares etc., getting his blood pressure up and down with the stock market, but leave the actual savings to me. As for me I am quite happy with what I got. Would you believe it if I tell you he can just manage to use a mobile phone and will not use card from the cash machine. We have to laugh (daughter and I)he is slow and the cash manchine swallowed hs card. He is not interested in new technology. As for me I got interested in computer about 10 yrs, I was sent on a computer course and did not even know how to switch it on, how embarassing since then I have embarked on many courses both at work and at the College. I could remember when daughter who was at Uni at this time trying to show me how to send an e-mail and I thought I will never master it. I am now 58 yrs retired last year being in the NHS. Hubby is not stupid and is very knowledgeable but why afraid of a computer. He has agreed to go on a course. I doubt whether he will be able to do online banking. Thanks.

kenshaz

Never close your mind,accept change,nothing more to say