Community Chat

[kittymomNC]

I wish people would actually do some research into all the ways AARP and the AARP Foundation helps older citizens, from their advocacy programs, to providing very good insurance coverage through Medicare supplements, helping low-income seniors with tax preparation, their Drive to End Hunger-especially for older citizens, free HUD certified counseling to 50+ citizens who are at risk of foreclosure, Anti-Hunger initiatives to help older Native Americans, to partnering with organizations in some states to give discounts on adoption fees for dogs and cats who need homes, helping the elderly who have become isolated from family and community, to working toward helping older Americans connect with homeless dogs and cats through adoption so those people don't feel so isolated, and a needy animal finds a home.....I could fill a page or more with the good things that are due to the work of AARP and the AARP Foundation. And I doubt that the animal shelters and rescue groups give kickbacks to AARP for helping find an animal a home.

So what if they're a business, maybe they do have some poli*tical agenda....I really don't care. And maybe the fact that they are a business funds the AARP Foundation and its work. I look at the overall picture of what AARP does...and it does a lot of good in spite of what many people have been lead to believe. Sometimes you just have to sort through what you don't like to find the good...that goes for a lot of things in life.

And for anyone who has not reached an age where they might not be as financially well-off as they would like to be, I don't believe they would turn down a discount offered on anything. The way I look at it, I'm going to be the age I am and there's not a thing I can do about it. So if someone offers me a Senior Discount, you can bet I'm going to take it because I've been around long enough to earn it! If stores and businesses want to give it to me, why would I turn it down? JMHO

[Financialgrl]

I mostly use it for hotel discounts - hotels usually have a larger percentage tax on rooms and if I use my AARP card, it pays the tax.

I was a volunteer tax preparer for their AARP Foundation for 5 years and as a reward, at the end of the season we'd get a free year's subscription. I enjoy many of the articles but the number one complaint I have is the amount of insurance junk mail I get from them. Its like they never give up - life insurance and LTC insurance mail must come at least twice a week.

[Financialgrl]

On 8/6/2014 kittymomNC said:

I wish people would actually do some research into all the ways AARP and the AARP Foundation helps older citizens, from their advocacy programs, to providing very good insurance coverage through Medicare supplements, helping low-income seniors with tax preparation, their Drive to End Hunger-especially for older citizens, free HUD certified counseling to 50+ citizens who are at risk of foreclosure, Anti-Hunger initiatives to help older Native Americans, to partnering with organizations in some states to give discounts on adoption fees for dogs and cats who need homes, helping the elderly who have become isolated from family and community, to working toward helping older Americans connect with homeless dogs and cats through adoption so those people don't feel so isolated, and a needy animal finds a home.....I could fill a page or more with the good things that are due to the work of AARP and the AARP Foundation. And I doubt that the animal shelters and rescue groups give kickbacks to AARP for helping find an animal a home.

So what if they're a business, maybe they do have some poli*tical agenda....I really don't care. And maybe the fact that they are a business funds the AARP Foundation and its work. I look at the overall picture of what AARP does...and it does a lot of good in spite of what many people have been lead to believe. Sometimes you just have to sort through what you don't like to find the good...that goes for a lot of things in life.

And for anyone who has not reached an age where they might not be as financially well-off as they would like to be, I don't believe they would turn down a discount offered on anything. The way I look at it, I'm going to be the age I am and there's not a thing I can do about it. So if someone offers me a Senior Discount, you can bet I'm going to take it because I've been around long enough to earn it! If stores and businesses want to give it to me, why would I turn it down? JMHO

Agree - and as for political leanings - no different than TV, newspapers, etc. I'm extremely cynical, question everything and consider myself smart enough to weed through and make decisions on my own. As for their Foundation, I became one of their volunteer tax preparers 10 years ago and worked the tax season for 5 years. I absolutely loved it the first 2 or 3 years and only left when I felt the program had morphed into something I felt I'd not signed up for.