Dear Doug by Doug Mayberry

Q: I have been widowed for seven years. Prior to retiring, I held a midlevel management position and felt reasonably bright. Now, at 69, I have awakened to the fact that I feel dumb. My five grandchildren and their parents communicate with their computers, stick cords in their ears, speak by texting and are in constant contact. I feel like I am being left out of the loop. I do not have a computer and am afraid I am too old to learn. Am I?

A: You are not dumb, and remind yourself never to miss an opportunity to stay mentally young. Various surveys indicate less than 25 percent of Americans over age 60 own a computer. Ask your grandkids to show you how easy it is to learn about computers. Tell them you want to learn how to use one.

Classes are freely available at senior centers, libraries and schools. A big bonus is helping your kids build their self-esteem when they become your teacher.

With computers, you can send and receive e-mail messages, use websites, receive current news, learn more about your investments, real estate and sports, view political updates and much, much more. I would not be able to write this column without one.

Your computer becomes your best new friend, and sometimes even helps you find a new partner — I know several people who have. Take the initiative, and you will be amazed how easily you can enter a new world and share experiences with your family.

Q: My wife and I now strongly disagree how we should be investing in the stock market.

We have different stockbrokers. She believes her broker, who says our economy has bottomed out and will move upward. My broker believes the United States has gone bankrupt and our economy will get worse. What is our best solution?

A: You may both be correct. Timing is everything. One theory is to put stocks in two different baskets, one to contain stocks that mimic inflation and the other that mimics depression projections. Prices will change, and you can keep options open to make changes to percentages held in each basket.

Request in writing that each broker list his or her recommendations of any changes in your portfolios. Then discuss their reasoning with your accountant, who could offer his or her opinion and forecast any tax consequences. Also, ask the brokers about their firms' recommendations as a possible guideline for the future.

I am not a licensed stockbroker. But as Eric Hoffer says, "When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other." For example, if a large number of investors are buying hedge funds, it has a strong influence on others doing the same. Recently, the Queen of England — who claims to have also lost big bucks last year — complained publicly, asking where the naysayers were before the international economies tanked. Did you hear any negatives?

Doug Mayberry makes the most of life after work in a Southern California retirement community. Contact him at deardoug@msn.com. To find out more about Doug Mayberry and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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