😊 RetireHub Daily: Voice Commands You Haven't Tried Yet | 06/11/2024

It is Tuesday, June 11th, 2024

Dear RetireHub Daily Readers, it’s Tech Tuesday. That means the usual deals, tips, and trivia you all love with just a touch of tech-focus. Welcome back.

On this day in 1509, King Henry VIII of England married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The King’s quest for annulment from Catherine led to a break from Roman Catholicism and the formation of the Church of England.

Do you know who Henry married after Catherine? Test your knowledge in our trivia at the end of this newsletter.

Deal of the Day: Incogni

Keep your private data out of criminals' hands

Spam, scams and fraud start with your personal data being sold. Data brokers are profiting from your home address, SSN, phone number — and other personal information that doesn't belong to them. Incogni scrubs it from the web, confronting the world’s data brokers on your behalf.

• Protect your data and privacy with Incogni, now with a 50% discount

Outdoor Clearance at Dick’s: Up to 80% Off!

Prepare for lots of Father’s Day sales this week! Fantastic prices at Dick’s Sporting Goods, with all manner of outdoor equipment and furniture at heavy discounts. Probably going quick!

• Shop the Deal

RETIREHUB POLL

Useful voice commands for smart phones and other devices

Hey Alexa! Speaking to yourself used to be a sign of aging—now everyone looks like they’re doing it. Devices that let us use voice commands, such as Siri (for Apple), Google, and Alexa (for Amazon) can be a huge help as we age.

But do you know all the really ways they can help? Here’s a few to try:

• Hey Siri/Google/Alexa: Set a timer! You know that moment when you’ve just put something in the oven that needs a timer, but you have to wash your hands first, or find the timer … no more!

• Hey Siri/Google/Alexa: Set a reminder for … Find yourself forgetting things? Ask your smart assistant to remind you! You can ask for a specific event at a specific time. For example: “Set a reminder to take my pill at 2 pm and 4 pm every day.”

• Hey Siri/Google/Alexa: Add … to my calendar! Did you just arrange a dental appointment? Ask your smart assistant to put the time and date in your calendar for you! Also ask to remove or update calendar items.

• Hey Siri/Google/Alexa: Create a grocery list note. This one is great. Now, when you rummage through your fridge deciding what you need, you can yell, “Add eggs to the grocery list!” and voila! You won’t forget the eggs.

• Hey Siri/Google/Alexa: Where are you? For anyone who can never find their phone, this one will bail you out (so long as it’s in the room!).

• Hey Siri/Google/Alexa: Text … you can ask your smartphone to text on your behalf! Just dictate what you want to say. The phone will read it back to you, and ask if it’s ok to send! You can then ask it to read the reply, if you like. Useful when driving, too.

Yesterday’s Poll Results - How good are you at sticking to a budget?

✅ Over half (52%) of RetireHub Daily readers “normally stick to a budget but slip up occasionally”, which sounds reasonable to us! 20% describe their budgeting skills as “not good”, 18% don’t budget, while 10% describe their budgeting as “perfect”. Hopefully, yesterday’s budgeting tips helped!

Thanks to the many of you who vote and comment every day.

Our Favorite Comments:

We love hearing and sharing all your comments from our polls! While we can’t publish them all, we do read and appreciate every comment.

• “Carry too many “things” in my head. I do not have a hard budget. I know bills are coming, and I pay them, however, I won’t hesitate to make purchases, essentially on the fly. Amazon greatly benefits from these spontaneous purchases.”

• “I have enough money to satisfy my wants and needs, which are few.”

• “My father taught me how to make and follow a budget when I was in high school. 50 years later, my husband and I still budget and it has helped us so many times when we've had emergencies happen or if we want to do or buy something that was unplanned. ”

• “This old house constantly needs repairs, hard to stay on budget.”

WHAT WE’RE READING

Each day we pick a well-reviewed book you can get for free on Kindle.

SENIOR LIVING NEWS

14 YouTube Channels by Women Over 50

YouTubers are not only about cat videos and young people in their early 20s sharing their van lives.

Many women over 50 have created successful YouTube channels and post regular content that is relatable to women 50 and up.

Here’s a list of great YouTube channels to check out.

• Read the Article

Should You and Your Spouse Retire at the Same Time?

Retiring as a couple can be enjoyable, but it may also mean that you take a significant cut in pay.

Key Takeaways

•Retiring as a couple can be enjoyable, but it may also mean that you take a significant cut in pay.

•It’s important to consider health benefits and Social Security eligibility when deciding whether both of you can retire at the same time.

•Also consider the lifestyle changes that retirement will bring and whether you’ll pursue interests together or individually.

Read the Guide

Want free books delivered to your inbox every day? Check out Free Booksy!

Receive free eBooks (just like this one!) in your favorite genres delivered to your inbox daily. Check out Free Booksy today!

(Please support our sponsors — they help keep RetireHub going!)

Longevity Tip of the Day

Listen to birdsong—human brains seem wired to find birdsong peaceful. Studies have shown that birdsong increases feeling of calm and wellbeing, helping keep damaging stress hormones at bay. If you don’t hear many birds where you live, you can find birdsong on YouTube or on any music app.

Slang Word of the Day

Phrase: “Humblebrag“

Meaning: One is making a “humblebrag” when one manages to show off while seemingly being humble. Generally not well received by those being spoken to.

In a sentence: “Did you hear John’s humblebrag about his new place ‘only having 3 acres of land? Give me a break...“

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY

West Virginia Boy Celebrates Perfect Attendance from Kindergarten Through High School Graduation

A young man in West Virginia made it into the local paper when news came out that he had graduated from high school with a perfect K-12 attendance record.

Wyatt Chestnut said that most people don’t believe him, but the school district provided him with a certificate in recognition of his accomplishment which he happily uses to shut down any arguments.

…Read More

Watch a Dog Mimic a Weightlifter By Doing Squats and Lifting Invisible Barbells

This amusing video captures three-year-old Dooma copying her owner, Dr. Evan Strahl, working out at an LA Fitness gym in Seattle, Washington.

During Evan’s exercise session, the pup begins performing a set of squats.

• …Read More

RETIREHUB TRIVIA

Our goal is to grow RetireHub to over 1 million members — with this, we’ll have the leverage to get even better discounts from the likes of Netflix, Amazon, and others.

To help incentivize referrals, we’re giving away 12 months of your favorite streaming service for free! Simply forward this email to a friend (and cc [email protected]) and you’ll be entered into the drawing on June 12th! (Maximum $20/month streaming service).

Each additional friend you send the email to will count as an additional entry (25 person max).