Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 Pats’ Football Head Coach Cicatelli hopes for injury-free season start Retirement Planning Tips for Single Women Dear Savvy Senior, What retirement planning tips can you recommend to single women? I’m a divorced 58-year-old women with a teenaged son and have very little saved for retirement. Financially Vulnerable Dear Vulnerable, It’s an unfortunate reality, but RHS Patriots Football Head Coach Lou CicateIIi talked with his team before halftime during last year’s season opener against the Peabody Tanners. (Advocate fi le photo) By Don Nicastro L ou Cicatelli wants a lot of things for the Revere High School football Patriots as he embarks on his 22nd season this fall. Wins. Greater Boston League success. Postseason competition. And, of course, a win over Winthrop on Thanksgiving Day. However, as the Patriots gear up for their Week 1 matchup on Friday, Sept. 8, at defending Northeastern Conference Lynch Division champion Peabody, Cicatelli simply wants one thing above all else: health for his players. Last year, the Patriots lost seven starters by Week 3. Football will always have its injuries and nicks and bruises each week, but seven starters? Talk about a snake-bit 2022 campaign. “If we can stay healthy, we’ll make some noise,” Cicatelli said. “The problem last year was we lost seven starters before Week 3. It was a nightmare. A nightmare.” The 2023 Patriots so far are a team with a blend of raw talent, seasoned skill and an unyielding spirit. Of course, they’ve yet to play a game that counts, so time will tell how things unfold. That said, Cicatelli knows he has a team that was “hungry” in the off season to improve from last year’s 4-7 campaign, in which Revere grabbed the No. 14 seed in Division 3 and lost the playoff opener to Plymouth South, 28-6. The Patriots lost their fi nal three games of the season. But the team had a tremendous offseason, focusing on strength training and teambuilding activities. The weight room attendance was notably high, indicating the players’ commitment. “They’re very hungry,” Cicatelli said. “Weight room attendance was off the charts. We had to do splits to get the kids in and out, and we got better, we got stronger and there was a good amount of team building. So far, so good.” Revere will carry a roster of about 62 players. That’s a good number, according to Cicatelli. The coach liked what he saw in the first preseason scrimmage against Burlington. Revere found the end zone five times to Burlington’s one. “It was pretty good,” Cicatelli said. “We’ve got a lot to clean up, but you know what? For the fi rst scrimmage, I was very, very pleased.” Revere’s strength this fall may lie in its skill players, especially the tailbacks and the quarterback. However, the Patriots do have a young off ensive line that will require more teaching. Carlos Rizzo, a senior captain, is once again calling the shots at quarterback. He has shown signifi cant improvement in his poise, strength and speed. And he’s also taken on a leadership role as a captain. “His poise,” Cicatelli said when asked for one of Rizzo’s top traits. “He’s got a lot of poise, and he’s also a captain. He’s a good leader.” Fellow senior captains for Revere include Hakim Malki, a defensive end and guard; Walter Rodriguez, a defensive end/ tight end; and Abbas Atoui, a fullback and linebacker. Giovanni Woodard, a junior, will get plenty of looks at tailback and will get linebacker looks on the other side of the ball. Fellow junior Danny Hou will spark the off ense at wide receiver. Woodard’s speed and Hou’s versatility are notable. The team has a strong junior class, with some promising freshmen coming in, especially in terms of size – size of the young players, that is. “It’s probably the biggest class I’ve had in a long time, size-wise,” Cicatelli said. Revere’s wasting no time throwing itself into competition this season. After that Peabody opener, it travels to its playoff foe from last year, Plymouth South. Then it’s on to the Greater Boston League for the six-game league stretch, starting with Medford on the road on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. Everyone wants to know when Everett lands on the schedule – and it’s Friday, Oct. 6. “I think we’ll be OK in the league,” Cicatelli said. “The GBL I think is getting better and better. Again, for us, I think everything goes through Everett until it doesn’t. I don’t see much change there.” many single women – whether they’re divorced, widowed or never married – face much greater fi nancial challenges in retirement than men. The reasons behind this are because women tend to earn less money – about 82 cents for every dollar that men make, on average, and they have shorter working careers than men due to raising children and/or caring for aging parents. And less money earned usually translates into less money saved and a lower Social Security benefi t when you retire. In addition, women live an average of fi ve years longer than men, which requires their retirement income to stretch farther for living expenses and healthcare costs. And, according to some studies, women tend to have less confi dence about fi - nancial issues than men, which means they don’t always manage their money as well as they should. Because of these issues, it’s very important that women educate themselves on financial matters and learn how to save more eff ectively. Here are some tips and resources that may help. Start Saving Aggressively If your employer off ers a retirement plan, such as a 401K, you should contribute enough to at least capitalize on a company match, if available. And if you can swing it, contribute even more. In 2023, you can save as much as $22,500 in a 401(k), or $30,000 to those 50 and older, due to the catch-up rule. If you don’t have a workplace plan, consider opening a Traditional or Roth IRA. Both are powerful tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts that let you contribute up to $6,500 annually, or $7,500 when you’re over 50. And if you’re self-employed, consider a SEP-IRA, SIMPLE-IRA and/or a solo 401(k), all of which can help reduce your taxable income while putting money away for retirement. Also, if you have a high-deductible health insurance policy (at least $1,500 for self-only coverage or $3,000 for family coverage), you should consider opening a health savings account (HSA). This is a triple tax advantage tool that can be used to sock away funds pre-tax, which will lower your taxable income; the money in the account grows tax-free; and if you use the money for eligible medical expenses, the withdrawals are tax-free too. Pay Off Debts If you have debt, you need to get it under control. If you need help with this, consider a nonprofi t credit-counseling agency that provides free or low-cost advice and solutions, and can help you set up a debt management plan. To locate a credible agency in your area, use the National Foundation for Credit Counseling website at NFCC.org (800388-2227), or the or the Financial Counseling Association of America FCAA.org (800-450-1794). Find Help To help you educate yourself on fi nancial matters like retirement planning, saving and investing, health care, annuities and more, a top resource is the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement at WiserWomen.org. And to help you get up to speed on Social Security, visit SSA.gov/people/women. This web page, dedicated to women, provides helpful publications like “What Every Woman Should Know,” along with links to benefi t calculators and your personal Social Security account to help you fi gure out your future earnings at diff erent retirement ages. You should also consider getting a fi nancial assessment with a fee-only fi nancial advisor. Costs for these services will vary from around $150 to $300 per hour, but this can be very benefi cial to help you set-up a retirement plan you can follow. See NAPFA.org or GarrettPlanningNetwork.com to locate an advisor in your area. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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