I'm 50; Just invited to join AARP; Should I join?

If you travel or have money to invest, then join AARP. Otherwise it is not worth the effort or the money.

I’ve avoided it for five years now.

How does it help with investments? Triple A seems to provide just as good travel discounts.

The yearly fee is really cheap ($16.00).

I find the newsletters and monthly magazine filled with, often, useful info for me…general health, diet, exercise, investments, financial tips, emotional well-being and exemplary role models.

I took out their insurance on car and house recently. It was much cheaper than my previous company.

PS. I also use their Medigap insurance plan F for additional general med. insurance in addition to Medicare A, B, and D. It has been a useful plan to have.

Sure .. you can get lots of discounts… hotels, rental cars, airfare, insurance. All sorts of things.

I would check out their website and see what all the benefits are.

Welcome to the club!! :)

By the way, 50 is NOT old… :)

I’m 52 and have not joined, nothing that I feel I need at this time. I have other memberships that save me on travel and other things, no need to double up, perhaps, one day. Yes, they are like Bloodhounds, the scent of 50 has their offers waiting on your birthday. I had to laugh as my first solicitation showed up on my 50th birthday. lol

I joined because they will lobby to protect medicare for me. I’m not 55 so Paul Ryan would throw me to the dogs.
I have also been able to get discounts that were not covered by AAA, but I don’t think enough to pay for the membership.

It’s $16 a year, folks. That’s 31 cents a week.

@gailcalled , I didn’t remember it was that cheap. if that’s the case, I HAVE made my money back.

@Judi: It’s just these little problems that keep our brains young while we find solutions or do the research.

I won’t, because I disagree so strongly with most of their political agenda.

No, there are several alternate organizations.

I prefer AMAC, Association of Mature Americans Citizens
http://amac.us/

If your a democrat Liberal yea go ahead an jion they will love to have you.I don’t want any part of them.

I was 49, when AARP sent me a birthday card, reminding me that I now qualify for AARP.

I did not need their reminder to tell me this. The 50 candles on my birthday cake was a huge flame and watched by the NFDept.

They remind me each year, that I am a year older and should join.

Maybe, I am just fighting the fact that AARP yearly reminds me that I am getting older and time is running out, that forbids me to join.

Not today, not tomorrow and maybe not ever.

I like the benefits of AAA better.

Thanks folks. Yes, it seems there are tons of discounts on the internet anyway. I expect to be working for many more years, probably 20 or so. I have just about every insurance known to man (except LTC insurance). I even have my own disability insurance. I have AAA discounts and really good employer discounts on lodging and travel neither of which I use too much anyway. So, I didn’t read anything above that makes it worth it, even if it is only $16/year. This was a good use of fluther.

AARP sends out free trial memberships to everyone over the age of 50. They use the numbers generated from these fake memberships to claim they speak for a huge membership. The truth is, they never poll the membership for their political policies.

The discounts are usually available at every establishment for any senior person, no membership required.

@YARNLADY , but the discounts usually arent available until Aat least 55 and usually not until 60+

@Judi I wondered about that. Do stores that only give discounts to over 60 still have to honor the AAA?

My parents cancelled their membership when AARP joined the GOP in support of the poison pill-laden Medicare Part D “benefit”. However, where they once supported the pharmaceutical companies’ “inalienable rights to demand their highest prices”, AARP is now calling for the government to negotiate. So I suppose I wouldn’t be as reluctant to join. I am fifty, so I am eligible. However I have no plans to join at this time. I’m still young, dammit!

AARP’s Flip Flop

I quit the AARP when they supported prop 26 in California which would make raising property taxes easier(*). Why do retired folks need higher property taxes? It’s run by liberals. The AARP supports obamacare since they project to make $1 billion from insurance sales.

(*)http://primary2000.sos.ca.gov/VoterGuide/Propositions/26yesarg.htm