AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) had emerged from NTRA in 1958, which was founded by Dr. Ethel Andrus and Leonard Davis. National Retired Teachers Association (NTRA) was founded by Dr. Ethel in 1947 to encourage old-aged people (basically retired teachers) in generative activities. It aims at making seniors self-reliable and helps them to avail several insurances, even after their retirement — so that they can lead a secured life ahead. Thereafter, In 1958, Ethel opened AARP for all Americans over the age of 50. AARP focuses on promoting seniors’ welfare worldwide by connecting to different old-age homes and communities and catering to issues related to health, education, housing facilities etc.

AARP: Vision and mission

• Embellishment of lifestyle for elderly people
• Making seniors self-reliant and independent
• Seniors’ social and moral upliftment
• Securing them financially

Important issues on which AARP focuses

• Efforts to update Social Security and promote retirement savings
• Efforts to help everyone achieve lifetime financial security
• Promoting adequate, affordable health care, including prescription drugs and long-term care
• Promoting cheap and economical housing facilities
• Providing different facilities like shopping malls, hospitals, schools, playgrounds etc.

AARP membership

To be a member of AARP, you need to be at least 50 years of age. Every membership includes one free joining of a spouse or partner.

Membership requirements

AARP’s membership requirement is very simple. You need to fulfill only two criteria and those are:

• An AARP member should be at least 50 years old
• They must be capable of renewing the membership by paying the annual membership fee

AARP fee structure

To become an AARP member, you have to pay a membership fee while applying. Thereafter, this fees has to be paid every year to retain the membership. The fee varies according to the location.

For the US residents, it is $16 approximately. For Canadians and Mexicans, it is around $17.00. And it takes around $19.00 for other country dwellers

AARP provides a special benefit to the US residents by offering one-time membership for 3 years at around $43 and one-time membership for 5 years at $63 approximately.

Joining process

• The joining process is simple, fast and secure. The mode of joining is online. All you have to do is browse the official website of AARP.
• Then click on the register button
• Fill in all the information asked for
• Click on register
• There appears an option for payment.

Complete the transaction procedure and it is done! Once the application process is complete, the new AARP members gain access to products and services that the organization offers.

Benefits of joining AARP

Besides providing financial aid to elderly people, AARP also opens up your door to financial advisors. This helps you in planning your retirement well if you are not a retired person. If you have already retired from the job, financial advisors of AARP will help you by guiding you where and how to invest, in order to gain profit. They also help you with a tax deduction.

AARP cares for its members. So it provides them with all the necessary medical aids and medicines at a discounted price. If you own a medical insurance under AARP, you can use this benefit.

Restart your life with AARP. If you want to keep yourself busy even after retirement, AARP has a home-based business plan for you. You can work by setting up a small business, related to your passion or skills. AARP provides you with all the necessary aids required for this.

AARP organizes meetings for its members across the country. You can attend these membership meetings organized nation-wide and gain many new experiences. You can even make many new friends in those meetings.

Endless discounts are waiting for AARP members. Besides providing medical discounts, AARP benefits its members by providing discounts on flights, car rentals, hotels, restaurants, shopping for books, mobiles, footwear, outfits and many more things.

Membership magazine is provided by AARP to all its members. These magazines make you aware of all the deceptions going on. It helps you in upgrading your lifestyle or food habit to keep you in good health.

AARP provides automobile insurance at a cheaper rate. Where a normal insurance rate is nearly $400, AARP members get free-of-cost insurance for an automobile. This means, you only have to pay for AARP membership and you get automobile insurance absolutely free.

Additional discounts and offers for AARP members

Discount for AARP members is not limited to this. It has a wide range such as:

• Discount at theatres
• Discount in restaurants for weekend lunch or dinner
• Discount on mobile bills or television packages
• Discount coupons for buying groceries
• Save nearly 25 percent on buying gifts and flowers for your loved ones
• An AARP member can also save some amount on buying new automobiles
• If you wish to courier anything, whether, within the country or abroad, AARP provides 20% off on shipping of any product.