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Since women develop incontinence at twice the rate of men, it can be tough for guys to figure out where they fit into the dialogue. Even though women are more likely to develop stress incontinence, their male counterparts are actually more prone to urge andover flow incontinence.
Bladder leakage is a common problem for men, especially as they age. Bladder symptoms typically begin as the prostate enlarges. Even after prostate surgery, urinary problems and incontinence often remain a concern. You can get details in our article,Everything You Need to Know About Incontinence After Prostate Surgery .Even for younger men, incontinence can pose an issue when dealing with health concerns such as Prostatitis (prostate infections).
So, how do you deal with it? Here are some much-need tips and information about men's incontinence underwear.
Incontinence Challenges for Men
The first challenge for men is facing the issue. Its often easier to hope the situation will improve on its own. In some rare cases that could happen. But more than likely, it is time to learn more about types of male incontinence, and to talk to your doctor to pinpoint the cause and address underlying issues.
The second challenge is movement. Male anatomy is prone to shift, which means its not enough to target one area for leak protection. You need comprehensive coverage to prevent surprise leaks.
Yes, you can purchase products made just for men, but for many brands, its simply a matter of marketing. Their products might sell better when presented as for men only. Many of these brands slack in other critical areas, such as absorption and leakage barriers.
Instead, be open to men's incontinence underwear that works for both genders. These are typically more premium products that include lots of attention to detail. Since were totally biased about the benefits of our products, we recommend our LivDry Protective Underwear for all-around leak protection for men (and for women).
How's that possible? Well get to it. Just keep reading!
Fit: Look for Snug Comfort
Okay, guys no more loose shorts. You'll need to adjust to a snug but comfortable fit. Its important to discourage movement down there while having the security of comprehensive protection.
Most quality brands will post detailed sizing charts and instructions for getting the right fit. Our Tye Medical product pages provide these guides, but you'll need to know your waist size.
You can get an accurate waist measurement by placing a tape measure at the top of one hip bone and wrapping the tape around your body, level with your belly button.
Once you have that number, you can easily find the incontinence underwear size closest to your measurement. Just be sure not to buy a size bigger than what you need.
But don't worry. A snug fit doesn't have to be uncomfortable. Products like our LivDry brand include features such as cloth-like stretch panels that allow for flexibility and movement. You don't have to feel restricted by your men's incontinence underwear.
Absorbency: Look for Quick Absorption at the Right Level
Depending on your level of incontinence, you may need very different products. Terms like "maximum," "ultimate," and "ultra" sound great, but without any context you may have no idea how much the product actually absorbs. Doing a little extra research into the numbers behind the words can go a long way to making sure you find the best fit for your needs. Additionally, absorbency capacity is one important feature, but if the liquid isn't also absorbed quickly, you'll have leaks and skin irritation. If you've been disappointed by protective underwear with grand claims about absorbency, then that is probably why.
Look at product reviews and do a little research if you're not sure about what to purchase. Endless trial and error testing can get a little pricy and force you to wear incontinence products that aren't secure or comfortable.
We take absorbency seriously because, without it, nothing else matters. Look for male incontinence underwear that promises premium, quick absorption. Our LivDry brand accomplishes this with a super-absorbent gel core. It locks away both liquid and odors quickly leaving your skin clean and dry!
Pair our Protective Underwear with our Shaped Pads to increase absorbency as needed. You'll find other important benefits when using both products together (and well discuss them more below). We refer to it as our Two-Piece System.
Security: Look for Leak Barriers
Whether you purchase men's incontinence underwear that's marketed only to menor a product like LivDry that works for men and women you're going to want features like our Leakage Barrier Leg Cuffs.
So, when anatomy shifts, you don't have to worry about any surprises. And these aren't wimpy barriers either. They're designed with hydrophobic (liquid-repulsing) properties to give you the highest level of protection.
In addition to the leakage barriers, you'll find ample coverage as the Super Absorbent Gel Core extends far to the front and back of our Protective Underwear. You'll have coverage where you'll need it. This is also true for our Shaped Pad inserts that provide broad protection across the front of the pad.
Convenience: Look for Easy Change Features
Protective underwear for men and women pulls up like traditional underwear. But no one wants to take off soiled incontinence underwear the same way they put them on. So be sure the product you buy also has an easy escape.
Our Protective Underwear feature tear-away sides that allow you to easily (and neatly) remove them while standing up or lying down.
Our Two-Piece System also shines when it comes to convenience. Other brands only offer booster pads for men's incontinence underwear, but their pads pass liquid through to your underwear meaning you must throw out both when the pad leaks through. That is clearly a limitation, but they can still be a helpful solution when you just want to increase the absorbency of your underwear, say for overnight use.
With our LivDry Shaped Pads, however, you can throw away only the insert pad, because the liquid does not leak through to your underwear. They're made so that you can change your incontinence underwear less frequently or just once a day if you want.
Whether you're at work, on vacation, or spending time with family, you can easily change only your pad. This saves time, hassle, and money.
Shipping: Look for Discreet and Free Shipping Offers
If you are in a pinch, you can probably swing a quick trip to the corner pharmacy for emergency incontinence underwear. But most of us would rather avoid that. Be sure to stay well-stocked and order from a company that ships in discreet packaging that protects your privacy.
On our Tye Medical website, you'll find little icons that promise discreet shipping with every product.
Its also helpful to find a company that gives you a break on shipping costs when you make a reasonable purchase. For example, you'll get free shipping on all orders over $20when you buy from our online store.
Buy and Compare Men's Incontinence Underwear
You don't have to settle for less or be roped in with enticing marketing tactics. If you use these tips, it will be much easier to find the right men's incontinence underwear for you. Identify two or three products that closely fit the standards in this article, then buy and compare them. We hope you'll put our Protective Underwear and Shaped Pads
As you know, the gig economy has been booming over the past several years. If youre thinking of using your skills to take on a side gig, what should you do with the money youll make?Theres no one right answer for everyone, and the decisions you make should be based on your individual situation. And of course, you may simply need the extra income to support your lifestyle and pay the bills. But if you already have your cash flow in good shape, and you have some freedom with your gig money, consider these suggestions: Contribute more to your IRA. If you couldnt afford to contribute the maximum amount to your IRA, you may find it easier to do so when you have additional money coming in from a side gig. For the 2023 tax year, you can put in up to $6,500 to a traditional or Roth IRA, or $7,500 if youre 50 or older. (Starting in 2024, this extra $1,000 catch-up contribution amount may be indexed for inflation.) The amount you can contribute to a Roth IRA is reduced, and eventually eliminated, at certain income levels. Look for new investment opportunities. If youre already maxing out your IRA, you might be able to find other investment possibilities for your side gig money. For example, if you have young children, perhaps you could use some of the money to invest in a 529 education savings plan. A 529 plan offers potential tax advantages and can be used for college, qualified trade school programs, and possibly some K-12 expenses. Please keep in mind that potential tax advantages will vary from state to state. Build an emergency fund. Life is full of unexpected events and some can be quite expensive. What if you needed a major car repair or required a medical procedure that wasnt totally covered by your health insurance? Would you have the cash available to pay these bills? If not, would you be forced to dip into your IRA or 401(k)? This might not be a good move, as it could incur taxes and penalties, and deprive you of resources you might eventually need for retirement. Thats why you might want to use your gig earnings to help fund an emergency fund containing several months worth of living expenses, with the money kept in a liquid, low-risk account. To avoid being tempted to dip into your emergency fund, you may want to keep it separate from your daily spending accounts. Pay down debts. Most of us will always carry some debts, but we can usually find ways to include the bigger ones mortgage, car payments and so on into our monthly budgets. Its often the smaller debt payments, frequently associated with high-interest-rate credit cards, that cause us the most trouble, in terms of affecting our cash flow. If you can use some of your side gig money to pay down these types of debts, you could possibly ease some of the financial stress you might be feeling. And instead of directing money to pay for things you purchased in the past, you could use the funds to invest for your future.As weve seen, your side gig money could open several promising windows of opportunity so take a look through all of them. Chad Choate III, AAMS828 3rd Avenue WestBradenton, FL 34205941-462-2445chad.chaote@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC
Its been a bumpy year for the financial markets which means that some of your investments may have underperformed or lost value. Can you use these losses to your advantage?Its possible. If you have some investments that have lost value, you could sell them to offset taxable capital gains from other investments. If your losses exceed gains for the year, you could use the remaining losses to offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income. And any amount over $3,000 can be carried forward to offset gains in future years. This tax-loss harvesting can be advantageous if you plan to sell investments that youve held in taxable accounts for years and that have grown significantly in value. And you might receive some gains even if you take no action yourself. For example, when you own mutual funds, the fund manager can decide to sell stocks or other investments within the funds portfolio and then pay you a portion of the proceeds. These payments, known as capital gains distributions, are taxable to you whether you take them as cash or reinvest them back into the fund. Still, despite the possible tax benefits of selling investments whose price has fallen, you need to consider carefully whether such a move is in your best interest. If an investment has a clear place in your holdings, and it offers good business fundamentals and favorable prospects, you might not want to sell it just because its value has dropped. On the other hand, if the investments youre thinking of selling are quite similar to others you own, it might make sense to sell, take the tax loss and then use the proceeds of the sale to purchase new investments that can help fill any gaps in your portfolio. If you do sell an investment and reinvest the funds, youll want to be sure your new investment is different in nature from the one you sold. Otherwise, you could risk triggering the wash sale rule, which states that if you sell an investment at a loss and buy the same or a substantially identical investment within 30 days before or after the sale, the loss is generally disallowed for income tax purposes.Heres one more point to keep in mind about tax-loss harvesting: Youll need to take into account just how long youve held the investments youre considering selling. Thats because long-term losses are first applied against long-term gains, while short-term losses are first applied against short-term gains. (Long-term is defined as more than a year; short-term is one year or less.) If you have excess losses in one category, you can then apply them to gains of either type. Long-term capital gains are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your income, while short-term gains are taxed at your ordinary income tax rate. So, from a tax perspective, taking short-term losses could provide greater benefits if your tax rate is higher than the highest capital gains rate.Youll want to contact your tax advisor to determine whether tax-loss harvesting is appropriate for your situation and youll need to do it soon because the deadline is Dec. 31. But whether you pursue this technique this year or not, you may want to keep it in mind for the future because youll always have investment tax issues to consider. Chad Choate III, AAMS828 3rd Avenue WestBradenton, FL 34205941-462-2445chad.chaote@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.Edward Jones, Member SIPC
As you go through life, youll have various financial goals and to achieve them, youll need to invest. But just recognizing the need to invest is not as useful as matching specific types of accounts or investments with specific goals. How can you make these connections?Lets look at some common goals and how they could possibly be met with appropriate accounts and investments: Saving for a down payment on a house When youre saving for a down payment, you want a certain amount of money available at a certain time so, for this goal, you wont want to take too much risk. Consequently, you might consider investing in certificates of deposit (CDs), which will pay you regular interest payments and return your principal when the CDs mature. CDs are issued in a range of maturities, from one month to 10 years. Other vehicles you might consider are money market accounts or other cash equivalents. Saving for a childs education If you have children, and youd like to help them pay for some form of higher education, you may want to consider a 529 education savings plan. Any earnings growth in a 529 plan is federally tax free, provided the withdrawals are used for qualified education expenses, and you may also receive state tax benefits. A 529 plan can be used for college, approved trade school programs, student loan repayments and some K-12 costs. And if the child youve named as a beneficiary chooses not to continue their education, and doesnt need the money in a 529 plan, you can generally switch beneficiaries to another immediate family member. Saving for retirement This is the one goal that will remain consistent throughout your working years after all, you could spend two or even three decades in retirement, so youll need to accumulate as many financial resources as you can to pay for those years. Fortunately, you likely have access to several good retirement-savings vehicles. If you work for a business, you might have a 401(k) plan, which offers you the chance to put away money on a tax-deferred basis. (If you have a Roth option in your 401(k), your withdrawals can be tax free, although, unlike a traditional 401(k), your contributions wont lower your taxable income.) If you work for a public school or a nonprofit organization, you may be able to participate in a 403(b) plan, which is quite similar to a 401(k), and the same is true if you work for a state or local government, where you might have a 457(b) plan. And even if you invest in any of these plans, you can probably also contribute to an IRA, which gives you another chance to invest on a tax-deferred basis (or tax-free basis, if youre eligible for a Roth IRA). Try to take full advantage of whatever retirement plans are available to you.Here's one final point to keep in mind: While some investments and accounts are appropriate for certain goals, they may not necessarily be suitable for your individual situation so keep all your options in mind and take the steps that are right for you. Chad Choate III, AAMS828 3rd Avenue WestBradenton, FL 34205941-462-2445chad.chaote@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC