AARP Experience Counts' Most Popular Stories of 2023

When we started AARP Experience Counts, we weren’t sure what kind of stories would fly with our readers. Still, we knew we wanted to celebrate America – its beauty, traditions and the grit

and know-how of the people who have worked to keep the American Dream alive. We also wanted to share key takeaways to help you, the reader, live your best life. It didn’t take long to

realize our stories were clicking with our audience, and our audience was clicking on our stories. In less than six months, AARP Experience Counts went from a few thousand readers to many

tens of thousands of subscribers. It is the fastest-growing newsletter that AARP has launched, and readership is still climbing.   We hope AARP Experience Counts is everything you want it to

be, and we welcome suggestions for stories and topics that you want to read. As always, your experience — as well as your opinion — counts. With such rapid growth, you may have missed some

of our biggest articles of the year, so we compiled a few for you to enjoy during this end-of-year break. We hope they are as entertaining the second time as they were the first. Happy

holidays. We look forward to offering more stories you want to read in the new year.  ONLY IN AMERICA  "THE 27 PRETTIEST AMERICAN SMALL TOWNS" Clean, pretty and neighborly, we’d be

proud to call any of these places “home.” Read the story here. "DISAPPEARING HISTORY: 8 ENDANGERED LANDMARKS TO SEE BEFORE THEY’RE GONE" You can still visit any of these famous

sites, but you better do it before they’re torn down or fall apart. Read the story here. "10 OF THE VERY BEST GAS STATION STOPS IN AMERICA" Competition is fierce, and loyalties are

strong for the best place to grab a snack and a potty break. Read the story here. "WHERE YOU CAN PARTY LIKE IT’S 1776" Here is a list of 12 can’t-miss locations that go all out

every year to celebrate America’s Independence Day. Read the story here.   MONEYSMART$ "5 STEPS TO WITHDRAWING FROM YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS TO MAKE MONEY LAST" When it’s time to

quit work for good, you need to know how to make your savings last. Read the story here. "THE 7 BIGGEST MISTAKES YOU MAY BE MAKING ON SOCIAL SECURITY" Trust but verify your

earnings, plus other tips to maximize your benefits. Read the story here. "3 WAYS TO REDUCE CREDIT CARD INTEREST PAYMENTS" Consider lower balance cards, debt consolidation and

installment payments to eliminate debt. Read the story here.  KNOW HOW "10 FREE CLASSES YOU CAN TAKE FROM YOUR COUCH" Become an instant expert on just about anything. Read the

story here.