Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/359768
DearMary: When my brother- in-law was a pastor, he was authorized to use the church credit card to pur- chase things for the church. He has not been at that church for over a year, and the church has never paid the final bill of $7,000. Because he was named an "authorized user" on the account, should he be concerned that this is im- pacting his credit report negatively? What should he do? — Cindy S. Dear Cindy: Your fears may be well-founded be- cause while your brother- in-law is an "authorized user," he carries no finan- cial obligation to repay the balance, yet every month the status of that account is being reported to his credit file. If the church is mak- ing the required payments on time and not charging over the limit on the ac- count, what is being re- ported will be positive. No worries there. But if the church falls behind in making the required pay- ments each month, late payments showing on his report could quickly be- come negative for him, sending his credit score plummeting. No matter the status of the account, as an autho- rized user he can simply call the creditor to request to be removed from the ac- count. He should do that immediately. Dear Mary: In 2008 I had zero credit-card debt. Now I have two credit cards with balances of $27,000 and $47,000. The issues that created the debt load have all been addressed and elimi- nated. Is there a way to nego- tiate with the credit card companies to reduce the payoff amount? When I've looked into this, most of debt-settlement peo- ple suggest that if I miss a minimum of three pay- ments, then the companies will negotiate. I would rather not go through that kind of pain. — Gene G. Dear Gene: I be- lieve you are refer- ring to third-party debt settlement companies that promise to get your debt reduced. You are right. Most will advise you that they can nego- tiate to reduce what you owe to just pennies on the dollar, but first you will need to stop making pay- ments in order to send a signal to these creditor(s) that you may be getting ready to file for bank- ruptcy. And that's where things can get dicey. Honestly, those are the worst scam art- ists and I would recom- mend that you run, not walk, from anyone making those claims and giving that kind of advice. Did they mention their fees? They're enormous. And horror stories abound for how these clowns run off with all the money you are not sending to your credi- tors each month, but pay- ing to them instead for "safe keeping." Even if the banks were to negotiate your balances directly with you (don't count on it), you would have to come up with the negotiated amount in full. And don't forget that the amount forgiven would be reported as 1099 income on which you would owe taxes. Look, you borrowed the money willingly, and you spent it. The right thing would be for you to pay what you owe. I am happy to know that you have addressed the underlying issues that landed you in so much debt. You've learned some tough lessons — ones you are not likely to have to re- peat. That's a good thing. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheap- skate, P.O. Box 2099, Cy- press, CA 90630. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Authorized user may have cause for concern Today REDBLUFF California HEAT Chorus - Sweet Adelines:7p.m., Meteer School multipurpose room, 695Kimball Road, 895-0139 Childbirth Class: 6:30- 8:30p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Columba Room, 888-628- 1948 Fun Senior Aerobics: 8-9 a.m., $1, Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. 527- 8177 Grief Support Group: 3-5 p.m., Coyne Center, Kristin Hoskins 528-4207 Imagination Train story hour: 4p.m., Tehama County Library Kelly-Griggs House Mu- seum: 1-3p.m., Thursdays and Sundays, 311Washing- ton St., tours by appoint- ment,527-1129or 527-5895 Latino Outreach, noon: Family Resource Center, 220Sycamore St. Ste. 101, 528-8066 Live country music: 5-7 p.m., dinner, Veterans Hall National Alliance on Men- tal Illness: 6p.m., Tehama County Chapter Meeting, County Department of Education, 1135Lincoln St.., 515-0151 Painting session, Red Bluff Art Association: 10 a.m., Tehama District Fair- ground, 529-1603 PAL Martial Arts: ages 5-18, 3-5p.m., 1005Vista Way, Ste. C, free, 529-7950 Penny Bingo: 9:30a.m., Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. Pinochle for Seniors: 12:30-3:30p.m., 1500S. Jackson St., free, 527-8177 Phoenix Community Sup- port Group for chemical dependence: 11:30a.m., Presbyterian Church, 838 Jefferson St., 945-2349 Red Bluff Exchange Club: noon, M&M Ranch House, 645Antelope Blvd. #1 Red Bluff Lions Club: 6 p.m., Veterans Memorial, 527-6616 Rock Choir: 4p.m., 601 Monroe St., free, all wel- come Senior Chair Volleyball: 1p.m. Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. Sunrise Speakers Toast- masters: noon, 220Syca- more St. Swinging Squares Square Dance Club: 7p.m., Com- munity Center, 1500S. Jackson St., beginner or review classes: 529-1615 Tehama County Peace Officers Association: 5:30 p.m., M&M Ranch House Tehama County Public Health Advisory Board: noon to 3:15p.m., 1860Wal- nut St., Shasta Conference Room, 527-6824 CORNING Am-vets: 4p.m., Corning Veteran's Memorial Hall, 1620Solano St. Cal-Fresh and Healthy Family Appointments: 1-3p.m., Family Resource Center, 1488South St., 824-7670 Corning Patriots: 6p.m., Senior Center, 824-2332 Dance with Juana:, noon to 1p.m., Family Resource Center, 1488South St., 824-7670 Diabetes Support Group: noon, Senior Center, 1015 4th Ave. Dual Diagnosis Group: 1:30, 1600Solano St., 527- 8491, Ext. 3309 ESL/Citizenship classes: 9a.m. - 11a.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Improved Order of Red- men # 203: 7p.m. Indepen- dent Grange 470, 20945 Corning Road, 824-1114 Sewing group: 9a.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Soccer training: 4-6p.m., except for holidays and rain, Woodson School soccer field, 150N. Toomes, 824- 7680 Women's Support Group: 6p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Friday RED BLUFF Celebrate Recovery: 7 p.m., Bethel Assembly of God, 625Luther Road, 527- 0445or 366-6298 Red Bluff Rotary Club Sunrise: 7a.m., M&M Ranch CORNING Car Show: 5-9p.m., Bar- tels Giant Burger, 22355 Corning,Road, local car clubs welcome, 824-2788 Nutrition Classes: 11:30 a.m. to 1p.m., 175Solano St., 824-7670 LOS MOLINOS Narcotics Anonymous: 7-8p.m., 25204Josephine Ave, Wednesday and Friday Saturday RED BLUFF Airplane Display Days: 8 a.m. to 1p.m., Red Bluff Airport, 1760Airport Blvd., 527-6547 Chamber Certified Farm- ers Market: 7:30a.m. to noon, River Park, 527-6220 Frontier Village Farmers Market: 8a.m. to 1p.m., 645Antelope Blvd. Tehama County Young Marine Drills: 9a.m. to 3 p.m., 1005Vista Way, Ste. C. 366-0813 TEHAMA Tehama County Museum: 1-4p.m., 275C St., groups by appointment, 384-2595 Sunday RED BLUFF AA Live and Let Live: noon and 5:30p.m., 785Musick St., seven days a week except Thursday meets at 8p.m. Airplane Display Days: 8 a.m. to 1p.m., Red Bluff Airport, 1760Airport Blvd., 527-6547 Al-Anon New Comers At Heart: 6:30-7:30p.m., Presbyterian Church of Red Bluff, 838Jefferson Road, Room 2, 690-2034 Kelly-Griggs House Museum: 1-3p.m., 311 Washington St., group tours by appointment, 527-1129. TEHAMA Tehama County Museum: 1-4p.m., 275C St., group tours any day by appoint- ment, 384-2595 Monday RED BLUFF Antelope 4-H: 6:30p.m., Antelope School, 527-3101. CALENDAR Mary Hunt By Jennifer Cooper Social Security manager in Redding For the past 79 years, Social Security has main- tained its place as an American cornerstone. Secure as its foundation is, Social Security has also been at the forefront of change. As the face of America has evolved over the course of the last eight decades, so too has Social Security changed along with the needs of the na- tion. On August 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roo- sevelt said that Social Se- curity "represents a cor- nerstone in a structure which is being built but is by no means complete. It is, in short, a law that will take care of human needs and at the same time pro- vide the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness." The Social Security Act that President Roosevelt signed that day covered a limited number of workers in commerce and industry and provided only retire- ment benefits. Today, Social Security is much more than a re- tirement program. It pro- vides benefits to disabled individuals and their fam- ilies and benefits to wid- ows, widowers and the mi- nor children of deceased workers. Supplemental Se- curity Income (SSI) helps aged and disabled people who have low income and limited resources. We have work incentives to help those people with disabil- ities go to work. Social Se- curity even provides Extra Help with Medicare pre- scription drug costs. In so many ways, Social Security benefits America. Social Security works because it is an enduring agreement between gen- erations. It is arguably our government's most impor- tant program, and quite possibly the strongest ex- pression of community our nation has. For 79 years, Social Security has made a tremendous and posi- tive difference in the lives of millions, and this is cer- tainly something to cele- brate. Learn more about So- cial Security's rich history at www.socialsecurity.gov/ history. Become a part of Social Security's history by choosing to do business with us online at www.so- cialsecurity.gov/onlineser- vices. SOCIAL SECURITY Federal program turns 79, has evolved COURTESY PHOTO BY ROSS PALUBESKI Red Bluff Fire, Cal Fire, St. Elizabeth ambulance and a California Highway Patrol helicopter were dispatched around 10:30a.m. Wednesday to a reported semi truck rollover on the Adobe Road on-ramp to southbound Interstate 5in Red Bluff. The first unit at scene reported the semi truck rolled over about 30feet down an embankment with one minor injury. The patient was transported to Mercy Medical Center in Redding by the CHP helicopter. The trailer contained no hazardous materials. TRAFFIC SEMI ROLLS OVER To da y, S oc ia l Se cu ri ty is m uc h mo re th an a re ti re me nt pr og ra m. Tony'sHaircutting Tues.-Fri.10-6pmSat10-2pm AllHaircuts $ 9 .00 Specializing in Flattops, Fades & Conventional Styles 725PineSt. BytheDMV 736-7652 WhereQualityMatters PHYSICIAN REFERRAL AFREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE 888-628-1948 New physicians arriving every month LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, August 7, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4