Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/71996
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 – Daily News FEATURES Child support money spent elsewhere Dear Annie: I've been a stepmother to two lovely girls, now 12 and 17, since they were very young. My husband gladly pays child support on time without fail. The girls have different mothers who raise their children in opposite ways, yet in both cases, it's rare that the child support actu- ally reaches the child. The amount of child sup- port each mother receives is fair, but is being used incor- rectly. The girls continuously need clothes, shoes, haircuts, coats, money for school activities, you name it. It's like my husband is pay- ing child support twice for each child. versation falls on deaf ears with both mothers, is it OK to explain the financial situation to the girls? My husband doesn't want to talk money with them, and I don't want to bad- mouth their mothers, but I'm tired of being broke. What's my role? — North Carolina Stepmom Dear Stepmom: To be support- My question is this: If the con- Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar her bed. mother of two beautiful children. I have an aunt who suffers from various condi- tions, and over the years, she has been put on several medications. Three years ago, her oldest son died in a car accident. Her middle child recently had a bout with cancer. Things have not been easy. I have watched her physical and mental health spiral downward. Some days she's fine, and other days she never leaves ive. Do not involve the children in your dispute over child support. This is not their fault, and they shouldn't be put in the middle of unhappy parents. If your husband feels the support payments are not being used to cover the girls' neces- sities, he needs to document what he spends for these things and then talk to his lawyer and ask that the support payments be reduced. Dear Annie: I am a 28-year-old The Internal Revenue Service today marked the third anniversary of its groundbreaking return pre- parer initiative and urged those paid tax return pre- parers required to pass a new competency test to take the test as soon as pos- sible. My kids have a hard time under- standing what she says, and some- times she babbles on about non- sense and odd things. How do I get my family some help? — Fighting for My Family Dear Family: Please tell your children that ''Aunt Bee'' is not well, and teach them how to be tol- erant and compassionate. If she is taking a variety of medications and is babbling and talking nonsense, it is very possible that she is overmed- icated or needs to check the dosages and interactions. Whoever is in charge of her medical care should address this with her doctor. If no one is in charge, please offer to make an appointment and accompa- ny her, and ask whether it's OK to speak to the doctor on her behalf. She also sounds like she could ben- efit from grief therapy. Bless you for caring enough to handle this. Dear Annie: I think you missed a major point in the letter from ''Bride-To- Be,'' whose future mother-in-law wanted her to ask a cousin to be a bridesmaid. Bridesmaids are the bride's deci- sion. If she lets her future mother- in-law get her way now, think what she could do in the future. The mother-in-law was rude to make the suggestion in the first place, and she should apologize. The fiance ought to put his foot down now and not let his mother dictate what his future wife should do. I say nip it in the bud. — Omaha, Neb. Dear Omaha: A lot of readers agree with you, but we don't. A wedding is a time to blend families together. A considerate bride will include members of her future hus- band's family in her wedding party, especially if both her fiance and his mother would like it. Mom may turn out to be a bully — it's too early to say — but the bride's default position should not be ''no'' to every single request simply because she is afraid Mom will overstep. When Mom doesn't respect boundaries, it's fine to say so. But otherwise, there is nothing wrong with occasionally accommo- dating someone your spouse loves. It shows maturity and grace. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. IRS urges preparers to take competency test highlights: Three years ago the IRS took its first step toward ensuring standards for com- petency, continuing educa- tion and ethics would apply to all paid tax return prepar- ers. Major facets of the ini- tiative are now in place. On June 4, 2009, IRS Commissioner Doug Shul- man launched a six-month review focusing on the competency and conduct of paid tax return preparers. The review resulted from a recognition that paid tax return preparers were an important element in the integrity of the nation's tax system. The review includ- ed a series of public hear- ings with the tax prepara- tion community, consumer advocates, oversight groups and taxpayers. Six months later, the Return Preparer Review laid out a series of recom- mendations to extend over- sight to certain areas of the preparer industry to enhance tax compliance and service to taxpayers. Among the initiative Bridal party joins couple in taking the plunge SHELBYVILLE, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan wed- ding party joined the bride and groom in taking the plunge over the weekend when the boat dock they were lined up on for pic- tures gave way. No one was hurt Satur- day when newlyweds Eric and Maegan Walber fell into the water along with their bridal party at Bay Pointe Inn on Gun Lake in Shelbyville. The town is about 25 miles south of Grand Rapids. Video shows the group casually standing and talk- ing when the dock collapses into the water. Eric Walber tells Mandatory registration and use of a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN): Anyone who is paid to prepare, or help pre- pare, all or substantially all of a federal tax return now has to register with the IRS and obtain a PTIN, as do all enrolled agents. The PTIN is valid for a calendar year and must be renewed annu- ally. Almost 850,000 pre- parers have registered since the requirement began. Competency Test: In November 2011, a 120- question basic competency test was launched. Certain preparers are required to take the test by Dec. 31, 2013, to stay in business. The IRS urges an estimated 340,000 preparers required to take the test to do so as soon as possible to give them selves more time if they have to retake the test and to avoid a potential flood of last-minute test takers. Certified Public Accountants, Enrolled Agents and attorneys are exempt from the test because they already have other testing requirements as part of their credentials. Certain non-signing prepar- ers supervised by CPAs, EAs or attorneys are exempt, as are non-1040 preparers. Continuing Education difficult to get her footing. But, she says she ''came up laughing.'' name: Cora AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A giant Pacific octo- pus that's the star attrac- tion at an Ohio zoo's new reef exhibit has chosen her name by pulling shrimp from a labeled ball. Ohio zoo's new octopus chooses her WOOD-TV that they were on the dock for about 30 seconds when it started to lean and tilt. Maegan Walber says the fall was scary for a moment because her gown made it A list of 2,200 sugges- tions submitted to the Akron Zoo in a public naming contest was nar- rowed to three options Monday for the 20- pound, 4-foot-long octo- pus, and she chose Cora. It's a shortened version of coral, which is a popular octopus habitat and the theme of the exhibit. The Akron Beacon Journal reports the octo- pus made her decision by selecting the ball labeled Cora, pulling out shrimp, (CE): The roughly 340,000 preparers who have a test- ing requirement also have a new requirement to com- plete 15 hours of continuing education courses each year. The CE credits must include 10 hours in federal tax law, three hours in fed- eral tax law changes and two hours in ethics. This requirement became effec- tive January 2012 and it applies even if the preparer has not yet taken the test. There are now hundreds of outlets offering IRS- approved CE courses. More details are available at www.irs.gov/taxpros/ce. Ethics and Tax Compli- ance: Ethical requirements that previously applied only to CPAs, EAs and attorneys now apply to all paid return preparers. All paid prepar- ers also will undergo a tax compliance check and are subject to the standards for practice outlined in Trea- sury Department Circular 230. Registered Tax Return Preparer: Preparers who pass the competency test and tax compliance check are given a new credential: Registered Tax Return Pre- parer. To date, over 4,800 people have become Regis- tered Tax Return Preparers. Beginning in 2014, only Registered Tax Return Pre- parers, Enrolled Agents, ODDS & ENDS and then holding up the winning name with a ten- tacle as photographers captured the moment. The most-submitted name suggestion had been Octavia. The other option, Scarlet, referred to the creature's reddish skin. TOR K: What changes can I expect to my eyes and vision as I get older? DEAR DOC- 3B Aging eyes need regular exams DEAR READ- ER: In most of us, nearly every part of our eyes shows changes caused by aging. As eyes age, eyelid mus- cles weaken and skin becomes thinner and loos- er. This can cause the upper lid to droop or the lower lid to sag. Tear production also Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. drops off, and the oily film that tears provide decreas- es. These changes can lead to a buildup of sticky mucus, or they can dry the cornea, causing irritation or an uncomfortable, grit- ty sensation. Your sclera, the eye's white outer surface, may yellow from fat deposits. Calcium deposits in the sclera can produce patch- es of grayish translucency, and the cornea can devel- op an opaque white ring around its edge. Certified Public Accoun- tants, and attorneys will be authorized to prepare indi- vidual income tax returns for compensation. Public Database: The IRS also will create a pub- licly searchable database that will allow taxpayers to see if their tax preparers have met IRS standards or to find a tax preparer in their zip code area. The IRS will have a public edu- cation campaign to inform taxpayers to use only CPAs, EAs, attorneys or Registered Tax Return Pre- parers if they pay to have their taxes prepared. The database will also show any credentials held by the preparer, including the new RTRP credential, as well as those who are EAs, CPAs and attorneys. The RTRP competency The lens, which focus- es light rays onto your retina, hardens and loses its elasticity over time. This causes presbyopia, or difficulty focusing on near objects. Aging can cause your lens to darken, grow opaque and thicken, caus- ing nearsightedness. Your night vision may also worsen. We have more informa- tion on age-related changes to vision in our Special Health Report, "The Aging Eye." (Learn more about this report at AskDoctorK.com, or call 877-649-9457 toll-free to order it.) Regular eye exams are the cornerstone of visual health as you age. Don't wait until your vision deteriorates to have an eye exam, as often only an exam can detect eye dis- ease in its earliest stages. While an eye exam is the best way to catch eye disease early, there also are other ways. I discov- ered one way about a year ago. grow less sensi- tive. The macula, a small part of the retina that pro- vides sharp, cen- tral vision, is especially prone to deterioration. Age-related mac- ular degeneration can steal a per- son's central vision. A clouding of the lens is called a cataract. It may go unnoticed until the cloudiness blocks your central line of sight and impairs vision. Over time, fluid that nourishes your eyes may back up, leading to increased pressure inside the eye that damages the optic nerve. This is called glaucoma, and it can silently impair sight before symptoms devel- op. Your retina sends your brain messages describing the objects you see. The aging retina thins and may test is available at more than 260 vendor testing centers nationwide. Preparers can determine if they have a test requirement by going to their online PTIN Account at www.irs.gov/ptin. Pre- parers also can set a test date, time and location through their online PTIN Account. More information about the test, its topics, a tutorial and list of study materials is available at www.irs.gov/taxpros/tests and select RTRP test. When doctors use an ophthalmoscope (the gad- get with the light that shines inside your eye), we flip a little wheel that allows us to see deeper and deeper inside the eye. First we see the lens, and then look through the lens to the back of the eye. I realized I was having more trouble seeing the back of my patients' eyes, and figured it was because their lenses were getting cloudy. But why would all my patients be getting cataracts? Then I realized there was another possible explanation: I was the one who was getting a cataract. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. To send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115. Sierra Club July events ing events for July: Saturday, July 14 – Mt. Harkness Climb. A beautiful 1,250' climb and 5-6 mile loop hike from sparkling Juniper Lake to the lookout on top of 8,046' Mt. Hark- ness in Lassen National Park. An 85 mile drive from Chico with the last 7 miles on dirt road. Bring water, sunscreen, lunch, boots and a camera. Meet at Chico Park & Ride at 8 a.m. Leader: Alan, 891-8789 or ajmendoza@prodigy.net. Friday-Sunday, July 27 – 29, Car Camping at Little The Sierra Club, Yahi Group, is hosting the follow- Grass Valley Reservoir. Come Friday or Saturday to Little Beaver Campground. Shared campfire and music in the evening, bring an instrument if you've got one. Call leaders for directions and time to come. John 872- 8258 and Jeanne 321-7279.