Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/800208
WithATMReceiptsand Legal Guardians, Leave Nothing to Chance Dear Mary: My husband and I just had our first child, and now that we have a new little life de- pending on us, we want to make sure she is always taken care of. Nei- ther one of us has a will, but I think it's important to set one up just in case. Problem is, we haven't ever thought about a will, much less have any idea of what we need to include. Do you have any pointers? — Monique Dear Monique: You are right on the money. You both need to create wills stating how you want your assets distributed and who would become the legal guardian of your child should you and your husband die together (plus an alternate in case your first choice isn't avail- able). If a court ever needs to step in and appoint a guard- ian, the judge will appoint the person you nominated in your will, unless for some reason it is not in the best in- terests of your child(ren). When thinking about who to name as guardian, choose someone who knows you and your children well. If you don't name a guard- ian, anyone who is inter- ested can ask for the posi- tion. The judge must then decide, without the bene- fit of your opinion, who will do the best job raising your kids. You can write your own wills and then have them witnessed and signed by three persons who are not named as beneficiaries. However, I think this mat- ter is too important to be left to chance. Spend a few dol- lars to make sure you do ev- erything correctly according to your particular state's re- quirements. QUICKEN WILLMAKER PLUS. This is highly repu- table software from Nolo that you download to your computer. It allows you and members of your immedi- ate family to create a cus- tomized estate plan with the following essential legal documents: will (including guardianship for minor chil- dren), health care directive, durable power of attorney, executor documents and fi- nal arrangements. The soft- ware works with both PC and Mac computers and in- cludes a free one-year sub- scription to a Nolo Online Living Trust. The software costs about $55. It is my first choice for you, and it's the software my husband and I own and use to keep our es- sential legal documents up- dated. LEGALZOOM. For about $69 each, you can hire Legal Zoom to create wills specific to your state, including in- structions for custody of mi- nor children. HIRE AN ATTORNEY. This is going to cost a mini- mum of several hundred dol- lars, but you'll end up with documents that are specific to you and your children. Dear Mary: This has been bugging me: At my bank ATM there is a big trash can in which everyone throws away their transaction slips. It seems like a bad idea to toss them away since they show the balance and trans- action info. But being cau- tious means I end up with an overstuffed and clut- tered wallet. Do I need to save them? And what's the best way to get rid of them? — Rob Dear Rob: Always take your receipts with you. Never leave them at the ATM or throw them in the trash can there. You'll need them when you receive your bank statement to verify that all your deposits and withdraw- als were posted correctly to your account. Keep your re- ceipts in chronological order in the pocket of your check- book, wallet or handbag, or any place that is convenient. Just make sure you always put them in the same place so it becomes a useful habit. Banks do make mistakes, and those little slips may be your only proof. That said, once everything checks out, get rid of them. As with any financial document, the saf- est way to get rid of ATM re- ceipts is with a paper shred- der. If you don't have one, it is OK to simply tear them up before tossing since they don't list your account num- ber or other highly sensitive information. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE With ATM receipts and legal guardians, leave nothing to chance By Justin McCuin Social Security manager in Redding Enjoying a comfort- able retirement is every- one's dream. For over 80 years, Social Security has been helping people real- ize those dreams, assisting people through life's jour- ney with a variety of ben- efits. It's up to you as to when you can start retire- ment benefits. You could start them a little earlier or wait until your "full re- tirement age." There are benefits to either decision, pun intended. Full retirement age re- fers to the age when a per- son can receive their So- cial Security benefits with- out any reduction, even if they are still working part or full time. In other words, you don't actually need to stop working to get your full benefits. For people who attain age 62 in 2017 — i.e., those born between Jan. 2, 1955 and Jan. 1, 1956 — full re- tirement age is 66 and two months. Full retirement age was age 65 for many years. However, due to a law passed by Congress in 1983, it has been gradu- ally increasing, beginning with people born in 1938 or later, until it reaches 67 for people born after 1959. You can learn more about the full retirement age and find out how to look up your own at www. socialsecurity.gov/plan- ners/retire/retirechart. html. You can start receiving Social Security benefits as early as age 62 or any time after that. The lon- ger you wait, the higher your monthly benefit will be, although it stops in- creasing at age 70. Your monthly benefits will be reduced permanently if you start them any time before your full retire- ment age. For example, if you start receiving bene- fits in 2017 at age 62, your monthly benefit amount will be reduced perma- nently by about 26 per- cent. On the other hand, if you wait to start receiv- ing your benefits until af- ter your full retirement age, then your monthly benefit will be higher. The amount of this increase is two-thirds of one percent for each month — or eight percent for each year — that you delay receiving them until you reach age 70. The choices you make may affect any benefit your spouse or children can receive on your record, too. If you receive benefits early, it may reduce their potential benefit, as well as yours. You need to be as in- formed as possible when making any decision about receiving Social Security benefits. Read the publi- cation When to Start Re- ceiving Retirement Bene- fits at www.socialsecurity. gov/pubs/EN-05-10147.pdf. If you decide to receive benefits before you reach full retirement age, you should also understand how continuing to work can affect your benefits. Social Security may with- hold or reduce your ben- efits if your annual earn- ings exceed a certain amount. However, for ev- ery month benefits are withheld, it increases your future benefits. That's be- cause at your full retire- ment age Social Security will recalculate your ben- efit amount to give you credit for the months in which benefits were re- duced or withheld due to your excess earnings. In effect, it's as if you hadn't filed for those months. You can learn more at www.so- cialsecurity.gov/planners/ retire/whileworking.html. Social Security's mis- sion is to secure your to- day and tomorrow. Help- ing you make the right re- tirement decisions is vital. You can learn more by vis- iting our Retirement Plan- ner at www.socialsecurity. gov/planners/retire. SOCIAL SECURITY Whenisagoodtimeto start receiving benefits? Findusonline! The Sierra Nevada Con- servancy is seeking pub- lic input on updated grant guidelines for the Conser- vancy's Proposition 1 grant program. The program is funded by Proposition 1, the Water Quality, Supply and Infra- structure Improvement Act of 2014, which was passed by voters in November 2014. The SNC is propos- ing that the second grant round will continue to fo- cus on forest health proj- ects, including projects to reduce the risk of large, damaging wildfires. These types of projects are specif- ically called out in Propo- sition 1 and the California Water Action Plan, in rec- ognition of the critical role watersheds play in Califor- nia's water future. A series of three public workshops will be held in early April 2017 to gather public comment and famil- iarize potential grantees with the application pro- cess. Dates and locations of these workshops to be an- nounced soon. To access the draft Grant Guidelines, visit http://snc. ca.gov/other-assistance/ grants-and-other-assis- tance. Interested parties can submit comments via e-mail to grants.SNC@si- erranevada.ca.gov or by mail to Sierra Nevada Con- servancy, Attn: Grants Ad- ministration, 11521 Blocker Drive, Ste. 205, Auburn, CA 95603. Public comments will be accepted through Friday, April 14. SIERRA NEVADA CONSERVANCY Public input sought on grant guidelines Traditional Irish band The Young Irelanders is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 27 at the State Theatre in Red Bluff as part of the Te- hama Concert Series. The Young Irelanders features six performers who have Irish traditional music, song and dance running in their veins. Featuring Irish "River- dance" style foot work and the amazing sounds of Irish instruments, the State Theatre's expanded stage will be alive with sites and sounds. This concert is free to Tehama Concert Series season ticket members. Non-members may pur- chase tickets at the box of- fice. Single-concert ticket prices are $30 per adult and $10 for students younger than 25. Those who wish to purchase tickets may only purchase them the night of the con- cert at the box office. The Box office opens at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 727-8727 or visit www. tehamaconcertseries.org. Find the Concert Series on Facebook. CONCERT SERIES The Young Irelanders to play at the State CONTRIBUTED The Young Irelanders Mary Hunt wwwnortherncountiesroofingsystems.com FreeEstimates 530-356-0686 Owner on site Lic# 955662 • Residential • Commercial • New Construction 25yearsprofessional experience. QualityWork Very Reasonable Rates Red Bluff Transmission • Automatic • Manual • Computer Diagnosis • Clutches • Transfer Cases • CV Axles CALL TODAY! 529-4493 440 Antelope Blvd. #6 Bob's Youcantmissus... Weonly moved 50 feet!! B 6 0 65 N G 52 I 28 B 6 0 65 N G 52 I 28 SPECIAL Sat.March,18 th Red Bluff Community Center 1500 S. 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