Rao bulletin 15 September 2016 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles pg Article Subject
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- Inheritance and Estate Taxes
- * General Interest * Notes of Interest
- 911 Lawsuit.
- Retirement Planning Update 11 ► Consider the Possible Pitfalls
- 1. You might have to retire before you’re ready
- 2. It’s no fun hanging out with your spouse 24/7
- 4. Working until age 70 may not be an option
- 5. Money’s tight — really tight
- 6. It’s hard to get used to growing old
- 7. You might spend a lot of it caring for elderly parents
- 8. You could pick up an STD
- 9. You may outlive your money
- Dumb Smart Device ► Hydrator
- National Anthem Update 03 ► Star-Spangled Banner Origin
- Star-Spangled Banner Lyrics
- FactChecking ► NBC "Commander-In-Chief " Forum
Military SBP/SSBP/RCSBP/RSFPP: Generally subject to state taxes for those states with income tax. Check with state department of revenue office. Property Taxes Massachusetts does not provide for a general homestead exemption but does have a Homestead Act. The Homestead Act permits a homeowner who occupies a house as his/her principal residence to shield up to $500,000 in equity in that house from creditors. By simply filing a Declaration of Homestead with the appropriate Registry of Deeds, a homeowner may be able to protect his/her residence from the claim of a future creditor. The Homestead Act permits only one spouse to file for the equity protection if each has an ownership interest in the home. The protection offered to the disabled and the elderly is even more comprehensive because it allows a husband and wife who own their own home to each file for the $500,000 equity protection. For details refer to http://www.sec.state.ma.us/rod/rodhom/homidx.htm. Inheritance and Estate Taxes There is no inheritance tax and a limited estate tax on estates valued at $1,000,000 or more. -o-o-O-o-o- A guide for new residents is available at http://www.mass.gov/dor/individuals/taxpayer-help-and-resources/tax-guides/guide-for-new-residents/. For additional information regarding your state income tax liability, visit the Massachusetts Department of Revenue website which can be found at http://www.mass.gov/dor. [Source: http://www.retirementliving.com/taxes-kansas-new-mexico#MASSACHUSETTS Sep 2016 ++] * General Interest * 
Notes of Interest ► 1 thru 14 SEP 2016
***************************** Retirement Planning Update 11 ► Consider the Possible Pitfalls For millions of people, the shimmering dream of retirement is the primary goal of work. Retirement holds the promise that, finally, you’ll have time to pursue what matters most. However, retirement is under siege. Here are nine reasons why retirement might not be what you dreamed — and tips for turning things around so you can put a little shine on your golden years. 1. You might have to retire before you’re ready: Forty-nine percent of retirees quit working sooner than they planned, usually because of health problems, according to LIMRA, a worldwide research firm focused on the insurance and financial services industries. Job loss, burnout and negative work conditions also can force people to retire earlier than expected, reports Mark Miller, publisher of Retirement Revised in his article on How to Cope with Early Retirement at http://retirementrevised.com/how-to-cope-with-an-unplanned-early-retirement 2. It’s no fun hanging out with your spouse 24/7: Financial planners say many couples have trouble getting used to spending more time together. Writes MainStreet.com: “Everyone gets excited about retirement — they think they’re going to walk out the door and never look back and spend their days relaxing and traveling with their spouse, but then they get home and they find they can’t actually stand the person they’ve been married to for the last 30 years,” says Deana Arnett, senior planning consultant at Rosenthal Wealth Management Group. “I’ve seen it happen more times than I care to tell you.” To be sure, many couples love 24/7 togetherness. But not everyone. A financial planner I know sees the toll retirement can take on marriages. He observes that husbands who have been extremely focused on their jobs are particularly likely to struggle to adjust. Relationships can endure this transition. Finding retirement pursuits that give life meaning — philanthropy or volunteering, and not just a life built around golf and travel — will give both spouses a sense of renewal. For some ideas, check out “12 Ways to Connect and Contribute in Your Community After Retiring” at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/12-ways-contribute-and-connect-your-community-after-retiring . 3. It’s boring: When you hate your boss and feel overwhelmed by work, retirement sounds ideal. But although it may be hard to imagine, retirees often long for the camaraderie, structure and sense of purpose work delivers. Not to mention the money.
4. Working until age 70 may not be an option: Nearly 75 percent of preretirees surveyed by LIMRA said they expect to work in retirement. But life’s realities often intrude on such plans. Today, three-quarters of retirees are not working, LIMRA says. In recently published research, the AARP Public Policy Institute says: Extended unemployment, coupled with age discrimination and other barriers, can add to the challenges older workers face in finding a job. Even older jobseekers who do find work may have trouble recovering financially. Many end up accepting jobs at lower pay, with fewer hours, and with limited benefits. Depending on your profession, it might be wise to invest in disability insurance. 5. Money’s tight — really tight: Social Security pays only $1,290 a month on average, according to October 2015 figures from the Social Security Administration. In addition, most retirees have very little money in savings. In its annual Retirement Confidence Survey, the Employment Benefit Research Institute looked at the savings of current retirees, not including the value of a primary residence or a defined-benefit pension, reporting that:
Such meager savings puts many retirees at risk. According to a report to Congress by the Kaiser Foundation: With the decline in employer-sponsored pensions and retiree health coverage, fewer retirees in the future will have benefits that have helped keep seniors from falling into poverty. 6. It’s hard to get used to growing old: Growing old is a lot like being a teenager. Your body and your looks change rapidly, and that can be surprising and discomforting. Lagier captures this with humor: The first phase is where you feel young because you actually are young. The third phase is where you feel old because you actually are old. And the phase in between is where you feel young but everyone thinks you need to sit down. The inevitability of aging can be tough to deal with, especially if you’ve made plans only for your finances. Before you receive that gold watch for retirement, do some thinking about what you want your retirement life to look like. This website http://changingaging.org/blog/what-are-the-best-books-on-aging provides a reading list to help you think about the process of aging, finding meaning in retirement and coping with mortality. 7. You might spend a lot of it caring for elderly parents: Taking on the care of elderly parents forces many workers into retirement. Eldercare consultant Carol Bradley Bursack got an earful when she wrote “Should You Quit Your Job to Care for Your Elderly Parent?” https://www.agingcare.com/Articles/quit-job-to-care-for-parents-150227.htm. More than 100 readers commented, many describing their anguish at having to choose between their financial security and caring full-time for parents. One, “Caregiveryes,” tells of managing her own aging and health problems along with those of her parents: It was sad when Mom passed away, but I was physically and emotionally spent and had to take early retirement. My marriage also suffered. Weekend evenings out with friends dwindled to none. My husband and I have already made arrangements so our children do not even have to consider taking on this responsibility. And, it has nothing to do with love or commitment, for me it was more than I could handle physically and emotionally. 8. You could pick up an STD: Seniors, including 72 percent of men and 45 percent of women ages 57 to 72, are sexually active, says this study from the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. Well, good for them, you might say. But STDs are growing fast among the older set. When you think about retirement communities, think about sex, writes The New York Times: Combine retirement communities, longer life, unfamiliarity with condoms and Viagra — and what do you get? You get an S.T.D. epidemic among the Social Security generation that rivals what we imagine is happening in those “Animal House” fraternities. For example the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a rise in cases of chlamydia, syphilis and HIV infection among Americans 55 and older. If you’re going to have sex, make sure it’s safe sex. 9. You may outlive your money: Longer lifespans today put the nest eggs of even the most scrupulous retirement savers at risk of being exhausted in their owners’ lifetimes. Six in 10 financial advisers predict their clients could outlive income, LIMRA finds. What’s worse, just one-quarter of preretirees believe they’re at risk to outlive their income, LIMRA says. In fact, only one-third of people near or in retirement have even tried to calculate how long their assets will last. [Source: MoneyTalksNews | Marilyn Lewis | September 13, 2016 ++] ***************************** Dumb Smart Device ► Hydrator Vessyl ‘automatically tracks your hydration needs’. Evidently, thirst is not a precise-enough indicator of your water needs. But you can get an accurate picture of your hydration needs if you spend $149 on this smart water bottle. “Vessyl” factors in “your height, weight, age and biological sex,” and other changing factors such as your activity level — it syncs to your Fitbit or other tracker — and hours of sleep,” and then tells you when to drink more. Promoters say the system allows you to reach your optimal hydration, which in turn “can lead to mental balance, physical endurance, more energy, and much more.”  
https://www.amazon.com/Mark-One-Pryme-Vessyl-Hydration/dp/B019CN5M4Y?tag=montalnew-20 ******************************** National Anthem Update 03 ► Star-Spangled Banner Origin On 13 SEP in 1814, Francis Scott Key penned a poem which is later set to music and in 1931 becomes America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The poem, originally titled “The Defence of Fort McHenry,” was written after Key witnessed the Maryland fort being bombarded by the British during the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the sight of a lone U.S. flag still flying over Fort McHenry at daybreak, as reflected in the now-famous words of the “Star-Spangled Banner”: “And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.” Francis Scott Key was born on August 1, 1779, at Terra Rubra, his family’s estate in Frederick County (now Carroll County), Maryland. He became a successful lawyer in Maryland and Washington, D.C., and was later appointed U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. On June 18, 1812, America declared war on Great Britain after a series of trade disagreements. In August 1814, British troops invaded Washington, D.C., and burned the White House, Capitol Building and Library of Congress. Their next target was Baltimore. After one of Key’s friends, Dr. William Beanes, was taken prisoner by the British, Key went to Baltimore, located the ship where Beanes was being held and negotiated his release. However, Key and Beanes weren’t allowed to leave until after the British bombardment of Fort McHenry. Key watched the bombing campaign unfold from aboard a ship located about eight miles away. After a day, the British were unable to destroy the fort and gave up. Key was relieved to see the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry and quickly penned a few lines in tribute to what he had witnessed. The poem was printed in newspapers and eventually set to the music of a popular English drinking tune called “To Anacreon in Heaven” by composer John Stafford Smith. People began referring to the song as “The Star-Spangled Banner” and in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson announced that it should be played at all official events. It was adopted as the national anthem on March 3, 1931. Francis Scott Key died of pleurisy on January 11, 1843. Today, the flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1914 is housed at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. 
Star-Spangled Banner Lyrics O! say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there; O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected now shines in the stream: 'Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion, A home and a country, should leave us no more? Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave: And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved homes and the war's desolation. Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.' And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave![19] [Source: This Day in History | September 13, 2016 ++] ******************************** FactChecking ► NBC "Commander-In-Chief " Forum The forum, sponsored by NBC News and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, was held 7 SEP at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump each appeared for 30 minutes on NBC’s commander-in-chief forum, answering questions on national security from moderator Matt Lauer and audience members. Here’s the FactCheck.org round-up of dubious claims made by the candidates.
Trump and the Iraq War Trump said he “was totally against the war in Iraq,” while Clinton claimed that he supported the Iraq War before and after it started. The facts don’t support either candidate’s strong assertions. A review of Trump’s statements before and after the Iraq War started found no evidence that Trump opposed the war before it started. In fact, he expressed mild support for invading Iraq when asked about it on the Howard Stern radio show on Sept. 11, 2002 — about six months before the war started. Stern asked Trump if he supported a war with Iraq, and Trump responded, “Yeah, I guess so.” In the NBC commander in chief forum, Trump cited an Esquire article that appeared in August 2004 to show his opposition to the war. But that article appeared 17 months after the war started. As for Clinton, who as a senator voted in October 2002 to authorize the war in Iraq, the Democratic nominee claimed that Trump “supported it before it happened, he supported it as it was happening and he is on record as supporting it after it happened. But just as there is no evidence that Trump opposed the Iraq War before it started, the Clinton campaign offered no evidence that Trump supported the war “after it happened.” The Clinton campaign cited Trump’s interview on March 21, 2003, with Neil Cavuto of Fox Business just two days after the war started. Cavuto asked Trump about the impact of the war on the stock market. Trump said the war “looks like a tremendous success from a military standpoint,” and he predicted the market will “go up like a rocket” after the war. But Cavuto does not ask Trump whether the U.S. should have gone to war with Iraq or whether he supports the war, and Trump doesn’t offer an opinion. As early as July 2003, Trump expressed concern on “Hardball with Chris Matthews” about money being spent in Iraq rather than in the U.S. Two months later, Trump told MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, “I guess maybe if I had to do it, I would have fought terrorism but not necessarily Iraq.” Clinton invited her audience to read Trump’s comments on the Iraq War. They can read our timeline, “Donald Trump and the Iraq War.” Withdrawal from Iraq Trump said President Barack Obama set a “certain date” for withdrawing troops from Iraq, but that date was actually set by President George W. Bush. NBC’s Matt Lauer asked Trump about his tendency to respond, when pushed for details on his military proposals, that he’s not going to give details because he wants to be “unpredictable.” Trump responded, “Absolutely,” and went on to criticize Obama for revealing the withdrawal date. Trump: If I win, I don’t want to broadcast to the enemy exactly what my plan is. … This is what Obama does — “we’re going to leave Iraq on a certain date.” Trump made a similar claim in August. As FactCheck.org said then, Republicans and Democrats disagree on whether Obama or Bush is to blame for withdrawing all combat troops from Iraq at the end of 2011. But that date was set when Bush signed the Status of Forces Agreement on Dec. 14, 2008. It said: “All the United States Forces shall withdraw from all Iraqi territory no later than December 31, 2011.” In the NBC forum, Trump also called the withdrawal of troops “a terrible decision.” Condoleezza Rice, Bush’s secretary of state, later wrote that Bush wanted an agreement for a residual force to remain, but Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki objected. Once Obama took office in January 2009, he had three years to renegotiate the deal, which his administration tried to do, to leave a residual American troop force. But Maliki still didn’t agree. Negotiations broke down in October 2011 over the issue of whether U.S. troops would be shielded from criminal prosecution by Iraqi authorities. Whether Obama did enough is a matter of opinion: His then defense secretary, Leon Panetta, later wrote that the president didn’t press hard enough for a deal. But some experts say Iraq was more closely aligned at the time with Iran and there wasn’t a deal to be made with Maliki. So, both presidents had a role in the withdrawal of troops. But Trump wrongly said that Obama was the one who set a “certain date” for withdrawal and let U.S. enemies know about it, when that date was set before Obama was sworn in. It’s worth noting that Trump said in a March 16, 2007, interview on CNN that the troops should be withdrawn quickly from Iraq. Trump, March 16, 2007, on CNN: You know how they get out? They get out. That’s how they get out. Declare victory and leave, because I’ll tell you, this country is just going to get further bogged down. … And there’s nothing — by the way, we’re keeping the lid on a little bit but date we leave anyway it’s all going to blow up. … So, I mean, this is a total catastrophe and you might as well get out now, because you just are wasting time. Download 0.8 Mb. Share with your friends:
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