It's not too late to take advantage of the Open House Specials in Bailey Park! "It's a Wonderful Life" Scam to AvoidWhen Norman Wells answered the phone recently, a man said, "This is your grandson. I've been in a car accident, and I'm at the police station. I don't sound right because I have a broken nose." Wells, of Johnston, Iowa, said, "Jason, your parents are here. I'll let you talk to them." The call disconnected.Jason's mother suspected a scam. She called her son. "Mom, I'm right here," he said, "studying in the library!"Wells and his wife, Mary had nearly become victims of the "grandparent scam," a ploy to get money wired to a "grandchild" supposedly desperate for help. They later got in touch with the AARP Fraud Watch Network.To learn more about scams, go to http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/fraud-watch-network/Help for Family CaregiversRoughly 40 million family caregivers nationwide provide unpaid care valued at about $470 billion a year to adults who need help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation and managing medications, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute. To help them, AARP is urging Congress to pass the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act. The Senate passed it unanimously; now it awaits action in the House, where a similar bill has been sponsored by Reps. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.)The bill would require the development of a national strategy identifying actions that government, communities, providers, employers and others can take to recognize and support family caregivers. AARP is calling on members to call their representatives at 844-259-9351 (toll-free) and urge them to cosponsor the RAISE Family Caregivers Act.Ask Jane:Q: I'm 70 1/2, still working and contributing to my company's 401(k). Do I have to start taking required minimum withdrawals? I also have an individual retirement account.A: As long as you stay on your company's payroll, you are not required to take withdrawals from your 401(k). The rules are different for traditional IRAs and any 401(k)s you hold with previous employers. You must start withdrawals from those plans at 70 ½ and can no longer contribute to an IRA of your own. You can, however, contribute to a spousal IRA as long as you have earnings, you file taxes jointly and your spouse is under 70 ½, says retirement-plan expert James Lange. With Roth IRAs, you can make contributions-to your own plan or a spousal Roth-at any age, as long as you have earnings that fall within the Roth income limits. Withdrawals are never required.Q: My husband is owed a private pension from a company he worked for years ago. We can't find the company anymore. Can you help?A: The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which insures private pensions, has prepared an excellent booklet on this subject. Go to http://www.pbgc.gov/ and enter "finding a lost pension" in the search box. Your hunt might be complicated and even finish in a dead end. But it always pays to look.Q: My friend, 80, is in the early stages of dementia. She's alone, with no relatives. She is still capable of executing a will and living will. Can she use the do-it-yourself forms available online? Paying a lawyer would be hard. She owns only her apartment, her car and her bank account.A: Your friend is allowed to write her own will and living will. But for them to be legal, she has to follow all the rules of your state, including the right number of witnesses. I do have some questions. Who has her power of attorney? Who is she leaving her money to? If it's you and a surprise relative shows up, you might be in trouble. If the beneficiary is a charity, it might help her find a lawyer.Halloween Holiday TriviaOrange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.Jack o' Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.The fear of Halloween is known as Samhainopobia.
