Social Security Statement Available Online

Although mailing of annual statements was discontinued due to government budget cuts, the Social Security Statement is now available online at www.socialsecurity.gov/mystatement.
“Our new online Social Security Statement is simple, easy-to-use, and provides people with estimates they can use to plan for their retirement,” said Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security. “The online Statement also provides estimates for disability and survivors benefits, making the Statement an important financial planning tool. People should get in the habit of checking their online Statement each year, around their birthday, for example.”

Nutraceutical Stock Scams

Don't Supplement Your Portfolio With These Companies
"Want to lose weight, get an energy boost, live longer or fight the common cold?  Many of the products that claim to achieve these objectives are called "nutraceuticals"—a term used to describe dietary supplements and food and drink products that contain additives purporting to provide health benefits. The financial reality, however, is that some of the companies associated with these products are likely to make your portfolio very unhealthy. FINRA is issuing this alert to warn investors about potential scams related to everything from fortified foods and energy drinks to "natural" medicines. While some of the companies producing these products are legitimate, others could be bogus operations with the potential to harm unsuspecting investors." I am posting this because of the popularity of dietary supplements in Utah.

10 Obstacles to Women's Retirment Goals

Millions of American women of all ages are in desperate need of solid retirement planning advice. Learn the 10 biggest obstacles in this short slide show and see how you compare. 10 Obstacles to Women’s Retirement Goals
The July 11 FPW program will be: Get out of debt faster with PowerPay Debt reduction software. 

Long-Term-Care Insurance update

Listen (4:19 minutes) or read the NPR transcript of an interview with Kiplinger's Kim Langford discussing current state of LTCI industry.  Waiting To Buy Long-Term-Care Insurance Adds Up http://www.npr.org/2012/05/09/152319326/should-you-buy-a-long-term-care-insurance-policy

The Perfect Mother's Day GIft

I’ve seen the eye-popping prices being advertised for imported cut flowers for Mother’s Day…

Few of us need a whole box of chocolates…

Mother’s Day weekend is one of the busiest of the year at restaurants (long waits, crowds and less than the perfect meal)…

I know the economy needs your $$ but instead of dropping all that money on extra calories and flowers (imported from Central America with a shocking carbon footprint) that will quickly fade, consider giving mom a gift of Financial Security!

Collectively almost every family can afford to give mom…  an Individual Retirement Account for Mother’s Day!

If mom is in good $ shape, what about your daughter? Does she need help launching a life of financial security? And it’s OK to think about yourself, too. One of the greatest gifts we can give our family is to assure them that we are financially secure.

Come to Financial Planning for Women on Wednesday, May 9 to learn about great low-cost mutual funds for IRAs and other long term goals.

12:30-1:30 in USU TSC room 336, or

7-8:30 pm at the USU Family Life Center (more time for Q&A)

Three students from my Advanced Family Finance Class will be presenting their mutual fund research results.

Refreshments provided!

Facebook promotes organ donation

According to The New York Times Facebook is promoting organ donation. While this is an admirable campaign, FB is encouraging users to post their birth date as part of the process. DO NOT post your birth date on FB!! What are they thinking?!? Your birth date is a critical piece of data for identify thieves.
Instead of using FB to advertise your organ donation intentions, go to the organ donation registration website for your state. The Utah Donor Registry is at: http://www.yesutah.org/  1-866-YES-UTAH or info@yesutah.org.
For Idaho: http://www.yesidaho.org/.
Share your wishes with your family and physician.

Identity Theft Resource Center- Utah info

With continuing concern about the Utah data breech (which reaches far beyond Medicaid patients) we should all take steps to protect our credit reports and prevent ID theft. Check out this website and put a FREEZE on your credit if you are one of the victims of the data breech or just want to add a firewall of protection to your credit reports: http://www.idtheftcenter.org/artman2/publish/states/Utah.shtml