« February 2023

Welcome to the Androscoggin Area Retired Educators' Association Newsletter for February 2023

From the President - Rosita Friel

Treasurer's Report

from Gina Fuller

Click this link to read the treasurer's report for February 2023.

Treasurer's Report

From the State House

by Crystal Ward

Washington,D.C. from NEA-Retired Legislative Committee

The DEBT CEILING fight started by the Republicans in the House of Representatives could have a very negative impact on Social Security and Medicare.  Even flat funding will do harm. In order to make cuts or freeze the largest accounts like Social Security and Medicare would have to be cut. Education funding could be cut which would do harm by either cutting or raising Property taxes.  The debt ceiling was amount was met on Jan. 23, 2023, now the Treasury dept. is just moving money around in order to pay the bills the country owes. By June there will not be any money to move and the USA will not be able to pay its bills.  The constitution requires that the debt be paid.

Social Security Offset (GPO/WEP), the same bill from last session has been reentered by Republican Rep. Garrett Graves of Louisiana on Jan. 9^th 2023 and it already has 100 co-sponsors. Both Rep. Golden and Rep. Pingree are co-sponsor- Please send them Thanks yous. . It has the same bill number and same name HR 82 The Social Security Fairness Bill . NEA is working with a Democrats in the Senate to reenter it there. NEA will be contacting Senators Collins and King because they have helped in the past.

 Augusta,things are in full swing.

I have been sending out updates on legislation impacting retired and asking for YOUR help. It is very important they hear from many retired ,e-mail, write , phone , testify, ZOOM or in person attendance at hearings DO SOMETHING !

MEA and MEA-Retired have gone to the Appropriations and Cultural Affairs committee to get funding to restore the COLA to our whole pension NOT just the first $24,911.84! There is movement on this in the committee.

Testimony will be given at the Public Hearing on Feb 9 for LD111 and LD112 bills that deal with increasing the amount the State Pays for our Healthcare . Rep. Jan Dodges bill increases the percent from 55% to 65% in 2025.

The Public Hearing on LD 70 to eliminate the Cap on the COLA needs your support !Write, e-mail , testify, attend in person or on ZOOM do something!

Testimony for the Labor and Housing Committee can be sent to:

Clerk Maria Rodriguez Cross Building, Room 202, 287-1331, LBHS@legislature.maine.gov

c/o Legislative Information Office 100 State House Station  Augusta, ME 04333

 If this is your Representive he is on the Labor and Housing Committee ,Please also contact  Representative Joe Galletta of Durham - R - House District 98

Email: Joe.Galletta@Legislature.Maine.gov

If you want to give testimony at a hearing contact jkosinski@maineea.org (207) 622-4418 ext 2217

I will keep you informed !!! But realize that sometimes there is little warning !  I will get it out to you as fast as I can.

If you want the latest Under the Dome updates from John Kosinski, MEA Lobbyist , please send him an e-mail and ask to be put on the emailing list.

To Your Health - Finances!

If you’re 50 or older, there is one benefit to reaching this milestone that you may be overlooking: tax breaks aimed right at you. Now you can contribute more to your Roth or traditional individual retirement account (IRA), to your employer-sponsored plan or to your health savings account (HSA) than you could when you were younger. You can even exclude more income from your tax computations.

READ MORE - - AARP - Finance

From Mona Ervin

Elder fraud is any scam that targets older adults and exploits them for monetary gain, such as financial fraud or identity theft.  We may all be aware of these scams but it is easy to fall victim to them.  A refresher on these scams is always helpful.

Seniors lost the most amount of money to tech support, identity theft, and romance scams. Source: FBI Elder Fraud Report

Many victims of romance scams are pressured into fraudulent investments, especially involving cryptocurrencies. Always keep yourself safe and be aware of the dangers of online dating.

Warning signs of elderly romance scams:

• The “relationship” moves at a frantic pace, with the other person claiming to be irrevocably invested. 
• They promise to meet up in person or on video chat but always come up with an excuse at the last minute. 
• They ask for money or financial help for family or healthcare issues. 
  

Typically, a scammer will deceive senior citizens with false promises of goods or services. Once they gain their trust, scam artists go after financial details, health insurance, or even physical possessions.  Even worse, most cases of elder abuse are committed by friends, family, or those in routine close proximity to the victim. For example, a family member could open a credit card in their elderly relative's name.

12  Other Common Senior Citizen Scams To Be Aware Of

• The grandparent scam
  

Warning signs of grandparent scams:

• You receive an unsolicited call claiming that a grandchild or loved one is in danger.
• The caller asks for money as cash, gift cards, or wire transfers.
• The caller won’t let you get off the phone or threatens you if you try to verify the information.
• The caller uses deception, intimidation, and coercion to force you to act quickly.

Warning Signs of Government Imposter Scams

• Government imposter scams
  

IRS scams, Social Security scams, FBI or other law enforcement, COVID scams,  Medicare scams, VA scams or any other government entity.  Remember, these agencies will almost never reach out to you over the phone — especially if it’s something as grave as a crime. If they do call, hang up and call the agency’s official phone number.

• You get an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from a government agency.
• The caller uses threatening language and wants you to pay them using gift cards or wire transfers.
• The caller asks for your sensitive information, like your SSN, Medicare number, or credit card.

• Elder financial abuse
  

Elder financial abuse happens when someone the victim knows and trusts — like a family member, close friend,  or caregiver — tries to gain access to the senior’s savings, credit, or assets. They could trick their victim into signing over access or power of attorney. Or, they might even threaten to withhold care if they don’t receive access. Warning signs of elder financial abuse:

• Unfamiliar charges, new accounts and loans, or credit inquiries that you or your elderly loved one didn’t make.
• Calls from companies or credit providers about debt you didn’t take out.
• An elderly parent or grandparent has unexpected financial struggles.

• False investment schemes
  

There are several types of investment scams that specifically target seniors:

• Ponzi schemes: A Ponzi scheme uses the money from new investors to pay existing ones (rather than generating any actual returns). Ponzi schemes target seniors by promising high returns with little to no risk.
• Illegitimate bonds and certificates of deposits (CDs): In these scams, fraudsters use low-risk investments to trick wary seniors into investing. But these investments either don’t give the return that they promise or don’t exist at all.
• Charitable gift annuities: Here, a donor gives a large sum of money as a gift in return for a fixed income stream. But often, these charities don’t exist and you’re putting money right into the scammer’s pocket.
• Prime bank scams: In this scam, con artists claim to have access to “secret overseas markets.” But the whole narrative is a scam and any money you send is stolen.

When it comes to avoiding senior investment scams, remember the golden rule of fraud: If it seems too good to be         true, it probably is.

Warning signs of false investment scams:

• They promise high returns with little or no risk involved. No investment is 100% safe or can guarantee returns.
• The “advisor” uses high-pressure sales tactics to get you to act quickly and without doing your due diligence.
• You’re unable to withdraw your principal investment.
• If you or someone you know suspects such a scam or is the victim of such a scam to contact the Maine Office of Securities tel. # 1-877-624-8551. 
• 
  

If you are a victim of any type of fraud or scam, do not be ashamed.  It happens very often.  Contact the proper authorities to report the scam.  For the Grandparent scam call the police.  In the case of a government scam, call the office of the specific organization to report the scam.  In the case of elder abuse call the police, local senior services organizations, your attorney, a TRUSTED family member.  For fraudelent investment scams call the police, your bank, an attorney, the better business bureau.

Next month we will give you information about the next four most common scams targeting seniors. 

• Tech support scams
  
• Robocalls and phishing messages
  
• Sweepstakes and lottery scams
  
• Elder romance scams
  
• Funeral scams
  
• Reverse mortgage scams
  
• Online shopping scams
  
• Charity scams‍

DID YOU KNOW  from Mona Ervin

The official record for hottest temperature on Earth comes from Death Valley, California, where temperatures reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit in July 1913. 

AND WE THOUGHT FEBRUARY 3-4 WERE COLD!

The lowest natural temperature ever directly recorded at ground level on Earth is −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F; 184.0 K) at the then-Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica on 21 July 1983 by ground measurements. On 10 August 2010, satellite observations showed a surface temperature of −93.2 °C (−135.8 °F; 180.0 K) at 81.8°S 59.3°E, along a ridge between Dome Argus and Dome Fuji, at 3,900 m (12,800 ft) elevation. The result was reported at the 46th annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco in December 2013; it is a provisional figure, and may be subject to revision. The value is not listed as the record lowest temperature as it was measured by remote sensing from satellite and not by ground-based thermometers, unlike the 1983 record. The temperature announced reflects that of the ice surface, while the Vostok readings measured the air above the ice, and so the two are not directly comparable.

Reports on Friday, February 3, 2023 evening suggest that Mount Washington, New Hampshire has broken the record for coldest wind chill temperature ever seen in the United States. A wind chill temperature of -106F (-77C) was clocked and projections warn that it could still get colder.The previous coldest wind chill temperature was recorded in Alaska, where cold air and ferocious winds gave a wind chill reading of -105F (-76C). The Mount Washington figure will still need to be verified before it claims the US record, but with temperatures set to drop over Friday night it looks certain to beat the previous low.

Based on the minimum recorded temperature by state, Alaska is the coldest state in the country, with an average temperature of 30.7°F. The second coldest state is North Dakota, with an average temperature of 42.4°F. Minnesota is the third-coldest state, with an average temperature of 42.5°F.

Alaska has the coldest winters, the coldest summers, the longest winter, the most freezing degree days, etc. Winter lasts from October to March and it stays mostly dark for six months.

With a minimum average temperature of about minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit, Fairbanks,  Alaska takes the cake as the coldest city in the U.S. The northernmost major city in Alaska, Fairbanks has seen record cold temperatures reaching minus 66 degrees in the past.

Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth with temperatures ranging from 14 degrees Fahrenheit near the coast to -76 degrees Fahrenheit at elevated parts of the continent’s interior.

NASA reported that “at a cosmologically crisp one degree Kelvin,” the Boomerang Nebula takes the title of the coldest place in the known universe. One degree Kelvin translates to minus 458 degrees Fahrenheit or approximately minus 272 degrees Celsius.

Cannot wait for summer, this data makes me cold just typing this.  Remember, data is often different due to how the temperatures were measured and who did the recording.  But, fun information.

Box Cake Coffee Cake

This is an easy recipe.  Everyone likes easy. 

https://www.browneyedbaker.com/cake-mix-coffee-cake/

This yellow cake mix coffee cake is light and moist with a delicious cinnamon pecan filling. Even more of the filling is sprinkled over the top of the cake to give an added crunch.

Ingredients

• box of yellow cake mix – use your favorite brand here. Using a mix is so quick and easy! I also have a recipe for a DIY yellow cake mix if you want to try making your own!
• Unsalted butter – there’s salt in boxed cake mix, so no need to add any more.
• Light or dark brown sugar – light has less molasses flavor and dark brown contains more molasses, so has a deeper caramel flavor
• Ground cinnamon – gives the cake a warm spiced flavor
• Pecans – you could swap for walnuts if you prefer
• Eggs – I use large eggs
• Sour cream – full-fat sour cream creates a moisture cake

See you on March 8, 2023.