Upcoming Library Programs

Would you like to watch a great movie, play chess, or join a knitting group? These are just a few of the upcoming Pasco library programs. The Friends of the Library sponsors our programs.  Here are some of the upcoming library programs for Older Adults in Pasco County:

Sat, Apr 12th and Sat Apr 26th at 2:00pm
    LOL Chess Club
    Land O'Lakes Library
Join us to play chess and learn the basics from our volunteer teacher. All ages and skill levels welcome. Bring your favorite chess set or use a library chess set.
Land O'Lakes Library
2818 Collier Parkway
Land O'Lakes, FL 34639
(813) 929-1214 

Tues, Apr 15th at 10:00am
  AARP Driver Safety
  New River Library
To register for this AARP class, you will need to call (813)907-3908.
New River Library
34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills, FL 33543
(813) 788-6375

Tues, April 15th at 12:00pm
     Libary Knitters 
     Hugh Embry Library
 People who enjoy working with yarn, here's your place to meet, share and enhance your knowledge! Bring a brown bag lunch, if you wish.
Hugh Embry Library14215 Fourth Street, Dade City, FL 33523 
(352) 567-3576

 Thurs, Apr 24th at 10:00am
    Senior Games
    Land O'Lakes Library
Join us for fun and games at the library. Meet new people while playing cards, board games, or challenging video games.
Land O'Lakes Library
2818 Collier Parkway
Land O'Lakes, FL 34639
(813) 929-1214 

Fri, Apr 25th at 2:00pm
    Senior Cinema and Popcorn
    Hugh Embry Library
 Seniors and adults, enjoy recently released movies with popcorn! Free thanks to Friends of Hugh Embry Library.
CALL 352-567-3576 for the movie title!
Hugh Embry Library
14215 Fourth Street, Dade City, FL 33523 
(352) 567-3576

Sat, Apr 26th at 11:00am
     Sit-n-Knit            
     South Holiday Library
Join our knitting club for ALL AGES! No experience necessary. Supplies are provided for in-house use or bring your own project.
South Holiday Library
4649 Mile Stretch Drive 
Holiday, FL 34690 
(727) 834-3331

Also, many branches offer book discussions and technology programs (such as an introduction to windows 8, an introduction to ipad, and a tablet Q & A).

The AARP Foundation Women's Scholarship Program

The AARP Foundation Women's Scholarship Program is helping win back opportunity for low-income, 50+ women by funding education, training, and skills upgrades that can lead to better employment and increased financial security for women and their families. Since 2007, The AARP Foundation Women's Scholarship Program has awarded scholarships to more than 800 eligible women — helping them to enter programs they could otherwise not afford.


The scholarship program is made possible by AARP Foundation with generous support from Walmart Foundation and AARP.


The scholarship application period for the 2012-2013 academic year will last from Wednesday, February 1, 2012, at 9 a.m. CST until Friday March 30, 2012, at 5 p.m. CDT.      
   
For more information and to apply, click here. 

Free Tax Help

The IRS has partnered with many nonprofit and community organizations to provide tax preparation services for low- to moderate-income and elderly taxpayers. Certified AARP Tax-Aide volunteer counselors can help you to prepare your tax return. In Pasco County, you can call dial  211 on your phone to find the nearest location and schedule an appointment to get help with preparing your taxes. If you do not live in Pasco County, you can search for your nearest tax help location by searching on the AARP webpage, here.

If you need to contact the Internal Revenue Service directly, here is their contact information:   
 
IRS Phone Assistance for Individuals:
Toll-Free, 1-800-829-1040  Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. your local time

Local Tampa IRS Office:
If you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit or your Income is $50,000.00 or less, they can help you to prepare your Federal Tax Return, However, this service is only available on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  
  
3848 W. Columbus Dr.
Tampa, FL 33607
(813) 348-1831 
Monday-Friday - 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Social Security Quick Facts

The AARP has published a one page overview of Social Security Facts for each of the 50 states. Here are some highlights from the "Social Security: 2011 Florida Quick Facts":

• Florida ranks 24th in income level among the states.
• One in five Florida residents receive Social Security.
• Florida's 65+ population will reach 19% of the state population in 2015.
• Social Security is responsible for lifting over 35% of retirees from poverty in Florida.

You can access the full report here.  If you are interested in the facts about other states, you can find a list of the fact sheets here.

AARP Recareering Study

AARP recently published a report called "Older Workers on the Move: Recareering in Later Life". Research has shown that many older Americans do not transition from full employment to retirement all at once. Instead, many people take "bridge" jobs before full retirement. This report used data from the Health and Retirement Study and focused on a group of workers (aged 51-55) from 1992 through 2006. Highlights of the study include:

• More than 8 out of 10 workers left their employer by 2006 and 43% of these workers had started a new job by 2006.
• One in four full-time workers lost their jobs due to business closings or were laid off.
  
• Workers who retired and then started new jobs were nearly twice as likely to change careers as those workers who had been laid off.
  
• Nearly two-thirds of workers who changed jobs also changed occupations.
• New jobs were usually less stressful and offered flexible work schedules.
• Hourly wages were lower for the new jobs.
• Nearly a quarter of the workers who changed jobs lost their health insurance.
  

The full study can be found here.

"Free Lunch" Sales Seminars

Many financial services firms are marketing to senior investors, who are a growing segment of investors. These firms have a sales technique - they offer free lunches to seniors, if they are willing to listen to their seminar information. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is concerned with unscrupulous and abusive sales practices of financial advisers who market to older adults. The Securities and Exchange Commission published a report in 2007 called "Protecting Senior Investors: Report of Examinations of Securities Firms providing "Free Lunch" Sales Seminars".

This report found that:

• Free Lunch Seminars are advertised as "educational", but they are really geared to sell investments.
• Attendees are not informed that the seminar is presented by a company that has a financial interest in selling these investments.
• 23% of the seminars had financial advisers who recommended investments which were not suitable for particular customers.
• 57% of the investigated seminars gave exaggerated or misleading claims about the investments.
• 13% of the investigated seminars were selling fraudulent investments.
  

The AARP has a "Free Lunch" Monitor program where volunteers attend many of the free lunch style seminars and report their experiences back to AARP. There is an AARP online discussion group which provides a place to exchange stories about these free lunch seminars, which is located here.

The AARP has a good article about spotting financial scams. This article stated the the following phrases are warning signs of a financial scam:

• "There's no risk".
• "Your profit is guaranteed."
• "The offer is only available today."

The AARP recommends that you take your time investigating an investment before committing to it. For more advice on what questions to ask at a free lunch seminar, please see the AARP article "Free Lunch Seminars: Questions to ask a Financial Professional."

How to find out more about a particular investment opportunity:

• You can find out whether the investment is registered by using the EDGAR database.
  
• You can find information about an investment firm or a broker by using the FINRA BrokerCheck.
  
• You can investigate investment adviser firms on the SEC website here.

Florida Caregiving Survey

The AARP partnered with the "Hospice of the Florida Suncoast" and "Florida Hospice and Palliative Care" to survey AARP members living in Florida. The survey investigated caregiving and end of life issues.

Survey highlights include:

• 13% of survey respondents provide unpaid care for a relative, spouse, friend, or partner.
• 45% of caregivers have been providing care for 1-5 years.
• 39% of caregivers spend 6-20 hours a week providing care.
• 39% of caregivers spend over 20 hours a week providing care.
  
• 40% would like information about available caregiving resources.
• 90% have heard of hospice services.
• 64% have talked with their spouse, partner, or family member about their wishes for end of life care.
  

The full report can be found here.

Scam Alert!

There is a new scam which targets grandparents. The scammer calls someone and pretends to be their grandchild. They may know the names of family members or they may trick the grandparent into saying the name of the grandchild. The scammer then pretends that he is on trouble. For example, he or she may say that their car broke down, they are stuck in a foreign country, or that they need bail money to get out of jail. Then, they ask their "grandparent" to wire them money, but not to tell their parents.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends that if you get such a call, you should not act immediately and send the money. Instead, take the time to verify the caller's identity by asking them questions to which only family members know the answer. In addition, try to reach the parents of the grandchild to find out if this is a hoax. If you can't reach a family member to verify the story, the FTC recommends that you contact your local police on their non-emergency line and ask for their assistance. You can call the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 to report possible fraud.

The FTC has more information about this scam here.

Social Security Facts 2008

The AARP has published "Quick Fact Sheets" about Social Security for each of the 50 states. Some Florida facts are:

• 17% of Florida's population is 65 and above.
• by 2030, 27% of Florida's population will be 65 and above.
• one out of every five Florida residents receive Social Security.
• Social Security supplies over 38 Billion dollars to Florida's economy.
  

More Social Security facts about Florida can be found here.

Social Security Quick Fact Sheets for other states can be found here.

Free Tax Help!

The AARP has two ways to help you with taxes this year. If you have a tax question, you can get online help year-round. You can submit your tax questions online here. The website promises to answer your questions within 3 to 5 days.

If you need more help, you can get one-on-one counseling from local AARP Tax-Aide volunteers. They can help you to prepare basic tax forms, such as the 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ. You can search for nearby Tax-Aide sites by zip code here. You can also call the United Way of Pasco Helpline at 211 to schedule an appointment for your local Tax-Aide site.

AARP Driver Safety Program

New River Library will be hosting a 2 day AARP Driver Safety Program on January 14th and 15th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. This class is a refresher course for drivers age 50 and many insurance companies provide a discount to people who complete the class. More information about the AARP Driver Safety Program can be found here. Registration is requested for this class. To register for the class, please call (813) 780-9168.

[New River Library is located at 34043 S. R. 54, Zephyrhills, FL.]

Upcoming Programs About How to Avoid Scams and Fraud

Richard Zutell of AARP will be discussing how to pick an honest contractor and avoid home repair fraud on Wednesday, January 7th, at 2:00pm at the Hudson Regional Library. He will also be giving a talk about how to recognize the frauds and scams that con artists use on Thursday, February 12, at 2:00pm at Hudson Regional Library. Registration is requested for these programs.

[Hudson Regional Library's address is 8012 Library Road, Hudson, FL and the phone number is (727)861-3040.]

AARP Driver Safety Program

New River Library will be hosting a 2 day AARP Driver Safety Program on October 14th and 15th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. This class is a refresher course for drivers age 50 and many insurance companies provide a discount to people who complete the class. More information about the AARP Driver Safety Program can be found here. Registration is requested for this class. To register for the class, please call (813) 780-9168.

[New River Library is located at 34043 S. R. 54, Zephyrhills, FL.]

New Online Job Search for Adults 50+

AARP and RetirementJobs.com have formed a partnership to provide a free job search website for adults 50 years or older. One can search for full time, part time, or flexible jobs. A recent press release from AARP stated that "RetirementJobs.com and AARP will identify employers that maintain policies, practices and programs consistent with employment of people age 50 and older based solely on their proficiency, qualifications and contribution." AARP also provides a free online discussion group about career issues, called "The Water Cooler".

Tips on Home Repair Fraud

Richard Zutell of AARP will be giving a talk at the Hudson Regional Library on July 17th at 2:00pm. This presentation will give advice about how to pick an honest contractor. If you would like to attend this presentation, you can register for the program by calling Hudson Library at (727) 861-3040.


[Hudson Regional Library is located at 8012 Library Road, Hudson FL]

New Study about Internet Use

A new study from the AARP and the Center for the Digital Future has shown some interesting new trends in internet use by older adults (50+). A news release from AARP summarized some of the results of this study:

• Older adult internet users access news information online more often than do internet users under 20 years of age.
  

• 18% of older adult internet users play online games at least once per day.

• 68% browse and buy items online.

• 46% use the internet to maintain social relationships

• Of those 50+ who are involved in online communities, 70% state that these communities are very important to them.

This news release quoted Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for communication, as saying "In specific areas, there is often little difference in use of online technology between older users and some of the youngest users."

More highlights of this study can be found here.