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.

New Books to Help You Manage your Finances in Tough Times

Here are some new library books that can help you to save money, find a job, manage your finances, and plan for retirement:

The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: a Practical (and fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less by Jeff Yeager.

J.K. Lasser's Guide for Tough Times: Tax and Financial Solutions to See You Through by Barbara Weltman.

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey.

AARP Crash Course in Finding the Work You Love: the Essential Guide to Reinventing Your Life by Samuel Greengard.

The Social Security Answer Book: Practical Answers to over 200 Questions on Social Security by Stanley A. Tomkiel.



The Retirement Challenge: Sink or Swim: A Complete Do-It-Yourself Toolkit to Navigate Your Financial Future by Frank Armstrong, III and Jason R. Doss.



The Estate Planning Toolkit: The Ultimate guide to Planning Your Estate by Daniel Sitarz.

Cover Florida Health Care Access Program

In 2008, Florida State legislators approved the Cover Florida Health Care Access Program. This program was created to provide affordable health coverage for Floridians who have been without insurance for at least six months or who are recently unemployed. Six private insurance companies have partnered with the State of Florida to create affordable health plans. There are different plans available in different counties.

How is the Economy Affecting Older Adults?

The Urban Institute has several recent reports about how the economy is affecting Older Adults. Here are the reports and some of their highlights:

How is the Economic Turmoil affecting Older Americans? - Oct. 1, 2008

• 49% of households 50+ own retirement accounts.
• During the past 12 months, retirement accounts have lost $1.6 trillion, 18.3% of their value. (p. 2 of report)
  
• Housing prices decreased between 4 % to 20% from January 2007 to May 2008, depending on the part of the country. However, from 1998 - 2006 the inflation-adjusted median home equity for adults aged 55+ increased by 41.5%.
  

How is the Recession Affecting Older Workers? - December 17, 2008

• More older adults are working or looking for work now, compared to past recessions - the share of adults age 65- 69 participating in the labor force has risen from 20.2% in 1982 to 29.7% in 2007.
  

Senior Unemployment Rate Hits 31-Year High - January 14th, 2009

• December 2008 unemployment rate for ages 65 and older was 5.1%.
• This unemployment rate has increased 1.7% since November 2007.
  

The Urban Institute is a nonpartisan economic and social research center founded in 1968 (for more information click here).

Do you know what government benefits are available for you?

The National Council on Aging has created a website to help Seniors with limited incomes to find out if they qualify for federal and state benefits programs. This website is called BenefitsCheckUp and it includes information about 1,650 different private and public benefit programs. For example, you can search for programs that can help with:

• prescription drugs
• energy assistance
• housing
• utilities
• in home services
• nutrition
• employment
• transportation
• legal issues
• tax relief
• health care

According to the National Council on Aging, this website has helped over 2 million people to find over $6.8 billion dollars of the annual benefits that they deserve.

Federal Physical Activity Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has recently published Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. They have included a chapter for active older adults aged 65 and older. The guidelines discuss the benefits of exercise and describe the types and amounts of physical activity appropriate for older adults. There is also a chapter with information about exercising for people with chronic health conditions (such as osteoarthritis) and a chapter about exercising safely.

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.]