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Since retiring from acting over a decade ago, versatile character actor Nehemiah Persoff has become a successful artist, painting from his seaside home in Cambria, Calif. (see www.nehemiahpersoffpaintings.com). The Cambria Center for the Arts hosted a birthday celebration on August 4 for Persoff, who turned 95 a few days earlier. This included screening a selection of his films, and the artist even auctioned some of his works, donating the proceeds to the center. But in 1989 Persoff experienced...
You’ve heard of people who were declared dead, much to their own surprise. Think this cannot happen to you? The odds that it can happen are increasing. In 2013, NBC News reported the disturbing fact that roughly 28,000 erroneous deaths are logged into the Social Security Administration (SSA) Death Master File, each year. Mark Pinney, interviewed by NBC News, found out he was declared dead when the grocery store rejected his bank card. Imagine his shock when he went to the bank to ask why, and they told him his account was closed because t...
Dear Jonathan: I am a widower. I am retired and financially set. In fact, I have been advised that it would be a good idea for me to reduce the size of my estate because it is larger than that amount which is exempt from estate taxes, which I believe is $5 million. Consequently, I am considering passing along a good chunk of my estate to my children and grandchildren now. What are the current rules for gifting? Jonathan Says: In 2014, a person can gift up to $14,000 per person per year without incurring any federal gift tax and without having t...
Q. I am debating about buying a new laptop with Windows 8. I know that some people don’t like Windows 8. Do you think Microsoft will keep this format in the future or will it go back to something like XP or the Windows 7 format? How do you feel about Windows 8? A. I think Windows 8 is fine. I like the touchscreen interface, which is what it was designed for, though it certainly can be used with a traditional mouse and keyboard. Historically, whenever a new operating system makes its debut, there are people who like it and people who don’t lik...
Do not make financial decisions based on emotions. Fear and greed can ruin a lifetime of good decision-making. What do I mean by that? You could have worked hard and saved your money for decades, but one bad decision in retirement can make your money go away in one fell swoop. Let’s take television. Most of the talking heads on television should be ignored when it comes to money. Their “analysis” is generally worthless and meant to scare you into buying (gold and silver for example) or selling (reverse mortgages are pitched because banks make...
We at OPAG advocate a healthy lifestyle for seniors. We encourage seniors to partake in every outdoor activity in Alaska, whether it is snowmachining, river boating, biking, hiking, hunting, fishing or photography. This July four friends and I fished the Arolik River, which is located southwest of Bethel. The river is only 25 miles long starting at Arolik Lake and ending at the village of Quinhagak. The river was particularly low resulting from a lack of winter snow and rain. This required us...
Bipartisanship has surfaced, at least briefly, on Capitol Hill. More than 130 lawmakers, from both parties, are urging the Obama Administration to expand coverage for a lung-cancer test under Medicare – screening they see as vital for vulnerable seniors. But the decision could cost Medicare billions of dollars. In a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the lawmakers called for a timely decision on coverage for low-dose CT scans for older patients at higher risk of d...
Editor’s note: Gene Wiseman is a student at Wayland Baptist University in Anchorage. This essay was written for an assignment in his American Government class and submitted upon suggestion of the instructor, former OPAG executive director Ray Clements. No matter your age every citizen has a personal and civic responsibility to become involved in the political process. Citizens age 65 and older lead the nation in turning out to vote, followed closely by the 46 to 64 year old age group. However when it comes to volunteering time, the tables t...
To my wonderful readers, I must inform you that I may have to reboot my computer for nearly the last time, as I tell you about the inadvertent errors I made in my last column. It must have been a looong senior moment because I mistakenly used last year’s Medicare Deductible for Part B (hospitalization) which was $1,184 for 2013, and is now, $1,216 for 2014, and will probably change again in 2015, as it usually does every year. Also you can use the Medicare Easy Pay option, by getting form SF-551...
Important disclaimer: If you are a passenger in a moving vehicle and are reading this article to the driver, then stop reading out loud immediately. If this article is read in a public-radio-like monotonous voice, it could lead to drowsiness, possibly resulting in injury due to a car wreck. You have decided you need some benefit you have earned as a result of your military service. Sure, I know you were given your DD-214 upon separation and have it stored in the same place as your birth certificate, marriage license and deeds of trust like you...
In the last 30 days, the Ombudsman has received five complaints that seniors are being threatened with involuntary discharge from their assisted living homes. This is often a terrifying prospect to a frail senior who doesn’t have the energy or mental capacity to fight for the right to stay in the home. So this month’s column will consider the rights that residents have under state law. As one canny senior said to me, “I know they can’t just kick me to the curb.” First off, I hope that anyone wo...
Released in the summer of 1964, "Marnie" wasn't a typical Alfred Hitchcock thriller. While a moderate success at the box office, the eponymous psychological mystery was panned by some critics at the time. "People didn't understand the film when it first came out," said Tippi Hedren, who starred as Marnie, a disturbed woman, compulsive liar and thief, with a resolute disdain for men. "Something really bad happened in Marnie's childhood. Critics look at 'Marnie' entirely differently today, now...
The section of Anchorage called Spenard was referred to as the "Miracle Mile" not so long ago. As part of the Chugach National Forest created by U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt in 1907, the land was locked in a government deep freeze for several years. When the residents of the Alaska Railroad camp asked that the land surrounding the new town be unshackled in 1919, the government lifted its restrictions on the property. The growth of Anchorage to the south could not have happened if this...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Aug. 12 and 26), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Aug. 6 and 20), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s southeast communities can call the Jun...
Dear Jonathan: What does it mean to have died intestate? Jonathan says: This simply means that a person died without making a last will and testament. If a person makes a last will and testament, then they will be deemed as having died testate. Dear Jonathan: What happens if the person appointed as agent under a power of attorney refuses to act and the person who made out the power of attorney now has dementia? Jonathan says: If there is no alternate agent named, the power of attorney will be ineffective and cannot be used. Consequently,...
Q. When I try to print certain photos, I get an error message that tells me that Windows cannot connect with my printer and that I need to restart the spooler. What the heck is a spooler and how do I restart it? A. Spooler alert! A print spooler is software that temporarily stores print jobs on your computer’s hard drive or in memory (RAM) until the printer is ready to print them. Think of it as a print queue. The way a print spooler is typically restarted is to restart the computer. That clears the queue and resets it. To manually restart t...
If your spouse has a retirement plan of his or her own, are you the beneficiary? Are you sure? Federal law requires that for 401(k) plans and most types of retirement accounts, the spouse must be the beneficiary. But this is not true of all types of retirement plans. And depending on where you live, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise someday, especially if your spouse was previously married. If you live in a community property state (Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, or Wisconsin, and if the...
During the past few years I have limited my Senior Voice commentary to non-controversial matters; however, I want to take this opportunity to expand the dialogue regarding further American military involvement in the Middle East. After 9/11, the USA went to war in Iraq to eliminate weapons of mass destruction and contain Al-Qaida, a radical Sunni Islamist organization originally nurtured in Saudi Arabia, a USA friend. The Saudi are a theocracy and adhere to the conservative Wahhabi sect of Islam. In fact, most of the 9/11 attackers were Sunni...
Effective July 21 this year, under a new law, an owner will be able to sign a transfer on death (TOD) deed transferring real property to a person or organization (including a charity) upon death. The TOD deed must provide a few simple facts, including a legal description of the property and the names and addresses of the persons transferring and receiving the property. It must be signed before a notary public. Most importantly, it must state that it will become effective upon the transferor’s death. The deed must be recorded prior to the transf...
Just when you thought the VA couldn’t be more offensive, we find out they are denying veterans with traumatic brain injuries and/or post traumatic stress disorders (TBI/PTSD) of their Second Amendment rights. Yes, you read this correctly, veterans asking for help to recover from service connected injuries are being deemed a danger to themselves and others and unable to handle their affairs by an unelected, appointed VA bureaucrat working for the very government agency founded to help them “re-integrate” back into peacetime civilian life. While...
A gambler's hunch compelled California mining magnate John Treadwell to purchase a claim from "French Pete" for $400. That decision turned into the discovery of the famed "Glory Hole" on Douglas Island in Southeastern Alaska in 1881. Gold had been discovered in the Silver Bow Basin near Juneau in October 1880. Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, along with Sitka chief Kowee, had trekked through moss, slippery rocks and devil's club to get to a place the Tlingits called Bear's Nest. "It was a...
Eighty years ago, 16-year-old Marsha Hunt began her professional career with a prominent New York City modeling agency. But her real love since the age of four was acting. So, the following year, in May 1935, she headed to Hollywood. Within weeks of arriving on the West Coast her dream was realized with a Paramount contract. "It wasn't about becoming a famous star," said Ms. Hunt from her home in Los Angeles. "I just wanted the joy of pretending to be interesting characters and convincing audien...
Why some older people are sitting ducks for con artists Sad but true, seniors are often targeted by scam artists because they make good victims. Reader’s Digest asked one former con artist, Jim, what it is about some seniors that make them the focus of thieves. Here’s a summary of what Jim said: • Senior citizens generally have money. Many are “sitting on fat nest eggs.” • Their emotional needs are easy to read. They volunteer information about how they love their kids and grandkids, and they share their fears about the global economy and...
Dear Jonathan: I am an elderly gentleman who is not married and has no children. Because I have become increasingly aware of my own mortality, I have decided to engage in estate planning for the first time in my life. Interestingly, I am more concerned with those documents whose purpose is to protect me during my lifetime, i.e., financial and health care durable power of attorneys, than I am with those documents that direct where my estate goes when I die, i.e., a will and trust. More specifically, I understand the importance and the need of ha...
Q. Can you recommend a simple program to move pictures from my Android phone to my Windows 7 computer? A. You really don’t need a program or an app to do that. Instead, follow these steps and you should be all set: First, connect your smartphone to your computer using the USB sync cable that came with your phone or is available at any Radio Shack. Once connected, a USB icon will appear in the Noti...
