You may be wondering about your odds of an IRS audit. Most people can breathe easy. The vast majority of individual returns escape the IRS audit machine. In 2019, the IRS audited only 0.4% of all individual tax returns, and 80% of these exams were conducted by mail, meaning most taxpayers never met with an IRS agent in person. Also expect the audit rate to drop for 2020 because the coronavirus pandemic has dampened the IRS’s enforcement efforts. As a result, the odds that your return will be picked for review are generally pretty low.
From the Medical News Today website
Researchers have analyzed 16 studies involving over 1 million men and found an association between increased coffee consumption and decreased risk of prostate cancer.
In a new meta-analysis, researchers have found an association between increased amounts of daily coffee consumption and decreased risk of prostate cancer.
The research, published in the journal BMJ Open, lays the ground for future studies to determine whether there is a causal relationship between coffee consumption and reduced prostate cancer risk.
From the Honolulu Magazine website
This is Honolulu Magazine article that first appeared in their November 2014 issue. At the time of the article – “Nine of the top 10 ramen restaurants named by The New York Times—and all but one of the 56 ramen shops in Honolulu—use Sun Noodle.”
Sun Noodle did not start America’s ramen revolution. But it certainly seems that way, when nine of the top 10 ramen restaurants named by The New York Times—and all but one of the 56 ramen shops in Honolulu—use Sun Noodle.
Not bad for a little factory from Kalihi. Thirty-three years ago, Hidehito Uki founded Sun Noodle. He was only 20 years old and hardly spoke any English. Uki’s father, a noodle maker in Togichi, Japan, had been working on a project in Honolulu that fell through, so Uki moved to Hawai‘i to adopt the small noodle machine that got left behind. There were only three ramen restaurants in the entire city, but he started making ramen anyway.
When a loved one passes away, it’s not unusual for the person to leave some unpaid debt behind.
The question for the surviving spouse or other heirs is often: What happens to those obligations?
Generally speaking, it depends on both the type of debt and applicable state laws.
From the U.S. News & World Report website
Taking advantage of senior citizen discounts may reduce your retirement costs and free up funds for other activities. “Every dollar can really add up,” says Sara Skirboll, a shopping and trends expert at RetailMeNot. When looking for discounts, always keep your identification handy, as some places will ask to see a form of ID to check that you have reached the qualifying senior discount age before applying any promotions.
The amount you save might depend on factors like your age or whether you use the discount on a certain day of the week or month. “Some discounts and offers are only available for specific dates or times, and the age requirements vary from place to place,” Skirboll says.
From the Laulima Combat COVID-19 website
Points of dispensing (PODs) are being opened across the state for the initial phases of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Those eligible include healthcare workers, kūpuna age 75 and over, and frontline essential workers. In a new video, Department of Health’s Brooks Baehr visited the Windward Comprehensive Health Center and walks you through what to expect when it’s your turn to be vaccinated.
Off the Hawaii Adjutant General’s Facebook page
Soldiers from the Hawaii National Guard were visited by their Congressional Delegation on Thursday January 21. The delegation wanted to thank the Guard men and women for their service and sacrifice to drop everything and responding with “Aloha.”
Comments by Jeff Hickman, Director of Public Affairs, State Department of Defense
Here is a shot of our Hawaii National Guardsmen wrapping up their mission at our nation’s Capitol with our Hawaii Congressional Delegation. Hiki No! So proud of these guys. It had to be cold! Mahalo for a successful and peaceful mission ensuring a smooth transition of authority. And to MSgt Andrew Jackson, the lone Airman on mission, for covering their every move with photos and video, documenting history. Now come home and start your quarantine in OUR weather!
More photographs by MSgt Andrew Jackson
A majority of the second stimulus checks have already been sent out across the US. And as long as you qualify for another payment, you can expect to receive yours through direct deposit or in the mail as an EIP card or paper check (here’s how to track it right to your mailbox). If you don’t receive a payment by January 15, your new stimulus check money could arrive after you claim an IRS rebate credit during tax season. With so much complication up front, have the rules for retired people, veterans and older adults changed?
Can you be too old to travel? Only you can know the right answer but consider these factors:
Slowing down was the last thing on Elaine Schaefer’s mind when she turned 70 last year. She’d enjoyed an ambitious travel schedule for the previous decade, which included a 10-day horseback safari in Botswana and a snorkeling tour of Bora Bora. She didn’t feel too old to travel.
Then the pandemic hit. Suddenly, with the exception of a cautious staycation or two, she was confined to her home. Being in a high-risk group didn’t help. But she says that’s not going to stop her.
“Ability to travel is not a function of age,” says Schaefer, who writes a blog about senior travel. “It’s determined by your physical and mental fitness.”
Blood pressure readings between the two arms can be different, and that disparity can sometimes be a warning sign of heart trouble down the road, according to a new analysis of 24 past studies. What you need to know:
Off the Remember Kauai From the Past Facebook page
Lihue Airport under construction in 1949. Prior to its opening, flights to Kauai used Port Allen Airport. From the Hawaii Department of Transportation.
Plans for the airport originally included a north-south cross runway, which is seen under early construction here. The work was later stopped; second runway wouldn’t be built until almost forty years later.
From the Medical News Today website
LASIK surgery, or laser eye surgery, is a procedure that aims to improve vision. Nearsighted or farsighted individuals, as well as those with astigmatism, can undergo LASIK surgery as an alternative to wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses. Not everyone is an ideal candidate for LASIK surgery, however.
According to The Vision Council, over 195 million people in the United States have undergone some form of vision correction.
We made it through another year!
Today is the eighth anniversary of the first Retiree News post.
Over the past year, we have increased “Check Six” posts with old photographs and Kūkā‘ilimoku issues. We will continue feature posts dealing with benefits and other retiree topics. There will be more “Off Track” posts.
Special thanks to the following retirees who continue to contribute articles and photographs for posting: Billy Chang, John “JC” Chun, Fred Hyun, Bob Inouye, Gordon Lau, Steve Lum, and Erik Wong.
Thank you for your continuing support of our website.
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