Stanley Tomatsu Okazaki, 77, of Mill Creek, Washington, died in Mill Creek on April 13, 2019. He was born in Waipahu, Hawaii on December 1, 1941.
Military Memorial Service: 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 14, 2019 at the Hawai‘i State Veterans Cemetery
Retiree News extends heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends.
Stan served in Avionics maintenance, starting when the 154th Wing flew the F-4 Phantom and retired during the F-15 Eagle era.
The magazine of Hawaiian Airlines, Hano Hou, recently published a story about Leimomi Mookini Lum. She is the kahuna nui and steward of the Mookini heiau in Kohala. She accepted this kuleana in 1977 and over the last 42, has restored and maintained heiau. But her life is filled with many other achievements.
Leimomi Lum’s husband was Maj. Gen. Alexis Lum, who served as Hawaii’s Adjutant General from 1983-1991. The general passed in 2009.
From the U.S. News & World Report website
It’s no secret that the country’s Social Security program is running out of money. In fact, the combined reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds are expected to be depleted by 2035, according to the 2019 Social Security Board of Trustees report to Congress.
That may seem dire, but it’s actually an improvement from last year’s report, which indicated that the trust funds were expected to run out by 2034. In fact, the asset reserves for Social Security actually increased $3 billion in 2018
“It changes every year,” says Chad Parks, founder and CEO of the 401(k) provider Ubiquity Retirement + Savings. The difference between the 2018 and 2019 predictions can be partly attributed to lower disability claims and increased recent mortality, according to a May 2019 analysis from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Even if the trust funds do run out in 2035, Social Security is expected to receive enough money from payroll taxes to pay out 80% of its claims.
Still, the prospect of the trust funds being exhausted by 2035 is unsettling. Use these saving and investing strategies to prepare for a future without Social Security:
You probably know there’s a measles outbreak. And you may have heard that there’s a shortage of the most effective vaccine to prevent shingles, a cousin of the childhood disease chickenpox.
Did you know that both viruses are especially bad news for older Americans?
“What’s true for both diseases is that they are more severe the older you get,” says Dr. Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group in Rochester, Minn.
“We think back to childhood and most kids did fine. But above age 50, people start having complications. We have no treatment. The only recourse is prevention,” Poland says.
This 2009 photograph shows then-SMSgt Robert “Bob” Davis. He served with the 154th Civil Engineering Squadron’s production control function during the unit’s deployment to Kuwait. Later that year while still in Kuwait, Bob was promoted to chief master sergeant.
The Chief served as a Traditional Guardmember after seven years with the Air Force. He continued serving until his retirement in June 2015.
In civilian life, Bob worked for Naval Facilities until his retirement in 2010. In addition, he was a part-time realtor with Locations Hawaii starting in 1998. After his 2010 retirement, he became a full-time realtor and today continues his highly successful career with Locations Hawaii at their Aiea office.
You may think of an emergency fund as the cash stash to keep when you are working, with employees typically advised to save six months’ worth of living expenses in the event of a job loss or other income shortfall. But retirees may need emergency funds, too, even if savings cover basic living expenses.
Unanticipated costs can upend your careful financial planning: a broken furnace, a leaky roof and other maintenance on a house. Thousands of dollars in dental work for implants or other oral health problems, which traditional Medicare doesn’t cover. Adult children or other family members who need financial help.
Twenty million largely self-taught home caregivers in the United States perform complex medical tasks for family members and friends, a new report says.
That means that half of the nation’s 40 million family caregivers do things typically performed by health care professionals, such as giving injections, preparing special diets, handling tube feedings, and dealing with specialized equipment.
Seven out of 10 of the caregivers doing these tasks also face the stress of managing pain relief for the people in their care as the country battles an opioid addiction crisis, according to report.
Retiree News Photograph
This photograph shows the Acosta family – Wayne, Sharee, Mary Chris, and Michelle. It was taken at the 154th Mission Support Group’s family day on June 6, 2004.
Wayne Acosta served in personnel and later as the Commander of the 154th Security Forces Squadron. He later transferred to the Air Force Reserve and where he served until his retirement.
Fast forward to 2018….
Sharee Acosta graduated with military distinction from the United States Air Force Academy and was commissioned a second lieutenant, a member of the 60th graduating class.
From the U.S. News & World Report website
A self-directed IRA allows investors to hold unique and varied investment options inside a retirement account. Unlike traditional IRAs or Roth IRAs, which often consist of stocks and bonds, a self-directed IRA provides a broader selection of investment options. “As we are floating at all-time highs in the stock market, some investors are beginning to remember some of the wounds they received in the financial crisis of 2007-2008 where they saw their accounts get sliced in half and still paid advisors their traditional commissions,” says Joseph Polakovic, owner and CEO of Castle West Financial in San Diego. “This has led some to look at ways to get a little more hands-on with their qualified investments.”
Using a self-directed IRA as part of a retirement savings strategy requires some research upfront. The following is a guide to self-directed IRAs, including how they work and how to decide if this investment setup is right for you.
One of the worst feelings is reaching for your wallet and finding it’s not there. Panic ensues: Did you leave it at home? Drop it? Were you the victim of a pickpocket? Following our advice won’t salve that panic, but it may lessen it.
We talked with consumer-protection advocates to identify the 10 things retirees should purge from their wallets immediately. And when you’re finished, take a moment to photocopy everything you’ve left inside your wallet, front and back. Stash the copies in a secure location such as a home safe or a bank safe deposit box. The last thing you want to be wondering as you’re reporting a lost stolen wallet is, “What exactly did I have in there?”
Off the Hawaii Adjutant General’s Facebook page
Hawaii Army National Guard Photograph | click to enlarge
Maj. Gen. Arthur “Joe” Logan and Command Sgt. Maj. Dana Wingad visited Hawaii Army National Guard Soldiers currently deployed to Kosovo, Bosnia and Egypt. It was a long trip, but Hawaii should be proud of what our Warriors are doing around the world.
More photographs from the Senior Enlisted Leader ‘s Face Book Page
On this day in #AirForce #History pic.twitter.com/9UQaIKPe2C
— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) June 4, 2018
From the U.S. News & World Report website
For those who develop dementia, the changes are often subtle at first – and symptoms vary. But the condition generally describes “the loss of cognitive functioning – thinking, remembering, and reasoning – and behavioral abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities,” according to the National Institute on Aging.
While the neurodegenerative disorder Alzheimer’s disease is far and away the leading cause, various other types of dementia are also common. And just as the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s is projected to rise from about 5.8 million today to nearly 14 million by 2050, the overall ranks of people with dementia is expected to increase sharply as well.
Off the Hawaii Army National Guard Facebook page
click to enlarge
A combat helmet, rifle, boots and identification tags are displayed forming a battlefield cross during the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ceremony honoring fallen Soldiers from Hawaii who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the Vietnam Conflict, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom during a memorial ceremony Kalaeloa, Hawaii, May 24, 2019.
Since 1864, the decorating of Soldiers graves memorialized those who lost their lives while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
View the photographs by Sgt. 1st Class Theresa Gualdarama
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