The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act may have made it harder for many taxpayers to write-off their charitable contributions, but there are ways to get more bang from your charitable buck in this new environment.
Your approach will depend in part on your age.
In order to write-off qualifying charitable contributions, you need to itemize your deductions, rather than take the standard deduction — that’s the fixed chunk of money that the IRS allows you to deduct from your income before you pay taxes on the remainder. Taxpayers generally itemize if their sum of the deductions — including expenses like mortgage interest, state and local taxes and charitable spending — exceeds the amount they are allowed to write off by taking the standard deduction.
From the Hawaii Air National Guard Facebook page
Hawaii Air National Guardsmen put their skills to the test as domestic response assets during a Combined Training Exercise at Kalaeloa, January 15 to 19. Airmen from the 154th Medical Group, 154th Force Support Squadron, and 154th Communications Squadron brought together a wide range of skill sets from search and rescue to medical triage and treatment to communication and casualty management, in responding to a simulated radiological incident.
The airmen are part of the Hawaii National Guard’s enhanced response force package which aids civilian domestic responders in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive incidents.
From the U.S. News & World Report website
Most Workers pay into the Social Security program throughout their career. Many people also pay taxes on part of their Social Security payments in retirement.
Retirees with low incomes or whose only source of income is Social Security generally don’t pay income tax on their Social Security benefit. The average Social Security payment to retired workers was $1,411 in March 2018, or $16,932 for the year, which is considerably below the taxable threshold of $25,000 for an individual. However, some 40 percent of Social Security beneficiaries have to pay federal income tax on part of their benefit, according to the Social Security Administration. The income cutoffs for Social Security taxes are not adjusted for inflation each year, so more retirees will need to pay tax on their Social Security payments over time.
Here’s how to reduce or avoid taxes on your Social Security benefit:
Retirees relocate for lots of different reasons, from the weather to proximity to grandchildren. Moving from a pricey part of the country to one with low housing prices could also lower your expenses and make your retirement savings last longer. But as you consider the cost of living in potential retirement destinations, don’t overlook the impact of state taxes on your bottom line.
Where does your state fit in? We’ve ranked all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, based on how they tax retirees.
The January 2019 issue of the National Guard magazine include the following articles:
Raising the Bar NGAUS looks to surmount in 2019 what was, by every measure, a successful 2018.
Uphill Fight Every legislative year comes with challenges, but this one may provide more than most.
‘We Trust You’ A conversation with Gen. David L. Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff
Fedrec Update Army Report: Fedrec Process ‘Inefficient, Prone to Human Error’
Chairman’s Message Our Army National Guard faces some big issues. We need a director.
The National Guard Association of the United States
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, DC 20001 | www.ngaus.org
P: 202.789.0031 | F: 202.682.9358 | newsletter@ngaus.org
From the Military Times website
Veterans rejected for disability benefits will have a new slate of appeals options starting next month, when federal officials will put in place an overhaul the review process with hopes of dramatically cutting down on wait times for the complicated cases.
Last week, Department of Veterans Affairs officials announced they will implement new appeals modernization rules starting Feb. 19. Work on the effort has been underway for more than 18 months, since lawmakers passed sweeping reform legislation on the topic in August 2017.
Under the new rules, veterans will be given three options for their benefits appeals. All three are designed to streamline the complicated existing process for cases, which can languish for years as new evidence and arguments are introduced throughout the timeline.
Learn more about these three options
Thanks to Gordon Lau for forwarding the link to this article
Retirement can mean uncertainty if you haven’t taken steps to plan for it appropriately. In a June 2018 Bankrate survey, 61% of Americans admitted that they still don’t know how much they’ll need to save to retire.
Getting your target savings number right is an important part of the retirement planning process, but it’s just one thing to consider. Making sure you’re able to achieve your goals after you’ve retired is another.
Hawaii National Guard photograph | click to enlarge
Martha “Marti” Wong received her Federal recognition order on December 22, 2010. Early in 2011, Marti was pinned by Governor Neil Abercrombie and her husband Leonard Wong in the Governor’s Ceremonial Room.
Many adult children don’t know much about their elderly parent’s financial situation or end-of-life plans, but they need to. Getting up to speed on their finances, insurance policies, long-term care plans and other information is important because some day you might have to help them handle their financial affairs or care, or execute their estate plan after they die. Without this information, your job becomes much more difficult.
The TRICARE Pharmacy Program provides you the same prescription drug coverage with most TRICARE health plans. If you use the US Family Health Plan, you have a separate pharmacy coverage. As always, active duty service members pay nothing out of pocket for their covered prescription drugs.
Prescription drugs fall into four tiers: generic formulary drugs, brand-name formulary drugs, non-formulary drugs. A drug in a therapeutic class that isn’t as clinically or cost-effective as other drugs in the same class. You pay a higher cost share for these drugs., and non-covered drugs. These tiers follow industry standards. They depend on the medical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a drug compared to other similar drugs.
HNL’s expansion to handle the new Boeing 747 created the need for jetways at the new Diamond Head and Ewa Terminal’s shown here circa 1971. How things have changed at HNL in 40 plus years. pic.twitter.com/pnYcsWn6FN
— Hawaii Aviation (@HawaiiAviation) August 2, 2018
There’s now more encouraging evidence that you don’t have to run marathons to make a difference in your health.
A brisk 20-minute walk each day could be enough to cut your risk of early death – even if you are obese, according to new research.
The study of more than 334,000 European men and women found that twice as many deaths may be attributable to lack of physical activity than to obesity. And a modest boost in activity could make a big difference, the study concluded.
From The New York Times website
Could common prescription medications be contributing to depression and rising suicide rates?
Over one-third of Americans take at least one prescription drug that lists depression as a potential side effect, a new study reports, and users of such drugs have higher rates of depression than those who don’t take such drugs.
Many patients are taking more than one drug that has depression as a side effect, and the study found that the risk of depression increased with each additional such drug taken at the same time.
Raymond Infante, age 78, Ray passed away 12/26/18 at Aloha Nursing and Rehab Center.
Survived by wife, Caroline; 4 children, Esme, Sonia, Serena, Brandon; 7 grand kids; 4 brothers; 3 sisters.
Kalihi born, he graduated from Likelike Elementary, Kalakaua Interemediate, Farrington High School, University of Hawaii-Manoa Mechanical Engineering, served in the US Air Force and Hawaii National Guard. He worked 30 years at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & golfed.
Visitation will be Saturday, January 26 at Nuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary West Chapel from 10am. Service begins at 11am. ‘No Flowers’ is requested. Arrangements Provided By: Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary LLC
