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Discovering The Mature Lifestyle The Brooklyn Park Police Department held a workshop on “Scams, Schemes and Shams.”

Page 3

Finance

February 18, 2016

February Issue

BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Keeping up with the stock market’s roller coaster ups and downs lately leaves many with a queasy feeling. For retirees whose financial future may be riding on those twists and turns, the stakes are high.

“I try to tell my clients they can’t look at their portfolio’s value and make a decision on that,” said Peter Silbaugh, who heads up True Colors Financial in Minnetonka. “Whether the market is u p or down, you shouldn’t stop living the way you live. Your investment portfolio is an income-generator, not a capital asset.”

He likens it to rental property from

Peter Silbaugh is a financial planner in Minnetonka. (Submitted photo)

which an owner reaps money on which to live. “You don’t have property appraised every day, only when you’re going to sell it,” Silbaugh said.

He said he never panics over whether the market is up or down. “Financial assets appreciate every minute of every day,” he said.

When his clients retire, Silbaugh said, he helps them create a ‘cash bucket’ for a monthly draw. “If they want $3,000 a month from their investments, they need two years of that in cash,” he said. “Every six months, they should replenish that cash bucket so they’re always two years ahead. The markets decide w here the money will come from.”

Silbaugh finds that many people believe it’s best to hang onto their best stocks and sell the worst. “That’s backwards; people should do t he opposite,” Silbaugh said. “The best is not best until it sells. Hang onto the worst until it recovers. You don’t need to have everything performing.”

Overall, Silbaugh said, “There aren’t a lot of savvy investors. It’s amazing how little financial education most p eople have.”

He points out that investments are just one-sixth of every plan. The other five areas are cash flow (managing debt, refinancing the mortgage), risk protection (preparing for the certainty of uncertainty, such as he alth), retirement planning, income tax planning and estate planning.

“My suggestion for anyone, whether they’re 18 or 80, is t o think about finan-

cial planning in all six areas,” he said.

Regarding estate planning, Silbaugh said, it is important for people to decide to w hom their estate will pass on.

He’s a st aunch supporter of the BestPrep program, which began with a p ilot project conducted at Breck School in 1973.

Following the success of the pilot project, BestPrep was officially founded in 1976 to help students and teachers in Minnesota gain business and career skills through experiences. According to the BestPrep website, “With the initial volunteer and financial support of 3M, C argill, Ecolab, General Mills and Peavey, BestPrep was at the forefront of a national trend of connecting students and educational institutions with members of business, government and social services. By connecting students with members of corporate America, participants gain first-hand exposure and ex-

perience to what life after school is really like.”

BestPrep has r eached more than 1.3 mi llion students, according to the website.

Silbaugh said he enjoys teaching BestPrep classes at Twin Cities high schools whenever a b usiness teacher invites him t o do so. His own children were students at Wayzata High School.

Silbaugh said he has t aught classes in n umerous western suburban high schools.

“It’s amazing how the ‘light bulbs’ go on [for students in t he classes],” he said.

He advocates an early start in “climbing the financial mountain.” Ideally, he said, people should start their portfolio at an early age and get good advice along the way.

FINANCE - TO PAGE 2

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Page 2 Our Life • Thursday, February 18, 2016

Considering charitable giving? Don’t forget Alzheimer’s Every day, we are deluged with requests for money from worthy causes (and a f ew not-so-worthy ones). Older adults seem to be particularly popular targets for solicitors.

Unfortunately, most of us do n’t have enough money to respond to every worthwhile request. We have to prioritize and be selective. We have to be intentional with our financial support and “give smart.�

So here’s something to think about. As you consider who and what to support, don’t forget the Alzheimer’s Association.

After all, Alzheimer’s is the cruelest disease of all. It causes people to disappear before our eyes and leaves only the husks. It robs individuals of their memory, identity, personality, hu-

Guest column ... by Bob Ramsey manity — e ven their very soul — a nd makes loved ones watch helplessly while it happens. The disease isn’t a sudden fa tal episode; it is a dra wn-out nightmare that destroys individuals and devastates families.

Alzheimer’s isn’t exclusively an old person’s disease, but it’s the one older adults fear the most.

The statistics explain why: 88,000 Minnesotans are living with Alzheimer’s and one-third of those 85 a nd older have the disease. In 2012, 1,427 M innesotans

died from it. And i t will only get worse as our population ages.

The stats are startling — but they are only numbers.

The real impact is me asured by the fear in the eyes of a pa tient and the ache in the heart of a ca regiver whose loved one is walking around dead inside. You know some of these people.

You may be one of them yourself — now or later.

That’s why it’s time to quit looking the other way, to stop avoiding talking about what we fear most and to realize we can’t let Alzheimer’s go unchecked.

It’s time to wage war on this disease as w e have (with some success) with cancer.

It’s past time for wringing hands and gnashing teeth and time to take action.

The good news is it’s

starting to happen right now, right here in our own hometowns. Over the past year, there have been 37 volunteer-driven initiatives aimed at creating more inclusive, supportive “dementia-friendly� communities in Minnesota.

For example, one group has trained airport personnel to be supportive of travelers with memory loss.

Soon after the training, one employee encountered a passenger with Alzheimer’s who wouldn’t leave the aircraft. Instead of instigating a confrontation, the employee calmly talked with the woman and, eventually, asked if she wa nted to dance. Then, they danced down the aisle and waltzed off the plane. This may be a metaphor for the day we waltz Alzheimer’s off the

planet.

Another example this past year involved an original radio play written by J. B. Eckert, performed at the Old Log Theatre by a cast made up of seniors with memory problems. Sponsored by Sojourn Adult Day Service, the production filled the theatre to capacity. (Have you ever seen Old Log packed?) The performance was vir tually flawless and the audience responded with a st anding ovation.

In a simi lar effort, several local museums are now offering special tours tailor-made for people with Alzheimer’s. Hope is emerging; but research and outreach are expensive.

Of course, there are many deserving causes.

Some are high profile,

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During his ca reer, he has found that a lot of people could afford to retire, even though they don’t believe they can. “They worry about running out of money, or they are worried about health insurance,� Silbaugh said. “I do projections, and more often than not, people are better

widely promoted and broadly supported. That makes it easy to o verlook the silent threat of Alzheimer’s. But older adults have a sp ecial stake in this cause, since 1 in 3 s eniors die of Alzheimer’s or other dementia.

So if y ou want to contribute, learn more, offer to help or get help yourself, contact the Alzheimer’s Association at 1-800-2723900 or at alz.org. Amidst today’s clamor for support of good cause, DON’T FORGET ALZHEIMER’S! Bob Ramsey, a St. Louis Park resident, is a l ifelong educator, freelance writer and advocate for “vital aging.� He can be reached at 952-922-9558 or by e-mail at joyrammini@comcast. net.

off than they think they are.�

He spends time co unseling his clients about how they want to spend their time in retirement. “Some people never stop working because that’s what defined them,� he said.

A graduate of St. Cloud State University, Silbaugh has b een a financial planner since 1981. “ I absolutely love it,� he said. “It was a job a t first. After five years, I thought it could be a career. After 15 years, it became a calling. I feel such an obligation to my clients.

It would be hard to say goodbye to people with whom I’ve worked for 30 years.�

He now works with five team members and 125 c lients. “A lot of my clients had no thing when they started with me,� Silbaugh said. “We grew up together.�

sailor.mnsun.com

Our Life • Thursday, February 18, 2016 Page 3

Brooklyn Park Police reach out to senior citizens

BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Kimberly Czapar, a cr ime prevention specialist with the Brooklyn Park Police Department, spends a lot of her time helping senior citizens learn how to avoid losing their money.

She, along with colleagues Gerry Gibbs and Terry Dehmer, sponsor a va riety of workshops for seniors. Last month, Czapar teamed up with Detective Chris McNeill and Gary Johnson of the Better Business Bureau to present a “Scams, Schemes and Shams” workshop.

“We try to reach out to elders b ecause they tend to be targets,” Czapar said.

Scams abound as tax season approaches, she s aid. Some seniors get calls f rom people who pose as an IRS agent and say they owe money. “That’s a very scary call to get; they’re really slick talkers,” Czapar said. “A lot of people say it will never happen to them, but it can happen to anyone.”

According to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, the IRS do es not ask for credit or debit numbers over the phone, or threaten to bring in lo cal police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for failure to pay taxes.

“The best way to handle such a call is to hang up the phone,” the Attorney General’s Office said. “Speaking with the scammers may encourage them to call again.”

Attorney General Lori Swanson’s office said in a report on IRS imposters that these

Kimberly Czapar, a crime prevention specialist with the Brooklyn Park Police Department, helps senior citizens learn how to avoid losing their money. (Submitted photo)

Victims might receive a mailing telling them they’ve won money but have to send a check to receive their winnings. “It happens in e very community; it’s unbelievable,” Czapar said.

She advises seniors to protect themselves by never: • Revealing financial information to someone who calls you on the phone • Allowing strangers into your home • Believing a stra nger will us e your money for a good purpose • Assigning power of attorney to people that you don’t know well • Signing contracts that have blank lines on them A Brooklyn Park Police Department workshop on “Scams, Schemes and Shams” drew senior citizens last month. (Submitted photo)

scammers make more than 10,000 calls a week and have taken $15 million from victims in the past two years.

Czapar said some of the other typical ways seniors are defrauded include a computer scam, where a person will telephone you, saying they are with a major computer company and that something is wrong with your computer. They will tell you that you need to go to a designated website so they can help you fix the issue.

Other typical scams include the grandparent scam, romance scams, sound-alike charities, travel scams and contractor frauds.

Grandparent scams typically begin with a phone call or email claiming to be about or from a grandchild or other family member in distr ess, expressing an urgent need for money to be wire-transferred.

Romance scams sometimes arise when people are registered on dating websites and may develop an online relationship.

“The scammers are talking to multiple people at a time, asking for money for various reasons,” Czapar said. “At that point, emotions are invested.”

Once a p erson answers the call a nd talks, there is a c hance their name can be added to a list t hat could be sold on the black market, Czapar said. “It’s terrible,” she said. “People shouldn’t have to think about that.”

Another scam outlined in a report from Swanson’s office, is the “spoofing” scheme, often perpetrated by criminal gangs lo-

cated outside the state or country who use technology to make a person’s caller ID show their own name and phone number, making it appear as though a person is calling him or herself.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers lose more than $40 billion a year to telemarketing fraud, Czapar said. People over the age of 65 make up almost 14 p ercent of Minnesota’s population, but disproportionately represent the number of scam victims, she said.

“We’re Minnesota nice,” Czapar said.

“We tend to be more trusting. If I can do one thing in my job to keep people from being victimized, I feel good at the end of the day. Anyone who hurts kids or elders, those are the cases that hurt the most.”

She advises seniors to be suspicious if they are told: • You won a prize or free gift • You have been selected to receive a special offer • You must act now or lose out • You must pay for shipping for your free prize or gift • Give us y our credit card number to verify you are a credit card holder • You’re asked for personal information • You’re asked to donate money to a “sound alike” charity • “You are one of few to receive this offer!”

• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true!

Easy ways to help protect your identity, she said, include: • Read credit card and bank statements • Know your payment due dates • Read your health insurance plan statements • Shred documents with personal information • Review credit reports at least once a year “The economic consequences older Minnesotans face w hen defrauded are often devastating,” according to the Seniors’ Guide to Fighting Fraud, issued by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. “Most seniors in M innesota live on fixed pension and about one-fifth of Minnesotans over age 60 dep end solely on Social Security for their income. With fixed monthly pension or Social Security checks, it is nearly impossible to replenish bank accounts or money saved for retirement when it is taken by scams.”

Czapar urges anyone who loses money due to a scam to call the police. Additional resources are the Minnesota Attorney General’s office at 651-296-3353, or www. ag.state.mn.us/ For information on how to deal with identity theft, contact the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/idtheft The Brooklyn Park Police Department has scheduled a “Street Smarts for Seniors” class from 9 a.m. t o 2 p.m. on May 18, in the Police Department’s Training Room at 5400 85th Ave. N. Registration is required by calling 763-493-8284 (Gerry Gibbs).

Page 4 Our Life • Thursday, February 18, 2016

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Edina attorney helps clients avoid probate

BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As she gi ves advice to clients seeking help with financial and estate planning, Elizabeth Michaelis said she str esses the importance of avoiding probate.

“That is basic,” she said. “Why wouldn’t we want to avoid it? It’s expensive, and it’s primarily attorney’s fees. I’ve never had a client opt for probate.”

Probate can be avoided by designating a beneficiary, or establishing a tr ust, Michaelis said.

Michaelis is t he founder of Guardian Counsel Law Office in Edina. The group assists individuals, families, and businesses with Estate Planning, Elder Law, Business, and Nonprofit law.

She notes that many people have the mistaken impression that once they have a will, their estate planning is all s et. “My mantra is ‘Don’t trust your will,’” Michaelis said.

With changes in tax law, a lot of estate planning needs to be adjusted, she said.

Michaelis emphasizes the importance of long-term care planning, the sooner the better, she said.

“It might be too late to think about [long-term care] insurance, but you can

look at the possibility of being eligible for benefits in order to stay in your home, or in a long-term facility,” she said. “There are still opportunities to plan.”

Long-term care costs now are at about $6,000 per month, she s aid. “Even the most secure of us eventually will face that if we live long enough,” Michaelis said.

“Once you’ve had a major event, such as a heart issue or a chronic illness, the insurance becomes too expensive or prohibitive to get.”

Michaelis serves on the board of Senior Community Services, a no n-profit based in Minnetonka. “The social workers there are knowledgeable in housing and care issues; they pay attention to care givers,” she said.

Despite the real estate crisis of a f ew years ago, Michaelis said she is not seeing clients who are panicked about housing.

That population may be better off than younger people regarding housing, she said.

“A lot of senior citizens have their houses paid for,” she s aid. “It’s amazing the number of people who live in the same house forever and are immune to fluctuations in the market. The single largest asset is your home.”

Noting that many senior citizens maintain a co nservative portfolio, Michaelis said she enco urages her c lients to spend their money. “If you have hung onto your house and have been reasonably conservative, I w ould encourage you to use your money,” she said. “We’re still talking about people who have lived through the Depression. They’re not inclined to spend it at the rate they could.”

Michaelis teaches community education classes on finances at locations throughout the Twin Cities. For information about upcoming classes, call 952-830Elizabeth Michaelis, an attorney in Edina, specializes in estate planning, elder law, business and 9913.

Before forming Guardian Counsel in non-profit law. (Submitted photo) 2004, Michaelis led a co nsulting practice specializing in strategic planning for For- tions of the Minnesota State Bar, as well as travelled to Goma, in the Democratic Retune 500 companies in the health care and the Arizona State Bar, the National Asso- public of Congo, where she assisted in the pharmaceutical sectors. ciation of Elder Law Attorneys, and Min- development of a hosp ital-based medical Michaelis earned her J.D. from the Uni- nesota Women Lawyers. training facility for HEAL Africa. versity of St. Thomas School of Law, and In 2006, she w orked in U ganda with Michaelis is a mem ber of the Minnean M.B.A. from the University of Min- International Justice Mission, serving sota Women’s Foundation Giving Circle, nesota. She is a member of the Probate & widows who have lost t heir land follow- providing grants to benefit women and Trust, Elder Law and Business Law Sec- ing their husband’s deaths. In 2007, she girls in the Twin Cities.

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Our Life โ ข Thursday, February 18, 2016 Page 5

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Page 6 Our Life • Thursday, February 18, 2016

Non-profit Anoka County agency helps senior citizens

BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER Senior citizens living in Columbia Heights and Fridley have a plethora of choices, should they need help with financial matters and daily living tasks.

Anoka County Community Action Program (ACCAP), a non-profit agency, provides assistance and supportive services for meals, chores, energy assistance and income maintenance.

“ACCAP’s focus is helping low-income people to more self-sufficiency,” said Cathey Weidmann, ACCAP director of senior programs.

Each community is assigned a s enior outreach worker who is a vailable to help seniors 60+ a nd often to r efer them to social workers or other specialists, as needed.

They work closely with two social workers, economic assistance representatives and public health nurses.

“They make home visits and discuss federal, state and county resources that are available,” Weidmann said. “It has helped people link with services to help them live safely in their own homes. It helps them have a better quality of life, a better standard of living.”

Services range from receiving food stamps to assistance with water or heating bills. Clients may be referred to a public health nurse, or to the Meals on Wheels program.

Even having someone assist in filling out applications is a tremendous help to some, Weidmann said. “Some clients find that [applications are] overwhelming,” she said.

In other cases, a volunteer from the Senior Companion Program might visit with a client weekly to help them get to the grocery store, the bank or a doctor’s appointment.

“They try to address the senior’s isolation and keep them part of the community because they’re no lo nger able to drive,” Weidmann said.

The Chores and More program sends volunteers to clients’ homes to help them mow or shovel, or tackle the laundry they’re no long able to do by themselves.

Other outreach workers can help clients with a living will or funeral planning, by putting them in t ouch with necessary resources, she said.

Budget specialists are available to help seniors who are struggling to pay their monthly bills, Weidmann said. “A client may have fallen and spent six weeks in rehab and then comes home to find that their bills are a mess,” she said. “They need some help sorting it out.”

In 2014, s enior outreach workers in Ano ka County made more than 3,200 visits to 800 households, resulting in 5,976 referrals to 150 different programs.

The Chores and More program in Anoka County spent 6,000 hours at 445 different households in 2014.

Anoka County’s Senior Companion program had more than 4,500 visits to 187 clients during 2014, for a total of 13,519 hours.

Budget specialists worked with 22 Anoka County clients in the first six months of 2014, for a total of 76 visits.

During 2014, 88 ho useholds in Fridley had 555 visi ts and 897 r eferrals to 75 different programs, Weidmann said.

Outreach workers are available to help senior citizens with a variety of tasks. (Submitted photo) In Columbia Heights, 126 clients had 575 ho me visits and 1,024 referrals to 100 different programs in 2014, she said.

Jeanne Endahl, a budget specialist with ACCAP, works with seniors who are referred to her by an outreach worker or a county social worker. She works only with seniors who are living independently and are not in assisted living facilities.

Her current workload is 60 clients, but Endahl said 1520 files are open at one time t hat have “at least monthly activity.” Her clients are ages 60-89, more women and singles, but also couples and men.

Seniors generally ask for help with budgeting, sorting boxes of old mail, cleaning out old bills, writing checks, bank reconciliation, preparing for taxes, rent credits, or dealing with creditors, she said.

“Sometimes their needs a re met in a sho rt time wi th periodic check-ins, while other appreciate monthly support,” Endahl said. “Often it takes three or four visits to address an issue, sometimes longer. Others I see on an ongoing monthly basis until they move to assisted living or pass away, both of which have happened more than once since I started.”

The hardest thing for most of her clients, Endahl said, is living within a fixed income with living costs, health insurance, medical expenses and service fees increasing.

Endahl, who has b een with ACCAP for almost tw o years, has a background in banking and non-profits. “The Budget Specialist is a ne w position initiated by ACCAP

Senior Programs in response to ACCAP outreach workers’ and Anoka County social workers’ assessment of need,” Endahl said.

Weidmann said that in o rder to receive Endahl’s services, “a referral is made to Jeanne by one of our ACCAP Senior Outreach Workers or by one of the two Anoka County Social Workers in Senior Services.”

“A new client does not just call and ask for Jeanne; her clients come through staff referrals,” Weidmann said. If a client is in need of the budget specialist, the client should call a ACCAP senior outreach worker at 763-783-4741.

The outreach worker will make a ho me visit, complete an assessment and make the appropriate referrals, one of which could be to Jeanne, Weidmann said.

ACCAP is available 9 a.m. t o 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 763-783-4707.

sailor.mnsun.com

Our Life • Thursday, February 18, 2016 Page 7

Small-town Lakeville bank feeling is a plus for seniors

BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

There’s a small-t own feeling at Lakeview Bank in Lakeville. And that’s a plus for its senior citizen customers.

“A lot of our seniors have money market accounts and certificates of deposit here,” said Kathi Lindau, vice president and retail banking manager. “They like the stability of not losing the principal when the market changes.”

When seniors ask for advice, Lindau said, “We suggest laddering their CDs, so they have something due earlier in the year, and some later.”

One of the bank’s customers is a woman in her 90s who is living independently in Florida. “We have her CD,” Lindau said. “She withdraws part of it when she renews it. A

Kathi Lindau is a Lakeville banker who helps senior citizens with their accounts. (Submitted photo)

couple of times a year we mail her a cashier’s check so she always has money available.”

A lot of seniors prefer CDs, according to Lindau, because they earn higher interest. “They prefer not to have a lot in the money market,” she said.

Lindau emphasizes that she and the other bankers are not tax people, but they do remind senior citizen customers to take the required minimum distribution from their IRAs once they reach the age of 70 ½.

They also are happy to show seniors the amount of money the law allows them to give as gifts.

“Some of them don’t have kids to help them, or don’t have their taxes done by someone who tells them those things,” Lindau said.

When one of the bank’s senior clients complained about her p roperty taxes, the bankers were able to give her information about the special property tax refund she was en titled to receive. “We talk to her often,” Lindau said. “She has no children and has li ved out-state awhile.”

“Usually we tell people to make sure someone they trust has power of attorney (POA), in case they end up in the hospital,” Lindau said. “We want them to do t hat ahead of time. I gi ve them the blank forms. They don’t need an attorney for that.”

With a PO A in p lace, instead of money all going to probate, a check can be issued to help pay with funeral expenses. “A lot of times as people get older, they think about having another signer on their bank account, instead of listing one of their children as a joint owner,” Lindau said.

Another way the bank is helpful to its senior customers is being on the lookout for scams that may affect them, such as an email saying that a grandson is in trouble and

needs money.

“All of us are vulnerable to scamming,” Lindau said.

She recalls one customer who provided her acco unt information to someone online and then received phone calls saying she needed to wire funds. Because the bankers knew her, they were able to hel p her b efore she mist akenly cleaned out her account.

“It helps that we know our customers,” Lindau said.

“Some of them have gotten calls telling them they will receive large checks if they wire money. If we have an older person who comes to the bank wanting to wire money, we ask a f ew questions. We don’t do it to be nosy, but just say, ‘Would you like me to look that over?’” Lindau said.

The bank has good booklets from the Federal Trade Commission about scams that are available to their clients.

“We hand them out to our elderly customers to help protect against senior fraud,” Lindau said.

Lakeview Bank has a branch office in The Fountains at Hosanna, a senior living facility in L akeville. Open two mornings a week, the branch bank helps clients in indep endent living, assisted living and memory care unit.

“It’s nice to be helpful that way,” Lindau said.

She believes the greatest gift senior citizens can give their children is to “have everything organized.”

“You should make them aware of where things are, or have a notebook with all the information in it,” she said.

sailor.mnsun.com

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