Melva Gifford

These notes are from a Fidelity presentation offered by my employer. Good for future reference as I and my friends near retirement. Any misinformation is the fault of the note taker.

– Will Social Security still be around? the trust fund will cover up to 2034
– Starting Social Security benefits too early reduces the amount you get.
– Get 8% per yr. bonus if you wait an extra year to retire and additional years up to age 70.
– SS balanced determined by how much you earned during your work history. Max 2861 for high earners.
– How and where to go for user-specific info.
– ssa.gov
– Set up personal acct at my social security. It will link. It will protect your identity and get info.
– Use the menu that is specific data relevant to you.
– Research, policy header> talks about a trust fund.
– Retirement estimator can give you info if you want to retire on a specific date.
– When you’re ready to fill out the paperwork there is a section on the website that you can fill out your paperwork online.
– How to get the most from SS. to maintain your lifestyle.
– You may want to access other finance sources than SS first
– If you retire at age 62 you will have a 25% permanent reduction of your retirement funds.
– if you wait to retire at age 70 your monthly allotment will get increased
– Once you reach age of full retirement (FRA), you can still work and get SS
– If you retire early, but still work if you earn over 1470 a mo. or 17,640 a year you will get some SS removed. For over $2 you earn you get $1 SS benefit cut.
– Taxation on benefits.
– An individual earing 25-24 K pays 15% tax. Greater than $34 K up to 85% tax
– Worksheet on IRS website named publication 915

How benefits are calculated:
– PIA: Primary insurance amount. They use full retirement age. if born in 1956 your full retirement is 66 and 4 mo. (about April 2022)
– You need to have 40 credits accumulated through your working career to get SS benefits. 4 credits per year.
– Earnings influence by the 35 highest-earning years. You can see you’re earning history on your SS letter
– Call fidelity 888-766-6813 no charge online resources. budget resource at net benefits off fidelity website

Claiming Strategies overview:
– Will be seen as a category> an individual, a spouse, an ex-spouse, a surviving spouse. You are only in one category at a time. It will be the highest category that fits you.
– Filing options for a single person. How will you create income for regiments to maximize your personal income? Work a little longer, maybe a part-time job.
– SSA.gov to sign up
– Go through the fidelity checklist.

These are notes from a church talk. Any misinformation is the fault of the note taker.

– D&C 93:24:
– Where can we find the truth: scriptures, prophets, and prayer.
– We need to be careful of where to find the truth. Some are false sources some are legit.
– Some people may be experts in one area but they are not experts in other areas.
– We should be cautious of info offered by stars and sports figures.
– 2 Nephi 26:29 people put themselves up to get gain.
– When we seek truth in spiritual matters, seek the scriptures, prophets and pray and ask for his guidance.
– Some will lose their spiritual faith through secular education.
– A lot of truths can be found in the proclamation of the family
– 3rd Nephi of the Book of Mormon, Christ blessed the children.
– I give unto men weakness< come unto God to have weakness become strong. - When you educate a woman you educate a generation: Brigham young. - Families are eternal, they go beyond the grave. - Marriage is ordained by God. - The counsel of Joseph Smith to the early Relief society encourage your husband to become the best man you can be. Do you have something to add? If so, please provided input in the comment section of this blog.

Here is a YouTube video. Ravi Zacharias speaks on the centrality of the Word of God as the guide for personal conduct, true freedom, and building a nation under God. The title of his message: Lessons from History: Building A Nation Under God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7oFuTPdPMI

Good: League
Bad: Leage

I keep forgetting the U in leagUe. Maybe if I think leagUe as a Unit of players or athletic teams it will help. I’ll try that until I come up with something better.

If you can think of a better idea, please feel free to in the comment section of this blog.

These are notes from a toastmasters’ meeting

Have you ever felt there should be a manual of daily living? Practical things? The right way? The proper way to replace toilet paper. What shapes our attitudes about the right way?
The way we are raised.
She is a Tide and Downy girl because grandma said they were the best. Only drives foreign cars because her grandfather said they are the best.
How do we decide the right way? What do we do when we discover our right way isn’t right at all. When used to strive towards the ideal of perfection. What do we believe and what do we want out of life?
Three simple practices.
1) Gain new knowledge and combine it with the old. How do you decide what works for you? Room to experiment.
2) Try different practices. Maintain an open mind to new ideas. Use philosophy until you don’t need it. Your beliefs will evolve. Practice new ideas with no judgment. “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind, always.” –Ian McClaren. We will bumble about our journey. We can draw line in the sand as much as we want to. We pay a self-imposed penance for wrongdoing, but instead, cut ourselves some slack. Acknowledge negative thoughts and move on.
3) Have a sense of humor and laugh at yourself. Kinder to self and avoid self-judgment. Give up the idea of perfection and will gain the confidence to laugh at self. Even when mistakes seem unforgivable. Can venture into the unknown.
Be willing to open mind to new possibilities. Relinquish self-judgment. Exercise humor and will find the right way.

Notes from a church talk. Any inaccuracies are the fault of the note taker.

– Christ showed this in the way he lived and to his disciples feed my lambs.
– There are three parables teaching of the value of God’s children.
– The lost sheep,
– the lost coin,
– the protocol son. All of these are listed in Luke as a group.
– A child used a precious coin to buy candy. How many of us undervalue God’s children.
– No calling is needed to help others.
– So many ways people can become lost. Someone may be focused on temporal things.
– All of us are lost in some way. We all fall short on short on perfection.
– There are many ways to get lost and many talents and ways to bring people back.
– God has placed each of us with the ability or location to help others.
– Sister Sorenson asks, who needs me today?
– Elder gay: along with prayer look at people around with by eyes of our Heavenly Father
– Quote: can’t you see everyone around you is a sacred being.
– A man gave a blessing to his sister who had a hard life, who was not active in the church. Her husband abandoned her and she raised 4 kids. In giving her a blessing of departure the spirt gave a severe rebuke by the spirt and saw how wonderful his sister was through God’s eyes.
– Elder Urdorf: never the less he sees you as a person who will do valuable work.
– Matt 25:40 the king shall answer in as much as you’ve done it unto one of the least of these my brothers you do it unto me.

Have something to add? Please do so in the comment section of this blog.

Got this email and I know that I’m already voting For Peterson and will consider the other two.

The Case for Change
to
Lambson, Peterson, and Rands

The Orem City Council works very hard to maintain and improve our city, and they accomplish many great things. But as you think back over the past four years, you might find that they also have been lacking.

Have you noticed that they increased taxes, let our first responders and many city workers fall into poor morale, rolled over a bond while linking a new library hall to the rec center renewal, and converted residential neighborhoods into apartment complexes? They developed a new State Street Master Plan with extensive propaganda about the benefits of “mixed use” zones to provide more apartment housing, following recommendations from the state and the Utah League of Cities and Towns, but neglecting to address the impact it will have on traffic or how it will fit in with the changing commercial economy? Have you heard them plan how to fix the increased traffic, renew city management structure, reconstruct the budget, or voice any concerns about UVU growth problems?

A good argument for turnover on City Council is to avoid entrenched interests. There may not be any evidence of misbehavior by City Councilors, but one can’t help but be concerned about the possible lobbying power of big developers who swing whopping big deals like Utopia, the University Place Mall, and the Palos Verdes housing complex. Another is to avoid habituation, tolerance, desensitization, self-satisfaction, and burnout, all of which lead to losing touch with what the citizens want. When this happens, City Council loses track of who they represent.

Even if they give the appearance of economic development for Orem, are they really aiming the City in the direction the citizens want? Might we prefer a future where our neighborhoods are lovely, quiet, pleasant, and residential, rather than the future that makes big money for developers?

And how do we assure that commercial relationships formed by developers with City Council don’t become entrenched and endemic?

By getting new eyes on the issues, new representatives on City Council.

Did you notice that the two incumbents, Lentz and Lauret, teamed up to campaign together this past weekend? They mailed a joint flyer to the Orem residents displaying their mutual support. This is the kind of collusion that concerns us. Lentz and Lauret have almost nothing in common except for a mutual desire to get reelected. Frankly, it brings back nightmares of when the three incumbent councilors and the incumbent mayor campaigned together two years ago, as if the incumbents were all of the same party. Indeed, they are: the party of the citizen-detached developer-entrenched.

We need City Council members that are positive, pro-active with solutions, and engaging with the residents in the community.

Do you want some fresh, neighborhood-friendly ideas, and some gritty city counselors willing to push for wise policies to deal with growth pressures?

Are there any qualified replacements for the incumbents?

YES!!

Consider voting for these three:

1. Jeff Lambson
– an active citizen in the community who listens to the residents.

2. Terry Peterson
– a dynamic life-long resident of Orem who is ready to tackle hard issues.

3. Spencer Rands
– an experienced businessman who digs deep into the issues to come up with solutions.

These three share the same concerns about protecting neighborhoods from high density developers, foolish ventures, mishandling growth pressures, and Orem’s ever-growing traffic issues. They will approach these challenges wisely. They are approachable and will listen to your concerns. Why not vote for folks who will represent Orem citizens?

Experience, family values, listening ears.
Make your vote count.
Vote for change.

Good: proximity
Bad: promitty

Here is one way to remember that proXimity uses an X. X marks the spot. It shows the proXmity of an object so remember the X of proXmity.

Do you have a better recommendation, if so, please share in the comment section of this blog.