Minnesotans who have been defrauded now have a better chance of financial recovery, thanks to a new bipartisan law championed by AARP Minnesota. The Consumer Fraud Restitution Fund, the first of its kind in the nation, was signed into law in 2025 with strong bipartisan support. This innovative fund will help victims of fraud recover lost money—especially in cases where scammers are untraceable or bankrupt.
A new AARP survey, released in conjunction with Social Security’s 90th anniversary, confirms that Americans highly value Social Security, and even more so than five years ago. The vast majority of Americans – 95% of Republicans, 98% of Democrats, and 93% of Independents – consider Social Security vital to the financial security of all Americans, and 67% believe it is even more important for retirees than it was five years ago.
Six communities throughout Minnesota will receive 2025 Community Challenge grants to fund quick-action projects aimed at making communities more livable for people of all ages, with a focus on the needs of older adults.
The State Legislature bridged a historically narrow political divide to pass a two-year state budget during a special session. Despite facing challenges such as vacancies in both chambers, federal budget uncertainties, and a looming structural deficit, the Legislature successfully advanced several of AARP Minnesota’s key legislative priorities.
My name is Lynne McMullen and I recently began a new job developing SNAP outreach efforts to help Minnesota nonprofits combat hunger among senior citizens. When I began this assignment I had little understanding of the physical, mental and emotional impact hunger has on thousands of older Minnesotans.
This June, AARP is partnering with Bremer Bank to support food banks across Minnesota, North Dakota and Western Wisconsin. Each view of the the YouTube video below will generate a $1 donation from Bremer Bank up to a total of $10,000. Proceeds will go to support 2nd Harvest Heartland and the Great Plains Food Bank which support food shelves in the three states.
ST. PAUL -- AARP Minnesota today applauded the efforts of State Senator Bobby Champion and State Representative Rick Hansen for their work on authoring bipartisan legislation to help hundreds-of-thousands of Minnesotan citizens who are caring for their parents or loved ones. The legislation (SF 840 and HF 568) has now been approved by both legislative chambers, but certain differences in the two bills still must be addressed.
AARP Minnesota commended a bipartisan group of state legislators today after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation, HF 194, to crack down on wire transfer fraud. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, tens of thousands of Minnesotans have been scammed by making a wire transfer, resulting in millions of dollars of loss per year.
As I approached becoming an empty nester 18 years ago, I began working on an MBA in Nonprofit Management while managing a Creative Kidstuff toy store. While it’s a great company with a strong mission, I knew that retail sales was not the best match for me. I celebrated my graduation in 1999 by taking my two daughters on a trip to Italy. It was on that trip that I decided to quit my job immediately and spend the summer job searching in nonprofit organizations.
My name is Peggy Heistand -Harri and I am an AARP Member from Duluth. I am here to tell my family’s story about wire transfer fraud – a story that happens all too often across the state of Minnesota.