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Got financial skills? Love working with numbers? You can help Utahns maximize their money this tax season by becoming a Tax-Aide volunteer!

With Election Day just weeks away on November 4, AARP Utah has published nonpartisan voters' guides on where candidates stand on critical issues such as caregiving, Social Security, Medicare, and financial security. These guides are available for anyone to view at www.aarp.org/yourvote.

AARP UTAH SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR FREE TAX ASSISTANCE AND DRIVER SAFETY

AARP Driver Safety Celebrates Independence with Online Course Promotion

Salt Lake City is a relatively safe place to walk, ranking 33rd out of 51 major metro areas in a report issued by the National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America. But more can be done to improve pedestrian safety in the city and in Utah.

Did you know AARP Utah offers a Smart Driver class at its state office? These classes can qualify you for a discount on your auto insurance or auto assistance plans (for those who are 55+) of up to five percent! This is the program formerly known as Driver Safety, but on Jan. 1, 2014, AARP Driver Safety launched the new and improved AARP Smart Driver™ Course, the nation’s largest driving refresher course. Although the course is geared to drivers age 50 and older, the course is open to people of all ages. AARP membership is not required to take the course and there are no tests to pass.

I was very interested in a recent KUTV story of a Salt Lake woman whose entire savings had been stolen by her son and daughter-in-law. She is now struggling to make ends meet and it is unlikely she’ll get her money back. (Get Gephardt, February 6, 2014). Utah’s Adult Protection Services is quoted as saying that approximately $1 million per day is swindled from seniors IN UTAH. Hard to believe! Even harder is the fact that 57% of that or $570,000 per day is swindled by family members. Unfortunately, there are many ways seniors are swindled. Everything from meth addicts stealing seniors’ mail, to con artists posing as grandchildren calling for loans, to caregivers stealing jewelry. According to the FBI’s website at www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/seniors you will find a list of frauds that specifically target seniors including: health insurance fraud, counterfeit prescription drugs, funeral and cemetery fraud, fraudulent anti-aging products, telemarketing fraud, investment schemes, and reverse mortgage scams. FBI reports that seniors make good targets because we are most likely to have a nest egg, to own a home and to have excellent credit. They also state that people who grew up in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s were often taught to be polite and trusting, and therefore, are less likely to report a fraud because they don’t know where to report it or may be ashamed or embarrassed. In addition, family fraud is often discounted, and it is unclear whether it should be prosecuted as a criminal or civil crime. So, are we supposed to be suspicious of all our family members as well as strangers? No, but we need to have our “scam radar” out and a healthy vigilance when it comes to our money. To learn of recent scams in Utah or to report suspected fraud, go to www.commerce.utah.gov where you’ll find a host of resources.

Here in Utah, with our wide open spaces, cars are a necessity. But they have changed dramatically over the last several years. So have traffic rules, driving conditions, and the roads around the state with our constant construction.

By Julie E. Lee, Vice President & National Director, AARP Driver Safety, Education and Outreach

What is the Health Insurance Marketplace? It was created by the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and is set up as a new way to find It can help if you don’t have coverage now or if you have it but want to look at other options.