AARP Vermont

As part of its ongoing efforts to help consumers avoid falling victim to identity theft, AARP Vermont is holding “ Shred Fest 2016” – an event to provide free shredding of personal financial documents and other sensitive records.

Every 2 seconds someone's identity is stolen! Sadly, older Vermonters are being targeted in great numbers. AARP Vermont and the Fraud Watch Network are working across Vermont to give you information and tools to protect yourself and your family from these cons. Free informational forums are being offered to community groups, senior centers, libraries, residential facilities and other organizations upon request. If you are interested, contact Elliott Greenblott at 802-254-4489 or egreenblott@aarp.org.

“Everything is OK.” That seems to be the conclusion of the recent report and testimony by the Vermont Department of Public Service (DPS) in responding to a legislative order to study whether its advocacy unit is best representing ratepayers. Unfortunately, everything is not OK, and both their report and public comments, while defending the status quo, actually prove how they are failing at that mission. It shows that the DPS does not serve, in any fashion, as a ratepayer advocate. In fact, it sees its mission as being focused on promoting the “public good” rather than “ratepayer interests,” particularly residential and small commercial customer interests. When our public advocate backs the utility companies time after time, something is clearly wrong

Using small bits of information found in your car, or your mailbox, con artists can steal your identity and your life.

Don’t be a target... or a victim!

A recently-released report sponsored by AARP Vermont shows that the Vermont Department of Public Service (DPS), which purportedly represents ratepayer interests, has an inherent conflict of interest and needs immediate reform. The report, closely examines the actions taken by DPS over the past eight years before Vermont’s utility regulators. It finds that, time-after-time, the DPS entered into settlement agreements that were very generous to utilities, not to Vermont’s residential utility customers. The report also found that the Department entered into numerous settlement agreements with Vermont utilities that shifted a considerable amount of financial and regulatory risk away from these regulated electric and natural gas companies and onto ratepayers. The report was prepared by a consulting firm that has participated in over 500 regulatory proceedings in over 20 states for ratepayer advocates around the country.

At AARP, we are all about real possibilities and helping you discover “What’s Next” in life.

Tax season is underway. This year, AARP Foundation is again providing free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers across Vermont with low to moderate income through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program. AARP Tax-Aide, in its 49th year, is the nation’s largest free tax assistance and preparation service, giving special attention to the older population. You do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this service.

At the 50+ and Boomer Expo: Life Reimagined

AARP Vermont shares the following article from the Burlington Free Press regarding pipeline land deal details not disclosed by Vermont Gas Systems.