Money

Protect youself and your family from identity thiefs! Bring your boxes or bags of documents, bank statements, credit card junk mail, etc. and watch it shredded at our free shredding days in South Burlington and Rutland. Please, no more than three boxes or bags per person. Paper clips and staples don't need to be removed.

Witho ut a doubt, the Vermont Gas pipeline project has stirred up plenty of controversy. There’s environmental impact challenges, troubling property rights issues and even the fracking debate, but little has been said about who is paying the freight on this monumental undertaking. Current ratepayers! Over the next 35 years, ratepayers will have to pony up over $270 million in additional rates to pay for what is now at least a $153 million endeavor. All of this is justified by a claim that the overall public good is being served. That rationale is questionable at best.

Every day another older Vermonter is ripped off by a telephone, Internet or mail scam. Aggressive scam artists are targeting seniors across the country to the tune of billions! Find out how you can recognize a con, protect yourself and avoid becoming the next victim.

Join us in Rutland, Morrisville, Bellows Falls or Manchester

Scam Alert: Tax ID Theft & Fraud

“Today we learned of yet another significant cost overrun on the Vermont Gas Systems Phase 1 pipeline project to the tune of $33 million. This comes on top of a $35 million increase announced this summer. AARP Vermont is calling on Vermont’s Dept. of Public Service and the Public Service Board to give close scrutiny to today’s announcement since it is current ratepayers in Chittenden and Franklin Counties that will be footing the bill. The public deserves to know what the additional costs are, how they are being justified, and if the project is still viable given that the projected cost has now gone from $86 million to $154 million in just a matter of months. The Department should also ask the utility to provide reliable and well documented projections on what the final costs will actually be, in order to make an informed recommendation to the Public Service Board on reopening the certificate of public good process. Current ratepayers – especially seniors – should not be expected to absorb ever rising costs for a multi-million project that will provide them no real benefit. Consumers need to be protected and if this overrun goes through it is a glaring example of how broken our regulatory system has become.”

Black Friday has kicked off the official holiday shopping season, so here’s a rundown of the most common scams aimed at shoppers — and how you can avoid them:

Today, AARP released a new survey that says more than half of working Americans over age 50 (55%) don’t think they’ll have enough money for health care as they reach the age they expect to retire. While Medicare only covers about half of health costs, four in ten (38%) say they haven’t saved anything at all for such expenses even though multiple studies show that these costs often reach more than $200,000 for a retired couple. AARP also found that among 50+ workers, most (57%) say they plan to work past the age of 65.

Con artists are working overtime to steal your personal information but you can learn how to protect yourself. Watch AARP Live Thursday, August 21st at 10 p.m. ET. We’ll hear from long-time AARP employee Sally Hurme whose husband Art was the victim of the Imposter Scam – also known as the Grandparent Scam. We’ll also talk about the Jury Scam, the AARP Medical Device Scam and showcase how state offices around the country are helping AARP members protect themselves from fraud.

Are you working for an employer that doesn’t offer a 401(k)-type retirement savings plan? This can be a real worry for millions of working Americans, who fear they can’t effectively save for retirement without a 401(k).