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May  2017 Edition

In This Newsletter...
Living Trust Seminar
For the public and also for our existing clients who want to bring family or friends!


Tuesday, 
May 2
Torrance Marriott Hotel
9:30 - 11:30 am
3635 Fashion Way


Wednesday, 
May 10
Torrance Marriott Hotel
9:30 - 11:30 am
990 W. 190th Street, Suite 500


Saturday, 
May 20
Torrance Marriott Hotel
9:00 - 11:30 am
3635 Fashion Way


Tuesday, 
May 23
Torrance Marriott Hotel
6:30 - 8:30 pm
3635 Fashion Way




Long-Term Nursing Care Planning 
(Medi-Cal) Seminar



Tuesday, 
May 16
Torrance Main Office
9:30 - 11:00 am
990 W. 190th St, #500



Office Locations
For your convenience, we have multiple office locations throughout Southern California.

Main Office:

990 W. 190th St. 
Suite 500
Torrance, CA 90502


Other Local Offices:

790 E. Colorado Blvd.
9th Floor
Pasadena, CA 91101

5850 Canoga Ave.
4th Floor
Woodland Hills, CA 91367

333 City Drive West
17th Floor
Orange, CA 92868

5000 Birch St.
Suite 8000
Newport Beach, CA 92660




Contact Us
You may contact us to make an appointment for your initial consultation, to schedule a review of your current estate plan, or to make a referral.

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1-800-756-5596




OUR WEBSITE
Learn more about 
important estate planning issues by visiting our website.



Also, visit our blog to  keep up on the latest  developments in  estate planning.
 


"What's in Your Wallet?"
One in a series of consumer fraud alerts
By
Attorney, Philip Kavesh

Having finally reached the exalted age of 65, I recently applied for and received my Medicare card!


 
I noted the card says, on the back, that it should be carried when I'm away from home. So naturally, I went to place it in my wallet.
 
And then I got a big surprise!

I realized that, prominently displayed on the front of the card, was my Social Security Number!
 
It made sense. That's the same number the Social Security Administration assigns to my Medicare account for the many years I've paid in my withholding taxes.

But placing that Medicare card in my wallet - - along with my driver's license, credit cards, and bank ATM card - - would mean that any unscrupulous person who may grab or come into possession of my wallet would instantly have "won the lottery!" With all the information provided on those items, an identity thief could not only steal money from my accounts and withdraw cash against my credit cards, but could also obtain loans and even redirect my Social Security payments or file fraudulent Medicare claims!

I began to wonder, how could the Medicare authorities foolishly allow my Social Security Number to be given away like that on my card. After all, with baby boomers like me now entering their retirement years, over 10,000 Americans are enrolling in Medicare every day!

So I did a little research

The federal government has, in fact, taken enormous steps to protect the public from identity theft. It has previously outlawed the appearance of your Social Security Number on health insurance cards, driver's licenses and VA benefits cards, and has made it more difficult to access doctor and hospital medical records that may contain your Social Security Number.

I also found out that Congress has been trying to fix this Medicare card problem for well over 10 years and finally did something about it with "The Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015", signed into law by President Obama. The Department of Health and Human Services was directed to no longer issue Medicare cards that display, code or imbed your Social Security Number.

But here's the Catch...

Due to the massive amount of work involved for Medicare to assign everyone a new, random number, correct its database and print and send out new cards, they were given until 2019 to issue modernized cards to new Medicare recipients - - and until 2023 to issue new cards to existing Medicare recipients!

So until new cards are issued, how do you protect yourself?

According to the AARP and the Privacy Rights Clearing House, here's what you should do:
  1. Make a color photocopy of your Medicare card and cut it down to wallet size
  2. Remove (cut out or blackout) the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number. (Note: other fraud experts say you should remove all except the last 4 digits, because they already appear on many bank and credit card statements, and if you display the first digits on your Medicare card then the identity thief has your entire number. Maybe you should just remove the whole number from your Medicare card!)
  3. Place the "fixed" Medicare card in your wallet and keep the original in a safe place where you can access it if needed. (Sometimes the original will be requested if you have a first time visit to a new health care provider; but if you're rushed to a hospital in an emergency, health care can't be refused merely because you don't have your original card, though it may be required upon checkout).
What else is in your wallet?

I've seen many people keep in their wallets some other items that fraud artists would love to get a hold of. Don't keep your Social Security card in your wallet! And, if you're not going to use them right away, don't keep blank checks or bank deposit slips in your wallet either! Worst yet, don't keep in your wallet a "cheat sheet" containing your bank and credit card passwords or PINs, or passwords for online banking or other sensitive web portals!

Forget what that old American Express commercial used to say. When it comes to your Medicare card (and these other items), "do leave home without it"!
Recipe of the Month

Old Fashioned Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

12 servings, total cooking time: 1 hour

Flickr - kimberlykv

Ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup - packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 (20 Ounce) can slice pineapple
  • 10 maraschino cherries, halved
  • 1 cup sifted cake flour
Directions  
  1. Preheat oven to 320 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  2. In a 10-inch heavy skillet with a heat-resistant handle (Cooking in a cast iron skillet recommended), melt 1/2 cup butter over very low heat. Remove from heat, and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over pan. Arrange pineapple slices to cover bottom of skillet. Distribute cherries around pineapple; set aside.
  3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Separate the eggs into two bowls. In a large bowl, beat egg whites just until soft peaks form. Add granulated sugar gradually, beating well after each addition. Beat until medium-stiff peaks form. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until very thick and yellow. With a wire whisk or rubber scraper, using an over-and-under motion, gently fold egg yolks and flour mixture into whites until blended. Fold in 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine and almond extract. Spread batter evenly over pineapple in skillet.
  5. Bake until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake with table knife. Cool the cake for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving plate.
     
A recipe from Allrecipes.com  

Thank You

Here is a very special THANK YOU to all of our clients who have referred family and friends, or forwarded our newsletter to them! If you are part of a group or club and you would be interested in having us speak to the members on important estate planning topics of interest, please contact us at info@kaveshlaw.com .

Quote of the Month


But behind all your stories is always your mother's story, because hers is where yours begins
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Mitch Albom -- For One More Day

© 2017 The Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis, Inc.