Our clients – following our annuity strategies – have not lost money due to market volatility. That’s because fixed index annuities are insurance products, so they are protected from losing principal as a result of market downturns. It may sound simple, even a bit dull. But in this economy, that’s a good thing.

Annuities are contracts between you and an insurance company. You pay premiums in a lump sum or periodically and the issuer promises to pay you some amount in the future. With a Fixed Index Annuity, the interest earnings are tied to the performance of an equity index. The insurance company may also provide a minimum guaranteed interest rate. With a Fixed Index Annuity, interest earnings may increase if market performs well – but if the market performs poorly, you do not lose value. Note, however, that any return with the Fixed Index Annuity, as with all annuities, is only as good as the insurance company that offers it. Both guaranteed principal and earnings are entirely dependent on the insurer’s ability to meet its financial obligations.

Our financial practice focuses on the use of fixed and fixed-index annuities due to their safety from stock and mutual fund market downturns. Ask yourself the question – “Are you looking for some relief from all the drama associated with market volatility?” Since March 2011, there has been considerable drama – too much drama – from retirees or working persons nearing retirement due to the terrific losses taken with those market downturns. You don’t need that drama! You don’t need that additional worry.

We believe that an individual or couple, either retired or soon to be retired should not be at risk with valued retirement money. We believe annuity products offer guarantees that take away that risk. We encourage our clients to look into annuity portfolios to take advantage of those guarantees, while allowing the potential for growth.

This type of annuity or annuities combined with an immediate annuity is the portfolio we often create to manage and protect assets safely. Further – when this arrangement is set up as a “split annuity” lifetime income without risk of depletion of principal is established.

I believe annuities have advantages, but remember there are also disadvantages to annuities. Additional questions you should ask if considering a Fixed Index annuity include:

· What is the minimum guaranteed interest rate?
· What is the participation rate?
· What is the indexing method? How does it work?
· Is there an interest cap?
· Is there an asset fee or spread or margin? Is it in addition to or instead of a participation rate?
· What are the holding period or surrender charges?
· What are the penalties for partial withdrawals?

We encourage you to look into annuity portfolios to safely manage and safely protect your valued retirement money.
We welcome the opportunity to determine the appropriateness of the annuity or an annuity portfolio for your situation. Call on us anytime.

Richard J. Schillig, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF is an Independent Insurance and Financial Advisor with RJU and Associates, Inc. He can be reached at (563) 332-2200.

Planning for retirement is like planning to climb Mt. Everest. We plan or condition ourselves well in advance – years in advance – for the goal of reaching the retirement summit – just as climbers have conditioned and physically trained for years to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. The goal for the climber is to reach the Mt. Everest summit. The goal of the working person is ultimately to reach the retirement summit as well. Over the earning years, we save, contribute and condition our retirement plans; 401K, IRA, Roth, 403b, 457 or other pension and saving plans in order to achieve the goal of the retirement summit.

Many have achieved the goal of reaching the peak of Mt. Everest. Statistics will show however that many climbers striving to reach the peak did not survive – they died on the mountain. A google search of Mt. Everest reveals a large number of climbers – close to 200 did not survive.

But of significance is that the deaths that tragically occurred did not result from efforts to reach the goal – the summit. More deaths have occurred during the decent – coming down the mountain – rather than during the climb. That poses an interesting analogy with our retirement summit. Death occurred for climbers because some conditioned athletes that succeeded in reaching the peak actually failed to prepare or train for the decent. They died in coming down the mountain rather than climbing the mountain.

You may have reached your retirement summit – succeeded in getting to retirement. A huge word of caution – planning must continue during retirement. Retirement planning or conditioning cannot stop once we reach the retirement summit. Just as training to reach the peak of Mt. Everest must include training for the decent, retirement planning must continue after we reach our retirement summit.

How many losses have your retirement assets taken in 2008? Or during that entire first decade of this century? Sure, there has been some recovery since that awful year. But most retirement plans have a long way to go to fully recover from that huge decline. In addition, we all know another decline may occur anytime.

Our annuity portfolios offer safety from stock and mutual fund market declines. Our annuity portfolios provide security in achieving the retirement summit and continue to provide security during retirement. None of our clients utilizing our fixed annuity strategies have lost money. I encourage you to obtain information on our annuity portfolios to continue conditioning, training and retirement planning. Call us for details on those strategies.

Spring is almost here.

Richard J. Schillig, CLU,ChFC, LUTCF is an Independent Insurance and Financial Advisor with RJU and Associates, Inc. He can be reached at (563) 332-2200.

Annuities – without question will help us reduce the amount of federal and state income tax as well as the amount of social security tax. I
encourage you to take control of the taxation risk.

It’s tax season again! Time to prepare all those papers, forms and receipts for the tax person. How many of us enjoy this annual
challenge of getting all that tax stuff ready? And the real question – how many enjoy paying taxes? Silly question huh?

Now don’t get me wrong. We live in the greatest country in the world. Paying taxes is part of our duty as responsible citizens. Tax dollars are
needed by our government to provide for our welfare, defense and common good. However as a taxpayer, the amount of tax we pay is always an issue. A good income tax adviser – knowledgeable with tax laws is a huge benefit. I am not a tax advisor. I don’t prepare taxes nor do I give tax advice. Professionally I am an insurance agent and financial professional. Like you, I am also a taxpayer. I am aware of some tax provisions, and I pass these on to our clients and to our listeners on Saturday morning’s Safe Money WOC radio show. Listen to our talk radio show on 1420AM dial each Saturday at 10:30.

As you may know, as an insurance agent and financial professional, I advocate annuities and other insurance products for clients to protect our valued retirement money against the many risks we face in life and risks that are further enhanced in retirement. One of these risks is the taxation risk. Too many people tell me they are paying more in taxes during their retirement than they have ever paid before. Isn’t that sad? In retirement we cannot afford to have any reduction in income. Tax reduces income.

Annuities – both qualified and non-qualified – offer the opportunity to really save on the amount of tax we pay. Let’s look at some of these areas. Grab your last completed tax form 1040. If you have already completed 2009 income tax return the 1040 should be handy. If not pull out 2008 tax return– look at these lines on your form:

Line 8a,
Lines 9a & 9bLine 15a & 15b
Line 16a & 16b
Line 20a & 20B
Line 32
Line 40a
Line 58

These are the important ones folks. The dollar amounts on all these lines contribute to the big one – and that’s line 43 – the taxable income line. The smaller the number that goes on this line the less income tax we end up paying. The higher the number on line 43, the more tax we will pay. That’s where annuities – qualified and non-qualified – may help keep this line to a minimum.

Annuities – without question will help us reduce the amount of federal and state income tax as well as the amount of social security tax. I
encourage you to take control of the taxation risk.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, approximately 15,500 Iowans could be eligible for Extra Help, which significantly reduces the costs of Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. “Part D is starting its fifth year and we still have Iowans who qualify for the Extra Help and haven’t applied,” says Kris Gross from the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP). “We encourage all Iowans to talk with friends and family on Medicare to see if they are aware of and may qualify for Extra Help.” she adds.

Extra Help gives eligible seniors and adults with disabilities assistance to buy the prescription drugs they need to remain healthy. Some people with Medicare automatically qualify for Extra Help while others will need to be at or below certain income and resource levels. An individual whose annual income is under $16,245 and who has less than $12,510 in resources may qualify. A married couple that lives together may qualify if their income is below $21,855 and they have less than $25,010 in resources.

Resources include bank accounts, stocks and bonds, but do not include your home, cars or other exempt assets. Effective this year, cash values on life insurance policies and financial support from family and friends will no longer count as income and resources in determining eligibility. These changes make it possible for even more Iowans to qualify for Extra Help.

Even if your annual income is higher than these guidelines, you still may be able to receive Extra Help. That’s why it’s so important to fill out an application. There is no enrollment deadline and no late-enrollment penalty when applying for Extra Help. Once you qualify, you can choose a Part D plan. If you do not select a plan, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will randomly select a plan for you.

People on Medicare who believe they may qualify, as well as those who have applied in the past and were turned down, should apply or re-apply. You can apply in person at your local Social Security Administration (SSA) office, online at www.socialsecurity.gov or call SSA at 800-772-1213. Iowans can call the state of Iowa’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) at 1-800-351-4664 (TTY 800-735-2942) for more information and assistance. SHIIP counselors across the state are ready to help individuals complete the application for Part D Extra Help. SHIIP is a free, confidential and objective service of the state of Iowa. It does not sell, endorse or promote any insurance products.

Question and Answer:
Q. My mother is having trouble paying for her prescription drugs. She has a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, but still struggles with costs. Is there any other help for her?
A. Medicare Part D includes an important benefit which offers “Extra Help” with drug costs. Medicare estimates that 15,500 Iowans could be eligible for this help but haven’t applied. We need all Iowans to talk with friends and family on Medicare to see if they are aware of and may qualify for Extra Help

Q. How do you qualify for the Extra Help?
A. Some people with Medicare automatically qualify for Extra Help while others will need to be at or below certain income and resource levels. An individual whose annual income is under $16,245 and who has less than $12,510 in resources may qualify. A married couple that lives together may qualify if their income is below $21,855 and they have less than $25,010 in resources.

Resources include bank accounts, stocks and bonds, but do not include your home, cars or other exempt assets. Effective this year, cash values on life insurance policies and financial support from family and friends will no longer count as income and resources in determining eligibility. These changes make it possible for even more Iowans to qualify for Extra Help.

Q. What if my mother’s income is slightly higher than these levels?
A. Even if your annual income is higher than these guidelines, you still may be able to receive Extra Help. That’s why it’s so important to fill out an application. People on Medicare who believe they may qualify, as well as those who have applied in the past and were turned down, should apply or re-apply. There is no enrollment deadline and no late-enrollment penalty when applying for Extra Help. Once you qualify, you can choose a Part D plan. If you do not select a plan, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will randomly select a plan for you.

Q. How does a person apply for the Extra Help?
A. You can apply in person at your local Social Security Administration (SSA) office, online at www.socialsecurity.gov or call SSA at 800-772-1213. Iowans can call the state of Iowa’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) at 1-800-351-4664 (TTY 800-735-2942) for more information and assistance. SHIIP counselors across the state are ready to help individuals complete the application for Part D Extra Help. SHIIP is a free, confidential and objective service of the state of Iowa. It does not sell, endorse or promote any insurance products.

Communication is what connects us to each other as human beings. Unfortunately, those who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease experience barriers to communication that can exert stress on their relationships. Communication is defined as the exchange of information, the sharing of ideas, the expression of emotions and the sending and receiving of messages. It can be verbal, non-verbal or a combination of the two. Communication is a way of relating to each other, a representation of who we are as human beings and a reflection of feelings and thoughts through words, attitudes, facial expressions, tone of voice and body language.

Communication works best when both parties have a clear understanding as to the meaning of words, gestures, expressions, etc.

The process of Alzheimer’s disease creates obstacles and challenges in regard to how people express themselves and how they understand what is being communicated to them.

A person with Alzheimer’s disease may have several or all of the following difficulties; difficulty finding the correct words, creating new words for words that are forgotten, repeating or overusing a word or phrase, trouble organizing words into logical sentences, cursing or using other offensive language or diminished speech. These changes in speech patterns usually develop gradually. If your loved one experiences a drastic or sudden change, it is more likely caused by another medical condition and their physician should be contacted immediately.

An essential component of communication is being an excellent, active and sensitive listener. Your loved one may need assistance expressing their thoughts. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, some keys to listening success include:

• Show patience. Your loved one can sense when you’re impatient and this only increases their own frustration.
• Provide reassurance. If they are having trouble communicating, tell them that it’s okay and encourage them to keep trying to put their thoughts into words.
• Focus on the positive. Criticizing or correcting is nonproductive and could be harmful. Instead, focus on what your loved one has said and try to find meaning in their message. Or, listen with your heart.
• Agree instead of argue. If you don’t agree with, or are offended by a statement made by your loved one, just let it go.
• Offer alternatives. If they are struggling to find the right words, it is okay to offer a guess as long as they appear to want help.
• Concentrate on feelings. The words expressed may be incorrect or hard to understand, but it is easier to uncover the feelings behind it by observing their tone of voice, facial expression, gestures and body language.
• Reduce distractions. It is easier to communicate in a quiet calm place away from noise and chaos.

The Alzheimer’s Association also offers advice regarding your communication style.

• Set yourself up for success. Approaching your loved one from the front so that you do not startle them.
• Be aware of your tone of voice and body language. Speaking clearly in a relaxed tone will surely put them at ease. Friendly gestures will foster positive interactions.
• Keep it simple. Difficult words or long complicated sentences will overwhelm your loved one.
• Wait for a response. It may take longer for your loved one to respond, so be patient and give them time.
• Be clear. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Avoid sayings that can be interpreted literally, such as “chew the fat” or “break a leg”. These can be very confusing.
• Focus on a key word or idea. Emphasize the most important word either verbally or nonverbally by using a gesture or by pointing.
• Account for hearing or vision problems. Make sure your loved one is wearing a working hearing aid and clean glasses if they are prescribed.

The most important thing to remember is to always treat your loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease with dignity and respect, regardless of how difficult communication becomes. If your loved one appears not to be interested in communicating, please don’t assume that relating is no longer necessary or possible. It could be that the disease has simply impeded their ability to show that desire to communicate. This is why it is crucial to always strive for meaningful communication with your loved one.

The Fountains Senior Living Community in Bettendorf offers the most in Dementia Memory Care. Please call Becky at (563) 332-5775 to learn more about the availability in Dementia Memory Care at The Fountains and to schedule your personal tour.

Becky Lee Hinton is Director of Marketing at The Fountains Senior Living Community.

I encourage you to use the Golden Rule of Investing in 2010

Resolve – if you have not applied the Golden Rule of Investing to your retirement assets – then do it! What’s the Golden Rule of Investing?? It is simply a ‘rule of thumb’ but in my opinion, it’s a good rule – it is a guideline to determine allocation of money – especially valued retirement money from the risk of loss in stock and mutual fund markets. AND it is in stock and mutual fund markets where MOST of retirement money is – that’s where 401K money is – that’s where IRA money is – it’s in stock and mutual fund markets. It is subject to risk of loss with market downturns. We all know the losses of 2008. Now with some recovery in 2009, I encourage you to use the Golden Rule of Investing in 2010 – apply the Golden Rule to your investment accounts.

What is the Golden Rule? – simply subtract your age from the number 100 – the result is the MAXIMUM percentage of your retirement money that should be in the stock and mutual fund markets. At age 50 from 100 is 50%. That’s the maximum percentage of retirement money that should be exposed to risk. At age 60 from 100 = 40% is maximum – At age 70 from 100 = 30% is the maximum – at age 80 from 100 = 20%.

Have you applied the Golden Rule of investing to your retirement money? Make this your resolution for 2010. Put pencil to paper and determine how close you come to this Golden Rule guideline. Folks – take control of your retirement money by taking this action. If you were within these guidelines prior to 2008, you enjoyed the comfort of safety during that very negative year. If you were within these guidelines for 2009 – then a portion of your assets gained with the nice growth we had in 2009.

Where are we headed for 2010 – who knows? What can we do about market volatility? We can take action to gain control of our money by first applying this resolution for 2010 – apply the Golden Rule to your valued retirement money. That’s resolution number 1.

Resolution number 2 – if you are not yet retired – check with your 401K or other retirement plan to determine if you have the right to an In-Service distribution. (Sometimes called a non-hardship withdraw). Do you remember what an In Service distribution is?? An In-Service Distribution is a strategy that allows you greater flexibility in applying the Golden Rule of Investing…IF YOUR PLAN ALLOWS the In-Service Distribution. The distribution – if provided by your plan – will allow you to rollover or transfer a portion of your 401K or other employer provided plan to an individual IRA while you are still employed. The benefit of this action is to provide additional diversity and greater control of retirement assets. You continue to participate in the retirement plan. If the employer matches a portion of your 401K contributions, that match will continue. But after completing the In-Service Distribution, you now have 2 retirement accounts – the 401K and an individual IRA. Remember the old saying of not having all your eggs in one basket? In-Service Distributions or Non-Hardship withdraws – if allowed by your plan – helps to accomplish diversity and control.

There are many companies in the Quad City area that allow In-Service Distributions. We have a listing of many of these companies. We encourage persons not yet retired but moving toward retirement – Baby Boomers – that’s you – to look into the In-Service Distribution as one of the retirement planning options available to you. The resolution for 2010 is to simply take action to determine IF the In-Service Distribution option is available for you. How do you determine if In-Service Distributions are available? Simply call the 800 number on your retirement statement or call us to check that list.

Wish you the best for 2010.

Sure Medicare choices are confusing, but, folks, we have the CHOICE of medicare plans. That’s why we encourage all our readers to join our Medicare 101 educational class to have a clear understanding of the annual choices we now enjoy with Medicare.

Recently I came across a magazine, ‘Good Old Days.’ A website review by Cheryl Bazzoui describes this publication as a refreshingly sweet nostalgic magazine that provides many hours of reminiscing to its readers whom I assume are mostly on pension. But it also provides a wealth of first-person stories to readers of all ages who have a curiosity about what it was really like back in the good old days. This becomes especially nostalgic during the Christmas holidays with family get-togethers, office and business parties, and renewal of old acquaintances.

At this time of year, I think of all the changes our parents & grandparents witnessed during their lifetimes – world wars, industrialization, automobiles, refrigerators, color TV, fast food restaurants, chain stores, computers, internet, cell phones. WOW – what changes! We often hear them (or us) refer to those good old days. In our own lives we look back to our childhood or younger adult life and say the same thing…..remember when or that was before…..

Today with all the rapid changes we continue to experience in our daily lives, I wonder if we are in the glory of our own ‘Good Old Days.’ Change today is evidenced by two major issues going on right now – government spending and health care reform debates.

I can’t understand the term ‘trillion.’ Remember when we simply talked about ‘million’ ? – then it became ‘billion’ – now we are talking about ‘trillion.’ Government spending today is calculated well beyond billions of dollars. The most recent health-care reform package debated in Congress is estimated to cost $1.2 trillion. That must be a healthy chunk of money.

We still have 2 issues or options available to us as consumers in the early part of this 21st century. One is the annual enrollment period for medicare prescription drugs or medicare advantage plans. Are these annual enrollment periods part of our ‘Good Old Days’? Days when we have the CHOICE for medicare plans? Are these days of having the privilege of CHOICE being numbered with health-care reform? Sure Medicare choices are confusing, but, folks, we have the CHOICE of medicare plans. That’s why we encourage all our readers to join our Medicare 101 educational class to have a clear understanding of the annual choices we now enjoy with Medicare. Check our ad on this page for dates and times.

The second issue is also complex – the issue of government spending. Remember, folks, in order to spend we need to have money. Where does our government receive money? You know the answer to that one. Government receives money from us through taxes. It’s logical to assume that the more money spent, the more tax money that is needed. Now – is it also logical to assume that we will have tax increases? The next question is when will tax increase come and how much increase will there be? Is today’s tax rate part of the ‘Good Old Days’? Regardless of our thoughts on the severity of today’s taxes, will these days be the best tax rate we will ever have? Will we look back on 2009 and talk about these lower taxes in our Good Old Days.

I don’t know the answer to those questions – nobody does. But what we do know is we have opportunities today to prepare ourselves for an unprecedented tax increase by maximizing on today’s Roth IRAs and especially Roth Conversions. Please call on us for details. Enjoy these, our ‘Good Old Days.’

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and the very best as we look
to 2010.

Richard J. Schillig

What a rollercoaster ride on the Stock and Mutual Fund markets. Let’s take action and take control of this volatility. Is that possible, you ask? Can we protect our valuable retirement money that is in retirement plans such as IRAs, 401ks, 403bs, and 457 plans from the volatility of the stock and mutual fund markets? Remember all of these plans may be funded with either individual stock, mutual funds, fixed dollar assets such as savings accounts and certificates of deposit and others including real estate. BUT – in my opinion – too many retired people or pre-retired people do not take control by not taking action. Instead too many sit and wait for something good to happen.

Let’s talk about some options that may allow you to exercise control AND make something good happen. First – if you are a baby boomer – not yet retired – make sure you check into your retirement plan to see if you have an opportunity for an In-Service distribution. Wow – that’s a biggie! There are many companies here in Quad Cities that offer that provision – an In-Service distribution. What does that mean? An In-Service distribution allows you to rollover a portion of your current retirement money that may now be in a 401K, simple IRA, or other retirement plan previously mentioned – 457, 403b, etc. while you are still employed. IF the plan allows you to take this In-Service distribution, you have a huge advantage in getting control of the roller coaster. In-Service distributions allow you to take a portion of retirement money out of the plan – and rollover to an IRA plan. When you do this – you accomplish not having all your eggs in one basket. That’s an important one. Don’t put all you eggs in one basket…remember always hearing that statement? This strategy is a simple one but in my opinion not taken advantage of. Take control of the market by taking action. What is that action today? Find out if your retirement plan allows for In Service Distributions. Call the 800 number of your quarterly retirement statement – you probably just received a quarterly statement for the 3rd quarter of 2009, ending Sept 30. Take control by taking this action.

There are many – I repeat many – retirement plans that offer In-Service distributions. BUT not all do – to find out if your plan offers this very attractive option, call the 800 number on your statement, check the plan’s website. Call your HR department. If you are uncertain – call us at RJS and Associates, Inc. call us during the week at 563.332.2200 or check out our website www.rjsinconline.com – send us an email. We are here to serve. We are here to help you develop strategies to manage and protect assets. Taking this step – find out if your plan offers an In-Service distribution or rollover. Diversify your retirement money – don’t keep all your eggs in one basket.

Now – the question remains – once we know the retirement plan offers In-Service distributions and we implement the rollover to our own individual retirement account IRA – what do we do with that individual IRA? Remember the risk we are attempting to protect – the risk is with stocks and mutual-fund declines.

Funding the new rollover IRA with fixed or fixed index annuity plans frees up this portion of the retirement plan from market declines. That’s another biggie!! You are now more diversified by taking this step, and you can be much more safe with these assets by taking advantage of fixed and/or index annuities. What a benefit!!! Folks – that is taking control by taking action. The action is first determining if your retirement plan offers In-Service distributions. Then the action is determining if this action is right for you.

Once we have the In-Service Distribution completed, we continue with our original retirement plan, PLUS we now have an additional retirement plan, an IRA. We have the flexibility of converting that Traditional IRA into a Roth IRA.

Roth IRA’s, like traditional IRA’s. remain income tax deferred. Roth IRA’s may be invested or funded with a variety of financial products. Our emphasis to keep the IRA safe from market volatility – is to fund this retirement money with a fixed or fixed-index annuity. By taking that action, the IRA is protected from stock and mutual fund loses.

Will you take that step next week? Take control by taking action. Determine the appropriateness of using these two strategies…. In-Service distributions and Roth Conversions. Also check out our ad to obtain the no cost booklet, “What every IRA owner should know.”

By Mary Schricker, SRES
Realtor – Ruhl&Ruhl Real Estate

Whether you have an elderly person living with you or visiting frequently, it is important to consider the potential dangers that might be a risk for injury. The risk of falls increase as we age and is one of the main causes of deteriorating health in seniors. Once an elderly person falls and breaks a bone it seems like recovery is slow, and an onset of complications often occur. Throw rugs are a common culprit. Certainly they add to the décor and serve a purpose in keeping floors clean, however they are also a serious hazard to a person who is having difficulty with ambulation or mobility. The best solution is to eliminate throw rugs, but if you feel you must use them make sure they are secured with a special backing to hold them in place.

Spills present an equal challenge. Wet or slippery floors can quickly cause a person to fall. Keep paper towels handy in case of spills. Staircases without railings are also a hazard for both younger and older persons who may be unsteady on their feet or be experiencing problems with balance. Whether it is a few steps or a steep staircase, a sturdy safety railing is a must. Child barriers or gates can be helpful. If your family member is experiencing some memory issues deadbolts are recommended on all outside doors.

Bathrooms are one of the rooms that pose the most hazards and require careful review for safety risks. Grab bars securely mounted next to the toilet or shower and bathtub are essential. Showers and tubs should have skid proof mats and a hand-held shower head is recommended. Also make sure the hot water temperature is set at a safe level so no one can burn themselves.

Removing extra clutter around the house will also aid in preventing falls. Keep newspapers and other items like boots, pet dishes, and plants out of the main traffic patterns. All extra cords from phones, or computers should be kept secure against the walls and out of the way.

As we age, it is more difficult to see without brighter lighting. Make sure areas are well lit and bulbs are bright enough to give adequate light.

A few simple steps can go a long way in making your home a safer more pleasant place for all family members.