Parsons Community Matters Newsletter September 2016

Commun ty Matters Parsons Presbyterian Manor

COMING UP IN COMMUNITY MATTERS:

Everyone has a story to tell

We will focus on memory care and national memory screening day in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. What do you do to stay sharp? What tricks or tips do you have for remembering things? How has being in memory care helped a loved one?

Because this also will be our November issue, we also will be sharing stories about our many veterans. If you served in the military, we want to hear your story.

If you’ve got a story to share, contact Sharla Hopper, marketing director, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.

September 2016

Parsons artists among Art is Ageless® masterpiece level winners

Three winning artists in Parsons Presbyterian Manor’s annual Art is Ageless® juried competition will be featured in the 2017 Art is Ageless Calendar produced by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America.

“3 Pink Ladies,” a drawing by Janice Miller, “Cactus Wren,” a photo by Gary D. Brennecke, and “Fun Bunny,” a mixed media piece by Joan Allen will appear in the calendar when it is released this fall.

In addition, “A Cottage by the Sea,” a painting by Janice Miller, will be featured on a greeting card.

“Cactus Wren,” a photograph by Gary D. Brennecke, will appear in the 2017 calendar.

Art is Ageless® continued on page 2

Art is Ageless® continued from page 1

“A Cottage by the Sea,” a painting by Janice Miller, will be featured on a greeting card.

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Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Parsons Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of

501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.

Maegen Pegues, executive director Sharla Hopper, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact shopper@pmma.org.

Telephone: 620-421-1450 Fax: 620-421-1897 Address: 3501 Dirr Ave., Parsons, KS 67357-2220 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

ParsonsPresbyterianManor.org

2 COMMUNITY MATTERS SEPTEMBER 2016

God’s will for my life

“Fun Bunny,” a mixed media piece by Joan Allen, will be in the calendar.

“3 Pink Ladies” by Janice Miller will appear in the 2017 calendar.

Wayne Mason, Chaplain, Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

I’ve never approached that scripture verse from the old side and looking back. I have the advantage now of being able to look back several decades at my teen years. As a teenager, I pleaded with God to reveal His will for my life. I was looking for His direction in pointing me to a job and a career.

Now, I am approaching my retirement years and looking back at what I’ve accomplished. As I look at two different careers, I realize God wasn’t nearly as interested in what I did, as He was interested in who I was. God’s will for me was that I would develop and use a Godly character, that I would become more like Him. God wants to be on display within my life and wants my decisions to be the decisions He would make.

For 25 years, I worked as a pastor of churches. The last 11 years, I have worked as a chaplain for Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice. Those first 25 years, God was getting me ready for the hospice work. In the hospice work, God was getting me ready to care for my wife in her declining health. God’s will for my life was to live as a conduit of His love, compassion and caring. God has always wanted me to live as a Godly man. The job didn’t matter as much as the person I was becoming.

So, the question remains – have I followed God’s will for my life? Am I a Godly man?Yes, I am a Godly man, but I also have a lot of room to grow in that Godliness. How about you, is God’s character being seen in you?

Prayer:“Lord, mayYou be the person other people see when they look at me. I want Your character to be seen in all my decisions and actions. Amen.”

Senior bank accounts: Should you get one?

It isn’t hard to figure out why some banks and credit unions offer special checking accounts for customers they call “seniors.” Once they establish banking relationships this way, they can try to entice the new accountholders with savings accounts, loans and retirement accounts.

But is a “senior” checking account (generally restricted to people over 60 or 65, though sometimes available to people 50 and up) a good deal for you?

That depends.

If you’re currently paying steep fees for your checking account, it may be worth your while to shop around and see whether you can forge a better, less expensive banking relationship elsewhere, says Kari Middleton, a financial adviser in Palm Desert, Calif.

“Senior accounts are aimed at older customers as an easy way to avoid bank fees,” she says.

Here are four things to do to size up a senior checking account offer and determine whether it’s worth your while:

1. Evaluate the perks There are usually a number of benefits to senior checking, including free basic checks, cashier’s checks and money orders; a 50 percent discount on a safe deposit box rental and interest on the checking account. By contrast, some standard checking accounts earn interest, but they generally require higher account balances or you must pay monthly fees.

For example, in order to take advantage of U.S. Bank’s standard

interest-earning Premium Checking, you must either pay a monthly fee of up to $13 or keep an average account balance of $5,000 or more. However, the bank waives the $5,000 requirement for customers over 65 who sign up for senior Premium Checking.

Some banks charge monthly fees regardless of age unless minimum deposit requirements are met, but lower the fees for seniors. For example, BB&T has a standard checking account with a $12 monthly fee; its Senior Checking, for people 62 or older, costs $10 a month.

Older Massachusetts residents have a nice perk: state-chartered banks there must offer free checking to customers age 65 and over.

In addition to discounted maintenance fees, some senior accounts also offer travel-related deals that you might find useful, such as waived fees for out of network ATMs and free transactions at non-U.S. bank ATMs. So be sure to ask about all a senior account’s perks.

2. Compare standard accounts and senior accounts head-tohead That’s the advice of Susan Tiffany, director of personal finance information for adults at the Credit Union National Association. “Senior checking account needs aren’t significantly different from other consumers’,” she says.

A 2012 Pew research study analyzed senior checking accounts from the nation’s largest banks and credit unions and concluded that if you could maintain a balance of $1,500 or more, an age-

Thinkstock photo

focused account often had minimal benefit compared with standard offerings. However, Pew found, customers who use low-fee senior checking accounts with lower required minimum balances ($250 or less) could save around $50 to $100 a year in bank charges.

Since the study was published, many financial institutions have stopped offering low-fee accounts and discounts for people in their 50s and 60s, though. “There were a lot more senior banking accounts a few years ago,” Middleton says.

A more important consideration is likely to be how much money you can deposit and keep with the bank or credit union. If you maintain a sizable balance — say $25,000 or more— you may get discounts and extra services regardless of your age, Middleton says.

Senior bank account continued on page 4 PARSONS PRESBYTERIAN MANOR 3

Senior bank accounts continued from page 3

“High-net-worth individuals already get lower fees because they have sizeable deposits,” notes Middleton. “If they think fees are too high, they can get the bank to reduce them or take their big balances and go elsewhere.”

If the account pays interest but you won’t have a high enough balance to avoid monthly maintenance charges, the fee might eliminate any benefit from the interest you’d earn.

4. Focus on the banking relationship The perks that come with senior checking are important, but it’s the ongoing banking relationship that can really help you maximize your money, Enabnit says.

3. Read the fine print Before opening any new account, make sure you read the fee disclosures, says Jill Enabnit, vice president in consumer products at U.S. Bank. Find out what charges you could face with the account, So ask a bank representative what kind she says.

of deals you could get by having multiple accounts there, as opposed to just a senior checking account.

“You can get a lot of knowledge from bankers and they can help you get the most out of your accounts,” notes Enabit. “Let them suggest the best fit for your financial needs and help you reach your goals.”

Margarette Burnette is a veteran journalist who specializes in personal finance, parenting and real estate articles.

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