Saturday, April 11, 2015

Your Retirement Checklist


According to a survey of recent retirees conducted in 2005 by Fidelity Investment, over half (57%) of recent retirees look back on the years before leaving the workplace and they wish they had done more retirement planning before they retired.* We need to know what to do ahead of time, because age 65 comes upon us before we know it. The rules, regulations, deadlines and formulas associated with Medicare, Social Security, IRAs and 401(k)s can be confusing. Simply checking off the wrong box could irrevocably trigger taxes and penalties that could have been avoided. After working this hard to climb the mountain, one doesn’t want to stumble just when planting the flag. Attend this free seminar to learn about all the basics, and to see what’s required of that retirement plan.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,** the average duration of retirement has increased from 8.1 years in 1950 to 20 years in 2007, with the average retirement age being 65, but many people will live considerably longer than that. Will your money last as long as you do? This free program will help you better prepare for all those “golden years” in the future.
Presenter ALAN KONDO, a specialist in retirement and estate planning, is a Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Life Underwriter, and a business columnist for the Rafu Shimpo. He is an independent Registered Investment Advisor offering securities and investment advisory services through Charles Schwab.

Come to Crowell Public Library on Saturday, May 9th at 10:30 a.m. and learn what should be on that very important retirement checklist.
*http://seniorliving.about.com/od/manageyourmoney/a/retiresurvey.htm
** http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2001/10/art2full.pdf

Crowell: First Library in the World to Offer Dakim Brain Fitness

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1890 Huntington Drive, San Marino, CA 91108-2595 ● Phone: (626) 300-0777
www.CrowellPublicLibrary.org

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

Meet the Authors: Naomi Hirahura, Steph Cha & George Fong


Wednesday May 6th 7:00 p.m.

The Friends of Crowell Public Library’s Meet the Authors series celebrates Asian Pacific Heritage Month with authors Naomi Hirahura, Stephanie Cha and George Fong Wednesday, May 6th in the Library’s Barth Community Room. Naomi Hirahara is the Edgar Award-winning author of the Mas Arai mysteries and a new series featuring a young female bicycle cop, Officer Ellie Rush. Murder on Bamboo Lane was the first in that series and a finalist for the T. Jefferson Parker Award. Grave on Grand Avenue is the second in that series and was released this month. Naomi Hirahara was born in Pasadena, California and received her bachelor's degree in international relations from Stanford University. She also studied at the Inter-University Center for Advanced Japanese Language Studies in Tokyo.

Steph Cha’s writing has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The L.A. Review of Books, and Trop Magazine. A graduate of Stanford University, she studied English and East Asian Studies. She also graduated from Yale Law School and works as a temp attorney. She lives in her native city of Los Angeles, California with her husband Matt and her dog Duke. Beware Beware is her second novel.

George Fong spent twenty-seven years a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, investigating all facets of violent crimes, including kidnapping, extortion, serial killings, crimes against children, bank robbery, drug trafficking, fugitives, and Asian gangs. He was a member of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team and a certified undercover agent. He is now the Director of Security for ESPN. Fragmented is his first novel.

This event is free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served. With wonderful Friends like these, the authors keep coming at Crowell Public Library!

Senior Scam Stopper


Friday May 1st - 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Senator Carol Liu (D- La Canada, Flintridge) is partnering with the California State Contractor’s Licensing Board to host a Senior Scam Stopper workshop on Friday, May 1st from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Crowell Public Library in San Marino. Residents are invited to listen and engage directly with speakers from various government agencies on how to avoid scams relating to construction, medical care, and automotive repair. Crowell Public Library is located at 1890 Huntington Drive in San Marino.

“Many scams target seniors who are often vulnerable because they live alone, are more trusting, and don’t always have access to reliable information,” said Senator Liu. “That is why I am pleased to bring critical up-to-date fraud protection information directly to seniors at community locations.”

Interested residents are encouraged to contact Senator Carol Liu’s office at: 818-409-0400 for more information.

Sen. Carol Liu represents about 930,000 people in the 25th Senate District, which includes Burbank, Bradbury, Glendale, Pasadena, La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, Altadena, San Marino, Shadow Hills, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Sunland-Tujunga, Monrovia, Duarte, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont, Glendora, and Upland.