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

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.

Echoes From Gold Mountain

Sunday May 3rd - 2:00 p.m.

A game of hide-and-seek uncovers an unexpected treasure chest of “riches” for two kids visiting their grandparents’ old store in Northern California. In Echoes Of Gold Mountain, the children discover a secret room containing letters dating back to the 1850s. Readers are transported back in time to get a glimpse of the lives of the early Chinese pioneers who came to “Gold Mountain” in search of opportunity during the Gold Rush. The story was inspired by a school project created by author Debbie Yamada’s daughter when she was studying California history in the fourth grade. After doing some research, Ms. Yamada discovered that at the peak of the California Gold Rush one out of every five miners was, in fact, Chinese, numbering close to 50,000 Chinese miners. Set against this historical backdrop, the author sets out to create characters and imaginary letters that embody the hopes, dreams and struggles of the Chinese sojourners of long ago. Echoes of Gold Mountain adds another dimension to the events of the California Gold Rush by shedding light on the people who were often overlooked in American history. Ms. Yamada’s presentation will cover the inspiration for the book, the writing process, development of illustrations, a reading of selected passages and a question and answer period.

Debbie L. Yamada is a second generation Chinese American born and raised in Southern California. She has a B.A. in art history from the University of California, Irvine and a M.A. in Asian art history from the University of Hawaii. She has shared her research about the Chinese miners during the California Gold Rush and her writing experiences with numerous historical societies, authors’ festivals, teacher and library conferences, museums and schools throughout California. She is a retired art teacher for elementary school students.

Debbie Yamada has written a historical novel that can be enjoyed by readers eight to eighty. Bring the whole family to this free event. Light refreshments will be served.

Patton & Nazi Gold

Monday April 20th 7:00 p.m.

Chasing Gold: The Incredible Story of How the Nazis Stole Europe’s Bullion describes the greatest robbery in world history. During World War II, the German Nazi government robbed more than 600 tons of European gold. That bullion was vitally important for financing the German army’s wars of conquest that started with the invasion of Austria in 1938. At that time, the gold was worth $600 million, but at today’s price for bullion it would be worth $22 billion. Nazi gold reserves were running out in 1940, when the Germans got their biggest haul during the invasion of Western Europe, seizing 205 tons from Belgium and 137 tons of Dutch gold. This financed the invasion of the Soviet Union a year later. In February 1945 with the war clearly coming to an end, Berlin officials sent two trainloads of gold and precious art works to a salt mine in Merkers, a village in central Germany. Two months later, U.S. troops stumbled upon that treasure.

George M. Taber is the author of Judgment of Paris, the 2006 wine book of the year for Britain's Decanter magazine. His second book, To Cork or Not to Cork, won the Jane Grigson Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals and was a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for best book on wine and spirits and the Andre Simon Award for best wine book. Before turning to writing books, Taber was National Economic Correspondent and Business Editor for Time magazine and then started the weekly newspaper NJBIZ, which covered business news in New Jersey.

Learn how General George Patton’s Third Army rescued the stolen gold when author George Taber comes to Crowell Public Library Monday, April 20th at 7:00 p.m. This event is free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served.

Meet the Author: Thomas Perry

Thursday April 16th 7:00 p.m.

The Friends of Crowell Public Library’s Meet the Authors series continues with New York Times bestselling author Thomas Perry and his latest in the Jane Whitefield series, A String of Beads. In this breakneck thriller, Jane undertakes a dangerous mission for her Seneca people. A year after getting shot on a job that took a dangerous turn, Jane Whitefield has settled into the quiet life of a suburban housewife in Amherst, New York—or so she thinks. One morning, as she comes back from a long run, Jane is met by an unusual sight: the female leaders of the eight Seneca clans are parked in her driveway in two black cars. The clan mothers tell Jane that Jimmy, a childhood friend from the reservation, is wanted by the police for the murder of a local white man. But instead of turning himself in, Jimmy has fled, and no one knows where he might be hiding. Readers will revel in this suspenseful novel about how abandoning the past can sometimes be the hardest thing to do, even when your life, and the lives of those you love, depends on it.

Thomas Perry is the bestselling author of over twenty novels, including the Edgar Award-winning The Butcher’s Boy, Poison Flower, and The Boyfriend. His first Jane Whitefield novel, Vanishing Act, was named one of the 100 favorite mysteries of the twentieth century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. He lives in Southern California.

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!

Take the Survey: Win a Prize!?

Library programs are a wonderful way to bring communities together to share a common interest or learn about a new one. And patron preferences are a great concern at Crowell Public Library. Since 2008 the Library has been offering programs for adults and has urged patrons to give feedback and suggestions. The Library is now offering a chance to win a Starbucks gift card for those locals who fill out the survey on the Library’s website: http://crowellpubliclibrary.org.

In the past seven years, Crowell has offered programs on history, health, science, mathematics, music, finance as well as a wide range of author events. Some Library events have been hugely popular while others have fallen flat, even though they seemed like a good idea at the time. Crowell Library hopes to avoid the latter and engage more patrons to relish the library experience. As always, the Library strives to advance the intellectual, cultural, and creative vitality of the citizens of San Marino by providing access to programs that support the community’s interests and diversity.

Crowell Library is always looking for new ideas and qualified presenters. Let the Library know what subjects peak your interest. Knitting? Book clubs? Gardening? If you are age 13 or over, please take a few minutes to complete the survey on the library website. A Starbucks gift card may be in your future!
Did you know Crowell was the first Library in the world to offer Dakim Brain Fitness?