Page 9 - Abacoa Community News - April '20

Abacoa, Page 9
Commissioner’s Update

The Census Truly Counts of all ages, in-laws, relatives, extended family members, enumerators away from their communities, and I would
friends, roommates and room renters. encourage you to promote 100 percent response to the
By Commissioner Again, the 2020 Census will influence community census through your own HOAs and neighborhood
Hal Valeche funding and congressional representation for the next organizations.
April 1 is Census Day. decade. As our county continues to grow in population, it When it is necessary to send enumerators into a
This process rolls around is essential that we receive federal allocations to deliver community, the Census Bureau will attempt to get people
once every decade to obtain programs and infrastructure that affect our quality of life. who actually live in or near the community to perform
a count of population and Each person counted equates to approximately $1,600 this task. When census workers arrive, the bureau will
housing units throughout per year in federal funding. Currently, the population of try to alert the community and local law enforcement that
the country, including Palm Beach County is roughly 1.5 million people. This census employees are onsite. Census workers will carry
the District of Columbia, equates to $2.4 billion a year or $24 billion over ten proper identification and an electronic device or cell
Puerto Rico and the island years for education, health care, housing transportation, phone with them. Keep in mind, they have a legal right
areas. The results of this infrastructure and others programs and services funded by and obligation to enter the communities and collect the
count determine the number the federal government. New census data will affect the information from nonresponding residents.
of congressional seats assigned to each state and how redistricting of county and municipal commission districts The Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 of the U.S.
more than $675 billion in federal funds annually is and may result in a gain of additional congressional seats, Code to keep your information confidential, and they
allocated to state and local governments. enhancing our level of representation in Washington, D.C. cannot release any identifiable information about you,
With Florida as the third largest state in the United Some North County communities have asked me about your home, or your business, even to law enforcement
States, and Palm Beach County as the third largest what the census’ protocol is for having census workers agencies. The law ensures that your private data is
county in Florida, it is imperative that we account for enter gated communities to follow up on addresses that protected and that your answers cannot be used against
every person in a household in our county and state. have not responded to the census. Three reminders will you by any government agency or court. The answers you
Very simply, it helps us get back our fair share of federal be mailed to every address following the initial mailing provide are used only to produce statistics.
dollars. of the census invitation. For those addresses that do not Please share this information with your family,
You should very shortly be receiving an invitation respond, the census will send out enumerators (door friends, neighbors and coworkers. We must ensure that
to complete the census survey, if you have not already. knockers) to these residences to elicit the information each person in every household in Palm Beach County
You will have the option of completing the census by through the Non Response Follow Up (NRFU) operation. is counted. To learn more about the 2020 Census, visit
mail, online or over the telephone. Please complete If residents respond promptly to the census, it will keep our website at http://discover.pbcgov.org/census.
the census as soon as you can, reporting the number of the door knocking operation to a minimum. As always, if I can be of assistance, please contact me
people expected to be residing in your household as of The NRFU/door knocking will commence in May. at (561) 355-2201, or by email at hvaleche@pbcgov.org.
April 1. Everyone living at the address counts – grand Many communities are taking the initiative to conduct
and great-grandparents, parents and guardians, children their own “Stop the Knock” campaigns to keep census

When you retire, your life changes in many ways – and so Town Of Jupiter
do your finances. One of the biggest changes is that instead
of contributing to tax-deferred retirement savings plans that
reduce your taxes, you’ll start tapping those savings for News
income and paying taxes at your regular rate (unless you’re
tapping a Roth account) – not the preferential capital-gains
rate reserved for stocks and bonds held in taxable accounts. By Ilan Kaufer, Town Of
Jupiter Councilman
Reconsider your retirement account contributions, and Happy April,
I hope you are enjoying
increase them, if possible. a wonderful spring. I also
2141 Alt A1A South Suite 310 hope you, your family
Jupiter, Florida 33477 401(k) contributions reduce your AGI (that’s adjusted and friends celebrate a
gross income, or the amount of income on which you pay
The Retirement Planning Specialists Crafting Financial taxes). Increases toward your annual contribution limit, peaceful and meaningful
Solutions with Insight and Integrity since 1980 which will increase from $19,000 to $19,500 in 2020, Easter, Passover, or
reduce taxable income. If you’re self-employed or have Ramadan. It is my hope
self-employed income in addition to regular W-2 income, that at the printing of
consider opening a solo 401(k) to further reduce your AGI this letter our community
and protect your financial future. is continuing to work to minimize the impacts of the
Coronavirus and are helping our friends and neighbors that
Planning for a lifetime of secure financial fulfillment is a may be impacted by this health event. Please find below a
very personal endeavor. We at Asset Advisory Services few recent updates on issues I am working on.
remain aware of this as we assist you in crafting a unique Indoor Community Space
approach, tailored to fit your individual financial goals The Town Council continues to discuss the possibility
and best suited to what is most important to you. We are of constructing a new indoor community space. Recent
celebrating our fourth decade of providing the highest level developments include the notion that the most cost
of care to our clients. effective means of constructing such a facility would be
to place it on space available on the existing Town hall/
You may have a general goal in mind when it comes community center site. Since the Town already owns this
land, there would be no land acquisition costs, making
It is Tax Season! to retirement, but you need a specific plan for effective it less expensive. As the conversation continues, I will
savings. Reassess your retirement planning goals annually
You should be looking at your taxes as and prioritize spending needs based on what will make continue to advocate that there is a need for additional
space not only for athletic-based activities, but for common
you happy and comfortable. Create a budget for early,
part of Retirement Planning. middle and late retirement, taking into consideration purpose facilities such as rooms for meetings and activities
different expenses for each stage. Don’t fool yourself that for all age groups. The facility should be aimed to serve
Did you know that the average cost of life in retirement will be less expensive than now. Did all age groups and also be able to serve as an emergency
healthcare for a couple in retirement you know that the average cost of health care for a couple facility during storm events.
Anti-DUI Campaign
is close to $300,000? Don’t you think in retirement is close to $300,000? Don’t you think that I am proud that all of the efforts by our police department
health care and Long-term care is something to plan for?
that health care and long-term care is We are here to help! and Town staff have resulted in an approximately 10
something to plan for? percent reduction in DUI-related arrests from 2018 to
2019. Our officers and staff have focused on this issue and
We are here to help! through increased enforcement, education efforts, and the
partnership with Uber I proposed, the numbers have gone
Taxes don’t stop when your paycheck does. In fact, We look forward to hearing from you at: down. This is saving lives in our community. You may have
tapping your retirement nest egg comes with all sorts seen the most recent promotion of the Uber promo on St.
of new rules and opportunities. Saving money for your (561) 747-9550 Patrick’s Day and I hope this success continues. Make a
golden years is crucial. Without a solid nest egg, you’ll risk To schedule your Complimentary Financial Review smart decision and don’t put yourself or others in harm’s
struggling to pay the bills once your career ends.
Asset Advisory Services, Inc., way.
Most seniors need about 70% to 80% of their former Three Palms Center Green Local Government

The Council discussed a potential upgrade to the
income to live comfortably in retirement, and Social 2141 Alt. A1A South, Suite 310, Jupiter, FL 33477 Town’s Green Local Government certification from silver
Security may not be enough if you’re an average earner. As To learn more about what we can do for you, please visit us at: to gold. I am highly supportive of this initiative and I am
such, you’ll need to save independently during your golden www.AssetAdvisoryServices.com glad that the Council unanimously advised staff to move
years, and the good news is that you have a number of tax- forward to reach this goal.
advantaged retirement plans that we can help you with in Securities and Advisory Services Offered through Commonwealth Financial Network ® As always please contact me with any comments
order to guide you through accumulating wealth. If you are Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Fixed Insurance products and or questions at ilank@jupiter.fl.us and follow me on
still working there are many options for retirement savings services offered through CES Insurance Agency Facebook at www.facebook.com/Councilorkaufer or on
either at your workplace, on your own or possibly both. twitter @Councilorkaufer.
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