Page 3 - The Shores of Jupiter - April '20

The Shores, Page 3
Commissioner’s Update

The Census Truly Counts Again, the 2020 Census will influence community funding own HOAs and neighborhood organizations.
and congressional representation for the next decade. As When it is necessary to send enumerators into a
By Commissioner our county continues to grow in population, it is essential community, the Census Bureau will attempt to get people
Hal Valeche that we receive federal allocations to deliver programs and who actually live in or near the community to perform this
April 1 is Census Day. infrastructure that affect our quality of life. Each person task. When census workers arrive, the bureau will try to
This process rolls around counted equates to approximately $1,600 per year in federal alert the community and local law enforcement that census
once every decade to obtain funding. Currently, the population of Palm Beach County is employees are onsite. Census workers will carry proper
a count of population and roughly 1.5 million people. This equates to $2.4 billion a identification and an electronic device or cell phone with
housing units throughout year or $24 billion over ten years for education, health care, them. Keep in mind, they have a legal right and obligation
the country, including the housing transportation, infrastructure and others programs to enter the communities and collect the information from
District of Columbia, Puerto and services funded by the federal government. New census nonresponding residents.
Rico and the island areas. data will affect the redistricting of county and municipal The Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 of the U.S. Code
The results of this count commission districts and may result in a gain of additional to keep your information confidential, and they cannot release
determine the number of congressional seats, enhancing our level of representation in any identifiable information about you, your home, or your
congressional seats assigned to each state and how more Washington, D.C. business, even to law enforcement agencies. The law ensures
than $675 billion in federal funds annually is allocated to Some North County communities have asked me about that your private data is protected and that your answers
state and local governments. what the census’ protocol is for having census workers enter cannot be used against you by any government agency or
With Florida as the third largest state in the United gated communities to follow up on addresses that have not court. The answers you provide are used only to produce
States, and Palm Beach County as the third largest county responded to the census. Three reminders will be mailed statistics.
in Florida, it is imperative that we account for every person to every address following the initial mailing of the census Please share this information with your family, friends,
in a household in our county and state. Very simply, it helps invitation. For those addresses that do not respond, the neighbors and coworkers. We must ensure that each person
us get back our fair share of federal dollars. census will send out enumerators (door knockers) to these in every household in Palm Beach County is counted. To
You should very shortly be receiving an invitation to residences to elicit the information through the Non Response learn more about the 2020 Census, visit our website at http://
complete the census survey, if you have not already. You will Follow Up (NRFU) operation. If residents respond promptly discover.pbcgov.org/census.
have the option of completing the census by mail, online or to the census, it will keep the door knocking operation to a As always, if I can be of assistance, please contact me at
over the telephone. Please complete the census as soon as you minimum. (561) 355-2201, or by email at hvaleche@pbcgov.org.
can, reporting the number of people expected to be residing The NRFU/door knocking will commence in May. Many
in your household as of April 1. Everyone living at the communities are taking the initiative to conduct their own
address counts – grand and great-grandparents, parents and “Stop the Knock” campaigns to keep census enumerators Town Of Jupiter
guardians, children of all ages, in-laws, relatives, extended away from their communities, and I would encourage you
family members, friends, roommates and room renters. to promote 100 percent response to the census through your
News
When you retire, your life changes in many ways – and so
do your finances. One of the biggest changes is that instead
of contributing to tax-deferred retirement savings plans that By Ilan Kaufer, Town Of
reduce your taxes, you’ll start tapping those savings for Jupiter Councilman
income and paying taxes at your regular rate (unless you’re Happy April,
tapping a Roth account) – not the preferential capital-gains I hope you are enjoying
rate reserved for stocks and bonds held in taxable accounts. a wonderful spring. I also
hope you, your family
Reconsider your retirement account contributions, and and friends celebrate a
increase them, if possible. peaceful and meaningful
2141 Alt A1A South Suite 310 Easter, Passover, or
Ramadan. It is my hope
Jupiter, Florida 33477 401(k) contributions reduce your AGI (that’s adjusted
gross income, or the amount of income on which you pay that at the printing of
The Retirement Planning Specialists Crafting Financial taxes). Increases toward your annual contribution limit, this letter our community
Solutions with Insight and Integrity since 1980 which will increase from $19,000 to $19,500 in 2020, is continuing to work to minimize the impacts of the
reduce taxable income. If you’re self-employed or have Coronavirus and are helping our friends and neighbors that
self-employed income in addition to regular W-2 income, may be impacted by this health event. Please find below a
consider opening a solo 401(k) to further reduce your AGI few recent updates on issues I am working on.
and protect your financial future. Indoor Community Space
The Town Council continues to discuss the possibility
Planning for a lifetime of secure financial fulfillment is a of constructing a new indoor community space. Recent
very personal endeavor. We at Asset Advisory Services developments include the notion that the most cost
remain aware of this as we assist you in crafting a unique effective means of constructing such a facility would be
approach, tailored to fit your individual financial goals to place it on space available on the existing Town hall/
and best suited to what is most important to you. We are community center site. Since the Town already owns this
celebrating our fourth decade of providing the highest level land, there would be no land acquisition costs, making
of care to our clients. it less expensive. As the conversation continues, I will
continue to advocate that there is a need for additional
You may have a general goal in mind when it comes space not only for athletic-based activities, but for common
It is Tax Season! to retirement, but you need a specific plan for effective for all age groups. The facility should be aimed to serve
purpose facilities such as rooms for meetings and activities
savings. Reassess your retirement planning goals annually
You should be looking at your taxes as and prioritize spending needs based on what will make all age groups and also be able to serve as an emergency
facility during storm events.
you happy and comfortable. Create a budget for early,
part of Retirement Planning. middle and late retirement, taking into consideration Anti-DUI Campaign
different expenses for each stage. Don’t fool yourself that I am proud that all of the efforts by our police department
Did you know that the average cost of life in retirement will be less expensive than now. Did and Town staff have resulted in an approximately 10
healthcare for a couple in retirement you know that the average cost of health care for a couple percent reduction in DUI-related arrests from 2018 to
2019. Our officers and staff have focused on this issue and
is close to $300,000? Don’t you think in retirement is close to $300,000? Don’t you think that through increased enforcement, education efforts, and the
health care and Long-term care is something to plan for?
that health care and long-term care is We are here to help! partnership with Uber I proposed, the numbers have gone
something to plan for? down. This is saving lives in our community. You may have
seen the most recent promotion of the Uber promo on St.
We are here to help! Patrick’s Day and I hope this success continues. Make a
smart decision and don’t put yourself or others in harm’s
Taxes don’t stop when your paycheck does. In fact, We look forward to hearing from you at: way.
tapping your retirement nest egg comes with all sorts Green Local Government
of new rules and opportunities. Saving money for your (561) 747-9550 The Council discussed a potential upgrade to the Town’s
golden years is crucial. Without a solid nest egg, you’ll risk To schedule your Complimentary Financial Review Green Local Government certification from silver to gold.
struggling to pay the bills once your career ends.
Asset Advisory Services, Inc., I am highly supportive of this initiative and I am glad that
Most seniors need about 70% to 80% of their former Three Palms Center the Council unanimously advised staff to move forward
to reach this goal.
income to live comfortably in retirement, and Social 2141 Alt. A1A South, Suite 310, Jupiter, FL 33477 As always please contact me with any comments
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: or questions at ilank@jupiter.fl.us and follow me on
such, you’ll need to save independently during your golden www.AssetAdvisoryServices.com Facebook at www.facebook.com/Councilorkaufer or on
years, and the good news is that you have a number of tax- twitter @Councilorkaufer.
advantaged retirement plans that we can help you with in Securities and Advisory Services Offered through Commonwealth Financial Network ®
order to guide you through accumulating wealth. If you are Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Fixed Insurance products and
still working there are many options for retirement savings services offered through CES Insurance Agency
either at your workplace, on your own or possibly both.