Page 9 - Jupiter Spotlight - October '21

Jupiter Spotlight, Page 9
Commissioner’s Update

Rail Connects Our Compared with other cities’ rail services around the U.S. that transportation system is essential to maintaining our economic
competitiveness, high quality of life, and protecting our
have experienced a slower recovery, Tri-Rail is a service, tourism
Communities and construction industry-based ridership that cannot telework. environment. This is the vision of the SFRTA.
With Tri-Rail connecting to all three major airports in the region, As always, please contact me if I can be of assistance
By County Commissioner the SFRTA anticipates that airport ridership will return to 100 to you by calling (561) 355-2201 or send an email to
Maria Marino percent by the end of 2021. mmarino@pbcgov.org.
Tri-Rail, the commuter rail The three counties connect rail riders with their respective
service linking Palm Beach, bus services, light rail and people movers to take riders to their
final destinations and back. For stations in Palm Beach County,
Broward, and Miami-Dade Palm Tran – the public transit bus system – provides shuttle Financial Focus
counties recently reached a
significant milestone – 100 service from Tri-Rail stations to destinations, along with taxis
million riders. and transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft. What Does Retirement
You may wonder how that South Florida is the fifth largest urbanized area in the U.S. with
affects you, particularly if more than five million residents, projected to grow by another Security Mean To You?
you are not currently a rider. three million people within the next 20 years. Planning for this
Consider this: for every person future growth, SFRTA is embarking on large-scale projects, By Sally Sima Stahl
who takes Tri-Rail, that is potentially one less vehicle on the including Coastal Link, which will reintroduce passenger service October is National
highway. Taking the train can save you wear and tear on your along an 85-mile stretch of the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway Retirement Security
vehicle, help reduce the carbon footprint, and afford you a corridor between downtown Miami and Jupiter, connecting the Month. But what does
window of time to perhaps read the news, catch up on work or rail networks. Transit-oriented developments (TOD) at stations retirement security mean
studies, and avoid the aggravation of crowded highway driving. along the eastern Coastal Link corridor are in the study phase. to you? And how can you
Tri-Rail commenced operations on Jan. 9, 1989. It covers a Development at locations where SFRTA owns land would work toward achieving it?
service area of 73.4 miles between the three counties, with 18 result in a revenue stream for the agency. One of the proposed He r e a r e so m e
stations. The hours of operation are 4 a.m. to 11:35 p.m. on 50 new stations for which I strongly advocated while serving as suggestions:
weekday trains and 5:17 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. on 30 weekend and mayor and councilmember for the City of Palm Beach Gardens, • Build your resources.
holiday trains. See the following link for schedules: https://www. would be located at the southwest corner of PGA Boulevard While you’re working,
tri-rail.com/pages/view/reduced-service-weekday-schedule. and Alternate A1A and would likely include a significant save in tax-advantaged
The service, operated by the South Florida Regional development of hotel, retail, office and residential uses with accounts such as your IRA and 401(k) or similar employer-
Transportation Authority (SFRTA) on which I serve as the convenient access to the train. The station could potentially sponsored retirement plan. In your 401(k), contribute at
Palm Beach County Commission’s representative, provides serve both Tri-Rail and Brightline, the private high-speed-rail least enough to earn your employer’s match, if one is
a comfortable, safe commute to connect you with business, train service currently constructing tracks to provide service offered, and increase your contributions whenever your
educational, retail and recreational venues in the Tri-County from Miami to Orlando and from Orlando to Tampa. salary goes up. Remember, especially early in your career,
region for a reasonable fare. Fares run from $1.25 to $17.50 There is also heightened interest in conducting a feasibility time is often your biggest asset. Be sure to save early, since
based on zones traveled and discount eligibility. Frequent riders study for a Tri-Rail station at the Veterans Administration Medical the longer you wait, the more you’ll need to save to help
may choose to preload an EASY card (similar to a SunPass card) Center in Riviera Beach. This would enhance transportation reach your goals.
with fares validated as passengers board and exit the train. Passes options for veterans to access services as well as present an • Look for ways to boost retirement income. When
and paper tickets are available at Tri-Rail stations and not sold opportunity for residents in the western communities to access transitioning to retirement, you can take steps to align
onboard the train. Information on calculating your fares in order the train. Additionally, Palm Tran is working with SFRTA on your income with your needs. For example, consider
to plan for your trips is located at https://www.tri-rail.com/pages/ plans to achieve fare collection interoperability between the Social Security. You can start collecting it as early as
view/fare-information-calculating-your-fare. transit systems in all three counties, to promote a seamless fare 62, but your monthly payments will be much larger if
Daily weekday ridership on Tri-Rail is approximately 15,000, system in the region. you can wait until your “full” retirement age, typically
and is currently operating at 92 percent of pre-COVID service. With road networks reaching capacity, a multimodal between 66 and 67. (Payments will “max out” at age
70.) So, if you have sufficient income from a pension
or your 401(k) and other retirement accounts, and you
Peripheral and your spouse are in good health with a family history
of longevity, you may consider delaying taking Social
Security. You also might want to explore other income-
Neuropathy? producing vehicles, such as certain annuities that are
designed to provide a lifetime income stream.
• Prepare for unexpected costs. During your
FREE Consultation retirement, you can anticipate some costs, such as housing
and transportation, but other expenses are more irregular
for Acupuncture and can’t always be predicted, such as those connected
with health care. Even with Medicare, you could easily
spend a few thousand dollars a year on medical expenses,
so you may want to budget for these costs as part of your
emergency savings, and possibly purchase supplemental
insurance. You may also want to consider the possibility of
needing some type of long-term care, which is not typically
561-745-1002 covered by Medicare and can be quite expensive. The
average annual cost of a private room in a nursing home
is more than $100,000, and it’s about $55,000 per year for
654 West Indiantown a home health aide, according to Genworth, an insurance
THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO company. To address these costs, you may want to consider
REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER Road, Jupiter, FL 33458
SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT WHICH IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND some form of protection, such as long-term care insurance
WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED www.drlaruffa.com
OR REDUCED FEE SERVICES, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT. or life insurance with a long-term care component.
• Do your estate planning. It’s hard to feel totally secure
in retirement if you’re unsure of what might happen if you
“Service is our number one priority” have an unexpected health event, become incapacitated or
die earlier than expected. That’s why you’ll want to create
561-743-0070 a comprehensive estate plan – one that might include
documents such as a durable power of attorney, a will and
www.palmspoolservices.com a living trust. A review of your insurance coverages and
beneficiaries can also help protect your assets and ensure
they are distributed the way you want. In creating your plan,
you will need to work with your financial advisor and a
legal professional, and possibly your tax advisor as well.
Thinking holistically about your retirement security
and developing and executing a strategy aligned with
your goals may help free you to enjoy one of the most
rewarding times of your life.
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by
your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward
Jones. Member SIPC.
Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors
are not estate planners and cannot provide tax or legal
advice. You should consult your estate-planning attorney
Expires 10/31/21.
or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.
Call me for a free portfolio review at (561) 748-7600,
State Licensed & Insured Sally Sima Stahl, AAMS, 1851 W. Indiantown Road, Ste.
Serving Palm Beach County CPC # 1457468 • LPG#30099 106, Jupiter, FL 33458.