ADVISORY: Secretary Perdue in Nashville MONDAY for American Farm Bureau Convention
(Washington, D.C., January 5, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will attend the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 99th Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, January 8th. Specifically, the Secretary will deliver remarks at the Closing General Session.
Secretary Perdue Delivers Remarks at the American Farm Bureau Convention
WHAT: Secretary Perdue will deliver remarks at the Closing General Session of the American Farm Bureau's Annual Convention.
WHEN: MONDAY, January 8th at 12:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Delta Ballroom of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, 2800 Opryland Drive, Nashville, TN 37214
*NOTE: Media interested in covering the speech must register through the American Farm Bureau by SUNDAY, January 7th, at 7:00 p.m. ET. You may click HERE to register.
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Delivering eggs to launch the 2018 Trout in the Classroom program
What: On Monday, personnel from the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and Trout Unlimited (TU) will work together to deliver rainbow trout eggs to 33 Utah schools that are participating in TU’s popular Trout in the Classroom program. Each school will receive approximately 200 rainbow trout eggs, which are provided by the DWR. The eggs will be placed in specially designed tanks where students can observe changes as the eggs develop into young fish. Then, the students will help raise the fish and release them into Utah waterbodies during field trips that occur in the spring.
Capturing Antelope Island bighorn sheep for release in central Utah
What: Starting tomorrow, bighorn sheep will be soaring through the air above Antelope Island. Biologists from the DWR and State Parks will work with a helicopter crew to capture 15 Rocky Mountain bighorn rams. The helicopter will bring the sheep to a staging area, where they will all receive health checkups and vaccinations. Some of the animals will also be fitted with tracking collars. At that point, they will be loaded onto trailers for their ride down to the mountains east of Oak City. The sheep will be released there to supplement a population in central Utah. Another 15 rams will be captured and relocated on Jan. 14.
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4 Ways Baby Boomers Can Avoid Going Bust
On Their Kids’ Student-Loan Debt
Crushing student loan debt is usually thought to be the younger generation’s problem. But more and more, with graduates unable to handle it on their own, mountains of student loans are becoming mom and dad’s albatross, as well.
Many baby boomers are now faced with helping pay off their kids’ college loans, and that added burden can threaten their financial security in retirement. About 2.8 million people age 60 and older have outstanding student loans – quadruple the number in 2005, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Most of the current student-loan debts of people 60-plus were incurred paying for college for a child or grandchild, and in the past decade, for the 60 to 64 age group, student-loan debt has increased eight-fold – to $38 billion!
“Americans in their 60s are now the fastest-growing age group facing student-loan debt,” says Andrew Anable (www.safeguardinvestment.com), a financial planner at Safeguard Investment Advisory Group in Santa Barbara, California.
“It is a serious problem for many who are in retirement or approaching it. But there are ways to manage the debt, and for those still in the planning stages, there are key points to consider so college debt doesn’t compromise their retirement.”
Anable lists four steps baby-boomer parents should take if they are dealing with – or considering taking on – their kids’ student-loan debt:
• Attack the debt. Anable recommends an aggressive payment plan because a higher monthly payment may be worthwhile in the long run. “Let’s imagine someone has a $35,000 student loan with 7 percent interest,” Anable says. “They may want to take a 30-year payment plan instead of a 10-year plan, because it’s going to lower the monthly payment by $170. But at what cost? Paying over 30 years is going to cost thousands more in interest.” Anable suggests checking a student-loan calculator for payment terms. CFPB reports the average amount of student loan debt for people 60-and-over is more than $23,000.
• Be careful about co-signing. Over half of co-signers on outstanding student loans are 55 and over. With students struggling to make payments, parents or grandparents are on the hook if they co-signed – a bigger problem if they’re near or in retirement with a fixed income. “Many people who co-sign don’t realize they’re responsible for the debt if their kid don’t pay,” says Anable. “It’s OK for you not to co-sign for the kids. It sounds harsh, but the kids need to know this can impact your retirement as well as your credit.” One easy guideline is: For your kids’ college, don’t borrow more than half your annual income.
• Make retirement a priority. “Whether you choose to help your kids or not, your retirement needs to be a priority,” Anable says. “A good rule is putting 10-15 percent a year into your 401 (k) or retirement plans. “Earmark it for your future, and it should not be touched early for you or for your kids.”
• Do not default. Lapsing in payments can lead to garnishment of Social Security checks. In 2015, more than 12 percent of 60-and-over borrowers were in default. Income-driven repayment plans can be an option to reduce monthly payments. “If you miss a payment, aim to resume payments or renegotiate the terms of the loan as soon as you can,” says Anable.
“This isn’t a problem you can hide away in a drawer,” says Mr. Anable. “And before it becomes a problem, baby boomers must carefully balance the decision to help their children along with providing for their own retirement needs.”
About Andrew Anable
Andrew Anable (www.safeguardinvestment.com) is a financial planner at Safeguard Investment Advisory Group in Santa Barbara, California. He has been helping families with their estate, financial and retirement needs for more than 20 years. His areas of knowledge include tax planning, long-term care planning, asset protection, legacy planning, and insurance and investment strategies. He holds professional licenses in California, Arizona, Utah, and Arkansas.
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Dear GOP Candidate and Perspective GOP Candidates,
The RNC (Republican National Committee) has contracted with Advantage Mobile to develop a "walking app." Simply put, this is an application for your smart phone or device that identifies individual households by party affiliation and the number of registered voters residing at the address.
At no cost to you, the UTGOP will be providing training sessions to you and your campaign staff to demonstrate how effective this tool can be. We will show you how to download the app, install it, provide you with a personal login and directions on how to use it. It is invaluable whether you are gathering signatures or canvassing neighbors during your campaign. Training sessions will begin on Monday, January 8th, and will continue for two weeks. These sessions will be provided by RSVP only. Please call the office (801) 533-9777 or email info@utgop.org to schedule a time that works for you between 8am and 5pm M-F.
Sincerely,
Rob Anderson
Chairman
