How can the sandwich generation relieve financial stress?

 Don’t worry too much if you haven’t heard, but April is National Stress Awareness Month. Of course, stress can present emotional and physical challenges to all of us, but if you belong to the “sandwich generation” – that is, you may be caring for aging parents while still supporting your own children – you may be facing some financial stress as well. What can you do to relieve it?

For one thing, be aware that you’re certainly not alone. About one in seven middle-aged adults is providing financial support to both an aging parent and a child, according to the Pew Research Center.

Still, knowing that you have plenty of company won’t provide you with solutions for your own situation. So consider the following:

Suggest “downsizing.” Are your parents still paying a costly mortgage on a house that’s now too big for them? You might want to encourage them to think about downsizing. They may be emotionally attached to their home, but they might benefit substantially if they moved someplace that’s less expensive.

Talk to parents about their income sources. Are your parents maximizing their Social Security payments? Are they following a sensible withdrawal strategy for their IRA, 401(k) or other retirement accounts? You may want to recommend that they work with a qualified financial professional.

Discuss all legal arrangements. Be aware of your parents’ estate plans and the status of important legal documents – will, living trust, power of attorney, health care directive, and so on. When the time arises for any of these arrangements to take effect, you don’t want to face any unpleasant – and possibly costly – surprises.

Find out about health care. Try to learn about your parents’ health insurance coverage. And have they done anything to protect themselves from the potentially catastrophic costs of long-term care, such as an extended nursing home stay? You may not be able to do a great deal for them in these areas, but at the least, you may be able to get them to take some positive action on their own behalf.

Don’t ignore your own retirement savings. Even if you can afford to provide some financial support to your parents, don’t shortchange yourself when it comes to your own retirement savings. You don’t get a “do-over” when it comes to putting away money for retirement, so contribute as much as you can afford to your IRA and your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Prioritize your investment choices. If you would like to help your children go to college, you might want to consider a college savings vehicle. Still, you may need to prioritize your investments. After all, your children will likely have a variety of options – such as loans and scholarships – to help them pay for school, and they may also be able to reduce costs substantially by going to a community college their first two years. But you are basically “up against the clock” when it comes to saving for retirement, so you’ll want to take that into account when allocating your investment dollars.

Belonging to the sandwich generation can certainly produce feelings of anxiety. But by following the above suggestions, you may be able to reduce some of this stress. And by doing so, you can help your parents, your children – and yourself.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

National Public Health Week

 Health starts where we live, learn, work, and play. Our community environment impacts our health long before we ever visit a doctor. Medical doctors are able to treat you once you’re ill, but public health exists to prevent you from ever getting sick in the first place.

This week, National Public Health Week, communities across the nation are celebrating the power of prevention and the critical role that public health plays in keeping people safe and healthy year after year. In our community, the Berrien County Health Department and their dedicated staff work to prevent disease, prolong life, protect the health of our community, and promote an optimal quality of life for the citizens of Berrien County. Through vaccination programs for children and adults, reproductive health clinic services, restaurant inspections, and a variety of other health promotion programs, the Berrien County Health Department keeps us, our children, our seniors, our environment, and our communities healthy and safe.

A healthy public gets sick less frequently and spends less money on health care; this means better economic productivity and an improved quality of life for everyone. This week, as you enjoy a meal in a restaurant without getting sick and your children or grandchildren stay healthy because of immunizations, pause to remember that it is because of the efforts of public health.

To learn more about how the Berrien County Health Department supports your health, visit their website at www.bchdmi.org or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bchdmi.

Bills introduced to further address opioid abuse

 Opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse is a serious problem that affects communities across Michigan and our great nation. Last week I joined Governor Snyder, Lt. Governor Calley, and a bipartisan group of state representatives and senators, to introduce wide-ranging legislation designed to help prevent opioid misuse and addiction before it starts. These measures include better reporting and regulation of controlled substances prescribed by medical professionals, creating prescribing limit for opioids, ensuring full use of the Michigan Automated Prescription System, and better education for Michigan students about opioids and the potential for addiction. Taken as a whole this package would make important progress in addressing this epidemic.

House Bills 4406 and 4407, which I introduced, specifically require the state’s Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Commission to provide recommendations for educating students about these dangers and would require that this information be included in the state’s health education curriculum. It is so important that we share with students, both at home and in an educational setting, the dangers of opioid abuse and addiction. I look forward to working with this bipartisan group of legislators and the governor to make these bills into law.

I also want to make the community aware of several opportunities to meet with me around Van Buren County in the coming weeks. Monday, April 10 I will be at Covert Township Hall from 1:00-2:30 p.m. and at City Hall in Hartford from 3:30-5:00 p.m. I hope to see many of you there. You can find other times and locations to come meet with me and get updates on my work on your behalf in Lansing on my website www.repgriffin.com and through Facebook at www.facebook.com/RepBethGriffin.

Facing the threat of North Korea

 This week, I joined my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in advancing two pieces of bipartisan legislation to address urgent threats posed by North Korea’s Kim Jong Un regime. Just recently, a North Korean defector spoke with NBC news and warned the U.S. and allies that the “world should be ready” to deal with Kim Jong Un.

Indeed, in recent weeks North Korea has escalated their threats against American lives. In response to these troubling provocations, we have taken action. These measures push the State Department to determine whether North Korea should be re-listed as a State Sponsor of Terrorism and officially condemn their development of nuclear weapons.

H.R. 479, the North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act of 2017, would urge the State Department to designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. Consequences of a state sponsor of terrorism designation include a ban on arms-related exports and sales: restrictions on exports of dual-use items; restrictions on foreign assistance; financial sanctions against transactions with the designated government; imposition of miscellaneous trade and other restrictions; and potential liability in United States courts for acts that fall within the terrorism exception of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. H.R. 479 was advanced by a bipartisan 394 to 1 vote.

H.Res. 92 – Condemning North Korea’s development of multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICMBs), and for other purposes, would condemn these developments and also urge the United States to apply all available economic sanctions on North Korea. H.Res. 92 was advanced by a bipartisan 398 to 3 vote.

As we move forward, we must be clear-eyed in our resolve to protect ourselves from this rogue state.

To learn more about this and other important legislative issues, please visit my website: upton.house.gov or call my offices in Kalamazoo (269-385-0039), St. Joseph/Benton Harbor (269-982-1986), or Washington, D.C. (202-225-3761).

Agriculture makes a tremendous impact in our daily lives

 We celebrated National Agriculture Day last month. It is a time to talk with farmers and highlight one of the most important industries in our state.

Agriculture’s impact on our daily lives is profound. Michigan is home to over 52,000 farms and roughly 95 percent of them are family owned and operated.

Our farmers are the heart and soul of a food and agriculture industry that contributes $101 billion annually to Michigan’s economy and employs nearly one million workers — about a quarter of the state’s workforce.

When you add in that our agricultural exports generate nearly $3.2 billion in economic activity, the importance of Michigan farming is clear.

Last summer, I launched a “Thank a Farmer” initiative as a way to highlight the extraordinary produce grown in Southwest Michigan and to give residents an easy way to thank our farmers for all they do to help feed our families and the nation. The response was tremendous, and we sent local farmers hundreds of thank-you notes from area residents.

Another place families can thank farmers for the abundant and wonderful fresh foods they produce is at a local farmers market, where our connection to agriculture is clearest.

As a strong supporter of agriculture, I introduced legislation while in the House to help our family farms and encourage entrepreneurship through cottage kitchens. I am proud that we’ve made more reforms to expand the unique relationship that families can make with farmers, producers and startup winemakers.

Agriculture is critical to our state and country. I encourage area residents to help support local agriculture by visiting a local farmers market and buying Michigan-grown products.

As always, I look forward to hearing your comments and feedback on the important issues facing Michigan. You can contact me at 517-373-6960.