Monday, August 13, 2018

A review of "Rust & Stardust"


Rust & Stardust is a break-your-heart novel based on a true crime, the kidnapping of Florence (Sally) Horner by Frank LaSalle in Camden, NJ in 1948 which was the basis for Nabokov's Lolita. It is a dark, disturbing story told very well.

It is June of 1948. Sally wants to make friends with a group of girls who have a secret club. School is almost over, and if she can make friends, she’ll have someone to play with over the summer. The girls tell her that she can join if she passes the initiation – stealing something from the local Woolworth’s store. With the other girls waiting at the soda counter, Sally roams the store and eventually puts a composition book into her sweater. As she’s ready to leave the store, a man (Frank LaSalle) gets up from the counter, grabs her arm and takes her aside. He tells her he’s an FBI agent, and would hate to see a girl like her be placed in juvenile detention for stealing. He won’t tell the police about her crime, but will get the matter cleared up himself with her at the courtroom if she just does what he says. Sally looks around for the girls, but they have disappeared.

Within days, Frank tells Sally that he has been told that the case must be heard in the Atlantic City courtroom. Sally is to tell her mother that a friend has invited Sally to join her family on their week vacation to Atlantic City. Her mother, Ella, is worried because she doesn’t know the family Sally is referring to, yet doesn’t want to deprive her daughter of something that she herself cannot provide to her. She agrees to meet the father. Frank cons her as well, telling Ella that his wife and daughter are already in Atlantic City, but he has asked a female co-worker going to AC as well to act as a chaperone, because it would seem improper if the two of them travelled alone. Satisfied, Ella sees Sally and Frank off on the bus.

But one week turns into two, then three, then four… Frank has Sally write Ella postcards saying what a wonderful time she’s having etc., but in reality, Frank ties Sally up and locks the room anytime he has to leave. He tells her that the court date has been postponed, that if she tries to escape, he will tell the police about the theft and she will be sent away, shaming her family. Then the sexual assaults begin. With each new assault, Sally loses more and more of herself and soon realizes that he has no intention of letting her go. They move from place to place, for two years before LaSalle is caught and Sally is returned to her family.

During that time, her family and several police departments are searching for her, offering a reward for information. Several people they encounter think something is amiss, but don’t step up to get involved. There are also a couple of missed opportunities when people are prepared to help her and then, due to differing circumstances, have to leave the area before they can follow through on it.
Greenwood does an excellent job of telling this story from multiple viewpoints to provide the reader with a complete view of what’s going on from multiple angles. The characters are complex and very well drawn.

This novel is graphic and hard to read at times. There should be a trigger warning that this story is about the kidnapping and abuse of a minor.  While I can't say I "enjoyed" reading Rust & Stardust, I consider it a worthy use of my time and intellectual energy to read. 

Disclosure: I did receive a reviewer’s copy and I was not paid or compensated to write a review.

Sunday, August 05, 2018

Some Veterans Can Now Claim Refund of Taxes Paid on Disability Severance Payments

The Internal Revenue Service is advising certain veterans who received disability severance payments after January 17, 1991, and included that payment as income that they should file Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, to claim a credit or refund of the overpayment attributable to the disability severance payment. This is a result of the Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act passed in 2016.

Amount to Claim
Veterans can submit a claim based on the actual amount of their disability severance payment by completing Form 1040X, carefully following the instructions. However, there is a simplified method. Veterans can choose instead to claim a standard refund amount based on the calendar year (an individual's tax year) in which they received the severance payment. Write "Disability Severance Payment" on line 15 of Form 1040X and enter on lines 15 and 22 the standard refund amount listed below that applies:
• $1,750 for tax years 1991 - 2005
• $2,400 for tax years 2006 - 2010
• $3,200 for tax years 2011 - 2016

Claiming the standard refund amount is the easiest way for veterans to claim a refund, because they do not need to access the original tax return from the year of their lump-sum disability severance payment.


These simple money hacks can save you $$$ - hundred and thousand $$$ annually


1. Take Surveys and Get Paid: earn shopping points for taking surveys, watching videos or playing games at swagbuck.com  - redeem points for cash or gift cards.

2. Discount Movie Tickets: AARP members pay $9.50 for Regal Cinemas ePremiere Tickets purchased online, conditions may apply.

3. Clean Windows Cheap: mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle for a solution that leaves windows sparkling. Some experts also add a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Save $4.50 or more by not buying window cleaner at the store.

4. Sell To Amazon: the online retailer accepts a slew of old items, including video games, books and Kindle e-readers for trade-in, in exchange for a gift card. Search the Trade-In Store and if your item is listed there, print a free shipping label and send it in.

5. Design your Own Greeting Card: make cards for free at spark.adobe.com/make/card-maker  Save up to $10 a card.

6. Eat For Cheap: get a list of discounts at about 70 restaurants chains at theseniorlist.com – ARRP members save ten percent at Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Bonefish Grill. 15% off at Denny’s.

7. Shop Unit Price: focus on costs per ounce not the total price. Example, a 1-liter bottle of seltzer cost 32 cents a pint, versus 55 cents a pint for a 12-ounce can, could save you $10 annually.

8. Get Free eBooks: download nearly 60,000 public domain eBooks, including many classics, at Gutenberg.org – save $3 to $10 per eBook.

9. Mulch For Free: Google your county name and “free mulch” to see if it (or free compost) is offered. Save $3 per 2 cubic feet of mulch or $5 per cubic foot of compost.

10. BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag): a growing number of communities require a 5-cent to 10-cent charge per bag provided by the store. Use your own bags and you could easily save $25 annually.

11. Max Out Couponing: use more than one grocery store app per item. One person combined iBotta, Checkout51 and Shopmium and saved $500 a year.

12. Go Small: research shows when the size of your shopping cart is double, you buy a whopping 40 percent more. Right-size your cart and save up to $233 a month for two.

13. Learn Patterns: Grocery chains put certain products on sale at regular intervals. A store may offer a “buy one, get one free” deal on your favorite ice cream or snack every sixth week. Discover the pattern and easily save $300 annually.

14. Sleep in a Man’s tee: a woman’s sleep shirt costs around $30, but a man’s t-shirt is equally comfortable, save $15.

15. Dilute Shampoo: commercial shampoos are concentrated and may dry out hair if used at full strength. Try diluting with 50 percent water and save up to $15 per bottle.

16. Dine Out For Less: Restaurants.com offer discounted gift certificates to eateries all over the country. Pay $10 for a $25 gift certificate and save $15 on a night out.

17. Discounted Gift Cards: Raise.com sell discounted gift cards 16 percent on average. Buy a $100 gift card for $84 and save $16.

18. Generic Pet Meds: for example, Heartgard Plus cost $43 to treat a large dog for six months. HeartShade Plus, a generic version, has the same active ingredients for $20, save $23.

19. Leverage Your Library Card: at many NY public libraries you can pick up free admission to the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, save $25.

20. Round Up and Save: Acorns is an app that automatically rounds up your credit card purchases to the nearest dollar. The extra change gets invested in stocks and bonds. Save and invest $30 a month.

21. Call Before You Pay: banks and credit card companies will usually waive the fee for a rare late payment, save up to $35 for one fee.

22. Host Morning Parties: brunch gatherings can be just as much fun as evening parties, and the foods you serve – eggs, breads – tend to be cheaper than what you serve for dinner. Plus, you likely won’t go through as much wine. Savings:  at least $40 on the food and wine, depending on the menu.

23. Amtrak’s Senior Discount: 65-plus can get 10 percent discount on most Amtrak train travel. The senior discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

24. Skip Rental Car Insurance: most of the time you already have adequate coverage through your personal insurance, check and save up to $40 per day.

25. Stamp Out Stamps: sign up to have all bills paid by automatic withdrawal. If you stop mailing five bills a month, you can save $30 annually on stamps – and avoid the hassle of visiting the post office.

26. Give Your Time As a Gift: write out redeemable coupons for babysitting, free drives to someone who doesn’t drive, or home-cooked meals to someone who could use them, save the $50 or more you might spend on a gift.

27. Use Cruise Control: it can reduce your fuel use by seven percent. If half of your miles are on the highway, that’s a savings of $70 annually.

28. Postseason Stockup Shopping: the best time to replace worn-out clothes, gear or supplies is when their season has just ended. For example, a gas grill at the Home Depot was listed at $299 last summer, then marked down to $249 after the season, savings $50.

29. Use the Same Insurer: companies often charge up to 15 percent less if you buy both home and auto policies from them. You can save over $100 a year on insurance costs.

30. Check Engine belts: broken belts are a major cause of breakdowns. Be sure to check yours before you go on a long trip. Avoid one breakdown and save $100 in towing fees.

31. America the Beautiful Senior Pass: 62 or older, $20 a year will get you and a carload of people admission to more than 2,000 national parks and recreation sites. That’s a saving of $60 over a regular annual pass.

32. Groom Your Own Pup: you can spend $70 at a dog groomer. Plus you have to make an appointment and take the time to go there. Learn to do it yourself – YouTube has instructions for many breeds.

33. Buy Pills to Split: ask you doctor if it’s cheaper to get half the amount of double-strength medication and split each pill into two doses with a $3 pill splitter.  For instance, 60 tablets of the 20mg Paxil cost $14.17 at Costco according to GoodRx.com – but 30 tablets of the 40mg Paxil cost $11.87, you could save $80 to $100 annually.

34. Buy Refilled Ink Cartridges: Amazon listed new cartridges for a HP printer at $82.70 – refilled cartridges were $19.99, savings $62.71.

35. Buy Wine By the Case: most wine stores will take at least ten percent, and you could save $20. And you’ll always have a house-warming gift handy.

36. Seal Your Chimney Flue: as much as 8 percent of your heating bills could be escaping up the chimney. Seal it or install a chimney pillow and save $80 on a $1K heating bill.

37. Check Different Travel Dates: shifting an arrival or departure date by a single day can save you a surprisingly large amount of cash. Flight search engines like Matrix.ITAsoftware.com show lower-priced options. A recent round –trip ticket from NY to LAX was $81 cheaper if you flew a day earlier.

38. Amazon Warehouse: before you buy, see if the item is available at a discount. A Poulan self-propelled lawn mower selling for $300 on Amazon was available on Amazon Warehouse, slightly used, for $210, a savings of $90.

39. Scan for Unused Subscriptions: Truebill.com can help users find subscription services and determine how much they’re paying for them each year, claims that the average user can save $100 or more a year cancelling what they don’t need or renegotiating the bill.

40. Check for Promo Codes: online retailers offer discount codes, check RetailMeNot.com for codes before finalizing a purchase. Recent savings: $31.98 off a Lands’ End dress priced at $79.95 and $47.96 off a pair of Gap men’s jeans and a sweater worth $119.90 – a total of almost $80.

41. Swap Books: list books you want to get rid of on BookMooch.com and get points when you send them to people who request them. Use the points to order used books. Save up to $81 on three   hardcovers.

42. Save on Car Rentals: show your AARP card when you rent a car and save as much as 30 percent with Avis. That would get you $90 off a $300 rental.

43. Buy through Befrugal.com : this website offers coupons and cash back for purchases from 5,000 retailers. A Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon was $1,339 using a $70 coupon, that’s a savings of more than $100 over online retailers.

44. Get a Programmable Thermostat: lowering or raising your home’s temperature by 7 to 10 degrees for eight hours as you sleep can save $100 annually. Get a programmable thermostat so you don’t forget.

45. Use Gas Buddy: the Gas Guru and GasBuddy apps show you prices at all area stations. If gas is $2.85 at one station and $3.09 at another, save $2.40 for every 10 gallons you pump – up to $100 annually.

46. Join a Shave Club: pay about $2 for a razor cartridge at an online shave club like Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club. Save $2.50 or more per cartridge compared with brand name choices bought in a store, or $60 annually.

47. Buy a Refurbished Computer: why pay big bucks for the latest model? Go to sites like DiscountComputerDepot.com and pick up a refurbished laptop with a one-year warranty for $100. That’ll save you at least $100 over a new computer.

48. Ease Your Internet Speed: internet providers always push the newest, faster options, but a basic service (Mbps) is fine for the typical family to surf, email and stream videos. Optimum Online offers that speed at $29.99 a month, save $120 annually.

49. Turn Down Your Water Heater: most water heaters come from the factory set at 140 degrees, hot enough to scald. Turn it down to 120 degrees and save about $60 annually.

50. Get Magazines Cheap: subscriber to lots of magazine? Then consider the Texture app: for one monthly fee, you get access to digital versions of over 200 popular magazine. Save $10 to $50 per subscriptions.

51. Check Airline Consolidators: they buy tickets in bulk and sell them at a discount. A round trip from Boston to London was $419 through AirlineConsolidator.com versus $545 on Aer Lingus, saving $127.

52. Blind-book a Hotel: Hotwire.com offers saving up to 60 percent if you will book before knowing the name of the hotel, that’s $120 saved on a $200 room.

53. Get Gimp for Photo Editing: love to do sophisticated photo editing? Download Gimp for free and save $120 annually over paying $10 per month for Photoshop.

54. Seal Your Home: inspect for leaks at windows and doors with a lighted incense stick, sealing them could cut $1K heating bill by $200.

55. Rent a Dress: need a glamorous dress or evening gown that you only plan to wear once? Don’t buy it, rent it at sites like RentTheRunway.com – a gown that sells for $695 can be rented for $115, savings $580.

56. Use a Digital-Only Bank: it offers better saving rates. The average annual percentage yield (APY) on saving accounts is around 0.08 percent, but online banks offer APY’s around 1.5 percent. If you stash $20K for a year, the earning difference will be $286.

57. Vacation In a Dorm: college overseas rent summer dorm rooms. In Perugia, Italy, a week at Case Monteripido costs $260 versus $430 for the Primavera Mini Hotel. Save $170, go to UniversityRooms.com

58. Buy Staples by Subscription: use a service like Amazon’s Subscribe & Save to save up to 15 percent on goods you buy frequently, delivered on a set schedule. Sample savings: $15.25 per month off a total of $101.68 for a typical mix of items, that’s $183 annually.

59. Ski For Cheap: multi-mountain passes from websites such as EpicPass.com or MountainCollective.com can save you big. IkonPass.com charges an adult $699 for eight days of skiing at 26 destinations. That’s $175 less than eight tickets at the window.

60. Get a Tankless Water Heater: they’re up to 30 percent more efficient than tanks that waste energy keeping water hot all the time. They typical family spends $500 annually heating water, you could save $150.

61. Switch to a New Credit Card: AARP credit card from Chase gives you $100 if you spend $500 in your first three months – and three percent case back at restaurants and gas stations. Save $103 on the bonus  and a $100 meal.

62. Don’t’ Drench Your Lawn: it needs just one inch of water per week, including rain. Sprinklers often deliver much more than that. Put a coffee mug under the sprinkler and stick in a ruler when you are done. If you collected 2 inches of water, you are spending about $158 a month during the summer on wasted water.

63. Take a Defensive Driving Course: many auto insurers will shave as much as 10 percent off your annual premiums if you take a course. AARP offers a Smart Driver course online for members, annual insurance savings: $200.

64. Share Season Tickets:  arrange with your seat neighbors tot trade tickets you can’t use. Save $200 on a pair of NFL tickets.

65. Get Retroactive Refunds: stores will refund the difference if the price drops soon after you buy an item. The Earny app finds and claims price drops. Savings: $220 when that laptop you ordered drops in price.

66. Market Your Old Electronics: many once-popular items have become collectibles. For example, a first-generation iPod was going for $150 on eBay recently.

67. Clean Your Trap: a dryer can lose 75 percent of its efficiency if lint clogs its trap. Clean it after every use and save $101 on the annual cost of operating a dryer.

68. Want a New TV for the Superbowl? The best deals often in the weeks before the game. Last year Best Buy price for a 65-inch Sony dropped by $400.

69. Raise Your Deductible: boosting the deductible on a homeowners policy from $500 to $1K could save you 25 percent, according to the Insurance Information Institute, or $307 off on an average $1,228 policy.

70. Find Free Wi-Fi: download Wi-FiFinder app that locates nearby locations where WiFi is free.

71. Free Recyclables: join your local chapter at Freecycle.org – then see if someone wants to give away stuff you are about to buy. The NYC chapter recently listed a free “hardly used” portable crib that cost $60 new.

72. Swap Clothes Online: RehashClothes.com has photos of more than 10,000 items of clothing that its members want to swap. See something you like? Offer a piece of clothing in exchange, and if the offer is accepted, swap through the mail. No money involved except postage. You might save $100 on a nice dress or jacket.

73. Stream Free Movies: go to Kanopy.com – if you belong to one of the 4,000 participating public libraries and campuses, you can stream 30,000 movies from free. If you watch one movie a week, you’ll save about $156 annually over renting movies online.

74. Get it Fixed For Free: at RepairCafe.org you can find an event near you where volunteers help fix a variety of household items that folks can’t fix themselves. You could save $100 by faxing that old lamp.

75. Swap Services: sign up at U-Exchnage.com to trade your talent for someone else’s. You might save $350 the next time you need a plumber, if you can, say, handle his taxes.

76. Join Silver Sneakers: ask your health care provider if you are eligible. The program offers free gym membership to folks 65-plus. Save $700 per year, on average.

77. Save on Bulbs: replace 40 incandescent bulbs with LEDs and you could save $1,500 over their ten-year life span.

78. Donate Stock, not Cash: say you give $5K worth of stock to your place of worship that you paid $1K years ago. If you sold the shares then donated the cash, you’d owe $1K in capital gains taxes if you’re in the 25 percent tax bracket. Donate the stock and you avoid the capital gains tax.

79. Drink the Office Coffee: if you spend $4 a day at Starbucks that $1K a year just for workdays. Avoid Starbucks and save $1K annually.

80. Seek Out Property Tax Breaks: most states offer some type of property tax exemption for homeowners over 65, including rebates, caps on assessed value, and property tax rate or assessment freezes. NY for example, will lower your property tax by 50 percent if you make $29K or less annually. That break could save you $7K annually.

81. Haggle with Your Real Estate Agent: there is no law that says agents must get 6 percent of the selling price. In today’s seller’s market, agents might accept splitting 5 percent. Save $5K selling a $500K home.

82. Wait on a Mattress Sale: never buy a department store mattress at regular price. Those stores regularly have steep discounts. A recent sale at a national chain store saw the price of a queen-size mattress and box spring set marked down from $3,589 to $1,749. Savings total $1,780.

83. Dodge Convenience Fees: many parents don’t realize until too late that lots of colleges charge a fee averaging 2.62 percent if you pay tuition and other costs with a credit card. Avoid a $1,310 fee on a $50K annual college bill or private school buy avoiding using your credit card.

84. Pay for Performance Not Prestige: go with Toyota, Nissan or Honda, not high-end Lexus, Infiniti or Acura models from the same manufacturers. A 2018 Toyota Camry XLE V6 listed at $34,400 for example, has the same engine as a 2018 Lexus ES 350 that lists for $38,950. Car comparison sites like Edmunds.com give them nearly identical ratings. Savings total $4,550.

85. Shorten Your Mortgage: the average mortgage rate in June was 4.78 percent for 30 years and 4.17 percent for 15 years. A $200K mortgage would cost you $1,047 a month for 30 years or $1,496 a month for 15 years. Yes, that’s more, but the 15-year loan saves you almost $108,000 in interest, or an average of $7,200 each year for 15 years.

86. Drive Don’t Fly: that is, if your family vacation is less than 500 miles away. Four tickets from Washington, DC to Cincinnati over a recent week cost about $315 each. Gas for driving would have been under $70. That would save you $1,190 – and you’d have your car and gear with you.

87. Take a Farming Vacation: learn about organic farming and enjoy a trip overseas by volunteering to work with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. A room and food are free. You could easily save $1,500 over a week at hotels and restaurants.

88. Negotiate Car Lease: always make a deal based on the full price of the lease, not the monthly rate. You can negotiate among dealerships based on overall cost, and go with the best deal. Save $1K over the lease of a car.

89. Cut College Costs: state universities charge by the credit hour but accept credits from community colleges. Twelve credit hours at the University of Maryland, for example, cost $4,224. Take the same basic classes at nearby Montgomery College for $1,728. Save $2,496.

90. Free Hearing Test: take a confidential hearing test by phone every year.  Go to aarp.org/hearing

91. Save on British Airways: AARP members save $65 to $200 on tickets bought online to over 130 cities.

92. Save on Cirque Du Soleil: AARP members save 15 to 20 percent on tickets to select shows, some conditions may apply.

93. Seniors can Save with Grocery Coupons: AARP members can print free coupons from leading brands at the Grocery Coupon Center powered by Coupons.com


Reprinted from AARP Bulletin, July 2018.