Donating to Charities Using a Qualified Charitable Distribution

If you are age 72 or older and have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), you are required to take a “Required Minimum Distribution” (RMD) each year. The RMD is calculated by dividing your IRA account balance as of the last day of the previous year by a distribution period dictated by the IRS.

Distributions from IRAs (except Roth IRAs) are generally taxable income. And depending on your total income, the distribution may cause more of your Social Security benefits to be taxable.

Do you give to charities? One way to reduce the tax bite from RMDs is to give using a “Qualified Charitable Distribution” (QCD).

Using a QCD, you can give to your favorite charities directly from your IRA, up to an annual maximum of $100,000. Doing so helps meet your annual RMD requirement, while reducing your taxable RMD income. Yes, the amount of the QCD is excluded from taxable income.

Let’s look at an example.

Fred and Wilma Flintstone, who live in Bedrock, California, have an IRA with RMDs of $40,000 in 2021. Their only other income is $25,000 apiece in Social Security Income. They gave $5,000 to their favorite charities by writing checks and otherwise do not itemize deductions on their tax returns (their mortgage at 301 Cobblestone Way is full paid and thus no mortgage interest expense).

Based on the above, the Flintstones would owe taxes of $4,603 federal and $35 state on their 2021 tax returns.

Instead, if Fred and Wilma contributed to the charities using QCDs directly from their IRA, their tax liability would be $3,493 federal and nothing for the state. That would save them $1,145 in taxes! That’s a lot of Bronto Burgers!

The higher the tax bracket you’re in, the more these QCDs can save you in taxes.

Learn more about Qualified Charitable Distributions at www.irs.gov/publications/p590b#en_US_2020_publink100041439.

Sunset View From Tarantula Hill on a Cold February Evening, 2-22-22

Yes, today is 2-22-22, a day that kind of reminds me of 11-11-11. It was a cold, cloudy day and while we did not see rain, we anticipate some showers tonight. In any case, enjoy these photos of tonight’s cloudy sunset from Tarantula Hill in Thousand Oaks.

The Ventura County Classical Guitar Society Meets Monthly and is Open to the Public

What a small world it is. A Ventura County resident named Peter contacted us regarding making some additions to the local Live Music and Other Nightlife Options compilation.

Not more than a week or two later, while harvesting produce for local charity Food Forward, I struck up a conversation with another volunteer. His name was Peter. After a bit of bantering for over an hour, I mentioned Conejo Valley Guide® to him, to which he replied, "Oh, I know that website!" After a few more back and forths, I discovered that this was the same Peter that had recently emailed the site. Small world!

Peter told me that the Ventura County Classical Guitar Society is a hidden gem. The group of classical guitar enthusiasts meets generally the last Wednesday of the month at the Pleasant Valley Recreation & Park District Senior Center (1605 Burnley Street, Camarillo).

He said that it is a fun session to attend is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6PM. Members of the group as well as guests perform for the group starting at 7PM (guest performers start at 8PM). Donations are accepted for guest performers.

So if you're up for an enjoyable evening of live classical guitar performances, visit www.vccgs.com and check out upcoming performances.

Upcoming planned performances:

• 2/22/23: Rodrigo & Niccole

• 3/29/23: Hugo Nogueira

A Drive Down the Historic Norwegian Grade in Thousand Oaks

The Historic Norwegian Grade was originally built by hand and $60 worth of dynamite in the early 1900s by the founding Norwegian families, Olsen, Pedersen and others. The top of the grade to Santa Rosa Road is about a mile and a half. The two lane road was improved in 2010 to make it slightly wider and improve the guard rail and signage. More history at THIS LINK.

Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

To apply for federal student aid, such as federal grants, work-study, and loans, you, the student, need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

In addition, many states and colleges use your FAFSA information to determine your eligibility for state and school aid, and some private financial aid providers may use your FAFSA information to determine whether you qualify for their aid.

The FAFSA is available in October of the year prior to the year you will be starting college in the fall, so high school seniors and their parents should be prepared to fill them out then.

You can complete and submit the FAFSA at fafsa.ed.gov. While our government encourages us to complete the FAFSA forms online, they still allow you the old fashioned option of completing a form and mailing it in. See studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out for a downloadable pdf.

Technically the FAFSA form is the student’s form, but if you are a dependent student, you will need information from your parents in the form. Here are the steps you need to take, and some (but not all) of the information required to fill out the FAFSA form.

1. Create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, which is a user name and password you and your dependent student will use to complete the FAFSA form online. Both the student and the parent must create their own FSA IDs. Your FSA ID serves as your legal electronic signature, so be sure to keep it private like other passwords.

   When creating an FSA ID, keep in mind you cannot use an email address or mobile phone number with more than one FSA ID.

   Create your new FSA ID at fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm.

   And just so you are aware ahead of time, your username must be 6 to 30 characters long and can be any combination of numbers and letters. The username is not case-sensitive. Your password must be 8 to 30 characters and contain at least one number, uppercase letter and lowercase letter. The password is case-sensitive.

2. Start the FAFSA form at fafsa.gov. You can start the process on behalf of your child. Be sure not to sign in at the same time as your child. You can create a “save key,” which is a temporary password that allows you and your child to alternative editing the form.

3. Fill in the Student Demographics section of the form, such as name, date of birth, etc. Be sure to use the same name as on the Social Security card – no nicknames.

4. Select the schools that you want the FAFSA information sent to.

5. Answer the dependency status questions. Answering yes to any of the questions means you will not have to provide parental information. For example, if you were born before January 1, 1999 or the 2022-2023 academic period, you are considered independent for FAFSA purposes. Or if you are married, are on active military duty, will be working on a master’s degree, etc., you are considered independent.

6. Fill out the parent demographics section – there is a series of questions here regarding your parents’ status that drive what information is required for the form.

7. Financial information must be provided. There is a link to the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) that allows you to import your tax information to the FAFSA form. Your child will also need to do this if he or she files taxes.

   In addition to your tax return(s), the FAFSA form will require information about untaxed income, such as child support received and interest income. You will also be asked to provide information about cash, bank balances, investments and business assets. Investments also include real estate held for sale (excluding principal residence), 529 college savings plans, etc. You do not need to include the value of 401k, IRA and other retirement plans.

8. Sign the form.

There’s a handy FAFSA worksheet for the 2022-2023 school year at studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-23-fafsa-worksheet.pdf for those looking to review what is required in advance of completing the form.

Additionally, a pdf of the 10 page form (with notes) for the 2022-2023 academic year is at studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-23-fafsa.pdf.

Apply to FEMA for COVID-19 Related Funeral Expenses

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is accepting applications for funeral assistance and reimbursement through its COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020.

This assistance is limited to a maximum financial amount of $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application. The COVID-19-related death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

The Helpline is 844-684-6333 and is available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time.

Examples of eligible expenses may include, but are not limited to:

• Transportation for up to two individuals to identify the deceased individual

• Transfer of remains

• Casket or urn

• Burial plot or cremation niche

• Marker or headstone

• Clergy or officiant services

• Arrangement of the funeral ceremony

• Use of funeral home equipment or staff

• Cremation or interment costs

• Costs associated with producing and certifying multiple death certificates.

• Additional expenses mandated by and applicable local or state government laws or ordinances.

The information you will be required to provide to FEMA to apply for this assistance includes:

• Your name, Social Security Number, date of birth, mailing address and contact phone numbers.

• Name, Social Security Number and date of birth for each deceased individual.

• Location or address where the individual died.

• Copy of death certificate that indicates the death was caused by, “may have been caused by,” or “was likely a result of” COVID-19 or COVID-19-like symptoms.

  • If the death certificate was issued between January 20 and May, 2020 and does not list COVID-19 as a cause of death, you may submit the death certificate with a signed statement from the original certifier of the death that attributes the death to COVID-19..

• Documentation and receipts for funeral assistance received from other sources, including burial or funeral insurance, donations, other government programs or non-profit organizations.

After you contact FEMA and apply, you can then submit documents either:

• Online at DisasterAssistance.gov

• Via fax at 855-261-3452

• By mail at COVID-19 Funeral Assistance, P.O. Box 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782.

Visit FEMA.gov/funeral-assistance/faq for additional information.

You cannot apply online. The call will take about 20 minutes.

If you are approved for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance, you will receive funds by direct deposit or a check by mail, depending on which option you chose when you applied for assistance.

California Minimum Wages Increased by $1 Per Hour on January 1, 2022

If you are a minimum wage earner in California, on January 1, 2022 you received a pay increase of either 7.7% or 7.1%.

It depends on if your employer has 25 or fewer employees or 26 or more employees. If you work for a smaller employer, the California minimum wage increased from $13 to $14 per hour. If you work for a larger employer, your wage increased from $14 to $15 per hour.

California minimum wage rates have increased from $10/hour (small employers) and $10.50/hour (larger employers) in 2017 to the current day rates by law to $15 over 5 (large employers) to 6 (small employers) years. Large employers are now at the $15 target rate. Small employers are planned to escalate one more dollar to $15/hour on January 1, 2023.

The federal minimum wage for 2022 is still $7.25, a rate unchanged since it became effective on July 24, 2009.

California minimum wage rates apply to Ventura County residents. But City of Los Angeles and County of Los Angeles minimum wage rates are currently also $15/hour for all employers.

Looking for a higher minimum wage? Move to San Francisco, where the rate is currently $16.32 per hour and will be adjusted for inflation on July 1, 2022.

Looking for states with minimum wages set at the federal rate of $7.25/hour? That would be Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

California’s minimum wage rate in 2022 is 2nd only to Washington D.C., which is at $15.20. Next closest is Washington at $14.49 and Massachusetts at $14.25