The San Bernardino County Sun from San Bernardino, California • Page 50

C-16 THE SUN-TELEGRAM March 19, 1978 Organize a home filing system and save worry celed checks, receipted bills, dog-eared tax returns, yellowing correspondence, washing machine warranties, accident reports By CLIFF SMITH Gannett News Service You've stuffed one or more dresser drawers or filing cabinets with can birth certificates, citizenship papers, marriage certificates, adoption papers, divorce decrees, wills, death certificates, deeds, titles to automobiles, household inventory, veteran's documents, bonds and stock certificates and important contracts. If you need to obtain some of these papers, two booklets "Where To Write for Birth and Death Records" and "Where To heartline tain checks and bills once they've served their purpose. For example, you can throw away weekly or monthly salary statements after you check them against your annual W-2 Form. But save canceled checks relating directly to an entry on your tax return, and keep all medical bills for three years to back up your canceled checks. You also can throw away canceled checks for cash or nondeductible expenses, expired warranties, coupons after their expiration date and other records no longer needed.

For more information on how tro make your dresser drawer or filing cabinet easier to close, write to the Consumer Information Center for the free booklet, "Keeping Family-Household Records." It'll also tell you how to make out a net worth statement. for items under warranty; receipts for expensive items not yet paid for; education information, such as transcripts, diplomas, Social Security information on benefits and regulations and an inventory of what's in your safe deposit box plus the key. How long should you keep your tax records? The Internal Revenue Service has three years in which to audit federal income tax returns, However, this limit does not apply in unusual cases. If you failed to report more than 25 percent of your gross income, the government has six years to collect the tax or to start legal proceedings. There is no time limit on government action if you filed a fraudulent return or if you failed to file any return.

You can lighten your record load by discarding cer However you organize a home filing system in a filing cabinet, accordion folder, storage chest under a bed or a cardboard box divide it into an active and a dead storage file. Your active file should hold unpaid bills (until paid), paid bill receipts, current bank statements, current canceled checks and income tax working papers. After three years, move these items to your dead storage file. Other items for your active file include: employment records, such as resumes, recommendation letters, health benefit information; credit card information, including the number of each card by company name; insurance policies; second copies of wills; family health records; tax receipts; loan statements and payment books; appliance manuals and warranties; receipts and other papers you think you might need someday. It's out of sight of your spouse and visitors, and out of mind at least until you begin looking for something.

And income tax filing time is usually one of those times. How do you decide which records are important enough to keep and which can be tossed out? And how do you decide where to store the records and papers you need to keep? You should save documents you can't replace or those that would be costly or troublesome to replace, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Handbook for the Home." And these documents ought to be kept in a safe deposit box. Among the papers in a safe deposit box should be checks usually are available at your bank. Generally, you don't need to keep these items in a safe deposit box: Income tax returns, education records, employment records, bankbooks, Social Security cards, guarantees and burial instructions.

A household inventory will be valuable if there's a fire or burglary in your home. It'll help you remember what has to be replaced and how much each item is worth. It also may show you need to increase your insurance because your possessions are worth more than you thought. Include the model number, brand name, dealer's name and a general description of each item in each room. Photographs also help.

Update the list every six months. i i a i Write for Marriage Records" are available for 35 cents each from the Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, Colo. 81009. Many items can be replaced rather easily, so you don't need to keep them in a safe deposit box. Copies of insurance policies, for instance, can be obtained from your insurance companies.

Copies of canceled 3fl mm cS)l hi)JU XJLi MARCH 20-22 dition of the retirement, disability, and health insurance programs, as well as program coverage, benefit levels, inequities, coordination with related government programs, and other issues. The final report is required within two years of enactment of the bill. These three studies will hit on the major portions of the Social Security program. As there are many problems in each area, it will be very interesting to see the results and the steps that Congress will take. HEARTLINE: My father is going to be 65 years old in July of this year.

He will be retiring and going on Social Security and Medicare. My father has a heart problem that makes it necessary for him to go to the doctor quite frequently. I have read that Medicare is not adequate coverage for retired people. Yet, I do not know much about purchasing a health insurance policy for someone on Medicare. Can you help me on this? C.J.

ANSWER: Many different insurance companies have various types of Medicare supplement insurance policies. A person shopping for this type of policy can usually get one to pay any of the deductibles under the Medicare program. Listed below are the most basic types of coverage offered by Medicare supplements: 1. Pays the first $144 of your hospital stay which is not covered by Medicare Part 2. Pays the Part $36 deductible per day from the 61st through the 90th day of hospitalization.

3. Pays the Part $72 deductible per day while you are using your 60 day life-time reserve. 4. Pays so many dollars a day from the 90th day on (for a certain number of days) in the hospital. 5.

Pays so many dollars a day from the first day of hospitalization above and apart from the deductibles. 6. Pays the $60 deductible on your doctor and medical bills which Medicare Part does not cover. 7. Pays 20 per cent of the reasonable charges of your doctor and medical bills after your $60.00 deductible since Medicare will only cover 80 per cent of the reasonable charges.

Remember that not all Medicare supplements pay all that is listed above. Some supplements pay a few of these. Very few, if any, pay all of them and a policy with all of the above coverages would be extremely expensive. Most supplements offered contain the coverage listed in numbers (1), (2), and (4), probably the most important supplemental coverage. It would also be wise to get one with the coverage listed in number (7).

For people who have problems understanding their health insurance, Heartline has developed a book to help them. "Heartline's Guide to Health Insurance and Medicare" supplements covers the major questions you will have concerning the purchase of health insurance. This book covers Medicare supplements, disability income policies, and regular health insurance policies. There is also a policy checklist in this book which will help you in asking questions to an insurance agent that calls on you. To order, send $1.50 to "Heartline's Guide to Health Insurance," P.O.

Box 11934, Chicago, IL 60611. This book is completely guaranteed. Please allow six weeks for delivery. THRIFTY FAMILY WANT ADS 3 DAYS LINE 1 PAID IN ADVANCE 3 LINES MAXIMUM, EXTRA LINES $1.00 EACH. Private Parties Only.

Each Advertised Item Not To Exceed $500. The Sun-Telegram 399 N. St. San Bernardino HEARTLINE is a service for senior citizens. Its purpose is to answer questions and solve problems fast.

If you have a question or a problem not answered in these columns, write HEARTLINE, 114 E. Dayton West Alexandria, Ohio 45381. You will receive a prompt reply, but you must include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The most useful replies will be printed in this column. HEARTLINE: I am a 56-year-old widow and I am still working full time.

My life has been very lonely for the past two years since my husband died. I have tried going to various meetings and clubs for people my age, but I really did not enjoy this. Would you have any other suggestions for me to pass the idle hours? T.J. ANSWER: One suggestion that Heartline can offer is to join a pen pal club. It is a great way to meet people throughout the country and you can start correspondence that will give you many new friends.

Heartline has developed a pen pal club exclusively for people over the age of 50. This club has been in existence for three years and has thousands of members throughout the United States. The purpose of this club is to help older Americans cure their problems of boredom. For complete information and an application card write to: Heartline-American 60 Club, 114 E. Dayton West Alexandria, Ohio 45381.

Please enclose a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope. HEARTLINE: I had a problem recently with one of my charge cards. The problem has now been resolved. I had disputed one of the charges on my card, but the credit card company was correct in their billing. This took approximately three months to straighten out.

Will this problem have any effect on my credit rating? J.C. ANSWER: This will have no adverse effect on your credit rating because once you wrote the creditor about the possible error, the creditor could not give out information to other creditors or credit bureaus or threaten to damage your credit rating. After the bill was explained to you and you paid it, the matter ended as far as the creditor was concerned. You should also check with the creditor because since the matter has been, they must report the outcome of the matter to each person who received information about you. HEARTLINE: I have read in the paper about the new Social Security tax bill that was passed in December, 1977.

I thought that I saw something relating various studies that will be taking place with the Social Security Administration. Do you know anything about this? B.T. ANSWER: The Social Security tax bill had provisions in it for three separate studies that could effect the social security program immensely. They are: An interagency study between the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and the Treasury, the Civil Service Commission, and the office of Management and Budget. These agencies will study the proposal to cover federal, state, and local government workers under Social Security.

A report is re quired to Congress within two years of enactment of the bill. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare in conjunction with a special Justice Department Task Force on Sex Discrimination will examine differences in the treatment of men and women under Social Security, to analyze a variety of proposals affecting widowers and divorced husbands, 11-legitimate children, spouses of disabled workers and other special categories as well as general problems of inequity. A report to Congress is required within six months of the enactment of the bill. A nine member National Study Commission on Social Security is established to study the financial con 2 March 25 2 Jjr i i-i ii That adorable, loveable cartoon character, The Pink Panther, meets the Easter Bunny in magical, musical, live performances Monday through Wednesday at Inland Center. Show Times are: 11:00 a.m.

4:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. daily Also i i Chick Hatchery Easter Photos Free Bunny Ears 5 4 i Now Through i 4 VJ Sears. May the Broadway, and 76 other fine shops. I-15E and Inland Center Drive, San Bernardino 2 jkJk AJLMAJK.

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