One of the leaders in Lackawanna County’s fight against the heroin epidemic left his job to become an executive at a Monroe County treatment facility.William Hoban, director of the office of drug and alcohol programs for the past 2½ years, took a job as chief operations officer at Pocono Mountain Recovery Center. Wednesday was his last day with the county.“He has been such an invaluable ally,” District Attorney Shane Scanlon said. [...]
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الأحد، 12 فبراير 2017
Back on the market, Penn Hills acreage fielding new offers
The former resort site in Stroud Township was only bought a year ago, but is getting renovation considerations again.
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Tools of the trade: Solving a hairy situation
Everyone likes to look sharp, including our pets. And there’s nothing that spiffs us up like a good haircut, or grooming if you’re a dog.That’s where the Zoom Groom, a deshedder, comes in. It’s a soft rubber device, with a hand grip on one side and egg carton-like spikes on the other. The groomer holds it with the spikes against the dogs coat, and strokes the animal from front to rear.“The hair just flies out,” Pat Jeanschild said. She [...]
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Passports are Expensive. Here are 4 Affordable Ways to Get One
Passports used to be something only jetsetters needed when traveling overseas. Thanks to a new law set to go into effect in 2018, many U.S. citizens may need a passport even if they don’t plan to leave American soil.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is about to make it even harder to get through security checkpoints around the country.
This time next year, your driver’s license won’t be enough to get you through checkpoints in Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington.
If you live in one of the other 41 states, pay attention — it may not be long before the REAL ID law affects you too.
What’s the REAL ID Law?
In an effort to crack down on fake IDs, Congress enacted a law requiring domestic travelers to produce a supplementary form of identification besides a driver’s license or state-issued ID card.
It might seem like this new regulation came out of nowhere, but Congress actually passed the REAL ID act in 2005. Oh, wheels of government. Why you gotta turn so slow?
Anyway, what this means for you is if you don’t have an official second form of identification (say, a military ID), you’ll need to get one sometime in the next few months. Your best bet is probably to apply for a passport.
How Much Does a Passport Cost?
Passport fees for first-time adult applicants aren’t cheap.
The application fee is a whopping $110. The execution fee (which is a really aggressive way to say “processing fee”) will run you another $25.
Renewals aren’t a whole lot cheaper. You save $25 on the execution fee, but the application fee remains the same.
The good news is passports last a really long time — 10 years to be exact. That breaks down to a little over $13 a year, not too bad for something that gives you access to most of the planet.
Are You Exempt From Passport Fees?
There are very few situations that might exempt you from passport fees.
If you fall into one of those categories chances are you’re already aware of it, but just in case, let’s recap.
The State Department will waive passport fees if you are:
1. Traveling on official U.S. government business
2. A U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, or other officially designated Sailor in the Armed Forces
3. An immediate family member of a deceased military service member seeking travel to an overseas funeral
4. Anyone else the State Department decides should get a free passport
What If You Can’t Afford a Passport?
If a passport application or renewal is out of your budget’s reach, you’ve got a few options to explore.
1. Consider a passport card.
Unless you’re jet-setting to all corners of the world, you might be able to get by with a passport card instead of a traditional passport book.
Cards are just as official as books, but the $30 application fee makes it a much cheaper option.
One thing to note. Passport cards can only be used at these sea ports-of-call and land border crossings:
- Mexico
- Canada
- Bermuda
- The Caribbean
2. Ask your boss.
If you travel overseas for work, talk to your employer about paying for your passport and application fees.
If the boss says no, keep your receipts — you can at least write off the expense on your taxes.
3. Check into advocacy and civic groups.
Thanks to a grassroots movement on Twitter, transgender citizens can ask nonprofit organization Trans Law Help for assistance with paying passport fees.
The group has collected over $15,000 to help transgender citizens defray the cost of updating a passport following a legal name change.
Think about what formal or informal groups you’re a part of that you could tap into for help. Churches, cultural communities and veterans organizations in your area may be a resource for help paying your passport fees.
4. See if your college offers scholarships.
Some colleges also help with passport fees. Temple University’s scholarship program offers first-year and transfer students up to $130 to help offset the cost of applying for a passport.
Be sure to check into whether your college offers a similar program.
Other (Fun!) Reasons to Get Your Passport
Big Brother might insist you get a passport, but there’s nothing stopping you from also using it to inject some fun into your life.
Don’t believe me? Check out some of the adventures you can have when you have a passport at the ready.
Your turn: Do you have a passport?
Lisa McGreevy is a Staff Writer for The Penny Hoarder. She’s also a travel junkie who keeps her passport with her because she never knows when opportunity will strike.
The post Passports are Expensive. Here are 4 Affordable Ways to Get One appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Three Famous Athletes Who Can Teach Us a Thing or Two About Frugality
Professional athletes often find themselves on shaky financial footing when they retire. This happens despite the fact that many of them make more money in one year than the average worker will make in a lifetime. Lifestyle inflation is real, people.
As you accumulate expensive things, you expect more and better things in the future. It takes tremendous discipline for an athlete who earns a paycheck that screams, “Let’s pop champagne in my six-bedroom house!” to live a lifestyle that whispers, “Let’s drink boxed wine in my one-bedroom apartment.” It doesn’t help that the media, the fans, your friends, and your family all expect you to project a certain kind of image.
Because of these societal and psychological pressures, it’s all the more impressive to learn that there are wealthy athletes who break the mold. They realize that it’s not total earnings that matter, but your savings rate — the gap between those earnings and what you spend. They have a deep understanding of the idea that happiness is not found in yearning for the latest and greatest, but in appreciating what you already have.
These frugal athletes from America’s three biggest sports show that not all of the 0.01% embrace a jet-setting lifestyle headed straight for bankruptcy.
- Related: Portrait of a Millionaire
Jeremy Lin, Brooklyn Nets (NBA)
No one epitomizes the ethos of living below their means more than my former college teammate, Jeremy Lin. He plays for the Brooklyn Nets, and he recently signed a three-year, $38 million, fully guaranteed contract. And yet, whenever a group of old college buddies get together at his place to hang out, I’m always struck by his simple lifestyle.
He’s played for the most iconic, showiest franchises in the NBA, including the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. You’d think he’d live in a luxury penthouse, drink $17 organic Kombuchas, and sit on gold-plated toilet seats.
In reality, he lives like your average late-20s bachelor. He rents low-key, non-glamorous apartments (he even posted some pictures that prove this on his website). When we hang out, we relax on IKEA couches and enjoy pizza on paper plates. That’s hardly a lifestyle that will lead to financial ruin, and sets a good example for any younger person trying to save for retirement.
- Related: The $15 Retirement Plan
Alfred Morris, Dallas Cowboys (NFL)
The most compelling member of the “Won’t Be Featured on HBO’s ‘Ballers’ Anytime Soon” club is Dallas Cowboys running back Alfred Morris.
He took the league by storm during his rookie year, and earned himself a reputation as one of the league’s best running backs. Naturally, a multi-million dollar contract followed soon after.
Morris signed his big deal, and then, without fanfare or PR, continued to drive his 1991 Mazda into work everyday. Eventually, the media took notice and started peppering him with questions about his perplexing decision to drive a car that probably wouldn’t pass a smog test in some states.
Morris staunchly defended his decision to drive whatever he pleased. He also made it clear that he was not just using his Mazda in order to save up to buy something bigger and better. All he cares about is his car getting him from point A to point B. “It’s always going to be my baby and I’m going to drive it until she dies,” Morris explained.
Getting extra miles out of old, paid-off cars is a time-tested way to save money, and it’s encouraging that even an NFL star is putting the idea into practice.
Daniel Norris, Detroit Tigers (MLB)
Daniel Norris is a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers who signed a $2 million contract when he was just 18 years old. That’s not an obscene amount, but it’s still a huge chunk of change, especially for a teenager. I’ve personally played professional basketball with guys who made a small fraction of what Norris earned, but still felt they could afford to spend money like they were a Saudi prince visiting Las Vegas.
Norris, on the other hand, is known for buying cheap t-shirts and living in an old Volkswagen van. Living in a vehicle that cost him just $10,000 takes the cake in terms of athlete frugality.
If you can keep your housing costs to a minimum, you’re going to be ahead of the game when it comes to saving for retirement or any other financial goal. Norris is spending an insignificant portion of his salary on housing at a time when more Americans than ever are spending half their income on shelter.
Living out of a van tends to carry a negative stigma, so it’s inspiring to see a pro baseball player display a deep conviction for simple, no-frills living.
Summing Up
Wealthy athletes who still live simply prove that, in spite of all the forces trying to get us to live beyond our means, we can all fight lifestyle creep and take steps to be grateful for what we have.
I don’t mean to exalt frugal millionaires onto a moral pedestal. Not buying a Ferrari doesn’t make you Gandhi. I just want to shed light on the fact that, while some famous athletes watch their retirement funds go up in flames, there are quality lessons to be learned from those who keep their fiscal heads on straight — in spite of all the messaging that tells them to spend money like their high salaries will last forever.
Related Articles:
- The Daniel Norris Code for Success
- Why Being a Pro Athlete Made Me a Terrible Investor
- Financial Independence on a Smaller Income
The post Three Famous Athletes Who Can Teach Us a Thing or Two About Frugality appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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