Category: Date

  • Working Part-Time in Retirement

    Traditionally, retirement means leaving the workforce to pursue decades of relaxation. However, today’s retirees and pre-retirees are reshaping what it means to leave the workforce. Retirement may be an opportunity to pursue a small business, start consulting or land a side job that explores your passions. If your next phase includes earning an income, there are some financial considerations to keep in mind:

    Social Security could be reduced

    If you haven’t yet reached full retirement age (65 or older) and already collect benefits, the wages you earn through continued work could result in reduced Social Security payments. In 2017, an individual earning more than $16,920 who hasn’t reached full retirement age will see a $1 reduction in Social Security benefits for every $2 earned above that level. The earnings limit is higher in the year you reach full retirement age, and no longer applies after you reach full retirement age. If you haven’t already claimed Social Security, you may wish to delay your benefits to earn a higher amount later in life.

    Prepare for higher taxes

    If you are taking income from retirement accounts or generating earnings from your savings or investments, at least some of that money is subject to tax. Earning income from work may move you into a higher marginal tax bracket, meaning those distributions and investment earnings could be taxed at a higher rate. Be prepared for a potential bump in your tax bill.

    Keep saving money

    Ongoing work may allow you to preserve your retirement savings for later in life and even continue to build those savings. As long as you have earned income, you can put money away in tax-advantaged retirement plans. This includes an employer-sponsored plan, if it is available to you, a traditional IRA, or a Roth IRA. Contributions to traditional IRAs can only continue up to the year in which you turn 70-1/2. If you earn income past that point, you may be able to continue making contributions to a Roth IRA indefinitely, based on your income level.

    Pay attention to health insurance

    Even if you retain health care coverage from an employer, you should consider signing up for Medicare Part A at age 65. There is generally no cost, and it provides coverage for care in hospitals and other institutions. Talk to your employer about whether you should sign up for Medicare Part B (a monthly premium applies). You may be able to delay doing so if you are covered by your employer’s plan without being subject to a 10 percent annual penalty for delaying enrollment in Part B. Check the rules carefully before you turn 65.

    Whatever your motivation for continuing to earn a paycheck, the income you earn could impact several aspects of your financial life. Evaluating and planning for the effects working will have on your finances may help you feel more confident about living decades in retirement.

    MICHAEL W. K. YEE, CFP
    1585 Kapiolani Blvd., Ste. 1100, Honolulu HI 96814
    808-952-1222, ext. 1240 | michael.w.yee@ampf.com

    Michael W. K. Yee, CFP®, CFS®, CLTC, CRPC ®, is a Financial Advisor, Certified Financial Planner ™ practitioner with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

    Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and its affiliates do not offer tax or legal advice. Consumers should consult with their tax advisor or attorney regarding their specific situation. Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment adviser.

    Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC.
    © 2017 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved. File #1909079

    Traditionally, retirement means leaving the workforce to pursue decades of relaxation. However, today’s retirees and pre-retirees are reshaping what it means to leave the workforce. Retirement may be an opportunity to pursue a small business, start consulting or land a side job that explores your passions. If your next phase includes earning an income, there…

  • When Grandparents Become Parents Again

    What would you do if your daughter or son was suddenly unable to take care of their keiki? Have you ever thought about becoming a parent after retirement? This decision for families is often unexpected and comes under very difficult circumstances. About three million children in the U.S. are being raised by a grandparent. The term “grandfamily” refers to families where grandparents (or other aunties and uncles) take on the full-time responsibility of raising children in the family who are not their own. There are many reasons why this occurs: the child’s parents may be deceased, in jail, suffering from addiction or deployed for work. Every grandfamily is unique in its strengths and challenges. The common thread is that children being raised by a grandparent, instead of entering the foster care system, have been proven to do better in school. Grandfamilies are prevalent in our communities, our culture and across the country, but often need support.

    Hand of an elderly holding hand of younger

    What is the GRANDcares program?

    GRANDcares began on Maui and Big Island in 2015. The program is an educational intervention for grandfamilies that is rooted in family resiliency. GRANDcares program is implemented in three phases: strengthening self-care for grandparents, developing communication and leadership skills in grandchildren, and trainings for service providers who work specifically with grandfamilies. The program will launch the second phase called “GRANDcares Youth Club”. This is an interactive seven-week program for keiki ages 8–12 years old being raised by a grandparent. Additionally, the first phase of the program is ongoing and classes for grandparents will run simultaneously. There is no cost to join, but space is limited. For more information or to register email grandcaresmaui@gmail.com.

    “One challenge that many local grandfamilies face is that although they have sole re-sponsibility for the children, they often do not have legal guardianship. This can make
    it difficult for the grandparents to advocate for the children,” says Heather Greenwood-Junkermeier, UH Mānoa, GRANDcares Program Director.

    When a child needs urgent medical attention or needs to be registered for school and their legal guardian isn’t in the picture, Hawaiian law allows a grandparent (or other relative) caregiver to authorize medical or dental care or enroll the child in school, if the child has lived with them for at least six months. Affidavit consent forms are available from your medical office or the DOE, respectively.

    GRANDcares HAWAII — UH Mānoa
    808-244-3242, Ext 226 | grandcaresmaui@gmail.com
    www.grandcares.colostate.edu
    Facebook: grandcareshawaii

    What would you do if your daughter or son was suddenly unable to take care of their keiki? Have you ever thought about becoming a parent after retirement? This decision for families is often unexpected and comes under very difficult circumstances. About three million children in the U.S. are being raised by a grandparent. The…

  • How May We Help You?

    Social Security has a toolbox full of resources on its website, www.socialsecurity.gov, to help you with your financial planning. With so many resources, maybe it’s easier if we highlight one of our “best.”

    BEST is the Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool, available at www.ssabest.benefits.gov. It can help you find out if you might be eligible for retirement, disability, survivors, Supplemental Security Income, or Medicare benefits. Although BEST asks you a series of questions to determine your eligibility, they are not personal in nature and the answers are not stored.

    On average, it takes only about 10 minutes to complete the BEST questionnaire. First, it guides you through the questions needed to find out if you could qualify for benefits. Just to the right of each question is an information icon (a white “i” in a blue circle) that gives you tips on how to answer each question.


    The “results” section appears automatically after you have completed some basic questions. BEST lists each program for which you might qualify. By clicking on the “read more” tab, you’ll find a description of the benefits program, its requirements, and what your next steps should be. If you are eligible for benefits, you must file an application for benefits with Social Security because BEST is not an application. The best way to do this is by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov.

    You can go back and narrow your resource responses by answering additional questions. After you have reviewed the results, you can print a copy for your records or email yourself a copy.

    BEST doesn’t screen for the Extra Help program, which helps with Medicare Part D prescription drug plan costs. But see if you qualify at www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/prescriptionhelp/.

    The results couldn’t be clearer — investing just ten minutes can yield all the possible resources available to you from Social Security. Now, that’s a tool worth using.

    For questions, online applications or to make an appointment to visit a SSA office, call from 7am–5pm, Mon–Fri:
    1-800-772-1213 (toll free) | www.socialsecurity.gov

    Social Security has a toolbox full of resources on its website, www.socialsecurity.gov, to help you with your financial planning. With so many resources, maybe it’s easier if we highlight one of our “best.” BEST is the Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool, available at www.ssabest.benefits.gov. It can help you find out if you might be eligible for…

  • GrandGrace: Multigenerational Support

    Providing seniors care for their body, mind and spirit is critically important. Simply spending time with seniors can improve their emotional well-being and outlook. Palolo Chinese Home, in partnership with Common Grace, a nonprofit organization, recently launched a new program called GrandGrace to address these needs of residents and senior day care participants.

    In the GrandGrace program, keiki share their skills with seniors.
    In the GrandGrace program, keiki share their skills with seniors.

    The multi generational program gives adult or teen mentors and their child mentees opportunities to participate in fun activities with Palolo Chinese Home’s seniors for a time of mutual companionship and support. It’s a win-win situation. Seniors, who may sometimes feel lonely or forgotten, welcome the gift of time with those with youthful energy, and the youth and adult GrandGrace volunteers are enriched by the experience.

    Over the past 15 years, Common Grace has paired more than 2,000 mentors with children from over 60 churches and schools.

    For more information about the GrandGrace program or to sign up for Common Grace mentorship, call 808-783-1097 or email commongraceofhawaii@gmail.com. Support by generation.

    PALOLO CHINESE HOME
    2458 10th Avenue, Honolulu HI 96816
    808-737-2555 | www.palolohome.org

    Providing seniors care for their body, mind and spirit is critically important. Simply spending time with seniors can improve their emotional well-being and outlook. Palolo Chinese Home, in partnership with Common Grace, a nonprofit organization, recently launched a new program called GrandGrace to address these needs of residents and senior day care participants. The multi…

  • Respiratory Care: A Specialty Service

    Being unable to breathe on our own is very scary. Spinal cord injuries, pneumonia, stroke, injury to the chest, muscular dystrophy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can all bring on respiratory failure. Spinal cord injuries often happen when we least expect it — a surfing accident, a fall or a car accident — and may require you to be on a ventilator to breathe.

    Photo courtesy of Care Center of Honolulu
    Photo courtesy of Care Center of Honolulu

    Persons diagnosed with chronic respiratory failure are at a higher risk for infection, and most patients require frequent tracheal suctioning, around-the-clock monitoring and are ventilator-dependent. When a loved one suffers from these complexities, it can be very heartbreaking and stressful, but knowing that a specialized team is providing the care needed for the best chance of recovery can ease that stress.

    Skilled Nursing Facilities are medically licensed 24-hr care communities that can provide this specialty care. It’s important to learn about care options, so do your homework by inquiring with the right questions:

    • Do they have state-of-the-art equipment?
    • How long have they been providing respiratory care to ventilator-dependent individuals?
    • Can they provide frequent tracheal suctioning and round-the-clock monitoring?
    • Do they staff enough respiratory therapists and have a respiratory therapist director?
    • Do they have a pulmonologist on board?

    CARE CENTER OF HONOLULU
    1900 Bachelot Street, Honolulu HI 96817
    808-531-5302 | www.ccoh.us

    Being unable to breathe on our own is very scary. Spinal cord injuries, pneumonia, stroke, injury to the chest, muscular dystrophy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can all bring on respiratory failure. Spinal cord injuries often happen when we least expect it — a surfing accident, a fall or a car accident — and may require you to…

  • My Memory Box

    Memory boxes can help seniors, especially those with Alzheimer’s or with dementia, recall events and people from the past. The contents represent a life they once knew and now have difficulty remembering or have forgotten entirely. Memory boxes help stimulate their memory and link loved ones and moments of their lives to their identity.

    How to create a memory box

    Find a shoe box, bin, plastic container or anything with a lid. It should be something that is easy to access and can fit and store items of reasonable shapes and sizes. Have fun decorating the memory box with your loved one!

    Keep in mind…

    Focus on items that are positive memories. They should also be easy for them to handle —
    avoid heavy or sharp objects.

    Choosing items to go into their box

    Choose items that:

    • are personal (postcards, letters, trinkets, pictures, etc.),
    • reflect their interests, or
    • have meaning to your loved one in any way.

    It might take time for them to recognize or understand these items, so you may want to label each one to help jog their memory. Making memory boxes can be a fun way to spend some time together with your loved one. They can also be made during anyone’s lifetime.

    KINOLAU HOME MALAMA, LLC
    15-1735 19th St., Kea‘au, HI 96749
    808-982-5415 | Facebook: Kinolau Home Malama, LLC

    Memory boxes can help seniors, especially those with Alzheimer’s or with dementia, recall events and people from the past. The contents represent a life they once knew and now have difficulty remembering or have forgotten entirely. Memory boxes help stimulate their memory and link loved ones and moments of their lives to their identity. How…

  • Essential Support for Family Caregivers

    Every morning, 85-year-old Thomas puts on his aloha shirt and heads to “work” at an adult day care center located near downtown Honolulu. Going there gives him a sense of purpose to get up every morning. His family needs to remind him each day where he is going since he has dementia, but once he is at the center, he is actively engaged in physical exercise, recreational activities and socializing with his friends.

    Activities promote socialization and cognitive stimulation. Photo courtesy Kāhala Nui
    Activities promote socialization and cognitive stimulation. Photo courtesy Kāhala Nui

    More importantly, Thomas’s daily routine gives his wife the several hours of respite that she needs from taking care of him, which is a 24/7 responsibility. It also provides his children peace of mind that dad is safe and happy so that they can continue to work and not worry about their mother burning out from the stress of caregiving. Thomas’s older brother recently joined the center, so now they get to see each other more often and both families feel reassured that the two siblings are in good hands.

    Attending an adult day care center has been a welcome solutio

    Photo courtesy Kāhala Nui
    Photo courtesy Kāhala Nui

    n for Thomas and his family. Adult day care centers are licensed by the State Department of Health, and typically open from Mondays to Fridays (some open on weekends) with convenient hours to accommodate the working caregivers. They offer a full day of exercise, recreational activities, arts and crafts, music and socialization. At least one meal and snacks are provided, and center participants are carefully supervised by trained staff. Day care centers’ fees range from $60 to $100/day for a full 8 to 10 hours, making it one of the most cost-effective types of care.

    Attendees like Thomas enjoy day care, where they can mingle with their peers, exercise and participate in the variety of activities such as Xbox games, ping pong and karaoke singing. The center that Thomas attends provides a continental breakfast and hot lunch served on china, with tablecloths and linen napkins. The center’s director believes food tastes better and people enjoy each other’s company as they savor their coffee and dessert when they are served in this restaurant-style manner

    For more info about adult day care centers in your area, go to www.HawaiiADRC.org or call 643-2372, a statewide toll-free number.

    LIVE WELL AT IWILEI BY KĀHALA NUI
    888 Iwilei Road #105, Honolulu HI 96817
    808.218.7777 | www.livewellhi.org

    Live Well at Iwilei is operated by Kāhala Nui and is one of the awarded adult day care contractors for the new State Kupuna Caregiver Assistance Program providing up to $70/day for respite services to help working caregivers.

    Every morning, 85-year-old Thomas puts on his aloha shirt and heads to “work” at an adult day care center located near downtown Honolulu. Going there gives him a sense of purpose to get up every morning. His family needs to remind him each day where he is going since he has dementia, but once he…

  • Self-Care Tips for Caregivers on GTV

    Earlier this year, Generations Magazine publisher Percy Ihara interviewed a national speaker on caregiving, Dave Nassaney, for the Generations Radio Show. This is an edited transcript of the short Generations TV interview Percy did after the radio show aired.

    GTV: Can you briefly tell your story?

    DN: For the last 21 years, I’ve been a caregiver to my beautiful wife Charlene. She suffered a massive stroke that left her severely speech impaired and paralyzed on the right side. Now I travel all across the country sharing my message: How to prevent your loved one’s illness and disease from actually killing you.

    GTV: What are the three biggest mistakes that caregivers make?

    DN: The first biggest mistake that caregivers make is they don’t know how to put their needs first. The airlines tell us in the event of an emergency, to put your oxygen mask on first before you help your loved ones with their mask. What an amazing metaphor for all of life — take care of you first. Not out of selfishness, but out of survival.

    The second biggest mistake that caregivers make is that they don’t know how to ask for help. Call your brother, call your sister, call your wife’s ex-husband, call anybody. Just get over that silly notion that caregivers have to do it all themselves or they’re going to be a failure as a caregiver.

    The third biggest mistake is allowing undeserved guilt to affect your decision-making process. It’s kind of like being handcuffed to your loved one and feeling like you’re a prisoner. That kind of attitude, that kind of guilt, will kill you.

    GTV: So, what’s a caregiver to do?

    DN: CARE, right? Communicate with your friends. Don’t isolate yourself. Caregivers need to have a life outside of caregiving. Ask for help. Be specific. And when help is offered, don’t turn it down. Rest. Caregivers need eight hours of rest every single night. Eat healthy, nutritious foods. Don’t eat junk food. Junk food’s got chemicals and sugar and processed ingredients that’ll kill you.

    I like to say there’s three kinds of people in the world. There’s caregivers, those who are going to become caregivers, those who are going to need a caregiver. There’s no escaping it. Caregiving is going to touch you at one point or another. Now’s the time to learn how to be a caregiver — not after tragedy strikes and your loved one becomes disabled.

    For more information on Dave Nassaney, go to www.CaregiversCaregiver.com.

    Click here to watch the entire interview and episode featuring Dave Nassaney online

    Earlier this year, Generations Magazine publisher Percy Ihara interviewed a national speaker on caregiving, Dave Nassaney, for the Generations Radio Show. This is an edited transcript of the short Generations TV interview Percy did after the radio show aired. GTV: Can you briefly tell your story? DN: For the last 21 years, I’ve been a…

  • Aging and Muscle Loss

    Throughout our youth, most of us will experience muscle growth up until the age of 30. Thereafter, we begin to lose some muscle mass, strength and performance. This steady decline is called sarcopenia and is the “use it or lose” part of the natural aging process. It often goes unnoticed in our earlier years, as we have more muscle than needed to perform everyday tasks like standing or getting out of bed.

    Sarcopenia affects physically inactive adults more, and after age 30 individuals may lose somewhere of 3 to 5 percent of muscle mass or more with each passing decade. This decline in muscle mass and strength accelerates after the age of 60. While age-related sarcopenia occurs more in physically inactive adults, physically active adults may also experience it, which suggests there are multiple causes for sarcopenia.

    Having low muscle mass can also be a strong predictor of frailty, disability and injuries related to mobility problems. A report from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research found that individuals with sarcopenia had more than twice the risk of incurring bone fractures and disability from a fall. Because of these risks, it is vital to maintain the muscles we have and be as active as we can. “It takes work, dedication, and a plan, but it is never too late to rebuild muscle and maintain it. Older adults can increase muscle mass lost as a consequence of aging,” says Dr. Thomas Storer, Director of the Laboratory of Exercise Physiology and Physical Function at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

    So, what can we do to protect ourselves from sarcopenia? Older adults and caregivers can be encouraged to know muscle and strength building can be done the same way 70-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger does it: through exercise and nutrition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend older adults participate in muscle-strengthening activities a minimum of three days a week. Strength training may involve using weights, resistance bands or exercise machines. Studies have also shown that individuals who started earlier and had exercise habits in their middle age had a lower occurrence of muscle loss later in life.

    Older adults who are physically inactive also tend to have inadequate nutritional intake, eat smaller meals and feel less thirsty, all of which can contribute to sarcopenia. Good nutrition and eating healthy sources of protein, including fish, nuts and lentils, combined with regular strength or resistance training, have shown to be more effective in managing sarcopenia. Studies have also shown that combining muscle-strengthening exercises with improved protein nutrition positively affects sarcopenia more than diet modification or exercise alone.

    So, start early, and ask your health professional about sarcopenia, nutrition, exercise and treatments specific to your needs. Everyone should be proactive and learn more about exercise and the right nutrition to manage sarcopenia. It sounds simple and it is: activity and nutrition go a long way to maintaining our muscles and strength. Getting older is just a number. It’s what we DO that matters.

    ATTENTION PLUS CARE HOME HEALTH CARE
    Accredited by The Joint Commission
    1580 Makaloa St., Ste. #1060, Honolulu, HI 96814
    808-739-2811 | www.attentionplus.com

    AGING IN HAWAII EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAM by Attention Plus Care — a program providing resources for seniors and their families, covering different aging topics each month. For class information and upcoming topics, call 808-440-9356.

    Throughout our youth, most of us will experience muscle growth up until the age of 30. Thereafter, we begin to lose some muscle mass, strength and performance. This steady decline is called sarcopenia and is the “use it or lose” part of the natural aging process. It often goes unnoticed in our earlier years, as…

  • How to Climb Stairs Pain Free

    In our younger years we didn’t think twice about sprinting up and down steps. As we age, however, climbing a flight of stairs can often seem like scaling a mountainside due to limited mobility and pain. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the force on each knee is 2 – 3 times your body weight when you go up and down stairs. So, if knee or back pain has you avoiding stairs, follow these simple steps to regain your independence and freedom of movement.

    Stand tall (A)   and tighten your core muscles to protect your spine, place one hand on the rail to maintain balance and set your entire foot on the step (B). As you step up, apply more weight through your heel rather than your toes and engage your buttock muscles as you straighten your leg to move up on the step. Try to avoid leaning forward and pulling yourself up using the hand-rail, instead keep the knee aligned with your toes (C) and focus on the larger muscles of the hip (hamstrings and gluteals) to take the pressure off the knee joint.

    Following these simple tips may not immediately resolve your pain, but with practice and strengthening your core and lower extremity muscles as you use correct mechanics, you will allow your body to adapt so that you can enjoy taking the stairs every day.

    Moon Physical Therapy, LLC
    320 Ward Ave., Ste. 107, Honolulu HI 96814
    Aquatic, Land-based and Manual Therapy and
    Cardiopulmonary Rehab Programs
    808-597-1005 | www.moonpt.com
    Like me on Facebook: Moon Physical Therapy, LLC

    In our younger years we didn’t think twice about sprinting up and down steps. As we age, however, climbing a flight of stairs can often seem like scaling a mountainside due to limited mobility and pain. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the force on each knee is 2 – 3 times your body weight when you go…

  • The Need of Going the Extra Mile

    It all started with a new pair of shoes.

    Twenty-nine years ago, Honolulu resident Joan Davis decided to reclaim her health. “I was having some health problems,” she says. “It was time to make a change.”

    So, the then-49-year-old bought a pair of athletic shoes and joined the “Saturday Amblers,” a walking group that met at Kapiolani Park every Saturday morning. A few weeks later, a member of Faerber’s Flyers, a women’s running group, nudged her into signing up for a 5K “fun run” at the park. With no running experience to speak of, Davis was initially hesitant, but decided to give it a try. To her astonishment, 3.1 miles later, she had won a medal in her age division. “My love of running blossomed from there,” she recalls.

    Not long after her triumphant 5K debut, she laced up her running shoes once again and finished a 15K race at Hickam Air Force Base. “I told myself: ‘If I can do a 15K… well, I guess I could do a marathon, too,’” she laughs. She started a training regimen, and in December of 1990, ran the Honolulu Marathon at the age of 50. That’s when Davis says she realized how far she’d come — literally — in her health and fitness journey.

    And looking back on it now, it was really just the beginning.

    Joan Davis feeling good at the National Senior Games in California.
    Joan Davis feeling good at the National Senior Games in California.

    Davis went on to cross the Honolulu Marathon finish line eight more times, and if that weren’t impressive enough, she also completed dozens of 5Ks, 10Ks, and a handful of half-marathons — in Hawai‘i, on the mainland, and as far away as Australia, Indonesia, and China.

    In 1995, her life took yet another unexpected turn when a friend asked her to join the Hawaii Masters Track Club. As the track and field club’s first female member, she added the javelin throw, discus, shot put, and hammer throw to her expanding athletic repertoire. “If you told me 30 years ago that I’d be a hammer thrower, I wouldn’t have believed you,” she laughs.

    In 2001, Davis learned she’d qualified for the National Senior Games, a multi-sport, biennial competition for men and women ages 50 and over. Since then, she’s competed in seven National Senior Games and has racked up her fair share of medals, ribbons, and trophies; she’s also earned All-American status. In 2015, she placed 14th in the javelin throw, 16th in the discus, and 17th in the shot put in the women’s 75 – 79 age division. And Davis isn’t stopping there: She has her sights set on competing internationally, too.

    For Davis, athletics is far more than a recreational pastime — it’s a passion. So much, in fact, that she readily accepted a friend’s invitation to attend a luncheon at the Honolulu Quarterback Club (HQC) 15 years ago, and five years later, joined HQC’s board of directors as its secretary. Since then, she’s added a few other titles to her expanding résumé: Hawaii Masters Track Club secretary, president of Faerber’s Flyers, state representative for the Road Runners Club of America, and first vice president in charge of race operations for the Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club.

    Apart from the physiological benefits of exercising regularly, Davis, now 77, says there’s a social component that makes it twice as fulfilling.

    And she will be the first to tell you that embracing an active lifestyle can be a true game-changer. “I encourage everyone to try it,” she says. “It’s never too late to start.”

    HONOLULU QUARTERBACK CLUB
    Maple Garden, 909 Isenberg St., Honolulu HI
    808-220-6454 | HermanHStern@msn.com
    Meeting: Every Monday, 11:30 am – 1 pm

    It all started with a new pair of shoes. Twenty-nine years ago, Honolulu resident Joan Davis decided to reclaim her health. “I was having some health problems,” she says. “It was time to make a change.” So, the then-49-year-old bought a pair of athletic shoes and joined the “Saturday Amblers,” a walking group that met…

  • The Importance of Documentation

    One of the most common problems I encounter investigating a cybercrime is that the victim fails to provide any records and/or documentation to support their claim that they have been victimized. This is often also true of others reporting the crime, either with the victim or on their behalf.

    Lack of documentation is most prevalent in cases involving online fraud. Here are a few good steps to take every time your purchase or acceptance of a contract involves the internet:

    • Print the webpage — a simple and quick method. Print the displayed offer, sale, or service you are interested in. At the bottom of the printout will usually be the URL (webpage address) and the date and time the printout was done. After purchasing, print out any on-screen confirmation
    of sale, receipt of funds, delivery notices, etc.
    • Bookmark the webpage(s). This is also a good way of record keeping and being able to return to that particular webpage.
    • Print your email. Solicitations offering the sale of items and/or services and purchase confirmations and receipts, delivery notices, etc. received in your email should be printed out as good practice. In addition, all emails involving the transaction should NOT be deleted, but saved in a separate folder.
    • Obtain bank or credit card statements reflecting transactions to further assist investigations.
    Again, prevention is the key: “If it’s too good to be true…”

    THE DEPARTMENT OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
    1060 Richards St., Honolulu HI 96813
    808-768-7400 | Office hrs: Mon – Fri, 7:45 am – 4:30 pm
    www.honoluluprosecutor.org/contact-us/

    One of the most common problems I encounter investigating a cybercrime is that the victim fails to provide any records and/or documentation to support their claim that they have been victimized. This is often also true of others reporting the crime, either with the victim or on their behalf. Lack of documentation is most prevalent…