According to AARP, each year many taxpayers are scammed, including seniors.

So with that in mind, here are eight useful tips on how to protect yourself:

1. File early, scammers do, hoping to beat you to the punch and claim your refund.
2. If e-filing, your computer should connect to the Internet with an Ethernet cable. A wireless computer is less safe; public networks should not be used for tax work.
3. Don’t leave your returns on your computer. Once you’ve filed, transfer the information to a flash drive or a CD.
4. Make sure you have updated antivirus protection, a two-way firewall and that any wireless Internet you use is protected with a network key. Run anti-spyware software regularly.
5. Never click on links or attachments in emails from strangers; this may allow them to steal your personal information.
6. Never provide your SSN or other personal information to telemarketers, text messages or emails unless you initiate correspondence with a trusted entity.
7. If you receive a phone call, fax or letter from someone claiming to be with the IRS, verify it by calling 1-800-829-1040. Watch out if you receive an email purporting to be from the IRS, these are not real and are only sent to try and steal your information.
8. If you don’t receive your refund within a month of e-filing, check its status at this IRS webpage. If you suspect tax-related identity theft, call the IRS at 1-800-908-4490.

Remember, you can never be too cautious when it comes to protecting your personal information. There are many people who are just waiting to steal your good name and reap the benefits of your hard work, including your tax refund!

Information courtesy of AARP

After 9/11, the lives of many were forever changed. The day after the shock and pain of the events still pierce deep into the thoughts and souls of everyone, especially those directly connected to the event.

We should never forget the men and women who passed on that date and their families who bravely go forward without their loved ones and the rescuers and first responders who spent days searching for survivors!

If you are looking or know someone who is
looking to become a caregiver, please apply at http://www.familyfirstseniorcare.com/employee_opp.php.

Our application process will take you about 10-15 minutes to complete. That’s it! We look forward to reviewing your application.

Family First Senior Care Team

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday” on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

Info provided by: http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday