Month: April 2020

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping.’” – Fred Rogers

How are you?  We hope this note finds you safe and well.  This is a scary and uncertain time for many people, a time unlike any most of us have ever experienced.  Every day, we’re beset with new headlines and social media posts about the pandemic.  While we know this will all end eventually, sometimes eventually can feel very far away.

During times like this, it’s easy to let fear and despair creep into our hearts.  That’s why it’s good to remember the wise words of Mr. Rogers – yes, that Mr. Rogers – who, for over thirty years, taught children to “look for the helpers” whenever times were tough or the news scary.  When we do that, we realize that amidst all this uncertainty, people are still demonstrating courage, charity, and sacrifice.  With that in mind, we thought we’d share a few stories we recently came across that show how even a virus can’t stop helpers from doing what they do best. 

In San Francisco, young Kieran was about to turn 10.¹  It’s a major milestone for any child, but due to the pandemic, Kieran’s planned birthday trip to Legoland had to be canceled.  Under normal circumstances, he might have invited his friends and schoolmates over for a party — but social distancing made that impossible, too.   So, it looked like Kieran’s birthday celebration would have to be less memorable than he hoped.

But on the day of his birthday, Kieran walked out onto his balcony to a huge surprise.  On the street below was a gigantic fire engine!  Was something wrong?  Was there a disaster?

Quite the opposite.  The San Francisco fire department had heard about Kieran’s disappointment, so they decided to pay him a special visit.  The firefighters extended the truck’s ladder to its full height of 110 feet.  Then, they delivered a bag full of presents!  Suddenly, what might have been a subdued, low-key event turned into the most memorable birthday Kieran ever had.

Come with us now from San Francisco to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, almost 3000 miles away.²  The local hospital system, tasked with the monumental responsibility of caring for the sick, found itself worryingly short on supplies.  Specifically, the brave doctors, nurses, and other professionals needed facemasks – up to 15,000 of them – to protect themselves from the virus.  So, they posted an urgent request on their website: Was anyone able to donate?

Sheri Yeisley, an interior decorator, didn’t hesitate to become a helper.  While she didn’t have any masks to donate, she did have her own two hands.  An enthusiastic sewer, Sheri coordinated with her friends to start making masks by hand.  She taught herself how to sew hospital-grade masks, then created a video to show others how to do it, too.  Soon, she began receiving donations of fabric and elastic from local businesses.  By the end of March, Sheri and her fellow volunteers had made over 1,000 masks for their local-area hospitals, which can be washed and reused.³  While they don’t offer the protection of a high-end mask, they’ll at least help the hospitals get by until more supplies arrive.   

As Sheri explains it, “If [healthcare workers] get sick, who’s going to take care of us?  I’m just trying to stand in the gap until the cavalry comes.”

Finally, let’s go up north to Canada, where a woman named Valentina Harper was tired of the fear and negativity she was seeing on social media.⁴  So, Valentina decided to replace all that scaremongering with something better.  She calls it “caremongering.” 

With her friends, Valentina helped set up 35 different Facebook groups within 72 hours, each devoted to helping people in need.  These “caremongering” groups work to give what they can to those who can’t get it for themselves.  From baby food for single mothers to cooked meals for the elderly.  From gift cards for those who have been laid off their jobs to hand sanitizer for those required to go into work every day.  Some “caremongers” will even brave grocery stores at 5:30 AM, standing in long queues to buy groceries for those who are sick or most at risk.  

“We thought we’d have a couple dozen people,” Valentina says.  “It’s grown to thousands.” 

As you can see, despite all the uncertainty we face right now, one thing is still certain: Basic human decency is alive and well.  This pandemic has caused adversity on a global scale – but it has also revealed how love and generosity still abounds.  It has shown people for what they really are: Helpers.  As Mr. Rogers said,

“In times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words. I’m always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”

Hopefully, this pandemic will end soon.  But for however long it lasts, or however bad it gets, let’s all look for the helpers.  They’re out there, just around the corner or down the street.  And when we find them, let’s all remember what Mr. Rogers would want us to do next:

Be helpers, too.   

¹ “10-year-old sheltering at home gets birthday surprise,” CBS News, April 8, 2020.  www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-10-year-old-sheltering-at-home-birthday-surprise-from-san-francisco-fire-department/

² “People around the country are ewing masks,” CNN, March 24, 2020.  https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/24/us/sewing-groups-masks-coronavirus-wellness-trnd/index.html

³ “Volunteers work with hospitals to make emergency face masks for workers,” Today, March 31, 2020.  https://www.today.com/health/volunteers-sew-homemade-face-masks-hospital-workers-t177079

⁴ “Coronavirus: Kind Canadians start ‘caremongering’ trend,” BBC News, March 16, 2020.  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51915723

As you know, the coronavirus pandemic has created both a health crisis and an economic crisis.  As of this writing, there are over 160,000 known cases.¹ By the time you read this, there will certainly be more – and that number does not reflect those who have been infected but not tested.  The economic cost, meanwhile, has resulted in millions of Americans losing their jobs.  Some economists at the Federal Reserve estimate the unemployment rate could rise as high as 32%!² 

To help address both crises, Congress recently passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.  It’s a massive, $2 trillion stimulus package designed to help everything from hospitals, to individuals, to businesses large and small.  Time will tell if it will be enough to blunt the impact of this pandemic, but the fact Congress was able to pass something so significant, so quickly, is a rare feat worth celebrating. 

Charles Darwin once said, “It is the long history of humankind that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”  For many years now, that is not a quote you could usually apply to the United States Congress.  Political partisanship has meant that gridlock usually prevails over collaboration.  Thankfully, both sides of the aisle recently proved the institution still works when people put aside their differences and work together for the common good. 

This is major legislation, with benefits for almost every American.  Some of the bill’s provisions are especially important for retirees.  So, to help you understand what the CARES Act does, and how it will impact you, We have prepared a special breakdown.  Some information may apply to you, and some may not.  Please read it carefully, and then let us know if you have any questions.     

As always, we hope you and your family are staying healthy and safe.  Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you! 

Important Provisions of the CARES Act

The CARES Act is designed “to provide emergency assistance and health care response for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.”³ Think of it as a kind of massive care package.  Just as an actual care package is meant to get somebody through a tough time, that’s what the CARES Act is designed to do.  Because so many people have either lost their job, seen their hours cut back, or experienced drastic changes to their daily lives, many Americans must now contend with potential cashflow problems.  The CARES Act contains a number of provisions to help individuals and businesses handle those problems, at least for the short-term. 

What follows is a brief overview of the provisions that could affect you and your finances.  Let’s start with:

Direct Payments⁴

What’s the quickest way to ensure people get the money they need?  Pay them directly.  Perhaps the most newsworthy aspect of this bill is that many taxpayers will receive a one-time direct payment to help them cover expenses. 

Here’s a breakdown of how it will work. 

Individuals who made up to $75,000 in 2019 will receive $1,200. 

Heads of Household (single parents, for example) who made up to $112,500 in 2019 will receive $1,200.

Married couples filing a joint tax return who made up to $150,000 in 2019 will receive $2,400.

On top of this, each taxpayer will receive up to $500 for each child they have under the age of 17.  So, for example, a married couple with two children would receive $3,400.

Note that payments decrease for individuals and married couples with income above their respective thresholds.  Specifically, payments shrink by $5 for every $100 earned above the $75,000/$150,000 limits.  The payments disappear entirely for individuals who made $99,000 or more, and for married couples who made $198,000 or more. 

So, when will this money actually arrive?  It’s unclear.  The IRS could start issuing payments sometime in April or May, but an official schedule has not been released.  (The CARES Act itself only mandates that payments be made “as rapidly as possible.”⁴). It’s likely that those who filed their 2019 tax returns with direct-deposit information will receive payments first.  

Speaking of tax filing…

New Tax Deadlines⁵

This isn’t technically part of the CARES Act, but we are going to cover it anyway because it’s important.  Due to the pandemic, IRS has extended this year’s tax-filing and payment deadlines.  Now, taxpayers have until July 15 – up from the standard April 15 – to file their 2019 tax returns.  The deadline to make IRA and Roth IRA contributions is now July 15 as well. 

Note that this new deadline applies to everyone, not just those who are sick, under quarantine, or materially affected by the coronavirus in some way.  And if you’ve already filed your return, you should still receive your refund around the same time you would during a typical tax season.

Retirement Funds⁴

We said at the beginning of this message that some of the CARES Act’s provisions are especially important for retirees.  Let’s cover those now. 

First up, Required Minimum Distributions, or RMDs.  In a normal year, anyone 72 years or older (remember, this age was increased from 70.5 at the end of 2019) would need to withdraw a minimum amount from their IRA or 401(k).  Not this year.  Under the CARES Act, all RMDs are suspended in 2020.  That means you can leave that money in your retirement account for the year if you don’t need it now.  Note that this applies both to retirement account owners and beneficiaries.  If you have set up an automatic or systematic distribution for your 2020 RMD and do not want to take it, contact our office. Why is not taking your RMD an advantage? Because if you don’t take the RMD, that is income you won’t have to claim, reducing your tax bill!

People who have already taken their distribution for 2020 can potentially return the money to their account if they want.  This could be a slightly complicated process, so we won’t cover it here.  However, if you want further information about it, let us know. 

The CARES Act also allows qualified individuals to request penalty-free distributions of up to $100,000 for qualifying coronavirus-related reasons. A qualified individual is a participant (or spouse or dependent) who:

• Was diagnosed with the virus SARS-CoV-2 or with COVID-19 by a test approve by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Has experienced adverse financial consequences resulting from quarantine, furlough, layoff, or a reduction in hours.
• Has been unable to work due to a lack of childcare.

CARES distributions are more favorable than hardship withdrawals because:

• Tax on income from the withdrawal may be paid over a three-year period.
• Participants may repay the amount withdrawn to an eligible retirement plan within three years.
• Repayments will not be subject to retirement plan contribution limits.

Unemployment⁴

Let’s get back to the CARES Act.

We said a moment ago that direct payments were the most newsworthy aspect of the bill.  But for the overall economy, the bill’s unemployment provisions are probably the most important.  Unemployment claims rose by 3.28 million between March 15-21.  That’s the highest weekly surge in history.  The previous record?  695,000.⁶ 

To help combat this, the CARES Act provides approximately $260 billion in unemployment assistance for those who lose their jobs.  This includes freelancers, independent contractors, and other self-employed workers.  That’s a major change, because under normal circumstances, they can’t apply for unemployment benefits. 

Generally, workers who lose their jobs will receive $600 per week for four months, in addition to what their state unemployment program pays.  The CARES Act also adds an additional thirteen months of federal unemployment insurance on top of a person’s state benefits.

Conclusion

As you can see, the CARES Act is a loaded piece of legislation.  Time will tell whether more measures are needed, but this is definitely a good start. 

Of course, our team will continue poring over these changes.  If there is anything else we feel you need to know, we’ll reach out to you.  In the meantime, if you have any questions about:

• Getting a direct payment
• Protecting your paycheck and/or income
• Your retirement accounts

Please don’t hesitate to let us know.  Whether we’re in the office or working from our own homes, our team is always here for you. 

Stay healthy, and stay safe!

Sources

¹ “Cases in U.S.”, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, March 31, 2020.  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html

² “Coronavirus job losses could total 47 million, unemployment rate may hit 32%, Fed estimates,” CNBC, March 30, 2020.  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/30/coronavirus-job-losses-could-total-47-million-unemployment-rate-of-32percent-fed-says.html

³ “Text of S. 3548,” United States Senate, https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3548/text

⁴ “Text of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act,” United States Congress.  https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr748/BILLS-116hr748enr.pdf

⁵ “New Details From the IRS on July 15 Tax Deadline, Audit Relief,” The Wall Street Journal, March 30, 2020.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-details-from-the-irs-on-july-15-tax-deadline-11585087948

⁶ “Unemployment claims soared to 3.3 million last week, most in history,” CNN Business, March 26, 2020.  https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/26/economy/unemployment-benefits-coronavirus/index.html

⁷ “What’s Inside the Senate’s $2 Trillion Coronavirus Aid Package,” NPR, March 26, 2020.  https://www.npr.org/2020/03/26/821457551/whats-inside-the-senate-s-2-trillion-coronavirus-aid-package