Ray's Retire Right Report Retire Right — Retire Smart! Raymond T. Martin, Retirement Coach and Medicare Planning
September 2023 Happy Labor Day! I hope your long weekend was fun and relaxing. Here’s your monthly dose of funnies and trivia.
September is Women’s Friendship Month September 24th – 30th is National Dog Week September 3rd is Pet Rock Day
Smuggled Sapling The first coffee tree in the New World was smuggled there. In 1714, the mayor of Amsterdam (Netherlands) sent King Louis XIV a coffee tree. It was planted in the Royal Botanical Garden in Paris where it was nurtured for more trees. Gabriel Mathieu De Clieu, a French naval officer, petitioned King Louis XV for a seedling from it. The king refused his request, so in 1723 he and friends sneaked into the royal greenhouse and stole a coffee plant seedling. On the voyage to Martinique (a Caribbean Island) with his ill-gotten sapling, he was subject to horrendous weather, a saboteur who tried to destroy it, and a pirate attack. The seedling survived the journey and thrived in its new home. And it became the great granddaddy of all coffee trees throughout the Caribbean, South and Central America which now produces the majority of the world’s coffee beans.
Which is the world’s largest (by volume) manmade Pyramid?
The next Medicare Open Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) is coming fast, which means con artists may try to steal your identity and commit Medicare fraud. Medicare has taken actions to make Medicare cards safer by replacing Social Security Numbers with more secure ID numbers. But even with those efforts, fraudsters may still try to take advantage of you during Open Enrollment. Medicare fraud results in higher health care costs for taxpayers just like you. That’s why it’s so important to know how to protect your Medicare card and Number. What can you do to protect yourself and prevent Medicare fraud? The most important thing you can do is guard your Medicare card like it’s a credit card. Don’t give your Medicare card or Number to anyone except your doctor or people you know should have it. You can also:
If you get a call from people promising you
things if you give them your Medicare Number, don’t do it! It is a common Medicare scam.
Refuse any offer of money or gifts for free
medical care. A common ploy of identity thieves is to say they can send you your free gift right away — they just need your Medicare Number.
Use a calendar to record all of your doctors’
appointments and any tests you get. When you check your Medicare statements, look out for any items and services listed and other details that don’t look correct. If you see a charge or service that you think is incorrect and you know the provider, call their office and ask about it. Committing Medicare fraud is illegal & you should report it. If you suspect fraud, call 1-800MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
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