Military Officer - February 2006 - (Page 25) rapidfire Laying Your Nest Egg ment savings in 2006 to ensure a secure retirement for you and your family. Those using defined-contribution plans, such as 401(k), 403(b), and 457(k), may now contribute up to $15,000 anre you saving enough for renually through salary deferral. If you are tirement? A recent retirement age 50 or older, you can contribute up to survey by Fidelity Investments $5,000 more, for a total of $20,000 in salrevealed the typical American family is ary deferral each year. The Thrift Savings on track to replace less than 60 percent Plan’s (TSP’s) “percent of salary” cap has been How much of a difference can boosting your retirement removed for both unisavings make? Let’s look at saving an extra $250 a formed service personnel month earning 8 percent annually: and federal employees, allowing the TSP to conAge Started Extra $ at Age 65 Cost of Waiting form to the contribution 25 $872,000 limits above. 35 $372,590 $499,410 Some employers now 45 $147,255 $724,745 offer the Roth 401(k) op55 $45,736 $826,264 tion, allowing employees of its preretirement income. If your other to contribute after-tax dollars, which will New Year’s resolutions have fallen by the then grow tax-deferred and be withdrawn wayside, resolve to increase your retireincome-tax free, just like the Roth IRA. Ice Cream and Politics A C alling themselves the conservative alternative to Ben & Jerry’s, the makers of Star Spangled Ice Cream say their promilitary ice cream is now for sale in stores on selected U.S. Army, Marine, Navy, and Air Force bases. The ice cream comes in such flavors as Navy BattleCHIP, Fightin’ Marine Tough Cookies & Cream, G.I. Love Chocolate, and Air Force PLANE Vanilla. The company has plans to expand The Right Prescription By last fall, more than 100,000 veterens of thousands of veterans now receive their prescription drug ans had signed up to use MyHealtheVet. Other services include the ability to track refills from the VA with greater health conditions; enter readings such as convenience, speed, and security, thanks blood pressure and choto a new online service lesterol levels; and record available to veterans. More medications, allergies, than 70,000 prescriptions military health, history, have been refilled using medical events, and tests. the latest service added to Veterans also can include the VA’s “MyHealtheVet,” personal information a personal online health such as emergency conrecord system for veterans. tacts, names of medical The prescription refill ser- ON THE WEB providers, and health vice began Aug. 31, 2005. ■ MyHealtheVet is on the VA’s Web insurance information. The secure online pre- site at www.myhealth.va.gov. Future expansion of Myscription refill service has HealtheVet will allow VA patients to view quickly emerged as one of the more popuappointments and copayment balances, lar features in the MyHealtheVet system, access portions of their medical records, which connects with the VA’s electronic and give access to their records to doctors, records system. It eliminates the need for family members, and others. a trip to the pharmacy and a wait in line. PHOTOS: ABOVE, PUNCHSTOCK; RIGHT, COURTESY STAR SPANGLED ICE CREAM COMPANY T its line with such flavors as Cookie CommanDough. Star Spangled Ice Cream donates 10 percent of its profits to pro-military charities, including the Navy League and Oliver North’s Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. The ice cream also is available in Virginia Farm Fresh Supermarkets and participating 7-Eleven stores. It can be ordered online at www .starspangledicecream.com and delivered frozen to your front door. MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2006 25 http://www.starspangledicecream.com http://www.myhealth.va.gov http://www.starspangledicecream.com http://www.starspangledicecream.com
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