Dear Savvy Senior,

A couple months back I read that the IRS will be offering a new senior-friendly tax form this tax season that will be easier to use. What can you tell me about this? Paper Filer

Dear Filer,
It’s true. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has created a new federal income-tax form specifically designed for senior taxpayers, age 65 and older, that should make filing a little easier this year, particularly those who don’t file electronically. Here’s what you should know.
Form 1040-SR
Created by the 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act, the new two-page simplified federal income tax form is called the 1040-SR. Similar in style to the old 1040-EZ form that the IRS discontinued last year, the new 1040-SR has larger print and better color contrast that makes it easier to read.
In addition, it also includes a chart to help older taxpayers calculate their standard deduction, which may help ensure that fewer seniors neglect to take the additional standard deduction that they are entitled to. For 2019, the additional deduction for those 65 or older or the blind is $1,300.
The 1040-SR form also has specific lines for retirement income streams such as Social Security benefits, IRA distributions, pensions and annuities, along with earned income from work wages and tips. And, it allows a child tax credit for seniors who are still taking care of a dependent child or grandchild.
You can also report capital gains and losses, as well as interest and dividends on this new form. Any of the tax schedules available to those using the standard form 1040 may also be used with the 1040-SR.
You should also know that the 1040-SR doesn’t put a limit on interest, dividends, or capital gains, nor does it cap overall income like the old 1040-EZ form did. But, if you have to itemize because of state and local taxes or charitable giving, then you will not be able to use the new Form 1040-SR.
Paper Filing Advantage
Seniors who use tax-preparation software to file their taxes will be able to generate a 1040-SR, but the new form will provide the most significant benefit to taxpayers who still fill out and file their returns on paper.
Last year, about 88 percent of the 153 million individual federal tax returns filed to the IRS were filed electronically. About 5 percent were prepared using tax software, then printed out and mailed to the agency, while about 7 percent were prepared on paper.
To use the new 1040-SR tax form for the 2019 filing year, taxpayers, including both spouses if filing jointly, must be at least age 65 before Jan. 1, 2020. You also don’t have to be retired to use the form – older workers can use it too. But early retirees (younger than 65) cannot use 1040-SR.
To see the 2019 draft version of the new 1040-SR form, go to IRS.gov/pub/irs-dft/f1040s–dft.pdf.
Tax Preparation Help
If you need help filing your tax returns this year, consider contacting the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (or TCE) program. Sponsored by the IRS, TEC provides free tax preparation and counseling to middle and low-income taxpayers, age 60 and older. Call 800-906-9887 or visit IRS.treasury.gov/freetaxprep to locate a service near you.
Also check with AARP, a participant in the TCE program that provides free tax preparation at more than 4,800 sites nationwide. To locate an AARP Tax-Aide site call 888-227-7669 or visit AARP.org/findtaxhelp. You don’t have to be an AARP member to use this service.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Story by Matt Neil, Oklahoma Real Estate Planner

Since the holiday season is upon us, it is a wonderful time to reflect about how your home has been a centerpiece for the memories that have been made there and the traditions your family has kept. It is also an opportunity to think about what meaningful legacy you will create to continue to enrich your family for years to come.
Your home is much more than a property, it’s a place filled with memories, love, and laughter. Whether it’s the house where your children grew up or where you’ve hosted countless holiday gatherings, it holds a special place in your family’s story. As Oklahoma’s Best Real Estate Planner, I help families think about how they want their home to be a part of their family’s future.
If passing your home down to your children or grandchildren is part of your plan, make sure your wishes are clearly outlined in your estate planning document. We encourage you to speak with an estate attorney to ensure your property is transferred smoothly and in line with your intentions. Most people don’t know that over 70% of families argue over real estate when a family member leaves a property behind without a plan to divide it. In real estate planning, we help families think about how they want to divide their real estate, as it is often overlooked and is often a point of contention among families.
While your home is a tangible part of your legacy, your values and traditions are just as important. The holiday season offers a wonderful opportunity to reinforce what matters most to you and your family. Consider creating traditions that can be passed down for generations, such as baking a family recipe, decorating together, or sharing stories around the table. Write down or record your memories, life lessons, and hopes for the future. These treasures can serve as a guide for your loved ones, reminding them of the foundation you built and the values you cherish.
Creating a legacy plan is about more than finances—it’s about ensuring that your love, traditions, and values live on. If you’d like help finding the perfect home to complement your legacy or need guidance on how to align your real estate plans with your family’s future, I’d be honored to assist. Give us, your certified Real Estate Planner, a call at 405-757-9980, or email at info@vibrantok.com. Let’s make sure your legacy is one that brings your family together for years to come.
Matt Neill is a realtor who has lived in Oklahoma over 17 years and enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and cheering on the OKC Thunder.

by Greg Schwem

I am sitting on a wooden chair about the height of one used by a second grader because, after more than 30 minutes of standing and waiting, it was the only seat available.
I am drinking coffee at 10:30 a.m., but not because I am particularly in the mood for caffeine, or any beverage for that matter. I felt guilty talking a seat without making a purchase. Many seat-fillers around me don’t seem to share my guilt.
I am listening to the establishment’s playlist featuring not a single track I recognize. My music identification app tells me the song currently playing is “Chrysalis” by Empire of the Sun. Neither the song nor band title seem appropriate for my surroundings.
I am encircled by individuals whose phones are recording every moment of waiting in line, followed by every monetary transaction, followed by every moment of searching for an open seat.
I am at the world’s largest Starbucks, located on Chicago’s famed Michigan Avenue, just two blocks north of a Starbucks and two blocks south of another Starbucks. Keep that in mind, Starbucks customers, if all you are seeking is your daily dose of java or chai. Actually, the Starbucks in the middle might not even serve your favorite; the menu is, uh, different here. “Cardamom Long Black for Katherine is ready! Katherine? Katherine?”
But if you’re in Chicago, have already visited the world’s tallest building and the largest indoor aquarium, and now you want to experience the world’s largest place to wait in a sea of humanity, straining to hear your name called so you can, in my case, pick up a $7 latte (that drink is still on the menu) and then hope it’s not the victim of an errant elbow as you wade back through the line in search of a seat, then this Starbucks is for you.
As I write this column, taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi, other sore-footed patrons are eyeing me so enviously that I’m considering photographing my chair and posting the image in the “For Rent” section of Craigslist.
“World’s Largest Starbucks” is the more common name for this coffee behemoth, officially known as Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago, and featuring a lengthy slogan slapped on billboards scattered throughout the city: “The experience. The spectacle. The craft. The coffee. In a word, it’s epic.”
“Epic” might not be the first word I would use to describe the 35,000-square-foot establishment, formerly home to Crate & Barrel, purveyors of contemporary furniture and housewares. Now, instead of craving a mocha-colored couch, customers seek mocha-flavored drinks. When they aren’t posing for selfies and posting Instagram stories.
No, the word I would use is, “wait,” as in, “Wait in that epic line.”
Seriously, I’ve seen shorter lines at Disney World. My kids never braved lines like this to cavort with Santa. Lines at airports to rebook flights cancelled by January blizzards seem tame by comparison. And, yet, nobody, sans me, seemed to mind waiting for Pizza al Taglio, chilled tiramisu or nitrogen gelato.
“Now we’ve been to the world’s largest Starbucks and the first one, in Seattle,” said Belinda Schmidt, 72, of San Antonio. Schmidt and her husband Ron were in town for their granddaughter’s middle school music concert at McCormick Place. Ron waited 20 minutes for two lattes, a cinnamon roll and a bottle of water while Belinda found two adjoining seats next to me.
“We met a nice family behind us,” Belinda continued. “They used to live in Seattle but wanted to come here because they hadn’t been to a roastery.”
Me neither. Well, maybe I have. In Paris. Or Vegas. Right now, I need to use the restroom but am afraid to leave my seat. Belinda graciously offered to watch my valuables while I went in search of relief.
I will eventually return to Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago. The clamor, and the lines, have to dissipate at some point, right?
Or maybe I’ll just be that lonely-looking guy at one of the nearby Starbucks. At least I know there will be a seat waiting for me.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.)
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at www.gregschwem.com)

www.newbyvancemobility.com

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com

On November 17, 2019, Colony Community in Action, L.L.C., will host preview II, an exhibition of works to be displayed at The Sovereignty Symposium 2020 by Oklahoma Artists, Patrick Riley and Jim Van Deman. The exhibition will be held from 2:00-4:00 pm in the Kauger Building in downtown Colony, Oklahoma. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is invited to attend. This event is an example how Colony, Oklahoma is turning into at Art Colony.
The repainted Kauger Building and the old Payne’s Store building host murals by Comanche artist, Eric Tippeconnic. “The Hunt” and “The Horse Capture” are featured on the store building and “The Grand Entry” has been started on the Kauger Building. It also boasts “Colony 1886” completed in 1994, and refreshed by Patrick Riley and the people of the community in 2017. The names of some of the helpers are included in the mural, giving it a real home town feel.
Patrick Riley is a nationally recognized artist and art educator. He has maintained a strong and expressive visual arts career and artist/teacher career and has taught students of all grade levels. He has completed residencies focused on many disciplines including pottery, drawing, printmaking, painting, sculpture, leather masks, and totems. In 2012, he completed a 28-foot-tall stainless steel mask sculpture of an eagle for the Oklahoma Judicial Center in Oklahoma City. In 2010, he designed a special leather mask that was gifted by the Ford Center of Oklahoma City to celebrity performer Lady GaGa. During his art career, he has exhibited masks in many galleries throughout the United States including New York City and Washington D. C.
Jim Van Deman, great grandson of Black Beaver, depicts his Delaware heritage and other American Indian subjects in a broad range of creations from impressionist to mainstream abstract paintings. He is also known for his handcrafted flutes, unique banjos, and American Indian hand drums. He was recently honored as the “2016 Red Earth Honored One.” In addition to creating art and instruments, Van Deman is also an aspiring writer, with many short stories and poems to his credit, with several novels in the works as well. Both Van Deman and Riley are schedule to be in attendance.
Additional art can be seen next door in the old historic renovated Colony Post Office which has been the Gallery of the Plains Indian for several years. The Old Post Office built in 1927, was used to store feed by Payne’s store for many years. It was given by John Kauger to his daughter, Yvonne. She converted it into the Gallery of the Plains Indian in 1982 and refurbished it in 2017. It is considered to be the genesis of The Red Earth festival held annually in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Before the Colony Gallery was establish, Yvonne Kauger held many Native American mini gallery exhibitions in her Edmond home.
Currently, the Gallery features a permanent exhibit of the Colony Pow Wow, by Terry Zinn, which was first exhibited in 1986, at the Omniplex in Oklahoma City, and dedicated to John and Alice Kauger by the photographer. His photographs of the Red Earth festival are also on display, by the difficult in the camera double exposure technique to illicit a spiritual nature. As a consequence of serendipity, Ann Shadlo, the mother of Harvey Pratt, appears in full regalia in one of the Pow wow photos.
Terry Zinn currently holds the distinct pleasure of being the only artist to have a permanent collection installed in the Gallery of the Plains Indian Art Gallery in Colony. Zinn is currently looking for a permanent home for his the other extensive Photographic portfolios of: the late Oklahoma International Artist, Harold Stevenson; Oklahoma Performer and Voice Professor, Florence Birdwell; and 4 seasons of 1980s Lyric Theater. His work has been exhibited in many Oklahoma venues including the State Capitol and has also appeared in many publications. His travel writing and photography were awarded recognition at both the 2004 and 2007 Travel Media Showcases.
In 1886, John Homer Seger brought the first Arapaho to Colony. The Cheyenne followed shortly thereafter. Ultimately, the federal government built a beautiful campus with over eighty structures for the first vocational agricultural school in the United States at Seger Colony which was completed in 1892. When the school closed in 1932, the Colony School District took over the site. It was one of the first entities to be placed on the National Historical Register. Today, only the water tower remains.
In the 1920s, Fred Kauger, a German from Russia immigrant who came to Colony in the 1890s, constructed several buildings on Seger Street. Today, only three of them remain. The reception is held in two of them with the Gallery of the Plains Indian next door in the old Post office.
Lonnie Yearwood, Colony Mayor and Great Grandson of John Homer Seger says, “Our goal is to renew a sense of community by attracting artists to use our town as a canvas, and as an inspiration for creativity.”

As you can see Colony, Oklahoma is turning into quite the destination for art and historical creations as an Art Colony. Colony, Oklahoma is only a short drive south of Weatherford, Oklahoma off Interstate 40.

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zinn/
www.okveterannews.com – www.martinitravels.com

By Marilyn Olson, VillagesOKC Executive Director

Many of the 370,000 people 50+ in the Oklahoma City metro know that having a good neighbor is the solution for borrowing sugar or the answer for a little help trimming a crepe myrtle or on a ladder replacing light bulbs. For others, it is getting a little assistance with an iPhone or Android device from someone who knows. Finding a trustworthy plumber, dog sitter, attorney or someone to go to the movies with is all a part of the connections available through VillagesOKC.
For the past six years, VillagesOKC has been serving the metro by developing programs and connection opportunities to empower local adults to age with vitality and purpose. With a variety of impactful initiatives, from educational workshops to veteran recognition events to caregiver support, VillagesOKC seeks to enhance the lives of older adults and their families.
Successful aging involves individuals taking personal responsibility to plan combined with community engagement. The GIFT, Gathering Information for Transitions, is another VillagesOKC program helping members learn about options, make decisions and write in a notebook for rapid access in a crisis. VillagesOKC is the one connection that unites both individual and community forces. This is important since the number of adults in Oklahoma will soon outnumber children under 18 for the first time.
The VillagesOKC mission of empowerment is founded on the transformative idea that the narrative around aging must be fundamentally redefined. Rather than viewing all seniors as dependents requiring constant support, VillagesOKC recognizes them as valuable leaders within the community. People 50 and older possess significant experience, wisdom and capabilities. This offers ongoing opportunities to lead, contribute and flourish. This shift in perspective not only enriches their lives but also strengthens the social fabric of our community.
Strategic partnerships with local organizations and businesses mean less duplication and more cooperation. VillagesOKC partnerships include Senior Living Truth Series, OKC Mature Moves, Buckelew Realty, NewView Oklahoma, Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight, Force50 Foundation, YMCAs of Greater Oklahoma City and YMCA Healthy Living Center, Directors Life Assurance, Providence Home Care, Nerve Renewal Neuropathy Clinics, CompleteOK (Homecare, Palliative Care and Hospice), Pinnacle Behavioral Healthcare, Senior Care Referral Services, Concordia Life Plan Community, Mercer Adams Funeral Service, Navigating Medicare as well as DHS Community Adult Living and Adult Protective Services, and the State Council on Aging. For more information about VilagesOKC call 405-990-6637 or visit
https://villagesokc.org.