Kiplinger’s Personal Finance — September 2017

16 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE^ 09/

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▲ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

Find your inner Zen during National

Yoga Month. Head to YogaHealth

Foundation.org to print a Yoga

Month Card that you can use for

a free week of lessons.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

If you’re in a Medicare plan, be on

the lookout for your Annual Notice

of Change. The document lists any

changes in plan coverage, service

area or cost that will go into effect

in 2018, and it can help you decide

whether your current coverage still

meets your needs.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

It’s National Grandparents Day.

Grandma and Grandpa, not just

Mom and Dad, can contribute to

a 529 college-savings account. In-

vesting in one will not only help your

adult children and grandchildren pay

for college but could also earn you a

tax deduction, depending on which

state you live in. For more on our

favorite plans, turn to page 43.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

Tech investors, keep an eye on

Face book as the company heads to

trial over a class-action lawsuit. At

issue is the company’s plan to issue

a new class of non-voting shares,

ensuring CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s

control of the company even as

he liquidates his own shares to

put money toward philanthropic

efforts. The lawsuit alleges the

move violates Facebook’s fiduciary

responsibility to shareholders.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Looking for a holiday gift for

the nostalgic Gen Xer on your list?

Today, Nintendo releases a “classic

edition” of its SNES system that

debuted in 1991. The $80 box set

comes with two controllers and 21

games. RYAN ERMEY

* DEAL OF THE MONTH

Museums across the country

will offer free admission on

September 23 to observe

Smithsonian magazine’s

Museum Day Live. Log on to

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

museumday/museum-day-

live-2017 to find participating

museums near you.

THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

is adding an extra layer of protection to

online accounts.

Anyone signing in to an online Social

Security account, or signing up for the

first time, must provide either a cell-phone

number or an e-mail address to receive a

unique, one-time code by text or e-mail.

The Social Security Administration rolled

out a similar two-step process in 2016, but

it restricted the extra layer of protection

to text message only.

It’s smart to set up an online account

even if you’re years from retirement.

Once you’ve done so, identity thieves

will be unable to create a fraudulent

account in your name and use it to apply

for benefits. In addition, you can check

your earnings history against your

W-2 forms or tax returns to make sure

there are no mistakes or gaps in your

earnings record that could reduce your

Social Security benefits.

You can also look up

estimated retire-

ment, disability

and survivor

benefits and,

in certain

cases, re-

quest a

replace-

ment

Social

Security

card.

To set up

an account, go

to http://www.ssa.gov/

myaccount. You’ll

need to enter some per-

sonal details, answer questions to confirm

your identity, and choose a unique username

and a complex password. MIRIAM CROSS

ID THEFT

SOCIAL SECURITY

BOOSTS SECURITY

Protect against fraud by setting

up an online account at any age.