Effort part of a Hy-Vee initiative to donate 10,000 turkeys in 10 cities over 10 days

BETTENDORF, IA - Today, Churches United of the Quad City Area is excited to announce that it has received a donation of 1,000 frozen turkeys?an excellent source of high quality protein just in time for Thanksgiving. The donation was made possible by Hy-Vee, a Midwestern grocery store chain operating in eight states, as part of a company-wide initiative to combat hunger.

"We are thrilled to have been able to partner with Hy-Vee to accept and deliver these turkeys to those in need in our local community," said Anne Wachal, Acting Executive Director "The donation of these turkeys comes at a time that is traditionally high need for our pantries. This donation helps to ensure that we continue to meet our growing demand and provide hope to families and individuals."

Hy-Vee is embarking on a 10 day, 10 city, 10,000 turkey effort in which the company will donate frozen turkeys to local food banks, missions and shelters to fight food insecurity, and ensure access to safe, quality and nutritious food. Turkeys will be delivered throughout Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas and Missouri.

"As a grocery store and member of this community, Hy-Vee is committed to fighting food insecurity," said Randy Edeker, CEO of Hy-Vee. "In order to accomplish this goal, we will continue to look for ways in which we can make a difference by assisting local hunger relief organizations to help families in need within our communities. We have the responsibility to take care of each other, and we recognize that through these efforts."

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Churches United of the Quad City Area is 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has a hunger ministry that contains 25 local food pantries, three hot meal sites and serves over 120,000 meals annually to individuals and families in the Greater Quad City area. To learn more about Churches United please visit our website at www.cuqca.org. CUQCA is Rooted in Faith, Focused on People, Dedicated to Service

Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating 234 retail stores in eight Midwestern states. For 2013 the company recorded sales of $8 billion, ranking it among the top 25 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States. To learn more, visit the company's website at www.hy-vee.com.

MOLINE, IL - WQPT, Quad Cities PBS will be off of the air from approximately 1-4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18 for repairs to the tower equipment in Orion. These repairs will stabilize WQPT's transmission signal, which will reduce the number of intermittent outages viewers may experience, especially during inclement weather.

"We appreciate our viewers' patience as we work to improve our broadcast signal," said General Manager Mary Pruess.

WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University located in Moline.

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DES MOINES, IA (11/14/2013)(readMedia)-- During the annual Thanksgiving Day festivities, State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald knows his office has a bounty of its own and the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt could provide one more reason to give thanks. "I encourage all past and present Iowans to check for their names in the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt," said Fitzgerald, "A quick search on our website can reunite people with their unclaimed property."

The Great Iowa Treasure Hunt program has returned over $170 million in unclaimed property to more than 414,000 people since Fitzgerald created it in 1983. Unclaimed property refers to money and other assets held by financial institutions or companies that have lost contact with the property's owner for a specific period of time. State law requires these institutions and companies to annually report unclaimed property to the state treasurer's office. The assets are then held until the owner or heir of the property is found. Common forms of unclaimed property include savings or checking accounts, stocks, uncashed checks, life insurance policies, utility security deposits, and safe deposit box contents.

to begin your search. Be sure to like the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @GreatIATreasure.

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Unlike last year, tax planning for 2013 is not hampered by uncertainties over alooming fiscal cliff. Unfortunately, there is always some uncertainty and a few expiring provisions to warrant special attention by taxpayers.

Managing income taxes at year end involves techniques designed to address three issues:

· Accelerating or deferring income: If a taxpayer expects to be in the same or a lower tax bracket next year, it's best to defer as much income as possible until after the yearend.
· Accelerating or deferring deductions: If a taxpayer's overall tax rate is the same in both years, accelerating deductions achieves tax savings this year rather than waiting for those tax savings to materialize next year.
· Take advantage of tax provisions scheduled to expire at the end of 2013. There are several temporary tax provisions which can only be used this year.

Tax planning begins by projecting income and deductions for the year to determine your tax bracket and income thresholds that trigger higher and/or additional taxes, or limits the effectiveness of deductions.  One of the impacts of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA12)is the reintroduction of the Pease limitation, which can greatly limit itemized deductions.  Once a taxpayer knows what his or her income taxes will look like, it's time to evaluate which techniques will help the most.

Strategies to accelerate or defer income:

· Adjust your elective deferral plans at work: Taxpayers who participate in 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, or in the Thrift Savings Plan can defer up to $17,500 this year.  Taxpayers age 50 and older can defer up to $23,000.
· Harvest capital gains or losses: Long-term capital gains are taxed at 0 percent for taxpayers in the 15 percent bracket.  Capital losses can be used to offset capital gains and reduce other income up to $3,000.
· Use the IRA. Taxpayers age 59 ½ and older can accelerate IRA distributions in 2013.  Contributions may be deductible depending on your income level and whether you're covered by a retirement plan through work. Taxpayers under age 59½ can convert traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs to accelerate income.
· Health-care assistance: People with health savings accounts - available with some high-deductible health insurance policies -- can save up to $3,250 tax-deferred for an individual and $6,450 for a family.Those who are55 and older can save an additional $1,000.  Flex spending contribution limits are capped at $2,500 this year.

Strategies to accelerate or defer deductions:

· Medical expenses: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) raises the income threshold this year to 10 percent of adjusted gross income for taxpayers under age 65.  The threshold remains at 7.5 percent for those 65 and older.  Taxpayers may need to prepare or defer medical bills to lump expenses in a single year to get the deduction.
· Gifts to charities: Use a donor advised fund (DAF) to maximize the tax savings from charitable giving.   A DAF makes gifting appreciated securities easier.  The DAF can be funded in tax years when the deduction will have the most impact.  Distribution to charities can be made at any time without tax consideration. 
· Qualified Charitable Distribution: This year only, taxpayers age 70½ or older can choose to direct up to $100,000 of their IRA-required minimum distribution to charity.  By doing so, the distribution does not show up as taxable income, which can lower taxation of Social Security benefits and help reduce other threshold levels to further minimize taxes.

ATRA12 extended?but did not make permanent?several tax incentives for individuals.Taxpayers should consider whether they can benefit from these incentives this year and plan accordingly.  The following provisions are set to expire on Dec. 31 unless extended again:

· State and local sales taxes deduction.  Taxpayer can choose between deducting state and local income taxes or the sales taxes they've paid through the year.
· Deduction for teacher expenses. Eligible educators can deduct up to $250 of any unreimbursed expenses.
· Deduction of mortgage insurance premiums. Payments of Private Mortgage Insurance premiums can be treated as deductible home mortgage interest in 2013.
· Discharge of principal residence indebtedness. This can be excluded from gross income this year.
· Qualified Charitable Distribution. Taxpayers can make tax-free charitable donations from their required IRA distributions.

2013 is certainly an exciting year for tax planning. Start now in order to minimize your tax bill in April. 

About Rick Rodgers: Certified Financial Planner® Rick Rodgers is president of Rodgers & Associates, "The Retirement Specialists," in Lancaster, Pa., and author of "The New Three-Legged Stool: A Tax Efficient Approach to Retirement Planning." He's a Certified Retirement Counselor and member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisers. Rodgers has been featured on national radio and TV shows, including "FOX Business News" and "The 700 Club," and is available to speak at conferences and corporate events (www.RodgersSpeaks.com).