Q: My neighbor received a phone call from the Social Security Administration asking to verify his Social Security number and other sensitive financial information. Is this a scam?

A: Yes, this is a scam. Scammers are always looking for schemes to defraud the public. Never reveal your Social Security number, bank account and credit card number to strangers on the phone. If you receive a scam call, report it to the Consumer Protection Division, 877-566-7226.

Q: What is the $18,000 annual gift rule? I am considering giving $7,000 to my brother. Do I get a deduction for my gift?

A: In 2024, you can gift-give up to $18,000 annually to any person without triggering a gift tax. If you are married and your spouse is in agreement, you can double the annual gift to $36,000. You do not get a deduction and the recipient does not declare the gift as taxable income.

Richard Rysiewski, a certified financial planner, welcomes all questions on tax and financial matters. Send them to Richard Rysiewski, Financial Doctor, 3001 Hartford Lane, Shelby Twp., MI 48316.

Michigan Sen. Michael Webber (R-Rochester Hills) presented a state tribute to Rochester Hills resident Joann Kotcher on the floor of the Michigan Senate on Oct. 9 in honor of her service as a Donut Dolly during the Vietnam War.

Kotcher was one of 627 young women who served in the American Red Cross Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas program during the Vietnam War, joining the effort in May 1966 after earning her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan.

“The legacy of the Donut Dollies goes far beyond their namesake of passing out donuts to soldiers, and our nation is grateful for brave individuals like Ms. Kotcher who answer the call to support our active military,” Webber said. “As the first women in history to be allowed into combat zones at the invitation of U.S. Army Gen. William Westmoreland, Ms. Kotcher and the Donut Dollies helped pave the way for women to be able to work in many different positions to support American troops on the ground. And while doctors and nurses treated physical injuries, the presence and friendship of the Donut Dollies offered invaluable psychological support long before we had the understanding and vocabulary of post-traumatic stress and its effects on soldiers.”

The alarm is blaring — BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.

My friend, Anne, in the bed next to mine in our hotel room, darts right up, perky as can be.

“Wake up, Nat! It’s time to start the day!” she says as she heads to the bathroom.

Did I mention it’s 6 a.m.? And we’re on vacation? Doesn’t “vacation” mean to vacate from our ordinary lives and sleep in?

“If we get ready fast enough, we can be the first ones at breakfast!” Anne continues before the noise of the shower drowns her out.

She and I had never traveled together before, and our wake-up and going-to-bed times were one of many ways we didn’t seem compatible, travel-wise. This was Day 1 of our trip. Now what?

6 dos and don’ts when traveling with a friend

There are many factors to consider before you travel with a friend. I decided to speak to someone who recently did so, as well as to a travel expert, for their input on how to make a trip with a friend memorable — for all the right reasons, not the wrong ones.

1. Before planning anything, have a talk about your vacation expectations. “I always tell people to go on their honeymoon before they get married,” says travel expert John DiScala, founder of JohnnyJet.com. “You really don’t know someone until you’ve traveled with them.”

And this applies to platonic relationships, too. Do you want to go somewhere where you can party all night? Or more to relax on the beach with a good book? Do you want to be together 24/7? Or have some alone time, too?

“These are all good types of questions to figure out in advance,” DiScala said. “It’s better to find out when you’re still at home than go and have a miserable time.”

2. Discuss what you’d like to do on the trip — and be specific. Are you a person who needs structure? Or are you more go-with-the-flow? If you’re set on going to a museum that requires you get tickets months in advance, for instance, you’ll have to plan accordingly.

“It all depends on what each person likes and how they want to spend their time while on vacation,” DiScala says. “Some people love to do something active, like golf, others want to gamble, and others want to go out all night and meet someone. Know your audience — and your audience is the friend you’ll be traveling with.”

Rachelle Jackson, 50, who’s based in Los Angeles, inadvertently followed Jet’s advice when taking a birthday trip with a friend. “Since I travel so much for work and had been to nearly 100 countries, we agreed to look for something that would be new for me and interesting for us both,” she says. “I had never done a cruise before, but she had and picked a cruise line she liked.”

To prepare for the trip, they bought some guidebooks and watched several Rick Steves videos to get oriented with the main sites at each of the nine port stops, which included places like Oslo, Norway, Tallinn, Estonia and St. Petersburg, Russia.

“My friend agreed to follow my inclination to do as much as we could each day off the ship, leaning into the idea that we might only ever get one day in each city in our whole lives, so let’s make the most of it,” Jackson explains.

Each port day, they’d spend the majority of their time off the ship, exploring. “I think it was a compromise for my friend; some days, she might have been happy to sit in a cafe for a couple of hours,” says Jackson.

3. Remember, it’s OK not to spend every waking minute together. “You do not need to do everything together,” DiScala says. “Sometimes, you just need a break or may want to do something you’re interested in, but your friend is not. That’s OK.”

On my trip with my friend who liked to wake up at dawn, we eventually compromised and decided I’d sleep in — and we’d start the day together with an early lunch. And if one of us wanted to go to a museum, and the other wanted to wander around town, we’d split up and reconvene later.

4. Decide if you’ll get separate hotel/Airbnb rooms. DiScala says there are pluses and minuses to sharing a room with a friend. “Share a room if you want to save money and spend more time with the person,” he says. “But if you have different habits — like one of you is a morning person or likes to watch TV all night — it may be best to have separate rooms and then meet up the next day. Personally, I would never share a room with someone I was not good friends with.”

If you do share a room, setting up boundaries is also important, DiScala says, in case your friend gets in late. And be prepared for little things, too, like if the person snores or opens the blinds first thing in the morning. “Have your eye mask and earplugs ready,” he adds.

5. Take a mini trip together first, like a weekend away, before making a longer commitment. If I learned anything from my trip with Anne — aside from talking things out before the trip — it was to take a “test trip” first. Even if you can’t spend an entire weekend away with someone before the main trip, spending a whole day together is still helpful, especially if you can manage to have one night away, too.

6. Discuss your budget. DiScala stresses that money is an important topic that must be talked about in advance, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. “If one person has a lot of money to spend and the other does not, things can get awkward — they may not be able to do the same kinds of activities or have the same kind of high-end meals and experiences,” he says.

When I traveled with Anne, her company paid for our travel and lodging. We were still responsible for meals. I’d recently been laid off, so we definitely had different price points in mind when it came to eating out and choosing what to do in our free time.

Where to go on a trip with a friend

Now that you know the ins and outs of how to handle traveling with a friend, where should you go?

“Anywhere can be a good friend-trip destination,” DiScala says. “It all depends on the main vacation goal and who you’re traveling with. Are you both baseball fans and want to go see the Yankees play? Or want to go see Broadway shows in New York City?” He says Palm Springs could be good for golfing or spas, Las Vegas could be good for gambling or night owls, and Iceland could be good for adventure travel or being immersed in nature.

There are many other things to ask yourselves, too: What type of trip do you want? Hang out on the beach? Go sightseeing? (And how much sightseeing?) Stay in the United States? Go abroad? Travel at peak travel season? Or when it’s less crowded, during shoulder season?

DiScala also says to think about your common interests. “Since you are friends, you should already have a good idea of what the person likes and what you like doing together. The key is to base it around the activity (baseball games, spas, etc.) and your travel goal (adventure travel, relaxation, etc.) and go from there.”

Jackson agrees, saying: “There is something special about sharing a travel experience and beauty with someone you care about. It can give the memories more depth and meaning.”

As for her birthday trip, Jackson says it went well. “I think part of it was because we had set our expectations in advance,” she says. “It was a good balance of structure and spontaneity. I find I need the structure to feel I am making the most of my time.”

Jackson says she recently traveled with someone who was not into structure as much, which required letting go of a lot of expectations, and especially hope, for seeing a lot of things in the time available.

“As long as you can manage your expectations and understand the travel style of your travel partner, you can have a great trip,” she says.

At 50 years old, Meals on Wheels endures as a staple for many homebound seniors.

Some 251 million nutritious meals are delivered daily to 2.2 million seniors by volunteers throughout the U.S. who might stop and chat for a bit. Drivers serve as “eyes and ears,” too, many of them trained to look for problem situations with the senior and/or their home.

But the federal Older Americans Act, which provides a portion of the funding for organizations to operate their meal delivery programs, does not cover meals for holidays. That includes Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Easter and Passover.

That doesn’t mean Meals on Wheels operations stop. Plenty of volunteers show up to prepare, pack and deliver hot meals and cheer to residents who might otherwise be alone — and hungry — on days when many families gather in festive celebration.

But putting together crews on holidays requires donations.

This year, roughly 8,200 holiday meals are needed for residents in the six-county region served by AgeWays Nonprofit Senior Services. The meals are delivered in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties.

About $55,000 will cover the cost of the meals. With DTE Foundation’s annual donation of $29,000, about $26,000 is still needed to close the funding gap.

AgeWays works with 11 local Meals on Wheels providers throughout its six-county region that are responsible for preparing and delivering meals daily. This year, these partners have delivered 2.2 million meals (including congregate meals at senior centers) for around 22,000 people. Some even provide food for pets.

“Since government funding does not cover the cost of meals on the holidays, AgeWays is a key funder to ensure seniors do not go without a meal. Donations are critical to ensure the delivery of a hot, nutritious meal while spreading holiday cheer to older adults who otherwise would be home alone for the holidays,” says Angela Patten, AgeWays’ program manager for nutrition services.

To make a donation to the AgeWays Holiday Meals on Wheels Program, go to AgeWays.org/Donate. The local providers that AgeWays works with also accept donations to help offset funding gaps and keep their weekday deliveries going.

By the numbers

• Meals on Wheels relies on 5,000 community-based programs to make, pack and deliver meals.

• 77% of seniors say Meals on Wheels helps them stay healthy.

• 85% of seniors say Meals on Wheels helps them to feel more secure.

• 92% of seniors say Meals on Wheels helps them to live independently. Meals on Wheels can provide meals for a senior for one year at the same cost as one day in the hospital or 10 days in a nursing home.

This content is provided by AgeWays Nonprofit Senior Services (formerly the Area Agency on Aging 1-B), a nonprofit that serves older adults and family caregivers in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties. We provide services, programs and resources that are designed to help seniors age safely and independently. Call us at 800-852-7795 to get connected.

With the election over and the holidays approaching, I want to discuss an issue that could affect us all. Especially at a time when so many families will be spending time in busy airports. I’m referring to financial fraud.

Years ago, when writing physical checks was more prevalent, a criminal somehow got hold of my checking account number and had checks made with what was almost my name on it. Instead of Ken, the name on the checks were Kendra.

The sheriff’s department did a great job investigating. They even watched hours of in-store surveillance videos. My bank also did a fantastic job, and at the end of the day I didn’t lose a cent. The fraudulent perpetrator, however, was not caught.

Things are different in today’s high-tech world. Criminals have become far more sophisticated.

While dining at a local restaurant recently, my wife and I decided to apply for a frequent diner card. The staff was hands-on trying to help us register on our cell phones. We tried to input two different credit cards during the process. After the fifth failed attempt, I concluded that it just wasn’t meant to be.

The staff was sincerely trying to help, but I wondered afterward if it was a good idea to display our credit cards so openly. Were we being too trustworthy? In retrospect, we probably were.

The following day, I came across “State of Scams,” a biannual report issued by Visa. It stated, “there has been a resurgence in physical theft in the last six months, with criminals buying gift cards or physical products using stolen payment info that can be resold or using the card number for money transfers”.

Nonetheless, I prefer using a credit card over a debit card; it’s one way to protect yourself. With a credit card, the card issuer is liable. With a debit card, your own money is on the line, which means you are likely on the hook.

The Visa report used the term “digital pickpocketing”, a term I was not familiar with. Nowadays at the checkout, you no longer have to insert your credit card. You simply have to tap it. It’s very convenient for you, but it’s also convenient for the fraudsters.

Because the same technology that lets you tap, lets them extract information from your card. They just have to get close to your wallet or purse to do so. In a crowded environment, that’s a piece of cake. It’s like having someone picking your pocket without even using their hand.

There are also a lot of fraudulent websites out there. I recommend that you not transact any business on a website unless you’re absolutely certain it’s legitimate. You could be putting both your money and your sensitive data at risk. As for websites you know and confidently use regularly, many require two-factor authorization. That’s a very good idea.

Most people are naturally trustworthy, so it’s difficult for them to comprehend just how sophisticated the criminal element has become. It’s vital to keep your guard up at all times, but even that might not be enough.

Criminals are increasingly shrewd and devious and will go to any length to access your personal financial data. Please do your best to make that very difficult for them. Don’t become a victim.

Email your questions to kenmorris@lifetimeplanning.com

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The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regard to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results.