FROM THE BOARD – Barb Frank, President
RETIREE PEARLS OF WISDOM FOR PAUL OTELLINI
By now everybody knows that Paul Otellini will be joining the ranks of Intel retirees this May. That got the IRO Board thinking that we could all help Paul out by giving him pointers – sort of BKMs (best known methods) from Intel retirees. So, let’s have a little fun and give Paul advice for retirement.
Here’s what we’d like you to do. Send an email to our mailbox before April 1. Write a one or two sentence (think concise, like Twitter), “words of wisdom” from one retiree to another, containing your advice for Paul as he rides off into the “Intel sunset” and joins the ranks of Intel retirees. We’ll collect all of your responses and combine them into one document of helpful advice.
We plan to present this to Paul and encourage him to join the Intel Retiree Organization to continue to get helpful input from other Intel retirees as he moves to his next adventure.
DON’T GIVE UP FACEBOOK FOR LENT!
If you want to reconnect with other retirees, see our website to join Facebook. The retiree organization has almost 1900 members, but only 55 are on Facebook. Let’s increase the number of friends on Facebook. It can be an ideal way to find fellow retirees.
HEALTH/BENEFITS COMMITTEE – Cheryl Pruss, Chairperson
GET THE LATEST UPDATES REGARDING 2013 IRMP/SERMA CHANGES
Changes announced to SERMA flexibility in 2012 Open Enrollment, which were implemented in 2013, prompted IRO to work with Intel to get all of the FAQs regarding your SERMA account and IRMP refreshed on the IRO website. We suggest you take a few minutes to refresh yourself about how your benefits work by reviewing these four documents:
SERMA flexibility and what can you spend your SERMA dollars on
IRMP and SERMA FAQs
The SERMA claims process
Tips on SERMA and accessing Your Saving Account (YSA)
COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE – Debbie Watson, Chairperson
As tax season approaches, we’ve had a number of mailbox requests about where to find answers to W2 and 1099 questions. Call the Intel help desk at 1-800-238-0486 for answers to your questions.
PLANNING AHEAD WITH AN EYE ON TAX CHANGES
If you are interested in figuring out how to improve your tax situation for 2013, taking into account changes in the tax law, some planning is possible. Read this recent NY Times article for some great tips.
ED KUSHNER – PRESERVING NATURE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
From Computer Application Engineer to conservation volunteer, read about how Ed Kushner spends his time enhancing the beauty of the Rose City.
VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE – Ben Manny, Chairperson
2012 INTEL RETIREE VOLUNTEER HOURS UP SLIGHTLY
For 2012, 126 Intel retirees reported over 38,000 Intel Involved volunteer hours for 190 different organizations. This compares to 2011 when 118 retirees reported 37,500 hours for 118 organizations. Each of the 190 non-profits will receive a grant from the Intel Foundation based on the hours reported and the average payout is about $2000 per non-profit. A great effort and imagine what impact retirees could have if more than 3% of the US Intel retirees reported their volunteer hours! Hours for 2013 can be submitted at any time by completing this form. See the volunteering page for complete instructions and tips on how to report hours, including hours that were volunteered outside the US.
“PLAYING” CAN COUNT AS INTEL INVOLVED HOURS
If you play in a community band or orchestra that is incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization, your practice sessions and performance time counts as Intel Involved hours. Do you know of other unique volunteer activities? Please pass these activities to Ben Manny and they will be added to a new list being compiling for our website.
SITE UPDATES
BAY AREA – Join us for lunch on March 6 at the Los Gatos Brewing Company. See our calendar for details.