Do you have children who will be looking at college in the next few years or might you be thinking of returning to school yourself? Now is a great time to start thinking about the college financial aid process and ways to boost college savings. The earlier you start, the more confident and relaxed you will feel when it is time to apply for financial aid. Join Jessica Whittier, College Access Counselor with the Finance Authority of Maine for this 1-hour workshop as we talk all things paying for college.

#FAME

Learn what LTC services are, how they work and how much they cost. We will also discuss Medicare & Medicaid, and how they will, or won't, pay for care versus several different ways you can pay privately, with a close look at how long term care insurance works.

Thursday, March 28 or May 16, 6-8 p.m.

 

Spring is blooming! Please join us as we visit the Botanical Gardens in Boothbay! Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a people’s garden, a grassroots effort that began as a casual conversation between friends and evolved into the largest botanical garden in New England. Located on more than 300 acres along the MidCoast, the Gardens is a true Maine experience. Explore all the gardens have to offer:

Butterfly House | Dahlia Garden | Bee Exhibit | Great Lawn | Founder’s Grove | Lerner Garden of the Five Senses | Slater Forest Pond | Cleaver Lawn | Arbor Garden | Burpee Kitchen Garden | Bibby & Harold Alfond Children’s Garden | Haney Hillside Garden | Vayo Meditation Garden | Fairy House Village | Shoreland Trail & The Landing | Giles Rhododendron & Perennial Garden

What’s in bloom in May? Narcissus (daffodils) add their bright, colorful blooms throughout the Gardens. Hellebores still put on a show. Additional bulbs such as Hyacinthus, Muscari, and Chionodoxa are also painting the ground with shades of pink, blue, yellow, and white. Be sure to check out the soft yellow flowers of Corylopsis glabrescens ‘Longwood Chimes’ in the Alfond Children’s Garden; they smell really yummy! And many small leaved rhododendrons are in bloom in the Giles Rhododendron and Perennial Garden.

Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes, bring a water bottle, sunblock never hurts! Pathways in the central gardens are all ADA compliant, and ramps are available anywhere there are stairs. The Lerner Garden of the Five Senses features sensory-stimulating plants and areas dedicated to each of the five senses. They supply wheelchairs and scooters on a first-come, first-served basis. Shuttle Stops - Free 10-passenger shuttles offer service around the perimeter of the Gardens. They run every 20-25 minutes, with numerous hop-on, hop-off stops—guests should be aware that there is still walking required between shuttle stops and nearby destinations. We try to accommodate as many guests as possible, but the shuttle does get busy during high-traffic periods.

After our visit, we’ll head to the Tugboat Inn in Boothbay Harbor for a late lunch! Tugboat Inn’s waterfront Boothbay Harbor restaurant is a favorite spot for locals and visitors alike. It was built around the original superstructure of the historic tugboat “Maine.” Don’t forget to climb up and visit the original wheelhouse.

Choose from:

Haddock Monhegan – Baked with seasoned crumbs and lemon butter Or Chicken Pot Pie – Tender chicken with mushrooms, carrots and onions Our lunch is accompanied by chef’s choice of side dish, dessert (Maine Blueberry Pie), and non-alcoholic beverage.

9:00 a.m. Depart from Lawrence Jr. High School parking lot, 7 School Street, Fairfield

10:30 a.m. (approximately) Arrive at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

1:30 p.m. Depart Gardens and head to the Tugboat Inn for a late lunch

3:30 p.m. Depart Tugboat Inn and head home

All parts of purchasing a home are covered in this ME hoMEworks course, including making decisions, setting a budget for homeownership, improving credit, getting a mortgage approval, selecting a realtor, inspections, insurance, the closing process, energy efficiency and avoiding predatory lenders. Learn more about the closing cost and down payment assistance programs offered to veterans, first-time homebuyers and other groups. Learn about obtaining the Certificate of Completion needed by the USDA, the ME State Housing Authority and other lenders for their mortgage programs.Register the person you are buying your home with at the time of your registration and get a $10 rebate. Free individualized counseling is available following the class. Please have a pen and notepad available. Registration closes on May 15.  Required: You must respond to the email from YCCAC to finalize registration and receive Zoom link.

Nearing or entering retirement? Join us to learn the power of having a customized strategy to make the most of your benefits and assets, identify considerable risks, and plan for a comfortable, financially secure retirement.

Learn how revocable trusts can help avoid probate and protect your privacy, and how irrevocable trusts can protect your assets from nursing home or Maine Care (Medicaid) liens. Discussion will include other strategies to safeguard assets from life events such as business failure or divorce of adult children. It is recommended that students take the basic estate planning class first. Instructor: Kathryn Bedell, Esq. Kathryn is a lawyer in York, Maine and has been practicing for over 30 years. Her practice focuses on estate planning, asset preservation, and probate matters.

This class will cover;

• The different types of life and insurance
• How and why life insurance is important 
• Utilizing life insurance for income and retirement planning

This class will go over everything having to do with a Roth. This will include Roth IRAs, Roth 401ks, Roth SIMPLEs, Roth SEPS, and useful strategies. Initially introduced in 1997 and since greatly expanded while being misunderstood as well as underutilized.