A reader asked the following question: “I’m in my 80’s. Should I lease my next car or should I finance it like I’ve done before?”

There are advantages to leasing.

• Less hassle. You can turn the vehicle in at the end of the lease period, pay any end-of-lease payments, and walk away.
• Lower initial costs. Usually there is little or no down payment.
• Lower maintenance costs. Many leases last about three years, the same as the typical length of many new-car warranties.
• Lower monthly payments. Lease payments cover the estimated depreciation of the car during the lease period not its full value. Since monthly lease payments are lower than monthly finance payments, you can afford to drive a nicer car.
• Lower sales tax. You are taxed only on the depreciated value during the lease period, not on the total price of the car.

There are also some disadvantages to leasing.

• Lack of flexibility. You can’t add a rear spoiler or repaint the vehicle tomato red. The car must be returned exactly as received.
• Penalties for early lease termination. If you need to opt out of the lease early there is often a large penalty involved. If the lessee dies, the estate is responsible for the lease contract. The estate can break the lease, but this generally involves considerable costs.
• Lack of equity. Unlike a financed car, the lessee has no equity in the vehicle. Once the lease terminates, you must either lease again or buy another vehicle.
• GAP insurance needed. You need to purchase additional auto insurance to cover the difference between what you owe on the lease and what the vehicle is actually worth if destroyed in an accident or is stolen.
• Extra Costs at Lease Termination.
• Most leases limit the number of miles you may drive (typically between 9,000 to 15,000 per year). You pay mileage charges for exceeding these limits.
• Most leases hold you responsible for any wear and tear exceeding what the lessor determines is normal.

I know some lessees who garage their cars near the end of the lease period. They are concerned about exceeding their allotted mileage. Each additional mile costs around $0.20. Rather than pay an extra $500, I know of one lessee who decided not to drive to see his grandchildren.

Speaking of grandchildren and other heirs, if you can afford it, the easiest method for your heirs is to purchase your vehicle outright. This will avoid them having to deal with loan and lease companies. So at 80-years old should you lease or buy? There is no one answer. It depends on your personal situation and other considerations. If you usually drive a car for seven plus years, want greater flexibility and an equity position, buy your next car. On the other hand, if you plan on driving the car for 3 years, want a nicer car for the money, lower payments and easy turnover, leasing is the better option.

So if you think this might be your last car, instead of buying a Chevy why not lease a Cadillac?

For the first 50 years of my life whenever I thought about Florida, I pictured a Buick lumbering down Interstate 95 with its left blinker on from Brooklyn to Boca. The soft occupants of the car, able in the 20th century to retire in their early 60s, were annoyingly referred to as snowbirds … or worse, snowflakes. They headed toward the land of hurricanes and hanging chads and alligators and coupons where the state bird was the ‘early bird’ and a good parking space had less to do with distance from the store than it did proximity to the shade.

When I visited my parents, I snickered at the “condo commandos” who talked way too much about how much they paid for their prescriptions and constantly complained about how chilly 70 degrees feels. I joked about the cars seemingly driven by headless people. And winced at the bumper stickers decorated with decals proclaiming loyalty to the NRA and the Confederacy.

Cynthia Ozick had a friend in me when she said, ‘The whole peninsula of Florida was weighed down with regret. Everyone had left behind a real life.’

But the years have shaken me out of my seat at the cynical kids table. Now my husband and I spend a half dozen winter weeks in the apartment we inherited in Hollywood FL. While I don’t foresee living there full time, I can no longer deny its virtues. The never-crowded beach where we sit in sand chairs with our feet in the mesmerizing water. Time… unscheduled and unhurried … to notice the sky … the wild changeable weather … the spectacular sunsets filling our living room window. Even the treat of grocery shopping in Publix, the beloved seemingly everywhere supermarket with its well lit wide aisles and huge selection.

When I briskly walk the 5-mile Boardwalk right outside my door each morning, those in their 80s regularly leave me behind. My husband plays golf at 7am with guys who were friends of my father. Growing older where you can spend much of the year outside is definitely life enhancing. So are the tennis tournaments and card games and lectures and day trips on which I once passed judgment. Not for me perhaps, but for those enjoying them, they are the fruits earned from decades of less selfish times.

I don’t believe my husband and I are wired for a life of 100% leisure, but I’ve been wrong before. Luckily we have careers where age and experience and wisdom make us better at what we do. If we’re blessed with good health, we can maintain our working life for as long as we want to. Yet suddenly bragging about working till 90 sounds arrogant. The idea is to make the most of each day … which may or may not include hard work. Even I, a list-making Type A should allow that slowing down and sleeping till 8:00 is not a sign of sloth. What’s my problem? Am I trying to impress my uninformed 40-year-old self that baby boomers still rule the universe? Or my children that I am still relevant?

What I’ve recently figured out is that there is almost another generation between my parents and me. Time enough to carefully plan, without trepidation or fear, the next stage of my life. And if I am lucky, I can relax into warming my bones in Florida the same way I enter the cold ocean water … slowly. I can work on a plan for growing older without growing old. I can see the value of days spent producing nothing more than an appreciation for a life spent well enough to get me to this place. I can lose the attitude.

For now I enviously admire the healthy body image the women on the beach, a surprisingly cosmopolitan mix of Canadians, Europeans and South Americans, exhibit in their two-piece bathing suits. I go to dinner in exotic Miami, which one of our neighbors calls Northern Cuba. And visit lifelong friends, happy campers relocated a bit farther north. Yet tipping my hat to my impatient DNA, I still roll my eyes at the DWO (driving while old) putting on his right signal 5 miles before he turns.

“Marcia Byalick teaches Writing the Stories of Your Life at Hutton House, part of LIU CW Post.”

Editor’s Note: This month, Judit Ungar, author of the Brittany Lakes column, chose to publish an article by her author/friend, Marcia Byalick, instead. You will agree that Marcia’s contribution was relevant to all of us!

Correction: Judit’s email address is: [email protected]

I am writing this month’s article. All of your events will be noted and written about. I hope to have lots of messages from our Hamptonites. We have a lot of new residents in the Hamptons, and hope they will contact me with their occasions and recent activities.

We unfortunately had some losses in the past month – Renee McKible, and Alice Kasarsky. They had many good years in our community and will be missed.

Ellen and Arthur Gold had a great trip to Dallas to see their grandchildren, and celebrated their kid’s birthdays.

Also happy to see Dave Price up and around after an illness. Judy keeps a uniform in the closet just in case.

Harry and I wish to congratulate Shuey Greenspan on being elected to the Hampton board. Also, welcome back to the members that were reelected. I am sure that they will put forth their best efforts to assure us of financial security and amiability.

We wish to thank Bill Whitelaw for his long-time service of 17 years, his tireless efforts and amazing acumen trying to keep us in the black while maintaining an excellent rapport with our community. We will miss our elder statesman and of course we all know that his door is always open.

Arthur Gold has to be thanked for being the voice of reason. His knowledge of working with our community has been unshakeable. He has great credentials and always tried to keep us on the right path. He is definitely not a face in the crowd. We wish him luck on being on the board of Aberdeen Country Club, and our loss is their gain.

We hope you all had a great visit from the Easter Bunny, and didn’t eat too much matzo on Passover. Many of us are returning up north for the summer. Have a safe trip and return to our little spot in Paradise.

All articles sent to [email protected].

Editor’s Note: Welcome Nancy Rosenstein to our roster of community writers for the Aberdeen Times. We will look forward to reading the news about Hampton each month.

The New York Times started in 1851 and for 145 years it only had its print edition. When, in 1996, something called the “internet” starts to be used by the general public and the Times realized that it needed to be there as well. So it set up a website. Over the next 10 years, the paper would see a decrease in circulation as more people got their news online. In 2006 the Times reduced the size of the paper by 6” to save $12 million per year.

After 26 years of print-only publication, the Aberdeen Times has decided it is time to launch its own web site. This will allow you to read the Aberdeen Times wherever you are whether it is on your patio over a cup of coffee, up north during the summer or half way across the world while you are traveling.

With the gracious help of Philip Levine (South Florida Web Advisors), the Aberdeen Times is ready to enter the 21st century. On our new website you will be able to browse articles by community / column, view our advertisers’ directory, find out who writes the article for your community, and submit feedback / questions and perform a myriad of functions.

Philip worked with the staff of the Aberdeen Times to make sure we have a website that shines. Some of his local clients include the Aberdeen POA, Ashford Green HOA and COBWRA in addition to many other local organizations and businesses.

We look forward to this new era for the Aberdeen Times.

Please visit the new website today at http://aberdeentimes.org/.

Aberdeen Times Board of Directors

What is it and what does it do?
The POA is the MASTER Association of Aberdeen. Aberdeen has 24 communities or villages (also referred to as Home Owners associations or HOAs) and also has the Aberdeen Golf and Country Club. The POA has a Board of Directors as does every HOA and as does the Country Club. The Aberdeen POA is one of the largest property associations in Palm Beach County. Its membership includes 2407 homes, the country club and some commercial properties that are required to pay POA dues.

There are numerous committees and an approximate $4,600,000 annual budget. A significant portion of the budget is the Comcast contract. The POA responsibilities include all common areas and all 43 Aberdeen lakes. It is responsible for all fertilization, landscaping, tree trimming, reclaimed water and Security. (The Palm Beach Sheriff has been hired by the POA.) The POA is also responsible for the Architectural Review Board (ARB), the phone directory, signage, and the management of the East Clubhouse. In the event of a hurricane, there are gates that the POA can open to allow excess water out and into the canals – with permission of the appropriate governmental authority and also since there are no sewers in Aberdeen, removal of waste is accomplished through Lift Stations which the POA maintains and for which it is responsible. The POA meets monthly, (except for July and August) and all residents are always invited to attend meetings and, of course, view the website, Aberdeenpoa.com.

By: George Spiro (Ashford)
ASHFORD’S GEORGE SPIRO IN WWII

In 1943, at age19, I enlisted in the Army Sig-nal Corps and at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, trained on the maintenance of radio receivers and transmitters. I shipped out to England in Jan. 1944, 6 months be-fore D-day. I was assigned to Patton’s Third Army (3rd) which was deployed on the south coast of Eng-land preparing for the assault on German-occupied Europe. The 3rd was 100% mechanized with heavy tanks and support elements; the infantry rode. The Normandy Beach landings included water drop-offs so the 3rd had to depend on dry landings. The French ports of LeHavre and Brest were sabotaged by the Germans with sunken ships and mines. D-day was June 6, 1944, my 21st birthday. The 3rd was delayed a month while barges were floated in and attached to form a pier anchored at Omaha Beach at Avranches. The 3rd landed dry. Remnants of the pier can still be seen. I was assigned to a Signal Service Company and a section for maintaining its radio receivers and transmitters and portable power generators. The mis-sion of the Company was to monitor radio transmissions to identify and locate enemy units. The moni tors were fluent with most European languages and Japanese. The Germans were expected to use foreign talkers the way the U.S. Army used Native Americans. But the Germans spoke in clear voice. The 3rd moved rapidly across France liberating villages, towns, and cities bypassing Paris, leaving that honor to the French Army. Many times the 3rd had to halt and wait for supplies. By Nov. 1944, the 3rd reached Nancy, France on the Alsace/German border. The 3rd was ordered to head North to relieve troops trapped in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. The 3rd then proceeded through Germany to arrive in Pilsen, Czechoslavakia on May 7, 1945. This was the fur-thest penetration east of any U.S. troops. The next day, May 8,1945, was declared VE-day. The Russians were coming to occupy so the 3rd was ordered to move to Bavaria, Germany for occupation duty. General Patton was appointed Governor of Bavaria and he died there after an automobile “accident.” I was recently awarded a medal and title of Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor for my role in the liberation of France. I was discharged from the Army in Jan. 1946. I took advantage of the G.I. Bill to achieve 2 engineering degrees, attending NYU at night. I worked for the Bell Telephone System for 40 years; 12 at NY Tel, 22 at Bell Labs, and 6 at Western Electric and AT&T. I retired in 1985 and moved to Florida with my wife, Lillian, and on to Aberdeen in 1990.

[wptab name=’Questions’]

1. What was Fonzie’s first name?

2. What show included in its intro: “Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear”?

3. What 8 words followed: “Look Up in the sky—”?

4. What show introduced Jose Jimenez to the world?

5. Who were Rob and Laura Petrie’s next-door neighbors?

6. What did Barney Fife carry in his left shirt pocket?

7. What song did Tom Jones use as the theme for his TV show?

8. Who once noted: “We lost a daughter, Edith, but we gained a meathead.”?

9. What character had T-negative blood type?

10. What M*A*S*H character’s’ 1st two names were Benjamin Franklin?

[/wptab]

[wptab name=’Answers’]1. Arthur

2. The Lone Ranger

3. It’s a bird! It’s a plane!It’s Superman!

4. The Steve Allen Show

5. Jerry and Miller Helper

6. His bullet

7. “It’s Not Unusual”

8. Archie Bunker

9. Mr. Spock

10. Hawkeye Pierce

[/wptab]

[end_wptabset]

By: Bea Lewis (Lancaster)

Is it crazy that I didn’t want to clear out Ed’s closet? After all, wouldn’t any woman want an extra closet, so she wouldn’t have to stuff all her clothes and shoes into just one small space?

It took me about 6 months before I could even think about it. As long as I could see Ed’s jackets and slacks lined up so neatly – hanger–by-hanger – in his closet, I felt connected to him.

A friend told me that there are many men who would benefit from having some of his sweaters, his dress slacks and sports jackets. It’s sort of selfish, she said, to hang onto his belongings-especially those lovely, colorful Tommy Bahama shirts he so loved to wear.

My friend was right, but I just wasn’t ready to empty out his closet. Because if I did, I would have to face the harsh reality that Ed was gone-forever. And frankly, I didn’t think I could ever pass his empty closet without feeling terribly sad and missing him all over again.

Some friends, who are fellow-widows, cleared their husbands closets within days of the funeral. I know others who asked their relatives to do the job for them.

Still others – actually one other friend – told me that she felt safe whenever she sat on the floor of her husband’s closet, and smelled his clothes. At the time, I thought she was a bit weird. But who am I to judge anyone else’s timetable for getting past the oh-so-grim grieving stage.

Deciding when to do this job is akin to standing on the edge of a diving board, but not quite ready to jump into the pool. It’s that heart-pounding, fearful feeling that you know you have to do it, but what you really want is to turn around and go down the ladder and get safely back on the ground.

What motivated me to finally tackle this painful chore was the fact that friends were coming to visit, and I needed to make room for their belongings. This was my long-overdue incentive to at least get started, and begin to take the slacks and shirts off the hangers and the sweaters and sweatshirts out of his drawers.

But what if I give one of his favorite sweaters away, and then later regret that I should have held onto them for a little bit longer? How could I so freely toss out his navy blue cashmere, double-breasted jacket that he proudly wore at our grandson’s bar mitzvah?

I must say, however, that there were a few items I was glad to toss out. For example, that his too-tight-fitting black shirt, which I absolutely detested. I used to think that he wore it just to annoy me. (Oh, how I’d love to have that “annoyance” back again!) I was also glad to get rid of the flashy ties he loved to wear, and-oh yes-the frayed jeans that were so baggy in the rear.

Grief counselors tell us that the process can be agonizing because each little item we toss out signals memories of when and where it was worn. But several friends – who had been there before me – offered some suggestions that helped me cope with this most stressful experience. For example, before you being to sort and toss, get several boxes, permanent markers and garbage bags, they advised. Mark one box “donations,” another box for items your family will treasure and plenty of garbage bags for all the junk that accumulated over the years.

There will be, of course, some things that you will never want to part with. For example, I will always cherish the letters and cards we gave each other over the years. Ed had saved them in a box that he kept on a shelf in his closet. (From time to time, I would take these out of the container, read our inscriptions, and-with a bunch of tissues-have myself a good cry.)

Ed’s closet might be empty now, but my heart will be always filled with the wonderful memories of the things we did together, what we meant to each other, as well as all of the clothes that he used to wear.

(P.S. Bea is writing a book on her journey through widowhood.)

By: Bob Tanenbaum

I’m starting to breathe easily again. At last, blood is flowing to my brain. The fog is lifting. In other words, baseball’s almost here.

I die every November and am resurrected on or around the eve of Opening Day. Fifteen box scores to digest almost every day. Now that’s living. How much do I love baseball?

Well, my son and I have been to every major league park and one in Italy. I own 50+ baseball ties. I have a piece of the Shea Stadium wall in my garage. I have a mascot bobble head doll for each team and use them to keep up-to-date standings throughout the season.

Also, I know everything you need to know for the upcoming season and I’m willing to share.

I’ve grouped the teams in 5 tiers – starting with the most likely to be playing into early November (and, for context, compared them to the contenders for November’s other major contest). Group 1:
The Front Runners (AKA the Clinton/Trump Division) The Chicago Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908 (some of you may remember it; if not read “Crazy ‘08” by Cait Murphy) but Vegas thinks this is their year. Chicago has wisely added quality veterans (OF Jason Heyward, 2B Ben Zobrist, SP John Lackey and P Adam Warren) to his collection of young homegrown superstars.

Yikes!
The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t go on their usual spending spree even after losing ace pitcher Zach Grienke to Arizona. Sure, they bought Scott Kazmir as a rotation replacement and re-upped Howie Kendrick at $20M for two years. Why not spend more? LA has three can’t-miss rookies (SS Corey Seager, 2B Jose Peraza and SP Julio Urias, 19, who has a left eye that’s partially shut and a left arm that shuts down batters.) Double Yikes!!

The New York Mets make this group thanks to a starting rotation that carried the team to the World Series last fall and now has rookie Stephen Matz for a full season and will welcome back ace-quality starter Zach Wheeler in midseason. Re-signing September hero Yoenis Cespedes was a must. The Cuban refugee outfielder owns a collection of outlandishly expensive cars that you should watch for on 1-95 since he keeps some of them at his Bocaire CC mansion in Boca. One Yikes.

The Mets blew past the Washington Nationals in the stretch but the Nats will rebound with baseball’s best player Bryce Harper carrying the team despite the loss of quality starters, Jordan Zimmerman and Doug Fister. Management wised up and dumped dunderhead manager Matt Williams and hired a real skipper in Dusty Baker. The move is worth 5-10 wins.

The reigning-champion Kansas City Royals are too solid and complete a franchise to underrate. Their key move was re-signing OF Alex Gordon. They have a knack at rehabbing pitchers and will try again with SP Ian Kennedy and RP Joachim Soria. One Yikes plus.

Last, and least of this group, is the New York Yankees. While swearing off on big-time contracts, they couldn’t resist adding a third closer – legally challenged (domestic violence) 100 MPH thrower Aroldis Chapman — to their overcrowded bullpen and almost All-Star quality infielder Starlin Castro to the lineup. The key could be a rookie outfielder named Aaron Judge. He’s about 6-foot-7 and drawing comparisons to Dave Winfield. If that happens and A-Rod continues to cheat without getting caught, give ‘em a half-Yikes.

Group 2:
The Secondary Contenders (AKA The Sanders/Cruz/Rubio Division)

The Toronto Blue Jays because they are the best-hitting team in baseball.

The St. Louis Cardinals because they always rebuild into a better team with an amazing farm system and clever trades — this time former Padre 2B Jedd Gyorko.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been knocking on the door for a half-decade now in the NL Central and now they’ll have two doors to blow down: Cubs and Cards. But don’t say it can’t happen. Phenom rookie starter Tyler Glasnow could be the catalyst.

Count the San Francisco Giants in this group, if only because of history. The Giants have won it all in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Get the pattern? Injuries have blown apart a solid rotation so they brought in starters Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija to return to glory.

No person has had a greater impact on the game over the past 25 years than Tony LaRussa. The former manager now pulls strings as the Chief Baseball Officer of the Arizona Diamondbacks. LaRussa pushed the mostly homegrown Snakes to sign the winter’s No.1 free agent SP Zack Greinke from LA. They’d be a favorite for the NL West crown if not for LA and SF.

Based on a strong starting rotation you’ve heard little about (2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar) the Cleveland Indians will be this season’s dark horses du jour.

Group 3
“So You’re Saying There’s A Chance?” (AKA the Carson/Kasich Division)

Last place; last place; World Series Champions; last place. That’s what the Boston Red Sox have accomplished the last four years. Based on offseason moves that equal or surpass the Cubs, Beantown could be rocking again. Arriving is ace starter David Price and baseball’s most consistent closer Craig Kimbrel. If offensive and defensive inconsistencies are solved, we may have to give them a Yikes!

The Detroit Tigers have a solid offensive nucleus and have added SP Jordan Zimmermann and OF Justin Upton.

The surprising Minnesota Twins missed the playoffs by only three games last year. They could make up the difference if rookies OF Bryon Buxton and SP Jose Berrios live up to expectations.

The Houston Astros, last season’s division champs, are loaded with young talent, suspect starters and a possible black hole at first base.

The annually underachieving Los Angeles Angels surprised by not spending big on free agents but brought in Andrelton Simmons, a defensive genius at shortstop, to bring cohesion to a star-dotted lineup that’s lost its way. The Texas Rangers could be the surprise of the bunch based on rookies 3B Joey Gallo and OF Nomar Mazara.

Group 4:
Never Taken Seriously (AKA the Jeb/Christie/Fiorina/Huckabee Division)

This group of teams has little chance at a playoff spot, but they might have hope for relevance. Not the Chicago White Sox despite adding slugger Todd Frazier. Not the Miami Marlins despite the league’s No.1 slugger, Giancarlo Stanton, and arguably No.1 young starter, Jose Fernandez; not the Baltimore Orioles despite re-signing stars 1B Chris Davis, C Matt Weiters and RP Darren O’Day. Not the Seattle Mariners despite pitching ace “King” Felix Hernandez; not the Tampa Bay Rays, who have sold or traded almost all their young stars; not the San Diego Padres, who spent a fortune last season and are left with a manager and players we’ve never heard of.

Group 5:
Why even show up? (AKA the Pataki/Chaffee/Jindal/O’Malley Division)

These teams are worse than the Padres. They have no shot at a .500 season. If you root for them, you can starting waiting for next year now. Philadelphia Phillies; Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds.

Final Predictions:
So what will happen? I want what I wanted last year. Blue Jays vs. Mets in the World Series. Best hitting vs. best pitching with lots of errors when the ball’s in play and not blasted into the seats. Mets in seven.