People ages 50 and older control more than 70 percent of the country’s wealth, so fraudsters are finding new ways to target retiring baby boomers and the growing number of older Americans. This type of crime called elder financial abuse is on the rise and is estimated to have cost victims at least $2.9 billion last year alone.​

Elder financial abuse is a crime that deprives older adults of their resources and ultimately their independence. Anyone who sees signs of theft, fraud, misuse of a person’s assets or credit or use of undue influence to gain control of an older person’s money or property should be on the alert. Those are signs of possible exploitation. Older Americans that may have disabilities or rely on others for help can be susceptible to scams and other fraud. Advances in technology can also make it difficult for seniors to know who to trust and what's safe.  
Tips for Seniors

Despite these threats, taking simple steps to safeguard personal information and being aware of warning signs can protect aging men and women from financial abuse.

• Plan ahead to protect your assets and to ensure your wishes are followed. Talk to someone at your financial institution, an attorney, or financial advisor about the best options for you.
  
  
• Shred receipts, bank statements and unused credit card offers before throwing them away.
  
  
• Carefully choose a trustworthy person to act as your agent in all estate-planning matters.
  
  
• Lock up your checkbook, account statements and other sensitive information when others will be in your home.
  
  
• Order copies of your credit report once a year to ensure accuracy.
  
  
• Never give personal information, including Social Security Number, account number or other financial information to anyone over the phone unless you initiated the call and the other party is trusted.
  
  
• Never pay a fee or taxes to collect sweepstakes or lottery “winnings.”
  
  
• Never rush into a financial decision. Ask for details in writing and get a second opinion. 
  
  
• Consult with a financial advisor or attorney before signing any document you don’t understand.
  
  
• Get to know your banker and build a relationship with the people who handle your finances. They can look out for any suspicious activity related to your account.
  
  
• Check references and credentials before hiring anyone. Don’t allow workers to have access to information about your finances.
  
  
• Pay with checks and credit cards instead of cash to keep a paper trail.
  
  
• Feel free to say “no.” After all, it’s your money.
  
  
• You have the right not to be threatened or intimidated. If you think someone close to you is trying to take control of your finances, call your local Adult Protective Services or tell someone at your bank.
  
  
• Trust your instincts. Exploiters and abusers often are very skilled. They can be charming and forceful in their effort to convince you to give up control of your finances. Don’t be fooled—if something doesn’t feel right, it may not be right. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 
  

What Should You Do If You Are a Victim of Financial Abuse?

• Talk to a trusted family member who has your best interests at heart, or to your clergy.
  
  
• Talk to your attorney, doctor or an officer at your bank.
  
  
• Contact Adult Protective Services in your state or your local police for help. 
  

Tips for Family and Friends of Seniors

The key to spotting financial abuse is a change in a person’s established financial patterns. Watch out for these “red flags”:

• Unusual activity in an older person’s bank accounts, including large, frequent or unexplained withdrawals.
  
  
• ATM withdrawals by an older person who has never used a debit or ATM card.
  
  
• Changing from a basic account to one that offers more complicated services the customer does not fully understand or need.
  
  
• Withdrawals from bank accounts or transfers between accounts the customer cannot explain.
  
  
• New “best friends” accompanying an older person to the bank.
  
  
• Sudden non-sufficient fund activity or unpaid bills.
  
  
• Closing CDs or accounts without regard to penalties.
  
  
• Uncharacteristic attempts to wire large sums of money.
  
  
• Suspicious signatures on checks, or outright forgery.
  
  
• Confusion, fear or lack of awareness on the part of an older customer.
  
  
• Refusal to make eye contact, shame or reluctance to talk about the problem.
  
  
• Checks written as “loans” or “gifts.”
  
  
• Bank statements that no longer go to the customer’s home.
  
  
• New powers of attorney the older person does not understand.
  
  
• A caretaker, relative or friend who suddenly begins conducting financial transactions on behalf of an older person without proper documentation.
  
  
• Altered wills and trusts.
  
  
• Loss of property.
  

What Should You Do If You Suspect Financial Abuse?

• Talk to elderly friends or loved ones if you see any of the signs mentioned here. Try to determine what specifically is happening with their financial situation, such as a new person “helping” them with money management, or a relative using cards or credit without their permission.
  
  
• Report the elder financial abuse to their bank and enlist their banker’s help to stop it and prevent its recurrence.
  
  
• Contact Adult Protective Services in your town or state for help.
  
  
• Report all instances of elder financial abuse to your local police—if fraud is involved, they should investigate.
  

Remember
Never give your Social Security number, account numbers or other personal financial information over the phone unless you initiated the call.
This article content created by the American Bankers Association is provided by MVB Bank. More information about Safe Banking for Seniors and other financial tips for consumers can be found on the ABA website: https://www.aba.com/advocacy/community-programs/consumer-resources. If you would like more information from your local bankers on this or other topics, please email Amy Baker, VP, Corporate Communications & Marketing, at [email protected] or visit www.mvbbanking.com.  

No one needs to say that 2020 has been overwhelming to say the least, because we all are well aware of that with Covid-19 and the social unrest occurring all at once. After struggling through April through June, at the beginning of July I decided that I was starting my year over. It would be a fresh start to redeem and reinvigorate my goals and intentions for the year. I decided to refocus myself with the new information I had from the first six months of the year and move forward with my goals and plans with the consideration that things could change in the blink of an eye. Three things can help you to be more intentional about the remainder of 2020 no matter what is going on.  

Invest Time.
No matter what year it is and what is going on in the world one thing doesn’t change, we must set our intentions to invest time in ourselves. 2020 has allowed many people to start a side hustle, begin a new hobby, or spend more time finding things to enjoy at home. However, we have to be intentional to continue that as things are reopening and some aspects of life are transitioning into the “new normal”. A few ways to ensure that you are creating the time to invest into yourself are:

· Setting limits on the time you spend on social media
· Find at least one specific thing you care about to invest your time in
· Be intentional with your time, use planners, e-calendars, and alarms to keep you accountable for the time you are spending doing any given thing throughout the day.

Invest in Building a Strong Mindset.
Your mindset will determine your direction and if your goals will succeed. If you want to shift your mindset to being one that is intentional, your goals for the year will occur at a rate you won’t even believe over time. You can invest in your mindset by:

· Hiring a life coach to help you recognize self-defeating ways, based on fear, or to help you create a strategic plan for your goals and dreams in life.
· Working with a therapist to address any traumas or deep-rooted issues that may be interfering with your success and well-being in adulthood.
· Reading books that expand your mind beyond your perspective and looking at the possibilities of life. 

Invest in Learning Something New.
One of my strongest core beliefs is that the more you know, the more you will grow. Invest in yourself by choosing to learn more than you knew yesterday. Spending some intentional time focused on learning can be a gamechanger for your life. Take some time the remainder of this year to invest in learning something new by: 

· Attending virtual conferences, workshops, and courses that align with your goals 
· Reading books that challenge you to think
· Watching documentaries and videos on topics of interest 

In a year like this it is important to develop a strong foundation for your goals and plans. Take this time to be intentional and develop your foundation by investing time into yourself, strengthening your mindset.

Follow Latisha as she emboldens people of influence to replenish as they thrive. Tune into her weekly podcast The Refill with Latisha Carr or follow @latisha.carr on Instagram.

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The key to a good budget is including as much information as you can, so that you can adequately prepare and plan. It's important to keep accurate records of your spending so you'll spot places where you can save money and know how much you can reasonably spend.

• What is your current income? The first step in creating a budget is to total all of your income, or money coming. The American Bankers Association recommends you do this on a monthly basis. Include only your take home pay (this is your salary minus taxes and deductions). Your income may also include tips, child support, investment income, etc.
• What are your monthly expenses? Next, you'll need to track your expenses, or money going out. Some of your bills will vary from month-to-month, so use a monthly average. For example, if your cell phone is $45 one month and $55 the next, estimate $50 per month. For annual bills, divide the yearly cost by 12 for a monthly figure. 
• How much of your income should be spent? Rent or mortgage payments plus your credit obligations – should not exceed 35 to 40 percent of gross monthly income. The amount you owe on credit cards, monthly car payment, student loans and other monthly payments should not exceed 10 to 15 percent of your take-home pay.
• Put it in writing. Document and categorize your expenses. Tally up everything you spend money on. Don't forget your daily coffee or snacks. Those can add up quickly!
• Do the math. The last step in creating your budget is to total all of your expenses and subtract them from your total income.

How Did You Do?
Did you have money left over at the end of the month – or too much month left at the end of the money?

• If your income and expenses are EQUAL:
  • You might be living paycheck to paycheck. Cut expenses and develop a savings plan in case of emergencies or unexpected expenses.
  • If your income and expenses equal each other, but only because you're using credit to survive and paying only minimums each month, you may need to talk to a debt counseling service to help you get back on the track to live within your means.
• If you have MONEY LEFTOVER at the end of the month:

You're doing a good job of managing your expenses. Here are some suggestions for the leftover money:

• • Open a savings account at a bank. 
  • If you already have a savings account, consider setting up automatic transfers to your savings account or, if you have direct deposit, ask your employer to put a portion of your paycheck in your savings account automatically.
  • Also investigate whether your employer offers a 401(k) or another employee matching savings plan. The contribution you make to this type of account is taken out of your paycheck before taxes.
• If your total was negative and you DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY:

• You need to make adjustments immediately. Keep in mind that it's usually easier to cut back on expenses than to increase your income. Analyze your budget to see where you can cut expenses – especially from the Looking Good and Just for Fun categories. Often those are the easiest things to cut from your budget.
• Call your utility, phone, cable, cell phone providers. There may be ways to cut those bills that just take a phone call.
• Consider increasing your income by getting a second part-time job or by working overtime.

You can take charge of your finances and your life by setting financial goals, planning a budget and sticking to it.
Here is a link to some helpful interactive calculators to help you make important financial decisions:https://www.aba.com/advocacy/community-programs/consumer-resources/calculators.
This article content created by the American Bankers Association is provided by MVB Bank. More information about creating a budget and other financial tips for consumers can be found on the ABA website: https://www.aba.com/advocacy/community-programs/consumer-resources. If you would like more information from your local bankers on this or other topics, please email Amy Baker, VP, Corporate Communications & Marketing, at [email protected] or visit www.mvbbanking.com.  

​The 2020 election process is proceeding during this challenging time of pandemic and quarantine.  The country is in crisis and our opportunity to vote for new leadership is in our hands.  Together, we must organize and carefully prepare to Get Out to Vote activities in our communities and select candidates that are going to represent us.  It has been difficult to gather people, hold rallies, get our message out and motivate people to go to the polls in sufficient numbers.  Strategies of success and inclusion are now being developed. 
 
Registration Deadline for General Election October 13, 2020 (post received by Oct. 16th)
                                                                      
West Virginia Online Voter Registration Website
www.ovr.sos.wv.gov
 
Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot                                                                         Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Deadline to Return Completed Absentee Ballot   Hand deliver                                  Monday, October 2, 2020
Early Voting                                                                                                                          October 21 -31, 2020              
Drive to Survive                                                                                                                    October 2020
Stroll to the Polls                                                                                                                 Saturday, October 24, 2020
                                                                                                                                                Saturday, October 31, 2020
General Election   Tuesday, November 3, 2020 - Polls Open at 6:30 A.M.
 
  Please feel free to contact me with additional GOTV suggestions or activities at 304-543-0248 or [email protected] .  Let’s make it happen.
                                                                                                     
                                                                                                        Karen P. Williams

Black Diamond Baseball Foundation’s mission is to increase opportunities for Black minorities in the sport of baseball by bringing awareness to the diverse history, reducing financial barriers and creating more accessibility for Black minorities and underrepresented youth to play the sport.
 
The Foundation was started because the disparity of Black youth and professional players within the sport of baseball is obvious from a personal perspective and statistical standpoint. By identifying three major areas of opportunity; education, accessibility & the financial barriers, we hope to change the current demographic of baseball, starting at the youth levels.
 
We began executing our mission by partnering with our local Little League chapter, Jefferson County Little League. We proposed, organized, and hosted Little League’s first ever Negro League Day Celebration on July 11th, 2020, which also marked the 100th Anniversary of the start of the Negro Leagues. The surrounding communities were in attendance and showed an overwhelming amount of support and appreciation for what this event meant to them and their families. The opening ceremony began with honoring the Negro Leagues’ history by highlighting some of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game: Leroy “Satchel” Robert Paige, Josh Gibson, & Jackie Robinson. We also honored the Black alumni of Jefferson County Little League and their baseball achievements during and after their Little League experience. It was also important to us to have “Lift Every Voice” sung prior to the start of this event to give young players and the community the experience of hearing this historically significant song sung during a youth sporting event. The two teams that played in the showcase game represented the Homestead Grays vs the Kansas City Monarchs. This event gave us the opportunity to educate the community and players about baseball’s diverse history at a professional level and also at the local level.
 
Our future plans are to partner with youth baseball organizations to host educational events like the Negro League Day Celebration. We also plan to connect with schools to ensure that students are informed of spring registration for youth baseball organizations and are aware of other baseball opportunities within their community. Lastly, we plan to work with the city/county Parks & Recreation Board to increase accessibility to baseball facilities in their area. 
 
 
Sarah M Warner
President, Black Diamond Baseball Foundation

I’m not crazy, but…

I feel like my brain won’t shut off.  It won’t let me sleep.  Thoughts swirling.  Re-hashing every conversation I had today.  Wishing that I had said something different.  Worried that someone is thinking that I’m horrible or not good enough.  I wake up in the middle of the night with dreams where horrible things happen to the people I love.  I can’t concentrate or get anything done-- all I can do is worry.

When you are feeling like this it could be anxiety.  Worry can be helpful and protective.  Worry prompts us to plan.  Worry keeps us from doing stupid stuff.  Anxiety is when worry turns toxic.  Anxiety makes us feel sick.  Anxiety causes our brain to send danger signals, that trigger a rush of adrenaline.   The true enemy can be our thoughts. The result is adrenaline when without an outlet, implodes.
 Causing:
* the heart to race and pounds,
      *our breathing to speed up and feel difficult, 
       *makes all of our muscles tense,
      *our throats feeling like it is impossible to swallow.
 Sometimes the anxiety is so bad that you might even feel like passing out with dizziness and lightheaded. Sometimes it’s called Generalized Anxiety Disorder with or without panic.

How can I help myself?  Breathing.  I swear breathing is the best and fastest way to control worry.  The adrenaline makes us breathe fast and shallow trying to get oxygen to our arms and legs to fight off the danger.  It can be hard to remember to exhale. And a lot of times when people get worked up, we actually hold our breath.  Really pay attention the next time you are nervous or angry.  It’s like your brain is going so fast if forget to breathe.  No one likes to breathe into a bag.  So, don’t. The goal is to breathe slow, deep, and exhale fully.  There are a million breathing practices.  They all work to a certain degree.
*notice your breathing 
*focus on one good breath followed by another.  (Google 4-7-8 Breathing)

Other things you can do that don’t involve a co-pay
    *Meditate (some apps are free now due to COVID)
    *Exercise, it’s the best medicine for anxiety

When should I reach out for help:  
*when anxiety becomes panic and feels like a heart attack.  
*When anxiety keeps you from taking care of yourself
*when anxiety keeps you home from work, 
*when anxiety keeps you from talking to your friends and family. 

What help looks like:
     Counseling. It is more than talking about your problems like you do to your friends.  Counselors are your thinking trainers.  You have to learn how to change bad habits of thinking errors.  
     Personal training.  If exercise and meditation on your own aren’t helping, 
then, trainers, counselor,s and life coaches can help you achieve your goals.
     Acupuncture. Eastern medicine is very helpful for anxiety.
   Medicine (prescription and natural).  Medicine won’t make problems go away but make anxiety and difficult situations easier to manage. 
Anxiety does not discriminate, it attacks all races, genders, and creeds.  Don’t let it control your life. 

Put the salt down, get sun when it shines, fish oil is your friend.
Missy, MD

About the Author:
Doctor Melissa Albert hails from Clarksburg, West Virginia, and graduated valedictorian from Notre Dame High School.  She attended West Virginia University and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology.  She continued at WVU to complete medical school and receive a Doctorate of Medicine.
  
Dr. Albert first completed a three-year residency in Pediatrics at Wright State University in Dayton, OH.  While working with children and families she realized that she wanted additional training to focus on emotional needs.  She then returned to West Virginia University and completed a three-year Psychiatry residency.  She also served as Chief Resident during her final year.

She worked at the WV University at Chestnut Ridge Center from 2007-2011.  She worked with children hospitalized medically for issues of stress, anxiety, and depression.  She then worked for Cornerstone Care a non-profit network of Federally Qualified Community Health Centers (FQHC) from 2011-2016.  She then returned to West Virginia as she felt it important to care for individuals in her home state.  She worked with PSIMED Corporation in the Morgantown and Charleston locations.  She cared for adults, children, and adolescents providing outpatient psychiatric care as well as youth court-ordered to residential juvenile treatment.  She now works at Wedgewood Family Practice and Psychiatry.  There she provides outpatient psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, adolescents, and children.
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