Page 6 - GC-May-June-21

MEET THE GERMANS German parliament approves
'Heaven on earth' and other German expressions
new law on coronavirus rules
W.com: The pandemic has from page 1 Passauer Neue Presse: "It is impor-
been dominating headlines
tant that there are now nationwide
Dover the year, but our planet The law would be in effect until regulations on what must happen in
is also begging for attention. To honor June 30, with any further changes
which infection situation. This is
Earth Day, here are a few "down-to- requiring parliamentary approval. especially crucial for acceptance
earth" idioms from the German lan- What are people among the population."
guage. saying about the law? Green Party health expert Jano-
8 German expressions Thousands of people were pro- sch Dahmen told the DPA agency:
using the word “earth” testing in Berlin on Wednesday "A uniform federal approach is
against the laws, largely without
Wie Pilze aus der Erde schießen right, but the measures are not suffi-
"To shoot up out of the earth," but masks or social distancing. One po- cient." He said it should apply at an
lice estimate put the number of par-
the more common variant is "(wie incidence rate of 50.
Pilze) aus dem Boden schießen." It ticipants at 8,000 people. Head of the health department at
Bundestag President Wolfgang
means that something appears very Berlin's district Neukölln, Dr. Nico-
quickly, or that things spring up all Schäuble, from Merkel's CDU par- lai Savaskan, told DW that the fed-
ty, defended the curfews as propor-
over the place, just like mushrooms eral emergency brake's reliance on a
seems to multiply before your very tionate. "A look abroad shows that seven-day incidence was "quite un-
Image by Delynn Talley from Pixabay
eyes. all countries that have regained con- specific as a signal to detect epide-
trol of high infection figures have
Etwas aus der Erde/aus dem means "being at fault for a per- earth and grounded, to not delude miological effects."
resorted to curfew restrictions in
Boden stampfen son's death." That is akin to the oneself, to remain realistic. The German Patient Protection
Literally, "to stomp or pound English "to put someone to bed Den Himmel auf Erden haben phases," Schäuble told Berlin's Ta- Foundation said that in order to
gesspiegel newspaper.
something out of the earth/the with a shovel." This shovel here, Who wouldn't want it: to have avoid potential legal challenges to
ground," the expression evokes the however, is merely an artwork in heaven on earth?! It's the same in The German Association of the law, the threshold should also
Towns and Municipalities said the
idea of magic and means "to make Amsterdam. German as in English. But beware if consider the vaccination rate of el-
something out of nothing, to set Verbrannte Erde someone sometimes promises you law was important for greater ac- derly people, and the burden on hos-
something up quickly" – whether a Literally "burned earth," it re- heaven on earth (jemandem den ceptance of the rules. Chief Execu- pitals.
building or a successful business. Not fers to a military strategy of de- Himmel auf Erden versprechen). If tive Gerd Landsberg told the
to be confused with the English stroying essential infrastructure, it sounds too good to be true, it
"stomping ground," a place where like bridges, streets, train tracks, probably is. Pictured above, Luke
someone used to hang out, and origi- factories, fields, food and live- Jerram's artwork entitled "Gaia"
nally referred to a spot that animals stock, entire villages or cities, to was shown in London in Summer
would frequent in nature. prevent them from being of use to 2020.
Kein Bein auf die Erde bekom- one's opponent, either in one’s Das Salz der Erde sein
men own land or one which a military Of Biblical origins and Jesus'
"You can't get a leg down on has invaded. The tactic often re- Sermon on the Mount, this expres-
earth" means that you are unsuccess- sults in famine or the destruction sion is the same as in English: to be
ful at something, you can't gain a of the civil population. the salt of the earth. If someone is
foothold. Mit beiden Beinen auf der the salt of the earth, it means they
Jemanden unter die Erde brin- Erde bleiben are a good and honest person; they
gen "To keep standing with both are respected for tackling challenges
"Jemanden unter die Erde brin- legs on earth/the ground": that's without complaint and remain true
gen" literally translates as "to place what this German maxim says. to their values. They are of great
someone underground" and actually What it means is to stay down-to- worth.
by Louisa Schaefer

by Elizabeth Rydzynski Hulley, CFP® ment entirely with Social Security. conditions that warrant filing early, never remarried before he or she Sources: ssa.gov;
First Vice President, Investments While benefits do get adjusted for particularly if you need the extra passed away. Of note: remarriage investopedia.com; forbes.com;
Financial Advisor thefiscaltimes.com;
cost of living increases, they were income or if your health isn’t the after age 60 does not prevent or stop
Learn how to get always intended to supplement, best. On the other hand, retirees entitlement to benefits for survivors marketwatch.com; cnnmoney.com
the most from your not replace, retirement savings. who want to have the most income – even ex-spouse survivors. This material has been created by
hard-earned benefits. Retired workers received an esti- during their prime years may want Myth No. 7: Follow advice Raymond James for use by its financial
here’s no doubt about it. Filing mated average of $1,548 in bene- to file early, too. Should you change from friends and family. advisors.
Tfor Social Security can be daunt- fits for the month of February in your mind, you can claim a do-over Filing for Social Security based Elizabeth R. Hulley is a Financial
ing. There’s a ton of information – 2021. Even if you live frugally, within the first year, but you have to entirely on advice from nonprofes- Advisor with Raymond James & Associ-
and misinformation – to weed that amount is likely not enough to pay back what you received. If lon- sionals may work just fine, but it ates, Inc., Member New York Stock
Exchange/SIPC located at 468 Dela-
through, as well as the need for some account for all the variables you ger than a year, you can voluntarily may not help you maximize bene- ware Avenue, Suite 100, Buffalo, NY
calculations based on several vari- might encounter over a decades- suspend your benefits at FRA and fits, which could leave thousands of 14202. She can be contacted at 716-
ables. Your benefits depend on your long retirement. That’s why it’s then earn delayed credits until age dollars at stake. Often a consultation 888-1444 or elizabeth.hulley@
age, how long you’ve worked, what important to do what you can to 70. with your financial advisor and an raymondjames.com.
you earned, your marital status and maximize all your retirement sav- Myth No. 5: You'll lose bene- accountant can help determine the
number of dependents. Seems like ings for as long as possible (think fits if you continue to work after best strategy.
you have to factor in everything but taking full advantage of your em- filing a claim.
your IQ. So to help, we offer some ployer’s 401(k) match). If you file before your normal
common misconceptions as well as Myth No. 3: File as early as retirement age and continue to
some guidance on ways to get the possible. work, your benefits will be tempo-
most from your hard-earned retire- No one quite knows how long rarily reduced depending on how
ment benefits. you’ll live past full retirement age much you earn. But those benefits
Myth No. 1: Social Security (FRA), so some think you should are merely delayed until full retire-
won't be around when I need it. collect as soon as you’re eligible. ment age (FRA), not lost forever.
While it’s true that your contribu- But that means permanently re- Once you reach FRA, you’ll receive
tions go to current beneficiaries as ducing benefits when the odds fa- increased monthly payments to
opposed to an account reserved for vor a longer lifespan for most of make up the difference. Plus, you
you, Social Security continues to be us. Your advisor can help you cal- may end up increasing your annual
replenished by younger, working culate your breakeven point based benefit because Social Security is
Americans, as well as earned interest on your statistical life expectancy based on your 35 highest years of
on its bond portfolio and income tax and your family history. Higher income.
on benefits paid to higher-income re- earning spouses, in particular, Myth No. 6: You're out of luck
tirees. However, the trustees have may want to delay as long as pos- if you've never worked outside the
projected that any existing surplus sible, not just to maximize their home.
could be depleted sometime between own benefits, but to ensure a high- It’s true that regular benefits are
2033 and 2037, if no further legisla- er payout for their widow or wid- based on an employment record of
tive action is taken. This could mean ower when the time comes. at least 40 quarters. But those who
that future retirees may be paid some Surviving spouses are eligible for haven’t worked for that long, or at
portion, between 75% and 80% for 100% of their spouse’s benefit. all, can receive half of what a
example, of the benefits promised, Myth No. 4: File as late as spouse or even an ex-spouse would
but not zero like many fear. possible. receive (as long as you were married
Myth No. 2: Social Security is We’re not trying to confuse for at least 10 years and haven’t
all you need. you. For the vast majority of ap- remarried). If you’re a surviving
Somewhat paradoxically in light plicants, waiting past full retire- spouse, you may be eligible for full
of Myth No. 1, more than half of ment age to file makes the most benefits on your spouse’s record.
Americans expect to fund their retire- sense financially. But there are Even ex-spouses can claim full sur-
vivor benefits as long as you were
married for more than 10 years and