January Program Chair: Victor Garber
- Jan. 7 “The Life and Experiences of a Continental Soldier During the American Revolution” - Asher Lurie, senior historical interpreter at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, NJ will discuss the Continental Army from its formation in 1775 to its final form in 1783.
- Jan. 14 "Can We Trust the Polls?" - Dr. Daniel Cassino, a pollster and professor of government and law at Fairleigh Dickinson University, will explain how modern polling works, and how it failed in the 2016 presidential election. He'll then talk about whether we can trust it generally, and if it can be used to make predictions about the 2020 presidential election.
- Jan. 21 "Wrongful Convictions in the American Criminal Justice System" - Glenn Garber is a criminal defense and civil rights attorney, and adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School. He is also founder of the Exoneration Initiative, a not-for-profit that evaluates and litigates innocence cases in New York. From his own personal experience Glenn will discuss fallibilities in the American criminal justice system that lead to wrongful convictions and some of the main causes of wrongful convictions - eyewitness misidentifications, false confessions, and police and prosecutorial misconduct.
- Jan. 28 "Spending Plan -- Not Running Out of $ in Retirement" - James Cornfeld, Buckingham Strategic Wealth. Since the 1980's when companies started the abandonment of defined benefit plans, new strategies have been required to develop a written spend-down plan to minimize taxes. Jim, a certified financial planner with clients among Old Guard members, will speak on this issue.
January Birthdays - John Baxter
February Program Chair: Sri Srikantan
- Feb. 4 “The Science Behind Factor Investing” - Kevin Dillon, certified financial planner, Mercer Advisors. Factors comprise a set of investment characteristics that when optimized, have been shown to provide a higher return for investments over time than the overall market.
- Feb. 11 "People, Places, and Cultures: INDIA" - Sri Srikantan, Old Guard member and semi-retired consultant in information technology. Sri will take us on a brief journey to India to expose us to the history, geography, culture, economics, education, and religion of this great country.
- Feb. 18 "Preserving Your Assets without Losing Control" - Vincent Macri, Esq, founding partner, Macri Law Group and certified elder law attorney, will speak about elder law and the need for seniors, age 55 and older, to coordinate all aspects of retirement, tax exposure, estate preservation, and long-term care and disability issues.
- Feb. 25 "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" - Bruce Peabody, professor of political science, Fairleigh Dickinson, will review scholarly and popular interest in political paranoia as a historical and cultural development, a potent rhetorical tool, and an impulse gripping American political leaders and the public.
February Birthdays - John Baxter
Technology User Group (TUG) Discussions for all users at all levels in the front of our meeting room, 11:45 a.m. (First and fourth Tuesdays of the month).
Jan. 7 -- No meeting. Time will be used for a review of Old Guard finances by Steve Varley.
Dec. 24 -- Discussion of user problems and issues. Bring your concerns and queries.
Timely Topics Discussion in the front of our meeting room with participation encouraged from all in attendance. Usually at 11:45 a.m. on the second Tuesday.
Jan. 14 - Ken Lindhorst will lead a discussion on the perception that basic human values, such as respect for others, honesty, civility ,and so forth are eroding with many members of our society focusing solely on gaining wealth and power. Is this perception real? If so, what can be done about it?
Trips Scheduled (For Old Guard members and guests)
- January 23-- A luncheon at Water & Wine Restaurant in Wachung, NJ. Details
Walkers The Walkers Group has been relaunched in a new format (which is still evolving). For now we are walking twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays, at 8:00 AM at Briant Park in Summit, with "mall walking" at the Short Hills Mall as a backup for bad weather. If Interested, please drop a note to [email protected] to weigh in and say what formulation might work well for you.
