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Author: Kacie Cotter-Harrigan

A Bring Your Own Breakfast Event

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Business.

On Wednesday, March 24, the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce is hosting what was once a hugely popular event – The State of Saratoga County Breakfast.

Of course, this breakfast will be unique in many ways. It’s the first time we’ve ever hosted one during a pandemic. So we’re taking extra precautions to make sure everyone is safe. You have to bring your own breakfast. You’ll have to make or buy your own coffee. You have to find your own seat. But it can be anywhere in the world. You’ll need a computer, laptop, tablet or phone to actually attend. You don’t need to dress up. You won’t need to bring any business cards. We won’t ask new members to stand up and introduce themselves.

This year’s event will be virtual. The good news is that this means anyone can attend. You’ll be on mute but we will take questions via chat. The event is generously sponsored by The Adirondack Trust Company. During the breakfast, virtual attendees will hear from the 2021 Chair of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors, Town of Moreau Supervisor Todd Kusnierz, and the new Saratoga County Administrator, Steve Bulger.

Since taking over in January, the Chairman and the Administrator have made sure to focus the county’s efforts on stopping the spread of the virus. They appointed Supervisor Tara Gaston to lead the effort as Chair of the Board’s Health & Human Services Committee. This committee and every County department are working diligently to slow the spread of the virus and to help local residents to get vaccinated. We’re sure the breakfast will cover this topic extensively.

Chairman Kusnierz and his team have been hosting regular updates via Facebook live as the year has progressed. They’ve taken action to help local restaurants by supporting a cap on third party delivery fees. They’ve helped promote the work by the Saratoga County Industrial Development Authority and the Clifton Park Industrial Development Authority to provide tens of thousands of dollars in reimbursement grants to help local businesses and nonprofits pay for personal protective equipment expenses. They’ve supported efforts by the Saratoga Casino Hotel to expand their hours of operation which has helped them to attract more people to Saratoga.

The County is regularly sharing information on the vaccination program online and on social media. The Chamber has been keeping close track of this information. We’re publishing a weekly chart that updates everyone on the progress being made to vaccinate the county’s residents. This is vital if we are to reopen our local economy fully later this year. It’s vital if we want to be allowed to have a more normal summer with fans at all of our most popular venues. 

With the passage of a new stimulus law at the Federal level, there are now millions of dollars in assistance coming to Saratoga County. It’s likely that the County’s leaders will update attendees at this breakfast as to how this money will be allocated. As with everything else, there are likely strings attached to this funding and maybe some areas where our local officials will have some flexibility. We look forward to hearing about all of this and more.

These two leaders, of course, also have the regular and more traditional work of the county to lead. We’re blessed with having decades of great leadership in Saratoga County. Even during a pandemic, Saratoga County leaders maintained our lowest in the state property tax burden. They successfully managed to balance the county budget while providing all essential services plus so many unanticipated costs associated with the war against COVID 19. In many ways, this was what the focus was of this former annual event. Just because it is not at the top of the agenda this year doesn’t take away its importance. 

The breakfast will be held on Wednesday, March 24, from 8:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. To register, please visit www.saratoga.org. Click Chamber Events and follow the directions to register. There is a $10 fee to attend. While we look forward to the day when this event can be held in person again, our hope is that we’ll have a bigger and more diverse audience this year since the program is so accessible and the information so vital. Send any questions about the event to acole@saratoga.org. 

St. Patrick’s Day in Schuylerville 1898

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in History.

1898 was a great year to be an American, a New Yorker, and resident of the historic village of Schuylerville in eastern Saratoga County.  That year Schuylerville had “a metropolitan appearance” on St. Patrick’s Day with bands, drum corps and 600 marching men. 

Today, Schuylerville is not particularly known for its Irish community.  The village is like much of upstate New York where the ethnic groups have all assimilated.  But that was not the case 120 years ago. the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) organized a parade under the auspices of the local Schuylerville area division which was embraced by the entire community. 

The AOH is America’s oldest Irish Catholic Fraternal Organization founded concurrently in the coal-mining region of Pennsylvania and New York City in 1836.  The AOH was created to protect the clergy and churches from the violent American Nativists who attacked Irish Catholic immigrants and Church property.  At the same time, the vast influx of Irish Immigrants fleeing Ireland’s Great Hunger in the late 1840’s, prompted a growth in many Irish societies – the largest of which was, and continues to be, the AOH.  Active across the Saratoga county and region, AOH aided the newly arrived Irish, both socially and economically.  The newcomers could meet some of ‘their own’ and are introduced to the social atmosphere of the Irish American community.

The Schuylerville area supported this parade.  The recently elected village President (Mayor) James Mealey arranged for the local scrapper to clean the dirt streets (during mud season).  The residents of Schuylerville, Victory and Smithville decorated their business and residents “in a fine manner” with the green flag of Ireland intermingled with the Stars and Stripes.  These and other decorations “presented a very handsome appearance.” 

The various AOH divisions arrived in Schuylerville in large numbers.  The Saratoga Springs division arrived by special train with 100 members and were headed by the 77th Regimental Band.  This was composed of military personnel from Fulton, Essex and Saratoga Counties who fought in the Civil War. The group banded together in 1872 as part of the Survivors Association of the Seventy-Seventh Regiment, New York State Infantry Volunteers of 1861-65. These musicians kept alive the memories they had experienced together during the war and the band flourished into the early 1900s.

The Corinth division joined their brothers from Saratoga Springs with 80 men and the Palmer Falls band with Glens Falls’ cornet player A. D. Wilson.  To the south, Mechanicville and Stillwater AOH divisions turned out 112 men arriving by a special train and led by the H. D. Safford’s band.  H. D. Safford was the manager of a success Mechanicville based cornet band that performed for about 25 years starting about 1887. 

The Greenwich division in neighboring Washington County with 60 members accompanied by the splendid Wm. Walker drum corps arrived in a convoy of carriages.  This drum corps was originally from East Greenwich and they started in 1896 with 16 musicians and performed for about a decade. 

The final unit in the parade was the 60 members of the Schuylerville area division led by the Victory Cornet band which was the pride of the community and performed all over the area for over 55 years. 

There were 645 train tickets sold from Saratoga Springs to Schuylerville.  The crowd for the parade was over 3,000 from out of town.  The parade formed on lower Broad street at Burgoyne street.  The parade route was just under five miles snaking the parade (long by today’s standards) through the villages of Schuylerville, Victory, hamlet of Smithville, back to Victory, into the Town of Saratoga and back to the start in Schuylerville.  The parade was led by Grand Marshall Frank McDonnell and ended with the village fathers and town officials in carriages. 

This AOH event in Schuylerville completed the day with a banquet and program at the Opera House on Broad Street. The program included nine songs, a recitation and a lecture from a Priest based in Greenwich. Rev. Morrison ended his lecture with “The motto was – and let it be ever yours also – ‘always and everywhere faithful.’ Yes, faithful to your God, faithful to your religion, faithful to your country.  Your duty then is to this country and her interests, patriotism, and humanity.  Aspire to do the work of patriots and of good men, and God will bless the results.”

.I am sure it was not lost on those gathered that they were meeting in Schuylerville where in 1777 for the first time in world history a complete British army surrendered and that they were at the location where the words written in the Declaration of Independence were made a great fact for all mankind. 

The Schuylerville Standard described “a better appearing, better dressed and more intelligent looking lot of men would be hard to find than the organization in line St. Patrick’s Day.  It was a credit to all concerned and Old Schuylerville will always have a warm welcome for the AOH.” 

There is still an A.O.H. Division in Saratoga County – the Commodore John Barry Division #1 in Saratoga Springs which can be found at Saratogaaoh.com.

Sean Kelleher is the historian for the town of Saratoga, New York. He writes a daily blog at https://historianatsaratoga.wordpress.com/. He is a board member of the Saratoga County History Center. Sean was a member of the New York State French and Indian War 250th Anniversary Commemoration Commission. He can be reached by email at historiantosaratoga@gmail.com.

A ‘New Normal’ for Saratoga Farmers Market?

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Food.

The outdoor season for the Saratoga Farmers Market begins in eight weeks. What will that mean for vendors, market staff, and the market’s many loyal shoppers as Saratoga and its surrounding communities start to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic?

The market was in a state of flux, even before the pandemic. It moved its indoor location in 2019 from the Saratoga Spa State Park, where it had been for six years, to the Wilton Mall. The market shut down for a week in March 2020 when the strictest restrictions were imposed but was able to reopen quickly by moving outdoors to the empty mall parking lot outside the shuttered Bon Ton. Summer construction work and continued safety concerns made a return to its traditional outdoor locale at High Rock Park impossible, so the market remained at the mall.

That decision proved successful in keeping the market strong, says Mark Bascom, co-owner of Owl Wood Farm and president of the market association’s board. “It wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated customers who have kept on supporting us through our transitions.”

Now, with a new outdoor season approaching, the market is unsure where its summer home will be.

Bascom said a survey of vendors shows they are split between moving back to the park or remaining at the mall. The market board plans to survey customers, as well.

The mall’s outdoor parking lots are spacious, which creates space for many vendors to operate with appropriate distances between them. Creating that kind of space at and around High Rock Park would require some reconfiguring, says market manager Emily Meagher. Still, to many vendors and shoppers, High Rock is home.

Overall, farmers’ markets nationally have had an increase in business throughout the pandemic, according to retail analysts. This increase has been somewhat true for the Saratoga Farmers Market, as well.

“During the first few months of the pandemic, when farmers’ markets seemed to be one of the only trusted places to shop, business was really booming for our food vendors,” says Meagher. “That was due in large part to being outside.” 

“When we moved back indoors, our market tapered down,” she added. “That’s to be expected. A lot of our customers just don’t feel comfortable shopping indoors right now.”

The market has responded to that discomfort by establishing an online pre-ordering service. Customers can access the online shopping service at localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market or through the farmers’ market’s website saratogafarmersmarket.org. Online shoppers may view offerings from 9 p.m. Monday through 9 p.m. Thursday and place orders for a large variety of goods. Market staff gather the items from vendors and package them for customers to pick up at a site just outside the market.

Some vendors also have chosen to cease attending because of safety concerns. However, newer vendors have joined and are energizing the market as “customers catch on to their presence and the high-quality products they offer,” Meagher says.

Other vendors are learning to adjust to changing conditions. Beth Trattel of Something’s Brewing used to draw much of her business from sales of hot and cold beverages sold on the spot. Those sales have fallen as customers have begun visiting the market more to shop and less to hang out. However, Trattel has seen more robust sales of her fresh-roasted coffee beans that customers take home to make. This shift also has been real for some prepared food vendors. Giovanni Fresco, for instance, offers take-home meals as well as fresh pasta. 

Bascom said warmer weather might allow the market to move outdoors earlier than usual, which would help ease safety concerns. “Farmers’ markets always are changing,” he says. “That keeps things interesting for the customer. But overall, we are glad that they are viewed as an integral part of the food system.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

The Baby’s in a Big Boy Bed

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Families Today.

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I was tired almost all the time. People told me it would only get worse after the baby came, so I obsessed over trying to figure out ahead of time what the baby’s sleep habits would look like and what I could do to make them as least painful for me as possible. “When will the baby start sleeping through the night?” was the most important question that existed, and its answer — or how to make it happen — was certainly the purpose of life and the answer to everything, as far as I could tell. 

I continue to be tired much of the time, nearly seventeen years later, so needless to say, a very large portion of my motherhood has been focused on helping my children go to bed at a reasonable time and stay in bed all night.

My youngest has railed against this harder than the others, or I’ve lost my fire as I’ve gotten older, or both (probably both), and the fact that my husband found him sitting on the floor of his room — rather than in his crib — when he went to get him up in the morning a few weeks ago was just the most recent wrinkle in my years-long goal of having peaceful nights. How could I put him to bed in his crib again when I couldn’t be sure he’d stay safe inside it?

But put him to bed in his crib that night I did anyway, in the off chance his climbing out had just been a fluke, or in the even more off chance he had heard, understood, and agreed with our admonitions that that was a very dangerous thing to do and he must not climb out of his crib again. I remained on high alert that night and, indeed, early the next morning, I heard his bedroom door open and heard him crying as he walked down the stairs. So that really had to be the end of him sleeping in his crib. 

But where was I supposed to put him? Until he climbed out of his crib the first night, he’d given zero indications that such a thing might be imminent. I had started to think about how he was going to need a bed soon, but hadn’t yet done anything about it, and the only bed not currently occupied by one of the boys doesn’t have a mattress. I needed an immediate solution, even if it was only temporary, so I decided to move him into my six-year-old’s bed, with my six-year-old (one of their heads at one end, one of their heads at the other).

You’re probably wondering if this was really a good idea. You’re probably thinking that my six-year-old might resist having a new bedmate. You’re probably wondering if it’s safe to have the two youngest, very mischievous boys together in a bed without bars. You’re probably wondering if the fact that the room my six-year-old is in is also shared with three of the other boys would create a problem, with its two sets of bunk beds (which means two top bunks, which are possibly my two-year-old’s very favorite places and a source of terror for me) and so many older boys who think the baby is the cutest thing they’ve ever seen — would they really leave him alone and not wake him up when he’s sleeping? If he ever even falls asleep to begin with, in this wonderland?

You’d be smart to ask all these things, and I considered each one. Lack of other options forced my hand, so I made the best of it, and this is what has happened:

My two-year-old loves sleeping in his brother’s bed. He could not possibly love it any more than he does. He has started asking to go to bed! Just the other morning I took a picture of him, so peacefully was he sleeping in his new sleep situation even as I was waking my six-year-old up for school and yell-whispering at him to be careful and quiet getting out of bed. As for that six-year-old, I’d given him the very weighty responsibility of making sure the baby stayed in the bed and didn’t cause trouble, and he’s taken up this new responsibility with cheerfulness and seriousness. He even surrounded the baby’s pillow with his own beloved stuffed animals, all on his own.

But perhaps the biggest positive has been the fact that the baby, who had woken up in the night without fail almost every single night since last March, has done so only once since moving into the big boy bed a month ago, and that one time was during the first week when he was still getting acclimated.

It took a long time to get to the peaceful-night stage with my youngest—he’s two-and-a-half, and I could generally count on my babies being content in bed by the one-year mark. I never would have guessed that moving him into a bed with his brother would be the answer! I was telling my husband that moving the baby out of the crib and into a big boy bed felt like a real end to babyhood. “Well, that and potty training,” he said. Oh right, potty training … that’s the next task. I’m feeling energized by the bits of spring we’ve seen so far, so maybe I’m ready to handle it? Though a baby who sleeps in a big boy bed and no longer wears diapers isn’t really a baby at all, and I’m quite sure I’m not at all ready for that.

Kate and her husband have seven sons ages 16, 14, 12, 11, 9, 6, and 2. Follow her at www.facebook.com/kmtowne23, or email her at kmtowne23@gmail.com.

The Body Knows: Boundaries That Keep Ourselves Emotionally Safe

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Families Today.

Have you ever thought of a family gathering you have to attend in the future and feel a pit in your stomach or a tightening of your chest?

Do you feel your stomach turn at the thought of having to interact with a specific colleague or manager?  Have you ever gotten sick right before being around someone whose presence makes you feel anxious and uncomfortable? 

How many times have you overridden your body’s internal GPS because you don’t want to be rude or offend anyone? How many times have you given someone else the benefit of the doubt because you were taught to be a nice person and setting boundaries seem mean?

Our bodies hold the key to helping us set boundaries and keep ourselves emotionally safe from individuals who are toxic.  When we override these nudges we will feel emotionally drained, exhausted, defeated and depleted.

How can we set boundaries and stick to them when everyone else around us seems fine?

1. Check In With Your Gut 
We have all heard the saying “Go with your gut.”  In this case, when you feel that uncomfortable sensation pay attention.  For example, if you get invited to a wedding and feel immediately uncomfortable about some of the family members you will have to interact with, pay attention to that feeling.  Listen to it and take some time to assess further.

2. History is Your Friend 
While it is important to work through traumatic past events, when it comes to setting boundaries use history as a helpful tool.

If you keep showing up to functions and the same person continues to be difficult and toxic don’t give them the benefit of the doubt for the next event.  Use history as a way to determine what boundaries you need to set for the future.  Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  Trade being nice for feeling secure and safe.

3. Stand Alone
Here is the tough part about setting boundaries, you may be the only one doing it in your family, your place of work, with a friend group, etc.

Do not look to other people to support your decision to set a boundary with a toxic person.  If you start looking for validation from others you may be told you are being too harsh, the toxic person means well, or that’s just the way they are and you should not take it personally. 

Setting boundaries is a skill that takes insight and practice and when you begin to do it regularly the people that have benefited from you having no boundaries will start to question your behavior. 

When this happens it may cause you to second guess yourself and make poor decisions that continue to make you feel uncomfortable.  Don’t take the bait!  The easiest way to know if you need to set some boundaries is to let your body guide you. A continuous uneasy feeling is a tell tale sign that you need to make a change.

Our bodies can be a wonderful GPS to guide us into better relationships and to help us take action against chronic boundary violaters.  Don’t wait until you feel sick with dis-ease to make changes, pay attention to the first sign your body gives you and keep practicing this awareness until it begins to feel automatic.

YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Meghan Fritz is a psychotherapist practicing at Fritz, Stanger & Associates. For more information visit www.fritzstanger.com

Challenging Your Property Tax Assessment: The Basic Rules of the Road

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Families Today.

This column usually addresses legal matters related to estate planning and elder law.  This time of year, however, I sometimes get questions related to challenging property tax assessments.  I thought it would be useful to review some of the basic rules of the road for those who are considering a property tax assessment challenge this Spring.

The property tax assessment challenge procedure has a variety of terms and concepts that can be difficult to understand, such as:  taxable status dates, equalization rates, and valuation dates.  For those not familiar with the rules, it can lead to confusion and misunderstanding.  Below is a brief Q&A that I hope will bring some clarity to the process.

What is an equalization rate? 
An equalization rate is the State’s measure of a municipality’s level of assessment. The equalization rate varies by municipality, and it is a percentage of full market value of the properties in a municipality.  For example, the 2021 equalization rate for Saratoga Springs is 61%.  So – in a general sense, properties in Saratoga Springs are considered by the State to be assessed at 61% of their full market value.  For example, if your house is assessed at $200,000, then that equates to a full market value of $327,869 ($327,869 x 61% = $200,000).  If you look at your most recent property tax bill (which relates to last year’s assessment roll), you will see an “assessed value” and a “full market value” listed for your property. 

Why isn’t the equalization rate 100%? 
If your municipality’s equalization rate was 100% last year, then your assessed value would equal your full market value in this year’s tax bills, which were recently sent out.  In some municipalities this is the case.  In fact, in Saratoga County, about half of the cities and towns have an equalization rate of 85% or greater.  Equalization rates can drop from 100% over time if the municipality does not conduct a general reassessment of all properties and property values rise over time.  The last city-wide revaluation in Saratoga Springs was done in 2005.

Why is the equalization rate important?  
It is important because you need to understand the difference between your assessed value (which may stay the same over time if the Assessor does not change it) and the resulting full market value after the equalization rate is considered.  If you want to decide whether or not to challenge your assessment, you need to look at the full market value on your assessment and decide if you think that is higher than the fair market value of your home.

If I want to challenge my assessment, what do I do?
If you want to challenge your assessment, you need to file an RP-524 form with your local Board of Assessment Review by Grievance Day, which is usually the fourth Tuesday in May.  Grievance Days can vary, so it is best to check with your local assessment office.  More information is available at www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/contest/grievproced.htm. 

What happens after I file my grievance?
The local BAR will review it and decide whether to keep your assessment the same or lower it.  The BAR will generally allow you to appear before them on Grievance Day to explain your argument.

What if the BAR doesn’t lower my assessment?
If you are grieving the assessment for your residence, you can appeal the decision in a Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR) hearing before an independent hearing officer.  At that hearing, you will be able to make your case for a lower assessment, and the Assessor will be able to respond.  If the property you’re grieving is not your residence, you will likely instead have to file an Article 7 petition challenging your assessment in Supreme Court.

Do I need a lawyer to challenge my assessment?
You generally do not need a lawyer, unless you are filing an Article 7 petition in Supreme Court.  It is advisable, however, that you hire an appraiser to do an appraisal of your property to support your argument.

What is a taxable status date and a valuation date?
For the 2021 tax assessment roll, your property will be valued as of a valuation date of July 1st of the prior year – so July 1, 2020.  It will be valued as of what is physically there as of March 1st of the assessment year – so March 1, 2021 for the 2021 assessment year.

Why are these dates important?
If you hire an appraiser to appraise your property for an assessment challenge in 2021, you should tell them to appraise it as of what was physically there on March 1, 2021 but with a valuation as of July 1, 2020.

How do I know if I should challenge my assessment?
Over the years, I’ve had many people tell me they think their taxes are too high and that they want to challenge their assessment.  I usually ask them this question in response – If you were to sell your house tomorrow, would you sell it for less than the full market value listed on your tax assessment?  If the answer is no and you would expect to get more, you are likely not going to challenge your assessment and win.  If your answer is yes, and you think you could likely not sell it for the full market value listed on your assessment, then you should talk to an appraiser and potentially consider a challenge.

Equalization rates, valuation dates, assessed values, full market values, and on and on – it can be quite confusing.  Hopefully, this Q&A will allow you to navigate the terms and procedures and help you understand whether an assessment challenge makes sense for you. 

Matthew J. Dorsey, Esq. is a Partner with O’Connell and Aronowitz, 1 Court St, Saratoga Springs, NY.  Over his 23 years of practice, he has focused in the areas of elder law, estate planning, and estate administration.  Mr. Dorsey can be reached at 518-584-5205, mdorsey@oalaw.com, and www.oalaw.com.

Core Strength to Prevent Low Back Pain

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Families Today.

One of the best things you can do for your low back to help prevent pain and injury is to strengthen your core muscles.

When most people think about their core they think about the abdominal muscles but it actually includes groups of muscles found in your back, buttocks, sides and pelvis. These muscles all play key roles in providing stability for your low back.  If these muscles are weak, your body will rely more on surrounding passive structures for stability such as ligaments and the spinal column itself which can lead to injuries such as sprains and injuries of the intervertebral discs.

Strengthening your core muscles will help reduce the strain on your back and provide stability for the spine which will reduce or prevent pain. Strong core muscles can also lead to better balance and help prevent falls. It is important, however, to strengthen all aspects of the core and not just focus on the abs.  Imbalances in core strength can also lead to injuries such as muscle strains. Below are some recommended exercises that will help strengthen all of the core muscles:

FT CoreStrengthExercises

Long-Term Care Insurance is an Important Consideration for Retirees

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Families Today.

Seventy percent of people age 65 today will need long-term care at some point in their life.

The odds of at least one spouse needing care jumps to over ninety percent. Planning for the likelihood of needing long-term care should be an important consideration for most retirees. 

The default plan, when you haven’t planned, is that you will pay out of pocket until your assets have been depleted to the point that you qualify for Medicaid. In other words, you’ve become impoverished enough to quality for a social welfare program. 

For people who don’t have heirs, don’t have a spouse, and don’t mind receiving care in a nursing home, this may be a fine plan. For most people, however, other concerns make paying out of pocket an undesirable way to provide for their care.

If you pay out-of-pocket, you’re essentially self-insuring. You’re betting that the risk and cost of long-term care are something you’re willing and able to bear, and if they aren’t that you’re comfortable receiving care in a nursing home. For those who have heirs, a spouse, or who want to stay in their homes, long-term care insurance is the simplest solution for addressing this need. 

People typically purchase long-term care insurance for two reasons. 

Most people want to control the mode of care they receive. In other words, it’s generally desirable to receive care in-home, surrounded by your loved-ones, and in a familiar setting. This allows for a better quality of life than you might otherwise expect in a nursing home. Long-term care insurance allows you to receive care at home, in an assisted living facility, or in nursing home, as your needs demand. 

The second reason people purchase long-term care insurance is to protect their assets for use by a spouse, or to be passed to their heirs. How will your spouse maintain their standard of living after you’ve passed, if you’ve spent all of your assets on your care?

Many people wrongly think that Medicare pays for long-term care insurance, but it does not. Medicaid is the program that would pay for care. 

In order to qualify for Medicaid, you must first spend down your assets to the point that you (and likely, your spouse) are considered impoverished. When applying, you’ll need to show proof that you haven’t given any money away in the last five years, and if you have, it could affect your eligibility. In fact, you will be required to show five years’ worth of monthly statements for every account you’ve held during that period. 

A long-term care policy allows you to have a solution on the shelf for when you need it, and gives you the peace of mind of knowing that, not only will you be taken care of in the manner you desire, but your care won’t be a burden on family, and your assets can be protected. 

It’s best to apply for a long-term care policy in your late fifties or early sixties, when you are likely to still be healthy enough to qualify. Premiums may seem high to many, but when you consider the likelihood of needing care, and the fact that care can cost upward of $100,000 per year, the relative cost of the policies make sense. 

As you get older the risk to you and your family shift from the risks associated with premature death, to the risks associated with failing health. Once your working years have passed, the economic risk of your death often becomes minimal. In consideration of that, redirecting premium dollars away from life insurance and toward long-term care insurance might make sense. 

Long-term care insurance may not be appropriate for everyone, but too many are too quick to dismiss it before they’ve done their due diligence. You owe it to yourself, and your family, to explore your options and make an informed decision about how you wish to receive care in the future.

Stephen Kyne, CFP® is a Partner at Sterling Manor Financial in Saratoga Springs and Rhinebeck. Securities offered through Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Sterling Manor Financial, LLC, an SEC registered investment advisor or Cadaret Grant & Co., Inc. Sterling Manor Financial and Cadaret, Grant are separate entities.

Jeweler by Day, Criminal by Night: The Secret Life of Nelson M. Knickerbacker

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in History.

Beginning in the early 1860s, break-ins began taking place at businesses across Saratoga County. The method was always the same, an office was entered and the safe was emptied and then relocked. The only outward evidence of theft being the owners’ inability to open the safe. When expert locksmiths were called, they often could not reopen the safe.

At this point, the business would turn to a local man well-known for solving such problems, Nelson M. Knickerbacker. Inevitably his skill would prevail, though always revealing the loss of any valuables the safe had contained. Knickerbacker was born in December of 1844 in Saratoga Springs. He was one of ten children of Peter & Violetta Knickerbacker of that city. By the age of 22, he had established himself as a jeweler but then sold his business in 1866.

Henry L. West’s store in Ballston Spa was the next to be hit. Knickerbacker, who had been employed by West on occasion over the previous five years, was present when the store closed on the night of the burglary. Knickerbacker quickly became the prime suspect and was arrested on June 6, 1868. As he was not considered a risk of leaving the area he was released on bail.

Eight months after Knickerbacker was released on bail, the safe at the Saratoga Springs jewelry store of E. R. Waterbury was found to be inoperable. After two days of unsuccessful efforts by professional locksmiths, Knickerbacker was called. He quickly opened the safe, revealing that gold watches, diamonds, and jewels worth several thousand dollars had been removed. A short time later another Saratoga Springs jewelry store was robbed in a similar manner, the owner John Frost also reporting a substantial loss.

At his trial, the accused’s comparatively weak defense did little against the prosecution’s overwhelming evidence. Knickerbacker denied being involved in the crime, backed by his mother’s claim that she was “certain that he was home” the night of the robbery. Others who spoke on Knickerbacker’s behalf were boyhood friends whose testimony was summed up with “his character was always good up to the time of this charge.”

The jury quickly returned a verdict of guilty. On June 29, 1869, Nelson M. Knickerbacker was sentenced to five years of hard labor at Clinton Prison in Dannemora for burglary and larceny. Through the efforts of friends, his sentence was commuted to two years and eight months and he was released on February 28, 1872. The prison incorrectly reported his last name as Knickerbocker.

Either immediately before sentencing or while in prison, Nelson married Phebe Sadler, his bride living with her parents in Saratoga Springs while he was in prison. After his release from prison, Nelson and Phebe moved to Milton, Saratoga County. Knickerbacker returned to the jewelry business, opening a store in Ballston Spa. As his business prospered, he moved his family to the village.

In what was later called “alarming frequency,” safes were again found inoperable in Ballston Spa and the surrounding area. As an acknowledged expert, Nelson Knickerbacker would often be called to make the repairs. Charging twenty-five dollars for his work, the safe when opened would be empty.

Throughout his years in Ballston Spa, Nelson Knickerbacker was known as a gentleman of good habits with a family who was highly regarded in the community. Even with his previous criminal background, it was this perception by the town’s citizens that kept quiet the suspicions of his involvement in the crime wave.

The mystery safecracker was finally revealed on a cold winter night in December 1890. That evening, Richard Cunningham entered the ax and scythe factory at the northern edge of Ballston Spa to fill the woodstove. He was surprised to find that his key would not fit in the lock. Finally forcing the door open, he was startled to see Nelson Knickerbacker standing in the office. The intruder explained that he had seen a man leave and had entered to investigate. The police were summoned and Knickerbacker was taken into custody. On his person were found a loaded five-barrel pepper-box revolver, a dark lantern, and a set of hand tools.

In May of 1891, Knickerbacker was found guilty of an attempt to commit a burglary in the third degree. The jury’s recommendation for mercy was denied and he was sentenced to two years and six months of hard labor. His daughters, Gertrude and Maude, cried hysterically while he was sentenced and led away. After his release, he returned to Ballston Spa and his family where he again took up his profession as a jeweler.  Nelson M. Knickerbacker died of pneumonia in 1914 at the age of 69 and was interred in Gansevoort, Saratoga County. 

Dave Waite has had a lifelong interest in New York State and Adirondack history. His research has been published by historical organizations across upstate New York.  His most recent article “With Energy and Success, Thorp & Sprague’s Mohawk Valley Stage Line,” is featured in the Winter 2021 New York Archives Magazine. David’s email is davidwaitefinearts@gmail.com