For the fiscally conservative canine lover, this will be very confusing.
The Sacramento Bee’s Jim Miller reports on the following doggie debate:
All dogs may go to heaven, but in California some police dogs could get government retirement checks.
The Assembly’s proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 includes $100,000 to provide retired California Highway Patrol police dogs with a $2,000 retirement plan to help pay for medical costs.
The proposal is one of many items on the to-do list of the Legislature’s budget-writing committee, which has begun to reconcile differences between Senate and Assembly spending plans as well as taking into account the desires of the Brown administration. The Senate’s plan lacks the dog retirement money, as does Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised budget.
According to an analysis by the Assembly’s resources budget subcommittee, he adds, California Highway Patrol officers frequently adopt their canine partners, who “often settle into peaceful lives as pets.”
But years of hard work on the four-legged force means “they typically develop health conditions that require extensive care that can be costly,” according to the panel.
Maybe an HSA would be better.
With more than 20 years serving financial markets, John Sullivan is the former editor-in-chief of Investment Advisor magazine and retirement editor of ThinkAdvisor.com. Sullivan is also the former editor of Boomer Market Advisor and Bank Advisor magazines, and has a background in the insurance and investment industries in addition to his journalism roots.