FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF JAN. 13, 2002:

I’m a 51-year-old woman. I know my diet isn’t as good as it should be, so every day I take a multiple vitamin tablet and a calcium-vitamin D supplement. I also drink a vitamin-fortified soy mix. Could I be getting too many vitamins?

Dangerous overdoses of vitamins are rare, says Martha Raidl, University of Idaho Extension nutrition specialist. For example, while the recommended intake of vitamin C is 75-90 milligrams a day, you’d have to eat 2,000 milligrams before you’d run into problems with diarrhea or increase your odds of getting kidney stones.

Nevertheless, even though your generous quantities of vitamins aren’t likely to make you sick, neither will they necessarily keep you well, says Raidl. “Your multi-vitamin tablet won’t give you energy or fiber, nor will it provide the phytonutrients found in fruits and vegetables that researchers believe may prevent heart disease or cancer.”

Add up how much calcium you’re getting. Together, your multi-vitamin tablet and your calcium-vitamin D pill probably don’t reach the 1,200- to 1,500-milligram target that guards against osteoporosis.

“Look at your diet and try to follow the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations,” says Raidl. “Don’t pay for vitamins you don’t need while shorting your body of the things it does need.”

Our 14-year-old son is looking forward to driving soon. We think he should pay at least part of the expenses associated with using the family car, but we don’t want him to forfeit his grades. What’s reasonable?

School is Job 1 for high school students, and working more than 15 hours a week during the school year has been linked with declining academic performance in teens. Beyond that, it’s all negotiable, says Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho Extension family development specialist—and, indeed, it should all be negotiated. “Parents should agree on what they expect and communicate those expectations before their children begin to drive,” she says.

Because kids are so motivated to drive, Shaklee calls this “an excellent teachable moment” for helping teens learn economic responsibility. “But you’ll want to balance economic responsibility —which is certainly a virtue—against the number of hours of paid employment your son will need to cover his driving costs.”

Clearly, it’s reasonable to expect your son to pay for gas, she says. But you may decide that he should pay only part of his insurance bill so that he doesn’t put his school performance at risk.

I’ve been told that the new tax law allows me to increase my retirement savings. Will you explain?

Last spring, Congress passed a new U.S. tax code that increases the allowable contributions for individual retirement accounts and for 401k, 403b and SIMPLE plans, says Marilyn Bischoff, University of Idaho Extension family economics specialist.

Maximum contributions for individual retirement accounts, or IRAs, will be increased to $3,000 for tax years 2002-04 and even more thereafter. Plus, taxpayers who are age 50 or over will be entitled to make “catch-up” contributions of an additional $500 each year for tax years 2002-05 and $1,000 in years 2006+.

Currently, annual contributions are limited to $10,500 for 401k plans—salary deferral plans that permit employees to reduce taxable income through pretax contributions—and 403b plans—retirement plans for nonprofit organizations. Both plans will increase $1,000 a year, from $11,000 in 2002 to $15,000 by 2006. Taxpayers over age 50 will be able to add an additional $1,000 in year 2002 and more in years 2003+.

Taxpayers who are eligible for SIMPLE plans—SEP-IRAs for self-employed individuals—will be able to contribute $7,000 in 2002 and make an additional $500 “catch-up” contribution if they’re over age 50. The figures increase in 2003 and beyond.

The new tax law changes also mandate that employers shorten vesting periods to complete vesting at three years of service or provide gradual vesting from years two through six. Bischoff advises that you consult your tax preparer, financial planner or another trusted advisor if you have questions about the new tax law or how it can enhance your retirement savings.

[READERS: Do you have a question about your home, yard or garden? Send it to HomeWise, University of Idaho Ag Communications, Moscow, ID 83844-2332 or e-mail it to homewise@uidaho.edu. Mention of proprietary products or firms does not constitute endorsement by University of Idaho Extension or imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.]