New high-tech tools keep track of older parents and young kids
A growing number of homeowners want to see what their family members are doing.
Q. My father is 87 and lives with us because he has Alzheimer's disease and cannot take care of himself. While my husband and I were asleep, Dad woke up and decided to make a sandwich and somehow started a small fire in the kitchen. Dad didn't get hurt and the damage was minimal, but we'd like to get an interior home-surveillance system that will let us monitor his actions when we're in another room or outside of the house. Can you recommend a good system or manufacturer?
A. First, I'm glad that your father and the rest of your family are OK. And though I don't recommend specific products, there are several home-surveillance systems that are hitting the market now that are much better than the ones that were available just a few years ago. Their prices, in many instances, also are lower.
Surveillance systems made up a large portion of the products on display at this year's giant Consumer Electronics Show, which ended Jan. 9 in Las Vegas. Most are geared toward homeowners who have either youngsters or an elderly relative living with them.
Technology giant Honeywell International Inc. introduced a huge upgrade to its popular "Lyric" line of products that incorporates interior and exterior video cameras with motion, smoke and intruder (broken glass) detectors. It can stream live video to your computer or hand-held device to see what your parent or kids are doing and also alert you if, say, a fire breaks out or a burglar breaks in.
It even can adjust your thermostat or disarm your security system with a single command, whether it's by voice or via computer.
Another new hot product at CES was Netatmo's "Welcome," a sleek-looking canister that's about the size of a Thermos bottle. A small camera at the top of the device detects a person's face and relays a picture and identification to the owner's hand-held device so they know who's in their home.
Welcome has a variety of uses, such as checking on loved ones or determining whether a teenager made it home by curfew time or a baby sitter is entertaining an unwanted guest. It also has night vision and video-recording capabilities, which could be especially helpful if your home is ever robbed and you file a report with the police. The device was one of the winners of a CES 2015 Innovation Award.
There were even new surveillance gadgets for pets. Petcube's new Petcube Camera, about the size of a small portable television, streams real-time images of what your pet is doing while you're away, and has a built-in microphone that lets you talk to it (think, "Get off the couch, Fluffy!"). You can even click on its built-in laser and play with your pet by remotely moving the beam around the room.
Motorola's Scout 5000, meantime, lets your pet "spy" on you. The tiny, lightweight cam mounts on its collar to let you see exactly what your dog or cat is looking at, even if it's staring at you while you're doing something naughty.
Q. My son is in college, and I pay $330 a month for his part of the rent for an off-campus apartment he shares with his other roommates. Can I deduct this cost on my upcoming federal tax return as an "educational expense?"
A. Sorry, but no. Though your kid has to live somewhere, the cost isn't deductible because the apartment is primarily utilized for sleeping, eating, studying or other personal use. Older renters can't deduct their rental payments, so the Internal Revenue Service won't let younger people - or their benefactors - take them either.
Get a free copy of IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education, by calling the agency at (800) 829-3676 or by downloading it from www.irs.gov. Consult an accountant or similar tax professional for more details.
Q. What is the cost of a real estate agent's sales commission?
A. It's usually 6 percent for a house, and 10 percent or 15 percent for vacant land. But federal antitrust laws prohibit agents from demanding a uniform sales fee, so you're free to negotiate any commission you will pay.
Real estate trivia: About 73 percent of folks in their 40s and 50s continue to provide financial assistance to their kids who are 18 or older, the nonpartisan Pew Research Center says, but only 32 percent provide housing or other help to parents who are 65 or older.
• For the booklet "Straight Talk About Living Trusts," send $4 and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to David Myers/Trust, P.O. Box 4405, Culver City, CA 90231-4405.
© 2015, Cowles Syndicate Inc.