HEALTH HAPPENINGS
Women Have More Trouble Quitting Smoking
A review of numerous research studies focusing on smoking cessation has concluded that in addition to suffering greater risks of smoking-related diseases, women also have more trouble quitting smoking than men do.

NATIONAL NOTES
Top 10 Investment Scams
Securities fraud costs Americans billions of dollars each year, and no population is more heavily targeted by scammers than the elderly. According to the North American Securities Administrators Association, here are 10 of the most prevalent types of securities fraud.

OF INTEREST
Educational Program for Controlling Pain Can Reduce Drug-Induced Complications in Nursing Homes
Training nursing home doctors and nursing home staff to treat chronic pain from osteoarthritis and other disorders through safer means than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) could reduce the incidence of drug-induced complications and even death in elderly residents without increasing their pain and disability, according to a new study sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

TRUST TALK
IRS Rules Favorably Regarding Trust Severance, Renunciation
According to a recent IRS Private Letter Ruling, a widow's renunciation of a trust resulting from the severance of a nonexempt marital trust will not result in the widow having made a taxable gift of the retained trust.

TAX TID-BITS
Attention Tax Professionals: IRS Seeking Comments on Estate Tax Return
As part of a paperwork reduction effort, the IRS is asking for public comment on Form 706, "United States Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return."