What did you say?- 2019

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] As the other David and I work together on many projects at the office, we sometimes have a moment where one of us will invoke a colloquialism that the other David has never heard of. Sometimes this makes for some humor, and other times it causes plain old miscommunication. “What the heck does that mean”? He’ll shout when we have one of these moments. While I was growing up in the Deep South and he was growing up split between Florida and Minnesota, we each picked up various phrases that the other one has never heard. Me, being me, started tracking some of these moments just for the purpose of writing an article one day. Well, I finally have enough of these to write. So here we go. We were having a discussion about what’s normal with certain carrier’s paperwork and David remarked, well, it’s the “Rule of Thumb”. I asked did he know the origin of the phrase, “Rule of Thumb”? This saying has been around since the 1400s when a law was passed that a man could not beat his wife with a stick any larger than the girth of his thumb. We had a good laugh when we realized we could not beat paperwork! We were having a meeting with several folks where the discussion was getting a tad heated. I attempted to get the tone of the conversation calmed a bit by stating “Everyone Mind Your Ps & Qs.” This got more than a few quizzical looks, especially from some of the younger folks in the group. I had to explain by letting them know that this is another old saying that originated in the Pubs; when the bartender would yell at rowdy patrons, they would tend to spill their pints and quarts with their rowdy disruptions and sometimes fights. So, in other words …. calm down. One morning we were at the gym, and saw a news report about a professional sporting event where there was a knockout! I made the comment, “He was hit so hard he’ll wake up and his clothes will be out of style”. This earned a small laugh. We often get extremely busy especially during the Annual Election period and work long days, 6-7 days a week. One of our staff asked if I had a minute. Since I didn’t have time to chat because I was busy, I said, “I’m busier than a one-legged cat in the litter box”. In Arizona, like many southern states, we have very hot summers, and as we were leaving a local library in the heat of the summer, I said, “It’s so hot the trees are bribing the dogs”. David just laughed and asked, “Where do you get these things”? When answering questions, I occasionally have someone who’s having a hard time comprehending; I just ask if they want me to start over because “They’re as lost as last year’s Easter Egg”. This usually breaks the ice and we have a laugh and keep going till they get it. In one of our meetings, when the other David was grinning, I told him, “You’re grinning so big it looks like a mule eating briars”. This one I had to explain, as it earned me another “where do you get these?”Mules will eat just about anything, including blackberry bushes that have briars. So, they will pull their tender lips back and just expose their teeth while they chomp on the plants, thus avoiding the briars. It makes for a hilarious sight, as it appears they are grinning while eating. I’m sure there is a book somewhere that someone wrote on all these types of things and where they originated. Hope some these gave you a giggle, I know they did for me. So, what’s your favorite saying? [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Stay or Go? January 2019

Erma was turning 65, was going to continue to work, and had medical coverage through her employer. She was concerned about all the penalty discussions that she was warned about by her friends and co-workers. Even her HR representative at her employer warned her that she had to sign up for Medicare or get a penalty.


At our meeting, we laid to rest all the gossip about penalties by providing facts about Medicare. Since her employer plan had more than 20 employees and the plan was “creditable coverage,” she could continue to work, keep her health plan at work, and not have to sign up for Medicare A or B. She would have no penalty when she finally separated from her employer health plan in later years. She was relieved and thought that was the only thing she needed to consider.


We discussed that she needed to perform a “should you stay, or should you go analysis” that compared her employer health plan with what she could have with a Medicare health plan. “Oh, but we have a great health plan at work and it only cost me $150 a month”, she replied confidently.


We asked about her deductible, co-pays, and the out-of-pocket maximum. This is where things got a tad off. Seems there is a $2,000 a year deductible and a $6,500 out-of-pocket maximum on her employer health plan. In addition, there was a $25 per doctor visit co-pay and a $75 per specialist doctor co-pay. There was also a 20% co-pay at the hospital until she reached the $6,500 out of pocket maximum. So, she had to pay the first $2,000 a year before her employer plan would pay for anything, in addition to the $150 a month premium. 12 x $150 = $1,800 + $2,000 deductible = $3,800.


If she registered for Medicare A&B at $135.50 a month, she could choose a Medicare Advantage Plan that had a zero monthly premium and no deductible. The out-of-pocket maximum was also only $3,200 for the year, which was half of what her employer plan would cost in the event of a serious medical event. The really good news was that her doctor and specialist, as well as the hospital in her neighborhood, were on several plans. Also, there was no co-pay to see her primary doctor and only a $30 co-pay to see any specialist. She was baffled that the Medicare Advantage Plan was the same brand as her employer health plan carrier. An additional bonus was the Medicare Advantage Plan had less expensive co-pays on her medications. It was a win, win, win to switch. 12 x $135.50 = $1,626, $0 deductible= $1,626.


Erma’s reaction to the results of the comparison was that “Why on earth would I keep my employer plan when this plan has less cost? Do you realize how much money I’m going to save? It’s over $2,000 a year!” In the end, she kept her job but signed up for the Medicare Advantage Plan.


If you are going to keep working after age 65? Call us we can help!

Being a Kid… January 2019

Being a Kid…

As adults, we often get caught in a circle of adult tasks. Sometimes it is out of necessity, as we take care of a sick spouse or adult child. We are always ready to step in and help with grandkids, and sometimes it’s because we get so many requests for help from friends or relatives, it just gets overwhelming.


I had a friend lamenting about the amount of time it takes to care for her ailing older parent. Between taking care of her own family, job, and her ailing mom, she seemed to never have a spare minute for herself. She was completely surprised by her loving husband one Saturday when he booked her a spa treatment, then took mom and the kids out to lunch and a movie, giving her a much-needed break! She was so thankful she could just have some time for herself.


Some of us are lucky enough to have a caring spouse. During this busy time of year when we have so many clients wanting to switch their health plans during the Annual Election Period, (working 12- to 14-hour days, 6-7-days a week), I’m at work before my wife wakes up and rarely get home before dark. My charming bride of 36 years surprised me by booking us a trip to Disneyland for the two-day Thanksgiving holiday! Our daughter and son-in-law joined us for the trip, and it was wonderful just to have some time with my family.


While at the park, I took time just to enjoy watching other families; young parents with their toddlers, older parents with their teenagers, and Grandma and Grandpa with their grandchildren. All shapes, sizes, and colors. Laughter and sometime screams everywhere (just think roller coaster and Haunted Mansion), and, of course, the magic of Disney!


We had a magical moment when Mickey was out and about greeting folks. I was pulled out of line for a short impromptu interaction with Mickey and we had a good laugh with him making fun of my bald head!


It was probably the biggest laugh I’d had in months, and for just a moment ……. I was a kid again.

Happy New Year 2019

Looking forward and looking back? What? January was named after the Roman god, Janus, who was always pictured as having two heads so that he could look forward and backward! Wow, would that be cool! But we mortals must content ourselves with the vision of reviewing last year and looking forward too and planning our new year.


So how was your 2018? Was it one for the record books? Did you get everything on your list completed? Or did you even bother with a list? In our household, we are list folks. We pull out lists made from New Years long ago and have to laugh at what we thought was important when we were first married. It’s a fun exercise that we do many New Year’s eves, when writing down a new list. It seems more and more that good health tops each year’s new list of resolutions as we age.


New Year’s resolutions have been a tradition for many years, and, in some cases, people joke about how long it took to break one of their promised resolutions. Stop smoking, lose 25 pounds after the holidays, start going to the gym, etc., etc. We can’t stop Father Time as the years march by, and, as we age, we can really learn what’s important, and what’s not.


We tend to get hung up on material things and not focus on the important things. When my daughter was growing up, she taught me a valuable lesson one Christmas when I asked her what she wanted Santa to bring

her. “More time with you”. Not a new doll, bike, game or toy, more time with Dad to play together. At the time, I was a very busy executive and was a true road warrior, getting on a plane almost every Monday morning and gone for the week, arriving back Friday night and pooped from the week’s work. While we played and watched movies together, in looking back, I’ve realized how much time I missed watching her grow up. And….at what cost?


As we learn from our mistakes we often try to impart that experience on to others. The issues I’ve found to be true is that it’s one thing to have the experience and knowledge, it’s quite another to have someone take that hard-earned advice to heart.
Fun facts about January? It is the closest day and the same day that is the furthest away from December 31. Did you know in ancient times March 1st was the New Year? January is the coldest month of the year in the Northern hemisphere and the warmest in the Southern hemisphere.

Oh, a January Joke? What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?

FROSTBITE!

(you saw that one coming didn’t you……).

Retired AND Happy – 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] So, you did it! You finally made the big decision and retired! Boy, oh boy, do you have a list of stuff you want to do and a list of stuff you don’t have to do anymore! Some folks have planned for this day for years and others just had a moment when they were at work and just decided on the spur of the moment “I’m done,” as they gave their boss a two-week notice. After meeting with thousands of retirees, we see happy folks, and, believe it or not, some unhappy folks. I was assisting Michael (a pilot) with his retirement plan, and he was lamenting that at 65 there was a mandatory retirement for pilots at his company. He loved to fly and was still in great health and he was unhappy to be retiring. He went back to school and got his instructor’s license so that he could now teach, which will allow him to continue to fly! Another retiree, Renee, said she was unhappy because once she retired she lost focus. Until retiring, she didn’t realize how much of a routine she had been in and how much of her life was spent involving her career. She now had lots of free time and wasn’t quite sure how to fill it. She had fallen into sleeping late and not being very enthusiastic about getting out of the house and doing activities. She had a list of “stuff” she wanted to do but realized that all the items on her list had something to do with work. Now that she was retired, her list was obsolete. Another client, Benny, had a funny reaction to retirement in that he said he felt for the first time in his life he might be deemed a loser, because now when people asked, ‘what do you do,’ he had no answer. He felt funny saying ‘I’m retired and don’t do anything’. For the first time in his life he had no responsibilities. He simply said, “It’s weird”. Most folks are thrilled they are retired and can’t wait to play golf, travel, and spend more time with the grandkids! Many are turning to teaching or volunteering and feeling useful in our society. Some love the fact that they can now spend time on a favorite hobby. One client had a 1969 Corvette stored in his garage for the last ten years just waiting for him to retire and rebuild. He couldn’t wait to get started on fixing up his baby! Being happy in retirement isn’t just about money. It more about what your life is going to be about while in retirement, and how to make yourself happy. You do want to be somewhat worry-free about medical and financial concerns, but sometimes you just need someone to assist you with an overview of what exactly will your retirement look like? So, if you have questions about retirement, Medicare plan selection, Social Security benefit questions, or anything that has to do with retirement? Call us! [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Shopping – wow- hmmm – 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] Sometimes it’s something fun and sometimes it’s something out of necessity. But a good experience with shopping and getting a great meal can make your day! So how you approach these shopping tasks make you…. you! When was the last time you had to make a major purchase? You had to buy a house, a car, a new TV, or a refrigerator? Or was it a major repair to your house, air conditioner, or auto? Whatever it was, you had an experience, and it resulted in either a positive or negative response. I know, for me, over this past year we had to get a new car (I can hear the groans already). While I enjoy looking at all the new vehicles, my charming bride of 36 years hates car shopping! I was given very specific marching orders. “Go look at anything you want to look at or test drive, get it down to the two you like, and let me know.”My very no-nonsense accounting wife was very direct. So …. I was a kid in a candy store visiting dealerships and narrowing down my choices. The only annoying thing was the routine of every salesman wanting my phone and email so that they could ‘follow up’ with me and keep me posted on current and future deals. And then the several dozen phone messages and emails that were sent, thanking me for visiting the dealership and reminders of, ‘are you ready yet’? But once I narrowed it down to the two we liked, we took the test drive and made our decision. The final paperwork and signing of documents were probably the best experience we’ve ever had, and was quick and seamless, unlike other past experiences involving purchases of this kind, where we spent hours waiting to sign sales contracts. Over the years, we’ve had both good and bad shopping experiences, and some of the bad ones created memories that have never gone away. There are still two local restaurants that I haven’t stepped in for over 20 years because of the bad experience we had, while there are other restaurants we go to regularly because of the great food and service [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Ho Ho Ho 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] Happy ChrisMaHannaQuansica! I think it’s some quote from a comedian a few years ago, who was trying to say something about our melting pot of traditions here in the U.S.A. for the holiday season. As I was driving home the week after Halloween, I was somewhat dismayed that two radio stations were already playing Christmas music! It seems to get earlier and earlier! I remember while growing up that there was a clear separation of holidays in the fall. Halloween was celebrated and decorated in retails stores. Then came Thanksgiving decorations. And the day after Thanksgiving came the Christmas decorations. Now, this year I saw Christmas decorations in the stores, along with presents and gifts for sale, two weeks before Halloween! Are you kidding me??? Starting the Christmas sales during Halloween is just too much! Our retailer’s obsession with the Christmas season (as the most profitable season for this group of retailers), has invaded our daily consciousness. It almost ruins the spirit of Christmas, because it is pushed from September until New Years, with all the after-Christmas sales . In our household, we still have the separation of the three holidays, with decorations and certain holiday food traditions only made and served at those specific holidays. Halloween has a special holiday hot-spiced glog that my wife makes just that one time a year, that we have only on Halloween night. Thanksgiving has the traditional meal with yes….a homemade pumpkin pie. Christmas day has become a day of brunch after opening presents. We just kind of graze and watch Christmas movies. My friends that celebrate Hannukah seem to have a continuous feast for days, as we are invited to meals several times over that holiday. I always enjoy seeing the beautiful Menorahs with real candles burning. (Love those potato latkes)! So, whatever your traditions, enjoy your holidays and if you don’t have any traditions? Start some! [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

November 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1" fullwidth="on" specialty="off" next_background_color="#000000"][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="section" prev_background_color="#000000"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text background_layout="light" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" saved_tabs="all" _builder_version="3.0.101"] Wacky Holidays in November. While we all enjoy our traditional holidays (like Thanksgiving) in the month of November, there are some really strange and wacky holidays held in this month. November 3rd, or the first Saturday in November, is “Sadie Hawkins Day” and this is when girls can ask the guys out! Dinner, dancing, a movie, or whatever, this is a day where girls are in charge. This tradition started with the cartoon strip, “Li’l Abner”, in the late 1930s. In the strip, Pa was worried that his daughter would never get married, so he organized a race where a girl could catch an unmarried man and could claim him for a husband! This day has evolved into some good-natured foolishness and everyone can have some fun. Some schools and universities even organize a Sadie Hawkins dance where the girls can ask the guys to dance. November 6th is National Saxophone Day. Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone in 1846. Brass on the outside, woodwind on the inside, the saxophone has become a symbol of Jazz around the world. November 7th is known as National Tongue Twister Day. If you have impressive lingual abilities, this day is for you! Originally published in 1899, try saying these words a fast five times! • Betty Botta bought a bit of butter • But, she said, this butter is bitter! • If I put it in my batter it will make my batter bitter • Then she bought a bit o’ butter better than the bitter butter. • Made her bitter batter better. • So, ‘twas better Betty Botta bought a bit of better butter (you just tried to say this fast, didn’t you? Yep! I did!) November 29th is National Square Dance Day! While this holiday is thought to be made up by Cowboys and country folks, it originated in Europe back in the 17th century. But it has since been claimed by the USA as the cultural leader, as 19 States have claimed it as their State official dance! So, grab your dancing boots and partner then head for the local barn dance to have some fun and just maybe get some straw in your hair! “Swing your partner round and round”! Other funny days to celebrate in November? Try these; Clean Your Refrigerator Day, Button Day, National Fast Food Day, Homemade Bread Day, Dunce Day, Men Make Dinner Day, Deviled Egg Day, Sandwich Day, King Tut Day, Buy Nothing Day, French Toast Day, and many others! So, pick a day and have some fun!   [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

I’m Trapped!!! 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"]   At age 64, Sophia was a well-educated single, professional woman, who had worked in health care all her career. She had been with her company for a long time, but they did not treat their employees very well and she was discouraged with her work environment. “Can I retire and when” was her question? She called for an appointment to discuss all aspects of her retirement, including health care plans, as well as financial guidance. She was apprehensive because she had seen three other retirement planners and was not happy with any of their solutions or advice. When we met with her and started reviewing her situation, she was very typical of many of our first-time clients. Most of her retirement assets were in an aggressive 401(k), with high fees and exposed to market conditions. Sophia stated that this was one of her major concerns because her sister had planned to retire, but in 2001 she lost about a third of her 40l(k) in the 2001 market crash. Her sister wound up not being able to retire and had to work another 5 years. Sophia did not want that to happen to her. She also shared that she had high credit card debt that was difficult to pay off and she wanted to create a plan to reduce or eliminate her credit card debt. As we built her retirement plan, we included a solution for her health care, as well as a three-year plan to eliminate her credit card debt. With reassigning her retirement funds out of her 401(k) and into more stable financial products, she now had eliminated her fears of losing her hard-earned retirement funds. As a happy final note, when she came in to sign her paperwork and contracts, she was pleased to report that her office was under new management and that her workplace environment had taken a change for the better. She was encouraged that with this positive change she might even work a few more years, shoring up her retirement finances. As we reviewed her final plans, she got emotional in that she never thought she would be able to get to where she wanted to be for retirement. And now she was happy that she would even be able to afford to do some traveling in retirement! [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Regrets! 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] Regrets…. I’ve had a few…. sang by Sinatra all those years ago. There are times when we get an opportunity for a ‘do- over” in our lives, and there are times where it was just a missed opportunity. We can all recall at least once in our lives when we had one of these incidents. How you made those decisions, or why you have certain regrets, is what makes you…. you! What was the opportunity? Who was there? What did it involve? I bet you have an almost instant recall of one event in your life. When these events happen, they could have been something minor with no lifelong consequences. Other incidents could have had life-altering implications. I have a firm belief that throughout our lives, we have challenges and opportunities to have one door close and yet other doors open. Which to pick so that we have no regrets? Some people play the “what if” game. What if I had married that other girl or guy? What if we had stayed in our hometown and not moved away? What if I had taken that promotion that required us to move our family to a strange, new city? As we were growing up, we all heard the story of the lady or the tiger behind two doors. The king was looking for a suitable mate for the princess. He had one final test for each possible mate. He would take the young man to a room with two doors, and let them know his daughter was behind one, but behind the other was a ferocious man-eating tiger! Many young men wanted to marry the young princess, but none of them had the courage to open one of the doors out of fear of the tiger. They failed to win her hand. But one day a young man showed up, and when he was tested, he did not hesitate and strode with purpose toward one door. He opened it, and there was the princess. You see, it wasn’t about which door, as both led to the princess. There was no tiger. It was about the courage to open a door. Do-over opportunities come every day, but most of these are simple, non-threating issues like you ordered the wrong thing off the menu at the restaurant, so next time you’ll order something different. Longer term is you leased a car for three years but discovered you don’t like it. It’s okay, you get a do-over in three years. The thing with regrets and do-overs is that it gives us experiences that hone our judgment for future decisions. We say to ourselves “I’ll do better next time”. With your financial plan or your choice of Medical plans, we are fortunate that we can have do-overs every year with no regrets. The Medicare Annual Election Period is happening October 15th through December 7th, and we all have the opportunity to choose a different medical plan for next year. Ensure you have no regrets this year and get some professional assistance with that choice! Need help? Call us! [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]