May Rituals! – 2021

Ahhh, …the month of May. Finally, most of the USA can breathe a sigh of relief as Summer can really begin with the warmer weather. While some are still dealing with the lingering piles of leftover snow, some parts of the country are already in full swing of the summer heat. In Arizona, we have already had our first set of 100-degree days, and the snowbirds have flocked elsewhere to more temperature-favored abodes.

I am amazed how many of our clients have summer rituals of going back to family farms for the summer: Idaho, Iowa, the mid-west states. Of course, we have our fair share of folks going back to Chicago, New Jersey, Minnesnowda (yeah, I misspelled it on purpose), along with other cold-weather extreme states. Not many snow-birds go back to states south of the Mason Dixon line. While those folks must deal with the summer humidity, they don’t deal with 120- degree heat days like Arizona and some Nevada parts.

We also have clients that go to the Rocky Mountains or ranches in Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana. Nothing like wide-open spaces. Lots of excellent fly fishing, camp- ing, horseback riding, and hiking in those states. Of course, tens of thousands of Americans visit our National Parks during the summer and see the spectacular natural rock formations and waterfalls

A few lucky ones even get to raft the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon for a week or so. Such a spectacular trip and well worth the effort if you get the chance.

So, whatever your Month of May brings you or takes you to, for that matter, I’m sure we are all looking forward to beginning some summer fun! So.... where are you off to? Beach, pool, camping? I can already smell the BBQ!!!!

Dad! – 2021

Christine was an only child and now that her Dad was getting on in years, she wanted him to move closer to her and the grand kids. In fact, they had a bedroom with its own bathroom and closet at their new home which is one reason why she and her husband bought the house. This room would be for Dad.

Dad was delighted to move and be closer to the kids and great grand kids who adored their “Pops.” He loved spending time with them teaching them, long-forgotten board games. Christine’s other main concern was healthcare for Dad as she played the ‘what if’ game in her head. At 87, he wasn’t getting any younger; even though, currently, he was in good health at his age.

As she had just turned 65 and gone through the process of getting Medicare and researching plans, she knew exactly who to call for help in researching a health plan for Dad. American Retirement

As I answered her call, I asked the same question I do several times a day “How can we help?”

After explaining her situation, she volunteered Dad’s prescription medications and what healthcare concerns she had. At 87 years old a Medicare Supplement would be awfully expensive, so she asked for help in selecting an all-inclusive Medicare Advantage plan. In seeing her address, we immediately saw that there was an Advantage plan that offered multiple medical services all in one place that was literally a few blocks away. Plan convenience included a primary care doctor, specialist, optical, hearing, urgent care, and even a drug store in the lobby to fill prescriptions on the way out if a doctor wrote Dad a new script! Not only that, the plan offered dental, and a $200 allowance toward new glasses each year. The plan also included an allowance towards hearing aids. All of the local hospitals were on the plan’s network.

Christine was pleased that she was able to find the exact answer for a health plan for Dad in one phone call! “You made this so easy!” she exclaimed. The advantage plan also covered the six maintenance medications that Dad took daily, and they all had zero copays! As we were ending the call, I could hear the kids in the back- ground laughing about the new board game Pops had taught them. “Chinese Checkers”! As I hung up the phone, I tried to remember the last time I played that game myself!

Got a question? Call us! We can help!

Small Stuff… – 2021

Everything old is new again! – 2021

As we spring into April, it’s always great to see all the old plants that are dead and brown come back to life each Spring and all the small green shoots that eventually start growing and filling out our bushes and trees.

All those plants you thought were dead, were actually wick! Wick? Yep, it’s essentially old English related to the word quicken (come to life). If you are a Broadway musical fan, you’ll remember in the musical Secret Garden, the song with the words “If a thing is wick; it’ll grow”.

This “old is new again” cycle never changes. I had an experience recently with a young customer service representative who thought they had come up with a new novel  idea for customer service. As they explained their idea it became clear that it was a recycled Zig Ziglar from the ‘70s and ‘80s that I’d heard long ago. I checked my library and found a Ziglar book I’ve had for years and handed it to them to read. A week later, they returned the book and thought it was fascinating!

I see this pattern happen over and over again. It always appears to me that people who do not have experience and/or knowledge (or in their case, these two items are were limited for whatever reason) have these “new thoughts.”

While we see the technological advances in our everyday lives, it’s not often we see something entirely original. Most times, it’s just an improvement. How many times do we see a new movie that is just a recycled one with different actors? Now, the writers tried to update the old movie with a few new twists, and while it might be a novelty, it’s not original.

Philosopher Marcus Aurelius wrote, "They that come after us will see nothing new, and they who went before us saw nothing more than we have seen.

"Methods are many, principles are few, methods always change, principles never do." This adage has been around a long time.

Principles are severely lacking in our current government, no matter which side of the aisle you sit on. One more time the American people were made the same old tired promises. Once again someone was elected and did the exact opposite of what they promised. I, for one, think it’s time for something new and original.

So, in the meantime, stop watching the news, get out and enjoy the weather, birds singing, and all the new blooming and green growth in April!

 Enjoy spring!

Costs too much – 2021

Barry and Robin had made an appointment with us and when I got them on my computer via virtual meeting, I could see their smiling faces. After we all exchanged cordial greetings and asking if they were safe and healthy, the meeting got down to business.

They were very familiar with American Retirement Advisors as we had already assisted them in research on their Medicare health coverage as well as reviewing the most appropriate time to turn on their Social Security benefits. As usual, I asked, “How can we help”?

Barry’s Mom had passed away after a lengthy stay in a Long-Term Care (LTC) facility and luckily, his Mom had long ago purchased an LTC policy that took care of almost everything between the policy benefits and her monthly Social Security check.

Robin was quick to add that they did not have such a policy in place and were concerned about how they would be able to pay for such a service if anything happened to either of them. Barry added, “We don’t want to spend our life’s savings paying for LTC because it costs too much, and what would happen to the other spouse after we run out of money”?

I reassured them that this is indeed a serious issue most folks ignore, and LTC expenses are one of the top reasons folks go bankrupt in retirement years. Around 70% of folks will need some sort of long-term care in their lifetimes, either at a facility or at home. Women are almost twice as likely to need this service as men.

“Having a long-term care plan in place doesn’t necessarily mean you need a policy,” I stated, as we continued the discussion. There are multiple ways to receive care. First, in many cases, a family member will assist with care for an elderly parent or relative. This can create issues as we look at the age and health of the caregiver and their ability and training to actually provide proper care. Second, we can always go shopping for a long-term care policy, but the older you are, the more expensive these policies can become (just note that health gets you an LTC policy, not money). Third, you can actually have coverage through your retirement funds as some financial products offer Long-Term Care Riders that provides money in the event you go into an LTC facility. Provisions in all these options have many variables and require some serious research.
“Well, we don’t want our kids to have to worry about us” Robin was quick to add. “We didn’t have to worry too much financially about Barry’s Mom because she was prepared

I explained that we have “Guideposts” on this topic, and we will send those to you ASAP so you can become better educated on all your options. I also reviewed what financial expectations they had and offered to research LTC solutions that would meet their goals. And finally, we reviewed their assets to determine if their needs would be better served with other retirement income-producing products that would also add a layer of long-term care financial protection.
All our informative Guideposts are available at: www.americanretirementadvisors.com/guidepost).

They were both relieved that there were more options than they realized, and we set a date for our next appointment where we could review more factual remedies after we can complete research on their behalf. “As usual, you guys are great at helping us understand how this all works”! Barry exclaimed.

Does this sound like an issue you’ve been struggling with?
Call us, we can help!

Are you feeling Lucky? – 2021

​Have you ever had any good luck? There are some who would say “if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all”. I think that was from a skit in the old HEE HAW show on TV. But what has been your experience with luck? Whatever it was, and whenever it was, good or bad, it made you….you!

When luck comes to mind, several memories draw nigh with that thought. Remember the line in the Dirty Harry movies.
Good old Clint Eastwood standing there with a huge 44 caliber pistol asking the punk “Are you feeling lucky”? Or maybe it’s Frank Sinatra singing “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”?

If it were your coach or teacher, they would tell you “luck is when opportunity meets preparation”. Or maybe it was your
boss at work, and they told you “I’m a great believer in luck. The harder I work the more luck I seem to have”.

Like most folks, I’ve had my share of good and bad luck. Last year a bad luck experience was I had to go to the emergency room with a terrible infection. Was in the hospital for 10 days and then daily follow-up visits for 3 weeks! Good news? They saved my life! Lucky? I think so!

March ON! – 2021

March is that time of year where spring is in the air or winter is still going strong, snowing, and cold where you live. And while the nighttime temperatures in AZ are still cool, the day temperatures are already hitting 80-90 degrees. But no matter where you live, March usually heralds better weather.

So as some of us are getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day (bring on the green), others are preparing for baseball spring training. And in some parts of the world, we also start Daylight Savings Time.

March got its name in Roman times as a tribute to the God, Mars, in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and was originally called “Martius”. This month was considered the start of a new beginning. In Roman times this month was the start of a new calendar year. I would believe the farmers of that era probably had something to do with this.

Oh, and that phrase “Beware the Ides of March”? In case you are wondering, it was the Soothsayer in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, who warned Caesar, beware the 15th of March, when telling him his life was in danger for the next 30 days. And now you know! Happy March!

Lost? NO! Stolen! – 2021

Stan was the victim of a break-in at his home, and, unfortunately, the thief took his wallet that he had left on the dresser. After calling the police and filing a report he now had to take stock of what was missing. “Oh, no”! He exclaimed as he realized his wallet was missing. Now he had the ordeal of replacing his driver’s license, credit cards, Social Security, and Medicare cards.

Calling his credit card companies was an easy fix to cancel existing cards and have them mail out new replacement cards. Getting a new driver’s license was going to be a hassle due to reduced hours at his local DMV office. But he had no idea on how to replace his Social Security and Medicare Cards.

His wife reminded him to call American Retirement Advisors and that we will have the answer.

Our Client Care team answered the phone with the usual opening line, “how can we help”?

Stan filled us in on what happened, and we proceeded to outline his options.

1) You can call Social Security at 800-772-1213 and request replacement cards. The only hassle is the long hold times that sometimes keep you on hold for 1-2 hours before you actually speak to a human.

2) You can also go online and visit www.SSA.gov. After selecting the log in option, enter your name and password and the system will ask to send you a verification code. They will call or text the code to whichever phone number is on your file. After you enter the code, the next page will offer services.

3) Select “Replacement Documents.” Here you can ask for a Social Security Card replacement, or a Medicare Card replacement. Keep in mind that it can take up to 90 days to receive your new cards. You can print a new Medicare card from the website.

Stan was grateful for the quick and direct answers to his dilemma and could not believe how easy it was. “If only replacing my driver’s license was this easy”! he exclaimed.

So, when you have questions about Social Security, Medicare, or Retirement Financial planning…. call us, we can help!

Close Encounters – 2021

If you ask someone if they have ever had a close encounter, they’ll probably want to know more specifics about your question. “Close encounter with what?” they may ask. But whatever close encounter you’ve had in your life and how you reacted makes you…. you!

Your close encounter may have been with an unexpected chance meeting with a wild animal, a close call with a traffic accident, or maybe you dodged a medical issue that potentially could have been a life-or-death situation. But at that moment you reacted either with fear, panic, or anxiety.

Lions and tigers and bears, Oh My! Have you had a close encounter with mother nature? I’ve had a few since I’ve been an avid hiker, horseback rider, and camper. Everything from venomous snakes, bears, large game animals, and even a mountain lion. I can tell you on several of these occasions my blood pressure was up!

When I was young and camping with some teenage friends, we decided to hike to an open area so we could star gaze and pick out the constellations. There was no moon, and it was pitch black. Three or four of the guys had flashlights but I had left mine at home. We came to a fence that bordered a large pasture and it offered a great view of the stars. As we stood for several minutes, we were quietly talking and pointing out different things we recognized in the beautiful night sky.
Suddenly, we hear thundering hoofs and snorting of a large animal. As I turned towards the noise, I stood frozen…. instinctively facing whatever was coming toward us. I had no idea what it was because everyone had turned off their flashlights to star gaze. Panic filled me as it got closer and closer, but I didn’t move away from the fence thinking it would stop whatever was coming. As it came closer and closer it came to a stop just in front of me on the other side of the
barricade. While I could not see it, I inhaled what must have been a dirt cloud and the overwhelming smell of a Bull! After I finally found my voice, I asked could someone turn on a flashlight. There was no answer……. I finally hear off in the distance the other guys calling my name.

They had left me by the fence alone within a few feet of an exceptionally large, annoyed Bull! The next day we all had a good laugh at the terror we experienced the night before. While I was annoyed that they left me in the dark, I learned a lesson and I never forgot to pack my own flashlight. So, what was your experience? Who were you with and more importantly how did you react? I hope it was a temporary situation and had no long-lasting negative effect. But whatever your experience was, it made you …. you!

Make sure you have no panic or fear of what to do with retirement issues. Got questions? Call us, we can help

Feel the Love! – 2021