March Turns Green

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="March Turns Green" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" subhead="March 2017"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" saved_tabs="all"] By David Edge [spacer height="03px"] The most popular holiday celebrated in March is Saint Patrick’s Day on the 17th. The Patron Saint of Ireland is honored for bringing Christianity to Ireland around 400 AD. So fast forward a few hundred years to New York City, where in 1762 the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade was held! You might wonder why the first parade wasn’t held in Ireland. Well, there are approximately 34 million Americans of Irish descent in America, and that is approximately 7 times the population of Ireland. Oh, BTW, you’ll hear the phrase “Erin Go Braugh” probably more than once on St. Paddy’s Day as it means “Ireland Forever”! [spacer height="02px"] Other fun Irish facts; [spacer height="02px"] Ireland has been the land of superstitions as we tend to think of leprechauns, four-leaf clovers, fairies, rainbows with pots of gold at the end, and no one can deny the wearing of the green on this special day unless you want to get pinched! If your nose itches, someone is speaking ill of you, but if your palm itches you’ve got money coming to you. When you find a lucky horseshoe, you nail it to your wall pointing up so that the luck won’t fall out! Don’t break any mirrors because no one wants seven years of bad luck! There are dozens more of these fun, but irrational beliefs. [spacer height="02px"] There are more than one or two auspicious superstitions with Irish folk and another popular belief is Kissing the Blarney Stone for good luck. As the story goes, the King of Blarney Castle in the village of Blarney, Ireland once saved an old woman from drowning and in reward, she cast a good spell on the stone where it still resides today. Kissing the stone is a popular belief that it will bring you good luck. Others say kissing the stone will give you the gift of persuasion and eloquent speech. [spacer height="02px"] You can thank the Irish for popularizing limericks. Irish writer Edward Lear made these little ditties fun and a permanent part of our speech patterns in 1846 when his book “Book of Nonsense” was published. If you decide to try your hand at writing a limerick, remember its five lines of verse, the first two lines rhyme with the fifth line, and the lines are usually humorous. You can visit the fourth largest city of “Limerick” Ireland on your next trip! [spacer height="02px"] So kick up your heels with a little Irish jig and remember to wear some green!   [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/St-Patricks-Day-2.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="250px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Why am I me

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="Why am I me" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" subhead="March 2017"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" saved_tabs="all"] By David Edge [spacer height="03px"] Can you remember the time you first went to a doctor? That experience has made you either afraid of doctors or gave you a warm fuzzy about doctors? Either way that experience was something that has made you, you! [spacer height="02px"] There are many reasons folks are afraid of doctors. That fear can range from what’s it going to cost, the thought of sitting in a crowded waiting room, to which doctor should I go see? Sometimes it’s a simple fear of something like needles to take a flu shot. Some of us are just afraid of receiving bad news, so we just pretend or ignore the symptoms in hopes they’ll just go away. These simple things can cause panic attacks or night-mares that make people simply not want to go when they need too. [spacer height="02px"] There’s an actual name for people who are afraid of doctors, it’s called “iatrophobia”. [spacer height="02px"] Folks who are generally afraid of doctors will get increased heart palpitations, wring their hands, and can actually get physically ill just with the idea of going to the doctor. If you think about it, that’s quite an issue, as the very person who can fix you is exactly who you don’t want to see? [spacer height="02px"] Some people develop the same attitude towards a doctor visit in the same category as avoiding a restaurant that they had a bad meal or got sick from the food they were served. You just don’t go there anymore. The real difference is that skipping a meal at a restaurant won’t kill you, but not going to the doctor when you’re sick can result in your death. [spacer height="02px"] So what was your first visit to the doctor and how do you feel about it? Can you remember? I know for me I was about 6 or 7 and was climbing a big old oak tree at my grandparents’ house and made it to the top, only to miss a branch on the way down. I fell the last 10-15 feet, receiving a large cut requiring several stitches. My mom wrapped me in a blanket, threw me in the car and off we went. This was an old country doctor who was very experienced and totally put me at ease by saying that “why this cut isn’t much of nothing” in a very grandfatherly way. All of a sudden my cut didn’t seem like a big deal to me as he gave me a local and the few stitches I needed. I even got a piece of hard candy he just happened to have in his lab coat pocket. So my experience at that young age left me with a favorable impression of doctors. [spacer height="02px"] Now, I just know, not everybody can relay a nice story about their first experience with a medical situation, and of course that is what makes each of us have our own fears or comforts, and that feeling makes you, you. [spacer height="02px"] So don’t find yourself wondering about your medical coverage or your share of the financial responsibilities of your Medicare plan. Give us a call, we can help! [spacer height="02px"] You might even get a piece of candy! [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Why-am-I-me-2.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="250px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Financial Tip

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="Financial Tip " background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" subhead="March 2017"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] By David Edge [spacer height="03px"] Check or Credit/Debit Card? [spacer height="02px"] While just about any financial transaction we do can expose us to the criminal element, there are checks and balances that can keep us a bit safer. [spacer height="02px"] You’re standing in line to check out, and the person in front of you pulls out their check book. “How archaic,” you think to yourself. Check writing has decreased by 50% since 2000, but the real exposure to check writers is with fraud. While there appears to be just as much opportunity for fraud with credit and debit cards, the exposure with writing a check may have greater consequences. [spacer height="02px"] If any theft of a credit/debit card happens, alerts happen very quickly with electronic monitoring by the financial institution. A halt is placed on the card in question and a new card is rushed to the client. Misappropriated funds are replaced, and the retail store shares in the loss for taking the fraudulent transaction. Hence, the recent surge in requiring ID for purchases, as well as more stringent usage policies. [spacer height="02px"] On the other hand, writing a check still has all the old proven ways to steal your money. You write a check, it has your name, address, phone number, bank name, routing number, account number and signature all on the check. The numerous ways for theft start as soon as you hand the check to the cashier. A dishonest clerk could copy your check. If sent by mail, the check could be stolen and washed. This is a process where the criminal chemically removes the payee and dollar amount of the check keeping your perfectly legal signature, writes a new amount and payee, and then cashes the check! [spacer height="02px"] The main issue with writing a check is that once the bad guy has your check, they can drain your account and we only have to hope you don’t have your checking account tied to your savings account as both accounts can be drained. Question is, “how much money do you keep in your account to be possibly stolen”? Most folks have taken the precaution of keeping a low balance in their checking account just to cover the balance of checks they have issued. Good thinking! [spacer height="02px"] Retailers are combating the risk, by taking your check at the register and immediate-ly processing the payment and giving the check back to you. Now the check never leaves your sight, and this curtails any opportunity for your personal information to be stolen on the way to your bank. [spacer height="02px"] Recording all check transactions and regularly checking your bank account online are also smart ways to track your transactions against fraud and keeping your information from being stolen. Why not just avoid the risk? [spacer height="02px"] We suggest that you minimize or avoid check writing altogether. Use the safe and secure debit or credit card to protect yourself from fraud. [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Financial-tip-2.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="200px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Toss it against the wall

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="Toss it against the wall" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" subhead="March 2017"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" saved_tabs="all"] By David Schaeffer [spacer height="05px"] We have all heard the phrase “throw every-thing against the wall and see what sticks.” Well, our new President made a bunch of promises in the campaign and got himself elected. Many promises sounded good to some; to others, not so much. Our clients’ emotions on the new President range from exuberant to completely freaked out and scared. [spacer height="03px"] We can all agree, there has been a frenzy of activity in the first weeks of the new administration. Every news cycle has Trump this and Trump that. So much attention, that it was almost like the Super Bowl (what a game!), the Phoenix Open, and our car shows didn’t even happen. [spacer height="03px"] The market is in a flurry. Up, Up, Up! By almost all accounts the optimism concerning the markets and consumer spending is very positive. Stories of large employers adding jobs in the good ole USA abound. [spacer height="03px"] Our President lets us know his feelings, unfiltered, immediately, via his twitter feed. If you don’t follow twitter, don’t worry… the television news folks will do it for you. [spacer height="03px"] More importantly, what is not being talked about is the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule for financial services. It is scheduled to go into effect April 10, 2017. This law will impact every person in the United States with qualified accounts including, IRAs,401k, 403b, 457/TSA, and Roth IRAs. This rule was created in the spirit of improving the financial care of our citizen’s lifelong savings. [spacer height="03px"] Unfortunately, this law will force firms to charge more for their services and provide less choice of investment options. Completely the opposite of the intent of the legislation. Small investors with accounts less than $1,000,000 will find themselves moving to automated investment services because the cost of compliance is too great. We all have or had mutual funds, the autopilot investments of the past. What happens to your accounts when the market drops? What happens to your income if those accounts lose your money? [spacer height="03px"] The estimated cost to comply with the new law may be as much as 2% on a small account. Most folks don’t pay even 1% to manage their entire portfolios. Something will have to give; you will either have to pay more or use a robot. manage their entire portfolios. Something will have to give; you will either have to pay more or use a robot. [spacer height="03px"] We have never charged our clients for planning services, account reviews, phone calls, changes, account updates, balance inquiries, disbursement requests, mailing statements, going to social security office with you, or exceeding every fiduciary standard of care. [spacer height="03px"] If the law is not repealed, folks will experience far fewer savings and investment choices for their IRAs and incur new fees that may exceed earnings! [spacer height="03px"] I really don’t think that was what the past administration had in mind. The story goes, Mr. Obama’s neighbor had all of his lifelong savings in a variable annuity, the type that did not insure his principle and had fees in excess of 3.5% per year. When the market dropped in 2008, his neighbor lost nearly 50% of the value of his annuity. His broker was no longer in the business. He assumed the big-name brokerage firm had an eye on his account. The reality was no one was looking after his money. Mr. Obama looked into it and found that the broker was really a licensed salesman and did not violate any rules. He just did what the firm requested of him. In reality, he was not acting in his neighbor’s best interest, he acted in the best interest of the firm. Mr. Obama asked around and found that there was a type of financial advisor that was licensed to act in the client’s best interest. He then asked the SEC to do something. They did nothing. He asked his friends at the Department of Labor and they acted, creating a rule to protect the average investor. Unfortunately, they failed to ask about the cost of such financial care. Kind of like the “not so” Affordable Care Act. (Sorry. I could not help myself.) To affordably take on the legal responsibility of fiduciary care, most portfolios must exceed 5,000,000 dollars to avoid additional costs above the standard 1%. [spacer height="03px"] So here we sit, a rule created to care for LARGE portfolios, forced upon most Americans with a portfolio of less than $100,000, but being required to bear the cost of a portfolio 50 times larger.   [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/FeatureStory_Mar2017.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="250px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Health Tip of the Month

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="Avoid Winter Damage" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" subhead="Health Tip February 2017"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] By David S Edge [spacer height="03px"] It’s winter and some of us take the attitude of just hunker down and wait it out. Well, maybe we should rethink this stance. Here is a list of items that can make and keep you a bit healthier! [spacer height="02px"] 1) Sunshine. That’s right, a daily dose of Vitamin D from the sun can battle the winter blues. Take a short walk or open the blinds to bask in the light. This bit of sunshine can improve not only your health, but also your attitude! [spacer height="02px"] 2) Don’t be isolated. Being alone can create a wear-and-tear, doom-and gloom attitude which just adds to winter depression. Stay in touch! Even if you can’t get out, make phone calls and send emails to have daily interaction with friends and family. [spacer height="02px"] 3) Tread lightly.Wear shoes with good traction to avoid any slips on wet or icy sidewalks. Older folks recover slowly from leg, hip, or back damage that can be the result of a winter fall. On slippery days, avoid going outside unless absolutely necessary. [spacer height="02px"] 4) Vehicle maintenance.Weather can be the cause of a multitude of vehicle issues. So, get your tires checked, battery tested, change your oil, and splurge on new windshield wiper blades. Rain or snow on the windshield needs to be removed so we have a clear field of vision. Wiper blades are a simple fix, but is often one of the minor maintenance items overlooked [spacer height="02px"] 5) Be prepared. Power outages are a fact of life during stormy months, so ensure there are extra batteries and non-perishable food items on hand to wait out temporary blackouts. It’s also a good idea to have a stock-pile of old-fashioned candles, just be sure to use these items safely. Make sure you have working carbon monoxide alarms as well as smoke detectors. [spacer height="02px"] 6) Water. Drinking water is also a necessity, so make sure you have a few gallons stored in the event of a water-service interruption. Don’t forget to stay hydrated! A cup of coffee, tea, or even a good old cup of hot cocoa are delicious and comforting, but nothing beats a few glasses of water to avoid dehydration. [spacer height="02px"] Whether it’s cold, icy, or just wet… take precautions and be prepared! [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/HealthTip_Feb2017.png" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="200px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Success story of the month February 2017

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="He said She Said..." background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" subhead="Success Story of the Month - February 2017"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" saved_tabs="all"] By David S Edge [spacer height="04px"] [spacer height="03px"] While assisting many folks and couples with  their selections of retirement planning options, we often run into pre-conceived notions about retirement, especially misinformation about Medicare. We will hear things like, “Well, my neighbor told me that her mother…. Or my cousin’s sister told us…” [spacer height="03px"] At times we just have to shake our heads! [spacer height="03px"] Marge and George were just such folks. We spent the first thirty minutes of their appointment dispelling all the things they thought they knew about retirement. Here is a short list of items we discussed. [spacer height="03px"] Marge stated they could get full Social Security retirement benefits at age 62. [spacer height="03px"] Correct answer: Full retirement age for Social Security is age 66. The benefit amount will be approximately 8% less for each year taken earlier. But you can take the discounted amount as early as age 62. [spacer height="03px"]  George thought that he didn’t have to get a Part D Prescription Drug Plan along with his Medigap plan because his HR department stated that Part D was voluntary. [spacer height="03px"] Correct answer: While Part D is voluntary, what his HR department rep didn’t explain was that for each month he didn’t have a Part D, he would be penalized later when he did add Part D. The penalty grows each month he doesn’t have his Part D, and this penalty never goes away! [spacer height="03px"] George’s HR department told him he had to turn on his Part A of Medicare when he turns age 65. [spacer height="03px"] Correct answer: If you continue to work with an employer coverage plan, you do not need to do anything. [spacer height="03px"] George also thought he could continue to contribute to his HSA     [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/SuccessStory_Feb2017.png" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="250px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"]   [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Financial Tip February 2017

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="Financial Tip" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" subhead="February 2017"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" saved_tabs="all"] By David S Edge [spacer height="03px"] How to invest or save has more to do with where you are in life than you may think. [spacer height="02px"] Let’s begin with definitions. [spacer height="02px"] Invest. (verb) According to Investopia: to put (money) to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value. [spacer height="02px"] Save. (verb) According to Google: 1. Keep safe or rescue (something or someone) from harm or danger. 2. Keep and store up (something, especially money) for future use. [spacer height="02px"] By definition, investors accept risk in exchange for a potential return. Savers conversely protect their long-term savings from harm. [spacer height="02px"] In our working years, we are supposed to accumulate money for our future needs in retirement. Typically, it is acceptable to take on risk while working which is supposed to be mitigated or reduced by time. This process has served us well up until 2000. 15-year average returns on the markets averaged less than a compounded 3% for that period. You may have fared better in long-term CDs. [spacer height="02px"] The next phase of our investment life is a transitional period we call preservation. This phase should begin 5 years prior to retirement and continue about a year after. This period allows plenty of time to tax efficiently, migrate your long-term holdings, into vehicles designed for income in the next phase. [spacer height="02px"] The final phase we call distribution. This is where the new purpose of your life-long savings is now income. Depending on your needs, wants, and desires, your money now needs to replace income from work, adjust for inflation, and take care of surprises. [spacer height="02px"] Most folks have their investments do things they were not designed to do. For example, how are you supposed to plan for a steady stream of income from a mutual fund that changes in value every minute, and its returns fluctuate with the wind? Even worse, when the market adjusts, what do you tell the mortgage company or the utility company when the value is 20%, 30% or 40% less than it was last week? How is that conversation supposed to sound? “Hi, sorry my investments adjusted a little bit so I’m going to pay you a little bit less this month.” Good luck! [spacer height="02px"] May I suggest a different approach? One that doesn’t lose money, one that may add certainties and guarantees that you can count on? Call the office to learn how a comprehensive retirement income plan may solve the concerns you have about running out of money! [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/FinancialTip_Feb2017.png" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="250px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Valentines Day

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="Happy Valentine's Day" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" subhead="February 2017"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" saved_tabs="all"] By David S Edge [spacer height="03px"] For all you lovers out there, February can mean one thing; heart-shaped candy boxes and roses for a loved one, and cards, cards, cards! Don’t forget Cupid with his quiver of arrows! [spacer height="03px"] Remember when we were kids and gave out hand-made valentines to our classmates? Who got what, from who? Who is going to be this one’s boyfriend or girlfriend? Candy and cooties! Then there was the little sing-song rhyme, “Jane and Jim sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes”…well…you remember. [spacer height="03px"] Valentine’s Day actually started back in Greece with Cupid. He was the son of Venus and Mars who fell madly in love with a mortal maid, by the name of Psyche. Now old mamma Venus was insanely jealous of Psyche’s beauty and ordered Cupid to punish her. Instead, Cupid fell in love and married her! [spacer height="03px"] There is a whole story of how they separated and got back together after a long list of tasks to prove their love ordered by Venus, including a trip to the underworld, but in the end…they lived happily ever after. Venus even made Psyche a goddess so she could live with them in the heavens. Concerning the events surrounding the  date of Valentine’s Day, ancient Romans had a festival of fertility that was usually held February 13-15. As Christianity became popular, Pope Gelasius I renamed the holiday Feast Day and declared the holiday be moved to February 14th where it is still held today. [spacer height="03px"] The added romance came along during the Elizabethan era featuring the sonnets and plays of Shakespeare and the like. The commercialization of the holiday didn’t begin until 1913, when Valentines’ Day cards were introduced by who else…Hallmark! [spacer height="03px"] So, hug your sweetie, send a card, have an extra piece of candy, and hopefully you’re the recipient of someone’s affections. No one special in your life? Then be bold and make the first move! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. [spacer height="03px"] Happy Valentine’s Day! [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/FeaturedStory_Feb2017.png" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="250px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Why am I Me February 2017

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="Living Conditions" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" subhead="Why Am I Me - February 2017"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] Many Americans take so much for granted when it comes to our way of life. There are many of us who take things such as clean air, clean water, and abundant food as common rights. [spacer height="02px"] I’ve been privileged enough to do a bit of international traveling, and have seen, first-hand, what living conditions are like in dozens of foreign countries. Let me tell you, there is nothing like the good old USA. [spacer height="02px"] How you were brought up and the living conditions you were exposed to, helped make you, you. [spacer height="02px"] I know there are folks who want to tell me how rough they had it while growing up poor, or with one disadvantage or another, but I can tell you this, even our poorest people in the USA have a lifestyle that millions of others would take in a heartbeat. [spacer height="02px"] Clean water at your fingertips is something we take for granted. In many countries, there isn’t enough water to spare for bathing or washing clothes. There is barely enough clean water to drink and cook with, let alone have extra. What if you had to get up every morning and walk three miles to a well that was shared by a whole village, wait in line to get a bucket of water, walk the three miles back to your house, just so you could start breakfast! Imagine doing that seven days a week! What if that well went dry and the next well was ten miles away? You’d get up and walk ten miles each way. What if you had to boil your drinking water to make it safe? Not here, we just turn on the tap. [spacer height="02px"] My guide, on a recent trip, bought his poor, farmer parents a cell phone and taught them how to call him. They thought it was too much trouble to walk to town once a week to charge it, since they had no electricity on the rice farm. Unselfishly, their daughter would borrow a neighbor’s bike to make the weekly trip just because she knew how much pleasure it gave their mother to be able to talk to her son. Ninety percent of the country’s population were farmers as had been their parents, and their grandparents. If you were born a farmer, there was a 99% chance you’d be a farmer. The difference between rich and poor was staggering. There was no middle class. [spacer height="02px"] In other words, walking three miles in the snow to get to school, or getting up at 4:00 am to milk the cows before breakfast, riding the bus, or taking the train, or some other imagined hardships help to put things in perspective. Your perspective is something that you have developed while growing up, and that makes you, you. [spacer height="02px"] Next time you hop in your car to run down the street for a gallon of milk, be glad the store is there and that there will always be milk on the shelf. We have expectations, and we are fortunate to live in a country that allows us such luxuries. [spacer height="02px"] Take advantage of what you have, and allow the folks at American Retirement Advisors to help you make the most of what you have in retirement. You can change your retirement perspective by simply getting expert advice. Give us a call, we are here to help! [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WhyAmIMe_Feb2017.png" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="200px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Its February Already 2017

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="Its February already " background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" subhead="February 2017"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] By David Schaeffer [spacer height="02px"] This year will be exciting; new year, new government, new initiatives! As always, I look at what we can do to make a positive impact on our community.  At our firm, we are looking to continue to grow. We have two new initiatives that may employ upwards of an additional 10 people in 2017. [spacer height="02px"] One program will focus on the needs of wealth transfer and family income continuation. The great news is it will bring a new dynamic to our practice. It will serve folks in their 50s. Life is very different when you still have kids in the house, and you are taking care of your parents too. I am eager to serve the last of the baby boomers as we learn their needs, wants, and desires. [spacer height="02px"] As for the new government, I hope they focus on the spirit of the campaign promises. The Affordable Care Act is a major piece of legislation. Repeal makes nice rhetoric. REPAIR makes good sense for our country. We need access to health care without regard for pre-existing conditions.  It already works for folks on Medicare.  The solution may not be pretty, but we, as a country, must strike a balance between what we need and who is going to pay for it. It is not legal to force an insurance company to lose money. (BCBS of Arizona alone lost $221 million in 2015 and 2016, which was not reimbursed as promised under the not very Affordable Care Act.) On the other hand, it is not moral to allow someone to die because they do not have access to adequate health care. These are big issues. I look forward to real, workable solutions from this administration. [spacer height="02px"] The previous administration has also passed a  law which goes into effect April 10, if not    repealed or pushed to a later date, that will    require a financial advisor to act in the best interest of a client. Our company has always exceeded all fiduciary standards, so I agree with the spirit and intent of the law. The challenge with complying with the law is there are no rules available to comply with anywhere to be found.  Additionally, everyone will now need to pay fees, which we rarely charged in the past, on their entire IRA portfolio. Legislation has been introduced to delay implementation until rules can be agreed upon, which is good thing! [spacer height="02px"] Where do we go from here? [spacer height="02px"] In change, there is opportunity; all we need to do is find it and help people on their way through it, and we will! [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/30144940_m.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="200px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"]   [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]