In last month’s newsletter I wrote about being prepared for disasters, unaware of the Butte fire that would devastate our community, especially in Calaveras County. We continue to pray daily for those affected and also those working diligently to help them. We are thankful to the firefighters, many volunteers, organizations, and businesses that have/are doing so much to help our community work through the devastation. We have been declared a national disaster area, which opens up needed relief to victims of the fire. See below for the Butte Fire Resources available. Because evacuations happen ...
Are you Prepared? August 25, 2015. The past week in the market has shown us that while we should hope for the best, we need to be prepared for the worst. By nature I am an optimistic person, but there are ominous economic signs that disturb me. Market Volatility. This past week has been a rollercoaster ride in the markets. Is the ride over? I don’t think so. At the markets close on Monday 8/24 the S&P 500 was down over 8% for the year; the Nasdaq down over 4%. I believe there are a lot of warning signs that point to more volatility and world economic angst… China’s downturn, falling oil pr ...
It is difficult to make decisions after your spouse’s death. Many of the decisions that have to be made can be made beforehand, with the help of a lawyer and/or a financial planner. But most people refuse to think about death, they mistakenly think that they do not have enough assets to make planning worthwhile, or procrastinate until it is too late. It is normal to feel mentally paralyzed following the death of a spouse. Most surviving spouses have trouble concentrating, feel disoriented and are easily overwhelmed by the slightest problems or the simplest decisions. Your family and friends wi ...
Throughout our years of study and research, we have discovered very few retirees and pre-retirees are properly prepared for the financial challenges that await them in the future. Market volatility, chronic Illness, inflation, taxes, market losses, even living too long. Pitfalls are all around us if we’re not careful. The prospect of living another 20 to 30 years is great news to most of us, but it carries the added burden of making sure that our money doesn’t run out before we do. (Click here to take a quick survey). The survey will give a quick overall snapshot of how your retirement plan is ...
Obamacare to significantly raise rates in 2016 Are there alternatives? It is no secret that the Affordable Care Act has transformed the way we get health insurance. While there are a few positive aspects of the law; for the most part it has had a negative impact on the overall healthcare experience. As a Certified Covered California insurance agent/Certified Financial Planner tm with a fiduciary responsibility to my clients, I inform my clients that there is a legal alternative to Obamacare plans. First let’s discuss the impact of the law. The positives. Pre-Existing conditions will not make s ...
Our Government has a Plan… DO YOU? The United States currently spends approximately 76 cents of every tax dollar it collects on four things: Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid and the interest on the National Debt. By the year 2020, experts believe that expenditures on the same four things will comprise 92 percent of collected tax revenue. Today the top marginal tax rate at which the wealthiest Americans pay taxes is only 39.6%. Taxes haven’t been this low in 80 years. According to the Congressional Budget Office, if Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid go unchanged, the rate for the lowes ...
Dave Ramsey’s debt-snowball method of debt repayment is a form of debt management. Under the method, extra cash is dedicated to paying debts with the smallest amount owed. As each smaller debt is repaid in full, the monthly money used to pay that debt is then applied toward making additional payments on the next-smallest debt, and so on until all debts are repaid. The basic steps in the debt snowball method are as follows: List all debts in ascending order from smallest balance to largest. This is the method’s most distinctive feature, in that the order is determined by amount owed, not ...
FREQUENTLY USED TERMS We provide this list in order to improve your understanding of financial terms and concepts. This will enable you, the client, to make more informed decisions and fully utilize your advisor interactions while fulfilling our commitment to transparency and clear communication. FIDUCIARY A person or entity legally appointed and authorized to manage assets in trust for another party. The fiduciary must manage the assets with the best interest of the asset owning party at all times. FORMULA INVESTING Investing by rigid adherence to a formula, which governs both asset allocat ...
I recently attended a lecture on “Resources for NON-GMO Products” and felt compelled to share some of the insightful information I gained with our clients. I do realize that large companies such as Monsanto, DOW, BASF and Bayer are in business to make a profit, even at the expense of health consequences on the human population, but I guess I didn’t take the time to research the effects of “certain” chemicals manufactured by these companies and the effects they have on everyday foods, (i.e., soy, corn, sugar beets for sugar, cottonseed oil, canola oil, papaya, zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, ...
Aging is something we will all experience in our lifetime; however, how we age will be different for each one of us. During the aging process, many older adults may find themselves needing some type of assistance to perform activities that might otherwise be difficult or near impossible to accomplish. I believe this is where assistive technologies might be the miracle that will enhance the capabilities of older adults to maintain their independence and dignity as they age. It has been noted that older adults do not want to be a burden to their families or friends by having to ask for assistanc ...
