Employee Benefits Brokers - Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky

Alternative Coverage To Affordable Health Care Act

Matt Plapp — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:24:43 +0000

Title: Alternative Coverage To Affordable Health Care Act
Location: Scanlon Inc, Offices
Link out: Click here
Description: As we all know, Health Care Reform is coming. Whether it comes complete (Democrats), unbundled (Supreme Court), or unfunded (Republicans), still remains to be seen. In the meantime, our clients continue to battle rate increases up to 47%

We have created a “middle ground” solution including cost containment as well as coverage that applies directly to our small to medium size group clients.

We will be hosting two upcoming workshops. See below for the one most convenient to you and join us for lunch. Each session will be capped at 20 attendees.
Start Time: 11:30am
Date: 2012-06-05

Alternative Coverage To Affordable Health Care Act

Matt Plapp — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:22:33 +0000

We have created a “middle ground” solution including cost containment as well as coverage that applies directly to our small to medium size group clients.

You’re Invited – May 22nd or June 5th

Matt Plapp — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:18:27 +0000

Dear Valuable Client,

As we all know, Health Care Reform is coming. Whether it comes complete (Democrats), unbundled (Supreme Court), or unfunded (Republicans), still remains to be seen. In the meantime, our clients continue to battle rate increases up to 47%

We have created a “middle ground” solution including cost containment as well as coverage that applies directly to our small to medium size group clients.

We will be hosting two upcoming workshops. See below for the one most convenient to you and join us for lunch. Each session will be capped at 20 attendees.

Regards,

Geof & Brennan

May 2012 – Letter From The CEO

Matt Plapp — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:13:29 +0000

May 2012

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Purpose of My E-Newsletter
I hope you enjoy receiving my e-newsletter. It is intended to enhance and complement the personalized service that you already receive from me. The e-newsletter’s main objective is to ensure, regardless of busy work schedules and travel plans, that each of my clients will receive at least a minimal amount of timely advice on a regular basis. I also hope it will stimulate your thinking on issues related to your personal finances by providing you with articles on a variety of financial topics. Please feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions or comments, particularly with regard to the applicability of a given idea to your personal situation.Please be liberal in sharing this e-newsletter with your colleagues and friends. Feel free to call or e-mail me with the names and addresses of people who might enjoy receiving their own copy of this e-newsletter.

Why Invest in Bonds?
In the world of investments, bonds are not where the action is. They rarely lead the business news reports, much less the general news. And the reason is simple: they’re plain vanilla. After all, when was the last time you heard somebody brag about a hot tip on a bond? And yet, the U.S. bond market — with a total market value of $36 trillion — is nearly three times as big as the stock market. So what gives? The short answer is this: respectable returns and less risk make up for bonds’ lack of sizzle.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Are U.S. Treasury Bonds Still Safe?
Since 1917, U.S. Treasury securities always held the very highest rating from credit rating agencies. That is, until August 5, 2011, when Standard & Poor’s stripped Treasury bonds of their triple-A rating and replaced it with their second-best rating. What did the downgrade to double-A mean to the world’s bond investors? Not much.
[FULL ARTICLE]

A Portfolio Tune-Up
Over time, the weighting of the asset classes in your portfolio can change. After spending a great deal of time to develop an asset allocation strategy, it can be frustrating to see these changes. However, a simple rebalancing of your portfolio may be all that is needed to get your portfolio back in line.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Follow through on Your Estate Plan
Usually, a great deal of thought and effort goes into estate planning documents. You need to consider all your assets, decide who should receive those assets, and find the best strategies to accomplish your goals. However, your work isn’t over once you’ve signed those documents. You need to make sure your assets are properly positioned to go to your intended heirs. Some problems to look out for include…
[FULL ARTICLE]

Keep Saving after Retirement
Just because you’re retired doesn’t mean you should stop saving. Consider these tips…
[FULL ARTICLE]

April 2012 – Letter From The CEO

Matt Plapp — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:26:00 +0000

April 2012

Monday, April 15, 2012

How Much Do You Need to Retire?
Retirement remains the number-one concern among working Americans, and the number-one question is, “How much money will I need to retire?” Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer, but that shouldn’t be surprising, since there are many variables to consider before you find that number. First among them is how much your lifestyle in retirement is going to cost. Other variables you’ll have to work out include what your health will be like, how much more expensive things will be, what your tax rate will be, and so forth.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Tips for Your Asset Allocation
Unfortunately, there is no one asset allocation plan suitable for all investors. You need to evaluate your risk tolerance, time horizon for investing, and return needs to determine how you should allocate your portfolio among the various investment categories. To help you with those decisions, consider these points…
[FULL ARTICLE]

Making Progress Toward Your Financial Goals
Having trouble making much progress toward your financial goals? Consider these five basic tips: Set exciting financial goals. Spend less than you earn. Save the money before you see it. Don’t let debt sabotage your goals. Invest, don’t just save.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Should You Be a Guardian?
When asked to serve as the guardian of someone’s minor children in the event of his/her death, it is usually meant as a compliment that the person trusts you to serve in this important role. While you may fear that you’ll hurt your relationship with that person by saying no, don’t accept this role without giving it serious thought. Consider the following…
[FULL ARTICLE]

Challenges to Your Retirement
We all know saving for retirement is becoming more and more challenging. Longer life expectancies, fewer traditional pensions, and decimated investment portfolios are the most obvious challenges. But there are other, less obvious threats to your retirement.
[FULL ARTICLE]

February 2012 – Letter From The CEO

Matt Plapp — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:34:51 +0000

February 2012

Friday, February 24, 2012

Make Your Savings Last through Retirement
Saving enough by age 65 to ensure that you can maintain your standard of living through a long retirement has become increasingly difficult. You will probably be responsible for the majority of your retirement income, whether you obtain that income from 401(k) plans, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), or taxable investments. Before retiring, you’ll want to ensure that you have sufficient savings to support yourself for 20, 30, or even 40 years, depending on your age when you retire.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Debt’s Role in Your Financial Plan
As nice as it may seem, achieving debt-free status isn’t always the best way to reach your financial goals. “Smart debt” may actually help you with your goals. What is “smart debt”? Smart debt is the kind that generates more advantages than disadvantages. Here’s how to recognize it.
[FULL ARTICLE]

How Should You Evaluate Your Investment Results?
Marked by two recessions, the last decade was one of the weakest for stock returns in a generation, with steep losses in three years and average annual returns in the major indexes of less than 3% – six points below their long-term rates of return. On the other hand, if you look only at the last two calendar years, at certain indexes, stocks, and gold, things look good. If you were in the right investments, you may well have outperformed the Dow Jones Industrials and the S&P 500.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Inheriting Stocks
Typically, individuals who inherit stocks receive stocks that have increased in value over time. But what do you do if you inherit a stock that has decreased in value since the original owner purchased it?
[FULL ARTICLE]

Market Timing vs. Buy and Hold
Market timing involves making financial market buy and sell decisions based on your prediction of the future performance of the market. A buy-and-hold investment strategy, in contrast, involves buying in to the market on a regular basis and holding your investments over time.
[FULL ARTICLE]

January 2012 – Letter From The CEO

Matt Plapp — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:07:39 +0000

January 2012

Friday, January 6, 2012

A Financial Plan: Your Financial Road Map
A 2009 survey by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards found that only slightly more than one-third (36%) of Americans have a formal financial plan. A financial plan is a document that serves as a blueprint for addressing your money needs in the most efficient way possible for the rest of your life.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Achieving Your Resolutions
How often have you drawn up an ambitious list of new year’s resolutions, only to find you’ve given up on them after a few weeks? Don’t let that happen to you in 2012. If you want to make strides toward achieving your financial goals, determine why your resolutions have failed in the past and find ways to overcome those obstacles.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Your 401(k) after Changing Jobs
Long gone are the days when most employees worked for the same employer their entire careers. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently that people born between 1957 and 1964 held an average of nearly 11 different jobs between the ages of 18 and 42.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Estate Planning for Singles
If you’re single and think that estate planning is a topic only relevant to married couples, think again. Whether you’ve never been married or recently became a single person again, there are a number of estate planning steps you should consider.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Save as Much as You Can
Are you contributing as much as you can to retirement plans? If you’re not funding the maximum amount possible, you could be missing out on a way to significantly increase your retirement funds.
[FULL ARTICLE]

December 2011 – Letter From The CEO

Matt Plapp — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:53:27 +0000

December 2011

Monday, December 5, 2011

How Your Stage of Life Impacts Your Bond Strategies
A common misconception regarding bonds is that they are only appropriate for older or more conservative investors. However, bonds should be considered by all investors as part of a well-diversified portfolio, even though their role may change over your lifetime.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Helping Beneficiaries Avoid IRA Mistakes
While annual contributions to IRAs are still relatively modest, the ability to roll over 401(k) balances to an IRA can result in significant IRA balances. In addition to retirement planning vehicles, IRAs are thus becoming estate planning tools for individuals who won’t use the entire balance during their lifetimes. If you are in that situation, help your beneficiaries avoid these common IRA mistakes.
[FULL ARTICLE]

How Much Disability Insurance Do You Need?
For many, a long-term disability would be financially devastating. Although no one likes to think about this possibility, you should consider your options now so that you can obtain disability income insurance if needed. Many individuals can find the funds, even though it might be difficult, to get through a short-term disability of six months or less.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Understanding the Roth 401(k)
In 1998, the Roth individual retirement account (IRA) was enacted. Instead of offering a tax break when you contribute, the Roth only allows after-tax contributions; and instead of subjecting retirement-age withdrawals to income taxes, qualified Roth IRA withdrawals are tax free.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Avoid Withdrawal Mistakes
During your working years, your emphasis was to accumulate as much as possible for retirement. But as you near retirement age, you need to start thinking about how to withdraw those funds to maximize your income. To help accomplish that, avoid these mistakes.
[FULL ARTICLE]

November 2011 – Letter From The CEO

Matt Plapp — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:40:40 +0000

November 2011

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Economic Indicators: What Can They Tell You?
Sooner or later, every investor is curious to know if economic indicators can provide clues for investing. That’s why financial institutions have economists on staff and why the latest government reports on this economic indicator or that make headline news. However, the economy is a bit like the weather: forecasters are always talking about it, but what actually happens is quite often a surprise.
[FULL ARTICLE]

How and Why to Build a Bond Ladder
While bonds are subject to several types of risk, two of the main types are interest rate risk, or the risk that interest rate changes will change your bond’s value, and reinvestment risk, or the risk that interest and principal cannot be reinvested at the current bond’s interest rate. It is difficult to simultaneously reduce both risks, since a rise in interest rates reduces reinvestment risk and increases interest rate risk. Thus, you need to find a balance between the two risks.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Keeping Score of Your Financial Progress
Keeping score is important in finances. You only know if you’re making progress toward your goals if you’ve created a plan that tells you where you need to be and when. Essentially, there are two numbers to focus on: your total net worth and your liquid net worth.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Consider Maturity Dates
To help control volatility in your bond portfolio, carefully consider maturity dates before purchase. Bonds can be purchased with maturity dates ranging from several weeks to several decades. Review how that date affects investment risk and your ability to pursue your investment goals.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Staggered Retirements
Often, spouses don’t retire at the same time. Keep these points in mind if you are in that situation.
[FULL ARTICLE]

October 2011 – Letter From The CEO

scanloninc — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:50:40 +0000

October 2011

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Get These Decisions Right
The sheer number of financial decisions required to manage our finances can seem overwhelming. But often we spend an inordinate amount of time on small stuff – getting the bills paid on time, reconciling bank accounts, and calling to have a late charge waived. While those things need to get done, how do we judge whether we’re headed on the right course? There are six basic financial decisions that can determine the course of your financial life.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Keep Track of Your Retirement Accounts
In the past, when a person worked for one company for his/her entire career, keeping track of his/her retirement plan was easy. In those days, a retirement plan meant a pension; and unless you worked in the pension department, you didn’t have to do anything to manage it except show up for work.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Financial Advice for Your Children
It’s a common enough goal – to live a better life than your parents. While you may be able to say you accomplished that goal, how likely is it that your children will be able to say the same thing? To help them with that pursuit, make sure to teach them these important financial lessons.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Contributing to a Spousal IRA
A spousal individual retirement account (IRA) allows a nonworking spouse to contribute to an IRA, even though the spouse has little or no earned income. Here are the basics.
[FULL ARTICLE]

What Is Causing the Jobless Recovery?
Although the recession officially ended in June 2009, unemployment rates are decreasing slowly, the average length of unemployment remains at a historical high, and the unemployment rate is projected to remain above 7.8% until 2013. The concern is that we are again facing a jobless recovery, with economic activity growing while the unemployment rate remains high.
[FULL ARTICLE]