Becker & Associates

According to LIMRA, only 52 % of women own life insurance, compared with 62% of men, and the dollar value of a woman's coverage was 31% less. This lack of life insurance among women puts families at risk of financial hardship. 

I'm sure we've all heard stories from others about losing a spouse and the hardship it leaves the surviving spouse with, especially if there are children involved, but really, REALLY..thin...

It's Life Insurance Awareness Month! 

I hope everyone will devote a few minutes to just give thought to what you and your family  would do if one or both of the "Parents/Partners" of your family were suddently "gone".  It's a fact that most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck these days...a sudden loss could be devastating. 

How ...

Older folks who want to purchase Life Insurance are often unable to find a term product longer than 15 years. For folks in their 70's, guaranteed coverage to age 90 seems to provide them with enough confidence that a death benefit will pay out to their beneficiaries – if only a 20 year term product were available…

Life Insurance... Everyone knows somebody who has had a loved one die unexpectedly.  We all have many stories of famlies who've been forced to change their lifestyle dramatically because of the unexpected loss of a breadwinner or a homemaker spouse/partner. 

All one needs to do is to think about what YOUR family would do if you suddenly were not there.  If you were the breadwinner, how would your spouse...

We all know by now that $720 BILLION was borrowed from our Social Security fund by the current administration to pay for it's new Government run HealthCare. We got exactly what a citizenry who was not paying attention or holding their congress accountable for things like actually READING the bill before even considering imposing it on Americans can expect to get.

Throughout its 75 year histor...

Using your Life Insurance for Long Term Care Expense:

Life Insurance policies are ever changing to meet the needs of our ever changing society. All the buzz is now on Long Term Care coverage, but if you've ever gotten a quote you know it is not cheap! Also, what if you never need it? Once you've paid the premium to the carrier for a Long term Care policy, it's GONE and you have...

The 40% Excise Tax a.k.a. “Cadillac Tax”

The Cadillac Tax is a 40% excise tax scheduled to take effect in 2018 to reduce health care usage and costs by encouraging employers to offer cost-effective plans that engage employees in sharing in the cost of care. The tax impacts plans exceeding the following thresholds, which will be adjusted annually for inflation:

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No Insurance?  The penalty for 2015, 2016 and beyond...OUCH!

For those individuals who did not haveinsurance for any number of months during 2015, the penalty will be $325. per adult and $47.50 per child up to $285 for a family OR 2% of the family income, whichever is greater.

Next year it gets higher, for 2016 and beyond the penalty is $695. per...

One of the greatest threats to any client’s income or accumulation plan is an LTC event. With the cost of care ranging from $54K to $100K annually, a client could be forced to liquidate equities at depreciated values, tap into annuities that were earmarked for lifetime income, or destroy their legacy values.  Then there are Capital Gains taxes to worry about if you've sold off personal property to pay for your care.

The reasons you or ANYONE, single or married, young or middle aged..should buy Life Insurance are many!

If you're young, single and healthy - There is no better time to buy Life Insurance!  You will be getting the best rates (depending on the product, most will give you level premiums that will never go up during the entire lifetime of the policy) based on age.  Also, you are probably in the best health of yo...

We all know by now that $720 BILLION was borrowed from our Social Security fund by the current administration to pay for it's new Government run HealthCare.  We got exactly what a citizenry who was not paying attention or holding their congress accountable for things like actually READING the bill before even considering imposing it on Americans can expect to get.

One in four people age 45 and over are not at all prepared financially if they suddenly required long-term care for an indefinite period of time.

What is Long-Term Care?

Long-term care coverage is needed when a chronic condition, accident, or illness limits one's ability to take care of themselves.  In industry speak...

Using your Life Insurance for Long Term Care Expense:

Life Insurance policies are ever changing to meet the needs of our ever changing society.  All the buzz is now on Long Term Care coverage, but if you've ever gotten a quote you know it is not cheap!  Also, what if you never need it?  Once you've paid the premium to the carrier for a Long term Care policy, it's GONE...

Smart Money Moves for Young parents

As soon as most parents bring their first new baby home fromthe hospital, the realization of the newfound responsibility that a child brings kicks in.

Here is some advice to help you along your path to finacial security:

11 Worst Money Mistakes to Make in Your 30's!

1. Saving too much in the wrong places.

Investing is important, but don't put off saving for other big purchases coming along, especially if you're starting to have kids or looking to buy a house, that you want to have savings...

Per Forbes, about 10,000 people sign up for Medicare each day, and the trend is expected to continue through 2030 as baby boomers retire. If the low birth rate also continues, the percentage of Americans eligible for Medicare will climb from 13% today to about 20% 15 years from now, further straining the health care system.

I rememeber when folks on Medicare has 120 "Lifetime Reserve" days of hospital care (now it's on...

Adults eligible for Medicaid coverage under Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act) were about 19% more costly to cover than adults who became eligible under pre-obamacare standards, according to the CMS Office of the Actuary. Prior estimates said that newly eligible beneficiaries would cost 1% less than previously eligible adults. We were also told familieswould see up to $2500 in premium savings each year too.  Who do we beleive, rely on to use our tax dollar...

As if Employers in California are not burdened enough already....the past 3 years has brought huge increases in healthcare costs for their employees, huge TAXES on healthcare costs for their employees....now the minimum wage is going to $10.00 per hour on January 1st, 2016.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for folks earning more money, but I beleive in making it the old fashioned way...making yourself presentable, have a gr...