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A Season for Everything…
September 30, 2019As you turn the calendar to October and we roll into the Fall season, the air is turning cooler and the farm fields are being harvested. Pumpkins are filling the roadside stands and their flavor and smell is infused into everything possible…drinks, foods, candles. Personally, I love the crisp cool air, the opportunity to open the windows in the house throughout the day, and sitting by a fire in the evenings over the weekend. With all the above changes, we’re also brought to the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. Ready or not, if you’re eligible for Medicare you will soon have more kindling material that you can burn in those fire pits!
First of all, what is the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)? Well, each year between October 15th and December 7th is a time frame that allows those with Medicare a chance to sign up for, change, or disenroll from a Medicare Advantage plan or prescription drug plan. During this 7 to 8 week period you are afforded the most flexibility to make changes. If you desire to review your coverage or if you know a change is needed, then it is best to use this time frame to accomplish that.
What things may necessitate a meeting? In life the one constant is change. If you had changes to your health, whether that is to prescriptions that you’re taking, seeing a new doctor, or even anticipating a procedure in the upcoming year, it would be a great time to review your current coverage. Another consideration to keep in mind is how the plans themselves change. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan or prescription drug plan you will receive an Annual Notice of Change booklet. Though it isn’t the most exciting read, it is an important one! I would suggest you review the booklet. Also know that we would be happy to discuss those changes with you.
Do I have to call or sign anything to keep my current coverage? Generally, NO. If your current plan is continuing into 2020, you’re satisfied with the way it worked, and you understand the upcoming changes in coverage, then you do not need to do anything. There are times that plans will be discontinued and you will be notified of your need to sign up for a new plan in the AEP. If you do have questions about your existing coverage or about other plans that are available, please give our office a call and we will be happy to answer any questions that you have.
Is there any cost to meet with an agent to sign up or make changes? No; even if you decide to keep your current plan there is no charge for a review meeting. You also will not pay more if you were to sign up for insurance through an agent compared to buying it directly from the company.
This year don’t let the Annual Enrollments Season overwhelm you. Please give me a call if you would like a personal review of your coverage for upcoming year and to be sure you are in a plan that makes sense for your situation.
You can reach me at 717-407-5200 or Jim@barewealthadvisors.com.
Financial Advisor is a Registered Representative of and offers securities through Securities America Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Financial advisory services are offered through Securities America Advisors Inc. Bare Financial Services, Inc. dba Bare Wealth Advisors and the Securities America companies are independently owned.
Living Beyond “90/10” Generosity
August 5, 2019As we continue to explore what generosity looks like this year, we found this video inspiring and think you will too! A life of generosity can encompass so much more than monetary donations. Please pass this along to others you know who will be inspired in their generosity.
This video is courtesy of Generous Giving. To learn more about Generous Giving, click here .
Removing Old Fences
July 8, 2019Recently I sat in a client meeting where we were starting to map out a farm succession plan for a family and the husband quoted G.K. Chesterton by saying “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.”. It sounded catchy but it didn’t quite click so I asked him to repeat it. I have thought of this moment now several times since. This really speaks to the core of why we do financial planning. When it comes to money and investment decisions, too often we let our emotions get in the way. That is why at Bare Wealth Advisors we don’t just pick investments or stick our clients in products that fit us…rather we take the time to work on values and purpose to keep our financial goals in alignment. These life values and purposes are really the fence put up to give the framework for a financial plan. So, when the storms of life or the market cause mountains and valleys on the dot chart of our statements we can be here to remind you why the fence was put up in the first place. Having an advisor that can call you back to your values and to the plan is key when volatility seems to be the norm.
If you already partner with us on your stewardship journey, thank you for trusting us to help you build the fence. If you don’t work with an advisor that calls you to value based decisions we would love if you would consider us.
By Lamar King
Generosity in Community
April 29, 2019As we continue to explore what generosity looks like this year, we found this video encouraging in regards to living in community together. Having close friends or advisers you can be vulnerable with in regards to finances can spur generosity and bring great contentment and joy. Please pass this along to others you know who will be inspired in their generosity.
This video is courtesy of Generous Giving. To learn more about Generous Giving, click here .
Greg & Alison Baumer from Generous Giving on Vimeo.
Generosity Video
March 14, 20192019 is the Year of Generosity at Bare Wealth Advisors. Throughout the upcoming year, we will be sending out several videos that we have found to be inspiring. Please pass this along to others you know who will be inspired in their generosity.
This video is courtesy of Generous Giving. To learn more about Generous Giving, click here .
Generosity
February 19, 2019by Ron Bare
“When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” Luke 12:48b
In this passage, Jesus begins by instructing them not to worry and first seek God’s Kingdom. In verses 33-34 Jesus says to sell your possessions and give to those in need, unlocking an important principle in money management, the principle of Generosity.
Generosity requires us take our eyes off our possessions and puts our focus on the Kingdom of God where it belongs. Later Jesus says “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” He seems to make the point that a generous life on earth (what we treasure) will help our hearts desire a deeper relationship with God and the advancement of His Kingdom.
The more we have been given the harder it can be to keep our focus on our love of God and not develop a love for money. By living a generous life, we invest into the Kingdom by helping people and furthering the work God has given all believers, to make disciples of all nations. Now that is a good return on our investment!
Welcome Lamar King!
January 9, 2019Bare Wealth Advisors is excited to announce the addition of Lamar King to our team! Lamar brings a passion for helping our community make wise financial decisions due largely to his time over the last 10 years at Fulton Bank. At Fulton, he worked primarily in the agriculture community, helping his clients make wise borrowing decisions to meet their business goals. Lamar will now bring that commitment to the Bare Wealth Team as he assists advisors in helping our clients make wise financial decisions in a broader sense than just lending.
Lamar and his wife, Grace, were married in 2006 and have four children. Lamar was raised on his family’s potato farm in Cochranville and met Grace at Cedarville University in Ohio, where he received his Bachelors in Finance and Accounting along with a Bible minor. They live together in Lancaster and are very involved at Millersville Bible Church where Lamar helps lead worship through music and lead as a member of the elder team. Some of the things Lamar enjoys are spending time with his family, playing guitar, volleyball, golf, cheering on Philly sports teams and journaling.
Year of Purpose Recap
December 7, 2018by Ron Bare
Early in 2018, I wrote that this year Bare Wealth Advisors was themed to be a year of purpose. If you have worked with us for some time, you know that we believe that all of us have a unique calling and purpose in life. However, living life on purpose means to live intentionally as we journey together through this life. At Bare we made a commitment to helping you achieve that this past year.
Here are some things we set out to do in order to help you live a life on purpose in 2018 – we hope these were a blessing to you and your family!
- Help you create a life mission statement or help you identify a few core values. If you have not been able to go through these exercises, be sure to bring it up to us next time you’re in for a meeting! We have received some great feedback on how these were helpful.
- Books and devotionals. We have given out many “Purpose Driven Life” devotionals and “Splitting Heirs” books for those working through the estate planning process. We are excited to talk to you next time you visit us to receive feedback on the usefulness to these resources.
- We have written blogs on how to live a life of purpose, how to retire with purpose and how to vacation on purpose. Let us know if you missed any or check out our website as all previous blogs can be found at www.barewealthadvisors.com
- Tee shirts! We had “Run with Purpose” tee-shirts made and have seen them being worn in the community. If you have not received one stop by anytime to pick one or two up as an early Christmas Gift.
We look forward to hearing from you and any stories you have on how living ON PURPOSE has helped you or those you care about. Blessings to you and your family as we enter the Christmas season! A time to be thankful and reflect on faith, family and friendships – the things that matter most!
It’s Already Christmas? Hooray or Humbug?
November 1, 2018by Ryan Kurtz
On September 29th of this year my wife and I had a date night, our own small retreat from our home and four children. We started the evening by eating “unlimited shrimp” at Red Lobster thanks to a gift card that was given to us. After eating myself almost sick from the unlimited shrimp, we headed to Lowe’s to do some shopping for the list of items we needed at home, ranging from light bulbs and toilet paper holders to furnace filters. When I first entered the store I was fear-struck with what lay before my eyes. To my right, barely inside the door and right beside the Halloween “Must-have Merchandise,” was Christmas. Fake trees, lights, blow up lawn Frostys, and everything that comes out at Christmas was already on full display.
September 29th, 88 days, almost 3 full months before the holiday, Christmas preparation was already in full swing. I was genuinely shocked. I don’t know if it was the overindulgence of shrimp an hour earlier but I am beginning to feel as though I don’t really like Christmas anymore. I am now 40 years old so the child like excitement for Christmas has worn off around 2 ½ decades ago but I always did enjoy the day itself. This, however, is beginning to push me a little bit over the line. The line that separates Hooray from Humbug.
We all know people who reside on both sides of the line. The “Hoorays” can grow more than a little annoying. These are the people who are always counting down the days to Christmas and throwing ugly Christmas sweater parties. The Hooray’s love to shop for The Day as well. Getting up at 1AM on Good Friday to fight with other Hooray’s over items that are “unbelievable deals” is a cherished and time-honored tradition for them. I am convinced that these are likely the people that are starting Christmas in September.
The Humbug’s I never truly could fully relate to. They are always upset with the Hoorays for being happy, never put lights out in front of their house and sleep in on Christmas morning like it is just another Saturday. I never could relate to them before, but with the aforementioned business on the evening of September 29th happening, I began thinking that maybe I can begin to see where they are coming from.
How about you, which side are you on? Hooray? Humbug? Somewhere in the middle? Whichever side you find yourself on, Christmas day will be here before we know it. Gifts, lights, food, and ugly sweaters will all be out in full swing to celebrate The Day.
So, if you are a Hooray and can’t wait to drink the eggnog, or if you are a Humbug and are just looking forward to a day off work, when you see the lights and ugly sweaters, whether you like the caroling and shopping or not, I would like to remind us all of something: This coming Christmas day, the preparation and anticipation is only because of one thing.
The Love of God for us.
God sent His Son into this world, being born as a baby, grew into man and died so we don’t have to. To simplify what has become a significant portion of clutter in our lives, minds and hardware stores, Christmas day really is just about celebrating the greatest birthday of the year. The birthday of Jesus.
You know, maybe the greatness of Jesus birthday celebration is worthy of starting to plan for Christmas in September after all? Maybe the real “Hooray” should be the cry of our hearts shouting out thankfulness this Christmas for what God has done for us by giving us a Savior.
Do you know the day we really should start planning to celebrate Christmas next year?
December 26th.
It doesn’t matter if I get shrimp heartburn from seeing Christmas lights all year long, Jesus birthday is really worth preparing for 364 days in advance.
So, if you are a Hooray or a Humbug, as we head into the last few months before Christmas, as you see the Christmas sweaters and large Frosty blow-up lawn ornaments, take some time to reflect with a thankful heart on the real reason we celebrate Christmas.
God’s inseparable, unmeasurable, unchanging love for you.
And by the way, if you’re looking for a gift to give me for Christmas this year, just get me a gift card to Red Lobster.
Medicare Insurance
October 2, 2018by Jim Wahlberg
It’s that time again…mailboxes will be filling up, advertisements will be falling out of the newspaper, and every other commercial will announce it. What is it?!? It’s Medicare enrollment season! Ready or not, October 15th begins a new Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). I get a lot of questions this time of year so I thought I would try to answer some of the most often asked questions in this post.
What is the Annual Enrollment Period? The AEP is a timeframe that allows Medicare beneficiaries an opportunity to either enroll, disenroll, or change Medicare Advantage or Medicare Prescription drug plans. This time period does not apply to Medicare Supplement plans.
What are the dates of the Annual Enrollment Period? All changes need to occur between October 15th – December 7th. We can begin meeting with people starting October 1st to discuss the benefits for the upcoming year. However, we cannot accept any applications until October 15th and we cannot submit any applications after December 7th. There are almost no exceptions to this rule.
Do I have to call or sign anything to keep my current coverage? Generally, NO. If your current plan is continuing into 2019, you’re satisfied with the way it worked, and you understand the upcoming changes in coverage, then you do not need to do anything. A general rule of thumb is not sending your phone number to a mailer you have received unless you would like to receive calls from the source of that mailer. If you do have question about Medicare coverage, feel free to call our office and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.
Is there any cost to meet with your office to sign up or make changes? No! You don’t pay anything to meet with us and you will not pay any more buying a product through our office compared to buying it directly from the company. We are independent brokers representing most of the major insurance companies in our area. We’re happy to discuss your current plan and make recommendations for change only when it benefits you.
Don’t let the Annual Enrollments Season overwhelm you. Please give us a call if you would like a personal review of your coverage for 2019.