Being in the insurance industry since 1978, I have listened to people’s concerns. And I understood.

• “I pay for life insurance, but I never get any benefit from it.”
• “Yes, I need Long Term Care Insurance, but I can’t afford it.”
• “I am worried about getting hurt or sick and not being able to work. But I can’t pay for life insurance and disability income insurance. It’s one or the other, so I guess it’s like insurance.”

In times past, I could understand why a person could feel that way. But today’s policies do more than yesterday’s policies.

I have a policy that I’d love to show you. It’s life insurance – but it’s also long term care insurance (and you won’t believe how good it is!), it’s also critical illness (cancer, etc), and it’s also disability income. You have got to see this for yourself!

If you work in law enforcement, or for the state government, you really need to look at this and compare it to your present program(s). You will be very pleasantly surprised!

Call me (209) 390-1163 or email me (michaelpmyers@gmail.com) and let me show you how good it is. You may even save money from what you are presently doing … it’s that good!

Michael

Disclaimer: From a legal standpoint, this is a life insurance policy. But it does the things I describe. This post is not intended to be a legal description. I provide that at the time of illustration (or before on request).

It’s not uncommon for people to have the view that insurance is like the lottery … a big gamble.

For a person who has never filed a claim, I guess I understand them having this view. However, I want to examine this conclusion for just a moment.

According to information posted on the Internet:

The odds of winning the California Super Lotto Jackpot are 1 in 18 million! Other lotteries may have slightly better “odds”, such as 1 in 15 million! (Feel better now?)  Here is another way of looking at it:  If one person purchases 50 Lotto tickets each week, they will win the jackpot about once every 5,000 years.

How do those odds compare to the odds of an insurance claim being filed?  For instance, what about the chances of ever needing disability income?

If you are currently 25 years of age, there is a 1 in 44 chance you will be disabled and unable to work at some point in your life.  This statistic increases with age, so that, when you are 55 years of age, the chances have increased to 1 in 27!

Similarly, what about the chances of  needing some type of in-home or facility care (non-hospital) when a person gets older?  To answer this, I will quote from the respected, Wall Street Journal, which stated

… a couple turning 65 has a 75% chance that one of them will need long term care.

This high risk can also affect the entire family where the children are at risk of a negative inheritance, also according to the Wall Street Journal.

Along these same lines, The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys did a study and compared the risk of needing long term care with the risk of other financially devastating risks, such as a major auto accident, or a fire in a person’s home. According to that study, the rates of risk were:

• Automobile accident 1 out of 240 [0.4%]
• Fire damaging your home 1 out of 1,200 [0.08%]
• Needing long term care assistance 1 out of 2 [50%]

Of course the chance of dying is 1 in 1 [100%].

The biggest difference between the two “products” is – the lottery appeals to peoples desires, while properly selected insurance provides “Real Solutions for Real Risks”.  Sometimes the real reason we do not make decisions about insurance coverage, is that we “know” we can’t afford all the types of insurance we could buy, so we just kind of dismiss them all.

I am here to help you.

I will never pressure you to buy this or buy that. I will provide you objective and well-researched information to tailor the product to your need and circumstances.  This is true whether you’ve bought insurance in the past, or if you’ve put off buying insurance. I will help youget the best value for your hard earned dollars.

What is the cost of the insurance? Obviously this depends on you and your needs, but one thing I will assure you: it’s a lot less than buying lottery tickets!

Just ask … I can help! Call me at 209-390-1163 and I will show you the best way for you.

I write a lot to those retired. But I’d like to spend a little time talking to those of you still working.

What is your most important asset? Your home? Perhaps your health? What about your income?

Do you know anyone who has or had cancer, a heart attack, or a stroke? How about chronic backaches? Were you aware that conditions of the bones, joints, and muscles — such as bad backs or arthritis — are the leading cause of disability today? Did you know that cancer is the second leading cause of disability claims?

Why is this important? Because the chances of us facing such a reality is really quite high. We call that our PDQ – Personal Disablity Quotient. (Click on the link to figure your PDQ).

But if you have not protected your most important asset – all is not lost. I very likely can show you how to re-position the dollars you are currently spending to protect all the things that matter – and not leave out your most important asset in so doing.

Call me at 209-390-1163 or email me (michaelpmyers @ gmail.com) and I’ll show you what I can do for you.

A recent experience got me to thinking…

Our local grocery store is owned and managed by a nice family. The family has been in the community for over 100 years. Apparently they rely a great deal on their delivery people to “decide” what they will carry in their grocery store. I do not know why they choose to do this, but, convenience aside … I think they make a mistake by allowing others to decide what products they will carry.

Why do I say this?

Here’s an example:  My family enjoys a particular brand of Chocolate Chip ice cream.  Apparently we are not the only ones, as it is usually the first flavor to sell out at the local market.  Now, the way I see it – “supply and demand” dictates that if a product “sells out” consistently – you might want to stock more of it and less of some other flavor that doesn’t sell as well.

Not at our local market.  At our local market when the demand increased for this particular item – the ice cream delivery person simply stopped stocking it. This makes his job easier I guess.  So now, when he delivers his stock, there is not as much he needs to unload.  I can only surmise that the delivery man must be a simple wage-earner.

Now I assume my local market earns money on each item sold. But I have noticed that they follow this same logic with other popular items they sell.  If it sells well, evidently in order to not have to stock quite so often, they just don’t carry it any more.   I guess your store shelves remain filled this way, you require less personnel for stocking, and the quiet, easy going manner in which you’ve always operated remains uninterrupted.  More time for fishing that way.

Here at mpmyers.com – we do not reason this way. We are here to serve you, our client. This means we are willing to work for you.  We sell you – not what is easiest for us – rather what our clients want and we work very hard to obtain exactly what you need. We take that very seriously, and we have for 30 years.

Next time you have an insurance need – call me. If I don’t have it, or can’t get it, I will likely be able to direct you someplace where you can get it. I won’t try to sell you Rocky Road – when what you want is Chocolate Chip.

You Need a Budget

Keep reading. I promise you this makes sense and there are health insurance options for you out there.

We all need to budget.

Why?

It makes sense for YOU to be the one who decides how to spend your hard-earned dollars.

Quite likely, most have been in that situation where we feel like we’re just putting out “fires.” As soon as we have one doused we turn around and there’s something else that needs immediate attention because it’s about to burn the place down so now all of your resources are aimed at putting that “fire” out.

That’s letting the figurative financial “fires” determine how you spend your money. It’s exhausting. And consumes too much energy and resources – and all too often the important stuff gets postponed. Like health care.

Now, it’s a given – health insurance is not “cheap”. Health care is expensive too. The government continues to come up with new and innovative Band-Aids for the whole health care system.   Time will tell what will come of all of that.

Meanwhile there’s really too much at stake to postpone taking charge of YOUR health care.

One of the most affordable options can be a high-deductible, HSA-qualified health insurance plan.

What??

Why bother with an insurance plan with a really high deductible? You’ll be buying insurance AND STILL having to pay for the doctor, right?

This is what I want you to do. I want you to reframe that thought. Do you have a home? Do you make payments on your home? Do you pay the taxes on your home?

Why do you do that? Likely because you like your home and you want to keep it. You are protecting your investment – because if you don’t pay those things, you could lose it. Think of a high-deductible insurance plan as yet another way to protect your investment. If you get sick and have a major expense (and it does not take much to qualify as “major”), health insurance will keep that particular “fire” from consuming your most valued asset.

So…how do you AFFORD health insurance on top of everything else in this miserable economy?

Careful planning and choosing the right insurance policy can make health insurance affordable. You may be surprised to find that there are health insurance options that will fit your budget and and give you the peace of mind you need as one more way to protect your assets.

One option – an H.S.A.

What is an H.S.A.?

It stands for Health Savings Account. It is provided for in our tax code to allow a person to have a high deductible health insurance plan, and also contribute tax-deductible money to a Health Savings Account (at a bank). Money going into the account is tax deductible. Any money coming out of that account – when spent on health care (i.e. paying the doc from this account) is not taxable.

Another benefit to funding your H.S.A. – if you are in the 28% tax bracket, and you do fund the account and you do pay medical expenses from this account, it is as if you are paying the doctor, dentist, optometrist, chiropractor – whomever your helath care professional may be – with 72 cent dollars. I’ll bet you like the sound of that! Your health care is CHEAPER!!!!

But what if….

What if I cant do it? What if I can’t get my H.S.A. funded with enough $ in it to cover my deductible? Now what good would it be to have purchased this high-deductible insurance policy?

OK…let’s just come up with a hypothetical situation here. I’m not suggesting or recommending you do this – but let’s talk about this particular “what if?”

You’re self-employed.  You end up injured on your job, or that funny pain in your gut turns out to be a bad gallbladder/appendix – whatever. You land in the hospital. You have insurance, so at least they TOOK YOU as a patient right? But oh no…the deductible is terribly high.  You know you don’t qualify for any of the charity programs because you own your house and your business etc.  This sure does look like the straw that will break the camel’s back. Oh worry. Why didn’t I at least save for that blasted deductible?  Or… Why didn’t I just bite the bullet and pay for a more expensive policy? How fast can I get out of this place?! Worry. Worry. Worry.

You leave the health care facility with a payment plan – which you now add to your budget. Each month you’ve agreed to pay the health care facility $100 – or whatever. Why don’t you just put that $100 in your H.S.A. and pay them out of THAT account? $100 in (tax-deduction for you) – $100 out – paying back the debt to the hospital – no penalties for withdrawal from H.S.A. because it’s for a medical expense you incurred after establishing your H.S.A. – if you’re in that 28% tax bracket – you’re paying them back with a .72 dollar.  It’s not the best way to plan for the future – but it’s still better than NOTHING.

Did you know?

When you turn age 65 – ANY money that has not been used and is still in your H.S.A. can now be converted to an I.R.A. and used for retirement purposes.  Again:  No penalties or taxes?

I can help you with this.

Call me or e-mail me and let me explain what’s available. You might just be surprised that it actually will fit into the budget.

Check it out.

• Budget Software – I use it but I’m not affiliated with YNAB. They make budgeting EASY and maybe a little fun.
• Contact Michael about Insurance and HSA options.

When people think of life insurance, many think of the time when they are raising their children, and this is a very good reason to purchase life insurance. When young, a reasonably large amount of insurance may be purchased for $25 to $40 per month. Nothing equals this for value in protecting one’s family.

However, life insurance has many uses, and at times what is a type of life insurance is thought of differently. Here are just five areas where life insurance may be utilized to accomplish a persons goal …

1. To assure a mortgage is paid, even if one dies prematurely. Various riders may also protect one’s income while sick or disabled in some way.
2. To provide funds for the children’s education and/or their future insurability (they will have insurance even if they later developed some sickness). The best part is, this is at a very low cost. It is not uncommon for Grandparents to fund this as a gift to their grandchildren.
3. To provide money to satisfy estate issues, in cases where a person has a large estate.
4. To provide funds for a buy-out in a partnership (should one partner die, leaving heirs as the new “partners”).
5. And not to be overlooked is the excellent job that life insurance provides in funding a person’s last wishes. Such things as funeral and health insurance deductibles and other expenses that can mount up when a person is ill. This type of “life insurance” can in many cases be issued even when others cannot. And the best part is, these types of “life insurance” do not get hung up in the claims process. They are designed for this purpose.

There are many other reasons to purchase life insurance. The important thing to know is that “life insurance” is a general term that includes many different products. What is good for one situation may not be good for another. I can help you with education on this, so that you will make a choice you will be happy about later.

Disability income insurance provides income for when a disability keeps one from doing their normal work load. It can be either personal, or business oriented. Many do not have disability insurance, either because they do not see the need, or they think it’s not possible in California to get adequate coverage.

I have known quite a few who did not, and then found out they should have. But rather than concentrate on the negative, I thought I’d share some stories with you about those who planned, and were very happy they did. Click here to read

If you’d like me to show you a plan that matches your need, call me or email me.

Michael Myers

Friends,

There are a lot of insurance agencies with websites up. All of them can and will sell you insurance. Why should you do business with me?

Let me tell you a little about myself. I kind of fell into this business. I was a project manager for a small to midsize General Contractor in Stockton CA. The money got tight, and the silent partners in major projects pulled out, and there was no money to build. I had an insurance license, but had frankly had fairly miserable experience and did not want anything to do with selling insurance. However, the money continued tight (this was in the very early 80′s) and I had a friend who was selling insurance. To make a long story short, we formed a partnership, that led to a corporation that led to … well, me leaving and working alone.

I have worked alone since, although I have many other agents I interact with. I do not have agents working for me. And the reason is very simple. I am absolutely fanatical that people asking questions of me, get an honest and straightforward answer.

Sometimes that means … not selling anything. But that is okay, because the clients that I have stay with me. They do not leave, because they know, I tell them the truth, … even if it’s not what they want to hear. My business philosophy is that it is better to not have the sale than to have the sale and someone suffers because of it.

So whereas this may make me a lousy salesman, it also means that I don’t tell you something unless I know it’s true. This is how I do business.

And the truth is, it is a rare occasion that I cannot help someone by improving their situation or saving them money. It’s what I do. I really look for ways to accomplish things that (most) other agents are not spending the time to learn about and share with their clients. It’s why my clients rarely leave me.

Call me, or email me with any question, and let me show you what I do.

Michael P Myers

As an agent, I get an incredible amount of email regarding legislation, proposed legislation, and people trying to get legislation introduced that will affect the cost of health insurance that you and I pay for!

The only thing clear to me is that nothing is clear. It seems to me that few of these people even understand what the effects of their proposals are. The alternative to this conclusion is something I would not publish.

But as that same agent, I wonder: What do you want?

And here’s my guess: You want to be able to get medical care when needed, and you want to be able to afford to get that care. You don’t necessarily want this to be someone else’s responsibility, but on the other hand, … you do want it to be affordable.

How close am I to what you want?

I want to tell you that whereas I can do nothing about what is done in the California legislature, or the US Congress, I can help you get what you want.

And one other thing: what you want may or may not be something you can find on any websites. I say that because some of the things I happen to like the best, I have no way to put up on my website. Perhaps soon, but not now.

So give me a call or shoot me an email. Let’s talk. I want to earn your business. So let’s talk and let me show you that I can help you get what’s important to you.

Michael P Myers

Take the case of…

the International Engineering Firm.  Having won a bid for a design and building project in Iraq was great news for the firm, but not such great news for the HR and Risk Management Departments.

They had to scramble to find replacement coverage for the Group Life, LTD, AD&D, Medical, and Kidnap & Ransom coverage for the employees being deployed, and of course the concern of war and terrorism was very important.

If you face concerns such as this, not sure where to turn and are told time and again that “we won’t cover that”, check with me, because chances are, if it can be done, I have an insurer that wants your business.

Michael Myers