Mompreneur Success – 5 Self Care Tips to Maintain Work-Life Balance

The first time I saw Anita Renfroe’s “Momsense” video, I laughed. The second time, I cried.

Giving birth is challenging, but being a mom, is and art and a science. It requires incredible grace under pressure, skill, and an ability to let much of the stress of life roll right off your back, because we’re “on duty” 24 hours a day.

Kid wakes up screaming in the middle of the night? Mom’s up and at ’em.

Kid gets sick at school? Mom to the rescue.

Flat tire in the middle of nowhere? Mom’s calling “Triple A”, or she’s changing it herself.

Now, I’m not saying that Dads aren’t responsible folk. They are. But when Mom and Dad are BOTH sick, who’s taking care of the kids?

Yep, that’d be Mom.

And who’s running the business, wearing the pearls, moppin’ the floor, fixin the dinner, doing the laundry, and tendin’ to the home front?

Good ol’ mom.

Okay, I admit, hubby does the laundry in my house, but you get the idea I’m driving at here. I’m not taking anything away from Dad. Dad works hard, but as Anita Renfroe so meticulously puts it in her video, we do (and say) a ton of stuff for our family. Some good, some less than wonderful, but we’re active in the lives of our loved ones. We’re looking out for them, we’re taking care of them.

Who’s taking care of us?

When we’re minding the store, the kids, the husband, the home, what are we doing to take care of us?

Self-care is a growing concern among working moms. One look at the Wikipedia entry for work-life balance leads me to believe that self-care is even MORE important for Mom entrepreneurs. With many of us building our empires with children at home, we’re dodging the “guilt” bullet by keeping our kids out of day care, but we’re even more frazzled trying to “do it all”. It’s no wonder Renfroe picked the William Tell overture to speedily share all the “isms” that we Mom’s dish out on a daily basis. We’re wound so tight that we probably really DO talk that fast!

Here are a few tips to incorporate into your day to give you mini doses of self-care:

  1. Breathe. Waiting in a long line? Take a few deep, calming breaths. Use that time to de-compress. While others around you are growing more impatient, see this time as an opportunity to practice gratitude, patience, and bring a little solitude to your day. When I find myself stuck at a train crossing, I take it as a sign that I need to slow down and re-focus. So I do. Breathing deeply, relaxing my shoulders, and maybe even closing my eyes for a minute. Sometimes my kids will play along – then everyone is a it more relaxed!
  2. Clarify. Get clear on what’s really important. This can be on a daily or weekly basis. Take some time to examine your priorities, and focus on what is most important. Realize that if you’re like me, you’ll always find SOMETHING that needs to be done – and that most days not everything on that list will get accomplished. Instead, focus on what I call the Big Rocks – the must do’s – that will move your life and business forward for the day.
  3. Make self-care a priority. Schedule it like any other business appointment. Don’t tell people you’re scheduling self-care (you might feel guilty). Tell people you have a conflicting appointment that you can’t possibly reschedule. The first few times, you may feel a twinge of guilt. Once you get used to “putting on your own oxygen mask first”, you’ll quickly discover just how important taking time to care for your own needs really is.
  4. Mitigate guilt with unselfish rewards. For those Moms that really struggle with doing anything for themselves (including needed doctor visits – you know who you are), commit to an unselfish reward for taking care of yourself. You could opt to take the kids out for ice cream after your visit to the Chiropractor, or give your girlfriend a special thank-you gift for watching the kids while you took some time out from the day. The act of doing for someone else usually helps dissipate any feelings of guilt associated with taking care of yourself, because you’ll actually be doing something nice for someone else as well!
  5. Look for ‘joy joggers’. It could be a favorite song on your mp3 player, or a poem you loved as a young girl. Maybe it’s a picture or memory that brings some joy to your day. Strategically locate these “joy joggers” around your space. Like a memory jogger, these little reminders give you a small moment of joy each time you encounter them. Sprinkle them generously around your home, car and workspace, so that no space is considered the doldrums. Even if it means carrying it in a pocket or purse and taking it out periodically to enjoy. Joy joggers a forms of micro self-care.

It’s long overdue that we moms start mothering ourselves once in a while. Whether it’s a joy jogger, a time out, or a doctor’s appointment, make sure you’re taking time to tend to your own needs as well as all the other needs of your loved ones. The life you save may be your own!

Copyright 2010, Lisa Robbin Young

Senior Health Care Insurance

Health Insurance For Seniors On The Net

When a good friend of mine inquired where he could obtain information about medical insurance for his out-of-state, elderly mother, I told him to try the Internet.

He reported back to me about a week later, in desperation: “I am giving up, I am too confused.” He had taken on an overwhelming project with his widowed mother, living in another state. As the only child, and following the sudden death of his father, it was his responsibility to care for his mother.

In this world of technology, the family unit is often living in different geographical areas and the family members are usually quite involved with their own lives, careers, and families. In addition, when both parents are alive, often one or both parents are quite independent and do not require a lot of assistance. As time goes on things, of course, change, and sometimes change very suddenly. There can be a crisis, with regard to the health care needs of one or both aging parents.

With our baby boomers facing this problem in ever increasing numbers, and with the information highway in full bloom, there is a definite need for planning.

Protecting your parent’s assets and health is a huge and daunting undertaking, which requires a tremendous amount of education and practical application. Our seniors face many diverse responsibilities upon reaching age 65. To name just a few: Estate planning, taxation, Medicare, social security, wills, insurance, and various other legal and financial matters. All of these different areas require expertise from accountants, lawyers, estate planners, insurance agents, home brokers, financial advisors, and others.

The Internet is a good starting point for most people to find resources for questions and solutions for your problems. There is, however, no replacement for good solid intelligent advice from an expert.

Twenty years ago, insurance for elders was sold by “senior insurance specialists”, with just a handful of companies in each state. The programs were most often Medi-gap or Medicare supplemental policies, which covered the expenses not covered by Medicare, including hospital and doctor deductibles, durable medical devices, and non-approved Medicare costs. Ironically these specialists did not sell a lot of nursing care policies, even though Medicare paid a national average of less than 2% of these expenses. With the advent of “financial and estate planning” and more insurance companies entering this market, a more broad and diversified product line became available to agents, brokers, planners, and seniors.

Part of this new diversification was the “home health care plan”, sold by itself, and in conjunction with senior health insurance products. The appeal of the “home health care policy” was that a senior could stay at home and still receive medical and custodial benefits, allowing a person to recuperate in the comfort of their own home.

This was the answer to a huge problem. The last place an older person wanted to go was a “retirement home”, or “rest home”, or, God forbid, the “nursing home.” It appeared that seniors could now rely on this new innovation without worry of having to move out of their home environment in the event of a health problem.

As with most things,” if it is too good to be true”…. The home health care policy is no exception. The problem is, there is not enough coverage for a lengthy illness or recuperation time. The fact is, the new trend is toward an “all in one” type facility, allowing for a variety of levels of care all in one location. In other words a senior could start off with little or no health care concerns in an independent, less expensive area, and then go to an assisted living, or nursing care facility, all within the same compound.

A “nursing home” requires a nurse on the premises 24 hours per day, assisted living is just eight hours. The advantages to this are financial. The patient or senior is only charged according to the care level required during the time he or she is admitted to that facility. Another benefit is it alleviates a lot of planning because the care is delivered, as it is needed. The medical attention is available to all residents regardless of their current health.

Some people are offered a lifetime package, which covers their care for the rest of their life, regardless of their current age. It also allows for social outlets to an otherwise somewhat isolated group. On-line shopping services have become a huge business. It is definitely here to stay and many insurance policies are purchased from Internet quotes and on-line applications.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of insurance agents and brokers advertising on the Internet. Most of them will provide instant on-line quotes and even applications for the potential insured. I highly discourage a layperson to purchase insurance in this fashion. A little knowledge can be dangerous.

The federal government has mandated to all states through legislation, the standardized senior health insurance policy guidelines, which are governed and regulated by each state insurance department.

There are plans for almost every level of health. Some are designed and priced for a less than healthy individual. Others are for a person with minimal health concerns. . The whole concept of insurance is to provide protection for “unanticipated” sickness or injury, especially catastrophic expenses, which would devastate a person’s net worth. The more small expenses a person is willing or able to pay (self-insure), the lower the rate. I recommend this strategy when evaluating your insurance options.

Another consideration when reviewing various insurance plans is to look at the company itself. How long has the company been selling this type of insurance? Do they have a lot of complaints filed with the local department of insurance? Are the rates stable? Does it pay claims on time? Service? Most agents talk about the rating. These ratings are as follows: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, or “not rated”.

Do not be fooled by rating alone. It is good to have a high rating, but it is far better to have a company that has longevity, stability, innovation, service, and expertise. The problem is that some companies enter into a market and quickly leave without explanation. This does not give security to the policyholder.

The most important consideration should be a review of the profit/loss ratio for that product. This will establish stability, and longevity in the market. An insurance company with a moderate profit in a particular line of business will remain in that market. On the other hand, a company with losses will make changes and possibly even withdraw. This is information not normally available to Internet users.

Before entering into an insurance contract, the senior person, the family, and other advisors must be realistic, and a careful evaluation of the entire picture must be examined. The age, the health of the senior, the financial resources, the personality and attitude of the senior, and most importantly the desires of the senior, should all be considered.

Early planning is important, as qualification becomes increasingly more difficult as the applicant’s health declines. The senior health care market is complex. I will offer some words of advice to attempt to alleviate potential pitfalls.

*Choose a well-informed, seasoned, and service oriented agent or broker to assist your decision making process. The professional can offer invaluable information, but do not be afraid to ask a lot of questions and even get a second opinion.

*Do not wait until your parent or loved one is sick, or injured. Plan ahead and take the time needed to cover all the options.

*Choose an experienced insurance company. A Company that has been in the marketplace for a significant time and has maintained a balance of rates and benefits and sound risk selection with moderate rate increases over time is your best bet.

*The plan should be flexible, with a broad range of options and benefit selections to the insured. There should be no tricks, or complicated language for the coverage. An incredibly low rate is a red flag for trouble in the future.

*Do not rush or be rushed by an over aggressive sales person.

This policy will not be inexpensive and will need to be read and reviewed for a clear understanding of the contents. This is one advantage to the Internet. You are allowed to read indefinitely before you act.

A long-term care program, with or without insurance coverage, will only work if the senior has input into the care selection process. If there are any questions about the accreditation of a facility please call the “Continuing Care Accreditation Commission at 202-783-7286.

The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Attitude – 7 Tips to Maintain a Positive and Healthy Attitude

Much has been written and spoken about attitude. In fact, you can find literally “tons” of information about the right mental attitude, positive attitude, a winning attitude, and so forth. So what makes this article different?

Like everything else in life, having the right attitude requires practice. Your attitude is the key to success in every aspect of your life such as your health, wealth building, relationships, success at work, and enjoying everyday life. Your attitude is more than just a decision to “think happy thoughts” although thinking happy thoughts is certainly a key to developing a positive mental attitude.

My assumption here is that you are reading this because you already understand the importance of your attitude. You also understand that there is a difference between choosing to have a positive attitude and the difficulty to maintaining a positive attitude.

Your body requires proper care and feeding to achieve and maintain good health. You simply cannot eat one nutritious meal, take one vitamin, and have one really great exercise day to be healthy. This applies to your attitude as well.

Developing and maintaining a positive, healthy, and productive attitude begins with making the choice to change your attitude. The decision to have a great attitude is the starting point and that decision is a daily decision, even a moment by moment decision. With all that life throws our way each day, just the decision alone can be tough. Here are some tips on how to properly care for and feed your attitude.

1. Be thankful. You and I both have circumstances in life that take a toll on us everyday. Most of the time we let negative circumstances get the best of us and our positive mental attitude takes a beating. Take a moment, several if necessary, and reflect on what you have to be thankful for. If you are having trouble getting started let me suggest you go to a mirror, get real close to it, and breathe on it. If a fog appears on the mirror you’re in good shape…you are alive. Next, think about other things for which you are thankful, even the simplest things such as your family, your job, the very fact that you are able to read this. Each of these are true blessings and for every blessing you can think of there is someone who does not have such a blessing. There have been innumerable studies investigating the link between good health and a thankful attitude. In a story that aired on the CBS Radio Network’s The Osgood File, Dr. Michael McCullough, of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Dr. Robert Emmons, of the University of California at Davis, said their initial scientific study indicates that gratitude plays a significant role in a person’s sense of well-being. Develop an attitude of gratitude.

2. Have faith. Research has shown that 97% of the things that people worry about never come to pass. The remaining 3% are things that are mostly beyond our control, so there is nothing we can do about them anyway. A small portion of that 3% are the direct or indirect results of the decisions we make so learning to make better decisions is the key to avoiding the worries that we can control. Have faith in yourself and the decisions you make regarding the things you can control. Have faith in the One who created you and know that He is looking out for you. Have faith that good things are in store for you and focus your attention to the good rather than the bad. Life is made up of opposites. Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Faith has an opposite called fear. Both work equally well. When you allow fear to dominate your thinking you literally bring negativity into your life. Bad things happen, even though you do not desire them, because you are operating from a fearful expectation. Faith, on the other hand, brings positive things into your life. There is not enough room hear to fully explore the deeper meaning of the effects of faith and fear. Let me summarize the concept of faith in this manner, expect good things and good things will happen. Develop an attitude of faith.

3. Guard your mind. Look at the influences in your life. Decide which of these should be eliminated or at least minimized. According to the A.C. Nielsen Company, the average American watches over 4 hours of television each day. That comes up to over 9 years by the time you are 65 years old! Most of what is available to watch on television has very little positive value. Do the TV shows you watch leave you feeling empowered or deflated? If what you watch, listen to, and read bring you down instead of lift you up you need to stop allowing those things into your mind. Like it or not, they have a profound negative influence on your attitude. The same is true with the people in your life. Do you know someone who brightens the room by leaving it? Do you associate with someone who constantly has some bad news to share or some tidbit of negative information about someone else to expose? Avoid them like the plague! These people will only cause a negative effect on your attitude. Eliminate everything possible that affects you negatively. This may be difficult at first because negativity is very addictive. In the end it is like taking in poison little by little, so get rid of it! Develop an attitude of discernment.

4. Feed your mind. You don’t have to look far to find uplifting, inspirational, and motivational literature to read. If you don’t have time for much reading, look into audio versions to listen to in your car as you travel to and from place to place. Music has the power to go beyond your conscious mind deep into your subconscious mind. A good rule of thumb in selecting the music you listen to is ask yourself “Do I feel better or worse after listening to this?” Consider if the TV shows you are watching are feeding your mind positive information. Seek out and engage in conversations with positive minded people. If you notice a conversation taking a negative turn, interject a positive comment or idea to bring it back on track. Develop an attitude of mental nutrition. This leads to the next process of The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Attitude.

5. Change your speech. Do a Google search on the phrase “power of words” and you will find 116 million results. The same search on Yahoo shows 122 million results. Words have power. Choose your words carefully. They can either be used to build up or tear down and as you already know, the words you say influence everyone who hears them. Your words originate in your mind so it is necessary to mentally speak to yourself with positive words. Keep them positive. By consciously changing your speech you subconsciously change your attitude. You will be amazed at how this one little piece of advice will bring positive changes to your relationships with others, but more importantly, the changes that will occur within yourself and in your own thoughts. Develop an attitude of positive speaking.

6. Give to others. Whenever possible, give someone else something they may not have. One simple gift you can give to anyone, anytime, without cost or loss to you, is a smile. Years ago, I adopted the motto of “Leave Them Better Than You Found Them” which can be as simple as opening the door for someone, smiling, offering a pleasant comment, and many other simple things. Of course, I recommend giving to charitable organizations but what I am talking about here is to give of yourself in some small way that makes someone else’s day brighter. In turn, you feel better by doing it. Develop an attitude of giving.

7. Lighten up. Start by being friendly to everyone. No one likes a sourpuss, so just lighten up and become someone who is easy to be around. People tend to like people who like them. Learning to like others will relieve a great deal of tension and stress in everyday life. Interestingly enough, if you follow the previous tips you will be amazed at how this one develops naturally. By becoming someone who others desire to be around you bring benefit to both them and yourself. You will soon find that those around you will begin to lighten up and model after you, even though they may not be aware that it is happening. Develop an attitude of pleasantness.

These tips on The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Attitude will help get you well on your way to keeping your attitude up and running smoothly. Just like caring for yourself physically you must care for yourself mentally. It is easier than you may initially think but it does require effort on your part. If attitude is everything then we certainly need to learn to take care of ours. You will be healthier for it.

Copyright 2005 Rory Elmore

Navigating Through Tough American Economic and National Health Care, Health Insurance Reform Issues

For Practicing Agency Brokers, Trusted Insurance Advisers, And Financial Planning Consultants….

From time to time, there is a need for guidance in Financial Services Practice; now is definitely one of those times. There are two distinct issues working in tandem which determine modifications in the future conduct of our business: The Economy and the Reforms. Here are ideas on how to navigate our way through the maze. This can most certainly be done. With care, thoughtful performance, and innovation, Financial Services Professionals can serve the general public and make the experience satisfying and profitable. Let’s begin with some commentary on the general economic circumstances first. Following that, we’ll take up the Reform issues, how to move through them, and how the way we advise members of the general public on savings, insurance, investment, and retirement concerns.

1.To begin the economic discussion, we need to address the full and true extent of just what we as a nation and we as practitioners are up against. As of this writing, in the winter of 2009, unemployment, including the employed, self-employed, and business owners, has passed 10%, about 15 to 16 million people. Add another 6 to 7 percent to that, which includes the part-timers, disabled, retired, and those of working age who have stopped looking. We are looking at about 22 million Americans not drawing active paychecks. The closing of businesses, branch locations, shops, stores, retail, wholesale, and service sectors, adds to the severity of the overall problems. It is conceded that there are many who are drawing from savings, taking early pensions/Social Security income, receiving extended unemployment compensation, and retirees on full pensions. That said, the loss of productivity is simply staggering. All this decreases the taxes available from which cities, counties, states, and the federal government must fund budgets. Naturally, all this leads to ever worsening annual deficits and unfunded liabilities. Finally, federal government for the past 30+ years has pursued deficit-spending policies which add to all of this. A look at USDEBTCLOCK.ORG tells the whole story in real time. Take a look and notice a few things.

The national debt stands at some $12+ trillion, while the federal budget shows in the neighborhood of $3+ trillion. Take a closer look and it can be seen that $1.7 trillion is taxes, while the difference is annual debt – sale of treasuries, printing of currency. The unfunded liabilities of Medicare/Medicaid, Prescriptions, Social Security top $106 trillion! To get an idea of what these liabilities mean, consider that this funding is what must be contractually paid out in entitlements over the lifetime of those presently enrolled in these programs, say, from now and over the next 20 to 30 years. And that will become progressively larger as the Baby Boomers begin checking into the systems. This is merely the highlighted treatment of the issues and doesn’t take in figures on the levels below the federal programs and subsidies: state, and related deep concerns over inflation, tax increases, brain drain, not to mention the TARP, STIMULUS, industry handouts/loans, and funds to individuals and non-governmental organizations under Acts in force, such as new mortgages and existing mortgage relief.

We read, see, and hear the word “unsustainable” a lot. Another phrase is ” the debasing of our currency.” Still another is “breaking the buck.” Are these figures actually important to us? Well, yes. One example will suffice: the interest alone on just the national debt is about $340 billion/year, or about 12% of the national budget. And that is going to get much higher. Relate that to a family making, say, $75,000/year. With this level of household debt, that family will pay some $9,000/yr. merely to pay interest, not even to reduce its debt obligations! Just recently on CNBC, a professor of finance designated the U.S. Dollar as fiat currency, which it is. Watch just about any television station and note all the advertisements about gold. Yet, many Americans just roll on as if everything is going to be just fine. Let’s hope for that miracle. The American People have been through some very difficult times over the past 250+ years and have managed to rebound. That could happen again. This time, however, things are quite different and difficult.

Does all this mean that Americans should just roll over, play dead, and let the federal government take care of everything? As a nation, will we file for default and a kind of national bankruptcy? This may be a legitimate senario; and it could be solved through establishment of a new currency sometime in the future, after everything gets paid off in near worthless U.S. currency. But, nations and the people in them, get hurt—badly. Russia, Panama, Argentina, Germany, Cuba (and there are more examples out there), all went through this, and the people there know just how bad this is: a national nightmare from which one cannot awaken. Special note on Argentina: The collapse of that country’s currency, the Peso, not long ago, lead to black markets, swap meets, trading for needed goods with hard assets, such as gold, bartering and trading in kind, not to mention increases in violence and crime. When new prices and wages readjust to some new currency, the resultant pricing of goods and services is extremely unfavorable to individuals and businesses. One can hope and pray that this does not happen or at least is some years away. Some experts suggest anything from 2 to 20 years—-read: nobody knows for sure! That said, this leads to strategies that we in the financial services industry can and should probably look into and maybe adopt. If all this sounds like gloom and doom and just too ridiculous, let me assure readers that this writer has done his research, can back it all up, and is most assuredly not making it all up as he goes along! Independent corraboration and documentation on all of this is readily available on the internet, libraries, university papers/archives, and other public records.

2. Here are some practical suggestions for Financial Services Professionals. While nobody can predict the future, this portion of the narrative is best described within two arbitrary time frames: A. 2010 to 2014-2015. B. Beyond that to, say, 2020-2025. This time division is established for specific reasons. At the time of this writing, the U.S. Government is poised to pass and place into effect a national healthcare/health insurance reform act. It doesn’t much matter whether or not one is in favor of this particular piece of legislation or some others, reform is necessary and will come very soon regardless of what the final act turns out to be.

Care rationing is a matter of fact, already in place for some years, and will get more pronounced for everyone. There really is no other sustainable way to do any kind of reform in attempts to control steeply increasing costs of insuring seniors and those below age 65 yr. who can either not afford to be insured, can’t qualify, or act as though they don’t want to protect themselves(checking into their local hospital ER so we can all pay for that; and hospitals, in order to remain in business are already tightening up on the emergency provisions of the law). The projected costs of the one that looks like it will become the law of the land, warts and all, is estimated at between $1 and $2 trillion over the next 10 years. It will no doubt end up by 2019 considerably more. If it doesn’t, it will stand alone among all the U.S. entitlement programs in the history of the Republic to come in at or below the CBO cost estimates. Look for increasing income taxes, fewer paychecks to tax, very slow employment recovery, very fragile equities markets, more federal currency creation, more inflation, weakening U.S.Dollar.That’s the context in which we find ourselves and determines what we do as financial services advisors and implementers. Good luck. That said, let’s discuss Part A – the next 3 years.

Part A. During the next three years, things will proceed at more or less normal conduct of business in an atmosphere of continuing inflation and increasing taxes. As practitioners, we can expect to market the same or similar coverages as we do now. Adverse Selection(taking into account pre-existing conditions) will still be there to control premiums on life, individual, family, group healthcare, disability coverage, long term care insurance, retirement plans(more on this later), to mention the prominent ones. We still will be doing our due-care, due-diligence, financial planning, fact finding, observing compliance, and doing what is best for the client. There are going to be less people and businesses with which to work, and they will have less money with which to do things. Remember, the client always comes first. Words to live by.

Certainly, we owe it to those who favor us with their business to let them know what is coming as soon as we know what is in store for them and for ourselves. For the most part, we will try to continue as before – for about the next several years. After that, things begin to get very different. Let us progress to Part B, Beyond that.

Part B. After 2014-2015, health insurers drop Adverse Selection and pre-existing conditions no longer play a part in the health underwriting process, at least for much of the individual, family, small group medical insurance, and Medicare Supplementary coverages. We’ll all most likely be undergoing training, certification testing, and more state/federal regulation. There’s an upside to all of this. As long as the health insurance industry remains in play, we should be able to make as much or even more money. Nobody knows what the effect of some U.S. Health Insurance Company, Co-op, or Exchange might have on the viability of the health insurers. The CBO states that some very small percentage of the public will enroll in the Public Option plans. That remains to be seen. Many people will be subject to non-enrollment penalties and fees.

What we do know about public plans and elimination of pre-existing conditions is the example we have in Texas. This public option is called the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool, under the jurisdiction of the State of Texas. In Pool plans, there are no pre-existing conditions to stop one from procuring a pretty good major medical insurance coverage; in fact, one actually has to have significant medical condition or conditions to be eligible. Approximately 29,000 Texans are presently enrolled, out of the millions who have commercial coverage of individual, family, or group coverage. Even with State and Federal subsidy grants each year, the premiums on these plans run 2.5 to 4 times what a similar commercial plan might cost and the coverage is not as good. In a word, it is really expensive. It may be that, since the great majority of Americans probably generally qualify by providing medical evidence of insurability anyway, the impact of accepting all applicants by the commercial insurance companies may not send the overall individual/group premiums skyrocketing(an outcome with which this author does not agree). Those who can’t afford health insurance may get federal subsidies. The fact is that nobody really has a clue. We won’t discuss the MA and OR state-run health care/insurance plans. Not working out very well. Adverse Selection Elimination is a main culprit, leading into healthcare rationing and increasing premiums.

For insurance professionals, the marketing opportunities may just turn out to be positive. Bringing into the insuring public millions of previously uninsured and underinsured younger people may be a good thing. Supplementing health insurance for seniors will be there. We need to work hard at staying in the game and not getting squeezed out by federal competition. All people out there will certainly still need competent financial services professionals, maybe even more than at present. There are those in professional positions of economics, demographics, medicine, actuarial science, and other disciplines who think that any public option may not drive out the insurers, especially knowing that private enterprise, ingenuity, innovation, increased efficiency, would allow the private sector even to drive out the public option. Look at how the Post Office, Medicare, Medicaid, VA hospitals, Social Security, and other entitlements have worked out. Remember that $106 trillion(and climbing) of unfunded liabilities and where that has put the nation and the American People. As these liabilities keep coming due, they increase the federal budget! Doesn’t sound like some great efficiency to this writer.

Finally, there is this prediction regarding earned and renewal compensation. Don’t look for some sudden drop off just because of Reform. This author has found from experience that most people are quite cautious and suspicious of new programs and will tend to retain what they have for just as long as they can, until they gain confidence in such programs, or are forced into them. Even then, many, if not most, will still retain current health insurance coverage in some form to pick up what Reform does not. That was this writer’s great surprise with Harris County here in Texas, when in 1970, the County government replaced an outdated and woefully inadequate set of fringe benefits with full comprehensive coverage. Most all the supplemental coverages that were marketed to large numbers of employees from 1965 to 1970 remained on the books for many years. That is likely to happen in our national future. So take heart.

Earlier, the topic of currency debasement, creation of trillions of dollars by the Fed out of thin air, and inflation(about 2.5% annually, by the way) was touched upon, especially as related to obtaining goods, services, and accumulation/distribution of retirement funding. This leads into the arena of retirement capital, funds formation, equities markets, cash value life insurance, annuities, precious metals, commodities, bank deposits, money markets, treasury instruments, and the like. This also includes non-tax qualified and tax-qualified retirement vehicles, such as IRAs and 401(k)s, as examples. One suggestion is the recommendation that some portion of a client’s capital or retirement portfolio of funds be placed in hard assets. Gold and silver come to mind. We would defer to a precious metals specialist for that. Hedging and potential gains are two objectives that come to mind.

Everything is open to new ideas based upon the changing circumstances. Your practice is obviously going to change; caution and creativity are the guides. Whether we operate in single needs, multiple needs, or comprehensive planning modes and implementations, all of our recommendations are going to be different as compared to past years. It is a bit like attempting to walk in quicksand. And this applies to all product implementation, not just the health insurance arena. So be careful out there.

The way we operate in ethical conduct of business will change. The suggestion is put forth that in the future, starting in 2010 and beyond, we in financial services when advising businesses and individuals, will need to either form alliances with other financial professionals who are licensed in areas where we are not, or refer people to other trusted advisors in order to fully inform the people we serve of the risks and rewards to allow them to make proper, informed decisions that work for them and provide them the opportunity to form strategies and thus to protect themselves. We are definitely in for quite a ride; so fasten your seatbelts. A tip from one who is an investor, not a sales agent: dollars are currency;gold is money. Get to know the difference. Know all the new rules, regulations, and compliance requirements. Study. Engage with other professionals. There is a big job ahead for all of us, starting now.

This is by no means an exhaustive analysis of what’s ahead, but it is a beginning. Still, taken to heart, it gives us inspiration to continue to provide the most excellent advice and coverage implementation to our clients and would-be clients. We who are true professionals are in the unique position to guide, advise, offer direction, clarify, and eliminate confusion. No government bureaucrat can come close to what we do. Imagine that!

Child Care Center Success Factors

When making the decision to go into the child care business you first need to consider a variety of important factors that can help you to decide if child care is the right business for you.

Owning and running your own child care center can be an extremely satisfying and rewarding experience, but not everyone is cut out for working in this industry. Below are some of the factors that can determine whether an individual is suited to this business.

Before taking the plunge and getting set up with your own child care business ask yourself the following six questions.

Child Care Business Success Factors

1) Do you have leadership skills? As the manager of a child care center you will be taking on a leadership role with both your staff and the children.

2) Are you hardworking and organized? Setting up and managing a child care center requires a lot of effort. You must be able to manage your time and resources in a way that maximizes productivity and keeps things organized.

3) Are you in good health? It is a fact of life that children get sick more than adults and colds can spread around daycare centers like wildfire. Being fit and healthy will ensure that your immune system is strong and that you can avoid getting sick too often. Good health will also give you the energy to lead the business lifestyle of a child care center owner.

4) Can you keep cool in a crisis? To be successful in daycare or any business for that matter you should ideally be someone who will not panic in an emergency.

5) Do you have sufficient funding to start the business? You will need to ensure that you have enough cash to cover your living costs in the early stages as well before your business becomes profitable.

6) Do you enjoy working with children? Are you able to take responsibility for, and take care of other people’s children like they were your own? Depending on the age groups that you are working with you may have to take care of them physically, discipline them, educate them or play with them.

Once you have decided that you are suited to opening and running a child care center you can then consider the following four factors to come up with a basic business model before proceeding with the preparation of a business plan.

Other Basic Child Care Startup Considerations

1) Home-based or rented premises? Running a commercial daycare business requires a large investment and you may be best to start off with a home-based service and then work up to eventually opening in rented premises. Wherever you open your child care or daycare center make sure that you are in compliance with local zoning laws.

2) What kind of legal structure will be suitable for your center? This will depend on many factors and you should seek advice from an accountant or lawyer before deciding to go with a sole-proprietorship, a partnership or a ‘limited liability’ company. It is likely that you will also be required to have a business license to run a daycare in your state.

3) Location. Is it possible to run a small child care center from your home or will you have to rent commercial premises? Even though many organizations such as companies, universities and hospitals have set up daycares on-site many parents still prefer to use a service closer to their home. So the question here is, do you set up close to where families live or close to where parents work?

4) Operating hours. You really need to do some market research to find out some more about when your services will be needed by local people. Some parents may want to drop children off very early in the morning before they go to work and others will want to pick them up late so it is likely that you will have to be open for long hours. If you are not interested in such long hours you could target mothers who are working part time and only need your services for part of the day. Depending on the size of your market their may also be the opportunity to offer weekend care if parents require it.

Successful businessmen and women take time to carefully evaluate an opportunity and to make sure that it is compatible with them. Understanding the factors that will improve your chances of success is the key to making a great start. Ensure that opening a child care center is a positive and profitable experience for you by knowing exactly what you have to do to succeed.

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