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Have you weighed your health care options and come up more confused than ever? We get it; health insurance plans, deductibles, savings accounts, pre-existing conditions . . . It all sounds like jargon after a while, and confusing jargon at that. If you’re looking into health savings account, you’re on track to saving health care costs. Here we’ve listed the primary benefits of an HSA so you can make an unconfused decision.

1.Opposed to an flexible spending account, an HSA doesn’t lock you in to a set contribution amount. That means you can adjust your contribution a monthly basis, depending on your current medical forecast. Additionally, there is no “use-it-or-lose-it” rule with an HSA, meaning your unused funds will roll over into the next year.

2.HSAs are completely tax-free. You may be accustomed to 401k and other accounts that are “tax-deferred,” but if you follow the guidelines on your HSA and use the funds only for qualifying medical expenses, you’ll never actually pay taxes on the contribution.

3.Your employer contributions aren’t taxed either. Ever gotten a raise and then quickly calculated how much you’ll actually see after taxes and deductions? When an employer contributes to your HSA, you get the full amount – no “net” to speak of.

4.Your office visit payments actually go somewhere. With a coordinating high-deductible PPO, you won’t be paying office co-pays that don’t contribute to your yearly deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. That means you get credit for any payments you make.

5.With growing confusion in the health care industry, HSAs are likely to gain popularity. Many otherwise uninsured individuals will likely enroll in qualifying high-deductible PPOs in order to avoid a penalty. This makes them eligible for an HSA – which, if they’ve been listening to us at all, they’ll enroll in immediately!

Got specific questions on spending accounts? Let us know below!

If you have stars in your eyes this February, you’re not alone. In fact, nearly 10 percent of married couples got engaged on Valentine’s Day. We know that planning the ultimate proposal can be intimidating. You’re looking for the perfect diamond in the perfect setting for the perfect woman.

When you find that perfect ring, make sure it doesn’t become a liability! Insuring an engagement ring can give you peace of mind. And with the current trend of spending two months’ income on that rock, you could probably use it! After all, what could be worse than losing two months’ income because of a carefree swim in the ocean, casually washing hands, or changing clothes at the gym?  We’ll give you the 411 on getting financial protection for that romantic – and expensive – gesture.

Policy Rider

If you currently have a homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy, it may not guarantee coverage for big-ticket items like fine art and jewelry. To cover your new bling, consider getting a personal property rider for your policy. A ride acts like a mini policy that extends the coverage to your existing policy. If you do decide to get a jewelry rider, be sure you keep it updated when and if you move. For example, your fiancé may live at one location now, but will be moving in with you after you get married.

Questions to Ask

Just like you asked a million questions when you picked out that ring, you should ask a few more when you’re insuring it. Depending on the carrier, your coverage may change. You may want to ask what type of losses are covered (i.e. stolen or lost), how you’ll be reimbursed (a check or a replacement), whether a deductible is required and how much, how the insurer requires proof of loss, and if there are any circumstantial exceptions to coverage.

Be Careful!

While an insurance policy can help protect you financially from losing that precious bauble, we know that engagement rings hold more sentimental value than most other possession. Protect your “emotional” investment by keeping it in a safe when you’re not wearing it, and making sure to put it in the same place each time you momentarily take it off.

Getting engaged this Valentine’s Day? Tell us your story!

If you are over 55 years old, chances are you’ve heard of an AARP classroom course you can take to lower your car insurance premiums.  If you live in Nevada, you should really consider taking the course for a few reasons.

Shortened classroom time- The first big advantage to taking the AARP course in Nevada is we are one of only a handful of states where the DMV has worked closely with AARP to encourage 55+ drivers to take the course.  One complaint they were hearing from many attendees is the standard time the course takes is 8 hours, taking up your whole day.  Nevada worked with AARP to create a shorter 4-hour course, half the time required for most other states.  I took the course myself and the format is surprisingly fun and passes the time quickly.

Nevada Insurance Companies required to give discount-  This was interesting to me to learn that in most states while insurance companies may offer a discount for taking the course, they are not bound by law to do so.  Nevada insurance law requires companies to provide a discount.  From what I’ve seen with our own companies, the discount is usually between 5 – 10%, which can definitely help with your insurance payments.

Best Place in town to take the course-  Here at AMS, we volunteer to host courses here in our office the first Wednesday of each month.  The cost is $14 per person and $12 if you are an AARP member, all of which goes back to AARP.  I am proud that the Nevada director for driver safety courses came to our last class and mentioned that it is by far the best venue she has been to for taking the course.  We limit the number of attendees to 10 to encourage participation.  It is also held in our conference room overlooking Lone Mountain to hopefully provide a comfortable and relaxing setting.  And last but not least, we bring Dee’s Donuts!  If you’ve never had one, then what better reason is there to come?

To RSVP for our next class or if you have any questions at all, you can call me at 702-965-3685.

If you’ve ever cringed when you’ve opened your auto insurance bill, you’re probably not alone. Depending on your family’s cars and drivers, those policies can get pricey. But if you haven’t taken advantage of discount options, you may be paying more than you have to. We’ve listed a few of the most common discounts below; give us a call to find out even more!

Bundling discounts: Perhaps one of the best discounts you can get is pretty simple, because you likely need at least a couple personal insurance policies. By adding homeowners or renters insurance (to just name two) to your auto policy, you can save a good chunk on that premium.

Defensive/Safe Driver discounts: Has it been years since you’ve had an accident or a ticket? Or have you recently taken a defensive driving course? If so, you may qualify for a special discount awarded to the best drivers. Score!

Safety Equipment discount: By purchasing a car with safety and security features like airbags or a security system, you can save some bucks every month. Even some after-market products can help you get a discount.

Good Student discount: Are you a college student and paying big bucks for insurance because of your age? Good news; being an excellent student can actually help you shave some money off your auto policy. That’s something worth getting an A+ for!

Military discount: Are you currently serving our country? If so, thank you! And be sure to mention this to your agent to see if they offer a discount for military members.

Multiple Car discounts: Got a whole family to insure? Good news; you can save some money doing it. Lucky for you, most companies offer discounts when covering multiple cars. Finally, something that’s cheaper with a bigger family!

Payment Method discount: Some companies will give you a discount for setting up automatic payments or paying the policy in full. Talk to your agent to see if this applies to you.

There’s a few to get you thinking. What’s the best discount you’ve gotten on auto insurance?

 

Author : Martin Jeffrey

In the middle of the 1930s a large red London Bus, bearing a “7” route number harassed motorists in the North Kensington area of London.

The Junction of St Mark’s Road and Cambridge Gardens in that area had long been considered a dangerous corner – it was “blind” from both roads and had been the scene of numerous accidents.

The decision of the local authority to straighten out the bend was partially influenced by the testimony of late night motorists. Many claimed that they had crashed while swerving to avoid a speeding double decker bus that hurtled down St Marks Road in the small hours, long after regular buses ceased service.

A typical report to the Kensington Police read ” I was turning the corner and saw a bus tearing towards me. The lights of the top and bottom decks and the headlights were full on but I could see no crew or passengers. I yanked my steering wheel hard over and mounted the pavement, scraping the roadside wall. The bus just vanished.”

After one fatal accident, during which a driver had swerved and hit the wall head on, an eyewitness told the coroner’s inquest that he had seen the mystery bus hurtling towards the car seconds before the driver spun off the road.

When the coroner expressed what was perhaps natural cynicism, hundreds of local residents wrote to his office and to the local newspapers offering to testify that they too, had seen the “Ghost Bus”.

Among the most impressing of these witnesses was a local transport official who claimed that he had seen the vehicle draw up to the local bus depot in the early hours of the morning, stand with engine purring for a moment, and then disappear. Eventually the local council straightened out the road there, and the accident rate was greatly reduced. Thereafter there were no more reports of the ghostly red bus.

References
Frank Smythe “Ghosts and Poltergeists”
The Ghost Bus of Kensington By Bob Griffiths “Silver Arrow” – November 1998