PRESERVING RETIREMENT ASSETS & BUILDING family legacies

Life insurance is a promise - one of the most important promises of all - a promise to be there when you and your family need it most.  

Life insurance is a gift of tax-free and probate-free assets for your beneficiaries, which may include family, friends, charities, and religious organizations. 

Life insurance can help you build a "Legacy of Wealth" for generations. 

REMEMBER...  life insurance isn't for you.  It's for them.  

We work with our partner, Wellmark BCBS, to help small group businesses find the health insurance coverage that is best for their businesses and their employees. 

We typically provide employers with quotes for 10-15 distinct plans so they can compare options and choose the best plan(s) to offer their employees.  

We help employers understand the many state requirements like the 65-5300 form, the application process, enrollment deadlines, the network options, etc.  

Leave us a Note on our "Contact Us" page to get started. 

Long-Term Care Insurance is an important decision - and often a difficult and confusing one. We help our clients understand the different types of Long-Term Care Insurance options: 

• Traditional plans that include state Partnership benefits that help you preserve some of your assets from the Medicaid "spend-down".  
• Hybrid plans that can be either insurance based or annuity based with "living benefits". 

Long-Term Care plans can be funded through monthly premiums or with fund transfers from other assets, e.g.  IRAs.  We explain the pros and cons of each so you can decide which type of plan will be best for you.  

We help you find a level of Long-Term Care benefit that is within your budget, and we explain how you qualify to receive your long-term care benefits when the time comes - based on the "6 Activities of Daily Living" - and how you can choose to receive your long-term care services in a facility or in your home.  

The "Guide to Long-Term Care" (see the link at the bottom of each page) can help as you consider some of the important questions about Long-Term Care Insurance.  The Guide is published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and provides a helpful overview of long-term care insurance options. 

LIVING WELL LONGER is great but the biggest fear among seniors has now become "what if I outlive my money?"  

The answer for many seniors is a "Retirement Annuity" which provides you with a guaranteed income for life - an income you can't outlive, which can pass to your beneficiaries tax-free. 

A "Retirement Annuity" is actually a Fixed Indexed Annuity (FIA) which protects your money from the downside of the market while giving you a piece of the upside.  

The FIA is often referred to as "The Retirement Annuity" because it is such a great fit for your IRA, 401k, or other retirement assets.  

The FIA is the only type of annuity that is recommended by many well-known financial advisors like Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman.  

Suze is very critical of annuities in general, but she advises that "an FIA is something everyone should have as a part of their retirement plan."  

Dave likes to say "an FIA will protect that part of your money you don't want to lose." 

We are happy to say that NONE of our FIA clients has ever lost a penny!  

We have Medicare's National Certification (AHIP) and can help you understand ALL your Medicare options from Supplements (Medigap) to Advantage plans (part C) so you can make an informed decision and choose the plan that will be best for you.  

Advisors who do not have Medicare's annual National Certification may not enroll customers in Advantage plans and are not authorized by Medicare to compare the Pros & Cons of Advantage plans and Supplement plans.  

We explain the four parts of Medicare (A, B, C, and D) what each part does, the pros & cons of Supplements and Advantage plans, how they are similar yet different, how to avoid Medicare's penalties, which plans offer "extras" like fitness benefits, over-the-counter allowances, etc.  And especially important, we make sure you understand the Out-of-Pocket costs of your plan before you enroll. 

When you have made your decision, we complete your enrollment so there are no delays or complications, and you get the plan you want and the effective date you need. 

In addition, we help our clients with other types of coverage like Dental, Vision, Hearing, Hospital Indemnity plans, and first diagnosis Cancer and Heart & Stroke Insurance.  

You can visit our MedicareCENTER where you can learn more about Medicare, compare costs & benefits, and research many other topics in the Learning Center. 

You can even enroll yourself in a Medicare plan if you're ready.  

MedicareCENTER plans are updated often, but do not include all the plans we offer - so please contact us at 515-718-9812 or at steve@iplusNOW.com to understand ALL your options. 

The ACA Marketplace

The "Affordable Care Act Federally Facilitated Marketplace" is for people who are under 65 or otherwise not eligible for Medicare.  At healthcare.gov you can get help enrolling or enroll yourself in a plan.