PLAIN AS THE NOSE ON YOUR FACE
NONE SO BLIND AS THEY WHO WILL NOT SEE
YOU PROBABLY KNOW MY DAD
Everyone knows somebody like my father. I bet you are a lot like him in many ways. My Dad is the sort who always goes the extra mile. Always giving everything he had. Looking out for others. Going out of his way. Generous. Hard-working.
Dad enlisted in the Navy during WWII, as soon as he could. Following his older brother, an officer and PT boat commander. Dad served stateside, as a Photographer’s Mate, at the Philadelphia Naval Air Station. Mostly taking pictures of crashed airplanes. And the remains of the trainees who crashed them.
After the war, he went to college on the GI Bill. Surrounded by other sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines. A generation of men and women who did not feel sorry for themselves. They had seen evil and death. The world was balanced on the edge of a knife. And they did their duty. They saved the world. Look it up.
Then they came back and went to college. And got married. And raised families. And were grateful for the ordinariness of life. Thirty years ago, when I first started my law practice, I was privileged to meet many of these men and women. So many heroes. The real kind.
They are almost all gone now. But they made a lasting impression. Among them, my dad is not unusual. But how many of us have the same quality?
When Dad met Mom, he settled down. Became a teacher, like so many of his Navy buddies. Teachers in the 1950’s were not paid very much. All worked through the summers. Most had a second job. Mom wanted a large family. Dad came from a large family. He knew what was required. So.
My father got up early… had to be at school by 8 a.m. A tough school in a bad neighborhood. When the bell rang at 3 in the afternoon, Dad came home and took a nap. By 6 in the evening, he was punching the clock at the local brewery. Bottled beer all night. Dad clocked out at 2 in the morning. Came home. Took a nap. At 7 a.m., he started all over again. For 16 years.
Did I mention he was also taking college courses for his master’s degree? Yeah, he did that too. Eventually he took on enough extra jobs at school to quit the brewery. He ran the breakfast program, lunch program, after-school program. He was pretty happy that he did not have to work until 2 a.m. anymore.
Like you, he was active at church. Joined the Lions Club. Volunteered for stuff. Helped out in ways no one ever saw… no one ever knew.
Dad and Mom raised 8 children. Five boys, three girls. I’m the second. I have an older sister. Their example was powerful. And we are all doing quite well. Thank you.
Mom died ten years ago. Dad still lives on his own. Pretty much. At 96 years old, he cannot do what he used to. But he keeps trying. A few weeks ago, he was painting the handrail on the brick stairs leading the front door. Lost his balance. Fell to the brick stairs. Fell on his face. Not the first time. Still OK. He insists.
So, the kids take turns staying with Dad. Just to be there. Just in case. My two weeks is coming up soon. We talk together to set the calendar, to make sure someone is always with Dad. And we talk about options. Including assisted living.
This is where my failure became obvious.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT DAD (OR MOM): THE KIDS’ CONVERSATION
Your children are talking about you. Deny it if you wish, but it is the truth. What to do about Mom? What to do about Dad? How long can they stay at home? What sort of behaviors do you see? What does it mean? What do we do now? Well-meaning questions. By good-natured people. Who truly love you. But are concerned. With your best interests in mind. What they think are your “best interests” anyway.
Recently, as we were setting the Visiting Kids Calendar, one of my brothers asked, “Why isn’t Dad on this PACE program you keep talking about?”
I had no answer. Honestly. You have heard the old saying, “The shoemaker’s kids go barefoot!” It is not that bad. When Mom needed skilled nursing home care for the months before she died, we were ready. LifePlan™ to the rescue.
Dad was not impoverished. There was no Medicaid Mortgage. Mom got the care she needed, at a top long-term care facility. Dad’s years of taxpaying and planning were rewarded.
Ten years later. Dad’s needs are increasing. With 8 kids, he will never be alone. But we are not medical people. What about those needs?
My brother saw what I did not. PACE – the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly was designed for my Dad. He stays at home. With his woodwork shop. Puttering around, fixing this, painting that. Independent. Proud. And getting just the right amount of help to keep him that way.
Was I embarrassed to have overlooked the contribution PACE could make to my own father’s ability to live life on his own terms? You bet. I wish I had proposed the solution. But a good idea is a good idea, whomever comes up with it.
SEE THE LIGHT, OVERCOME BLINDNESS
Most folks who seek answers are relieved and pleased they learn that effective solutions do exist. Thousands of families have honored my team and me with their confidence and trust. And those families have received the benefits they have earned and deserve.
But I have often been puzzled when some families reject the same answers that other families have embraced. It is not unusual for some folks to come back to us, often after months and sometimes years of “spending down,” exhausting their lifesavings. Selling the farm.
If you are like me, you learn from your mistakes. And you try not to repeat the same- old, same-old. I failed my Dad by not seeing how the PACE program could greatly improve his quality of life. But I see it now, and I am taking action. To preserve his independence. His choices. My Dad, and yours, and you, deserve to enjoy life. On your own terms. Not crammed, shoved, or stuffed into someone else’s idea of what you need.
Most people have never heard of PACE. But now you will know. You will be the expert.
COVID NURSING HOME DEATH TRAP
Everyone knows COVID-19 decimates older folks. National reporting confirms the worst place for COVID victims is a long-term care facility. The undeniable tragic history: if you were in a nursing home, your risk of death from COVID-19 was 70 times greater. Did autocratic Executive Orders in New York, New Jersey and Michigan cause thousands of extra deaths? Of course they did. We know that now. But what can we do?
Over the last couple of years, we reported good news about at-home care. Michigan changed the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly – PACE. Eligibility expanded for thousands of new families. Families can now keep their life savings, cottage, farm, rental properties, business. Poverty is no longer required… provided you follow the complex rules. Care services are free. Keep your income. No co-pay, doughnut hole or other contribution.
Many Michigan families have acted on this new information. They have secured at-home care for their loved ones. PACE has kept them safe from the deadly COVID-19 virus stalking long-term care facilities. Healthier at home!
HEALTHY SKEPTICISM OR DEADLY DOUBT?
Many more families cannot believe it is possible. But they could benefit from PACE. Healthy skepticism hardens into stubborn rejection. Everyone suffers. Clinging to the idea that it is “too good to be true” or “fake news”?
Pitiful. Naturally, some folks are uncertain and suspicious. Rightfully so! But accurate information and proof beat unfounded fears every day. Fact: You do not have to accept nursing home poverty for yourself or your loved one.
DO YOU OR YOUR LOVED ONE QUALIFY?
ANSWER YES TO 3 QUESTIONS:
1. Need help with activities of daily life? Memory problems? Oxygen therapy? Blindness? Dialysis? These are just a few of the many ways to qualify.
2. Are you safe at home?
3. Gross social security less than $2382? (Special rules for pension income.)
Let’s do the homework together. Most folks get the benefits they need for independence and security. Information costs nothing. You can find out. Today.
Get Answers Now: 800-317-2812
COVID-19 RULE CHANGES WILL NOT LAST
COVID-19 emergency rules are temporary.
The benefits are permanent. When the emergency is over, these favorable rules will be gone. Of course, this may not be for you. Why not find out? Is it so bad to get back a little from the tax dollars you have paid?
WHAT BENEFITS DOES PACE PROVIDE?
Folks always want to know: What can PACE do for me? You have a team on your side. Your PACE team is doctors, therapists, dieticians, nurses, physician assistants, administrators. All work together to provide the best solution. Want more detail? You can receive:
ADULT DAY HEALTH CENTER
• On-Site Physician/Medical Supervision
• Nursing Care
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Recreational Therapy
• Activities and Exercise
• Breakfast, Lunch, Snack
• Nutritional Counseling
• Social Services
• Dental Care
• Audiology
• Optometry
• Podiatry MEDICAL SPECIALISTS
• Women’s Services
• Dentistry and Dentures
• Optometry and Eyeglasses
• Audiology and Hearing Aids
• Podiatry, Diabetic Shoes and Orthotics
• Cardiology
• Rheumatology OUTPATIENT SERVICES
• Lab Tests
• Radiology
• X-Rays
• Outpatient Surgery
PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN
• On call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
HOME HEALTH AND HOME CARE SERVICES
• Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living
• Physical and Occupational Therapy
• Personal Care
• Chore Services
• Meal Preparation
INPATIENT SERVICES
• Emergency Room Visits
• Hospitalizations
• Inpatient Specialist
• Skilled Inpatient Rehabilitation
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES PRESCRIPTIONS And OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATIONS
FAMILY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT SERVICES
• Respite Care and Caregiver Education
REHAB And DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
• Wheelchairs
• Walkers
• Oxygen
• Hospital Beds
• Diabetic Testing Supplies
• Adult Day Care
Get the straight story. Your loved one is counting on you. Don’t let them down. It’s simple and free.
Call 800-317-2812.
Your Discovery meeting and Analysis meeting are waiting for you. Get it done.
As You Look Around… Satisfied By The Status Quo?
BlogHappy Now?
Pleased By Punishing Prices? Gratified By Groveling To Grandees? Have You Given Up On The Idea Of America?
None Of This Is New Or Unexpected: It Is Obvious And Intentional (Also Evil)
Facts Are Stubborn Things: So Are Questions
When do you think we should use national emergency war reserve stocks of petroleum? Maybe in a national emergency? Or war? Do you think we should use national emergency war reserve stocks of petroleum because Russian rulers and sovereign sheiks humiliated and rejected us when we begged for more oil? Is it ridiculous to think that canceling America’s energy industry would lead to dictators and potentates holding us hostage? How did America’s enemies rip away our energy independence? Who delivered us hogtied and weak to our blackmailers? Didn’t that just happen?
Russia threatens invasion of Ukraine. Again. Russian pipelines from Russian oilfields supply Western Europe. New pipelines that do not go through the Ukraine. America approves. America shuts down American pipelines and oilfields. America begs for Russian oil. Russia says “Nyet!” Will Russia listen to America about Ukraine invasion? Is good joke, no?
China plans invasion of Taiwan. Etcetera. Etcetera. Will China listen to America about Taiwan invasion? Also good joke, yes?
Some people smash and grab sledge hammers and crow bars from big box home improvement stores. Some people use sledge hammers and crow bars to smash and grab luxury goods from luxury stores. And regular stuff from drugstores, dollar stores, grocery stores. No sledge hammers required. Some congressionpersons deny this is a problem.
Some prosecutors refuse to prosecute smash and grab theft. Also minor assaults. Also major assaults. Also murders. Also riots. Also arson of police stations, federal courthouses, stores, small business, single family homes, apartment houses, and basically anything else that burns. Some TV talkers think you should look at the “good news.”
Some people rob and murder wealthy, generous, socially-conscious, 80 year-old Black women in their guarded Beverly Hills mansions. Now Oprah Winfrey disapproves.
Some presidents (to media applause) pardon people who were convicted of detonating bombs in the U.S. Capitol building. Some presidents (to media applause) hold people in solitary confinement who are accused of protesting in the U.S. Capitol building.
Some teachers encourage some kids to think of themselves as evil exploiters, based on skin color. Some teachers encourage other kids to think of themselves as helpless victims, based on skin color. Some teachers encourage kids to think of teachers as avenging angels. Some teachers discourage kids from thinking that hard work pays. No more grades. Or advanced placement or study courses. Providing pillows, puppies, and warm, soft comfortable spaces to think correct thoughts about their victimhood. Based on skin color.
Inflation. At least they stopped lying about it and admit that skyrocketing prices for just about everything are here to stay. Happy now?
There Is Nothing New Under The Sun
Is there any mystery as to how we got here or how to get out? Is the world too complex? Should we simply run away? But where would we run to? Is surrender the answer?
“There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” Ronald Reagan. How do we know what is morally right? This is not a new question. The answers are not new either.
Seven Deadly Sins
Breaking News From The 4TH Century
Is it ridiculous to recognize that humans today are the same as humans two thousand years ago? Same temptations. Same ways of getting it wrong. Doing evil.
Same aspirations. Living a good life. Finding meaning in the world. Getting it right. Doing good.
Do you hear preachers these days talking about the time-tested seven deadly sins? Are today’s preachers correct that everything is okay? Have good and evil gone out of style? When? Is it a good thing that preachers are most intensely concerned about current social theories about which skin color group is to blame for the misery of other skin color groups? Should we cheer when preachers condemn some people for disapproving of the actions and behaviors of other people, when those actions and behaviors are harmful? To themselves and others? Should the question of good and bad be a popularity contest?
Here is a list of bad attitudes and behaviors first identified by Aristotle thousands of years ago. In the 4th century a Christian monk listed them as 7 or 8. A few hundred years later Saint Thomas Aquinas whittled the list down to Seven:
Can you think of any problem we face today that does not spring directly from one of these mindsets? If someone is pushing schoolkids to embrace Sloth (no grades), Envy (they got stuff you want), Wrath (they stole your stuff), and Pride (they can do no right, we can do no wrong), does that someone really have the best interests of the kids at heart?
Do you insist you are perfect? Do you claim the right to judge others? Are you asking for anything more than the right to try as best you can to do as well as you can? Do you want unjust, undeserved rewards? Do you seek unfair advantage? Do you want a crumb more than what you have earned? Can anyone honestly accuse you of wanting more than simple fairness?
Of course, none of us are perfect. As the sun also rises, so do we fail to meet our highest ideals and aspirations. But just as all rivers run into the sea, we keep trying. Keeping faith. Acknowledging our failures and striving to improve.
Seven Cardinal Virtues
How To Win
Humans have been behaving badly for a long time. No surprise. And humans have been rising above bad behavior for just as long.
Is it ridiculous to recognize that humans today are the same as humans two thousand years
ago? Same hopes and dreams. Same aspirations to get it right. Doing good. Making the world a better place. Is that ridiculous?
Fortunately, the folks who gave us the list of the Seven Deadly Sins, left another list. The second list has the simple answers. Remember, these answers may be simple, but they are not easy:
Can you think of any problem we face today that could not be solved by applying one of these mindsets? If schoolkids were encouraged to embrace Diligence (do your homework), Patience (good things come to those who wait, and work), Kindness (understand others before you demand understanding from others), and Humility (nobody has all the answers, no one is perfect), would we have parents feeling betrayed and (finally) demanding accountability?
Are you against enduring faithfulness to your spouse? Are you too afraid to see the world clearly, seeking deadly shelter in a drunken haze? Have you given up on extending the helping hand to others? Is it crazy to think that challenging work gets superior results? Do only suckers and chumps practice compassion, loyalty, and integrity? Are you opposed to seeking peace and extending mercy? Do you reject the bravery of listening to the other side and the modesty of acknowledging your faults?
America wins when we all win. That has always been the promise. And America has been pretty darn good at keeping that promise. Better than anyone else. In the history of the world.
But now we are flooded with petulant, peevish professionals: teachers, lawyers, politicians, tech moguls. You know who they are. Unhappy people who find their toxic joy in the misery of others. Resentment is their stock in trade. Utopian promises that deceive only the ignorant.
From National Socialism to Soviet Socialism to Venezuelan Socialism to a Baskin-Robbins assortment of other socialisms, the results are always the same. Repression. Starvation. Death.
Is it a ridiculous idea to think that you can do something about it? Have you given up on the idea of America? Are you opposed to fighting for the way of life that has brought so much happiness to so many?
Avalanche, Landslide, Earthquake, Tidal Wave Big Events Start Small
A few pebbles bounce down the mountain side. A tiny snowball starts to roll. Tectonic plates slip, just a little. Then a little more. Bouncing pebbles cause rolling rocks. Snowballs grow huge. The earth shudders. Change is coming.
A few people become concerned. They talk to other people. Who talk to other people. The powerful try to shut them up. Ban them. Cancel them. Ridicule them. But like other natural events, the cascade cannot be stopped. Change is coming.
Is it a ridiculous idea to think we have reached a turning point? Do regular folks, the kind you go to church with, approve the current situation? Do you think America has been well served by so-called the best and brightest? America’s greatest strength has always been her people, the steady, reliable men and women who get things done. Should we let things slide further? Do you really want to see how far down we can go? Is this a bad time to say, “Enough!”?
Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In
Nursing home poverty. Long-term care expenses. Probate. Taxes. Family feuding. These are realities for most middle-class families, like it or not.
LifePlanning™ is the way families like yours preserve what they own to protect what they value. For over 30 years, making the rules work for thousands of families who play by the rules.
Are today’s challenges the ordinary, routine, normal sorts of challenges we have always faced? It feels as though it is increasingly difficult to do the right thing. But do fundamental truths ever change? Does ignoring reality make it go away?
Do you wish you could spend all day focused on the Medicaid, probate and tax rules and regulations that drives well-adjusted people crazy? Or would you like some payback for all the taxes you paid in. Some dignity and respect. Along with the madness.
Peace of mind and security are waiting for everyone who knows what work really is. Waiting for you. It is a choice. Despite what “everybody else” says.
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. (800) 317-2812
Just In Time For Christmas Gift-Giving…
BlogNOTE: A professional journalist, a mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper (who wisely insisted on anonymity) made the mistake of sitting down to interview David about his new book, “How To Keep The Gold In The Golden Years.” Several hours later, Clark said he had enough material to write his own book. Would you like to know what they discussed? Read on…
PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK: The following is a blatant attempt to get you to buy David’s new book. You have been warned. You will also be delighted if you actually buy the book.
CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK!
Why Do America’s Middle-class Seniors Go Broke?
New book reveals how they wring out your lifesavings and hang you out to dry. Your Family’s Personal Attorney offers middle-class savers surprising insights so you can ‘keep the gold in the golden years’
No one has to tell you that Middle-class America is under siege. Prices are skyrocketing. Government enforces strict obedience from some (you), none from others (not you). That’s fair! Right? Everybody blaming everybody else. Toxic politics. That’s fair! Right? Trillions for the politicians! And who pays? Look in the mirror. That’s fair! Right?
David grew up when families were big, every kid had a paper route, and you stayed out until the streetlights came on. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Kiwanis, YWCA. You worked because that is what good people did. And you saved. For the future. Education. You went to church, and you believed. “Do unto others…” “Let your ‘yes’ be yes, and your ‘no’ be no.” David might be a lot like you.
From paper route to restaurant jobs to autobody repair. Army scholarship to Notre Dame. Boston University Law School. Captain, Army JAG Corps. Jumping out of airplanes, working at the Pentagon. Georgetown University Law. Big law firm time. Solo practice. 40 years practicing law. Radio show host. Newspaper opinion writer. Never forgetting where he started, who he is.
Guided by respect and love for America’s overlooked Middle-Class families. Seeing and solving regular folks’ problems. Maybe other lawyers and professionals just don’t get it. Can’t see? or Don’t care? Does it make a difference? Forty years working for you. Fighting Nursing Home Poverty. You earned the American Dream. You do not have to surrender.
They told him, “You cannot combine authentic humor and serious scholarship.” David said, “Hold my beer!” Read the book. Find out for yourself. Thousands already know. David’s “Elder Law Reporter” appears in almost all weekly newspapers. For some, it is the only reason to keep their subscription. Others clip their favorites. Some have a complete collection! For almost 20 years, his two-hour call-in radio show has been a beacon of wit and wisdom. Humor and insight, a powerful combination.
Growing his law practice throughout Michigan, David is an attorney who has focused on securing the future for middle-class families. By preserving their hard-earned money, they can choose how to live. And they can give advice! Having heard “You ought to write a book!” thousands of times, David is now sharing the mindset that illustrates and explains how to win by bucking the herd mentality to retirement planning.
David L. Carrier and his team of 50 attorneys, paralegals, accountants, and specialists, deliver elder law and estate planning results from offices in Grand Rapids, Holland, Norton Shores and Portage. Combing the archives, compiling true stories and real solutions from years of newsletters, blogs, and newspaper columns. David lays bare the truth that the system works against average individuals who work hard and follow the rules.
“How to Keep the Gold in the Golden Years: Protect Your Family Against Nursing Home Poverty,” is a fast-paced, entertaining read that will change the way you think about retirement and long-term care forever. Through real-life scenarios and accurate accounts demonstrating the widening gap between the experience of people who should be aging with grace and comfort and hard reality of nursing home poverty on bare government assistance. You have already done the hard work, but is it hard to believe that bad advice leads to poor results? See how those who plan properly have ensured that their lifesavings and estates serve themselves and their families. Not big-spending, self-important politicians and government bureaucrats.
“Middle-class families spend all of their lives working hard, saving more than they spend, paying down the house, hanging on to the family heirlooms,” said Carrier during a recent phone interview. “And then they go broke from long-term care bills. The inheritance is gone from that, or because their estates weren’t handled the right way, the taxman gets it all. It’s not right. It’s a shame, but that’s the way the middle-class has been getting screwed for a long time.”
Is there anyone who doesn’t like a free sample? One chapter, which is available to read for free, details how two women, close friends from high school, with similar lives made different choices. Drastically, tragically, different results. Carrier lays out the scenario, writing:
“Both couples were doing fine. Their homes were paid off and worth about $175,000. With $200,000 in savings and $75,000 of life insurance, they felt secure. Not to mention having prepaid their funerals. Each couple had three kids and three grandchildren. They even like the in-laws!
“You have friends like these women. Middle-class people who enrich the world. Generous spirits. Authentic kindness. Get it done attitude. Nice homes, colorful gardens. Debt free. Comfortable cash cushion (not that the kids would know). Coupon clipping and natural thrift. No extravagant or expensive habits. Except spoiling their grandchildren. But what is going on with Fred and Barney? Why does Fred put the car keys in the refrigerator? Barney gets so confused with the simplest things. And it is getting worse.”
One woman, Wilma, accepts reality and assistance. The program of all-inclusive care for the elderly, which she has paid for through her taxes, eases the strain. In contrast, her closest friend, Betty, rejects the very idea of help as nonsensical promises. But when then their men are stricken with Alzheimer’s, reality comes knocking on the door. Wilma’s husband, Fred, receives care from outside aides and the family keeps what is theirs. Betty, meanwhile, bears the burden of care for Barney, wearing herself out. Building a rickety financial house of cards that eventually collapses. Dooming herself and her unfortunate husband.
“Betty ran the race. Betty fought the good fight. At the ultimate cost to herself, she did what she believed was necessary. Rapidly pouring out the savings and accomplishments of a lifetime. All gone in the blink of an eye. Is there anything more tragic than needless suffering? When a good person refuses the helping hand, it is more than sadness. When refusal leads to catastrophe, it is more than regret.
“Wilma too ran the race, fought the good fight. Wilma had been there for Fred to the ultimate end. Hospice at the house. Familiar PACE folks who supplied the hospital bed, Hoyer lift and other necessary equipment and services. Given fair warning, the kids made it in from out of town. It was sad, heartbreaking. But not tragic. Surrounded by family and friends. Secure. At peace. What did the lord have in store for her now? Wilma did not know. But she looked forward to finding out.
“Most people, reading this article, will choose Betty’s path. Most people, faced with long-term care costs, close their eyes. Reject reality. Hope for the best. As lifesavings evaporate like a snowflake on a hot griddle.”
After 40 years practicing law, is it ridiculous to think that Carrier might have discovered the path that preserves what you own and protects what you value? That is the difference between Wilma and Betty. Forty years of experience have gone into the LifePlan™ system. Constant development that incorporates many strategies and delivers on three key goals: Keeping savings intact, paying for the continuing care, and getting beneficiaries what they deserve. Impossible? Maybe. Maybe not.
Carrier’s single-minded focus has resulted in:
• 50,000+ families attending Carrier LifePlan™ workshops.
• 15,000+ families trusting their security and their future to the LifePlan™ approach.
• $800,000,000+ dollars protected from lawsuits and long-term care.
• 2,000+ loved ones receiving the skilled nursing benefits they earned without going broke or accepting mediocre levels of care.
Carrier says that following the herd seems like the safe bet, but that when the herd has been stampeding off the cliff, for decades… well, maybe it would not be such a bad idea to consider an alternative path.
If most folks are losing, does that make losing a good idea? “I’ve got the plan for your family, and it’s been battle-tested to defend your ability to live as you want, not as you’re told. Haven’t you earned that right? I think so!”
FREE WORKSHOPS: Learn more about David Carrier’s LifePlan™ strategy!
The LifePlan™ secures families’ futures and gives middle-class Michigan the winning game plan. Carrier offers free sixty-minute workshops that start to answer the most frequently asked questions, including:
• Should I believe that it is impossible to protect my health, home lifesavings, family and legacy?
• Why is an outdated will worse than no plan at all?
• Do I want strangers making financial and medical decisions for me? Do I want to shut out my family and friends?
• How can I control the care I get (and do not get) in a medical emergency?
• Should I sacrifice my kids’ inheritance to accident, illness, divorce, bankruptcy, or their own poor choices?
• Are you against (legitimately) avoiding heavy taxes under the new IRA “reform” and “stimulus rescue” boondoggles?
Planning is critical for peace of mind not only for yourself, but also your family, Carrier said. Once you are in control and secure. A clearly structured LifePlan™ saves families and relationships from exploding during emotional times.
Carrier says too many people spend their lives focused on dying. Is it a good idea to be preoccupied with what happens to your wealth when you’re dead and gone? David stresses that you should live for you and your spouse first. Is your vision, your fondest wish, to enjoy exciting life experiences, volunteer work, helping with the grandkids’ tuition, or just relaxing at your cozy country cottage or cabin? Have you given up on the idea that you can achieve your personal goals working with your family’s personal attorney and the LifePlan™ Team?
“You can get in complete control of your future instead of having no control at all,” he said.
Get Information Now. (800) 317-2812
How badly would it hurt you to buy the book?
https://booklaunch.davidcarrierlaw.com/
Are You Afraid To Hate Some Things? Are You Afraid To Love Other Things?
BlogThe Facts Concerning The Recent Carnival Of Crime…
In June 1876, The Atlantic Monthly published a short story by Mark Twain: “The Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut.” Twain portrays the narrator’s conscience as a shriveled, moldy gnome who delights in torturing the man with feelings of guilt and remorse. The narrator eventually seizes his conscience and rips it to shreds. Having destroyed his sense of right and wrong, he proclaims, “You behold before you a man whose life-conflict is done, whose soul is at peace; a man whose WITHOUT A CONSCIENCE!” Joyously, he engages in the Carnival of Crime. Including 38 murders and arson of a neighbor’s house. Not to mention “swindl[ing] a widow and some orphans out of their last cow, which is a very good one, though not thoroughbred, I believe.”
Today, 145 years later, some people have taken Mark Twain’s “Carnival” story as a challenge, not a warning. Our schools, colleges and universities have spawned a sprawling empire of injury. Poseur intellectualistic charlatans preach a depraved gospel of grievance, greed, and entitlement. Popular media proudly and industriously spread the resentment poison. Weak, wishy- washy, gutless and vain, community and church “leaders” cower from conflict. Truth sacrificed on the altar of cheap vaporous popularity. They lie. Say things they know are not true. Shrink from honesty, run from the light. A nest of vipers, they camouflage evil with a deceptive veneer.
Have you forgotten the fairytale of Hansel and Gretel? Abandoned, starving children find a wondrous house made of delicious bread, cakes, and candy. Unfortunately, the Gingerbread House is a snare to attract and trap innocent children. Hidden inside, the evil witch lurks to catch, roast, and devour them. Through luck, bravery, and intelligence, the clever kids boldly destroy the witch. They escape the enticing fraud. Welcomed home to the modest woodcutter’s cottage, they live happily ever after. No magical Gingerbread House with sham promises concealing ultimate destruction. Ordinary life, ordinary joy.
Is it ridiculous to think that our society may have fallen into the Gingerbread House trap? Is it unexpected that a materialistic culture promising everything to everybody all the time might lead to frustration, envy, and selfish anger?
Did you miss the news that roving bands of shoplifting punks have forced San Francisco drug stores to close? Did you fail to notice that well-dressed, well-fed smash and grab gangs looted luxury handbags and jewelry from mall stores? Then escaped in their own cars. Their own cars.
Are we talking about hungry folks forced to steal a crust of bread? Are these street urchins with rags on their backs, who have worn holes in their shoes walking to school?
When asked for charity, hard-hearted Ebenezer Scrooge replied, “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” But. That was a couple hundred years ago.
Today, we will spend over 750,000 tax dollars to provide Bob Crachit with 2 bedrooms of “affordable” housing. In San Francisco. The rest of California is a bit cheaper. (In fact, it is much more, that chart is from 2 years ago!) “Feeding America”, one of many food charities, runs 60,000 food pantries. There are 8 major federal food
programs. And countless state relief agencies. Billions of dollars are spent annually. How far are you, right now, from a food pantry?
Grocery stores do not get the smash and grab treatment.
What is going on? Bandits do not steal to eat. Or for nice clothes. Or for automobiles. Or TVs. Or cell phones. They already have all that stuff. For free. These scroungers steal luxury goods. Luxury. Only the best. Fancy leather wallets and handbags. Ridiculous watches. Gaudy jewelry. Would you buy any of this stuff? We cannot afford it, so we would have to save a long time. And think even longer. What is this entitlement, get- mine sickness? Who has the cure?
Is Ignoring The Problem The Best Solution?
Will It Go Away If We Shut Our Eyes?
Shall We Pretend Everything Is All Just Fine?
Should you keep ignoring the problem? Is now a bad time to wake up and smell the coffee? Are you opposed to making our world, your neighborhood, a better place? Is it ridiculous to believe in basic values like, trust, loyalty, courtesy, kindness, thrift, and bravery? Are we fools to be helpful, friendly, cheerful, and reverential? Are you against an America that works for everyone because everyone capable of working works? Have you given up on the American Dream? Have you given up on your own ambition to live your life well and to be a blessing to your family?
It Is Possible To Hate Without Loving.
But Is It Possible To Love Without Hating?
Like you, I find that statement difficult to believe. Nevertheless, we must embrace all truth, whether comfortable and gratifying, or awkward and embarrassing. On reflection, it seems obvious and inescapable that there are some people who do not love, but merely hate. It also seems to me that the people who take the risk of love, also accept the responsibility of hate. So, in the interests of restoring some balance:
I hate cheating, but I love competition and fair play.
I hate money grubbers, but I love financial independence.
I hate government handouts, but I love getting something back for all the tax dollars I have paid in.
I hate getting old, but I love getting up in the morning.
I hate freeloaders, but I love cooperating with other hard-working people to achieve mutual goals.
I hate noisy, grasping, bossy, phony, hypocritical politicians, but I love public- spirited citizens willing to accept office and serve the rest of us.
I hate stupid rules and regulations imposed by ignorant idiots masquerading as super experts, but I love commonsense laws that make life better for everyone.
I hate grinding poverty, but I love the chance to work hard and make the world a better place.
I hate mean people, but I love charitable folks, giving generously of themselves, their time and treasure.
I hate blamers, whiners, complainers, Gloomy Gus and Debbie Downer, who sit on their lazy keisters hypnotized by TV and finding fault with everything that happened over the last thousand years of human history, but I love cheerful men and women who GIT R DONE!
I hate slovenly slugs who won’t make their own bed, wash the dishes, fold the laundry or practice basic personal hygiene, but I love doers, workers, laborers, and peasants (because near as we can figure, all my ancestors were serfs and “of the land”) (except for a few mercenaries).
I hate bitter resentful infantile complainers who won’t raise a finger to help but will happily raise a brick to throw at police officers, court houses and through windows, but I love younger people facing challenges and meeting needs with grace and dignity.
I hate long-term care that evaporates lifesavings, robs dignity and fails to meet real needs, but I love supportive skilled home care that assists folks in their own homes, lets them enjoy the rewards of their working years, and allows leftovers for the kids.
I hate nursing home poverty, but I love planning that secures lifesavings while meeting real needs. Care that you have already paid for. With your tax dollars. Over your working life.
What do you hate? What do you love? It is up to you.
Wherefore, By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them
Is Nursing Home Poverty inevitable? I’m letting you know that you do not have to lose your home, cottage, business, lifesavings, independence, security. Do you choose to give up everything you have earned? Is it ridiculous to think that someone who has been working on issues like this, for people like you, might have figured out a few things? Does it make sense to rely on “My lawyer/financial advisor/ accountant/tax person/banker/best friend/fill- in-the-blank” when none of them have ever pursued a Medicaid application? Let alone succeeded with over 2000.
Well, here you are. What do you think? Is it wise to choose failure? Will you have more choices with less money? Will your spouse be better off with fewer assets?
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. Call (800) 317-2812
Thanksgiving 2021… What Went Wrong?
BlogBest Of Times, Worst Of Times
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday:
So, I guess 1863 must have been a pretty good year, right? Of course, some may remember a certain unpleasantness. Such as 51,000 men killed or wounded at Gettysburg on a few sunny days in July. And then there was the Battle of Chickamauga in September. Only 35,000 killed or wounded under the changing leaves. Even fewer died or were wounded in early May at the Battle of Chancellorsville: a mere 30,000 young men. Dead or maimed. And the year started out the same way, with 25,000 men and boys dead or hurt at the Battle of Stone’s River (Murfreesboro) on New Year’s Day. And for every battle death, 9 or 10 more soldiers and sailors died of disease, over 300,000. And the war and slaughter would continue for another couple of years.
Would it help to give a little perspective? In 1863, there were only about 32 million Americans. Now we have over 332 million. That means, given today’s population, the casualty counts and death tolls would be more than 10 times as great.
2021 Gettysburg: 510,000.
2021 Chickamauga: 350,000.
2021 Chancellorsville: 300,000.
2021 Murfreesboro: 250,000.
With 3 million dead of disease. Think of that.
Yet in 1863, the gratitude was not ironic, or phony, or fake. These were the Americans who sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and meant it. Despite the great national upheaval. Death all around. Future unknown and unknowable. Still, it was America and Americans found time for genuine Thanksgiving.
In 2021, our leaders proclaim… what? Blame? Recrimination? Mandates? Does the solution to our problems really lie in borrowing trillions of dollars from our children and grandchildren?
In 1863, America was in torment. America’s best were busily killing and maiming one another. With new and improved weapons and tactics. Unprecedented and never to be repeated carnage. Why? For a new birth of freedom. To make good the promise of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. To atone. To keep the promise.
In 2021, America is in torment. But of a different kind. Yes, inflation is at a 30-year high. Gas prices up 50%. Home heating fuel up 100%. How is any of this good for working families? Who is celebrating?
Does anyone honestly believe riots and bombing small businesses and federal courthouses lead to freedom? Who truly thinks floods of reckless money printing will cure inflation? What fool advocates choking off America’s energy independence and relying on sheiks and commissars to save the planet from… anything? Why has encouragement of division, blaming, scapegoating, and poverty taken the place of grace, goodwill, gratitude, and appreciation? Can you believe that we are being led to peace or justice?
And Yet So Much To Be Grateful For
A deadly disease appears. Mobilization follows. Empty stocks of personal protection equipment are refilled in record time. Ventilators appear on automobile assembly lines. Researchers formulate new treatments and vaccines at (dare I say it?) warp speed. More and better solutions keep coming.
Small business has been decimated. Huge burdens imposed by shutdowns and capricious government orders. But still. There are more jobs at higher wages than ever before. Why isn’t this the best of times? Why are we not grateful? Who benefits from our division? Where is the profit in America’s decline?
Gratitude Is A Universal Value, An Eternal Good
Across cultures and religious traditions, from ancient times, people have given thanks. As Cicero, thousands of years ago, observed, all virtue begins with and flows from gratitude. Let’s not forget that. Ever.
Thankful People Are A Blessing To Themselves And Their Families
There is nothing inevitable about losing your home, cottage, business, lifesavings, independence, security. All of that is a choice. Despite what “everybody else” says. For thirty years, people have told me, “I’ve never heard of this before!” “If this is real, why haven’t I heard of this before?” “My lawyer/financial advisor/accountant/tax person/banker/best friend/fill-in-the-blank never said anything like this…”
Well, here you are. So now you know. No excuses. Now it is your turn. To ignore the message. Invite poverty. Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions about your life. And that of your loved one.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now. (800) 317-2812
The Secret Hiding In Plain Sight
BlogYour Estate Plan Is Doomed | Why Your Trust Will Fail | What Everybody Knows And No One Will Tell You
Why People Do Estate Planning
Nobody likes estate planning. Estate planning is like castor oil when you were a kid. You had to take it. It was supposed to be good for you. Not sure how or why. But it was unpleasant.
Like insurance, but worse. With insurance, you must have coverage. Just in case. Same with estate planning. You do not want to, you are not sure why you have to, but you must.
If you are like most folks, you do the estate planning because:
1. You have stuff now. House, money, investments.
2. You know you will die. At some point.
3. You think you will have some leftover stuff when you die.
4. You like some people. Spouse. Kids. Friends. Charities.
5. You do not want the government to get your stuff.
6. You want the people you like to get your stuff. Because why not?
Has anyone told you that you are likely to die without stuff? Without leftovers. Has anyone told you that long-term care will drain you dry? If there are no leftovers, why bother? Now you know. Consider yourself told.
Death Is Not The Problem
Some folks believe we will all pass over the Great Divide to the Other Side. Glorious! Other folks hold that sooner or later the organic metabolism that makes up your consciousness will cease and that will be that. Food for worms and nothing more. There are many variations on this basic theme.
Death is not your main problem. Those who survive you will figure out what to do with your remains. And whatever is left of your stuff. This can be done well or poorly. Mostly poorly.
Great families make great plans. Truth to tell, it is not that hard to do it right. But you are not going to see it anyway. Not really your primary problem.
Life Is The Problem
In the Army, I often heard (and often repeated) that, “There are no problems, just opportunities to excel!” Your life is your opportunity. And middle-class folks like you tend to make the most of the gift. That is great. You are independent. You did the work. You get to make choices. Until you cannot.
If you are like most people, you think that tomorrow will be like today. Pretty much. You handled things today. You will handle things tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. But that is not accurate. For most of us, at some point, we will not be able to carry on as we have. That is the castor-oil reality. And most estate planning has nothing, zero, zip, zilch to help you deal with this new, inevitable situation.
LifePlanning™ Is The Solution
LifePlanning™ is focused on you here and now. How do you maintain your independence? How can you stay in control and in charge for as long as humanly possible? Your freedom is what planning should be all about.
The Secret Truth: LifePlanning™ Is Like Hearing Aids
Why do folks buy hearing aids? Did you know that the #1 reason has nothing to do with chirping birds or adjusting the TV volume? The real reason is something no one will admit. It is kind of embarrassing. That is how you know it is true. Folks buy hearing aids because if you cannot hear, your kids will believe that you cannot think. And that is the first step to the kids “helping” you to give up your freedom. The first step to “we can’t trust mom and dad with the kids.”
The real reason for LifePlanning™ is to keep your edge. You do not need lectures. You do not need to hear how nice it is to live at Shady Acres. You do not need another Shady Acres brochure. You want to keep your home. And live there. And you might need some help with that. LifePlanning™ is how to get the help to keep your independence.
Your Trust Will Fail
You went the extra mile. Spent the extra dollars. Got the big binder. Got a trust. Everything is all good now, right? Not so fast.
Everybody knows that trusts fail. Almost all the time. Your financial advisor, insurance agent, banker, accountant. They all know that you will not re-title your assets to the trust. Sure, you will get some stuff in there. Maybe. Most folks have very little in the trust. One survey says 96% of trusts do not avoid probate.
The Institute for Continuing Legal Education gives out certificates to attorneys who want to practice estate planning. Including trust planning. Lawyers who want to be certified must take a whole raft of courses to get that piece of paper. When asked recently about the problem of trusts that do not avoid probate, the instructor was clear. “That is what the pour over will is for. No problem.”
Think about this. The instructor is a highly qualified and experienced estate planning attorney. Partner in a huge, prestigious multi-state law firm. This person is teaching would-be estate planning attorneys that going through probate is no big deal. Did you think that the whole point of the trust was to avoid probate? Whoops. Besides, probate is not that bad… they say…
Your LifePlan™ Will Not Fail
LifePlanning™ means your funding coach works with you to get the job done. To help make sure that your assets are safely in the appropriate trust. It is not easy. It takes time. Two months on average. But there are no shortcuts. No easy way out. And everyone knows it.
LifePlanning™ Is The Solution
LifePlanning™ is the way you keep your stuff. And at the same time, qualify for the government benefits you have earned. Focused on you here and now. By acting early, rather than waiting until the last minute, you will qualify for benefits that may mean you never need residential long-term care. Let’s face it, who can afford the $9000-$12,000 to $15,000 per month costs of skilled nursing? Even a little at home care is ruinously expensive at $30 – $50 per hour.
LifePlanning™ gets you what you have earned. Assistance to stay at home. Health care that keeps you healthy, active, engaged with your grandkids. Free to be your best self.
LifePlanning™ Prevents Tragedy
Nothing is more tragic than one spouse dying while caring for the other. The other spouse now faces institutional care. Which their spouse sacrificed everything to avoid. And that is what happens 40-50% of the time. LifePlanning™ supports the caregiver as well as the disabled spouse. Getting necessary benefits. Staying home. Maximizing potential. Living life to the full.
I Don’t Want Government Help!
Middle-class folks are independent do-it-yourself types. Government hand-out? Perish the thought! Understandable. But.
Government demands taxes. You pay taxes. You never thought you would see any of that money again, right? No return on that investment. This is a return on that investment. Unusual times.
That is the LifePlan™ approach to estate planning and elder law. You paid in, why shouldn’t you be paid back? If you need it. When you need it? Learn more. You can do this.
Secure Your Independence Today… Get Started
COVID flaring up again. Isolation for holidays. Merry Christmas? What are we waiting for? Isn’t today is the best time to plan? Begin by calling the LifePlan™ Hotline: 800-317-2812.
Get Information You Need: Your Life, You Choose!
COVID has not gone away. New challenges arise daily. The risks to your freedom to choose, to your ability to keep what you have earned and built have not gone away. And neither have we. It is your stuff… protect it. And yourself. With complete control. LifePlanning™ means your choices matter, whatever life brings.
How can LifePlanning™ protect your middle-class life savings? How to get this information?
Are you like thousands of Michigan families who played by the rules and earned homes, cottages, farms, lifesavings? Would you like the rules to work for you, for a change? Why wait until it is too late?
GET ANSWERS NOW… CALL THE LIFEPLAN™ HOTLINE
(800) 317-2812
LifePlan™ Workshops are Available Now!
Live, Streaming and Recorded “What could it hurt?”
How I Failed My Father… And How I am Fixing It
BlogPLAIN AS THE NOSE ON YOUR FACE
NONE SO BLIND AS THEY WHO WILL NOT SEE
YOU PROBABLY KNOW MY DAD
Everyone knows somebody like my father. I bet you are a lot like him in many ways. My Dad is the sort who always goes the extra mile. Always giving everything he had. Looking out for others. Going out of his way. Generous. Hard-working.
Dad enlisted in the Navy during WWII, as soon as he could. Following his older brother, an officer and PT boat commander. Dad served stateside, as a Photographer’s Mate, at the Philadelphia Naval Air Station. Mostly taking pictures of crashed airplanes. And the remains of the trainees who crashed them.
After the war, he went to college on the GI Bill. Surrounded by other sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines. A generation of men and women who did not feel sorry for themselves. They had seen evil and death. The world was balanced on the edge of a knife. And they did their duty. They saved the world. Look it up.
Then they came back and went to college. And got married. And raised families. And were grateful for the ordinariness of life. Thirty years ago, when I first started my law practice, I was privileged to meet many of these men and women. So many heroes. The real kind.
They are almost all gone now. But they made a lasting impression. Among them, my dad is not unusual. But how many of us have the same quality?
When Dad met Mom, he settled down. Became a teacher, like so many of his Navy buddies. Teachers in the 1950’s were not paid very much. All worked through the summers. Most had a second job. Mom wanted a large family. Dad came from a large family. He knew what was required. So.
My father got up early… had to be at school by 8 a.m. A tough school in a bad neighborhood. When the bell rang at 3 in the afternoon, Dad came home and took a nap. By 6 in the evening, he was punching the clock at the local brewery. Bottled beer all night. Dad clocked out at 2 in the morning. Came home. Took a nap. At 7 a.m., he started all over again. For 16 years.
Did I mention he was also taking college courses for his master’s degree? Yeah, he did that too. Eventually he took on enough extra jobs at school to quit the brewery. He ran the breakfast program, lunch program, after-school program. He was pretty happy that he did not have to work until 2 a.m. anymore.
Like you, he was active at church. Joined the Lions Club. Volunteered for stuff. Helped out in ways no one ever saw… no one ever knew.
Dad and Mom raised 8 children. Five boys, three girls. I’m the second. I have an older sister. Their example was powerful. And we are all doing quite well. Thank you.
Mom died ten years ago. Dad still lives on his own. Pretty much. At 96 years old, he cannot do what he used to. But he keeps trying. A few weeks ago, he was painting the handrail on the brick stairs leading the front door. Lost his balance. Fell to the brick stairs. Fell on his face. Not the first time. Still OK. He insists.
So, the kids take turns staying with Dad. Just to be there. Just in case. My two weeks is coming up soon. We talk together to set the calendar, to make sure someone is always with Dad. And we talk about options. Including assisted living.
This is where my failure became obvious.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT DAD (OR MOM): THE KIDS’ CONVERSATION
Your children are talking about you. Deny it if you wish, but it is the truth. What to do about Mom? What to do about Dad? How long can they stay at home? What sort of behaviors do you see? What does it mean? What do we do now? Well-meaning questions. By good-natured people. Who truly love you. But are concerned. With your best interests in mind. What they think are your “best interests” anyway.
Recently, as we were setting the Visiting Kids Calendar, one of my brothers asked, “Why isn’t Dad on this PACE program you keep talking about?”
I had no answer. Honestly. You have heard the old saying, “The shoemaker’s kids go barefoot!” It is not that bad. When Mom needed skilled nursing home care for the months before she died, we were ready. LifePlan™ to the rescue.
Dad was not impoverished. There was no Medicaid Mortgage. Mom got the care she needed, at a top long-term care facility. Dad’s years of taxpaying and planning were rewarded.
Ten years later. Dad’s needs are increasing. With 8 kids, he will never be alone. But we are not medical people. What about those needs?
My brother saw what I did not. PACE – the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly was designed for my Dad. He stays at home. With his woodwork shop. Puttering around, fixing this, painting that. Independent. Proud. And getting just the right amount of help to keep him that way.
Was I embarrassed to have overlooked the contribution PACE could make to my own father’s ability to live life on his own terms? You bet. I wish I had proposed the solution. But a good idea is a good idea, whomever comes up with it.
SEE THE LIGHT, OVERCOME BLINDNESS
Most folks who seek answers are relieved and pleased they learn that effective solutions do exist. Thousands of families have honored my team and me with their confidence and trust. And those families have received the benefits they have earned and deserve.
But I have often been puzzled when some families reject the same answers that other families have embraced. It is not unusual for some folks to come back to us, often after months and sometimes years of “spending down,” exhausting their lifesavings. Selling the farm.
If you are like me, you learn from your mistakes. And you try not to repeat the same- old, same-old. I failed my Dad by not seeing how the PACE program could greatly improve his quality of life. But I see it now, and I am taking action. To preserve his independence. His choices. My Dad, and yours, and you, deserve to enjoy life. On your own terms. Not crammed, shoved, or stuffed into someone else’s idea of what you need.
Most people have never heard of PACE. But now you will know. You will be the expert.
COVID NURSING HOME DEATH TRAP
Everyone knows COVID-19 decimates older folks. National reporting confirms the worst place for COVID victims is a long-term care facility. The undeniable tragic history: if you were in a nursing home, your risk of death from COVID-19 was 70 times greater. Did autocratic Executive Orders in New York, New Jersey and Michigan cause thousands of extra deaths? Of course they did. We know that now. But what can we do?
Over the last couple of years, we reported good news about at-home care. Michigan changed the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly – PACE. Eligibility expanded for thousands of new families. Families can now keep their life savings, cottage, farm, rental properties, business. Poverty is no longer required… provided you follow the complex rules. Care services are free. Keep your income. No co-pay, doughnut hole or other contribution.
Many Michigan families have acted on this new information. They have secured at-home care for their loved ones. PACE has kept them safe from the deadly COVID-19 virus stalking long-term care facilities. Healthier at home!
HEALTHY SKEPTICISM OR DEADLY DOUBT?
Many more families cannot believe it is possible. But they could benefit from PACE. Healthy skepticism hardens into stubborn rejection. Everyone suffers. Clinging to the idea that it is “too good to be true” or “fake news”?
Pitiful. Naturally, some folks are uncertain and suspicious. Rightfully so! But accurate information and proof beat unfounded fears every day. Fact: You do not have to accept nursing home poverty for yourself or your loved one.
DO YOU OR YOUR LOVED ONE QUALIFY?
ANSWER YES TO 3 QUESTIONS:
1. Need help with activities of daily life? Memory problems? Oxygen therapy? Blindness? Dialysis? These are just a few of the many ways to qualify.
2. Are you safe at home?
3. Gross social security less than $2382? (Special rules for pension income.)
Let’s do the homework together. Most folks get the benefits they need for independence and security. Information costs nothing. You can find out. Today.
Get Answers Now: 800-317-2812
COVID-19 RULE CHANGES WILL NOT LAST
COVID-19 emergency rules are temporary.
The benefits are permanent. When the emergency is over, these favorable rules will be gone. Of course, this may not be for you. Why not find out? Is it so bad to get back a little from the tax dollars you have paid?
WHAT BENEFITS DOES PACE PROVIDE?
Folks always want to know: What can PACE do for me? You have a team on your side. Your PACE team is doctors, therapists, dieticians, nurses, physician assistants, administrators. All work together to provide the best solution. Want more detail? You can receive:
ADULT DAY HEALTH CENTER
• On-Site Physician/Medical Supervision
• Nursing Care
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Recreational Therapy
• Activities and Exercise
• Breakfast, Lunch, Snack
• Nutritional Counseling
• Social Services
• Dental Care
• Audiology
• Optometry
• Podiatry MEDICAL SPECIALISTS
• Women’s Services
• Dentistry and Dentures
• Optometry and Eyeglasses
• Audiology and Hearing Aids
• Podiatry, Diabetic Shoes and Orthotics
• Cardiology
• Rheumatology OUTPATIENT SERVICES
• Lab Tests
• Radiology
• X-Rays
• Outpatient Surgery
PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN
• On call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
HOME HEALTH AND HOME CARE SERVICES
• Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living
• Physical and Occupational Therapy
• Personal Care
• Chore Services
• Meal Preparation
INPATIENT SERVICES
• Emergency Room Visits
• Hospitalizations
• Inpatient Specialist
• Skilled Inpatient Rehabilitation
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES PRESCRIPTIONS And OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATIONS
FAMILY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT SERVICES
• Respite Care and Caregiver Education
REHAB And DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
• Wheelchairs
• Walkers
• Oxygen
• Hospital Beds
• Diabetic Testing Supplies
• Adult Day Care
Get the straight story. Your loved one is counting on you. Don’t let them down. It’s simple and free.
Call 800-317-2812.
Your Discovery meeting and Analysis meeting are waiting for you. Get it done.
Individual Retirement Accounts Hold $40 Trillion
BlogClose Your Eyes And Tap Your Heels Together 3 Times…
There’s No Account Like An Ira Account, Unless It’s A 401(K)…
NOTE: You have stumbled upon one more in our continuing series answering your Frequently Asked Questions about traditional and ROTH Individual Retirement Accounts. Most middle-class Americans rely on these accounts for retirement security. These are the questions folks like you ask folks like me over and over again. So if you think they are boring, ask more interesting questions! As if there were anything more interesting than retirement security.
I Just Like Watching It Grow…Why Do I Have To Withdraw $$$ From My Ira?
Middle Class Michigan has billions invested in traditional Individual Retirement Accounts, Simplified Employee Plans (SEP) and Savings Incentive Match PLan for Employees (SIMPLE). Those billions cannot stay there forever. You must start pulling your money out at age 72. Happy Birthday! Nobody cares if you do not want to take the money. Does not matter that you are still working. The Law says “Thou Shalt Take Thy Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)!”
How much to take? You have an IRA custodian, the company running your IRA. Your custodian tells the taxman that you must take the RMD. Your custodian also tells you how much you must take (or offers to calculate it). Your custodian told you this last January. Remember? It was in that flood of financial mail you always get at the beginning of the year. Let’s hope you didn’t throw it out…
Somebody Died And Left You An Ira… Now What?
You did not get a book. You were named beneficiary on an IRA. By somebody you did not marry. You have until New Year’s Eve in the year after that generous person’s death to empty that inherited IRA account.
Love & Marriage, Go Together Like A Horse & Carriage
Your spouse dies. You are named IRA beneficiary. You did not roll over the IRA into one of your own. You can wait to take distributions until (what would have been) your dearly departed’s 72nd year.
Different Strokes For Different Folks
IRA Custodians are like snowflakes… All different. Distribution options vary widely. You do not like your IRA custodian? You can arrange a “custodian-to-custodian” transfer. It can be a pain, but worth it!
And what if you are not a human? What if the IRA is left to a charity or trust or estate? Special Rules for you! The IRS is ready to help with Publication 590-B. Check it out! Fascinating reading.
Danger Danger
Never forget! There is a 50% Penalty Tax on top of any regular income tax if you fail to take a Required Minimum Distribution. You do not want to need Form 5329. But if you just made an innocent mistake, IRS might forgive the penalty. But don’t count on it.
I Want A Roth Ira Like Everybody Else. But I’m Stuck With This Stupid Traditional Ira. What Can I Do?
Calm Down… You Can Convert! After You Pay The Taxes.
You can convert pretty much any traditional IRA, SEP IRA, or 401(k) to a Roth.
SIMPLE IRAs are different. You must wait for 2 years. If you do not wait, there is a 25% penalty. So do not be a simpleton and do wait the 2 years.
You can only convert your employer plan if eligible to take a distribution.
I Want My Money Now! From My Roth. How?
You Earned It. You Paid Taxes On It. Now You Want It.
Roth IRAs are great because you can take the money out tax-free! That’s because you paid tax on the money when it was going in. Except for the money the money earned. You have 3 kinds of money in a Roth IRA.
Contributions: Money you paid tax on, then put into the Roth.
Conversions: Money you had in another IRA or 401(k), then paid tax on, then put into the Roth.
Earnings: Money that your Contributions and Conversions earned while in the Roth.
You can take your Contribution back at any time. You can withdraw your Conversion money at any time if you are over 59 ½. Why not? You already paid the tax on it. Technically, you take out Contributions first, then Conversions.
But what about those sweet, sweet tax-free Earnings? You can have those:
1. 5 years after setting up your Roth, and,
2. You are 59 ½ or Dead or Disabled, or,
3. First Time Home Buyer Exception.
10% Penalty Tax on Earnings if you are under 59 ½. 10% Penalty Tax on Conversions if you are under 59 ½ and your Conversion money was in the Roth for less than 5 years.
Easy, huh?
Everything Is Easy Until It Isn’t!
Most folks want to work and save and enjoy. They do not live their lives raking through the Internal Revenue Code or the Bridges Eligibility Manual or the Social Security Act or any of the other Niagara Falls torrent of rules and regulations spewing out of the Government. Desperately and without hope seeking some semblance of common sense. Trying to keep head above water. No, most normal, well-adjusted, happy, healthy people wisely wish to wander on the sunny side of life.
Aren’t you glad there is an abnormal, mal-adjusted, neurotic fanatic like me to focus like a laser beam on the stuff that drives most people crazy? Stop the madness? I don’t think so… Only by digging deep do we find the nuggets of knowledge that keep you from Nursing Home Poverty. That allow you to receive some payback for all the taxes you paid in. That deliver dignity and respect.
Peace of mind and security are waiting for everyone who knows what work really is. It is a choice. Despite what “everybody else” says.
Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.
Happy Days Are Here Again…
It Is Morning In America
Everything’s Coming Up Roses
All Good News All The Time
Can’t Get Enough Of This Wonderful Stuff
Your ring-side seat to the glorious success that is the United States of America today! Amazingly wonderful, super, duper, wonderfulness like you have never seen! Cherry-picking only the very best, for your prideful pleasure.
Making Every Boy’s Dream Come True
You already knew that in today’s America every little boy can dream of growing up to be a champion female track star, weightlifter, or mixed martial artist. Shamefully, the ranks of 4-star female admirals in uniformed federal service have always been tightly shut. No longer! Thanks to the brave courageousness of the courageously brave, one of the few remaining doors to young boys’ dreams has been battered down. Without serving a minute of military service, former pediatrician and political health bureaucrat Rachel Levine has bravely vaulted courageously to be one of the few 4-star flag rank, admiral general officers of America. Courage!
Back in 2014, the U.S. Navy promoted Michelle Janine Howard to full Admiral. Four stars. After 32 years of active duty including extensive sea time. First woman. First African American. First woman captain of a U.S. Navy ship. But. Born a woman. So, y’know… no biggie.
Boat Parades Are Back!
Spontaneous Outpourings Of Joy, Affection & Respect For America, From The World
You may recall a new phenomenon that arose during the recent political pugilism.
Boat Parades! Enthusiastic Americans took to the waterways to celebrate affection, respect, and admiration for their choice. In the best traditions of American democracy, light-hearted conglomerations of watercraft arose spontaneously in good-natured advocacy. A water-wonderful time was had by all!
And now the world has chosen to honor American Greatness with a boat parade for all of us! Handsome ships from around the world, flying every flag, have gathered off our mighty port cities to celebrate us! Packed with containers, they refuse to land. Why? They prefer steaming back and forth to salute you and me with affection and good spirit. Nothing says “We Love You, America!” like a boat parade. And “We Love You, too, World!”
Finally, Gasoline Prices We Can Be Proud Of!
For almost four years Americans suffered the stark, staring, humiliation of gas prices that belonged in the 1970’s. The traumatic embarrassment of $2 gas. Sometimes less. Oh, the humanity!
More painful to all right-thinking people was the effect on Russian oil oligarchs, oil barons, oil sheiks and the Canadians. Thoughtlessly, we deprived them of their chokehold on America. Think how they must have felt! All right-thinking people burned with shame…
But all is right again! It was super easy for Administration Wise Ones. Barely an inconvenience. Simply shut down a few pesky American pipelines. Revoke a few permits, leases, approvals… And now? Europe still on top. But American Oil Prices and Dependence are on the upswing. Yay for us! Thank you Thank you Thank you…
No Poverty. No Charity. No Waste. It is not chance.
It is choice. Your choice. Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812
I Want to Reture Some Day… Can I Contribute to an IRA?
BlogIRAs… Yes, This Will Be On The Test
WE’LL GET THERE WHEN WE GET THERE… DON’T MAKE ME STOP OR SO HELP ME…
Financial security was probably not what The Beach Boys were singing about. But wouldn’t it be nice to have a few bucks of your own? A little independence? Isn’t that “the kind of world where we belong”? Maybe not completely relying on Social Security?
You choose from two types of Individual Retirement Account: Traditional or Roth. Traditional IRA, you deduct contributions when the money goes in and pay income tax on distributions when the money comes out. Roth IRA, you pay tax on contributions when the money goes in and do NOT pay income tax on distributions when the money comes out.
Concerned about skyrocketing income tax rates? Roth IRA for you! Want to dump more money into the account now and worry about taxes later? Traditional IRA at your service.
How to make it happen? Middle class workers and savers (that’s you) have been pumping money into tax-advantaged accounts since the 1980’s. How much? Nobody seems to know for sure. Probably somewhere between 30 and 40 trillion dollars. And even today, that’s real money. So how can you get into the game?
You Must Have Earned Income
Only folks with “earned income” get to contribute to an Individual Retirement Account. Did you get a W-2? Then you have earned income. For sure. No question. “Safe Harbor.” But nowadays, in this “gig economy” many folks are getting Form 1099s for earned income. Hello UBER drivers! Earned Income includes wages, salaries, commissions, self-employment income, taxable alimony. Earned Income does not include rent, royalties, annuity payments, pension, deferred comp.
How much can you contribute? All of your “earned income”… up to the contribution limit. For 2021 (no change from 2019 or 2020) the contribution limit is $6000, $7000 if you are 50 years old or more.
But If You Have Too Much Earned Income — No Roth For You!
You worked your butt off. Income tax biting hard. But you see even higher taxes on the horizon… Wouldn’t it be nice to dump some dough into a Roth and not worry about those higher taxes? Obviously. But you poor sap… if your income is over $124,000, your contribution is limited. And if you make more than $139,000, you are skunked! No Roth at all! Really? Nope…
Too Much Earned Income and Still Get the Roth? How Can This Be?
You put in the overtime. You worked a second job. You sold GRIT, greeting cards, and flower seeds door-to-door. Too much income! You cannot have a Roth! Or can you?
You paid the income tax. You are not eligible for a Traditional IRA income tax deduction. You are not eligible for a Roth. Now what?
Your income is “too high” for a Roth. (Hello doctors, nurses, foremen, engineers!) But you can still make contributions to a Traditional IRA. Taxable contributions. Contributions that are NOT tax deductible. How much can you contribute? Same as anyone else, see above. The difference is that you cannot take an income tax deduction for those contributions.
OK. So now you put the maximum leftover money into a Traditional IRA. “How does that help with the Roth?”, you ask. Good question. The answer is that you can convert a Traditional IRA that was established with taxed money into a Roth IRA. You can even convert untaxed IRA money into a Roth, if you pay the income tax. You can do this…whenever you want.
To Sum It All Up: You cannot establish a Roth IRA because you have too much income. But you can still establish a Roth IRA anyhow, despite too much income, if you take this extra step.
I told you this stuff was nuts. Believe me now?
I Do Not Work Outside the Home, But I want to Retire Too… Can My Spouse Contribute to My IRA?
Yes! Even if you do not work for money outside the home, your spouse can contribute on your behalf. Yay domestic partnership! Wedded bliss!
Just like your working-for-money spouse, you can put $6000 per year into your own IRA. And beginning when you are 50 years old, you can put an additional $1000 per year into your IRA. Pretty great!
Beware: All the same rules for income, retirement plans, contribution limits and so on apply to you as to your working stiff spouse. Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander. Same rules apply to both. Including that Traditional to Roth Conversion thing that nobody can believe actually works. But does!
Can I Get Deductions for My IRA Contributions? Elementary My Dear Watson! If This Stuff Were Easy, Everybody Would Do It
RULE #1 You can never deduct contributions to a Roth IRA. Remember, the whole point of a Roth is pay tax NOW so no tax LATER.
RULE #2 You can always deduct contributions to a Traditional IRA, no matter how much income. Within the $6000 + $1000 limits. Unless you or your spouse are covered by an “employer retirement plan.”
If your employer sponsors a retirement plan, your IRA contribution will be limited or eliminated by the “Deduction Phaseout.” Limited or Eliminated. Depends on how much income you have. Same deal, but different limits if your spouse’s employer has a retirement plan. It gets complicated.
So, pick yourself up a copy of IRS Publication 590-A, Contributions to IRAs, for today’s numbers. Only 60 pages long, IRS Pub. 590-A is riveting reading. And if 590-A does not put you to sleep, may I suggest IRS Publication 590-B, Distributions from IRAs. A real page-turner! Sixty-six pages, that is…
Wondering if you are covered by an employer plan? Your W-2 Form has a box for that. If it is checked, you are covered.
You cannot deduct, but still want to contribute to your traditional IRA? File IRS Form 8606 with your tax return to fess up!
Changes in Tax, Medicaid, Business and Other Laws Make Lifeplanning™ a Necessity for Any Middle-class Family to Succeed
You have built a significant and successful life and family.
Of course, your success comes from hard work and talent. But continued success depends on how quickly one can respond to life’s changes.
And, as I am sure you are keenly aware, circumstances are putting pressure on the entire American middle class, and middle-class seniors in particular. I am referring, of course, to the frustrating jumble of COVID laws and executive orders, along with the trillions of social spending draining Medicare and Social Security trust funds. Not to mention today’s financial turbulence.
First, the infamous executive orders that required nursing homes to admit vulnerable seniors with COVID. Only 16% of Americans are over age 65. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this small group suffered 78% of all COVID deaths. The number goes to 94% when people over age 50 are included.
Hyper-inflation is already back. You are already paying double at the gas pump. I shudder to think what your heating bill will look like this winter.
With Congress and the President shoveling money out the door, how will Social Security and Medicare survive? You already know that their priorities are not your priorities.
Hence the necessity to recognize these new realities – threats, even – and act accordingly, by increasing awareness, effectiveness, and avoiding nursing home poverty. You can live your best possible life and still be justly proud of the legacy you leave.
LifePlanning™, of course, cannot be the only solution to all this, but it is definitely an important part of it.
And let me emphasize one highly relevant fact.
Pressed by the need to get legal advice and documents quickly and cheaply, a few seniors (and their kids) have started using some of the free resources available on the Internet. This “shortcut” may all too easily result in great financial and medical losses to the detriment of your wealth and health.
Quite an unnecessary risk, given the availability and affordability of a comprehensive, cost-effective, personalized solution like LifePlanning™.
The benefits of this approach are so clear and overwhelming that thousands of families and hundreds of millions of lifesavings have already been protected.
Nevertheless, I doubt if anyone in your family will appreciate its value and implications better than you.
Nothing is more compelling than evidence. Go to the website: www.davidcarrierlaw.com. A quick review will take only a few minutes.
If you like what you see, call our LifePlan™ Hotline at 800-317-2812 or email me at david@davidcarrierlaw.com for an online or live Workshop. In a very short time indeed, you and your family can verify the claims I have made.
Success in life has always depended on knowledge. Those who are better informed, or informed before others win for themselves and their families. That is really the overwhelming reason why LifePlanning™ is not just important but, I believe, essential.
Why not invest 5 minutes and see for yourself?
(800) 317-2812
Life Is The Test… Why Not Win It?
BlogWhat is so different about you? What enables middle class folks to rise and win, time after time? Facing and beating challenges? At 7 years old, I began helping another kid on his paper route. Lucky for me, there was a block of triple decker houses and Paulie did not like climbing stairs. A few years later, my next younger brother and I had our own route. Hot in the summer. Cold in the winter. Raining or snowing from time to time. On foot.
We did not always whistle while we worked. But the Carrier boys delivered the Evening Bulletin 6 nights a week. And early Sunday mornings, before church, the Journal-Bulletin. You have done the same.
Throughout your life, you took the overtime. The second job. Doing what it took. My weekends at Notre Dame were spent delivering pizza. As a law student, I worked full time on the graveyard shift as a security guard. Just like you. What else could we have done? We had a job. We saw the need. We got it done. We learned it from our folks. After beating the bad guys in WWII, our parents went to work. Dad taught school all day, came home, changed clothes, and put in 8 more hours at the Narragansett brewery. For 16 years. Mom was an RN. After raising 8 kids, she pinned her nurse’s cap back on and resumed nursing.
Details vary, but your family lived the same values. How do I know? Thirty years of talking to and planning for your folks. And you.
And now COVID. The Elder Plague. Death rates: way down. Therapies: better and improving. So much winning. But we are not done yet. COVID is real. COVID can strike close to home.
By a series of commonplace coincidences, a team member tested positive for COVID. Several of us are now waiting on our own test results. We should be fine. Since the beginning, the Carrier Law team has taken every recommended precaution. And come up with a few of our own. Hand sanitizer, videoconferencing, outdoor workshops, social distancing, masks, working from home, plexiglass barriers, ultraviolet lights, temperature checks, screening protocols, Clorox-ing conference rooms, prudent behavior. Not perfect.
Last Friday, I spent a few hours (in the rain) climbing through trees on one of those courses. Team building with several paralegals. Outdoors, yes. Distanced, yes. Wearing masks, yes. Until that triumphant team photo at the finish. Mask off. Picture! Mask on. Well. So now we wait for the test results.
One more thing to be taken in stride. Aren’t we all waiting on “test results”? What will your “Alzheimer’s test” reveal? Of course, there is no such “test.” We find out only as time goes by. With COVID, we face reality, we do not wish it away. Most of us will eventually face dementia. Personally. Not just our spouse or a loved one. Lots of statistics. One bottom-line fact.
We, the middle class, do not deny reality. We accept it, make our peace, and do the best we can. With optimism and good cheer. Lots of critics have lots to say about us baby-boomers.
But all agree that when we see what we want, we go get it. Make it happen. Rejecting the counsels of gloom and doom. With open eyes and stout hearts.
When you are facing long-term care, dementia, end of life issues, there are a million questions and few reliable answers.
Many people, including otherwise competent financial planners, well-known attorneys, and respected members of the community, seem to believe that you should go broke when facing these issues. Maybe they are unaware of the options. Perhaps they are in denial. Is there a moral imperative that you should go broke? Some “experts” seem to think there is.
Like you, I completely reject the idea that losing is okay. Like you, I believe in winning. We all have challenges and sometimes we do lose. But we never “get used to it.” Why should we? Losing is a bitter pill. I may have to take my medicine, but I do not have to like it.
If you want to go broke, as some folks think you should, you do not need me. The state is very good at making a bonfire of your lifesavings. The state helps only when you comply with their rules. And for most folks, compliance means poverty, insecurity, loss. Unacceptable.
LifePlanning™ is middle class Michigan’s tool kit for winning. Comply with their rules? Yes, absolutely. If you want to win, you must know how to play the game. Thirty years of study, experience, testing and delivering results have produced the LifePlan™ system. Techniques and tools that preserve, protect, and defend your right to decide how you will live.
You earned that right through decades of work and conscientious stewardship. Isn’t it ridiculous to suggest that impoverishing yourself, your spouse, your family is somehow noble? Isn’t it foolish to reject your own life experience for the defeatist counsels of the “wise”?
LifePlanning™ means your choices matter, whatever the test results. Are you like thousands of Michigan families who played by the rules and earned homes, cottages, farms, lifesavings? Would you like the rules to work for you, for a change? Are you waiting for the test results?
Are you waiting until it is too late? Would you like to know now?
GET ANSWERS NOW… CALL THE LIFEPLAN™ HOTLINE
1-800-317-2812
LifePlan™ Workshops are Available Now: Live, Streaming and Recorded
What could it hurt?
This Is Jeopardy!® Let’s Meet Today’s Contestant… It’s You
BlogA Pandemic Of Potpourri
Did Somebody Get Into The “Potent Potables”?
Ten Inspirational Quotes
Profound Or Just Confusing?
You Be The Judge.
1. It’s not the days in your life, but the life in your days that counts. — Brian Williams
2. The best way to predict the future, is to create it. — President Abraham Lincoln
3. Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. — General George S. Patton
4. A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night. — Marilyn Monroe
5. I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. — Michael Jordan
6. You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough. — Mae West
7. To avoid criticism: Say Nothing. Do Nothing. Be Nothing. — Aristotle
8. When the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it may be that they take better care of it there. — Cecil Selig
9. Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you, too, can become great. — Mark Twain
10. We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone. — Ronald Reagan
BONUS QUOTE: “What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.” — Luke 10:26-28
MEDICARE MISHEGAS
“OY VEY! DE GOY IST USING A YIDDISH WORD… SOME CHUTZPAH, DA KLUTZ!”
“QUIT WITH DE KVETCHING, BUBBE… MENSCH OR MESHUGGENEH, WHO CAN SAY?
HE’S TRYING AND THAT AIN’T BUPKIS” BASICS
1. Medicare is a Mulligatawny Stew of Health Insurance Options, including Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Part D Prescription Drug Plans.
2. 2.1 million Michiganders, Michiganians, or Great Lakes Staters are enrolled in Medicare.
3. Everything Changes Every Year! Open Enrollment is NOW! GOOD STUFF is available.
MEDICARE ADVANTAGE SUPPLEMENT INSURANCE (PART C AND SOMETIMES PART D)
1. Average Monthly Medicare Advantage Insurance Premiums DROPPED from $35 to $29 per month for 2022.
2. 25 new Medicare Advantage Plans are available in 2022. Total: 191 DIFFERENT Plans.
3. Some Medicare Advantage Plans have ZERO, that is $0 per month premiums.
4. 18 Advantage Plans offer rewards and incentives for healthy behaviors.
5. Advantage Plans, including Advantage Plans with ZERO premiums, are available to ALL (that’s 100%) of Michigan Medicare folks.
MEDICARE STAND ALONE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN (PART D)
1. 23 Stand Alone Prescription Drug Plans (Part D) are available in 2022.
2. Many Advantage Plans include Part D coverage.
3. 99% of Medicare recipients can lower their 2021 premiums.
4. Part D Plans start at $7.50 per month.
OPEN ENROLLMENT… OPEN ENROLLMENT… OPEN ENROLLMENT
You get the chance every year to change your MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT INSURANCE. The time is NOW! From October 15 through December 7. Do NOT miss this opportunity to evaluate your Medicare insurance. Maybe you already have the best plan of all time. Maybe there’s a new one that would fit you better. You do not get to complain if you do not get involved. So get involved in your own health care insurance. You have choices.
The Government evaluates all the various plans and assigns STAR ratings to each. One Star or Five Stars? That is your choice. The ratings are available right now on MEDICARE.GOV.
GET INFORMATION NOW!
“Don’t be a shmendrik… Listen to the spiel… Mazel Tov!”
You can watch a super video class on your 2022 Medicare choices. It is so easy!
1. Prepare a nice hot cup of tea. And a muffin or scone.
2. Go To davidcarrierlaw.com
3. Click on “Free Workshops”
4. Click on “Visiting Expert Series”
5. When You Get to the Visiting Expert Series page, scroll down to “In Case You Missed It.”
6. Click on “Medicare AEP (Annual Election Period)”.
7. Relax! Sip the tea. Nosh the scone. Absorb the information!
8. Decide… Do you want to make changes?
THE REST OF THE STORY…
Your Medicare, along with Medicare Supplement Insurance and Medicare Advantage Plans are essential pieces in assembling the puzzle of your health plan. Hospitalization. Disease. Injury. Bad Stuff that Happens. Medicare is there when you need acute care. Or a new knee.
But Medicare is only part of the story. What about long-term care? What about at-home care or assisted living? What about nursing home care? What about the $185.50 co-pay for Days 21-100 of rehabilitation services? What about NO COVERAGE AT ALL for Days 100+? Medicare is not the answer for these questions.
Medicaid is the rest of the story… Find out at a LifePlan™ Workshop. Or come to the Navigating Medicaid Webinar sponsored by MLive!
PANDEMIC PANDEMONIUM: FREE COVID CASH
TRILLION HERE, TRILLION THERE, PRETTY SOON YOU’RE TALKING REAL MONEY
EMPLOYEE RETENTION TAX CREDIT – THROW MONEY OUT THE WINDOW!
FULL DISCLOSURE: For the last 31 years, from the very start, the Firm paid taxes. And paid. And paid. Freedom is not free. Blessings of Liberty have a price. But now we have the World Turned Upside Down. Government wants to give the Firm money. To keep folks employed. To keep the lights on. And the Firm has said yes. Including this galloping geyser of cash called the Employee Retention Tax Credit. The Firm is happy to duke it out with other law firms on any fair ground. But when the government starts spewing cash, the game is rigged. And it’s either play by their rules or lose. The Firm does not like to lose. So, the Firm took the PPP. And the ERTC. And we don’t like it. But your highly trained, motivated, and grateful team is still here to serve you and your family.
The 2020 CARES Act gave us this payroll tax credit. The Employee Retention Tax Credit. It has been extended through December 2021. The ERTC is worth up to $10,000 per employee for 2020. For 2021, it’s up to $28,000 per employee (70% of each employee’s earnings, per quarter, up to $7000). This is not chump change.
You get the money if:
a. Your business was partially (or fully) shut down by COVID, or
b. Your revenue was down by 20% in any 2021 quarter this year (50% in any 2020 quarter) as against the same quarter in 2019.
c. By the way, what if your income was down in the first quarter, but not the second? Under the alternate quarter rule, you can use the first quarter to qualify for the ERTC in the second quarter.
1. Here’s where it gets crazy. You can still claim the credit in the first quarter! Your business only qualifies for one quarter, but you can claim for 2 quarters? Yes. Nuts, right?
d. ERTC is supposed to offset employer payroll taxes. And it does. But what if you do not have enough employer payroll taxes to use up the credit? The IRS sends you a check. Not kidding.
e. Jed Clampett was surprised to find oil in his backyard. You may be just as shocked to discover this little fountain of fun. Too bad, you missed out in 2020, right? Nope, just go back, amend your returns, and get a nice fat government check.
EXIT QUESTION: Would You Give $3.5 Trillion Dollars to the Goof-balls Who Dreamed This Up? Do You Think They Would Spend the Money Wisely? Would You Want Them Running a Hotdog Stand? Collecting Your Garbage? (Apologies to waste haulers everywhere!)
SURE IS GREAT TO FIND OUT HOW THINGS REALLY WORK…
UNCOVER THE ELEPHANT!
Elephants to the left of us, elephants to the right… Sneaky devils! Cleverly camouflaged by the global investment industry, the legal profession, government, and others.
Can you handle the truth? I knew you could! Come find out what is really going on…
Most people know that long-term care is the stinkiest elephant in the herd. But you can get the straight story. Accurate information. Clear thinking. What you truly need to know.
Of course, you are busy. So much going on. We make it easy. Get the information, insight, inspiration you need. To live your life. Make smart decisions. Cut through the fog. It is your turn. For you. For your loved ones.
NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.
Get Information Now.
800-317-2812