TUESDAY TIPS - 2017 Edition

Start your NEW YEAR off right!

Part One: 

1. Start your day by stretching

Stretching wakes you up, improves flexibility, helps circulation, and gives you more energy.

2. Push your alarm back 1 minute every day

This will help you transition into getting up bright and early.

3. Put unhealthy food low in your fridge

Studies show less food and drink is consumed if it’s harder to get to.

4. De-Clutter your life / house

Find a “purge list” online and make a check list for de-cluttering each month. This will keep you feeling fresh all year!

5. Revisit old photographs

Looking at personal photos has been shown to boost moods more than eating chocolate, watching TV, or listening to music.

6. Simple Savings

Start envelopes for vacation, holidays, etc. Put a little money / spare change in the envelopes each month rather than coming up with it all at once. 

Start your NEW YEAR off right!
Part Two: 

7. The 1% Trick

Don’t go from 0 to 100. Take each day to implement a little something more towards your goal (Exercise, Diet, Etc.)

8. Write out your goals

And print a couple copies. It’s easy to forget about them if they’re only in your mind—this will help hold you accountable.

9. Yearly Homeowners maintenance

Plan the year with a monthly To-Do list for household upkeep. This is less overwhelming than doing it all at once.

10. Plan weekends ahead of time

Anticipating a fun event boosts overall happiness, so plan a weekend adventure early in the week.

11. Limit your spending to budgeted amounts

Budget for eating out, clothes, entertainment, etc. Buy AMEX gift cards each month w/ balances dedicated to that, and don’t spend beyond that gift card!

12. Make your bed everyday

Making your bed gives you a feeling of accomplishment and is correlated with better productivity / less stress & could lead to other good habits.

Brought to you by: Senior Benefit Services

www.sbsteam.net

800-627-2768

Long Term Care Awareness Month

LTC Awareness Month >>>
Eight Things People Should Know

*REPOST* Brought to you by: Mutual of Omaha

November is LTC Awareness Month – time again to devote your efforts to helping people understand the importance of planning for their future long-term care needs.

This can be challenging...especially for those who find it hard to see themselves needing help with the most basic daily activities, like bathing or dressing. Yet, taking accountability for their future care and planning for that day is something everyone should do.

Here are eight things they should consider when developing a plan for long-term care:

1. Planning for long-term care is important. Most people will tell you they plan to live a long life. But with age comes the need for help with some of the things they always did for themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 70 percent of people who reach age 65 will need LTC services at some point in their lives
2. LTC services are expensive. Mutual of Omaha’s cost-of-care survey revealed that just one year in a nursing home can cost nearly $80,000 (based on national averages). Home health care is less expensive, but people still can expect to pay over $36,000 per year on average for care they receive at home.
3. You can’t rely on Medicare. Many people mistakenly believe their LTC needs are already covered. In reality, Medicare only covers services for a short time – typically just long enough to help people get back on their feet after an illness or injury.
4. Medicaid isn’t for everyone. It’s true. Medicaid does cover LTC services. But it’s important to remember that Medicaid is a program for people with low incomes and limited resources. That may mean your clients would have to spend down their assets just to qualify. Not an attractive option for people who want to protect the assets they worked a lifetime to accumulate and leave a legacy for their children.
5. There’s a hidden cost to family caregivers. It’s easy to say, "My family will take care of me." But a spouse may not be physically able to provide all the care that’s needed. And children have their own family and career obligations. The fact is family caregivers frequently suffer from stress and illness themselves. Not to mention lost wages if they have to give up a job or reduce work hours.
6. The best time to start planning is now. How will you pay for the care you need? Where will you live? Who will take care of you? These are questions people need to ask themselves now while they’re young and in good health. The need for LTC services can arise at any time. Having a plan in place when that day comes can help alleviate the emotional strain many families face. It also can help ensure your clients get to make the important decisions about the care they receive and the setting they prefer.
7. The cost of waiting can be high. The ability to obtain an LTCi policy is based on age and good health. So it’s important for people to understand that if something happens to cause a change in their health status, they may not be able to purchase LTCi at any price.
8. Some coverage is better than none. Many people who think they can’t afford an LTCi policy neglect to consider what would happen if they didn’t have one. Without a policy to help pay the bills for LTC services, they may have to liquidate assets, sell stocks, dip into savings or retirement accounts or sell property to come up with the cash they need. Even a modest LTCi policy offers some protection for their important assets.

Read More @: http://www.mutualofomaha.com/yourchoice/tips-tools-training/article-eight-things-people-should-know.php