tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89201997507931620792024-03-13T02:19:27.911-05:00Insurance NerdMy wife likes listening to me talk about insurance slightly less than I enjoy shopping with her. However, I have a lot to say about it. My goal is to use this to let it all out in a way that both entertains and educates consumers and other insurance professionals.Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-23005800581577545092020-04-28T12:13:00.000-05:002020-04-28T16:33:03.169-05:0050% Return on Investment?People often quote the old adage "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is," without acknowledging the "probably is" part. "It probably is" doesn't equal "It absolutely is". Being able recognize the difference is often what separates the "haves" from the "have nots".<br />
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<b>DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A TAX ADVISOR. THIS IS NOT TAX ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH A TAX PROFESSIONAL REGARDING THIS BEFORE TAKING ANY ACTION.</b><br />
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For those who are in the niche to take advantage of it, here is the not-to-good-to-be-true opportunity of 50% (initial) return on investment (ROI). This is from the instructions for <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8880.pdf" target="_blank">IRS Form 8880</a>. (Link includes form and instructions.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhqXa5-I3cEwxNpxXMgNa3LIEJ9_klsZBAEz-6amUJ_qkLKeG5SB426AbfkH8Bw52T6g8V2NA0mzKziDhnWSijOE32YwX_LYv4HzhmVx634-ouJAhL6TzdnMf89DEbRLkMbKxfIYxXt8/s1600/8880+Instructions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="813" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhqXa5-I3cEwxNpxXMgNa3LIEJ9_klsZBAEz-6amUJ_qkLKeG5SB426AbfkH8Bw52T6g8V2NA0mzKziDhnWSijOE32YwX_LYv4HzhmVx634-ouJAhL6TzdnMf89DEbRLkMbKxfIYxXt8/s1600/8880+Instructions.jpg" /></a></div>
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Often called, "the saver's credit", it should be available to (again, consult your tax advisor) a person whose Adjusted Gross Income is under $19,250 (or $38,500 for married filing jointly) for 2019 taxes. Voluntary contributions up to $2,000 result in a tax credit of .5 (50%) of the contributions, with lower credits for those with AGI up to $32,000 for an individual. Here are a few of my favorite things regarding this:<br />
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<ul>
<li>It applies to money put into a Roth IRA, not just traditional IRA. </li>
<li>Because of filing deadline moved to July 15, deadline to contributing to or opening an account for 2019 tax year has also moved.</li>
<li>If a person is on the edge of qualifying for a higher credit or for the credit at all, your tax advisor should be able to tell if a contribution would reduce the AGI resulting in a higher credit.</li>
<li>Once an account is established, it's much easier to contribute for the current and future years.</li>
<li>Increased retirement savings!</li>
</ul>
It definitely is a niche since there are a lot of things that would disqualify someone from getting the credit such as being claimed as a dependent or being a full-time student. And many of those making $32,000 or less are not going to have the money to save. But here are some situations that may work. You can probably think of more.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Semi-retired person who is working but doesn't "need" the money from work.</li>
<li>Young part-time student or non student with low expenses because of living with parents.</li>
<li>Person with assets but lower earned income for 2019 (and/or expected for 2020) tax year because of not working part of the year or reduced hours, intentionally or involuntarily.</li>
<li>Person with intentionally low expenses and intentional low taxable income.</li>
<li>Person who gets a Covid 19 stimulus payment but doesn't "need" the money.</li>
</ul>
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<b>Bottom line: If in the right niche, $2,000 contribution to retirement savings gets a $1,000 tax credit, AND the $2,000 is still in the retirement savings.</b></div>
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If your tax advisor says it's a good idea and you need helping set up an IRA or Roth IRA, I am happy to help. Since it's still the month of 4/20, I'll make the gratuitous Willie Nelson reference. <a href="https://youtu.be/qKnWpXEXrfU" target="_blank">"If you've got the money, honey, I've got the time".</a></div>
Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-39118920905994924202020-04-08T18:17:00.002-05:002020-04-09T22:52:36.220-05:00Chaos Creates Opportunity!It is not without reason that the 1% is the 1% and the 99% is the 99%. Hindsight is 20/20. A few weeks ago I saw a Facebook post where a friend's status was something like, "I think the overall stock market is going to drop. What do people think are good investments?" There was a lively discussion among some very smart people, people who would probably be considered by many "rich". I don't know many of them personally, but from the little I can see, they appear to be mostly self-made entrepreneurs willing to take calculated risks. The discussion went into predicting that the U.S. would essentially be shut down soon, overall markets would plummet, but companies who facilitated people being able to work from home, get food delivered, stream movies, etc. would do very well. Some of them discussed specific companies they were investing in. They were way ahead of those that lost in the market drops because they were paying attention to information that was available to everyone who was looking.<br />
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Chaos creates opportunity. But opportunity is worthless without action. I have been digging into the chaos of the CARES Act looking for opportunities. It's over 800 pages, but if you also want to read it and find opportunities, you can see it <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6819239-FINAL-FINAL-CARES-ACT.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
[Edit: I forgot to include a music link like I usually do. Looking at CARES, it’s good to remember, <a href="https://youtu.be/mlveMZVSHEQ" target="_blank">“life ain’t forever, and lunch isn’t free”.</a> And no legislation will ever change that.]<br />
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This is far from a complete list, but here are some I found related to my profession, both from this document and outside of it:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Extended time to make contributions to IRA and/or Roth IRA</li>
<ul>
<li>Because the tax filing and paying deadline has been moved from April to July, anyone who has not maxed their 2019 contributions has an extra 3 months to contribute.</li>
<li>Combining 2019 and 2020 contributions may result in eligibility for a higher interest rate because of a larger deposit.</li>
<li>$1200 stimulus check is enough to start an account if you don't have immediate need to spend it. And buying a contract pays the agent (hopefully me!) which does help stimulate the economy.</li>
<li>Some accounts have guaranteed rates that can be locked in for extended periods, which is an advantage if interest rates drop. </li>
<li>Roth IRA in particular has advantage of interest and withdrawals not being subject to income tax. This is particularly advantageous if for you personally and/or the country as a whole has higher taxation in the future, whether due to increased deficit or any other reason.</li>
</ul>
<li>Require Minimum Distribution (RMD’s) won’t be required for 2020 for inherited IRA’s and others who are normally required to take distributions due to age.</li>
<li>Insurance companies have dramatically relaxed requirements regarding face to face meetings, electronic signatures, etc. Companies who in the past would only accept original paper documents are now accepting electronic signatures, allow documents to be sent electronically, and are even sometimes allowing a person to sign by texting a picture of the signed document.</li>
<li>Because insurance companies move slowly, I have not seen a big change in underwriting requirements regarding COVID-19. Because insurance companies and underwriters hate uncertainty and risks for which they don't have large amounts of data to study, I will be shocked if they don't take steps to screen out people who have had or are at risk in ways they never have done before. However, if you buy a policy now before those changes are filed with the state and approved, you will have legal protections that would normally prevent them from being able to change your policy when they do eventually change procedures. You would essentially be "grandfathered"</li>
<li>For many this will be a motivator to put things in order, and now many of us have the time to do so. It worked for me. I have said for a few years I needed to implement <a href="https://lifequoter.com/11-to-7-insurance-inc/premium-quoter?fbclid=IwAR04nkwlELUrEWM9LcTb2Cyq7d6V3euYDYqTp1a3VTtEvy6FBsV0-SVLmpQ" target="_blank">this platform</a> that allows people to figure out how much life insurance they might need and purchase it without even talking to me, if that is their preference. It's not as personalized as I want it yet, but it works. So if you are one of those people who have been putting it off, here's your chance!</li>
<li>Health insurance coverage for virtual visits has gotten much better! A month ago a few companies were sort of dabbling in it, but now they have pretty much all dived in.</li>
<li>Speaking of health insurance, if you have a high-deductible plan that allows you to have an HSA, the delay in tax deadlines means you also have more time to max your contributions in an existing account or start a new one for the 2019 tax year. </li>
</ul>
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Many of us, including myself, have gotten much better at online conversations with audio and video. Part of me posting this is to commit myself to sharing through Facebook Live on Friday. You can join me <a href="https://www.facebook.com/567325126619249/live/" target="_blank">here </a>at 4:30 p.m.</div>
Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-43264731032249812692020-03-22T15:24:00.000-05:002020-03-22T15:24:20.800-05:00SOCIAL DISTANCING IS WRONG!!!Now that I have your attention, read all of this, then show me I'm wrong. I'm listening.<br />
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We are social animals. We need and crave social interaction. Telling us to avoid social interaction isn't working and isn't going to work. We should be practicing PHYSICAL distancing, not SOCIAL distancing. Thank you<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Sharpe4Gov/" target="_blank"> Larry Sharpe</a> for the phrase and the idea to write about this.<br />
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I was going to write a bunch about depression and social distancing, but there's no need for me to reinvent the wheel. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evidence-based-parenting/202003/survive-social-distancing-your-mental-wellness-intact" target="_blank">Here is one of the better and simple prescriptions.</a><br />
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Throughout the Wuhan Virus crisis (I made a rhyme; give me a dime!), I have been saying that the marketing is wrong. The message needs to be to maintain at least a 6' distance from anyone not part of your quarantine group. It's as simple as that. If someone isn't part of your group (most likely just the people you live with, but maybe people you work with too, don't get closer than 6'. That doesn't mean you have to stop working (for most people) or that you can't go anywhere. Just don't get within range of possibly spreading the virus if one of you coughs or sneezes. That's it! If you aren't any closer than that and practice good hygiene, you'll be fine. And you won't spread it to anyone else.<br />
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Here are some ways I am practicing physical distancing without being socially distant. I had a good conversation with my neighbor yesterday, with him standing on his deck and me standing in my back yard 40 or 50 feet away. Great social interaction without any risk because we were physically distant. He gave me another example of physical distancing without social distancing. He had a phone conversation with his elderly mom, got her grocery list, delivered it to her garage, and she picked it up later without her getting within 6' of him. I even made a new friend and business connection yesterday. The bike path I ride has a small section under construction where we have to walk our bikes for a bit. Another guy and I were headed opposite directions, joked about staying 6' apart, complimented each other's vintage steel bikes, etc. We talked for several minutes, from a safe distance, and I found out that his company does work that I will need done soon for my company. He is probably going to be the one I hire, and there's a good chance he will purchase from me in the future. Business shouldn't be stopping.<br />
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On the negative side, people are doing all kinds of things to spread the virus because of misinformation and bad "marketing". Much of it is because of the emphasis being on the number of people gathered rather than other factors like physical distance, where people have been, etc. For awhile we were being told that gatherings should be under 250 people. Then 50. Now maybe it's 10? I don't even know. But it's not the number that's important. It's physical distance. Examples I am seeing are things like a friend whose coworker was at a wedding yesterday with 20 people. Probably from a variety of locations. I would bet they didn't maintain a 6' distance. So now those 20 people are going back to their workplaces, homes, etc. with the potential of spreading it. But my friend should be safe anyway, if she can maintain a 6' distance and practice good hygeine. I am seeing stuff all over social media where people are gathering in small groups of less than 10 people, but not maintaining distance. I have to admit that I was guilty of this myself last week. But I won't be repeating that behavior.<br />
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Another thing that needs to stop for the spread to stop is the attitude that it's ok if it's "essential". Like going out and getting food or medicine. Just because the grocery store is open doesn't mean it's safe. Even if they sanitize all their carts, it's still going to be difficult to stay 6' from everyone, and there's no way to tell who could be a carrier. And no way to know if that item you picked up wasn't just coughed or sneezed on.<br />
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No one has yet convinced me that the virus itself is the big threat that we are being told. I still think the biggest threat is the reaction to it. People are a much bigger threat than any disease. However, I am acting with an insurance agent mindset, where I don't expect to have high medical bills or for my house to burn down or to die at a young age, but I am protected if any of those things do happen. I am acting as if it is a big deal, but expecting it to not be. If I am right, I will come out of it in a better position than when it started because I am taking advantage of the situation. If I am wrong, I will still be ok because I am protecting myself and others with PHYSICAL distancing and good hygeine.<br />
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Chaos creates opportunity for those who are looking for it and take action. What do I mean by "taking advantage of the situation"? No, it's not buying up all the hand sanitizer and trying to sell it at a huge profit by jacking up the prices like the guy in Tennessee. It's differentiating oneself from the competition and meeting demands. Like <a href="https://twitter.com/LuckyDevil_PDX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1239991446301626369&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F97x.com%2Fstrip-club-starts-food-delivery-service-called-boober-eats%2F" target="_blank">Lucky Devil Lounge</a> in Portland, Oregon which now has their dancers delivering food and providing entertainment from a safe distance after the club was shut down. It's smart investing. A few weeks ago I saw an open Facebook discussion among people who were saying the stock market was going to drop, were moving their money into cash and looking for places to invest. They were going heavy into companies providing technology for people to work from home, movie streaming, medical protection equipment, home delivery, etc. They were actively looking for opportunity in the chaos, and took advantage. Plenty of people are complaining about the US Senators who bailed on the markets, but those people complaining had the same opportunity, had they been paying attention.<br />
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Professionally, here are some opportunities I am taking advantage of. I have been talking for years about increasing my ability to work from anywhere by updating my website, incorporating a platform for selling life insurance online without having to meet with people face to face, creating a bunch of videos, and doing much more online marketing. And launching at least one other company. Now is a great opportunity to do that, and I am taking advantage of it. I also need to organize my office better (haven't taken advantage of that opportunity yet, but I will).<br />
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Personally, I am cleaning and organizing my home to be able to get more exercise here instead of at the gym. I am dramatically expanding my garden. Doing more reading and writing more songs. I might even work on learning to play a new musical instrument.<br />
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This has been more of a brain dump for me than anything, but Social distancing is still wrong. And it would also be wrong of me to have a blog post without sharing some music, so here's one from <a href="https://youtu.be/5uASQgLwaIs" target="_blank">Corb Lund </a>I've been listening to a lot in my bunker.<br />
<br />Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-11157564041470875452020-02-28T01:02:00.001-06:002020-02-28T01:05:04.441-06:00Why Libertarian?For most of my life I have not been politically active. However, I am becoming more so, and will be attending and participating in the Libertarian convention for the state of Iowa this coming weekend. Additionally, I found out today I was elected to be a “Precinct Committee Person to the Central Committee” for Des Moines Precinct 8 for the Polk County Libertarian Party. I’m not really sure what that entails. I guess that’s what I get for not showing up at the meeting when the vote was taken. Regardless, I will do whatever it is that I’m supposed to do, and probably overdo it.<br />
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I’m usually the one asking, “why?”, so I suppose I should also tell my “why”, as in why I identify as a Libertarian. <br />
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The biggest influence on my political beliefs has been the years working at Clarinda and Tarkio Academies. I have often said, “People who say the Peace Corps is ‘the toughest job you’ll ever love’ never worked at The Academy”. We worked at those facilities with juvenile delinquents who everyone else had given up on. We didn’t rehabilitate every one of them, or even close to a majority of them, but we had some success stories. We didn’t just say things like, “No one rises to low expectations,” “PRIDE is Personal Responsibility In Determining Excellence”, “Confront all negative behavior”, and “Natural consequence is the best teacher”, rather we lived those things every day. And we achieved more than anyone thought was possible. The more popular and commonly known version of that mentality is from <i>Winnie the Pooh:</i> “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” I believe all that stuff, deep down, about every U.S. citizen. And in some ways I feel sorry for those who don’t believe that way.<br />
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When I look at what the two major political parties do and advocate, I do almost feel sorry for them for not having that belief in people, but especially those who align with the Democratic Party. Across the board, the underlying message of all their social programs is, “people are worthless and weak. Without the government handling things for them, they will fail miserably.” Or, if they are advocating new social programs to “help” others succeed when they are themselves successful, I see that as pretentious and condescending, an attitude of, “well, I succeeded without __________ program, but others aren’t as good as me, so they need help”. And I put “help” in quotes because it is not really help. It’s enabling. The vast majority of government “help” for those who have less is the equivalent of buying another bottle of Thunderbird for the alcoholic who doesn’t have the money to buy more booze. As long as the government keeps handing out fish, there is not an incentive for those who don’t know how to fish to learn. <br />
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I can’t have a blog post get too serious and not have a musical interlude, so here’s some <i><a href="https://youtu.be/gsE0XNNQTJQ" target="_blank">Talking Thunderbird Blues </a> </i>Can’t go wrong with Townes Van Zandt.<br />
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From a practical point of view, even if someone thinks all this “help” is good, I can’t wrap my head around how anyone can think that the government, especially the federal government, is the best way to provide that help on a local level. Which is what really matters. As my favorite author Robert Heinlein said, “An elephant is just a mouse built to government specifications”.<br />
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The response I almost always get when I disagree with someone promoting a government mandated social welfare program is something like, “You’re an uncaring, heartless, son of a bitch!” And the worst part is that they never get the cultural reference when I say, “When you call me that, smile”. Actually, that is not the worst part. The worst part of all of it is what government social programs do to us as a society. They make it ok to not help our neighbor. To not be “The Good Samaritan”. To stay home and gaze into our phones instead of going out and gazing into the eyes of someone who needs our help. When “help” is forcibly taken from citizens and distributed to others by the government (after the government has taken its cut, of course), it’s no longer a gift, and both the giver and the receiver of the gift are robbed of the beauty and joy of giving. That’s the biggest casualty of government social programs, and the biggest reason I am against them.<br />
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And for my Republican friends who have been enjoying what I said about the Democrats, now it’s your turn. <br />
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The Republican justifications and twisting of morality boggle my mind. The same people who chastised Bill Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky idolize a serial adulterer who paid hush money to a porn star. Yeah, I know, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. But don’t forget all the other stuff like, “Go and sin no more”, having a contrite heart, repenting, etc. And all the, “but ________ did/does it too!” How childish are you? Didn’t your parents ever teach you that two wrongs don’t make a right?<br />
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A huge appeal of the Libertarian Party for me is its stance regarding foreign wars. We need to mind our own business and concentrate on our own country. Republicans saying that we are protecting others from evil, give it a rest (that’s my cleaned up version of what I’m thinking). It’s about business interests, mostly oil. If it wasn’t, we’d be involved in a lot of other countries. “Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining.”<br />
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All the “tax breaks for the rich” arguments between the two major parties miss the point. It’s not that the wrong or right people are getting tax breaks, it’s that those taxes shouldn’t be levied on anyone. I wasn’t around for it, but I think I read somewhere that we fought the British over something regarding that.<br />
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The bottom line is this: Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same dirty coin. Both sides are power-hungry liars full of hate. They just tell different lies and hate different people. If you are saying or thinking, “But I’m not hateful! I’m not a liar!” then you’re probably aligned with the wrong party. Maybe you should join the Libertarians too.<br />
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Many people disdain the Libertarian Party, scoffing, “You’re throwing your vote away!” I don’t see it that way. I see it as disrespectful to the right to vote and those who fought to secure my right to vote to do anything but vote for who I think is the best candidate, regardless of party. A vote for “the lesser of two evils” is still a vote for evil. I refuse to vote for evil.<br />
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I also hear that it’s impossible to break the stranglehold the Democrats and Republicans have. Let me ask you. Do you know who Gunder Haag and Arne Andersson are? Probably not, but from 1942 to 1954, the two of them went back and forth as the world record holders for the mile run, and Hagg’s 1945 record of 4:01.4 stood for almost a full NINE YEARS! Why? Because until Dr. Roger Bannister did it, it was “impossible” for a human to run a mile in under four minutes. Do you know who Larry Owings is? Rulon Gardner? If you’re not a wrestling aficionado, probably not. But they proved that the “unbeatable” can be beaten. I’m a believer.<br />
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Contrary to what many today may think, not every POTUS belonged to either the Democratic or Republican Party. George Washington didn’t have an affiliation to a political party. Although every POTUS in my lifetime (so far) has been a Republican or Democrat, there has been a Federalist, Democratic-Republicans ( 4), Whigs (4), and National Union candidates (2) who ascended to the Presidency. There is no reason a Libertarian could not win the office, except for all the “group thinkers“ thinking “it’s impossible”.<br />
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Some of you may be thinking, “Sure, 200 or so years ago someone other than the Democrats or Republicans won, but we live in a different time”. You are absolutely right. For most of my life it has been virtually impossible for someone to break through and gain national/international recognition without lots of money and big business behind him or her. One had to have big record company backing to get music recorded and played on the radio. Being a movie star meant going to Hollywood and required getting in with a big movie studio, maybe via “couch auditions”. Being a published author was really only available through the big publishers. That’s not the case any more. Why couldn’t a politician of the Libertarian Party, or any other party, become a mega star using social media, YouTube, email, etc. It’s worked for every other aspect of pop culture, and what is politics, if not pop culture?<br />
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Since this is my “Insurance Nerd” blog, I need to bring it back to insurance. For this post, it’s pretty simple. Insurance is pretty darn Libertarian. I love freedom. With freedom comes responsibility. Insurance is a great way to keep our freedom by taking care of responsibilities. If I die prematurely, it’s not the government’s responsibility to take care of my obligations to support my family. Life insurance is the tool I use to fulfill my responsibility and assure their freedom. I take care of a small part my responsibility to take care of my health (the majority is diet and exercise, not insurance) by buying health insurance. And if I use insurance to responsibly fund my retirement, I paid for the freedom that comes with it.Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-74380015905907148672017-04-15T11:29:00.002-05:002017-04-15T11:29:34.270-05:00100 Day Commitment, Take TwoSince my first crack at Calvin Johansenn's 100 Day Commitment was that I would write every day for 100 days, most of it published on this blog, I figured I should at least write one blog post about my second 100 day commitment. If you'd like to join us, you can get the details and sign up here. <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjLS4U87OLzmwcRHzK0MN68TKMaL_dwiEf4SFTAdfwm2MaRw/viewform?c=0&w=1" target="_blank">100 Day Commitment</a>. I encourage you to watch the video. From having attempted and having marginal success in September of 2015, I would say his advice is spot on. You choose your own challenge.<br />
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For this 100 days, I am committing to sleeping eight hours per night. It will definitely be a challenge for me, as my standard operating procedure has always been to give up sleep whenever I get behind on things, despite knowing that this strategy is horrible for both my mental and physical health. This will be especially challenging because I recently purchased another insurance agent's book of business, which has dramatically increased my work load. On top of that, my wife's work responsibilities have increased lately, both my sons are in spring sports, and my older son will be graduating from high school soon.<br />
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Another factor is that I found out a couple of months ago that I have hypothyroidism (low thyroid levels). Fatigue and poor concentration are symptoms of that. They are also symptoms of sleep deprivation. If I am not sleep deprived, that will give a better indication of whether or not the medication is working. If I don't get enough sleep and am tired, we won't know if the medication needs to be changed because it's not working, or if I'm just tired.<br />
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I know that I will feel better physically and will have better concentration with work stuff when I get sufficient sleep consistently, but that's hard to measure. I do have a couple of measurable things on the physical side, so I'm posting as a base to compare to at the end of the 100 days. This morning I weighed in at 219#, which I think is a little skewed because I ate a big dinner late last night. I think my "real" weight is more like 215 or 216#. The other number I'm tracking is 18:38. That was my time Thursday night at the Elkhart Time Trial. Since I do that same race the 2nd Thursday of each month, that will give me a couple of comparison times.<br />
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I will be posting regular updates on Facebook. I may or may not post here. If do hope you join us. Don't be fooled by the fact that they let me in the group. It really is a quality bunch.Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-74651090043766958362016-07-30T22:02:00.001-05:002016-07-30T22:02:25.508-05:00Wabash Trace 1, David 0: My FKT "Race Report"Tragedy + Time = Comedy. In the grand scheme of life, it was far from a "tragedy", but I think a couple of days is enough time for me to recover enough to make this at least entertaining if not funny.<br />
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Tuesday, July 19, 2016 I attempted to establish a "Fastest Known Time" (FKT) for doing the full length of the Wabash Trace on foot, self-supported. Rather than go into the details of the rules, etc., you can read it <a href="http://fastestknowntime.proboards.com/" target="_blank">here</a> if you'd like. If you think what I did was crazy, you should look at what Scott Jurek did establishing an <a href="http://running.competitor.com/2015/07/news/scott-jurek-sets-new-fkt-record-for-the-appalachian-trail_131720" target="_blank">FKT for the Appalacian Trail</a> last year.<br />
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Thank you especially to my wife Lisa for being my "support crew" on this attempt, to Scott Schumacher for getting me started on this running craziness, and to Larry Kelley for showing me that we really can do this ridiculously stupid stuff.<br />
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People have asked if I attempted this for some cause. I did not, but if you feel inclined to donate to a great cause, three of my running friends recently completed some incredible runs for a great cause, the MS Run The US Relay. You can read their stories and donate at these links.<br />
<a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/tammie-kruszczak/msruntheus2016relay" target="_blank">Tammie Kruszczak</a><br />
<a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/sammy-bridges/msruntheus2016relay" target="_blank">Sammy Bridges</a><br />
<a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/kristina-myint/msruntheus2016relay" target="_blank">Kristina Myint</a><br />
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This is going to be a long one, so I'll start with the very basics, so you can skip the long-winded stuff if you want.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLN1PsaWm4yUZipN7kvJmvSNHQpJQ7x8YfpLcvtKOSgiBePWBFhnjERmdgLDGpAmKPeGJM06JlE-b4ZX9zMo5dwVK78dGMMVNfKYdvUGVCfjaNa9_QaAhPCs_ChTmGqxIpLGHYIfkdsCM/s1600/start+line+selfie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLN1PsaWm4yUZipN7kvJmvSNHQpJQ7x8YfpLcvtKOSgiBePWBFhnjERmdgLDGpAmKPeGJM06JlE-b4ZX9zMo5dwVK78dGMMVNfKYdvUGVCfjaNa9_QaAhPCs_ChTmGqxIpLGHYIfkdsCM/s320/start+line+selfie.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before. 5:58 a.m.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiL6GDQFqtiMVH0JieXKflt24XBcO1uk51Ofuhi1Yn1fqSGbDPAQRzg5VqBPIWRITzXkY6Y7qH-wpKpQyJ3V9A2bYrdvx8sDmtnpFhHxW_D2Z6n0xigXsHF6jy98gRaJnJXOidWLWeGRM/s1600/end+of+the+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiL6GDQFqtiMVH0JieXKflt24XBcO1uk51Ofuhi1Yn1fqSGbDPAQRzg5VqBPIWRITzXkY6Y7qH-wpKpQyJ3V9A2bYrdvx8sDmtnpFhHxW_D2Z6n0xigXsHF6jy98gRaJnJXOidWLWeGRM/s320/end+of+the+line.jpg" title="" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After. 11:43 p.m.</td></tr>
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<b>Route Attempted: </b>Full length of Wabash Trace Nature Trail from Council Bluffs to Blanchard, Iowa. 62.3 miles.<br />
<b>Route Completed: </b>Council Bluffs to 220th Street, between Shenandoah and Coin, Iowa. 50.5 miles according to Mapquest (Garmin battery died--with side excursions for food, etc., mileage would have been slightly higher).<br />
<b>Start:</b> 5;58 a.m., July 19, 2016<br />
<b>End: </b>11;43 p.m., July 19, 2016<br />
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<b>Truths revealed, reinforced, learned, discovered:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>My family, friends and community are awesome </li>
<li>There's no better place than southwest Iowa</li>
<li>I am a quitter.</li>
<li>"Your mind will quit before your body does."</li>
<li>"Be prepared"</li>
<li>"You can't outrun a bad diet"</li>
<li>"Respect the distance"</li>
<li>"If you chase two rabbits, both will escape."</li>
<li>Water flows downhill. If the route starts next to North America's longest river, there's going to be some climbing.</li>
<li>Tacos are yummy.</li>
<li>6ish pounds of water is a lot to carry, especially when also carrying an extra 20 pounds of fat.</li>
<li>July weather in Iowa is unpredictable. Just like every other month in Iowa.</li>
<li>Roasted beets don't taste very good after sitting in the back seat of my truck from Sunday morning until Monday night in the July heat.</li>
<li>I hike at a faster pace if I sing. Even though I've never been into recreational pharmaceutical use, singing Hank Williams III's version of "Pills I Took" is the best I've found so far</li>
<li>I need good sleep to perform well.</li>
<li>My Garmin on current settings has a dead battery at 48.25 miles and 15:52:02</li>
<li>The point at which I want/need to put in headphones and listen to music during a trail run is somewhere past 50 miles</li>
<li>The point at which my uterus will fall out is also somewhere past 50 miles.</li>
<li>Running at night is harder mentally than in the daylight</li>
<li>It's easier to quit when not running for a cause.</li>
<li>After 18 plus hours and 50ish miles in the same shoes and socks on a hot and humid July day, my feet are slightly funky</li>
<li>My singing keeps me from getting eaten by mountain lions</li>
</ul>
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<b>What I wore:</b><br />
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<li>Altra Lone Peak 2.0, size 12</li>
<li>Dirty Girl gaiters</li>
<li>Injinji crew length socks with turkey image, of course</li>
<li>Trail Toes lubricant (on toes and feet)</li>
<li>CEP compression calf sleeves, neon green with reflective accents</li>
<li>Hind brand running shorts </li>
<li>Body Glide lubricant (you don't want the details of where)</li>
<li>2014 MS Run The U.S. Ambassador cotton t-shirt (king cotton!)</li>
<li>2 Band-aids (nipple protection)</li>
<li>Brooks "run happy" hat</li>
<li>Camelbak Mule pack with 3.0 liter bladder</li>
<li>Nashbar clip on blinking tail light (attached to pack)</li>
<li>"race bib" cut from Casemate index divider (held to pack with 2 safety pins)</li>
<li>Garmin 310XT watch (without my heart rate strap) showing elapsed time in the top field, current pace in bottom left and trip distance in the bottom right of screen</li>
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<b>My fuel (in order of consumption):</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>3 Donut Stop glazed donuts and 24 ounce "Kona" coffee from Casey's (pre-run)</li>
<li>water</li>
<li>1 can mustard packed sardines</li>
<li>water</li>
<li>Sunbelt Bakery Golden Almond chewy granola bar and Southern Grove dried mango slices</li>
<li>water</li>
<li>2 softshell tacos, waffle fries, lots of mustard, barbecue brisket sandwich and pint of Fat Tire Amber Ale at Classic Cafe in Malvern</li>
<li>water</li>
<li>Clif Bar Cool Mint Chocolate with caffeine</li>
<li>water</li>
<li>Pint of Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, 3 bottles Busch Light, 2 Dirty Sanchez at Emerald Isle in Imogene</li>
<li>water</li>
<li>another Clif Bar Cool Mint Chocolate with caffeine</li>
<li>water</li>
</ul>
<b>Things I carried but didn't use packed in various baggies:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>2 cotton bandanas </li>
<li>Tifosi Pave sunglasses with interchangeable lenses in hard case</li>
<li>Merrell Buff (Sycamore 8 swag)</li>
<li>Bike MS crew length socks</li>
<li>size 10 water socks</li>
<li>2 additional Sunbelt Bakery Golden Almond chewy granola bars</li>
<li>7 Band-aids of various sizes</li>
<li>5 Wet-Nap anti-bacterial wipes</li>
<li>Sawyer Mini water filter with backflushing syringe, straw, and collapsible squeeze bottle</li>
<li>orange paracord, approximately 12 feet</li>
<li>Sony Walkman radio</li>
<li>Yurbuds earphones</li>
<li>khaki hat from The Gap</li>
<li>lip balm that I think was in a swag bag from some race</li>
<li>Gerber multi-tool</li>
<li>my keys to truck and house</li>
<li>Iowa driver license</li>
<li>Trail Toes sample size and moleskin</li>
<li>about 6 convenience store napkins</li>
<li>3 spare Energizer batteries for headlamp (in Princeton Tec case)</li>
<li>lensmatic compass</li>
<li>D-ring attached to pack strap for no reason</li>
<li>one thick rubber band</li>
<li>Citizen chronograph watch</li>
<li>silver emergency blanket</li>
<li>8 ounce squeeze bottle of Our Family brand yellow mustard (purchased at Mulholland Grocery in Malvern)</li>
<li>a magically disappearing baggie containing 12 Tums tablets, 5 stick pack of Extra spearmint gum and 8 yellow mustard packets</li>
</ul>
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<b>Things I carried and actually used:</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Princeton Tec Remix headlamp in hard case</li>
<li>Samsung Galaxy 4 cellular phone (Verizon service)</li>
<li>Sharpie fine point black permanent marker</li>
<li>Body Glide</li>
<li>US Bank Credit card</li>
<li>blank deposit slip on which I wrote the distance between towns and total mileage</li>
<li>Approximately $60.00 cash of which I spent about $20</li>
</ul>
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So much for the "short" part. Hold on for the long story. It's very detailed for several reasons. Most importantly, so I have it in writing instead of distorting the details in my mind over time. As my friend Gary Davis texted me, "it will be a memory that will stick with you until Alzheimer's sets in". I also made it very detailed in hopes that even a small thing may help others' attempts at completing their goals.</div>
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<b>The "Why"</b></div>
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I love southwest Iowa and the Wabash Trace. I think it's an underutilized resource, so part of me doing this was to bring attention to the trail and get more people to use it. My hope was that if I did it, then others would also do it in order to break my record, bringing more attention and use to the trail. Those were my biggest reasons for this particular route. I chose this particular day because it was a full moon and Taco Tuesday!</div>
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This was also a training run for my 2016 "A race" the <a href="https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=34630" target="_blank">The Barkley Fall Classic</a> on September 17. No, I'm not running The Barkley Marathons (this year), just the baby version of 30+ miles in ridiculously difficult Tennessee terrain. If you aren't familiar with the big Barkley, you should be, even if you aren't a runner. It's an amazing testimony to human strength and perseverance. You can watch a pretty good documentary of the 2012 version on Netflix, and if you want to read about it on the internet, <a href="http://www.mattmahoney.net/barkley/" target="_blank">Matt Mahoney's page</a> is a good place to start. My plan has been to have to have a long, difficult run each month leading up to September. This fit the bill. I intentionally planned it for mid-July, knowing the heat would be difficult since heat will most likely be one of the many challenges of the September race.</div>
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<b>Before</b></div>
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There have been lots of stones in my pathway leading up to this attempt. I had ramped up my training, especially running hills, in the spring. I ramped it up too much too soon, however, resulting in a stress fracture in my left foot, which meant I was in an orthopedic boot with no running from April 29 through June 10th. Not only did that dramitically cut my training mileage, it also led to me not participating in the Dizzy Goat 12 hour race on June 18th, which I intended to be a huge part of my preparation for my FKT attempt.</div>
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Another unexpected "problem" was that I had a shot at winning the overall title for the Elkhart Time Trial series on my bike this year. The top two guys in the area aren't competing this year, and the guy who has been #3 missed the second race this season. With there only being five races, that put me in 2nd place with a solid chance at winning it, so I did a lot more training on the bike than I had planned, which meant even less time running. "If you chase two rabbits, both will escape", so me trying to train for both but focusing more on the bike was a major factor in me not completing the FKT attempt. I don't think the running prevented me from winning the time trial series, however. That was due to my friend Tony Talbot getting stronger and faster each month and beating me in all four of the the races so far this season. Way to go, Tony!</div>
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I also had another difficulty added by getting a lung/sinus infection about a week before my attempt. I was better but not yet 100% on "race day". It cut into my preparation and still affected me on Tuesday.</div>
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I also had a couple of major unexpected things happen with work in the weeks before my attempt that took away a lot of preparation time that I had expected to have.</div>
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With all these obstacles coming at me, I briefly considered postponing my attempt, but I thought back to a lunch conversation I had with my friend Calvin Johannsen where part of our conversation was about him not really being ready for his 14ers Project, but that if he waited until he was ready, then he might never do it. The way he's crushing his project (check it out <a href="http://www.14ersproject.com/" target="_blank">here</a>) gave me confidence that I could get mine done even if I wasn't really ready.</div>
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The result of all of these unexpected obstacles and my reaction to them was that instead of doing weekly long runs of 20 or more miles and many other runs of 10+ miles after getting out of the boot like I had planned, when Tuesday rolled around I had done only one or two runs a week, with one of them being about 15 miles, a couple at 10 miles, and everything else shorter. During this time I also did a horrible job of controlling my diet, so I had gained 10 pounds in weight instead of losing the 10 to 20 pounds as I intended. I definitely was not prepared.</div>
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However, I left Des Moines early Sunday morning to go to my hometown of Shenandoah with high hopes, confident that I would find a way to get it done. I left early Sunday morning so I could make it to see my dad be honored along with three others with a "Christian Lifetime Achievement Award" for his commitment to his church. It was very appropriate that a big part of it was related to the work he did as a Royal Ranger leader. My time in Royal Rangers was a big part of me developing a love of the outdoors. I paid close attention to and was inspired by the parts where he talked about the time at a leadership training where he was honored by the group for persevering and not complaining about the time on his feet despite his leg problems and pain. Thank you, Dad! <i>(photo by Becky Barr)</i></div>
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I stayed overnight at my Dad's Sunday. I was up a little before 5 a.m. Monday morning to make a drive to Council Bluffs (after picking up a couple of Donut Stop donuts, of course) to buy tires and make sure exactly how to get to the trailhead since I'd never been to that end before and to make sure I had a secure place to leave my truck the next day. Another unexpected thing that had been thrown at me was that my son had run over a pair of glass clippers that had mysteriously fallen off the garage wall resulting in a ruined tire. I was planning to get new tires soon, but not this soon. Despite having to take a detour because of construction, I found my way to the trailhead and went for a couple of mile walk to see what there was to see. I was glad that despite heavy rain and wind overnight, the trail was in good condition and the one broken tree was only partially covering the trail. I also picked up as much garbage as I could carry, which was quite a bit, on the way back. Earth Day every day.</div>
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I stopped by Fill 'R Up convenience store across the street, filled up the truck with gas and myself with coffee. I confirmed what my GOATz friends had told me, that they were very glad to have people park there while using The Trace. I will be making a point of stopping there whenever I'm close. They earned a customer for life.</div>
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I won't name where I went to get my tires mounted, but they were the opposite of Fill 'R Up. They charged me double what I expected for the mounting and balancing, and five minutes into the job they came back in to tell me that the lug was stripped because it had been cross-threaded when the spare was put on. I'm 99% sure it wasn't since I was right there and helped Alex change the tire, that it was the tire place who screwed it up (pun intended). However, I had no way of proving it, so I told them to go ahead and replace it, if they had the proper part in stock. A few minutes later they came back again telling me that they wouldn't know until they had everything torn apart whether or not they had the right part, that they might have to order it, they didn't know how long it would take, etc. I told them just to put everything back together, and I got out of there as fast as I could with what was left of my morning and my wallet. In line with the rest of their poor service, they didn't even put the spare back on its holder, just threw it in the bed of the truck. </div>
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After more time and a few phone calls, I realized that I was going to be driving with a missing lug nut for awhile. It wasn't ideal, but I wasn't going to let it stop me. I went back to my dad's house to get at least some work done with what was left of the day.</div>
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I then made another mistake that would come back to bite me. I thought it would be good to take a nap. I was wrong.</div>
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After eating an awesome fried chicken dinner courtesy of my step-mom Kathy, I visited some family friends for a couple of hours and then headed back to Dad's for final preparation, which included eating my roasted beets. I always eat a lot of roasted beets the night before and usually the day of my big endurance events. I have no problem digesting them, they have anti-inflammatory properties, and help the body use oxygen better. I then realized that I didn't remember moving them from my truck to the refrigerator, and then found them in the back seat of my truck. They didn't look good at all, but I needed them, so I tried a bite anyway. As bad as they looked, they tasted a lot worse. One more obstacle to overcome. No point in worrying about it then, so I decided to get some shut eye. Unfortunately, I was wide awake because of my nap. I had intended to get up around 3 a.m. and start my run around 4 or 4:30 so I could bank some miles before it got too hot. However, since I didn't get to sleep until shortly after midnight, I set the alarm a little later.</div>
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I got up showered and got to the Donut Stop just after 4 a.m. The glazed donuts weren't yet glazed, but Randy told me they'd be ready in three or four minutes. It was well worth the wait.</div>
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I found my way through the construction and stopped at Lake Manawa Casey's store since Fill 'R Up wouldn't open until 5:30. I got coffee, used the restroom, and lubed my feet with Trail Toes, other various places with Body Glide, and made my final preparations. After dropping my truck at Fill 'R Up, I walked across the street to the trailhead, where I first encountered, "The Hipsters".</div>
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"The Hipsters", a bearded man and a woman riding fixies without helmets were sitting on a picnic table having a smoke and gave me a friendly, "Good morning!" as I walked up, which I of course returned. After using the portable toilet a wandered over to my "start line". The clock on my phone said it was 5:56, so I decided to make my official start time 5:58, giving me 2 minutes to take a selfie, send my wife a text that I was starting, post it on Facebook, etc. Typical with how everything else had gone leading up to the start, right then the rain started.</div>
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It's not a yellow gate, but I touched one of the yellow poles by the start line and began my run as soon as my phone showed 5:58. A few feet down the trail I made my first stop at a picnic table to put my phone in my pack and get everything adjusted. I was immediately swarmed by biting flies, mosquitoes, etc. Apparently my bug repellent wasn't going to be very effective today.</div>
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I settled into a comfortable jog averaging about an 11 minute per mile pace. I hadn't gone very far when I suddenly smelled smoke. The Hipsters passed me smoking and drinking Budweiser tall boys and we said "hi" to each other again. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the broken tree had been cleaned up in less than 24 hours and that no one had littered in the stretch I had cleaned the day before. The rain also stopped after only a couple of minutes. It was going to be a good day.</div>
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The miles clicked right along. It was hot, but I was drinking plenty. I was mildly surprised that I was constantly climbing, but when I actually thought about it, that made sense since Council Bluffs is bordered by the Missouri River. Water doesn't flow up hill. The trail was beautiful, and I saw several people out getting their runs done. I didn't recognize any of them, but they were all friendly. I was hoping to see Joe Chamberlain out there since I know he runs it often, but no such luck. The Hipsters and I leapfrogged each other repeatedly, to the point that I even commented with a laugh, "Are we just going to do this all day?" Each time I came to a bench along the trail, they would be there smoking and drinking, then a little bit later they'd pass on their bikes. Before we got to Mineola, however, they turned around and headed back to Council Bluffs, and we waved to each other one last time as they passed me again.</div>
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As I got closer to Mineola I noticed my hands were swelling and my wedding ring was tight. With the large amount of water I was drinking and sweating I was doing, I knew hyponatremia was a possibility, I was prepared and had packed several packets of mustard (thanks to the tip from Henry Bickerstaff a couple of years ago) to replace the salt I was flushing out. I stopped at a bench and emptied my pack looking for them, but they were not there. Apparently they had fallen out in my truck, I had left them at my dad's or something. I wasn't worried so much about the gum that was in the same baggie, but I was concerned that the baggie also contained my Tums, which have worked well for me to both help settle my stomach and reduce cramping (I've been told they help with cramping because of the calcium). I wasn't going back for them wherever they were, so I broke out the only other thing I had brought with significant salt, a can of sardines packed in mustard that I had thrown into my pack almost as a joke. They hit the spot, and I had a great view while I enjoyed them, and there was a garbage can right there so I didn't have to put the empty, oily can back in my pack. My goal was to cover about 4 miles every hour, so at almost 8 1/2 miles done in 1:54, I was ahead of schedule despite the heat and humidity. This was actually the only time I used my khaki hat. I was dripping so much sweat on the screen of my phone that it wouldn't take a picture, so I used the hat to clean it off so I could get these shots.</div>
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The short stop refreshed me, and I picked up the pace a little heading into Mineola. I knew I was too early for tacos at Tobey Jack's, but I hoped there'd be someplace to get water and electrolytes.</div>
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When I got to Mineola I didn't see any businesses or parks near the trail where I could replenish my supplies. A definite disadvantage to not doing as much scouting of the route as I had intended. I didn't want to go off the trail searching for something that might not be there, so after checking my mileage sheet and seeing that I only had another 4.3 miles to Silver City, I decided to just push through. I still had some water left and figured that if I ran out, I could either make it the remaining distance to Silver City or stop at one of the many streams along the way and filter some water.</div>
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Just outside of Mineola, I started to worry a little about water, however. There were lots of streams, but with the heavy rains from the day before, the streams were running high and fast, and all the stream banks were steep, with no obvious, safe paths to safe places to refill. Even if I got to the streams, it would be a slick, steep climb back to the trail. Fortunately, I had enough water to make it to Silver City.</div>
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Between Mineola and Silver City I started feeling the effects of the heat and not having any significant long runs for a few months. I didn't feel bad, but I started taking some walk breaks, knowing that I had a long way to go. I also enjoyed a short ride on a trailside bench and a little nourishment.</div>
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Nothing seemed to be moving when I arrived at 9:20 a.m. in Silver City yet either, except the thermometer mercury rising and three people sorting mail at the post office. I asked them if there was any place there to buy food or drink and found out that the local bar and grill was the only option, and it wouldn't open until lunch time. At least the park had a water fountain next to the trail, so I filled my 3 liter bladder, took a selfie, and texted my wife. "Leaving Silver City, will take a longer break in Malvern. Feeling ok, not great. Ahead of my goal pace, but will slow down a lot later. 14 miles done". I started the 8 miles to Malvern knowing that I had enough water, but I was short on electrolytes (my shirt is completely saturated in the picture below) and this was the furthest I'd run in a few months. But I was moving into familiar territory, knowing that Malvern had good water, a grocery store and a bar and grill (I had just been there two weeks before seeing my brother and Matt Cox play a Friday night concert on the square) that would be open for lunch by the time I got there. </div>
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During that stretch I saw a few more people on bikes, including a couple out for a ride asking where I was going. I replied, "Missouri". I thought the guy was going to wreck his bike when he heard that, but he managed to keep it upright. I told him that I was so slow that the only way I could set a record was to do something that everyone else was too smart to try. He laughed, "You always set a PR that way!" They wished me luck and said, "Try to stay cool".</div>
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Over that eight miles it kept getting warmer, I kept drinking lots of water, and my walks got longer and my runs got shorter. By the time I reached Malvern, it was about 50/50. I would pick a landmark in the distance, tell myself, "I'm going to run to that ________" and then run to it and start power hiking. I would then pick the next mark and say, "I'm going to start running again at that______". When I left Silver City I was running about 3/4 mile and then walking 1/4, but as I approached Malvern, it was more like running 100 to 200 yards and then walking the same. About a mile or two from Malvern I decided to walk the rest of the way in to try to cool down a little bit, knowing that I was going to sit for a meal and hoping that the cool down would keep me from stiffening up and cramping as much. I arrived in Malvern at 11:44. meaning it took about 15 minutes longer than my goal of four miles every hour. I texted my wife that it had been a rough stretch, that I would be taking a longer break there than I had planned, that I had forgotten my mustard packets, She asked if I was getting rained on, and I replied that they had called for a 30% chance of rain in the morning, but it should all be past now. With that I headed to Classic Cafe to fuel up.</div>
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I sat at the bar and ordered a draw of Fat Tire Amber Ale. I knew I was short on both calories and salt, so when given the choice between the lunch specials of tacos or barbecued beef brisket sandwich, I chose both. It was a little too much, but not a lot too much. I finished it all anyway. With lots of mustard on everything. It was excellent.</div>
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I joked with the bartender that I would just stay at the bar to eat instead of offending "the civilized people" in the dining area with my smell. She laughed and said that I had a ways to go to catch up with a couple of regulars who come in for lunch after working with livestock all morning. It sounded like it's an ongoing game of her giving them a hard time about it and them intentionally coming in without washing up first. I also had another nice conversation with another employee who was making some monster bars to sell when RAGBRAI came through in a few days. She asked if I would be riding (I will be the first two days) and said she had lived there for a few years before she and her husband started using The Trace, but she really enjoyed it.</div>
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After my meal I not only was cooled down, but suddenly started shivering, so I paid my tab, hobbled across the street to fill my Camelbak on the square, and then went to Mulholland Grocery a few doors down to buy some mustard. I put the bottle in my pack and went back to the trail, making sure I got back on at the same place I had left it. I texted my wife at 12:36 p.m. that I was putting my phone back on airplane mode (I did that on the trail to save the battery). I started the 13.6 mile stretch to Imogene noticing that it was starting to look like it could rain.</div>
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I ran a half mile or so out of Malvern before I warmed up. I felt better than when I had come into Malvern. I didn't really need to pee, but I forced myself to so I could check the color to make sure my electrolytes were in balance. It looked slightly darker than it should, but not bad. I made a point of drinking more water. </div>
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In another mile or so the rain started coming down pretty steady. After being so hot all morning, it felt great! The rain lasted an hour or more, There was some lighting, but nothing major. The part of the day that I expected to be the hottest was actually fairly pleasant. During this stretch I didn't run a whole lot. I was trying to digest too much food, and I knew I wasn't even half done yet. I was also climbing pretty much constantly. It wasn't a steep grade (never more than 4% since it's rails-to-trails), but it wore on me. Then when the rain stopped, the humidity was high and the bugs were hungry. I lost count of how many deer flies, mosquitoes and unidentified biting insects I killed, but I'd guess that it was at least one hundred. On the positive side, I knew this part of the trail well, and I knew I'd have tacos, beer and friendly faces when I reached the Emerald Isle in Imogene.</div>
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I was still moving fairly well, just not fast. I could hike at a pretty good pace (15-18 minutes per mile) and ran the few downhills, but any other time I ran at a decent pace I started overheating. I knew that running now would cost me later. I wanted to be running at the end.</div>
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Because I didn't see another person in this whole 13+ mile stretch, I got bored. So I started singing. I got stuck in a time warp and ran through a bunch of Steve Miller Band, Billy Squier, Head East, John Cougar, and even a couple of Foghat songs. However, Hank Williams III gave me the best pace, especially singing "Pills I Took". With my lack of signing ability, it's a good thing there wasn't anyone else out on the trail.</div>
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I finally reached The Emerald Isle at 4:50 p.m., having taken more than 4 hours to cover 13ish miles. I was definitely falling behind schedule. But thankfully I was going to be able to take advantage of all the specials that started at 4:00 p.m.<br />
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I plopped down at a table off to the side since I wasn't sure if I'd be able to climb up on a bar stool. Even though I usually follow the "man rule" of "don't fruit the beer", a Summer Shandy sounded tasty. When I ordered one, I was also told that the table I had chosen was reserved for 5:00, as were all the other tables. After finishing my first beer, I was recovered enough to stagger over to the bar just as the people who had reserved the table arrived. I spent over an hour at the bar consuming three bottles of Busch Light and two Dirty Sanchezes and cooling down.<br />
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It was more time than I had planned, but I wanted to recover enough to start running again, especially knowing that a lot of the trail from there to Shenandoah was downhill. I chatted briefly with Becca, one of the owners who knew what I was attempting, telling her I didn't really want to go back out, but I was going to anyway. On the way out I had a brief conversation with my 8th grade math teacher, Mr. Brownlee, and his wife, and then saw Uncle Curtis coming in for dinner just as i was going back on the trail. He was just one of about twenty people I saw on the trail heading to Imogene for Taco Tuesday. After seeing no one between Malvern and Imogene, seeing others out there gave me a big mental boost.<br />
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I texted my wife at 6:03 that I was going back on the trail, that at my prior pace it would take me about 3 hours to reach Shenandoah, but I thought I could pick it up a little. I was right. I did that 10ish mile stretch in 2:50. I ran very little, but kept up a pretty good power hiking pace. I felt like I could have run some, but I wanted to save some energy so I could maybe run at the end. In addition to the boost from seeing others, it helped me a lot mentally that I was in my "home stretch", both because I was more than halfway done and I was in the part of the trail that I knew best. I hunted much of that stretch as a kid when it was still railroad tracks. I have ridden my bike and run on that section more than any other part, and the second half of the only Marathon I've ever run was on that section of trail. Our family farm is just off the trail north of Shenandoah, and for many years I have deer hunted land right along the Trace, including the time about which I wrote this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=58336547817&set=a.58337162817.81937.828662817&type=3&theater" target="_blank">essay</a>.<br />
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As I came in to Shenandoah's Sportsman's Park, one of my fears was confirmed. Leading up to my attempt, I had planned to get some ice cream and other food and drink at the swimming pool concession stand since there were no stores in the last 18 miles, and had considered possibly taking a dip to cool down and refresh. However, the swimming pool was closed. I wasn't sure if it was because of the rain earlier, or if they don't stay open until 9 p.m. like they did when I was a kid, but it didn't really matter. My options were to run to Casey's a half mile away (one mile round trip), or hope I got to the bar in Coin (12.5 miles away) before they closed, or get by with what I was packing if I didn't get there in time, I've done quite a bit of training while fasting, training by body to burn fat for fuel, so I felt pretty comfortable with my choice to skip Casey's. I filled my Camelbak bladder to its full 3 liter capacity and lay down on the "porch" of the Rose Garden and elevated my feet for five minutes, just as the sun was setting. I ate another Clif Bar and texted my wife what was happening. She texted back that she was just a few blocks away, outside the public library using the wi-fi to watch a movie on her I-pad.<br />
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I then made a major mistake. I started thinking about quitting. Up until that point, whenever I was hot, tired, and/or hurting, I kept telling myself, "I don't quit when I'm tired; I quit when I'm done". I texted her that it was, "very tempting to say 'fuck it'. But I'm not going to." She replied, "But you've gone this far. You can do it!!!" That was at 9:06. I got up, put on and turned on my headlamp, and started hiking. I didn't need the light to see yet, but wanted to be visible to anyone driving since I had a short section to do on the side of the road rather than trail. I was moving and telling myself I would muddle through, but the "quit" thought was still in my brain. My lack of sleep the night before was catching up with me too.<br />
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By the time I went by the cemetery and was back on the crushed limestone trail, there was no more light from the sun, but the full moon was up. I could see the trail just fine, so I kept my headlamp on the lowest setting, not realizing this was another mistake. The mistake was that without being able to see details like individual leaves, a certain tree branch, or a bridge up ahead, I was no longer breaking it down into small, manageable chunks in my head. When it was light, I was picking out things a short distance ahead, reaching the goal, and then setting a new goal. Although they were small successes, I was having many successes. Leaving the cemetery, I knew that I would have an uphill grade until the trail crossed under Highway 2 a few miles ahead (I was thinking it was about two miles). I told myself that I would hike hard to that point, and then would have another mile to hike until there was a bench by another crossroads that looked over a field of grape vines, just a little ways past the old Izaak Walton League. I would reward myself with a nice rest there looking over that scene in the moonlight.<br />
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I started singing, "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" both to get in a rhythm and to scare away mountain lions. It brought back memories of a few years before where I had been running this same section on a similar night where, as I was running, I realized I was in the same area that several dogs had been eaten by one or more mountain lions in recent years. I figured between my bad singing and bad smell, I was pretty safe.<br />
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Somewhere in this section my Garmin battery died, which was another obstacle. For the prior 40some miles, whenever I thought I might be going too slow, I would check my pace on the Garmin and concentrate on going faster if needed. I no longer had this crutch to accurately judge my "speed". Combined with not being able to see much, I really didn't know how fast or slow I was going.<br />
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Unfortunately, I was wrong about the distance to Highway 2. It's actually about four miles from the cemetery to Highway 2, and almost another mile to the bench I was going to rest on, but I didn't know that at the time. I kept trudging along, feeling like I was barely moving. It was taking much more time than I knew it should to complete the "two miles" to Highway 2, and I kept having more and more negative thoughts. I kept seeing things ahead that I thought HAD to be the Highway 2 bridge over the trail, and every time I got there and realized it wasn't Highway 2, I was more and more disappointed.. Because it was taking so long to complete that "two miles" I kept pushing myself harder. I did finally get to Highway 2 and kept myself going by telling myself that in another mile that I would sit for a bit on that bench.<br />
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I finally reached the next crossroads and saw the grapes, but was devastated that there was no bench to sit on. I almost cried at this point. I still don't know if I went past the bench in the dark, that there had never been a bench there and I incorrectly "remembered" seeing it on my earlier scouting trip, or if the bench had been removed. Regardless, I was crushed that I couldn't sit on it to enjoy the view.<br />
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Things are a little blurry after that. I kept hiking, thinking that maybe the bench was on the other side of the road. I kept going for awhile and eventually found a bench dedicated to Larry Franzen. I plopped down, turned my headlamp off, and closed my eyes for a few minutes. I woke up hearing some animal scurrying around nearby and turned my headlamp back on to find a family of about 6 or 8 raccoons staring at me from a tree just to my left. I'm not scared of raccoons, but I hate them (I still haven't forgiven the entire species for stealing the fried chicken from my cooler 20 or so years ago), so I spat some obscenities at them and got moving again.<br />
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A little further down the trail I came up on a "porch swing" on the side of the trail. At least I think I did. Maybe it was before the Larry Franzen bench. As I said, things were pretty blurry at this point. I sat down and think I fell asleep again. I either dreamed (pretty sure it was a dream) or hallucinated that there was a guy sitting next to me on the swing. He had some bits of paper with some percentages written on them that he was trying to explain to me, but I couldn't comprehend what he was talking about. He also offered me some granola bars or candy or something to eat. I explained to him that I couldn't accept them, because that would disqualify me from this being a self-supported FKT.<br />
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I got up from the swing knowing that I was now on "quitters road", that my attempt was over. Even without the sleep deprivation, at the pace I was moving and not moving, it would take me way too long to finish. My will to push on was gone, especially knowing that I wouldn't make it to the bar in Coin in time to replenish any supplies, and that it might take until noon the next day to get it done. My mind quit, even though my body was still capable of forward motion. I just wanted to get to the next crossroads so I could text my wife to come get me. I "knew" that the next crossroads was right next to another place that I've deer hunted for years and I could direct her right to where I she could pick me up. Rather than disappointment, my biggest emotion was relief. I was happy to know it would be over, even if I didn't finish.<br />
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When I reached the crossroads, I found out I was wrong again. I was still short of my deer hunting spot. Instead of it being gravel, I had reached a dirt road that I didn't want her driving down because of the rain earlier in the day. I was so tired it took me four or five attempts to get my phone password right so I could even text her, which I did at 11:43 p.m. I hiked about 1/4 mile up the dirt road until it intersected with some gravel and texted her that I was at the intersection of 120th and E. Thankfully she figured out that I had mis-typed that and came to my actual location, which was 220th and E. While waiting, I took one last photo of my beaten self.<br />
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<b>The Aftermath</b></div>
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I fell asleep almost immediately in the car after I posted on Facebook that I had quit. But before I dozed off, I was overwhelmed by the amount of positive posts and support from my friends and family. I hadn't checked along the way because I needed to save my battery and the signal was iffy much of the way. All that positive energy really prevented me from falling into a deep funk of disappointment. Thank you.</div>
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I woke up just as we got back to Council Bluffs and directed Lisa to where my truck was parked. She was worried about me driving a couple of miles to our nearby hotel, but I managed. Driving was much easier than my shuffle to the hotel elevator. And I've never been happier to learn that my room was only a few feet from the elevator.</div>
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After peeling off my disgusting clothes and shoes, I took one of the best showers of my entire life. I definitely had some chafing and soreness, but it wasn't too bad. I had big blisters between my big and second toes on each foot, but they didn't pop and didn't hurt. Same for the small blisters on the end of my pinky toes.</div>
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All things considered, I actually felt pretty good. I felt a lot worse after my first half marathon. I guess my body is getting used to the longer distances. It only took two or three days until I had no soreness anywhere.</div>
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I think the best lesson I learned on this was that I am a quitter. I needed to be knocked down a bit. I've always said, "I don't quit". On that day, I found my limit and did quit. Now that I crossed that line, I can build from there.</div>
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I haven't decided when, but I will make another attempt, capitalizing on the things I learned on the first attempt. Next time this "bib" will be filled out completely.</div>
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Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-31193396900808877482015-12-15T23:04:00.000-06:002015-12-17T00:43:46.870-06:00Long Term Care Plan v. Long Term Care Insurance (Part 1)As I outlined in an <a href="http://insurancenerd.blogspot.com/2015/11/dave-ramsey-is-wrong-part-2-long-term.html" target="_blank">earlier post</a>, I disagree with Dave Ramsey (and a lot of other people) when it comes to long term care insurance. Many people debate with their family, with "experts" and/or with themselves regarding whether or not to buy long term care insurance. However, I rarely hear anyone talk about a long term care PLAN, unless they are using it as a synonym for LTC insurance. Having no plan is a bad plan, no matter how good of insurance that someone might have, and some times having no insurance is the right plan.<br />
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So what's the difference between LTC insurance and a LTC plan? Maybe it will help to plug in "fire" for LTC to understand it better.<br />
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If your house is burning down, the most important thing is to have a plan of action, so everyone gets out safely. If everyone's dead, there's not point in having the insurance to replace your stuff that burns up. Even better than an escape plan, is a fire prevention plan. Almost all fires are preventable. If you never have a fire, your never hurt by not having fire insurance or having bad insurance. Also, once a fire starts, a good plan and things like fire extinguishers can minimize the damage, again making much less important to have good fire insurance.<br />
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Having a long term care PLAN starts with prevention. Many of the things that result in someone needing long term care are preventable. Most physical problems that result in people being unable to live on their own are caused by poor lifestyle choices. Heart attacks, strokes, broken hips, lung problems, etc. are mostly preventable. Making healthy choices dramatically reduces the odds of needing long term care. Insurance companies know that, so if you decide to buy LTC insurance, it will cost a lot less and be easier to get if you are healthy.<br />
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The next part of making a plan is to assess your current status and figure out what would happen if right now you were suddenly unable to care for yourself with little or no chance of recovery. What would happen? I always recommend taking a lot of time writing out the answer to this question. It's going to vary a lot from one person to another. For example, if a person were a grain farmer, someone would have to take over planting, harvesting, etc. pretty much immediately, but if someone is retired or one of many people performing the same basic job as several others within a company, the situation isn't as urgent. It would also look different for someone running a company where others were dependent on him or her for their employment. Family situations are another variable affecting things dramatically.<br />
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If you haven't already, now is the time to really think about this possibility, and get it down in black and white what you think would happen. That is the foundation of a long term care plan. We'll work on putting the rest of the building up soon.Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-81894976706415491892015-12-08T13:37:00.000-06:002015-12-08T13:37:15.467-06:00Self-ful, Health-ful AEPOn paper, 2014 was my least successful Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP). The AEP, which now runs from October 15 through December 7, is akin to tax time for accountants or harvest time for farmers. It is during this time that people on Medicare can change their prescription coverage and/or enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan.<br />
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Overall, the chaos has been great for my business. When I went on my own in 2006, very few people knew how the new prescription drug coverage worked, only that they needed to sign up for something. Once people found out that I understood it and could explain so that most people could understand it, they told their friends and family about me. It wasn't unusual for me to show up at an appointment I had scheduled at the home of a couple and have a half dozen other people there too. I very quickly went from having a handful of customers to having hundreds. Without that chaos, I probably would have failed quickly.<br />
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Instead, my business took off. I helped a lot of people, and I've won a couple of trips and trophies for my number of sales.<br />
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But it hasn't been all sunshine and tuna and pelicans. I've had some rough times and close calls. The standard has been that I would run like crazy, sucking down pots of coffee to wake up in the morning, run all day from appointment to appointment, and then pound drinks when I got home in order to be able to finally go to sleep and do it again the next day.<br />
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I've been trying to back it off for several years, but 2013 made me realize I HAD to slow down during AEP. Literally. Right at the end of AEP two years ago I had worked myself into such an exhaustion that my brain was pretty much shut down, even though my eyes were open. I was driving to an appointment and couldn't figure out why the guy coming the other way was turning left directly across my path. It wasn't until after I had clipped his back quarter panel that I realized that he turned in front of me because he had the green arrow and I had a red light that I had just run right through. My truck was damaged, but his car was much worse. He was mad, but luckily didn't punch me. I probably deserved it.<br />
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I did better in 2014, but still ran myself down, got sick for the 9th straight year, and took almost no time at all for myself, my family, friends, or anything else but work. In 2015 I got it right, I think.<br />
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This year, my new sales were about 1/10 of what they have been in past years during this time, but I did a pretty good job of focusing on taking care of my existing customers, and more importantly, taking care of myself. I got good sleep when I needed to. I cut back some on exercise, but kept it going, and even did a <a href="http://insurancenerd.blogspot.com/2015/11/great-race-better-people-vets-run-50k.html" target="_blank">"50k" race</a>. I didn't take complete days off, but I took some time to bow hunt during the rut, something I haven't done for the past 10 years. I took a class. I spent more time with my family. I even took advantage of some beautiful weather and camped out a couple of nights when I was on the road instead of driving home tired or staying in a questionable hotel room. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poe Hollow, Mount Ayr, Iowa<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
I wrote fifteen new blog posts during AEP, which is fifteen more than the prior nine years combined, and also wrote 2 new songs. Instead of gaining 10 or 15 pounds and feeling completely wiped out at the end of AEP, I'm .2 pounds lighter and feeling great. That's success in my book.</div>
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<br />Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-47962183689590151012015-12-03T00:52:00.002-06:002015-12-03T00:52:59.629-06:00New Strategy For "Bridge" Health InsuranceBefore Affordable Care Act (AKA "Obamacare") I often was asked to help find health insurance for people who were a couple of years from Medicare eligibility. Most often it happened when a husband retired at age 65 and his wife was younger, usually by a few years. Health insurance was easy for him because he was new to Medicare, and they could both collect Social Security if they wanted. It made sense of both of them to retire while they were healthy enough to travel extensively if they wanted to. Getting health insurance for the non-Medicare spouse required answering some health questions, but I could usually get her a decent rate by selling her a policy that excluded maternity and mental health coverage. It was a safe bet that she wouldn't get pregnant, and if she hadn't had mental health issues by her early 60's, the odds were against her developing them suddenly. I could get her a decent health insurance policy for around $200-300 per month. That was affordable and reasonable. Those days are gone.<br />
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Now for someone in the last few years before being eligible for Medicare, that "bridge" coverage costs two to three times as much because everyone is accepted regardless of health, and the policy has to cover maternity and mental health. That drives up the cost, making doing the things people want to do in retirement less affordable.<br />
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As much as I dislike it, I'm wondering if the best solution is to manipulate income in order to qualify for a tax subsidy to cover health insurance cost.<br />
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For example, an Iowa couple with an income of $50,000 with him on Medicare could get a monthly tax subsidy in the neighborhood of $150 per month for her health coverage (per this <a href="http://kff.org/wp-content/themes/vip/kff/static/subsidy-calculator-widget.html" target="_blank">calculator</a>, at least). If income is $40,000 instead of $50,000, the subsidy increases to just under $280. That doesn't mean the couple has to have $10,000 less to spend, it just means that they need to decrease INCOME by $10,000. There are lots of ways to do it. For example, take $10,000 more out of a savings account and take $10,000 less from his 401K. One of the screwy things about the ACA is that the subsidy doesn't care what you have for assets. You can be a billionaire in term of assets but still qualify for a subsidy if your "income" is low. <br />
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Just one more reason to have some assets (Roth IRA, life insurance cash value, etc.) that can be used without increasing "income".Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-72109186459252626632015-12-02T00:00:00.002-06:002015-12-02T00:03:53.632-06:00Why Not Self-Directed Roth IRA?Usually when I'm writing here, it's more to share my wisdom (just lobbing that one up there for you to take a swing at) than it is to ask for advice. This time I'm asking. I'd love to hear what others have experienced or considered, what holes you see in what I'm thinking, etc. You could email me at <david .green="" to7insurance.com=""> or better yet, I'd love to discuss face to face.</david><br />
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My older son recently started working at Hy Vee, so he'll be able to start an IRA, most likely a Roth. I've been thinking about how cool it would be if he maxed out his contributions every year, how well off he would be with all those years of contributing and growing it. But what's a good way to grow it? I love fixed indexed annuities for conservative growth and/or income in retirement, but he's not even out of his teens. <br />
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Here's what I'm thinking I would do if I were in his shoes. I would max my contributions until I had enough saved to buy a piece of investment real estate (or rather a significant enough down payment that the rent would cover the payments). Or one of the many other options available for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-directed_IRA" target="_blank">self-directed IRA</a>. I'm especially intrigued by the idea of investing in "intellectual property". The way I'm looking at things, he could be an entrepreneur who never pays taxes on what he makes from his investments, just keeps reinvesting them. And then passes them on tax-free if set up as a Roth. Seems like a heck of a deal. With a lot of work involved to figure it out. <br />
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I'd love to hear your perspective on it.Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-44039661329339007992015-11-28T00:09:00.000-06:002015-11-28T00:09:03.080-06:00Sycamore 8--Friday FavoriteSycamore 8 is my favorite local race. About the only thing I don't like about it is that it's the first weekend in December, which means it is also on opening day of the shotgun deer season and the last weekend of Medicare Annual Election Period. The stars have to align perfectly for me to be able to squeeze it in. Unfortunately, they aren't lined up for next weekend. But YOU can still register <a href="https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_information.php?event_id=121629" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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The race director, Brad Dains, is top notch. He's pretty impressive as a runner, but even better as a race director and all around good guy. Here's what makes it my favorite local race. In no particular order.<br />
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<li>It's close to home for me. Which means I don't need to drive there if I want to run or walk there. </li>
<li>The weather both times that I've done it has not been above 80 degrees (I'm not much of a warm weather runner). In fact, I don't think it's even been above zero.</li>
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<li style="text-align: left;">The race finishes in a parking lot, so I can get warm, dry clothes right after the race instead of having to walk several blocks to my vehicle.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">The proceeds go to a good cause (Central Iowa Trail Association)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">A bus is available to take participants from the finish line to the start.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I am very familiar with the trail since I run and bike it often because of its convenient location.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Warm, tasty soup at the finish</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Eight miles is enough of a distance to be a challenge, but not so long that it gets boring or I'm overly sore the next day.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">(saving the best for last?) Great swag. I have plenty of t-shirts already. From this race I've received a stainles steel pint "glass", a very nice bottle opener/key ring that I have attached to my computer bag, and an orange Buff that I use often. This year there will be a small bag f "Sycamore Single Track" coffee. Trail running and coffee. Can't go wrong there.</li>
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Thank you, Brad, for directing my favorite race. Someday I'll do it again.</div>
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Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-17578771720221802502015-11-26T22:28:00.000-06:002015-11-26T22:28:53.115-06:00Thanks, MomThanksgiving has been a hard day for me since my mom passed away. Today I'm thankful for the last lesson she taught me: life is short, and every day matters.<br />
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As a kid, Thanksgiving was "our" holiday, the one where we were the hosts for Mom's family. This is what it looked like.<br />
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(Got my best side)</div>
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I have a lot of great memories of Mom and I having rare one-on-one time every year on Thanksgiving morning, the two of us working together after my paper route was finished and everyone else was still sleeping. With six kids in the family, there wasn't much time that it was just the two of us.</div>
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Every year on Thanksgiving I find myself irritable, usually getting into arguments over stupid stuff with my wife, etc. I'm getting better at focusing on enjoying the good memories instead of thinking about the loss, but it's still a tough day. </div>
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It's a tough day, but it's one day closer to the end of my life, so I'm going to keep making the most of every one. Happy Thanksgiving!</div>
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<br />Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-46139742146735937732015-11-20T00:07:00.000-06:002015-11-20T00:07:08.807-06:00Dave Ramsey is Wrong--Part 2: Long Term Care InsuranceIf you missed Part 1 regarding determining the right amount of life insurance to purchase, it gives a little <a href="http://insurancenerd.blogspot.com/2015/11/dave-ramsey-is-wrong-part-1.html" target="_blank">background to this post</a>.<br />
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Dave Ramsey's is wrong with many of his comments regarding long term care insurance. Not completely wrong, but kind of like those true/false test questions, it only needs to have one little bit wrong to be "false". And that one little false bit can really screw up a person's life. Here's what he says on page 160 of <i>Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money. </i>"Statistically speaking, long-term care coverage is pretty much a complete waste of money--<i>until</i> you turn 60. Then, something dramatic happens. Long-term care coverage goes from being a waste to being an essential part of your insurance plan. You don't need it when you're fifty-nine, but you need to be on the phone setting it up the day you turn sixty". Huh? The other things I disagree with him on, I can at least see why he thinks the way he does, even if I disagree with it. But this is completely illogical. At 59 and 364 days LTC insurance is a waste of money, but the next day I absolutely have to have it? But what if I was born 2 months premature? What if they had to induce labor because I was 2 weeks overdue? Do I adjust accordingly? Why isn't he recommending that I buy it to be effective the day before I turn sixty and "waste" the premium on one day of coverage so that I pay a 59 year old rate instead of a 60 year old rate for the next 20 years or so? That argument would at least make some sense to me. It would at least be a "smart" financial move.<br />
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His first mistake is his first word: "statistically". Statistics are extremely important when it comes to insurance. To the insurance company. But they are absolutely meaningless to you as an individual. It doesn't matter what the average length of time needing long term care is. It doesn't matter what the average age of a person needing long term care is. All that matters to YOU is when YOU need it, how long YOU need it, and when or if it happens to YOU.<br />
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You don't buy insurance to protect you and your family from something that happens when and how you expect it to, you buy the insurance to protect you in cases where you are NOT average. For example, no one in their right mind says, "I'm not going to buy home insurance because most people's houses don't burn down. It's a complete waste of money. If it looks like my house is going to burn, then I'll buy home insurance." We all know what would happen if a person did that, even if you aren't like me where every time there's a forest fire I get a barrage of emails saying that no one in that area can buy a new home insurance policy. That's almost what he's saying to do when he says that you should wait until your 60th birthday to by LTC coverage because younger people rarely (according to statistics) need LTC coverage, but after 60 they are likely to have a claim. Does he think the insurance companies are not aware of these statistics? And that they don't factor that into their underwriting and rates? They don't issue a single policy that the statistics tell them they will lose money on.<br />
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Are there 60 year-olds who are able to qualify for coverage? Sure there are. Also from page 160: "According to the American Assciation Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA), 69 percent of those turning age sixty-five today will need some form of long-term care". Translation: 31 percent of those turning age sixty-five today will NOT need some form of long-term care. Who do you think the insurance companies want to sell their policies to? The 31% or the 69%? They aren't 100% right all the time, but they do a pretty good job of avoiding selling policies to 69%.<br />
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As I said, there are 60 year-olds who qualify for LTC insurance, but there are quite a few who don't. People who would have qualified at age 50 or 55 or 59. You can't just buy long term care insurance with money. You have to be healthy. If you've ever had a heart attack or stroke or cancer, you've got an uphill battle. If it's been within the last few years, it's next to impossible to qualify. Or if you've had back or joint surgery. Or missed work because of a bad auto accident. Or any other health issues. Have you ever heard of anyone having any problems like that before they were 60? Especially between 50 and 60? If you haven't, then you haven't been paying attention.<br />
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That's only a small part of what's wrong with his views on long-term care insurance. Looks like I'm going to have to have a Part 2-B at least.Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-75967363846818872522015-11-19T00:13:00.001-06:002015-11-19T00:13:58.782-06:00Dave Ramsey Is Wrong: Part 1Tonight was the last night of Financial Peace University for my wife and I. If you aren't familiar with FPU, it's a class by Dave Ramsey, usually hosted by a church. Rather than misstate what they do, I'll quote his mission statement directly from his <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/home/" target="_blank">website</a>. "Ramsey Solutions provides biblically based, common-sense education and empowerment that give HOPE to everyone in every walk of life." That's a pretty good mission statement. I admit, they do it very well. He's even better as a marketer, especially when it comes to knowing his target market and tailoring his message accordingly. I've learned much more watching his marketing than I have from the content of the class. I recommend taking it, even you are pretty knowledgeable regarding finances. The lessons are more about changing behavior rather than financial knowledge. Behavior trumps knowledge every time.<br />
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So why did I put "Dave Ramsey is wrong" at the top of this post? Partly because it will evoke an emotional response from a lot of people who read it. But mainly because as much is I like his stance on a lot of things (we both are big fans of HSA's and Roth IRA's, for example), he is wrong, contradicts himself, oversimplifies and/or uses too many absolutes on several topics. Which is why this post is only "Part 1". <br />
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Since life insurance is my favorite financial product, I'm starting there. From page 167 of <i>Dave Ramsey's Complete Gude to Money</i> ( book of less than 400 pages is a "complete guide to money"?) under the heading, "How Much Coverage?" <br />
"You need to get coverage equal to ten times your income. So if you're working and making $40,000 a year, you need $400,000 The ten-times rule of thumb is not an arbitrary number. Remember, life insurance is designed to replace your income. If your surviving spouse invests that $400,000 in good mutual funds at an average 10-12 percent return, he or she could peel off $40,000 a year from that investment to replace your income without ever cutting into the principal."<br />
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Sounds great, doesn't it? It's easy to do the math. 10 x $40,000= $400,000. $400,000 x 10% plus $400,000 principal = $440,000 minus $40,000= $400,000 It very much reminds me of listening to a politician. We all stand up and cheer, and feel good. Unless we start thinking too much and see the holes. There are a lot of them.<br />
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<li>Where does the income come from for the first year? Unless you wait to take income until the mutual funds have earnings, you cut into the principal right at the beginning, so it's not $400,000 that is doing the earning. Your initial principal for the investment is $400,000 minus whatever you used to cover funeral expenses and all the other additional things that came up due to the death</li>
<li>Dave Ramsey himself says in the same book on page 212, "Mutual funds make excellent long-term investments, but don't bother with them unless you can leave that money alone for <i>at least</i> five years. This where you park your money for the long haul, looking toward retirement". So what you're saying, Mr. Ramsey, is that if I die tonight then my widow should put my life insurance proceeds into a retirement investment and leave it there for at least five years? And during that five years the bill fairy will come and wave her magic wand and all the bills will be paid and my kids will have their college tuition covered?</li>
<li>Page 211 says, "The average annual return from 1926, the year of the S&P's inception, through 2010 is 11.84 percent. Just keep in mind that's the eighty-year <i>average.</i>. Sure, within that time frame there are up years and some down years." Between now and 1970 there have been 9 years that the S&P has been down for the year, with the worst year (2008) down 37%. I wouldn't be comfortable betting my family's future on something that had approximately a 1 in 5 chance of dropping in value the same year I died. I don't call that "Financial Peace".</li>
<li>If I am a good, ambitious person, I should expect to be making more money in the future than I am now, and a lot of the plans for my family expect that too. It doesn't give me financial peace thinking that if I died tonight then my family's income (assuming that I follow his plan and that the proceeds consistently earn 10% year after year in mutual funds, even though that has never happened) would never increase, that it would be locked at the same level it was on the day I died.</li>
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I could keep going, but going on and on about it isn't necessary. If you haven't figured out by now that you should consider more than just "10 times your current salary" to calculate the right amount of life insurance, then you probably won't ever get it. There are a lot of other ways, often just as simple to calculate. Listing them all here would be more confusing than helpful, since without knowing the particulars of your personal situation, no one can tell you what the best calculation method would be. A good professional would get to know you in a way you are unlikely to get doing a web search or something like that.<br />
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Anyway, I do need to go to sleep so I don't put my family in a position of using my life insurance proceeds to provide their financial peace. One time of driving sleep-deprived was more than enough. (And I also recommend Dave Ramsey's book, <i>More Than Enough</i>--pun intended).<br />
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<br />Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-34521309341879724362015-11-13T23:29:00.000-06:002015-11-13T23:29:11.048-06:00Back Country--Friday FavoriteThere's lots of excitement about the new REI opening last Saturday in West Des Moines. I haven't been there yet, but my son is convinced that I'll be taking him there tomorrow. I don't have anything against REI and own a couple of their sleeping bags and one of their backpacks, but I don't see them replacing Back Country as my favorite. Not just for Friday, but every day.<div>
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When I say "Back Country" I don't mean the online retailer Back Country Outfitters. I mean our local store whose website is <a href="http://theoriginalbackcountry.com/" target="_blank">http://theoriginalbackcountry.com/ </a> I'm not one of those people who says we should support local businesses simply because they are local. I think we should support local businesses who do things better. That's why I support them.</div>
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When I go into Back Country, I know I'm going to get personal service from a knowledgeable person who will remember me when I come back and who actually backpacks, camps, runs, etc. I also know that I'll get a fair price. It may not be lower than the discount outfitters (sometimes it is), but I know it will be close. And I don't have to pay shipping or wait or have to drive across town. Which means less time shopping and more time for fun!</div>
Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-46137351327162079702015-11-12T07:50:00.001-06:002015-11-12T07:50:47.430-06:00Great Race, Better People: Vet's Run "50k"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You know it's a good race course when you have to replace your shoes in the middle of it.<br />
I didn't get any pictures of the course, but some friends got some pretty good shots.<br />
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<i>Photo courtesy of Kevin Riessland</i><br />
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<i>Photo by Sheri Pfeil</i><br />
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<i>Photo by Angry Cow Adventures</i><br />
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This race report turned out much longer than I planned. Most of it is for me to remember and reflect, so feel free to just look at the pictures and skim if you want.<br />
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For a few years I've heard lots of good stuff about the races that Jim Craig puts on with <a href="http://angrycowraces.com/" target="_blank">Angry Cow Adventures</a> I have heard that his races are very challenging but fun, and he treats every entrant like a super star, regardless of ability. I wasn't planning to do a 50k this year, but I was going to be working nearby and bike racing season is over, so I said, "Why not?" and entered. After seeing a map of the 5ish mile course (which I would run 6 times), I knew it was going to hurt. The only question was how much.<br />
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I found my way to Indian Cave State Park Friday night just before they closed the gates at 10 p.m. I had no idea where I was going, but another guy (who I'll call "Mercedes" since he was driving an older one) drove into the park just after me and looked like he knew his way around. I said, "You here for the race too?" He didn't even know there was a race, but was impressed that I was going to be doing a "supermarathon" as he called it. He and his dog were there to camp with some friends, but he told me I could just drive around and should be able to find a spot. I drove for 10 or 15 minutes through the park looking for a familiar vehicle or some kind of clue that I was at the race site. Just before a "road closed" sign I saw an "Angry Cow Adventures" sign and figured I must be close. I also saw someone parking a truck with a 50 mile sticker, so I figured I must be in the right place. I introduced myself (found out his name was Jeremy, not realizing until later that it was Jeremy Morris, a super fast guy who won the overall title for the Red Dirt Trail Running Series) talked to him briefly, and decided that we were probably in the right place according to the maps. I set up my tent just a few feet from my truck, rolled out my bag and fell asleep looking at the stars, which were still out when I woke up with a glow in the east.<br />
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I brewed a pot of coffee and ate some roasted beets mixed with sour cream and lots of salt (always have before a race) and a couple of small tortillas filled with a mix of boiled eggs, avocado, onion and lime juice that I'd brought in my cooler. Then I got into my racing clothes and put on warmer clothes over the top since it was only in the upper 30's. I had a few minutes before I could check in, so I relaxed in my warm truck for a few minutes until I could check in at 6:30.<br />
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After getting my number and putting it on my race belt, I started seeing some friends arrive and had a chance to chat with them. I usually spend most of the actual running time alone at the majority of the events I do, but I love the social part of before and after races. <br />
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Of course just as everyone else was arriving and the parking lot was filling, my morning coffee and all the fiber from the prior three days hit me at once. I hadn't seen any bathrooms in the immediate area but had seen some driving in. I got in my truck knowing that I would lose my prime parking spot, but I didn't think I had time to walk to the bathrooms and make it back to the start. I started down the road and had barely gotten out of the parking lot before I found bathrooms that I had missed driving in. By the time I got back my prime spot was gone, but I was able to still park at the end of the lot furthest from the start area.<br />
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I took off my warm clothes and got down to shoes, socks, compression sleeves, running shorts, hat, sunglasses, and my long-sleeved tech shirt from the Drake Half-Marathon. I didn't realize until later that it's the one that says, "In it for the long run" on the back. I later laughed thinking that I was wearing that for a 50k race with many people who have run 50 and 100 mile races. I debated wearing gloves, but figured I would warm up quickly and wouldn't want them. <br />
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Just as we were about to start, someone, I think Reg Bollinger, suggested that we get a photo of everyone participating. Great idea.<br />
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I briefly considered sprinting ahead at the start so I could say I led Kaci Licktieg in a race, but I knew I would be suffering plenty later in this race. No need to make it worse than necessary. If you don't know who Kaci is, you should. She's one of the top trail runners. Period. Not "in the Midwest" or "on the women's side". One of the top trail runners. Here's <a href="http://pixieninjarunning.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">her blog</a> and you can find a lot more about her with a google search.<br />
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The first mile or so was mostly downhill, with some steeper and more technical sections of downhill, which I absolutely love. Maybe from having so many bicycle crashes, I'm not scare of falling, so I descend faster than most people at my level. I soon found myself running and chatting with a small group that included Kevin Riessland, Angie Hodge and another lady that they knew but I did not. Among other topics was the unknown lady saying that she always is afraid that Kaci would lap her at the GOATz 50k race, to which I replied that Kaci had never lapped me there. Because I'd never raced it. I also remember saying that I had made the wrong decision in opting to not wear gloves since I couldn't feel my hands. After more conversation I introduced myself to the unknown lady and found out that she is Kaci's mom. No surprise that they are equally nice.<br />
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Even though I felt great, I knew I had no business at all running with that group. I've seen Kevin and Angie run enough to know they are much stronger and faster than me. I forced myself to slow down and go at my own pace, keeping a close watch on my heart rate. I knew if I kept it in the low 140's I could maintain that for a long time. But even doing that, I was able to occasionally see glimpses of Angie's pinkish/orangish hat up ahead of me even at mile 4. I kept telling myself to slow down, but my running felt effortless, like I could go like that all day. I was shocked that I was almost back to the start/finish area before the three leaders, Kaci Licktieg, Jeremy Morris and Miguel Ordorica, went past me on their way out on their second lap.<br />
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At the start/finish line aid station I just topped off my water and went back out. I didn't check the time when I came I finished the lap, but I did look at my Garmin in the first mile of the second loop and realized I'd done the first loop in about 50 minutes. Big shock since I was optimistically hoping to average an hour per lap. I ran briefly with a few other people, but for the most part I ran alone, continuing to monitor my heart rate, feeling great and forcing myself to slow down through the 2nd lap. It was very uneventful. I started to feel a little hungry, so I took a little more time and ate a piece of foccacia bread, a muffin, and grabbed a small can of Coke to take with me but was in and out of the turnaround/aid station quickly.<br />
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Early in the 3rd lap I had my first minor difficulty. I was feeling a hot spot on the bottom of my right big toe on a steep downhill. Luckily I've paid attention to my smarter, more accomplished trail running friends and took their advice and took care of the small problem before it became a big problem. I sat on a log, took off my shoe and sock, slathered on some Glide, put the shoe back on and got back on the trail. No one passed me, and it couldn't have taken more than a minute. The rest of the 3rd lap was pretty much a replica of the 2nd. I finished the lap with the time showing 2:30, so I had averaged right at 50 minutes per lap! I was way ahead of my goal time. I got another Coke and piece of bread and headed out for lap 4 full of confidence.<br />
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The confidence drained in a hurry. Down the first hill my legs hurt, and I was putting on the brakes instead of letting it flow and enjoying the gravity of the downhills. Instead of forcing myself to walk the uphills like I did the first three laps, I kept catching myself walking the runnable parts and had to force myself to run at all. I wasn't enjoying the view any more. My heart and lungs were good, but the lack of time on my feet had caught up with me. Then I looked down at my feet and saw the hole in the side of my shoe. It looked better and less torn up than I felt. The first 3 laps I averaged about 10 or 11 minutes per mile, but now it was 13 to 15 minutes per mile. I still felt I could finish, but not anywhere close to what I had been thinking just a lap before.<br />
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I staggered up the last hill of lap 4 and headed to my truck at the FAR end of the parking lot to get different shoes. "Mercedes" was just coming out of the woods with his camping friends, gave me a big smile and said, "You did it!". I had to reply, "Not yet. I'm only two-thirds done" and showed him my shoe. While at the truck I grabbed a couple of pickles from my cooler and filled my coffee cup with the juice. I've never found anything better than pickle juice for fighting cramps, so I hoped it would work. I drank half and put the cup against a tree in the drop bag area, hoping no one knocked it over so it would still be there for my last lap. I refilled water, got another Coke and piece of bread and headed back out. I walked the downhill, eating, drinking, and trying to refocus.<br />
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It wasn't good, but lap 5 was definitely better than lap 4. I still had to force myself to run and didn't quite let it all out on the downhills, but it was better. I hurt, but knowing the end was near, I was able to push through. I did get lapped by a few people, including Angie and Kevin that I'd been with on the first lap, but that wasn't unexpected. The unexpected part was that they didn't lap me sooner.<br />
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At the start/finish I downed the other half of my cup of pickle juice, got another piece of bread and Coke and headed back out. It still hurt, but knowing it was the last lap, I was able to get a little more flow to the downhills and run the runnable parts. I did yell out, "F' you, Jim Craig!" going up the steepest climb the last time, not because of disliking him, but because I had conquered the toughest obstacle he had put on the course for me. That felt great! <br />
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Shortly after that I caught up with my friend Colleen Duda who was pacing Bill Lauer. He was having some cramping issues, so I gave him an unopened gel containing some electrolytes that I had found on the trail, and then went on ahead. Apparently it worked, because they passed me shortly after that. I heard Colleen tell him, "only a mile to go". Apparently part of being a good pacer is being a good liar, because I knew it was at least a mile and a half, probably two. But it worked. I never caught back up. In the last mile I actually felt like I was "racing", which was a goal to be able to do that on the last lap. I kept hearing a group behind me, but I was able to push hard enough to stay ahead of them to the finish line.<br />
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The finish line food was outstanding! Colleen's Catering makes some incredible potato soup. It was so good that I just kept getting more bowls of it instead of even trying the other stuff. It even made up for me being too slow (official time of 6:11:42)to get any of the Hamm's at the finish. <br />
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I'm not going to call myself an "ultrarunner" since according to my Garmin it was just over Marathon distance, not a full 50k. It was definitely more difficult than the one Marathon I had done before, however.<br />
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Jim Craig lived up to his reputation. Even though we had just met that day, he knew me by name when I came into the finish, shook my hand and congratulated me, and thanked me for coming out for his race.<br />
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I got the same attitude from everyone there. The top runners greeted me on the trail, congratulated me and made me feel like I was one of them, even though I'm nowhere close to them in ability. the not at the top runners did the same thing. They are exactly why I say, "I'm not a runner; I'm a bike racer. I just run so I can hang out with the cool kids".<br />
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<br />Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-31992310094441993532015-11-04T23:41:00.000-06:002015-11-04T23:41:37.728-06:00P.R.I.D.E. In HealthWhen I worked at Clarinda Academy, we had shirts that read "PRIDE" down the left side, with the words "Personal Responsibility In Determining Excellence" across. That was our attitude. I thought of that when I saw these billboards today on Fleur Drive. <br />
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Were I (God forbid!) the president or a candidate for that office, I'd be more than a little irritated if someone asked me what I planned to do about it. My response would be something like this: "Let me get this straight. I'm responsible for making sure planes don't get brought down by terrorists. I need to decide whether or not to launch a nuclear attack and possibly destroy the entire earth. I have to make sure we get along with hundreds of other countries, balance a multi-trillion dollar budget, stimulate the economy, and get political parties that hate each other to work together, but it's ALSO my job to make sure your kid has something other than Pepsi and and candy corn for breakfast, that you exercise on a regular basis and your mom quits chewing Skoal? Really? REALLY???"<br />
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I did look at the website <a href="http://www.fightchronicdisease.org/iowa">http://www.fightchronicdisease.org/iowa</a> and saw that they at least say that they are for prevention, and some of their partners are organizations I support. However, their <a href="http://www.fightchronicdisease.org/public-policy-platform" target="_blank">policy platform</a> "proposes the following public policy recommendations to help our nation’s leaders – including the 2016 presidential candidates – address the growing epidemic of chronic disease and highlight commonsense reforms that will help the nation address this challenge". We don't need "public policy", we need P.R.I.D.E.! Don't ask what presidential candidates can do for you; ask what you can do for yourself. Exercise. Stop stuffing your face with carbohydrates. Stop using tobacco.<br />
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The vast majority of chronic disease, especially Type 2 diabetes, is caused by bad decisions, not bad luck. We don't need more government studies to find out what causes them or more funding for more expensive treatments for the symptoms. We need grow up, to take responsibility for ourselves, and to stop acting like victims. It's simple. Not easy, but simple. Bring back an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3X3npWjxCc" target="_blank">insurance billboard</a>.Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-52540014467782519132015-11-03T22:17:00.000-06:002015-11-03T22:18:52.390-06:00Money Is Time, Part 2Do you consistently calculate how much time a purchase costs you? Try it some time. Or all the time. It will definitely change how you spend money when you also consider that you are buying time.<br />
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I've heard others talk about this, but the ones I've heard don't do it completely. They usually say something like, "To calculate how much an item costs you in time, divide the cost of it by your hourly wage. That will tell you how much time you have to work to earn the item". So a person making $25 per hour would have to work 4 hours, or half of a work day to pay for a $100 item, right? Not right.</div>
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I'm using estimations and round numbers here, but let's start with sales tax. It's conservative to put it at 5%, meaning that you need to pay $105 to get it. Assuming free shipping. Or if you are going somewhere to buy it, you're going to spend money on gas, wear and tear on the car, or bus fare, or whatever. Plus the time to get there. Put that into your calculations too.</div>
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If you've ever had a paycheck, you know you don't bring home 100% of your hourly wage. 80% would be a very high percentage, so it would be generous to figure $20 per hour, so 5+ hours of working to cover the item. If you have an unpaid lunch break your up to at least 6 hours. If you have a commute, probably add another hour.</div>
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So in this case, the real time cost of a $100 item is more than 1/4 of one of the limited number of days this person has on the earth. He or she is never going to get that time back. I hope it's worth it.</div>
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Try making the calculations with your own numbers. It's eye opening. For me, it's been a great help in getting me to not make frivolous purchases, increase my earnings per hour so things cost me less time, and to get more enjoyment from the smart purchases I make. It's worth every minute.</div>
Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-11529574864017294612015-11-02T22:54:00.000-06:002015-11-02T22:54:50.179-06:00Money Is TimeAmong other things that I have let get in the way of me blogging consistently is my son's math homework that I've been helping him with. I'm not really a very good math teacher because I don't understand how other people don't understand it. Luckily, he's the same way, so I usually just have to explain it once.<br />
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Somehow in my mental ramblings while he was working on a problem, I started thinking about how people often say "Time is money". Which, thinking mathematically, means "time=money". So according to the symmetric property of equality, "money=time". Just as I don't "get" how others don't "get" math, I also fail to understand how people comprehend "Time is money" but ignore "Money is time".<br />
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The older I get and less time I have left on this earth, the more I see how money is time. With money I can buy more time by doing things to improve my health and extend my life. More importantly, with money I can upgrade the quality of the time that I have. I can pay someone else to do chores I don't like to do so I can spend my time doing things I want to do. For example, even though I know how to do it and could save a few dollars doing it my self, I don't change my own oil in my truck. I buy time. It's worth it. <br />
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Here's something to try when considering paying for a service: if someone offered to do the task for free, would you let him or her do it for you? If so, you should probably pay for the service. Your time is almost always worth it. Example, I pay for someone else to work on my car, but I do my own mechanical work on my bicycles. Not because I can't afford a bike mechanic, but because I like doing it, and would do it myself even if someone offered to do it for free.<br />
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And yes, this does relate to insurance. I almost always think "money = time" when working with retirement and life insurance issues. That's what it's all about. Having enough money that you control your time. If you don't or can't do that, you aren't "retired", you are "unemployed".<br />
<br />Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-74445172647812257702015-10-26T23:20:00.000-05:002015-10-26T23:20:27.490-05:00They Underestimated. Again<a href="http://www.quotehd.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein-power-quotes-never-underestimate-the-power-of-human"><img src="http://www.quotehd.com/imagequotes/authors1/tmb/robert-a-heinlein-power-quotes-never-underestimate-the-power-of-human.jpg" /><br />Robert A. Heinlein Power Quotes</a><br />
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Also, "Don't underestimate the other guy's greed"--Frank Lopez in <i>Scarface</i><br />
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I spent the today and will spend much of the time over the next several weeks talking with people about why health insurance rates are going up and/or benefits are being cut. Calling it "greed" and "stupidity" might be a little bit harsh, but it shouldn't be surprising. Anyone who thought that we were not going to have huge increases in health insurance cost is naive. If people are given the opportunity to get something for nothing or for less than fair market value, they will. Not everyone, but enough of them that there will be huge cost overruns. It's human nature. It's about survival.<br />
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If you haven't seen it in the <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/07/06/groundbreaking-specialty-drugs-come-with-high-costs" target="_blank">news</a>, the big "underestimation" of expense this past year was in relation to specialty drugs. Even though there are a small number of people taking them, the costs are very high. Before the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies were able to control for expenses by declining people who were likely to need them. Now that the insurance companies can not decline an applicant, why would a person suffering from something like Hepatitis C apply for coverage with the lowest possible deductible and get the prescription to cure it? He or she would be stupid not to. If you were in that situation, do you honestly think you would care that you doing that would cost the insurance company tens of thousands of dollars?<br />
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I don't know the solution, but I do know that costs will continue to be underestimated. Why? Because the public moves much faster than the government and the insurance companies. As long as there are dollars to be had, someone will find the way to get them. It's simple supply and demand. It's already started with pharmaceutical companies coming up with "better" more expensive drugs. They can afford to manufacture them because there is a way for them to get paid.<br />
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History repeats itself. We don't even have to look back very far. When Medicare Part D started in 2006, I rarely worked with people with high drug costs. Most of my Medicare customers took no or few prescriptions, and mostly generics, because without insurance coverage, they either couldn't or wouldn't spend that much. The exceptions were severe diabetics and those who had retiree group insurance with prescription benefits. A person who was on "a lot" and/or "expensive" medications spent $50 to $100 on them. I remember looking at "the donut hole" (coverage gap) of $2,250 and thinking, "Nobody uses that much in a year, or if they do, they'll be dead before long". The vast majority of the consumers I spoke to said the same thing. Most of them said that they'd never meet the $250 deductible.<br />
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Flash forward 10 years. Going into 2016, even though the threshold for getting into the coverage gap is up to $3,310, a large number of my customers reach it before they get halfway through the year. It's not unusual for people I talk to to have a drug cost (before insurance) of $500 or more per month. The health of the people isn't any different, as far as I can tell, than people of the same age 10 years ago. The difference is that someone else is paying the bulk of the cost. It's not just stupid, it's not just greedy. It's just human nature.<br />
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History repeats itself. Costs are going to keep going up. Stop underestimating.Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-24643851082856411842015-10-24T01:01:00.001-05:002015-10-24T01:01:31.593-05:00Grove and Platt Dental Associates--Friday FavoriteI hate going to the dentist, so it is strange that I'm writing about a dental practice as my Friday Favorite. <br />
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I started going to Grove and Platt because the dentist I had was charging more than everyone else while complaining that he wasn't making enough money, and they were recommended by one of my wife's coworkers. I thought it was stupid to drive all the way out to Grimes to get my teeth cleaned, but I didn't have a better option.<br />
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The first time I went there I thought it was a fluke that they sent me straight in instead of sticking me in the waiting room for a half hour or more. What I found, however, was that not waiting is the norm there. I've been going there for several years, and I still don't know whether or not they have decent magazines in the waiting room.<br />
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In addition to the lack of waiting, they up the ante by making it feel like I'm going to a spa. I can get a hot wax treatment for my hands (tried it once, felt trapped) or a hot towel wrap on my neck (love that!) each time I go in. They also have free coffee and tea and water.<br />
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The best part is that they don't overcharge. Virtually every time I've been there I get a refund after my insurance gets done processing their part. Nothing beats that.<br />
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You never get a second chance at having teeth. Keep yours healthy. You can find them <a href="http://www.groveandplatt.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-5883762550613515592015-10-23T04:50:00.000-05:002015-10-23T04:50:43.463-05:00My Ideal CustomerThere's an old saying in the life insurance business. "There are only two reasons to buy life insurance; you love someone or you owe someone money", which is of course means that virtually everyone should buy life insurance. I agree with that, but that doesn't mean that everyone should buy it from me. As much as I would like to have the commission from that many life insurance sales, there are only 24 hours in the day, and I'm not a good fit for everyone. Just as there are many people who are great people individually but don't make a "love connection".<br />
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I don't often ask for referrals, but I get a lot of unsolicited ones. I love when it happens, because there's no better indicator that I am doing a good job for a customer than he or she telling friends and family about me. Most of the time it works great, but sometimes it's like an awful blind date. That doesn't mean to not refer someone if you're not 100% sure it will work out. I've been at this long enough that I'm not going to curl up in the corner and cry if I get rejected. But I am going to publish this list so people have a better idea of the likelihood of me being a good match.<br />
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Here are characteristics of my ideal customer. For me to be a good fit, we should match on at least a few of these.<span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Positive
Attitude</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Non
Smoker (Ex-smoker is even better)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Athlete/competitor/fitness
and health-oriented</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Parent</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Goal-oriented/planner</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Self-employed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Has
connections for people to refer to me. A
social person. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Open-mind</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Critical
thinker</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Passionate</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Cares
about others</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Hates
paying taxes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Into
self-improvement</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Odd/eccentric</span><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Rebellious</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Loves
being outdoors</span></li>
</ul>
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That is far from being a comprehensive list, but it's a good start. They don't have to owe anyone any money, either. Dave Ramsey followers are just fine with me.Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-28691981697902499252015-10-22T00:26:00.002-05:002015-10-22T00:28:26.689-05:00Enabling Natural Consequences"If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I will help you become that."--Johan Wolfgang von Goethe<br />
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I try not to get sucked into political debates, especially on Facebook, mainly because they are akin to discussing religion. The vast majority of people already have their minds made up on what is right and what is wrong, so they embrace the things that support their existing viewpoint and ignore or fight violently against things that contradict their existing viewpoint. Almost every time the result is that people on both sides are angry and further entrenched in their beliefs. It just doesn't seem like a good use of my time and energy.<br />
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However, the quote above got me thinking about politics, so I'm doing a brain dump here.<br />
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Especially since my years working at Clarinda Academy and Tarkio Academy, I have strongly believed that natural consequences are the best teachers and behavior modifiers. When it comes to addictive behavior, the hardest type of behavior to change, behavioral changes only happen when one "hits bottom". The "bottom" is different for different people, but unless a person suffers the pain of the "bottom", he or she won't change the behavior. Enablers are one of if not the very biggest hurdle to addicts overcoming addiction. If you aren't familiar with the term "enabler", the Merriam Webster <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enabler" target="_blank">definition</a> is "one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior (as substance abuse) by providing excuses or by making it possible to avoid the consequences of such behavior". Enablers do things like giving addicts unearned money, making excuses for them so they don't suffer social consequences, covering their work or family obligations, etc. Enablers don't do it out of evil intent, but with the intention of "helping". Sometimes they think they really are helping, or sometimes they know they are hurting in the long run but choose to make the short term "better". But the effect is that by keeping the person from hitting bottom, he or she never recovers so he or she never makes it to the top. In fact, they are always close to "bottom". Which puts continuous stress on families, friends, employers, neighbors, and society in general.<br />
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So how is this political? It got me thinking about politics, because what is our government except the world's biggest enabler? The vast majority of government programs (and even more so the most controversial ones) are all about preventing people from suffering the natural consequences of their negative behavior (and in many ways prevent from enjoying the natural consequence of good behavior). Didn't save money for retirement? We'll make a government program to pay you anyway. Didn't pay attention or didn't go to school? Haven't developed sufficient skills to demand high wages? The government will make your employer pay you more than they want to so you can have stuff anyway. Or if it's not enough, the government will supply you with food and housing. Have an unintended child? Or six or eight or ten? The government will supply all your needs so you can continue to be a parent.<br />
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Some may say that I have a negative view of people, that many are "losers", etc. But it's the opposite. I truly believe that those dependent on government programs are capable of doing great things, that if they are no longer "enabled" then they will enable themselves. I think that it's pompous and condescending to think that people can not overcome their circumstances without governmental help. People are much more capable, resourceful and smart than anyone, even themselves, think they are. <br />
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Stopping the enabling by the government would be painful in the short term, and it's difficult to do, but it's necessary for long term success and results.<br />
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Are there good government programs? Yes, but for the most part the government's role as an enabler is the "I" in "If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse". It should not be acceptable to be uneducated, unskilled, and unmotivated in this country. To make things better, we as citizens need to demand that "I (the government) treat you as though you (the citizenry) are what you are capable of becoming, I will help you become that". The best way to teach that is to stay out of the way and let natural consequences teach. When we do that, we will get closer to realizing our full potential.Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-46831577514686826952015-10-17T08:08:00.002-05:002015-10-17T08:08:58.456-05:00Cosi Cucina--Friday FavoriteMy main criteria for going to a restaurant is that there has to be something about it that's better than what I can do at home. I am a pretty good cook, so there are not a whole lot of restaurants who meet my standard. <a href="http://www.cosicucina.com/" target="_blank">Cosi Cucina</a> is one for sure. <br />
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I don't eat a lot of Italian food since I've changed my diet to mostly low carb, but if I'm going to go out for Italian, it's definitely the place to go. Not just for the food. From the time that Lisa and I first started dating, it's been the main place we've gone out to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, etc. There are a lot of good memories there from the last 20 years or so, in addition to the incredible food.<br />
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I'm hesitant to talk about how great it is, because I do like that it isn't as trendy as it was when we first started going there, and we can go in and get a table rather quickly instead of having to call ahead and still have to wait at least an hour, probably more like two. However, I would not want the place to go out of business because of lack of business.<br />
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There are a lot of things to love about Cosi Cucina. The bread. The aromas when you walk in the door. The bread. The wait staff, some of whom were there the first time I ate there. The bread. The fact that you can eat fairly inexpensively, or spend a pretty good chunk of change. The bread. The white chocolate brownie for dessert. The bread. The way the wait staff describes the specials and soup of the day (It's better than calling a 900 number. From what I've been told). The bread. The unusual specials (like ostrich) and soups (cream of red pepper, for example). And did I mention the bread?<br />
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When you go there (it's mandatory, not optional), make sure you get the white chocolate brownie for dessert. Just eat half your meal and get the other half boxed for tomorrow's lunch. You'll be glad you did.<br />
<br />Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920199750793162079.post-37295704270706184942015-10-14T23:52:00.001-05:002015-10-14T23:53:11.579-05:00Frog and the Scorpion (Day 16)In 1992 people were raving about the fable of the frog and the scorpion fable in <i>The Crying Game</i>, but I was thinking that it came from what I think is a much better movie, <i>Skin Deep. </i>If you aren't familiar with it, you can view it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jLec_LLp90" target="_blank">here</a>. Or the <i>Crying Game</i> version <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0I44-XPk2A" target="_blank">here</a>. However, it was actually first in a film in 1955, an Orson Welles film called <i>Mr. Arkadin</i>. Which probably stole it from something earlier.<br />
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Regardless of where it came from, it's still a lesson I'm continuing to learn. I'm getting better at my job as I'm realizing that people often act illogically. Sometimes I need to help them do that. I always say that what I sell is a good night's sleep, but I've been realizing lately that I sometimes put too much emphasis on doing what is logical.<br />
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I had several examples come up today. I talked to two different people who I could save some money by switching their health insurance to a different company. I told them briefly how they could save the money, etc. However, both of them expressed that they liked their current coverage, the premium is affordable, and that they felt safe and secure with their current company. A few years ago I would have pushed hard for them to make the change to save the money. Today, however, I reinforced them keeping their coverage as it is. I reinforced their decision, making sure that they continue to sleep well. That's the most important thing I do, even more important than saving them money. I had a similar conversation with a customer regarding life insurance. His kids have told him that he doesn't need to spend the money on life insurance. I've crunched the numbers and see that he could possibly pay more for the life insurance than it will pay out. It's not logical. But logic has nothing to do with it. He will sleep better tonight knowing that when he passes away, his family will receive a chunk of money without it having to go through probate, and it will be a quick and tax-free payout. Taking care of his family, that's his nature. And worth every bit he's going to pay.<br />
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<br />Insurance Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919303155151996082noreply@blogger.com0