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Real estate, a window of opportunity

A window of opportunity
By Diane LaPlace, Northshore LIVING WELL Magazine
The economy is slowly but surely improving, jobless claims are dropping; there is hope in the air. As a potential homeowner, there is a window of opportunity open to you. An opportunity to take advantage of the lowest fixed rate mortgage in over 30 years. […]

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Stay Updated on Mortgage Information

Stay Updated on Mortgage Information
By Michele Barber, Northstar Bank, Denton County LIVING WELL Magazine

It seems that any newspaper or business magazine you pick up these days has a discussion taking place on how mortgage rates continue to hold at record low levels. So what does that mean to John Q. Public??? […]

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Looking Towards 2012 for Opportunities

Looking Towards 2012 for Opportunities
Courtesy Landmark Bank, Texoma LIVING WELL Magazine
As we’re settling into 2012, let’s recap what we experienced in 2011. Growth in the U.S. was disappointing in 2011. The consensus among economists surveyed by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve in early 2011 was that real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which measures the output of the economy, would grow by 3.2%. Instead, the economy expanded at a disappointing annualized rate of just 1.2% in the first three quarters of 2011. […]

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The “dollar cost averaging” approach to wealth building

The “dollar cost averaging” approach to wealth building
Courtesy Strategic Financial Partners, Colorado Springs LIVING WELL Magazine
Slowly but surely wins the race. That’s the moral to the story about the tortoise and the hare. A similar approach, when applied to wealth accumulation, is known as dollar cost averaging. Though not the most glamorous way to increase your net worth, dollar cost averaging may be an effective asset-building strategy, especially when dealing with today’s volatile markets. […]

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Naming your estate representatives – considerations and pitfalls

NAMING YOUR ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES –CONSIDERATIONS AND PITFALLS

Courtesy Bradley & Riley PC, Linn County LIVING WELL Magazine

The estate planning process involves creating documents for management of your financial assets (both during your lifetime and following your death) and creating documents authorizing healthcare decisions while you are alive, but incapacitated. […]

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Choosing a funeral provider

Choosing a Funeral Provider

By D.W. Newcomer’s Sons, Johnson County LIVING WELL Magazine
History is important…That’s why area families appreciate the fact that DW Newcomer’s Sons has been in the Kansas City market since 1893. We have had the privilege of serving tens of thousands of families (maybe your families’ needs) through our Johnson County Chapel and Cemetery, Overland Park Chapel, Shawnee Mission Memory Gardens and Oak Lawn Cemetery. […]

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MEDICAL POWER OF ATTORNEY – AN ADVANCE MEDICAL DIRECTIVE

MEDICAL POWER OF ATTORNEY – AN ADVANCE MEDICAL DIRECTIVE

By Ronald Ward, Jr., Ward Law Firm, LIVING WELL Magazine

One day, a loved one may ask you to make medical decisions on their behalf if they are unable to do so. Although you may have heard of a medical power of attorney, you may not know what it is really about. Unlike a durable power of attorney that would grant you authority to make financial decisions on their behalf, a medical power of attorney would grant you broad authority to make medical decisions on their behalf. […]

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Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement? Which Is Right for Me?

Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement? Which Is Right for Me?
By Tucker Thompson, Collin LIVING WELL Magazine
Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) are funded in part by the government, paying “preset” amounts to insurance companies offering them. Factors determining any monthly premium you pay include the rate set by each company, your county, the government reimbursement, and if a drug plan is attached. […]

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Helping Build a Generation of Savers – Resource Bank, LIVING WELL Magazine

Helping Build a Generation of Savers
Go Beyond the Piggy Bank
Courtesy Resource Bank, Northshore LIVING WELL Magazine
Most of us learned how to save with a time honored tradition, the piggy bank. You could feel the weight of the contents; hear the coins jingle. It is a tangible, simple, first lesson in finance that starts in the home. Financial education is essential for our future generations. […]