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04Jun
Say Goodbye to Passwords!
by Barb Culveruncategorized

Under the theme “Fraud Watch 2019” there is an article titled “Making Sure You Are You” in the April 2019 AARP bulletin.

I think that passwords can be frustrating to both young and old alike.  Soon, passwords will be obsolete as a body of science called a biometric authentication continues to advance.  Rather than typing in a password with those pesky upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols, technology companies are developing tools that instead will use fingerprints, voice recognition, eye scans, facial recognition and even a quick analysis of your physical behavior (the way we tap our keyboard or move the mouse) to serve as a gate to our accounts or as an alert that an unauthorized user has gained access to our confidential information.

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21May
Looking for a New/Pre-owned Car/Truck/SUV in 2019?
by Barb CulverEconomy
Kiplinger predicts “there will be plenty of deals in 2019.”
(Source: The Kiplinger Letter April 12, 2019.)

While there may be fewer incentives than in 2018, here are some tips for 2019:

August and September are good months to shop as 2019 models are cleared from lots to make room for the 2020’s.  The same is true for year-end as auto dealers want to reduce taxable inventory. Specifically consider the day after Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
(Source: Yahoo Answers 5-5-2019)

While SUV’s and pickup trucks are in highest demand, they are also in high supply.

The average price of a new car in the U.S. has consistently climbed over the years, but look at what has happened to trucks: JD Power shows truck buyers pay 61% more for a new pickup compared to the cost 10 years ago. The average price of a new car rose 28% in the past decade to $32,500.  The average cost of a new truck is closer to $44,000!

(Source: “Capability Will Cost You: Trucks Cost 61% More Compared to a Decade Ago” Sean Szykowski, The Wall Street Journal; February 27, 2019.)
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20Jul
Memory Loss
by Barb Culveruncategorized

As you may or may not know, Resonate has extensive experience working with individuals, couples and families facing dementia and Alzheimer’s.  We have a special compassion which stems from twelve years of personal experience with my own father.  Therefore, we are constantly watching for the latest from thought-leaders in this space.  I hope you fine this helpful.

Your Resonate team welcomes a conversation with you and yours at any time.

Barb Culver

Why memory loss may not be the most worrisome symptom of dementia

Contributing Author

Carolyn McClanahan, MD, CFP®
Financial planner, emergency room physician, thought leader

A lot of attention is now focused on the harmful consequences of memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease for financial decision-making. And for good reason. But it is important to understand that dementia is bigger than Alzheimer’s, and Alzheimer’s is not just about memory loss.

Alzheimer’s is just one kind of dementia. Unfortunately, dementia comes in many forms. There’s vascular dementia, Lewey Body disease, frontal lobe dementia, etc. In fact, there are over 100 types of dementia, and Alzheimer’s accounts for (only) between 60-80% of all dementia cases.

Memory loss is but one symptom of Alzheimer’s. There are numerous consequences of Alzheimer’s, including having difficulty planning or problem-solving, confusing time and place, demonstrating poor judgement, and behaving impulsively. Here is the list of warning signs published by the Alzheimer’s Association. Memory loss is but one of ten symptoms.

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13Feb
Resonate Receives Better Business Bureau Award
by Barb Culveruncategorized

ResonateCincinnati, Ohio – Resonate Inc. is recognized for 25 years of BBB® Accreditation. Barb Culver, President, accepts an award from BBB celebrating the company’s longstanding commitments to the standards of Better Business Bureau Accreditation.

Read Press Release

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21Feb
Some Interesting Insights Thus Far for 2017
by Barb CulverBlogs / Articles

As our nation and the world continue to watch the actions and react to the rhetoric of the new Administration in Washington, we have already witnessed some incredible activity.

From the resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to Kim Jong Un’s missile launch, we are witnessing daily tests – both domestic and global.

How is this influencing the markets?

  • Emerging market (EM) assets outperformed, U.S. Treasury yields fell sharply during the last week of January, and U.S. value stocks underperformed a flat market.
  • Political uncertainty sent French and Italian government bond yields to multi-year highs relative to their German peers.  Half of the European firms that have reported earnings have beaten estimates.
  • Oil fell to a near three-week low under the pressure of growing U.S. crude inventories, but pared some losses. China’s PMI data showed expansion in both services and manufacturing sectors.

And what might be coming?

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18Nov
The Most Overlooked Issue in Retirement Planning – Parts 4 & 5
by Barb CulverHealth Care Costs

question-markWhat will you pay for health care in retirement?

This is the final installment of the blog series.  See previous posts from Nov. 2nd and 14th.

Here is the third factor that influences what you will pay for health care in retirement:

Your Source of Coverage:

Some Americans are still fortunate to have a certain percentage of their health care benefits provided by their former employer.

For most Americans, this is not the case.

Most retirees need to choose between an Original Medicare, plan which includes buying supplemental Medigap insurance, OR to choose a Medicare Advantage Plan.

Here’s a chart comparing the two:

medicare-chart-resized

(Source: Merrill Lynch)

The fourth and fifth factors of heath care premiums in retirement are:

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14Nov
The Most Overlooked Issue in Retirement Planning – Parts 2 & 3
by Barb CulverHealth Care Costs

question-mark

What will you pay for health care in retirement?

In Part One of this series, I shared that Fidelity research suggests that a 65-year old couple retiring in 2016 will need an estimated $260,000 to cover their retirement health care costs.  Please reference the entire blog dated Nov. 2nd.

In addition to your own genetics and health history, five factors will have a significant influence on your overall costs for care.

In this blog, I cover the first two factors:

Where You Live:

While Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans are offered in each state, the premiums can vary by as much as 30%.  (Source: HealthView Services.)

Here is their research on the 10 states with the highest cost for Part B, Part D and supplemental insurance for a 65 year-old person.

State First Year Total Over 20 Years
1. Florida  $3,710  $152,184
2. Michigan  $3,707  $152,175
3. Maryland  $3,695  $151,438
4. Massachusetts  $3,686  $151,110
5. Nevada  $3,682  $151,014
6. Louisiana  $3,651  $149,661
7. New Jersey  $3,683  $148,865
8. Illinois  $3,595  $147,203
9. Texas  $3,592  $146,969
10. Indiana  $3,549  $145,235

Source: FA Magazine

If you want to check out rates for where you live, go to the Medicare Plan Finder and enter your information.

Here is the next factor that will influence your retirement health care expenses:

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17Oct
Investing for Women
by Barb CulverInvesting

investing-for-womenThe August-September issue of the Morningstar Magazine for professional advisors has an interesting interview with Sylvia Kwan.  Sylvia is the chief financial officer of Ellevest – a company that specializes in investing for women.

Here are some of their positions with which your Resonate team agrees:

  1. “Investing shouldn’t be unisex.” Women’s investment preferences and goals are often different from men’s.  These preferences need to be heard, acknowledged, and factored into the investment portfolios.

  2. “Women working outside the home experiences more wage losses than male counterparts.”  This is due to taking career breaks to honor family commitments and due to the ongoing gender pay gap. Couple this with women’s actuarially longer lifespans and there is an obvious need for custom planning for women.

  3. “Life changes are a certainty.”  While we may not yet know what will change (health, issues with aging parents, divorce, special needs of children), we are committed to continually building our relationship so that we are there when you need us to again listen and provide appropriate (although different) recommendations.

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22Sep
Rise of the Robo-Advisor
by Barb CulverBlogs / Articles

robo-advisors I am increasingly reading about the “Rise of the Robo-Advisor” and thought some recent information might interest you as it did me.

For those of you who might not be familiar with the concept, Robo-Advisors are computers programmed to create investment portfolios.  They tend to be most popular with younger investors.

Did you know that, a “decision to protect its investors by Betterment, (a large Robo-advisor) resulted in Betterment temporarily suspending trading the morning after the Brexit vote?  “This decision, made on only a 2% drop in the market, disappointed and surprised many Betterment users. “

(Source: “Betterment’s Brexit Shock” by Suleman Din Techzone Financial Planning August 2016)

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20Sep
And the Scams Continue
by Barb CulverEconomy

Wells Fargo  is the latest recipient of a massive fine ($185 million) for fraudulent activity impacting thousands of their customers.  The employees who opened thousands of accounts without the knowledge of their clients, say that the corporate imposed sales quotas were simply impossible to reach consistently.  So they chose to break the law to reach their goals. (The source for this information is the Wall Street Journal September 14. “Wells Boss Says Staff At Fault For Scams” and “Wells Fargo Isn’t Sorry Enough”)

Quotas and sale goals are common throughout the entire banking and large wire-house industry.  Conflicts of interest can be a natural outcome any time there are shareholders to satisfy.

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