Life Insurance – WisMed Assure

By Lisa Koerner, Insurance Advisor

Many people think that once they have a life insurance or disability policy in place, they can file it away and forget about it. However, as your life changes, your needs often change as well. The policies that you took out when you were young, single and starting your career may not still cover your needs after you get married, buy a house, have children and start your dream job. As your life changes, it’s a good idea to review your policies.

The power of planning: a physician’s journey to financial wellness

By Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF®, Senior Advisor, WisMed Financial

With uncertainties and change a constant, financial planning stands as a beacon of security and peace of mind. Today, we bring you a remarkable story that sheds light on how a dedicated physician and her family reaped the rewards of a well-structured financial plan, proving that even the busiest of physicians can find stability and fulfillment through proper financial planning.

Innovation and improvements

Employee benefits manual with stethoscope on it

By Chris Noffke, GBDS, CSFS, Vice President of Employee Benefits

June marked my eighteenth year in the insurance industry; my entire career has been focused on employee benefits and helping clients save money and improve employee confidence in benefits. When I was asked to join the WisMed Assure team, I was given the chance to be innovative and truly build something the way I felt it should be and that’s exactly what my team and I are doing!

Workers Compensation rate decreases

By Brian Fowler, WisMed Assure Account Director

Starting October 1, 2023, for the eighth consecutive year, Workers’ Compensation rates in Wisconsin will drop. Work Comp rates in Wisconsin are set by the state and are the same for every insurance carrier. Overall, we’re seeing a decrease of 8.4% across all employee classifications. Physician rates remain low and competitive, with no change to the rates this year. Rates have decreased for physicians within hospital systems and hospital employees other than professional employees.

You bet your life

Cropped shot of young woman hugging her grandmother & helping her with her finances on a laptop

By Mary Krueger, Medicare Specialist

Most of us don’t spend our time concerned about our life insurance because it’s “set up” already through our employer, parents, bank or other sources. Have you really investigated how life insurance works? Is term insurance the best purchase or should you look at long term cost averaging?

You bet your life

August 14, 2023August 21, 2023

By Mary Krueger, Medicare Specialist

Most of us don’t spend our time concerned about our life insurance because it’s “set up” already through our employer, parents, bank or other sources. Have you really investigated how life insurance works? Is term insurance the best purchase or should you look at long term cost averaging?

Over the years, I have watched clients who are over 60 years old try to figure out what to do now that their term insurance is coming to an end and want to “just extend it.” When the option of paying dramatically increasing premiums doesn’t look very good for the budget, what to do is a significant concern.

So, what are the options other than term insurance at a young age? Consider a universal life or whole life policy. The costs are averaged over your lifetime instead of just a specified number of years. This idea takes the surprises out of trying to find coverage at an older age or at a time when your health has changed and you’re not eligible for coverage any longer. Ideally, doing a combination of both a term and universal/whole life makes sense if you’re looking to save more money in the long run.

To discuss your options, contact Mary Krueger at 715.760.1350 or mary.krueger@wismedassure.org.

Note: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as insurance advice related to your specific policy or situation. Please consult with a qualified insurance advisor or professional before making any policy decisions. Full disclaimer and contact information.

When and why to schedule a life and disability insurance policy review with your agent

August 14, 2023August 18, 2023

By Lisa Koerner, Insurance Advisor

One of the biggest changes that people often overlook throughout the years is updating the beneficiaries on their life insurance policies. When people are single, they often choose a parent or sibling as their beneficiary. It’s good to change your beneficiaries when you get married, get divorced or if your beneficiary passes away.

It’s also important to alert your insurance agent of contact information changes. If you move to a new home, city or state and don’t update your address you might miss important updates from your insurance company. I recently attempted to contact a client whose term life policy was coming to an end. The phone numbers we had on file were all unavailable, the email address was undeliverable and the letter I mailed to the address came back undeliverable.

The other thing to keep in mind is whether your Disability Policy is keeping up with your income. When you have a significant increase in income, it’s important to review your benefits to make sure you’re covered in the event of a serious injury or illness. If you only have enough disability insurance to cover half of your income, would you still be able to keep up with your bills and expenses if you’re not able to work for a long period of time?

Most people think that the only reason an insurance agent wants to talk to them is to sell them something, so they avoid scheduling a policy review. A good insurance agent will review with you where you are in your life and what your current needs are. When you’re younger, you may need to add coverage as you build your family and career. Meanwhile, you may need to reduce your insurance coverage as you move into retirement or change from term policies to permanent policies. As you approach retirement, it’s also a good time to start researching Medicare, long-term care and wealth transfer ideas. That’s what our Income Defense team at WisMed Assure is here to help you out with.

You may not feel that you need an insurance review every year, but don’t forget to review your policies when you have a significant change in your life.

Reach out to Lisa Koerner or the WisMed Assure team at insurance@wismedassure.org, complete this quick online form or call 608.442.3810 for help with your insurance needs.

Spring 2023 Issue

May 19, 2023May 23, 2023

Why purchase individual disability protection during residency

By Tom Strangstalien, Insurance Advisor

As a resident or fellow, your biggest asset is quickly becoming your ability to earn an income. Until you become independently wealthy and can sustain a loss of earning power without consequence, it is imperative that you have disability protection. But why do this as a resident or fellow, before the dramatic income increase of becoming an attending physician?

Group disability insurance can coordinate with individual policies

By Chris Noffke, GBDS, CSFS, Vice President of Employee Benefits

Planning for the unexpected is the only way to protect yourself, your family, your business and your finances. Unfortunately, the death of a loved one or becoming disabled are often unexpected. If you no longer had an income, how would you and your family fare?

What’s in a financial plan?

By Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF®, Senior Advisor, WisMed Financial

A financial plan is like a roadmap that helps you navigate through the twists and turns of life, whether you’re saving up for a new car or preparing for retirement. Think of it as your secret weapon to achieving your financial goals and living your best life.

WisMed Assure can assist you with your Medicare decisions

By Mary Krueger, Medicare Specialist

Many Medicare eligible participants are familiar with Medicare, but the process is confusing to them so we’re here to assist you with those issues. Here are the answers to some common questions.

Log in to the new IPFCF portal to ensure compliance

By The WisMed Assure Service Team

The Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund (IPFCF) has implemented a new policy and administration system. The new system allows participants to review correspondence from IPFCF and pay their bill online.

Winter 2023 Issue

February 20, 2023February 21, 2023

Long-term care insurance – but what if I don’t need it?

By Tom Strangstalien, Insurance Advisor

Rising health insurance premiums

By Chris Noffke, GBDS, CSFS, Vice President of Employee Benefits

Health insurance premiums are constantly on the rise. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “U.S. health care spending grew 2.7 percent in 2021, reaching $4.3 trillion or $12,914 per person.” Everyone from employees to employers are feeling the squeeze of high-cost premiums.

Exercise your financial muscles to get financially fit

By Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF®, Senior Advisor, WisMed Financial

“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.” This ancient advice from Proverbs illustrates the importance of financial fitness.

Medicare questions to ask

By Mary Krueger, Medicare Specialist

Before enrolling in Medicare, there are several decisions Medicare recipients need to make regarding their existing coverages or changes in their health insurance needs.

Small business claims that can be surprisingly expensive

By Society Insurance Human Resources, reposted with permission from Society Insurance

While running a small business, there’s a decent chance that throughout its course you’ll have to file some sort of insurance claim (often unexpectedly). Whether due to fire, theft, on-site injury or other incident, some experts estimate that 75% of small businesses faced an insurance-worthy incident just last year.

Long-term care insurance – but what if I don’t need it?

February 20, 2023February 27, 2023

By Tom Strangstalien, Insurance Advisor

We all know the risks of a long-term care event devastating our family’s finances as well as our mental and personal well-being. Roughly half of those who reach the age of 65 will require some form of long-term care assistance during their lifetime. What this means for a married couple is likely one of them will incur costs for long-term care. Because of the astronomical odds, the cost of long-term care insurance is certainly not inexpensive.

Despite the odds, the biggest objection that I receive when formulating a plan for one of our members when it comes to long-term protection is, “If I don’t use it all the money that I spent will be wasted.” Plus, we’re all invincible superheroes anyway, right? “It will never happen to me, so I’ll just save and invest the money and take my chances.” Thankfully, with the evolution of long-term care planning over the past few years, there is another alternative that makes a great deal of sense!

The life insurance industry has existed much longer than long-term care insurance. Actuaries, as it pertains to life insurance, have these statistics down to microscopic precision in calculating how long on average a person will live and what sums of monies will be paid out and when. When it comes to long-term care, this really isn’t the case, and is in part why the costs of protection are high. As consumers of life insurance, we also know that without a doubt the benefits will be paid out, and what we have paid for the benefits. In addition, we have the added benefit that the proceeds will likely be income tax free.

Are you aware that there are now policies where some or all of the life insurance benefits can now be utilized for costs incurred for long-term care while you are alive? And on a tax advantaged basis? All proceeds of the policy will be paid either in the form of long-term care protection or a life insurance benefit to named beneficiaries. If the policy is in force, the money is guaranteed to never be wasted!

These policies can also involve some dual planning, such as a charitable gift or estate planning scenarios if the proceeds are paid out in the form of a life insurance benefit. Lastly, these plans are priced attractively, as actuaries know exactly what benefits will be paid out and on average when.

I am a big advocate of this relatively new concept in planning for long-term care. If you haven’t addressed long-term care as part of your overall financial portrait, I would encourage you to promptly do so. You may be very pleasantly surprised by the cost to benefits ratio! At WisMed Assure, we are always here to help!

Reach out to me and my team at WisMed Assure at insurance@wismedassure.org, complete this quick online form or call 608.442.3810.

Summer 2022 Issue

August 19, 2022October 26, 2022

Do you have the old or the new life insurance?

By Tom Strangstalien, Insurance Advisor

Build your financial wisdom

By Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF®, Senior Advisor, WisMed Financial

Join us for online educational sessions presented by WisMed Financial exclusively for Wisconsin Medical Society members. Session topics include retirement planning, social security and tax planning.

Open enrollment

By Chris Noffke, GBDS, CSFS, Vice President of Employee Benefits

We’re rapidly approaching autumn and it’s time to start thinking about your open enrollment. Many companies fail to properly do an open enrollment, or maybe it’s your first time.

Workers’ Compensation rate changes & good news for health care professionals

By Brian Fowler, WisMed Assure Account Director

Starting October 1, 2022, Workers’ Compensation rates in Wisconsin will drop for the seventh year in a row. Unlike many other states, Work Comp rates in Wisconsin are set by the state and are the same for every insurance carrier. The decrease is 8.47% over all employee classifications.

$111,000 more from Social Security

By Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF®, Senior Advisor, WisMed Financial

With more than 2,700 rules and 567 separate filing strategies for Social Security, 96% of people fail to make the optimal claiming decision and miss out on $111,000 of benefits for the average household.

$111,000 – that’s a lot of money. Let’s look at some of the rules for Social Security so your decision is better informed.

How to prevent floods from damaging your business

By Society Insurance Team, reposted with permission from Society Insurance

The continued impact of extreme weather events isn’t lost on businesses: according to one report, businesses can expect to see roughly $13 billion in flood damage in 2022. Tornados, derechos, and severe thunderstorms all threaten billions in damage, but with spring just ahead, let’s focus on how you can protect your business from the threat of flooding.

Businesses everywhere are susceptible to flood damage—so how can they prepare?

Do you have the old or the new life insurance?

August 19, 2022February 27, 2023

By Tom Strangstalien, Insurance Advisor

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month and is the time when I urge all our members to take a moment to reflect on the life insurance protection they have in place. Not too long ago, life insurance (especially term life), was generally viewed as a commodity. All policies were generally the same, so you simply bought the desired amount of coverage for the least expensive cost. Today’s New Life Insurance contains several bells and whistles well worth consideration and begs the question whether you should keep your old life insurance or upgrade to the new and improved model.

So, what are these new improvements that may benefit you and your family or your overall estate and financial plan? The major upgrades include protection for a critical illness, long term care protection and a living benefits or accelerated death benefit rider to the policy. All provide security that goes well beyond a payment to beneficiaries upon death.

If you elect a critical illness rider on your policy, the policy will pay either a lump sum payment or periodic payments upon sustaining a serious illness among a list of health conditions. These can include things like heart attack, coronary bypass events, cancer, kidney disease, stroke and various other neurological disorders. In other words, the life insurance proceeds can potentially be paid out while you’re living.

Another critical consideration when purchasing a life policy today is inclusion of long-term care protection. A long-term care event can devastate a financial plan. The premise is that since the life insurance amount will be paid out in the future (if the policy remains in force), and the amount of the proceeds is known, so why not allow the proceeds to also be paid for long-term care? It’s never too early to purchase long-term care protection! Placing a long-term care policy while young dramatically lowers the cost. So why not incorporate it into your life insurance policies? If you’re unable to perform a respective number of “activities of daily living,” you’re qualified to receive the life insurance benefits for payment of long-term care expenses. The life insurance amount will be paid out in the form of a payment to your beneficiaries or for costs associated with long-term care. It’s a win-win!

Lastly, many policies today include an accelerated death benefit provision, where if you would be unfortunately diagnosed by a physician to have a designated timeframe to live or are unable to perform activities of daily living, you qualify to receive benefits while you are living. How fortunate to be able to direct the life insurance proceeds as you see fit while you are alive! Many times, the cost of this benefit rider is zero.

As you can see, there are substantial benefits to upgrading to a policy containing the new available options. Please reach out to me and my team at WisMed Assure at insurance@wismedassure.org, complete this online form or call 608.442.3810 to explore upgrading your life insurance to the New Life Insurance.

BE AWARE AND CHANGE LIVES

September 22, 2020October 9, 2020

By Tom Strangstalien

Insurance Advisor with WisMed Assure

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. All month long, as I sat sipping my morning coffee, I reflected on how many times I’ve experienced the life changing impact of life insurance.

Even though I’ve been a life insurance agent for more than two decades, there are times when even I take for granted this life changing tool within our financial tool box. There are dozens of stories I can tell about how life insurance has truly been a difference maker in the lives of so many. Four of these stories stand out in particular because they had a direct personal impact on me.

Rene’s Home

Rene designed a plan, utilizing universal life insurance to potentially pay off the mortgage on her home early. The policy insured the lives of her and her husband jointly, and we funded the policy in such a way to grow the cash value quickly, yet be friendly to the family budget.

One day, John mentioned to Rene that he had a lump on the back of his tongue which was bothering him. Being a nurse, Rene advised John, that he probably should get it checked out by their Doctor. John battled cancer for the next four months. The family took care of him at home, until the day came when John passed away in his sleep.

I received a call from Rene months later. Choking back tears, she told me because of the plan that was intended to pay the mortgage off early, the life insurance allowed her to remain in the home with her two daughters. She went on to tell me that she was going back to college to advance her status to a Registered Nurse. After much expression of gratitude and profuse thanks, she ended by telling me I helped the family change their life. Speechless at first, I finally said, “Yes, life insurance is a game changer.”

Rene is debt free, cherishing her career as a registered nurse, while her two daughters attend college in Eau Claire.

Don’s Hockey Legacy

My son is a hockey player. Our small-town hockey rink was actually a make shift park shelter. I cherish the times that we set up the chiller to make the ice for the season, construct the walls, bring in the bleachers, and keep the rink maintained throughout the winter season. Our rink was viewed as a joke, and with a little bit of disdain by our fellow competitors throughout the state.

However, we were really good. In fact, we took home many tournament trophies, state youth championship titles, and as a high school advanced to the state tournament on multiple occasions. How amazing would it be if we had a real rink? In discussing ideas with the parent committee on how to pursue such an aggressive endeavor, I suggested we approach community benefactors.

I proposed an idea to Don, a very successful businessman in the community, that we fund a $5 million life insurance policy to someday create a community hockey arena and event center, bearing his family’s name. After deliberation with his tax accountant, he learned the charitable pursuit would provide a large benefit to him “tax wise”. His family stands proud of their patriarch, as they regularly witness the use of the family named facility. Don made a difference, and his legacy lives on.

Life Can Go On

Wayne would do anything for me, and pretty much for everyone.

He helped me put up my tree stands for deer hunting every season. He taught me the ropes to hunt for ginseng in the fall and morel mushrooms in the spring. When the Brewers would play during the summer, I would frequently see Wayne and Carla’s truck pulling into our driveway, with their daughter Carlie in tow, to have a cold one, watch the Brewers, and do our best to discover the meaning of life.

As with all of my friends, I encouraged Wayne to purchase a term life insurance policy. Their budget was tight, but we were able to formulate a significant amount of coverage with an affordable price.

On a really soggy rainy day in the spring of 2016, Wayne, Carla, and Carlie ventured out to Carla’s mother’s land, located in Iowa. They would frequently take these trips, and while Carla visited with her mother, Wayne would maintain the family farm.

Shortly after crossing the bridge into Minnesota, and initiating the trip south to the Iowa border, Carla saw a tree give way on the bluff above. There was no time to react. The tree landed on the roof of the truck, killing Wayne instantly, breaking Carla’s neck, and leaving Carlie with head trauma and face lacerations.

Carla was now a single parent, in a neck brace for months. Carlie recovered, cherishing the moments with her father and hero. I stood silent at the funeral, as the military salute and folding of the flag took place. Doing their best to emulate Wayne, the family stood tall, confident, and proud. Life would go on, and they would be “ok”.

My Friend Randy

Randy was my best friend. We went to high school together, were college roommates for four years, and his brother married my sister. I recruited Randy to join our team in the “insurance business”. After some hesitation, Randy joined the team, and we spent many nights together learning the business. His on the job training involved writing a policy on himself (encouraged by me).

I’ll never forget the call I received from my mother one beautiful April spring morning. She uttered, “Are you sitting down?” As I sipped my morning coffee at my kitchen table, I replied an affirmative yes. “I have some news. Your friend Randy woke up yesterday, and was going to read the morning paper, but he couldn’t. He was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, and has about 6 months to live.” The words shook me to my core.

I took Randy shopping for his groceries one day. That was the last time I saw him. Six months from the date of the initial diagnosis, Randy was gone. He left behind two children, ages 5 and 7, and his wife Michelle who was a nurse. Michelle cried when she got the check for the life insurance. She was able to purchase a home for the family, continue her career in the medical field, and eventually put both boys through college.

Are You Aware?

Heaven forbid anything happens to you or your loved ones. But, wishing is not a plan. If you would like to explore and discover the very best possible options to fit your needs, I am always available. Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Tom Strangstalien

Insurance Advisor

WisMed Assure

Direct: 608-442-3730

Cell: 608-304-1579

tom.strangstalien@wismedassure.org