Thursday, October 25, 2012

Obama and Romney vs. Long-term Care. Guess Who Loses?


The Presidential election is only 12 days away. Yet I haven’t heard a peep out of Obama or Romney about long-term care.

Romney has said he’ll cut programs that support the elderly and give states more flexibility in how they offer these services. His cap on Medicaid spending would mean big cuts in long-term care.

Obama claims he won’t change a thing and of course has criticized Romney’s cuts while he’s hanging out at retirement communities begging for votes. It sounds good, but he doesn't have a plan on how to pay for it. Not a clue.

His CLASS Act as part of Obamacare was designed to be a national voluntary long-term care insurance program but never got off the ground. It was an absolute failure before the ink was even dry. Just like I predicted it would months before he threw in the towel.

So where does this leave you … the retiree or the soon-to-be retiree who may be concerned what will happen if your health changes?

Apparently long-term care is not a priority for either candidate. Therefore, no matter who wins on November 6, you are on your own. And the sooner you come up with a strategy, the better. If you’re not sure where to begin, pick up a copy of my book, A Boomer’s Guide to Long-term Care.

Best wishes,

George
P.S. I’m now on Twitter. Follow me at http://twitter.com/efinancialwrite for frequent updates, personal insights and observations on how to have a healthly retirement.
If you don’t have a Twitter account, sign up today at http://www.twitter.com/signup and then click on the ‘Follow’ button from http://twitter.com/efinancialwrite to receive updates on either your cell phone or Twitter page.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

IRS ups LTCI premium deductions


In A Boomer’s Guide to Long-term Care I included a section on the deductibility of long-term care premiums.

The IRS limits the amount you can include in the deduction calculation based on your age. And it just increased the amounts for 2013 to:

  • Age 40 and under – $360
  • Age 41 to 50 - $680
  • Age 51 to 60 - $1,360
  • Age 61 to 70 - $3,640
  • Age 71 or over - $4,550
However, your policy must meet special guidelines. For the fully story, plus tips on how to save on your insurance premiums, download your copy of A Boomer’s Guide to Long-term Care today for just $9.95.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  

George
P.S. I’m now on Twitter. Follow me at http://twitter.com/efinancialwrite for frequent updates, personal insights and observations on how to have a healthly retirement.
If you don’t have a Twitter account, sign up today at http://www.twitter.com/signup and then click on the ‘Follow’ button from http://twitter.com/efinancialwrite to receive updates on either your cell phone or Twitter page.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

National Retail Properties declares dividend


National Retail Properties (NNN), one of the REITs in the e-FinancialWriter portfolio, declared a quarterly dividend of 39.5 cents per share payable November 15, 2012 to common shareholders of record on October 31, 2012. The dividend represents an annualized rate of $1.58 per share.

It is interesting to note that National is one of only four publicly traded REITs and 104 publicly traded companies in America to have increased annual dividends for 23 or more consecutive years. And its dividend growth rate over the past three years is 1.11% vs. -7.31% for the industry’s average.

National invests primarily in high-quality retail properties subject generally to long-term, net leases. As of June 30, 2012, the company owned 1,506 Investment Properties in 47 states with a gross leasable area of approximately 17.8 million square feet.


Since adding it to the Portfolio on January 29, 2012, it is up 17%.


The next earnings announcement from National is expected the week of November 5, 2012.


Best wishes,

George