Checklist For Life - Things To Do Before You Turn 30

Your late 20s are a time of transition. With your 20s quickly moving into the past, you have both feet planted in the adult world.Still, with many people putting off starting a family into their thirties, you may still enjoy many of the freedoms of youth. You are free to travel and open yourself to new experiences, but you must also prepare yourself for future responsibilities.

 Complete Grad School, Or Decide If It Is the Right Thing For You


Your undergrad years are most likely a thing of the past at this point, but those seeking graduate degrees may still find themselves in school into their late 20s. Many people spend several years in the “real world” before deciding to go back to school to redirect their lives or give themselves better footing to advance in their chosen professions. By the time you are 30 you should be out of school and focused on your career.

 Diversify Your Savings

Hopefully you already have some savings. If not, it is never too late to start. If you have started savings, this is an excellent time to diversify your investments for a greater return. Consider investing in a mixture of mutual funds and bonds that provide a balance of safety and return you are comfortable with. Talk to a financial planner to help you understand your options.

 Decide If You Want A Family

You may already be married or have started a family. If so, hopefully you have taken steps to put your family on firm financial ground. For the growing number of individuals who have put off starting a family, you should decide if this is something you want. Even if you think a family is still far in the future, you can still prepare your finances for that possibility.


Purchase Life Insurance

 If you have not already purchased life insurance, this is an excellent time to do it. While still relatively young and healthy, many people find life insurance rates more reasonable. You are also taking on more responsibility at this age. This includes marrying, starting a family, starting a business, and buying a home. Buying life insurance will help ensure that these obligations will be fulfilled even if you die.

Start Savings Accounts For Your Children

If you have children, you should start saving for them. Even if you do not have children but plan on starting a family, this is a great time to save. Start college savings accounts as early as possible. The longer savings accounts are in effect, the more they will grow. You can also start flexible savings accounts to help your children in other ways as they age.

Get In Shape To Save On Your Life Insurance

It is not a secret that your life insurance costs and even your approval are dependent on your health. Companies offer and price term life insurance based on the probability of you surviving through the term. A healthy person is deemed more likely to survive through this period. Because of this someone in good shape usually finds easier approval and more favorable rates. A person who is out of shape is considered a larger insurance risk. He or she will often discover higher rates and may even have more difficulty with approval.

There are elements of your overall health that remain out of control. For instance, high blood pressure may run in the family. However, there are many things you can do to seize control of your health to help you save money on life insurance.

Quit Smoking 

The health benefits of quitting smoking are well known. When you quit, you decrease your risk of heart disease and throat or lung cancer. Quitting will also help you save on life insurance. Non-smokers are seen as less of an insurance risk than smokers. You can apply for insurance as a non-smoker after being nicotine free for an entire year.

Maintain A Healthy Weight 

If you are overweight, you may discover that life insurance rates are higher and approval is more difficult to obtain. To find more favorable rates, you should try to lose weight and get into better physical shape. To do this, you need to sit down and create a strategy.

First, set clear and reasonable goals. Be realistic with your expectations. You’re not going to lose 100 pounds in month. If you set unrealistic goals, you are more likely to become discouraged and give up.
Second, make a game plan. You need to have road map for success. You should consult with your doctor before embarking on a weight loss program. He or she will be able to recommend a program that is right for you. You may also want to join a gym and speak with a personal trainer. A trainer will help you create a fitness routine that fits your current condition and puts you on the path to where you want to be. Once you begin to exercise it should become part of your routine.

Remember that diet and exercise work hand in hand. Cutting calories alone is often not enough for most people to lose weight, and if it does work it can lead to weight gain once the diet ends. Exercise is essential to keep the weight off and to improve general health. When it comes to your diet, focus on eating healthy, nutrient rich foods. Don’t starve yourself, but instead choose healthier food to fuel you.

But doing these things, you will find it much easier to find and obtain lower rate on life insurance. If you have any questions, give us a call at 800-301-8113 or visit goldcoastlifeinsurance.com if you simply want a quote.

Movie Review - The Lego Movie

The LEGO Movie takes place in a living breathing LEGO world, where the maniacal Lord Business (Will Ferrell) masquerades as "President Business", and aims to keep the population complacent and docile with an almost drone-like existence centered around catchy pop-song and set manuals for LEGO building construction. The old and wise Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) tells of a prophecy of the Master Builder who will appear from among the common people and thwart Lord Business's master weapon "The Kragle". But to the shock of everyone, that person turns out to be Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) 

 

Emmet is as complacent and oblivious as the come in LEGO land - unremarkable in just about every single way. But when he, quite literally stumbles across object that can stop The Kragle, Emmet instantly becomes the most important man in the world, something that he is very much unaccustomed to. But despite this, Emmet would much rather have the attention of the mysterious and interestin Builder, Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks). With help from the likes of Batman and a host of other Builders that include just about everything you could imagine from your childhood, Emmet embarks on an adventure to save LEGO land - before the other Builders discover that their prophesied hero isn't what they believe he is. 

 

Toys and board games have been the inspiration for more than a few movies, but the end result of adapting children's playthings into blockbuster movies with mass appeal has been hit (Transformers) or miss (Battleship). A movie based on LEGO building blocks at first seems like a far-fetched premise for a film - but thanks to the imaginative talent and heart of directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord (Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street ). The LEGO Movie is one of the most clever, original, and fun adaptions of a toy or game ever put on screen. 

 

Right from the very beginning of the film, the angle of attack is perfect; LEGO land is an interesting and smart application of the LEGO toy experience, and the directors seem to really know the product well, which allows them to provide comedic insight into how an actual world of LEGO people would move, function, and reflect our own daily rat-race. The colors are bright, the production design is toroughly impressive, and the animation (an impressive combination of stop-motion and CGI) is endlessly impressive when it come to the LEGO-ness of the characters movements and the physics of their world. The film literally, in every single conceivable way, looks like a LEGO play set come to life in the screen.The only downside to the directorial choices is that when some of the film's bigger action sequences take place, the visuals can get a little difficult to follow, and the animation style is a little bit choppy and can take you out of it a little bit. When lasers are flying and six characters are all building and moving fast against an army, it looks a bit like you are watching someone's (admittedly impressive) amateur stop motion project, rather than a big budget animated feature. But that is something that comes with the territory of the concept.

The script, which was also written by Lord and Miller, and it is equally as good as the direction. The audience is offered a multi-layered story with humor, wit, and heart, which will appeal to both the children and the adults in the audience. The entire structure of the story is reminiscent of The Matrix, or just about any "unlikely hero" archetype. But the team also manage to dig deeper into the narrative. While kids are invested in the hero quest on the surface, adults will pick up on the subtle metaphors sprinkled throughout (corporate uniformity vs. creative freedom) and by the third act when things take an especially clever turn, both kids and adults can bond over the themes expressed when The LEGO Movie really opens its heart and begins to show the real soul.

 

The dialogue, banter, and winking ode to certain iconic characters (like Batman) make the film an enjoyable ride, but its the injection of real-world emotion and some potentially heavy (but deftly handled) dramatic ideas that elevate this film above the typically thin fare found in this genre. The directorial team is not afraid to push the boundaries a little bit, including certain scenes that in the hands of a lesser team, could have been too much for kids, but are dealt in such a way that manages to avoid frightening kids, resulting in some truly great comedy and drama. 

 

The voice cast is also pretty incredible , and function as a great comedic ensemble in addition to breathing livelihood and personality into their respective characters. This should come as no surprise, really, since most of the cast are drawn from a pool of actors who have been standouts in cult-hit sitcoms in the last five years. Chris Pratt (Parks and Rec) and Elizabeth Banks (30 Rock) are perfect for Emmet and Wyldstyle. Pratt in particular seems poised to make his leading man break out this year, and deservedly so if his work here and how amazing Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy looks are any judgment of his talents, in addition to his great work on Parks and Rec.Will Ferrell does truly great work here as as very fun villain, but he is ultimately almost outclassed by Liam Neeson as Good Cop/Bad Cop, the bipolar henchman. But I have to admit to being slightly biased and say that Will Arnett is by far the best movie Batman of all time. 

 

In the end, The LEGO Movie is a fun adventure with heart and originality that everyone, regardless of age, should experience on the biggest screen, with the loudest speakers, as soon as they possibly can. It is another home run effort from Lord and Miller, who, like their blocky protagonist, may seem like the most unlikely of cinematic geniuses, but whose unique imaginations may save us from generic and formulaic movies.

 

When it comes to The LEGO Movie, "everything is awesome", indeed. 

How To Determine If Your Life Insurance Policy Still Meets Your Needs

"The only thing constant in life is change" Someone very wise person once said this, and it still holds true today. Everyone, no matter how similar they may be, has different life insurance needs, and as time goes on those needs can and will change. A newly married person in their 20s is living a very different life then they are living ten years later after three kids and buying a new house. A couple who once worried about the security of their children has a very different set of financial and security goals once their children have completed their educations, are employed and self-sufficient. 

People get married, some get divorced, individual income can grow and then become fixed when one retires. Children are born, children leave home and our children eventually have families of their own. The life insurance policy that fit one stage of your life is often a different fit for the next stage in your life. No matter how much we hope that misfortune in all of its permutations will never land on our doorstep, it is always a possibility. Rather than wish it away, smart people prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Regularly reviewing your life insurance policy is not only the responsible thing to do, but offers you peace of mind knowing you are protected in the event life hands you a curve ball.

Your licensed insurance professional can help you review your existing life insurance policy to see if it continues to meet your needs. There are a few things you will want to consider in reviewing your existing coverage

Do I Still Have The Right Amount Of Life Insurance Coverage

The right amount of life insurance helps you and your family plan for the unplanned. When you purchased your first life insurance policy you and your agent probably sat down and went through different scenarios and detailed your needs and your responsibilities to determine how much life insurance would adequately protect your family should something happen to you. You probably selected coverage based upon your spouse and his or her reliance on your income, the age of your children, the amount owed on your home or perhaps a goal of paying for your children’s higher education. How long has it been since you reviewed these things?

Does your life insurance policy fit your current circumstances? Are you still married? Have your children grown up or are they still financially dependent upon you? Is your mortgage paid off or have you had to take another mortgage to weather a difficult financial period? Has your income changed dramatically? Will you be retiring in the coming years? These are all questions that could have a significant impact on your insurance needs. A qualified insurance specialist can ask the right questions and give you the information you need to make sound financial decisions for you and your family.


Do I Need To Update Or Change My Beneficiaries

No one wants to think about it but divorce is a fact of life for many of us. Many divorced spouses opt to keep their ex as a beneficiary in order to insure their children are provided for but others remarry and in the hectic schedule of everyday life, they can forget to make life insurance policy updates that protect their current partners. If your children are young, you may typically assign your spouse as beneficiary but as children grow, you may want to make them beneficiaries as well.

For The Kids - Boredom Busting With Cotton Balls

If you have young children, you know that keeping them entertained can be a task. But it is one that can be accomplished without breaking the bank. Take a look at these fun crafts that can be made with things as simple as cotton balls.

Cotton Ball Fairies

Materials

Wood clothespin
Cotton ball
Chenille stem (pipe cleaner)
Acrylic paint
Fine paintbrush
Glue

Directions

1. Use a fine paintbrush to paint on the face, hair and any details (such as a flower in the hair) with acrylic craft paint. Make sure that the face is centered over the "legs" of the clothespin.

2. Paint the torso. Allow to dry.

3. Work a small hole into the center of a large cotton ball. Apply a line of glue at the fairy's waist. Push the legs through the hole in the cotton ball and move the cotton ball up to make a fluffy skirt.

4. Make wings out of one chenille stem. Wrap it around the waist at the center and twist to secure. Shape into wings, twisting into place.

5. Paint on a thin line at the bottom to make shoes. Allow to dry.

Counting Sheep

Materials 


White construction paper
Cotton balls
Scissors
Transparent adhesive tape
Glue stick
Pencil and eraser
Black crayon
Black marker
Cotton swabs

Directions

1. Draw the sheep (you don't have to draw their feet) by hand very softly with a pencil. They do not have to be all the same or perfectly drawn.

2. Trace the pencil drawings with a black marker. Draw numbers in the center of each animal.

3. Have your toddler color the face and ears of the sheep with a black crayon (or any other color you choose) and then proceed to cut out each drawing.

4. Cover the sheep's body and hair with glue avoiding the middle area, where the number is.
Use cotton balls to cover the parts that have glue.

5. Cut the cotton swabs in half with a pair of scissors. Turn the sheep and use transparent adhesive tape to attach the feet of the sheep to the back.

April Showers Mobile

Materials


3 sheets of pretty patterned papers
Something round such as a wide mouth jar or ramekin
3 five-inch long chenille stems in springtime colors
5 medium yellow pom-poms
6 medium white pom-poms
1 medium purple pom-pom
15 clear blue pony beads
7 pieces of string, each 18" long
1 wire coat hanger
Light blue fabric (an old t-shirt or pillow case works great)
50-60 cotton balls
4" square piece of yellow paper
Hot glue gun
White craft glue
Scissors
Pen or pencil
Tape

Directions 

1. Turn the patterned papers over so that the pattern is face down. Use something round, about 4" in diameter, to trace a circle onto each of the papers.

2. Draw a line from one edge of the circle toward the center, stopping in the middle. Cut out the circle, and use your scissors to cut along the line. This creates a slit in the paper.

3. Take one of the strings and with one of the circles, pattern facing down, insert the string into the slit. Tape down the end of the string to the bottom of the patterned paper circle.

4. Lift up the circle off of the work surface. Holding the open ends of the paper at the slit, overlap them enough to make an umbrella shape. Tape in place. The long end of the string should be coming out of the top of your umbrella. Repeat for each umbrella.

5. Bend the end of each chenille stem into a hook to create the umbrella handle. 

6. Turn the umbrella upside down again, put a dab of white craft glue into the center. Insert the straight end of the chenille stem into the glue and gently through the top of the paper umbrella. The top of the chenille should be poking out just a little.  

7. Loosely tie the strings somewhere so that the umbrellas can hang to dry. Allowing them to dry sitting on the table will cause the umbrella handles to dry crooked.

8. While the umbrellas are drying, gather the pom-poms to make the flowers. Position 5 yellow pom-poms around one white pom-pom. Position 5 white pom-poms around 1 purple pom-pom. Glue the pom-poms together to create the two flowers.

9. Insert the end of a string between two of the pom-poms and add a little extra glue. Let dry.

10. To make the raindrops, start by taping the end of a piece of string to the work surface. This will stop any runaway beads from falling off the other end.

11.  Thread a pony bead onto a piece the string. Run the open end of the string back through the bead to hold it in place. You should still be able to slide the bead up and down to change its position if you like. Repeat this process, spacing out the beads a bit so that they look like raindrops.

12. Tie a knot with the end of the string through the last bead. Add a bit of glue to secure it and let it dry.

13. Place the coat hanger on top of the blue fabric and trace around the outline of the hanger two times. Cut out the two pieces.

14. Lay the two pieces of fabric directly on top of each other and use fabric glue to seal both angled sides. Do not glue the top or bottom opening.

15. With the fabric laying on the work surface, insert the hanger hook into the small opening. Pull the fabric down over the hanger, as if putting on a shirt. Add a bit of glue to tack the fabric together once it's on the hanger. Do not glue the large opening just yet!

16. With the coat hanger lying on the work surface, position and tie each of your umbrella, flower, and raindrop strings onto the hanger. Stagger each one so that they do not bump in to each other when hanging. Trim the tied ends, then tuck them inside the fabric. Glue the fabric closed.

17. Cut a half circle from the yellow paper. With the hanger still lying flat on the work surface, glue cotton balls and yellow sun to the front of the hanger.

Life Insurance As An Estate Planning Tool

Have you considered what will happen with your estate when you die?  An estate refers not only to your land and any buildings or structures on that land but also any money or investments that you leave behind when you go.

Handling these affairs can be a huge burden on your family.  Inventorying your assets, investments, and personal possessions.  Assessing total value.  Handling estate taxes, which often really eat into the overall value of what is left when you’re gone.  If you don’t have an adequate plan for taking care of these things, a lot can go wrong.

The Role Of Life Insurance In Estate Planning 

Here’s where life insurance really fits into estate planning – it’s a matter of convenience and flexibility.
Most estates are comprised of very non-liquid assets.  After all, a quick property sale is almost an oxymoron these days, and a business disassembled fast is never a business disassembled properly.  If your beneficiary’s only option is liquidating your holdings to cover costs, a lack of time and inexperience is very likely to result in poor decisions with a negative impact.

Your life insurance policy, meanwhile, frees up the cash needed to handle these affairs in the most favorable manner possible, preserving the integrity of the properties and removing a huge burden.
It’s a crucial tool for making sure your heirs receive or settle your estate without problem.
The insurance policy can be used for a wide variety of different uses.  Paying taxes.  Continued income and support. Disassembling business interests. Funding retirement. Covering the cost of education for your children.

Circumvent Large Estate Taxes

Another critical issue with estate planning is the estate tax.  Though not a huge concern for smaller estates, those with larger estates should take heed.  The problem arises when beneficiaries face the burden of paying taxes on their inheritances, which are then subject to capital gains tax.

When your net worth is unusually high, they may be completely unable to pay the tax and be left with a very insignificant amount of their inheritance, if anything at all.  This is, of course, not what we have in mind for our beneficiaries when we go.

Offset this effect by taking out a policy with an adequate death benefit so the capital gains and estate tax will be taken care of without your beneficiaries being forced to liquidate and sell assets.

Which Type Of Insurance To Consider

All life insurance policies can be used to make sure your heirs end up with your estate in full.

For some, whole life is a good choice because it is permanent but it comes at a hefty cost and can be cost prohibitive.  Term life, on the other hand, can often found at a much cheaper cost.  Just make sure you’re coverage has a renewable option if you expect to keep coverage going after it’s set to expire so you don’t go unprotected. You might even consider sticking to term with a conversion option to minimize the risk of outliving your insurability. Conversion options allow the policy holder to convert to another type of life insurance.

For more information about how life insurance can best help you, give us a call at 800-301-8113 or visit goldcoastlifeinsurance.com

6 Tips For Single People To Get The Most Out Of Life Insurance

If you are unmarried and don't have any dependents, you might consider life insurance a luxury instead of a necessity. In your life and particular situation, life insurance may be the furthest thing from your mind. It simply doesn't take precedent or have high priority in your life. But there are a few reasons why this is not the right way to go about it.

Not everyone needs life insurance – sure.  But one thing is for certain: everyone should at least be thinking about life insurance early on in life.  Because if you don’t know the facts and the possibilities, you cannot make educated decisions about your long-term financial plan, and that can be downright dangerous.

Let’s look at some tips and points of interest when shopping for life insurance as a single adult.

Protect Your Insurability

It’s important to mention one of the greatest incentives for purchasing life insurance when you are young and single; simply put, life insurance is cheaper when you still have your health and vitality.  As you age and health declines, the ability to get these cheap rates disappears – get a head-start and lock in your rates, especially if you plan on getting married and think you’ll have dependents later on.

Term Life Is Always Good For Young People

Term life insurance is typically the best buy for young people who haven’t yet reached the peak of their earning power.  It’s enough to solve any immediate needs should something sudden and tragic occur, and it is very affordable – term comes with no cash value but is guaranteed for the life of the term stated, whether that be three or 30 years.

Consider Term Life With A Conversion Option

Here’s a hot tip: get the best of both worlds by purchasing term insurance with a conversion option.  This allows you to access a dependable term plan now at affordable rates, and then later on when you’re making more money you can convert to a permanent insurance policy.

"Insure" Your Debts

One neat use of a life insurance policy for a single person is to “insure” your debts.  For instance, if someone close to you has co-signed on a house or car for you or is tied to your debts in some other way, the last thing you want to do is leave that hanging over their head when you go.

Behavior Is Your High Leverage Variable

This is an extremely important point for young people. The most easily-controlled variable concerning the cost of your insurance policy is your lifestyle and consistent behavior.  For most of us, basic good health comes along naturally with youth, but if you drink to excess, smoke on a regular basis, drive irresponsibly, and engage in dangerous avocations (sky-diving, stock racing, rock climbing, etc), you can expect to pay higher premiums.

All are high-risk variables that make it more costly to insure your life.  The most obvious way, therefore, to get a cheaper policy is to change these behaviors.

Single Parents and Older Single People

Do you have children?  If so, life insurance may be even more important for you than it is for a married couple, as an unexpected tragedy could leave your child on his or her own.  Life insurance can provide a future even if you’re gone.

As far as older singles go, insurance money can help to leave something behind for grandchildren or provide for long-term care.  Many choose to start an education fund for their grandchildren.

 Want to learn more about how life insurance can be beneficial to you, no matter what your marital status is, then give us a call her at The Storick Group at 800-301-8113 or if you want a life insurance quote, visit goldcoastlifeinsurance.com