How to Make Sure You Always Have Health Insurance During Any Life Event

Each year, there is always a time where you qualify to enroll for health insurance coverage through one of the following ways:

• Through your employer

• The federal or state government insurance brokers

• Directly through insurance brokers

For most states, the open enrollment for a cover runs between 1st November through to 15th December. At this duration, you can enroll for a new plan or change your existing plan.

There are, however, special enrollment periods that enable you to enroll for a cover outside the open periods. These include the following:

Marriage or Divorce

In case you get married or are going through a divorce, you always have two options. The first option is getting a new insurance cover, and the second option is changing the current cover, where you can make changes to your marital status. In the case of getting married, you can opt to include your spouse on your insurance cover.

Getting a Baby or Adopting One

For childbirth and adoption, it is necessary to have your growing family in your cover. The options available are either getting a new cover that can include the whole family or adding your child to the existing cover.

Moving to New Neighborhoods

Some health plans usually have a geographical limitation. To always stay covered, talk to your agents and find out whether the new location is covered. In case of a non-covered area, get a new plan.

Loss of Parental Coverage

When children are 26 years of age, they can no longer be under their parents' plan. This means they should enroll for their plan after their 26th birthday. Once your kids come of age, encourage them to start searching for a viable insurance plan.

Loss of a Job-Based Cover

It is possible to lose a job-based cover, especially in the event of loss of work or contract termination. In this situation, you qualify to get insurance at any time of the year.

Gaining American Citizenship

After acquiring a lawful presence, you stand a chance of enrolling for a cover at any time of the year, including during the special enrollment period. You will not have to wait for the open enrollment period.

The above situations are qualifying events. Through these events, you can either acquire a new cover or make changes to your existing plan. This will make sure you and your family are always covered. No life changing event should leave you vulnerable and uncovered.

Top Tips and Tricks for Investing in the Stock Market

Learning tips for investing is important, no matter how much time you are willing to invest. There are countless ways to invest and make money, but if you don't know where to start, it can be difficult to get started.

Investing in the stock market doesn't have to be complicated or intimidating. If you utilize some tried and true techniques, then you too can invest in the stock market and track your investments effectively without stress. 

When you learn some simple and effective tips for investing, then you can invest your own money in the stock market and make money. Here are some of the top tips for investors.

It is Unpredictable

First of all, before you get started, you need to understand that the stock market is very volatile and can unpredictable. You can make mistakes, lose money, and also gain money. That's why you need to know when to buy and when to sell. 

The easiest way to do this is through research. Take a look at the market trends to find out what's happening and then analyze where your investments would be best suited.

Since it can tend to be unpredictable it is good to make sure you do your research for when to invest in certain companies.

Know what a Good Deal is

Before investing in a particular stock market, you should be able to evaluate the situation and determine whether you are getting a good deal or not. Of course, there are many things you need to take into consideration like the type of company that the stock is associated with, what their future prospects are, and how well they are doing financially. 

You also need to make sure that you are purchasing shares of a stock at the right time because it can change dramatically over time.

Keep Track of Your Investments

It's important that you keep track of every penny you invest. This will help you determine if you are making a profit or not. Every penny you invest will have a higher value and that's how you make profit. 

It also helps you determine if you are getting a good deal or not. If you are getting a good deal, then the profits will continue to grow, which is a good sign. For instance, you would want to know the price of gold if you are investing in gold.

Diversify

Another important step to make sure you take is to you are diversifying your investments. The more you diversify, the more you increase the odds of being able to make a good profit. Make sure you have some stocks as well as bonds, and mutual funds as well. 

That way you won't have a financial downfall if one investment loses all its value. Diversification is a must and if you are investing in the stock market, then it should be an integral part of your strategies.

Being Successful

If you follow these tips for investing, then you will never be disappointed. No matter how much time and effort you put into it, you will make money investing.

It is important to remember that the stock market is something that is entirely up to you. You need to be careful not to over-invest and lose money. You don't want to get too wrapped up in a certain business and become completely emotionally attached to it. It is easy to get caught up and buy into a company's hype and get carried away by its financial success.

So when trying to learn the best tips for investing, it is important to remember that a successful investor is one who knows how to read the market and who knows how to manage their money well. They aren't simply relying on luck and good timing to make money. If you are nervous about investing in the stock market you can also start investing in safer options.

A lot of people spend a lot of time and energy trying to invest in the stock market, but they are usually unsuccessful. They end up losing a lot of money and not getting the returns they desire. When you get involved with a certain business, be aware of how they are doing financially.

You should always have some money left over after paying your bills, eating out, or going on vacation. After you have saved enough money, then you can start investing in the stock market.

What Happens Next? 4 Steps to Help Seniors Learn Retirement Strategies

When it's time to retire, you need to prepare for your new life. Otherwise, you may find yourself bored, broke, unhappy, or unhealthy. To make the most of your retirement, it's important to create a plan. Here are four steps to help seniors learn retirement strategies.

Financial Management

Retirement is defined by not working any longer. Since you won't have the income coming in like you used you, you need to really focus on your finances. You need to consider your current financial situation. What debt do you have? 

What assets do you have? Eliminate debt immediately. You should also manage expenses. You want to be comfortable, but you don't want to spend all of your money to be comfortable, either. You also need to plan for the long run. 

Ideally, you'll be healthy and live until one hundred years old. Just make sure you have the money to support yourself for that long.

Another thing that can make retirement planning more complicated is planning for taxes. You can find all sorts of advice on how to account for taxes in retirement, and everyone has a different opinion. Because of that, it could be a good idea to educate yourself about finances before you start your retirement. Talk to a financial planner or take tax planning classes.

Meet People in Your Neighborhood

You can learn a lot just by talking to the people in your retirement home or community. You may choose to stay in your house, live in a neighborhood or community known for housing a lot of older people, or actually move into a senior center. 

Whatever the living situation, you should make friends. You will be able to learn about the people in the area. You'll also learn about the different things to do.

Embrace Hobbies

This is your time to do the things you have always wanted to do. Now that you have this time, you get to have fun with it. You could travel, golf, knit, work on genealogy, cook, or simply spend time with family. 

Whatever your favorite hobbies are, embrace them. You should also meet people in your neighborhood who like to do the same things.

Prioritize Health

As people age, the body deteriorates. It's inevitable. However, you don't have to speed up the process. Focus on eating well, exercising, and taking care of yourself. You can't control every aspect of your health, but you can stack the odds in your favor.

Retirement can be scary, but it's a fun stage of life. Set yourself up for comfort while also setting yourself up to live a long life. After you have all of the details in place, you can go work on that golf swing.

Looking for Scenery? Why Retiring on a Lake Could Be Right for You

Planning for the final step of the American dream is something that everyone should do. You don't want to reach the age of retirement and be at a loss for what you want to do and where you want to go. If you're trying to decide on the right location to spend your retirement years, here are some good reasons that a lake may be the ideal spot for you.

The Blue Effect

Most people come to notice that being by water tends to allow them to relax psychologically. This is known as the blue effect where being in, on, or underwater allows both the brain and body to enter a zen state. 

This effect has been proven to lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety in patients. It also helps to increase the quality of your internal thoughts, which can boost the health of your immune system.

Enjoy New Hobbies

A lake provides the perfect outdoor environment where you can try out some new hobbies. Some of the most popular include fishing, swimming, birdwatching, photography, and hiking. All of those activities that you had trouble finding time for while working are now at your disposal to discover. 

When you enlist the help of someone like those at The Stockton Team: Keller Williams Showcase and other places, you can find the right lake house that has all the hobby opportunities that you could possibly want.

Family Getaway

If you're reaching the age of retirement, it's likely that you have some grandchildren or some on the way. Having a fun spot for your grandkids to enjoy while you get to watch them grow up is a necessity. 

They'll have endless activities to enjoy like kayaking, fishing, hiking, swimming, and boating. A lake also provides the perfect backdrop for family events like picnics and birthday parties.

A Private Community Feel

During your years of retirement, you want to enjoy your own schedule. Privacy at your lake home can provide a relaxing environment for you to spend your later years. 

Plus, many lakes create a community feel. You'll get to know the neighbors that surround the lake and feel as if you're a part of a bigger community.

Retiring at a lake house is the ideal choice for many. It offers so many benefits from a more relaxing lifestyle to a sense of community. If you're considering a move to the lake, we highly recommend that you do so as you'll receive all the benefits above.

Looking Up With An Eye On The Downside Risk

No one invests with an eye to losing money, but estimating the downside risk of any investment is—or at least ought to be—part of the process when selecting securities to put in your portfolio. If market conditions change in a certain way, what is likely to be the worst-case scenario when it comes to this stock, this fund, this index….?

Hindsight, as they say, has 20-20 vision. But downside risk measures attempt to offer a better vision of future results. By definition, these measures are one-sided, because they calculate the likelihood of loss, disregarding the potential for gain. Whether it’s a banker deciding whether or not to approve a loan to a business or a money manager deciding which securities to include in a portfolio, risk management is crucial, because, as Will Kenton writes in Investopedia, “wrong choices can result in severe consequences for companies, individuals, and the economy.” 

In general, investment risk is defined as a deviation from an expected outcome (or, in the case of downside risk, a deviation from the desired outcome). 

There are two general components included in downside risk measurements: the time horizon and the confidence interval, Wall Street Mojo explains. First, it’s important to analyze the degree of downside risk based on a particular (and reasonable) anticipated holding period for that investment—Do you anticipate it being half a year? A year? Several years? The second parameter is the confidence interval, another way of expressing the comfort level of the investor (or the institution managing the risk).

While downside risk deals with unexpected events that have the potential to negatively impact your investment, those unexpected risks can take several different forms. Wall Street Mojo names four main categories of downside risk: 

1. Opportunity risk—Whenever you commit resources to one investment, you are “losing” the opportunity to invest those dollars in other things (which might have turned out to have been better choices!)
   
   

2. Uncertainty risk—Unexpected events can interfere with your investment enjoying its hoped-for growth. These might include everything from natural calamities, such as snowstorms or floods, to new competitors appearing in the marketplace. The political climate might create uncertainty in certain industries, and unforeseen legal actions might be taken against a company.
   
   

3. Hazard risk—People important to the operation of a company might suffer unexpected illness; chemical accidents or employee injuries might interrupt a company’s ability to operate normally.
   
   

4. Operational risk—Everyday business activities may generate risk through failed procedures or policies, or out of simple human error.

In Dampening the Downside, Reichel and Meschenmosa of Blackrock explain that “the objective of downside protection means avoiding losses that exceed a certain threshold over a given period, with a high degree of probability.”  Another way to put it, the authors add, is ”making the portfolio more weather-resistant.” Options strategies can function as “insurance policies,” they add, by allowing investors to “put a firm floor on portfolio valuations.”

 “In today’s uncertain environment,” Holly Framsted of Blackrock writes,” there is no shortage of ways investors can lose money.” Strategies that focus on downside risk management can offer investors the comfort to stay invested in the market through all environments, she observes. 

Sheaff Brock Managing Director Dave Gilreath agrees—“You might say risk management is even more important than return,” he suggests.

Know These Top Tips for Saving Time and Money in Your Home Sale Process

Selling your home could be one of the largest financial transactions you ever make, and that process can also be very time-consuming if you aren’t careful. Luckily, with a little hard work and some professional assistance, you can put yourself in the best possible position to sell your quickly and at a fair price.

Take Care of Quick Fixes

Even if you don’t plan on completely renovating your home before you sell it, there are a few quick fixes that you might want to carry out before you put it on the market. In many cases, buyers won’t even consider a home if they notice issues such as leaky faucets, faded paint, and squeaky floorboards. 

Many of those common problems are very easy to take care of, and you could probably complete most of them in a single weekend.

Up Your Curb Appeal

When it comes to selling a home, very few variables are as important as curb appeal. Eye-catching curb appeal is going to draw in motivated buyers and give them a good impression of your home before they step through the door. 

As an added bonus, improving a home’s curb appeal is usually a fairly easy process. All you will need to do is remove debris from the yard, mow the lawn, and clean up the entryway. You might also want to add a fresh coat of paint to the door, trim, and pillars. 

Price Right the First Time

If a home sits on the market for too long, many buyers and their realtors will assume that something is wrong with the property. That is just one of the many reasons why it is so important to price your home correctly the first time. 

To come up with an accurate price, you will need to consider the state of the local real estate market, the size of your home, and many other variables.

Work With a Good Real Estate Agent

Working with an experienced real estate agent is another step that you can take to speed the process up and maximize your profits. Those individuals often have access to motivated buyers who are ready to make cash offers right away. 

They can also help you with important steps like staging the home, advertising, and organizing walkthroughs.

In addition to these few tips, you must also remember to stay patient throughout this process. Even with a beautiful home at a great price, finalizing a sale could take a month or longer depending on the market.