Omaha Insurance Solutions - December 2021

Omaha Insurance Solutions - December 2021

Club MED

WHY WE SHOULD THINK OF WHAT SURVIVES AFTER US December 2021 Legacy Is Intimidating — But It Doesn’t Have To Be

Legacy is a word I have heard a lot lately. It refers to what remains about you after you are gone. My wife is a widow. Her late husband was 36 when he passed away in 2001. He left behind two children: Rachel, who was 16, and Mason, who was 8. Cecil was an active guy who loved sports. He had won an athletic scholarship to University of Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL) for bowling. His father, also Cecil, is an avid sports fan as well. Cecil Sr. lives in Virginia. Of course, Mr. Shumaker misses his boy and frequently visits Cecil’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery. Because of the pandemic, Cecil Sr. is hunkered down in isolation and has not seen his youngest great-grandchild yet. Rachel has four children, and Jacob is the first boy great-grandchild. He is 100% boy and has already started warming up his pitching arm for the Washington Nationals. Rachel’s husband was promoted; Homeland Security assigned him to the U.S. Embassy in Brazil as an “Now my legacy is my business or — better said — you.”

attaché. Since they’d need to leaving for Brazil shortly, it was conceivable that Cecil Sr. would never see his only great-grandson. (He is 87 and not in the best of health.) Anyway, the other weekend, Rachel and her family made the trip from Arkansas to Washington, D.C., to see Great-grandpa Cecil. Naturally, he was thrilled to see all of them, especially his baseball- throwing grandson. He got to see his legacy, and

When things go south, you don’t want to have any loose ends hanging out there. I like making sure you have the best protection you can have. I like building a company (I’m a long way from being finished), a machine that will go on even after I am gone. “Legacy” is a good thing. Our lives should be more than just what we did while here on earth. We should have had an effect that lasts. The only thing left should not just be a grave marker.

playing ball with Jake recalled the hours spent years ago with his son, Cecil, practicing baseball, basketball, bowling, and other sports when he was a kid. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of my own children. As a priest, I took care of everyone else’s children. The legacy I left behind was a large number of babies baptized, couples married, and parishioners buried. Endowments, annual budgets, and buildings were a big part of that as well. Now my legacy is my business or — better said — you. I like what I do very much. I like being very knowledgeable about my subject and sharing that information with clients, so you can make the most informed decision possible about your health insurance. I like taking care of people in an area where we are all vulnerable — money and health.

What is your legacy?

–Christopher J. Grimmond

Medicare Insurance Made Easy

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5 TIPS FOR GOOD HAIR HEALTH AS YOU AGE KEEP YOUR HAIR LUSH IN RETIREMENT

Be gentle with your locks. To keep your hair looking its best, swap your brush for a wide-tooth comb, always be gentle with tangles, and if you have longer locks, avoid styling them in tight buns, braids, or ponytails. High- tension styles can damage your hair. Reduce your stress. It sounds like a cliche, but the healthier you are, the healthier your hair will be! To boost your health, try minimizing the stress in your life with regular exercise, outdoor activities, meditation, and plenty of sleep.

If your hair stylist has a quote on the wall, odds are good it’s this one: “Invest in your hair. It’s the crown you never take off.” No one knows for sure who came up with that saying, but the older we get, the more truth there is to it. It takes time and energy to prevent a lush head of hair from turning into a sparse one. Everyone’s hair thins, lightens, and gets brittle with age. It’s a sign of a long-lived life and nothing to be ashamed of. That said, there’s no reason to lose your hair before your time! Here are five strategies to keep your crown shining as long as genetics allow.

you can also get protein from plant- based sources like tofu, lentils, and chickpeas. Choose natural products that are tailored to your hair type. When you’re shopping for shampoo and conditioner, look for products without parabens, phthalates, sulfates, alcohol, or silicones. (Healthline.com has a great guide for this!) You should also buy products made for your hair type, whether that’s oily or dry, coiled or curled. Finally, avoid dying your hair at home or regularly styling it with heat. Both things will damage your locks! Avoid crash diets. When you lose a lot of weight at once, you can shock your body and either slow your hair’s growth or cause it to fall out! To avoid this, aim for a slow, sustainable weight loss instead.

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Never skip the protein. According to the Cleveland Clinic, your hair is made almost entirely of protein, and it will suffer when you don’t eat enough! Dermatologist Wilma Bergfeld recommends eating low-fat red meat a few times a week for hair health, but

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WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR IN A MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN? ‘MAXIMUM OUT OF POCKET’ MATTERS

Hi, guys! Chris Grimmond here. I get this question a lot: What should people look for when choosing their Medicare Advantage plan? There’s a lot of things to look for, but let’s focus on where you should start. The first metric I like to consider is the maximum out of pocket (MOOP). The MOOP is how much you could potentially spend in a year while on that particular health plan. During your working years, your employer’s health plan had a MOOP. Many people confuse MOOP with a deductible. A deductible is the amount of money you pay before the plan begins to cover medical costs. For example, you may have a $2,000 deductible. You go to the emergency room, and the bill is $20,000. You pay the first $2,000 upfront.

Then, you pay a coinsurance of 20% on the next $18,000, which would be $3,600 ($18,000 x 20% = $3,600). This is how the maximum out of pocket (MOOP) works. The $2,000 deductible + $3,600 coinsurance = $5,600. If the MOOP is $6,000, you would pay $5,600. If the MOOP was $5,000, you would pay $5,000. This information is crucial, and it should definitely be part of the questions that you ask of your Medicare insurance agent. Your MOOP Equals Maximum Risk Ask your Medicare insurance agent about your MOOP right away. I see the maximum out of pocket as the most important number because that is your potential maximum risk, which is why it’s so important to ask questions about it. While it is highly unlikely that you will arrive at the maximum each year

or any given year, there is some probability. Because of that chance, you should be prepared to cover that expense because you are contractually obliged. If you have two years of back-to-back expenses — imagine chemo and radiation for cancer over a year’s time — you could conceivably have two consecutive years together when you reach your MOOP both years. While the probability of hitting that maximum is very low, the possibility is always there. You can either cover that risk by purchasing a Medigap policy instead of a Medicare Advantage plan and pay the monthly premium or save that amount each month until you have reserves equal to or greater than your MOOP. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

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Testimonial

Can the Arts Keep You Young?

“Chris has been our insurance agent for five years. He made the whole Medicare process easy to understand and paid attention to every detail to tailor a program that would be a best fit for us. If we have a question or issue, Chris responds back immediately! He’s been an absolute pleasure to work with! We highly recommend Chris for all your Medicare and Insurance needs.”

CREATIVITY MAKES YOU HAPPIER, SMARTER, AND HEALTHIER

– Cheryl B. & Mary N.

If you’re still brainstorming about your New Year’s resolution this year, you’re in luck — working your creativity might be the best resolution you could ask for. Even if you don’t consider yourself a creative person, consider the creative and/or problem-solving activities you enjoy most. Do you ever find yourself completely absorbed in these activities, losing your sense of self and time? That’s called “flow.” It’s a creative state that helps your mind and body reduce anxiety, boost your mood, and even slow your heart rate. Your creative “flow” could happen in a lot more ways than you think, whether you’re drawing, knitting, or even telling a story to friends. Research shows that when you’re creating, no matter what it is, your blood is flooded with dopamine, a feel-good chemical that helps motivate you and increases your happiness and fulfillment. Creativity also boosts your mental health, minimizes symptoms of depression and isolation, and even reduces your risk of dementia. That’s right — according to a new study in Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, people who engaged in artistic activities (painting, drawing, sculpting, etc.), in both middle and old age were 73% less likely to have memory and thinking problems, such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), that can lead to dementia. Additionally, people who engaged in craft-based activities, such as sewing, woodworking, and ceramics in midlife and old age, were 45% less likely to encounter cognitive issues! Even social activity has a similar effect, with frequent social activity, such as attending events or travel, leading to participants being 55% less likely to develop MCI. “But I haven’t been creative for years!” you might contest. You’re not alone. Many people let their creative activities wind down after graduating from high school or college, and their careers may not involve creative thinking or utilizing the brain in different ways. However, trying one new artistic, crafty, or even social activity can be enough to help keep your mind active, curious, and young. So, if you’re still pining for a New Year’s resolution, try dedicating some time to discover your creative “flow” and how to experience it with regularity! It just might be one of the best decisions you could make for your mind, body, and spirit in 2022.

Inspired by TastesBetterFromScratch.com DIY Holiday Eggnog

Making your own eggnog is easier than you think! This creamy, delicious drink will be a hit with your holiday guests.

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks • 1/2 cup sugar • 1 cup heavy whipping cream • 2 cups milk • 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1 pinch salt • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract • Cinnamon and whipped cream, for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy. Set aside. 2. In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cream, milk, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a simmer. 3. Add a spoonful of the milk mixture to the egg mixture. Whisk vigorously and repeat, one spoonful at a time. 4. When most of the milk is whisked in, add the egg mixture to the saucepan. 5. Whisk until the liquid thickens slightly or reaches 160 F. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. 6. Pour the eggnog into a glass container and cover. Refrigerate. 7. When the eggnog has thickened, pour it into glasses, garnish, and enjoy!

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11414 W. Center Rd., Suite 250 Omaha, NE 68144 402-614-3389 OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com

INSIDE This Issue

You’re Part of My Legacy

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5 Ways to Keep Your Hair Lush in Retirement

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What Should I Look for in a Medicare Advantage Plan?

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Why Creativity Keeps Us Young

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Testimonial

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DIY Holiday Eggnog

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The Secret History of the Hays Code

The Little-Known Story of the Hays Code Prohibition for the Movies?

If you’ve seen the classic movie “Casablanca,” you might be surprised to learn that the original version was more risque than the one later shown on theater screens. The night Rick and Ilsa shared in Paris was more, ahem, explicitly passionate, but those lines were dropped on the cutting room floor. Why? Well, it wasn’t because of artistic choice. According to Mental Floss, “Joseph I. Breen, the head of the Production Code Administration, personally objected to any reference in ‘Casablanca’ about Rick and Ilsa having possibly slept together in Paris.” What a killjoy! Breen’s objection was backed up by an industry standard of the time called the Hays Code (or officially, the Motion Picture Production Code). This now-forgotten list of rules predated today’s movie rating system and governed Hollywood from 1934

to 1968, restricting expression in countless movies and TV shows. It was intended to clean up the violent, drug-filled movie business much like Prohibition — which preceded it— had been designed to clean up a drunken America. As the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) puts it, “The code prohibited profanity, suggestive nudity, graphic or realistic violence, sexual persuasions, and rape” — but it also prohibited certain kinds of costumes and dances, censored homosexuality, and banished married movie couples to separate beds! Just a few of the stranger things banned under the Hays Code were justifications of revenge, mockery of the clergy, and showing alcohol “when not required by the plot.” You’ve likely watched movies and TV shows filmed under the restrictions of the Hays Code without realizing it was to blame for

the wacky choices the directors made. For

example, Mental Floss reports the code is the reason “I

Love Lucy” never showed Lucy and Ricky sharing a bed or used the word “pregnant,” even when Lucy was expecting! It’s also the reason why Betty Boop temporarily lost her garter belt and why the birth scene in “Gone With the Wind” was filmed in shadows. In fact, even a “silhouette” birth should have been off-limits, but somehow, the producers sneaked it through. To learn more about the origins and ending of the Hays Code, check out the NPR story “Remembering Hollywood’s Hays Code, 40 Years On.”

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