May the painful memories of September 11, 2001 remind us that beyond the darkness there is a light...
Wishing you a day of peaceful reflection.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Remembering 9/11
Following the attack on the World Trade Center on
September 11, 2001, I, like many others, was moved to put my thoughts
and feelings down on paper. Each year on 9/11 I like to share it as a
memorial to those who died on that day and a tribute to those who worked
so hard sifting through the rubble in the aftermath.
May the painful memories of September 11, 2001 remind us that beyond the darkness there is a light...
Wishing you a day of peaceful reflection.
May the painful memories of September 11, 2001 remind us that beyond the darkness there is a light...
Wishing you a day of peaceful reflection.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Latest Market Stats for PV and Scottsdale
The
latest market stats for PV and Scottsdale have been posted at my
website. These are current through August 2012. Contact me if you
would like stats for any other Metro Phoenix city or zip code.
Health Insurance for Self-Employed
Today at our regular office meeting, Paige Matisse, an extremely knowledgeable representative of ABBA
(America's Business Benefit Association), discussed affordable health
insurance for self-employed individuals and small business owners,
noting that ABBA can save individuals and families THOUSANDS of dollars a
year. Several of my associates are currently using ABBA health
insurance and they discussed the huge savings they now enjoy (almost
half of what they were paying previously) since switching to ABBA
insurance. It was noted that individuals who have a spouse who has
employer-sponsored health benefits may find it much cheaper to switch to
an ABBA insurance plan rather than pay for coverage under their
spouse's plan. Children up to age 26 can also be covered.
I have no connection with ABBA and no personal need for their service, but I thought it sounded like a terrific solution for many folks who are currently paying outrageously high insurance premiums. Savings can also be found for travel and consumer and business services. If you or someone you know would like additional information, please contact me for Paige Matisse's contact information. She can also provide you with contact information for a Medicare insurance broker, for those who are eligible.
The following additional information about ABBA membership comes from the ABBA website:
ENDORSED MAJOR MEDICAL INSURANCE PLANS
Membership in ABBA entitles you to apply for quality health insurance plans directly through select, endorsed insurance companies. Membership in ABBA is not required in all states.MAJOR MEDICAL INSURANCE PLANS*
Today, health insurance needs to provide you with choices. Through ABBA endorsed plans, you have choices of:
HSA-QUALIFIED HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLANS
Health Saving Accounts or HSA-qualified plans, available in conjunction with the major medical insurance plan, combine high-deductible health insurance with a tax-favored savings account. Money in the savings account can help pay the deductible and out-of-pocket expenses. Money left in the health savings account earns interest and is yours to keep or spend on qualified medical expenses. There is no “use it or lose it” restriction with an HSA.*
ABBA MEMBER Packages:
THE MORE YOU USE YOUR ABBA MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE, THE MORE YOU SAVE!
There are a variety of membership packages available, starting as low as $19.50 per month for the basic ABBA Principal membership package. ABBA Personal, Professional, and Protection upgraded packages are also available, and have a variety of consumer and business benefits. For more information contact your ABBA membership representative or call 1-866-566-2701.
All ABBA membership packages include the following valuable features:
I have no connection with ABBA and no personal need for their service, but I thought it sounded like a terrific solution for many folks who are currently paying outrageously high insurance premiums. Savings can also be found for travel and consumer and business services. If you or someone you know would like additional information, please contact me for Paige Matisse's contact information. She can also provide you with contact information for a Medicare insurance broker, for those who are eligible.
The following additional information about ABBA membership comes from the ABBA website:
ENDORSED MAJOR MEDICAL INSURANCE PLANS
Membership in ABBA entitles you to apply for quality health insurance plans directly through select, endorsed insurance companies. Membership in ABBA is not required in all states.MAJOR MEDICAL INSURANCE PLANS*
Today, health insurance needs to provide you with choices. Through ABBA endorsed plans, you have choices of:
- Lifetime benefit per covered person
- Calendar-year maximum benefit per covered person
- Calendar-year deductible plus coinsurance
- After your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, plans pay balance of covered expenses.** (Subject to all terms, limitations and exclusions of coverage)
- In designing your plan, remember that by paying a higher deductible and coinsurance you will lower your premium.
- You cannot be singled out for premium increase or cancellation based on claims.
HSA-QUALIFIED HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLANS
Health Saving Accounts or HSA-qualified plans, available in conjunction with the major medical insurance plan, combine high-deductible health insurance with a tax-favored savings account. Money in the savings account can help pay the deductible and out-of-pocket expenses. Money left in the health savings account earns interest and is yours to keep or spend on qualified medical expenses. There is no “use it or lose it” restriction with an HSA.*
ABBA MEMBER Packages:
THE MORE YOU USE YOUR ABBA MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE, THE MORE YOU SAVE!
There are a variety of membership packages available, starting as low as $19.50 per month for the basic ABBA Principal membership package. ABBA Personal, Professional, and Protection upgraded packages are also available, and have a variety of consumer and business benefits. For more information contact your ABBA membership representative or call 1-866-566-2701.
All ABBA membership packages include the following valuable features:
|
Identity theft insurance Pays up to $2,500 - with no deductible - for expenses resulting from identiy theft. This benefit can help pay for expenses you incur as a result of identity fraud, including attorney fees, notarized affidavits, lost wages and certified mail. |
Medical air travel assistance When traveling more than 100 miles from your permanent residence, you will have a range of services to assist you in the event of an emergency, including emergency evacuation/repatriation, vehicle return, transportation of mortal remains, transportation of escort, minor children return/escort. (Not available to residents of Florida or Connecticut.) |
|
Roadside assistance Through Road America, 24-hour coverage for the first $50 per occurrence for defined roadside emergency expenses. (Pre-registration required). |
Emergency helicopter rescue plan Pays up to $4,000 for necessary transport for a certified injury. (Not available to residents of Florida.) |
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Labor Day Message
Have a safe and restful holiday!
The History of Labor Day
The information below comes from History.com.
Labor Day, an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters. In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages. People of all ages, particularly the very poor and recent immigrants, often faced extremely unsafe working conditions, with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities and breaks.
As manufacturing increasingly supplanted agriculture as the wellspring of American employment, labor unions, which had first appeared in the late 18th century, grew more prominent and vocal. They began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay. Many of these events turned violent during this period, including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886, in which several Chicago policemen and workers were killed. Others gave rise to longstanding traditions: On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history. The idea of a “workingmen’s holiday,” celebrated on the first Monday in September, caught on in other industrial centers across the country, and many states passed legislation recognizing it.
Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later, when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers’ rights squarely into the public’s view. On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. On June 26, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers. In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
More than a century later, the true founder of Labor Day has yet to be identified. Many credit Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, while others have suggested that Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the holiday.
Labor Day is still celebrated in cities and towns across the United States with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays and other public gatherings. For many Americans, particularly children and young adults, it represents the end of the summer and the start of the back-to-school season.
Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute
to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was
created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a
federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of summer for
many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic
events.
Labor Day, an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters. In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages. People of all ages, particularly the very poor and recent immigrants, often faced extremely unsafe working conditions, with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities and breaks.
As manufacturing increasingly supplanted agriculture as the wellspring of American employment, labor unions, which had first appeared in the late 18th century, grew more prominent and vocal. They began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay. Many of these events turned violent during this period, including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886, in which several Chicago policemen and workers were killed. Others gave rise to longstanding traditions: On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history. The idea of a “workingmen’s holiday,” celebrated on the first Monday in September, caught on in other industrial centers across the country, and many states passed legislation recognizing it.
Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later, when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers’ rights squarely into the public’s view. On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. On June 26, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers. In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
More than a century later, the true founder of Labor Day has yet to be identified. Many credit Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, while others have suggested that Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the holiday.
Labor Day is still celebrated in cities and towns across the United States with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays and other public gatherings. For many Americans, particularly children and young adults, it represents the end of the summer and the start of the back-to-school season.
U.S. house prices rebound reports S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index
Source: Global Property Guide
August 29, 2012
The U.S. property industry had shown better growth momentum in the first semester as the latest S.&P./Case-Shiller Home Price Index showed house prices recovering in hard-hit areas like Detroit, Miami, and Atlanta.
Home prices moved up for the first time since 2010 when sales get a boost from a temporary tax credit for home buyers.
The S&P/Case-Schiller Home Price Index showed that year-on-year national prices rose 1.2% and in 20 major cities, 0.5%. Industry experts regard the index quite reliable because it traces the actual price differences of homes sold and resold over time.
The data indicated that though prices were still low, some price gains were noted from May to June.
The city of Atlanta, broke the worst annual price decline, and rose 4% in the months of May and June. In Miami, prices went up 1.6% in June after posting 1.4% in May. Detroit prices soared 6% from May to June.
Although the data still points to a slow recovery, economists perceive it is a strong one considering the factors that encouraged investors to buy properties: very low prices; the limited housing inventory resulting to competitive bids, and an interest rates decline urged qualified buyers to acquire mortgage during the first semester 2012.
Other cities that showed strong house prices include San Francisco, rising 18%; prices in Phoenix rose 14% while 4.5% increase was recorded in Las Vegas.
The forthcoming elections and the unsteady consumer confidence will weigh on the housing sector, says Mr. David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee for S&P Dow Jones Indices in a report by New York Times.
Nonetheless, all the underpinnings look better, adds Mr. Blitzer.
August 29, 2012
The U.S. property industry had shown better growth momentum in the first semester as the latest S.&P./Case-Shiller Home Price Index showed house prices recovering in hard-hit areas like Detroit, Miami, and Atlanta. Home prices moved up for the first time since 2010 when sales get a boost from a temporary tax credit for home buyers.
The S&P/Case-Schiller Home Price Index showed that year-on-year national prices rose 1.2% and in 20 major cities, 0.5%. Industry experts regard the index quite reliable because it traces the actual price differences of homes sold and resold over time.
The data indicated that though prices were still low, some price gains were noted from May to June.
The city of Atlanta, broke the worst annual price decline, and rose 4% in the months of May and June. In Miami, prices went up 1.6% in June after posting 1.4% in May. Detroit prices soared 6% from May to June.
Although the data still points to a slow recovery, economists perceive it is a strong one considering the factors that encouraged investors to buy properties: very low prices; the limited housing inventory resulting to competitive bids, and an interest rates decline urged qualified buyers to acquire mortgage during the first semester 2012.
Other cities that showed strong house prices include San Francisco, rising 18%; prices in Phoenix rose 14% while 4.5% increase was recorded in Las Vegas.
The forthcoming elections and the unsteady consumer confidence will weigh on the housing sector, says Mr. David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee for S&P Dow Jones Indices in a report by New York Times.
Nonetheless, all the underpinnings look better, adds Mr. Blitzer.
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