Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Types of Long Term Care Insurance

Regardless of what some people might think, medical insurance will not cover the disbursals and services that long term care insurance covers.

There are three types of long term care insurance. The first program is the skilled nursing care. It have to be ordered by a doctor and the patient must be able to fully retrieve word form his or her unwellness or injuries. It affects a treatment plan, skilled therapy with a accredited healer and nursing care.

Intermediate nursing care is another type of long term care insurance. Likes skilled nursing care it must be ordered by a doctor and the patient must be able to retrieve from their unwellness or injury. Unlike skilled nursing care, Intermediate nursing care is not provided on a day-to-day basis. It depends on what treatment and therapy program tht the physician have ordered. It is basically a prescribed as needed to get well plan.

The guardian nursing care program is the full coverage program of long term care insurance. Custodial care includes day-to-day nursing care and nursing aid walking, eating, bathing and other hygiene matters, and also includes colostomy and catheter use, as well. Custodial care can be an in home care plan, an assisted life care program or a nursing home plan. It can range from a few hours per hebdomad to 24 hours per day. The purpose is that the patient will not be able to retrieve from their injuries or illnesses.

Studies how that 40% of the people who have any type of long term care services are under the age of 65. Studies also demo that there is a 50% opportunity that a individual will need some type of long term care service after the age 65.

Long term care insurance is right for many people, but if you are in the place that you can pay for your care with assets then long term care insurance might not be the best idea.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Don't Fight The Fed

One of the great truisms of Wall Street is "Don't struggle the Fed". For the long term investors this have resulted in greater profits. When the Federal Soldier Modesty Board tramps interest rates look out and when the make it 3 modern times in a row it is called "3 leaps and a stumble". We have got just gone through the lurch and it have been costly.

When you travel back in history you will happen that the stock market have almost always gone down substantially after the Federal have jumped interest rates 3 clip in a row. As of this authorship the Federal have lowered rates twice and we are looking for a 3rd cut very soon. When that haps you will cognize that there is very small likeliness of the market going lower.

The stock market moves more on expectancy than fact. Another old expression is "Buy the rumour and sell the news". Because of what Mr. Greenspan have got done we expect the market will beat up and the rumour is he will make it again so we have two grounds to believe that stock terms will travel higher. He caused all this messiness and now we look to him as our savior. It should be as the Queen of Hearts said, "Off with his head". Unfortunately he is appointed and cannot be removed from office even by the President. Just don't give him undo credit for lowering interest rates when he should not have got raised them in the first pace.

For the smart long term investors when they see the Federal elevation interest rates they should immediately pay attention top their stock and common monetary fund retentions with the thought of merchandising them and placing the finances in a money market account. The investors won't be making any capital gains, but they also won't be standing in presence of the railroad train as it come ups barreling down the path and runs them over. No, you don't have got to sell immediately as it takes respective calendar calendar calendar months for interest rate additions to take consequence - usually about 9 months.

When rates are lowered there will also be a clip slowdown of 6 to 12 months which gives you chance to begin picking some victors for the adjacent bull market. Forget that Wall Street conventional wisdom of "do your research". Research is basically worthless. If you can happen it out then everyone else already cognizes it and it have been reflected in the terms of the stock. Let me give you a method that is too simple for your broker. He will state you it won't work except it does.

Every Friday there is a listed in Investor's Business Daily on the dorsum page about 40 charts of the week's best acting stocks. Notice they are all in uptrends. You could purchase almost any 1 of these and check it weekly to see that it stays in the trend. When it falls out, sell it.

There are other equally simple methods your broker will not recommend. They desire to maintain the Wall Street mystique. Once you happen out how easy it is to do money you won't need them. It is your money. Are you willing to work a small to do it grow?

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Hurricane Katrina And The Impact On Real Estate Prices

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s broad way of destruction, the existent estate market will be affected perhaps in ways not fully understood or expected. If recent hurricane recovery history throws true there will be respective good things to come up out of all destruction. Let’s hope so as those who dwell in the Delta part have got suffered immensely.

In September 1989, a strong class 4 hurricane by the name of Victor Hugo made landfall in the Charleston, scandium area. Up to that clip it was the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Camille whacked the Gulf seashore in 1969. The damage from Victor Hugo was extended with full woods wiped out and fishing villages and seaboard vacation spots heavily damaged. Desperate anticipations of the storm’s negative consequence on the local economic system were made. I know, because I was living in the nearby town of Goose Brook when Victor Hugo roared through; I witnessed a sustained and drawn-out recovery attempt for many calendar months thereafter.

These were some of my personal observations of that hurricane’s impact on the lodging market:

1. Housing stock destroyed. Yes, the number of mobile homes, apartments, and single household homes damaged or destroyed by Victor Hugo was large. What had been a fairly unfastened pre-hurricane lodging market quickly tightened up as the vacancy rate plunged to close nothing as all available, undamaged property was suddenly snapped up. Rental rates, which had been on the low side, suddenly shot up and stayed up even as the lodging stock was replenished over the adjacent year. The nett consequence of Victor Hugo was that older, deficient lodging was replaced by more than modern lodging built with the up-to-the-minute edifice codification demands included. Rental rates rose accordingly to reflect the improvements.

2. Insurance payments. Although the property I was living in did not prolong much damage, some of the homes in our vicinity did. Within years of the storm’s aftermath insurance agents were canvassing neighborhoods, filing claims, and issuing checks on the spot. The quick move of the insurance companies allowed people to run out and do needed repairs quickly. Oftentimes, the amount of the check more than covered existent damage thereby allowing homeowners to do both structural and aesthetic improvements to their properties. These improvements were credited with refueling the subsequent surge in local home prices.

3. Government assistance. FEMA cut its dentition on Hugo. Originally, much unfavorable judgment was levied FEMA’s manner because of the agency’s slow response to the disaster. It took respective more than catastrophes after Victor Hugo before FEMA's response clip improved. Still, where private insurance companies left off, FEMA stepped in by cutting checks that allowed people to rebuild. Essentially, FEMA stepped in to assist the uninsured or under insured recover. Plenty of homes that had been deficient before Victor Hugo were replaced by homes that met current [and stricter] lodging codes. The impact on the lodging market was felt as this rise tide of support effectively lifted lodging prices.

Every peculiar storm’s impact on a local economic system is different. Unfortunately for occupants in the Delta region, Katrina blew through after a particularly unsmooth hurricane twelvemonth in 2004. No, FEMA isn’t broke but the financial emphasis on insurance suppliers cannot yet be measured. Unlike with Hugo, where the recovery attempt started immediately after the violent storm left, the Delta part is still in deliverance manner and waiting for the Waters to recede. I fully anticipate that it’ll be hebdomads before any sustained recovery attempt can be launched and even then it will be a long, drawn out procedure as insurance claims are filed, local edifice codifications are re-examined, and the most of import portion – people – decide whether they desire to reconstruct in damaged communities or move away.

South Florida recovered fairly quickly after Hurricane Saint Andrew devastated Homestead in 1992, but many cardinal and panhandle communities in Florida are still reeling one twelvemonth after a series of hurricanes tore up their homes in 2004. Again, much will depend on individual households willingness to reconstruct and that is the untold narrative lying in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

What If Mortgage Re-Financing Were Simplified?

What if mortgage re-financing were simplified? What if there were not so many pages in the legal agreements? What if you did not need a paralegal to understand it all? What if you really understood all that stuff you were signing?

What if you had time to read it all before the next Federal Reserve Rate hike next quarter? What if mortgage brokers had and easier set of paperwork so they could help more people re-finance?

What if the closing costs, fees and interest rate issues were easy to calculate to compare for consumers? What if you did not need to take level II college classes to mathematically calculate these things?

What if the average citizen did not spend 40% of their income toward their house payments and could save more money for college and not have to use those credit cards so much?

What happens if they keep raising rates and too many people had variable rates because they did not understand the problems associated and actual costs when rates rise very high?

What happens when the foreclosure rates increase because too many people had variable re-finances? What happens when too many foreclosed houses are for sale and cause decreased prices in housing market?

What happens when all those people who took equity out of their homes during a recent re-finance to pay off short-term credit card debt and then find out that their houses are worth less than their loan obligation? Will this also cause a cascading effect of more walk-aways and forclosures?

Monday, January 01, 2007

How Does Interest Rates Affect New Home Sales and Where's The Best Place To Build?

These real questions on new home starts and interest rates on real estate are answered by a US Master Builder and myself after receiving them from readers of my e-book,
"Residential Development Made Easy."

Question 1.

What is the your forecast for home starts in the US for the next 12 months? 24 months?

Master Builder & Developer's Reply:

This depends upon where you are. New home starts are excellent for Florida, Texas, and Arizona.

What most people don't appreciate is that there is always growth in new homes. Cities grow in spurts, but there is also controlled growth. As one part of an area dies from old age it is revitalized and redeveloped.

So remember national growth statistics on new home starts are not much use to you unless you have a national business. The best advice we can give you is to "read" market data - census data etc.

Personally I have kept average residential dollar sales figures on homes for my City since 1974. At first it might appear to be a lot of work, but after you have your base, say 20 years worth of data, you only have to add one figure a year.

My City's growth dollar sales value shows a 150% increase every 8 years. It is valuable to know where you are in the cycle - so it is worth doing the figures.

By that I mean, if you sold a property in the seventh year of the cycle, you'd make about 90% profit on your 'buy-price' but by waiting one more year it becomes 150%.

Stats are important, so do the homework. After all, all you got to do is get some figures
from an office for FREE and put them on an spreadsheet.

Question 2.

How do changes in interest rates affect sales of first time new home, middle class, and estate housing? Aside from the obvious, any interesting statistics or trends?

Master Builder & Developer's Reply:

I'll tell you a secret. The answer is that it doesn't affect the new home part of the housing industry. If you watch the news when you hear about the housing industry in a slump or slowing down -- Greenspan in on the news within a few days adjusting the interest rates to
ensure continued growth.

The building industry is the engine of our economy. If a country has had an economic slump and the Government wants to kick it off again, they start by 'flicking on' on the new home building industry switch.

It is the quickest to react; quickest to increase employment figures which pays for groceries, mortgages, school fees - you name it. Two economists arguing will give you three opinions, but they all agree on the 'economic multiplier effect.'

That means that a $100 million project has an economic effect in the community of about $230 million. That is the steel in the building pays the company who made it, who then pays the wages of the workers, who then pays the grocer who then pays his staff, who then pay their rent, car payments and so on - it goes round and round.

What does affect the new home industry is lower wages and our jobs going to foreign countries. If people can't afford a home, then they don't buy and that directly effects the housing industry.

Question 3.

What progressive processes are being implemented for more environmentally friendly and better insulated new homes? All concrete framing? (no wood) Other unique materials and
approaches?

Master Builder & Developer's Reply:

As a Master Builder, we use the current technology in building material. Concrete is outdated and has many environment problems. Our new homes are the most environmentally friendly homes that you'll ever have built.

No wood is used except for molding and cabinets.

But the problem is convincing the buyer. We have access to material that replaces wood products, that are made up of recycled material that is vastly superior and looks more real than wood.

We have access to luxurious carpet that is made from recycled plastic soda bottles. We have access to recycled paint that has no out gassing. Recycled roofs that have a 20 year warranty. Our homes have an R-70+ rating. Meaning less energy required for heating and cooling.

There are the 'traditionalists' and there are the 'innovative clients' - all we can do is educate and then the clients will benefit and so will the environment.

Question 4.

What changes are being implemented to improve customer service to new home buyers? (My daughter is buying a Hovnanian home for a fraction of my last home purchase, yet she
is getting a weekly status call from her new home sales representative!)

Master Builder & Developer's Reply:

This depends upon your builder. In our case we provide our buyers, investors and developers with daily video updates. They log into their account on our site and the site supervisor
walks them through what was completed for that day and what is scheduled for the next day.

Our clients have video documentation on their property. We also provide service after the sale. If three years after the purchase, the neighbor throws a ball through the window or
the cat destroys the carpet -- all the buyer has to do is log on to their account.

They tell us what needs to be replaced or repaired and in what room and we can do it almost immediately, because everything is in our database about the home.