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Waiting for Ever Crisp
The cool fall weather seems to be arriving later each year. Many trees which used to be peaking fall color by now are just beginning to turn. This might be good news as we patiently await the harvest of the Ever Crisp apples created in Ohio. This is a newer variety that stands up to colder weather having a later harvest and an extended shelf life. If you prefer a crisp, sweet, and juicy apple, taste an Ever Crisp. They are delicious and worth spending a cold afternoon in the orchard. They are not as easy to find as Honey Crisp, but Pfeiffer Orchard in Yellow Springs seems to have bushels. You can find them in some grocery stores if you can't make it out to pick your own.

• HAPPENING AT AFP •

  • Covid Policy Update – We are currently conducting most meetings via Zoom. If you are fully vaccinated and would prefer to meet in person, please let us know. We'll do our best to accommodate your needs.

  • Grandview Pumpkin Run - We are one of the sponsors of the 42nd Annual Great Pumpkin Run 5K scheduled for tomorrow morning, October 23rd. Registration is open for those interested in participating. Click here for registration information.

  • Grandview Chocolate Walk - This year's event raised over $3,500 for the Grandview Heights Public Library Foundation. The Chocolate Walk is typically scheduled for May annually but was delayed due to Covid-19. If you missed it, another opportunity could be here sooner than you think!
  • Anniversary Date -Oh my, how time flies. Tracey has been at AFP for 20 years! To acknowledge this feat, we will be having a moment of celebration next Friday, October 29th at 2:00 in the office. You are welcome to stop by or pass on a congrats in another way if you desire. AFP could not be offering the level of services we provide without her contribution. Thank you Tracey, it’s been a wonderful journey. 
FYI

  • Orion Portal Reminder - If you cannot access your Orion Portal, contact Tracey to request a password reset. The Orion Portal requires a password reset every 4 months (120 days) and becomes Inactive after 8 months (240 days).
• THIS MONTH'S BLOG •
Click below to read our October 2021 Blog edition.


We would enjoy receiving your feedback on our Blog. Please share any comments or suggestions for future topics with us via email.

• ON A PERSONAL NOTE •
+ Teri's World
This has been a whirlwind of a month. The month got kicked off with the demolition of my garage. Looking to plant a big bow on a newly built one by Christmas! I serve on the Board of the GHMC Historical Society and we held the annual meeting outside at the Ohio Taproom. It was a fun event with a Halloween theme, complete with some very cool pumpkin carving. Last Sunday was the Columbus Marathon and all that training paid off to be able to say I have now run my 18th half-marathon (one whole marathon too). It was such a wonderful feeling to know that all of my kids and grandchildren came down to cheer me on. It really meant a lot. The money raised goes to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital and every mile is dedicated to a child that has had to endure significant health issues. It’s a very humbling experience.  
Columbus Marathon 2021
Pumpkin Carving
Garage Construction Progress
+ What about Bob
October has been a good month for us.

We found out that our youngest daughter Brittany and her husband Chris are expecting their second child. She is due in April and both are doing very well. We are so thrilled to have another addition to the family!!

Layla finished her volleyball season undefeated with a 10-0 record. Tournament play begins on the 25th. This weekend is tryouts for club volleyball.

It’s funny how life changes. We attended Ashley’s annual Halloween party earlier this month. Her party used to start at 8:00 pm and go late into the night. Now that Lowell is part of their lives, they start the party at 3:00 in the afternoon and it’s wrapped up by 8:00. Layla won the “Scariest” pumpkin category in the carving contest. 
...and the winner is!
+ Tracey's Time
My Mom was able to visit again and it was good to reconnect. For those who may not know, I was adopted at birth and met my biological mom in 2016.

My son, Carlin celebrated his 30th birthday closing on a land purchase where he and Erin will build their forever home. For inspiration, we visited several of the 2021 BIA Parade Homes. Cass and her boyfriend, Brandon have adopted two adorable puppies. Cayleigh attended the homecoming dance with two girlfriends. She preferred dirt bike riding at a family friend's home.

Andy and I have been running to keep pace with our medical appointments. We both scheduled cataract surgery. My left eye was completed first and prayers for Andy are appreciated. He has worn glasses since 6 months of age and a new lens may be able to correct his severe astigmatism and lazy eye, leaving him only needing readers. We are optimistic!
• POINTS OF REFERENCE •
Current Economic and Investment Information
YOUR NEXT CAR - 25% of new auto sales in China in the year 2025 are projected to be electric vehicles. China is the world’s largest auto market (source: Bloomberg NEF).

GOT YOUR SHOTS? - 81% of 1,000 small business owners (i.e., firms employing less than 100 workers) who were surveyed in September 2021 say they would require new hires to be vaccinated or they are considering a requirement that new hires be vaccinated (source: Digital.com).

MAY I ASK YOU? - The HIPPA Privacy Rule (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) was enacted in 1996 or 25 years ago. HIPPA does not prohibit a business from asking an employee if they have received a COVID-19 vaccine, but it does regulate how and when a business may use or disclose information about an employee’s vaccination status (source: Department of Health & Human Services).

EXPANDING ITS REACH - House lawmakers introduced legislation on 6/01/21 (“Improving Medicare Coverage Act”) that would lower the age of eligibility for Medicare from 65 to 60. The change would expand Medicare to an estimated 23 million American seniors currently not eligible. Medicare provides health insurance coverage today to 54.1 million Americans aged 65 and older (source: HR # 5165).

MEDICAID IN YOUR STATE - A Supreme Court ruling in 2012 (9 years ago) made the expansion of Medicaid that was written into the Affordable Care Act an option that individual states could add but did not make the expansion mandatory. As of today, 38 states have expanded Medicaid and 12 have not. The 12 are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming (source: ACA).

BACKSTOP - The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has taken over an average of 5 ½ failed private pension plans each month over the 5 fiscal years of 2016-2020, a grand total of 336 failed plans. In fiscal year 2020 alone, 69 plans that provide pension benefits to 57,000 current and future retirees were bailed out (source: PBGC).

PRINT AND PURCHASE - The Fed’s balance sheet reached $7.96 trillion as of 10/13/21, up from $3.76 trillion as of 1/08/20. The first US pandemic death occurred in the week before 1/11/20 (source: Federal Reserve).

WHAT THEY REALLY PAID - Over the 9 years 2010-2018 the wealthiest “one one-thousandth of one percent” (0.001% or 0.00001) of US taxpayers (approximately 1,400 tax returns) paid $402 billion in aggregate federal income taxes (over the 9 years) and reported $1.82 trillion in aggregate adjusted gross income (over the 9 years), resulting in an average tax rate of 22.1% (over the 9 years) (source: Internal Revenue Service).

WHEN WILL THEY SPEND IT? - An estimated $3.3 trillion of additional cash has been accumulated in bank accounts by American households since the beginning of the pandemic, i.e., cash that would have previously been spent (and not saved) if the pandemic had not occurred (source: Longview Economics).

ALL GOOD - Since March 2021, 456,000 Americans with student loans have had their college debt forgiven, i.e., discharged, a total of $8.7 billion in loan forgiveness (source: Department of Education).

WE’RE CLOSE TO THAT - The annual operating budget of Saudi Arabia, heavily dependent on the price of oil, requires a breakeven crude oil price of $88 a barrel (source: International Monetary Fund).

BOOM - The Nobel Prize for Economics has been awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences since 1968. This year’s winners (3 Americans) will split the 10 million kronor prize (worth approximately $1.2 million). Alfred Nobel created the annual prizes across multiple disciplines at his death in 1896. Nobel made his fortune by inventing dynamite (source: Nobelprize.org).
INFLATION
• TIMELY TOPICS •
MEDICARE PLAN CHOICES
8 Things to Know When Choosing a Medicare Plan
The choices can be confusing, and the fine print is important.
But it’s crucial to choose wisely, because it may be hard to change your mind.

By Neal Templin
Source: The Wall Street Journal
When most Americans turn 65, they have three basic options for health coverage: traditional Medicare; Medicare plus supplemental insurance to cover costs that Medicare doesn’t; or Medicare Advantage, a range of managed-care plans.

Making the decision isn’t easy. There’s a lot of fine print when it comes to expenses and coverage. But choosing the wrong plan for your individual circumstances can be a costly mistake—and one that may be hard to undo, depending on where you live. Most states make it difficult to switch plans, so it’s often crucial to pick wisely.

With that in mind, here are eight things that every person should know when selecting the Medicare plan that makes the most sense for them. Keep these in mind, and you’re less likely to make a choice that you’ll later regret.

Click here to continue reading this article.

COST OF LIVING INCREASE
Social Security cost-of-living adjustment will be 5.9% in 2022, biggest annual hike in 40 years

By Lorie Konish
Source: CNBC
The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment will be 5.9% in 2022, the Social Security Administration announced Wednesday.

The 5.9% COLA will be the biggest boost to Social Security beneficiaries’ checks in about 40 years.

In 2021, the Social Security COLA was 1.3%. The last time the annual adjustment came close to the 2022 figure was in 2009, when beneficiaries saw a 5.8% increase.

More than 64 million Social Security beneficiaries will see the boosts in their monthly checks starting in January. Meanwhile, about 8 million Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, beneficiaries will see the increase starting Dec. 30.

Click here to continue reading this article.
ESTATE PLANNING
signing_documents.jpg
Do You Need A Trust?
8 Important Goals A Trust Can Help You Achieve
By Ron Carson
Source: Forbes.com
Has it been awhile since you reviewed your estate planning strategy? If so, it may require some updating based on recent changes to laws impacting your tax and retirement planning.

An estate plan can help you accomplish a number of important goals, including naming an individual or institution to act as your proxy in settling your estate and distributing your property following your death, transferring property to the people or organizations you designate in the most tax-efficient and expeditious manner, naming guardians for minor children, documenting the type of care you prefer to receive should you become ill or incapacitated, and managing tax exposure, to name a few.

If you haven’t engaged in estate planning in the past, the first step is to meet with an estate planning attorney who can help you draw up a will and other important legal documents. A will governs the distribution of your property upon your death. Other important documents include a durable power of attorney (POA), appointing an individual or entity you trust to act on your behalf in regard to financial and legal matters during your lifetime; a living will (also known as a healthcare proxy), enabling you to specify the kind of medical care you do or do not want to receive should you become ill or incapacitated. A living will also enables you to appoint an individual to make healthcare decisions on your
behalf if you’re unable to do so yourself. Your estate planning attorney can also help you determine if establishing a trust would be beneficial.

Click here to continue reading this article.
• QUOTE •

“The heat of autumn is different from the heat of summer. One ripens apples, the other turns them to cider.”

- Jane Hirshfield
Alexander Financial Planning
1621 W. First Avenue
Grandview Heights, OH 43212
614-538-1600

Registered Investment Advisor
This material is distributed by Alexander Financial Planning, Inc., (AFPI) and is for information purposes only. Although information has been obtained from sources to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy. It is provided with the understanding that no fiduciary relationship exists because of this report. Opinions expressed in this report are not necessarily the opinions of AFPI and are subject to change without notice. AFPI assumes no liability for the interpretation or use of this report. Financial planning, investment conclusions and strategies suggested in this report may not be suitable for all investors and consultation with a qualified advisor is recommended prior to executing any investment strategy. All rights reserved.