Our Newsletter

October 25th, 2011

Blond Hair and Blue Eyes

Eighteen years ago the arrangements were made. When Megan was born she would go home from the hospital with her adoptive parents, Pat and Ron. She would be loved, adored and cherished. Pat and Ron raised her to be kind and caring. By all accounts Megan was a very intelligent and delightful little girl.

When she was about 7 she noticed that she looked very different than both her mom and dad. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. Mom and dad had dark hair and dark eyes. Megan, always the inquisitive little girl, asked her parents why she did not look like them. She was an only child so she didn’t have siblings with which to compare her physical features.  Pat and Ron knew some day the questions would begin. As difficult as it was they sat down with Megan and told her the story of her birth. Megan seemed to understand with the simple response, “OK. Can I go ...   Read more...

September 20th, 2011

With more than 39 years in the insurance industry I’ve seen many changes in health care from providers, consumers and regulatory commissions. Even in my personal life I’ve had many occasions to work within the Medicare system. Both of my grandmothers were on Medicare when I began taking care of them in the 1970’s. I discovered early on that working with Medicare is no easy task as a consumer or insurance broker. 

Since its inception in the early 1970’s, continuous changes to the rules regarding Medicare and what is covered makes tracking extremely difficult for both Medicare administrators and healthcare providers alike. The complexity of the Medicare system and the insurance industry in general makes it easy prey for unscrupulous healthcare providers.

This month it was reported by Insurance Broadcasting that a Miami businessman was sentenced to 50 years in prison for masterminding a healthcare fraud scheme that sought to ...   Read more...

September 19th, 2011

This title is in sharp contrast to the “Greed is good” words made famous by Gordon Gekko in the 1987 monster movie Wall Street.  1987 was a long time ago when that movie was made, but no matter the times there is always someone ready to shake you down for money, whether on the street or in business.   Clients have asked how it was possible for someone like Bernie Madoff to put together a multi-billion dollar Ponzi  scheme in the midst of all of the technology currently available.  There are a lot of possible answers to the question.  But as a wise man once said, “Truth is simple.”  So after meeting Harry Markopolis, the Madoff whistle blower, at a conference that followed Bernie for about nine years I will keep it simple and say to you the first problem wasn’t the telling initials of Mr. BM, it was the greed and ignorance of the investors.

Let’s start with an example of how ordinary people allow ...   Read more...

September 19th, 2011

As a police officer in Los Angeles I often came across a laughable but unfortunately common crime. It has been given the clever moniker, “Rocks in the box”. Here’s how it goes; Bob, “the industrious salesman”, parks his van on the street. He places one of his products directly from the box, in this case a 32 inch color television, next to his rolling showroom. Bob’s customers are amazed at the great deals Bob can offer for new televisions. He explains that his prices are so good because of his low overhead and the televisions are “extras” direct from the factory.

Steve, the ever diligent customer, wants to see the TV before he hands over his hard earned cash. Bob explains that all of the televisions are the same as the one perched on the ground next to the van. He tells Steve that he can’t open the boxes from the van. He explains sincerely that nobody wants to buy his televisions if the factory packed box is damaged ...   Read more...

August 15th, 2011

The days of the old, “Private Dick” that we all imagine in a trench coat lurking around in the bushes may be a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t being followed.  In this social media age that we have all become immersed in, it is more likely that you are being cyber stalked.  The people that might be looking for information about you range from employers, potential employers and prospective business partners to vendors, debt collectors, ex spouse’s, insurance companies and of course their hired professional private investigators.  Because there are so many people that have so many reasons to, “follow you” we thought we’d educate you about three ways to manage your privacy and information shared.  These tips are geared towards Facebook because it is the most popular social tool, but please be vigilant about ALL sites that you have an account with:

1.    Privacy ...   Read more...

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