Transcript:
Traci:
Hello, everyone. This is Traci Arieli, an end-of-life doula and founder of Comforting Closure. Today, I'm thrilled to have a remarkable guest with me. Please welcome Rosie Poliquin from Pinnacle Elite/World Financial Group. Rosie's mission is to assist people in planning for unexpected circumstances, including end-of-life scenarios. She understands firsthand the importance of protecting hard-earned savings from being depleted by medical or living expenses.
By providing insights and strategies, Rosie helps individuals make informed decisions, well in advance, ensuring that they and their loved ones remain financially secure. Rosie's involvement in this business goes far beyond her professional expertise. She has a powerful story that drives her passion for ensuring others are well-prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Welcome, Rosie, and thank you for being here today.
To start, tell us a little bit about what led you to become so invested in the world of later-in-life and end of life finances.
Rosie:
Thank you so much for having me. I'm honored to be here. And yes, I have my own story of not being financially prepared. About 20 years ago, my husband passed away and I had a one-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter, and we were just left devastated. I didn't know what to do with my finances. I never was taught about finances or what to do, and I ended up having to sell my house, sell our cars.
We had just gotten a pool put in, so we had loans and I had to move about 2 hours away from my hometown where I grew up just so I could be a stay-at-home mom, and it took a long time for me to finally understand the importance of having a strong financial foundation. About five years ago, I came across this company and I realized that I did not have my own finances in order.
And so I became a client. And then I said, "You know what? I'm going to join the company, and I'm also going to teach other people about money because so many people are unprepared for emergencies that could happen, sudden cases just like myself, and illnesses that come up. So it's definitely something that's close to my heart. I love doing.
Traci:
As someone who assists individuals and planning for major life events, including end of life, what are some key financial considerations people should keep in mind when preparing for these major life events?
Rosie:
Well, definitely think that you should start young. The sooner the better, because you just never know what's going to happen. And for me, my husband was 38 when he suddenly passed away just in an instant. And at that time, obviously, as a young adult, we don't think about what's going to happen in the future. We don't. We plan for vacations.
We plan for traveling and shopping and buying things for the house and the kids. But we never really want to look at what's going to happen long term. We just don't think that way as a young person. So I say start early and then think about what a budget might look like to you. How are you going to set that up for yourself and your family?
Traci:
And how does planning for major life events differ from other types of financial planning?
Rosie:
So we're a different kind of company. We are a non-captive agency. We find the best products that fit the client's needs. So we do some research. We first sit down with the client, figure out what it is that they have, and then we go about researching how can we improve their financial situation so that they are prepared for the long term.
They are prepared and have those funds set aside in case they become sick or in case something happens to them. They're going to have enough money to take care of themselves and their children and anybody that they leave behind.
Traci:
Can you discuss some specific strategies or tools that individuals can use to ensure that they're well-prepared?
Rosie:
Definitely. As I mentioned, we go through what people already have. We try to see if we can improve them. But a couple of good things that we're actually talking about today, like long-term care planning, right? We know that the state of California is going to implement a tax for everybody to be able to help them pay for care as they get older because we know that Social Security is running low, and Medicare is also low.
But so many people are aging. We've got an aging population. So those are a couple of things. But again, it just depends on what the clients may already have. We go through that analysis and by the way, it's free, so we help them figure out what it is that they're going to need and we come up with a plan to help them get there so we know that they'll be protected later on.
Traci:
And many people don't know what long-term health care is. Can you just tell our viewers really quickly, because I know until I was in my twenties, I had never heard about it.
Rosie:
Right. So long-term care is basically like an insurance plan where in case you are to be confined into a facility, let's say you have a heart attack or stroke or illness and you need care. You can't perform, you know, you can't be yourself or feed yourself and you need that care. Long-term care insurance covers those costs for you so that you you can pay for and you're not taking money out of your house, you're not selling, you know, your assets to pay for those services.
Traci:
And I think most people don't realize that that is not covered by your regular health care that you might get from your job. And it's not covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
Rosie:
Correct. Everybody should have their own private plan set up for themselves. So it is one of those things that we don't have enough coverage. When one passed away and not enough insurance, which is why I had to sell the house. And that's a very scary thing, especially for a young, you know, young family.
Traci:
So what are some common mistakes or pitfalls that people tend to make when planning for their future and how can they be avoided?
Rosie:
I think that the most common mistake is a couple of things, thinking that they have lots of time, lots of time to decide. I have friends who are going, "I know I need to set up my trust. I know I need to think about life insurance. Right?" But they just don't put time into it. And even just sitting down for a free consultation, they put it off and put it off.
And then before you know it, somebody's had an accident. You know, something's happened. And that's one of the biggest mistakes. The second biggest mistake is really not having enough money to budget for that because a lot of people like to travel. They go spend their money on other things. They want to buy the latest and greatest. But people are always spending money on a new iPhone or a new laptop or a new car. Right. But budgeting is so important so that you can set money aside to plan ahead.
Traci:
Does having- or how does having an understanding of your financial situation and goals, especially your financial situation of today, how does that play a role in effective financial planning?
Rosie:
You know, first of all, we teach people financial literacy, financial education. It's very important for people to just get that information to start just so they can have an idea of where they are now and where they need to be. And one of the things that we we do is we teach people where you're at now and how long it's going to take for you to save up. You know, what is that going to look like for you?
And again, we do that free consultation. But the thing that we find is most people don't plan to fail. They just fail to plan. So we have to get everybody to have a plan.
Traci:
Do you find that people are really uncomfortable and when they are, how do you coax them through that? Because financial planning, especially you sharing where you're at, I think that many people don't know even where they're at financially and don't have that bigger view. How do you walk people through that?
Rosie:
Well, I think people have to let go of that fear. You know, they're afraid. I don't want to talk to, I don't wanna talk about, you know, what could happen. They just don't want to think about it. And a lot of times we just do it by example. For example, like Prince and Aretha Franklin, they didn't have their estate plan set up, right?
We just have to show people, here's what could potentially happen. If you really want to see what could happen to you, go look into a facility, rehabilitation, you know, see how much it's going to cost for the care. So this is why you want to plan ahead. We don't really want you to go do that. But these are some of the things that you have to think and think about.
And keep in mind, like Prince in Aretha Franklin, it's taken three years for them to settle their estates. And in between that time, their families had no access to anything. So it makes it very hard on the family that's left behind or has to do the caregiving- is very hard for everybody all around.
Traci:
What are some important financial documents or legal considerations individuals should prioritize when making their plans?
Rosie:
So one of the things that we do, is we have an affiliation with our estate attorney. There are several documents that [we definitely want to have] maybe who you're going to have for a power of attorney. I'm not in the legal field, so I don't advise clients personally, but I leave that up to the estate attorney.
They will answer any questions about [is a family going to do a will or a trust?] What documents do you want to have in the trust? How do you want things to be laid out for the trust in case something were to happen? But that's definitely a consideration. Just get a free consultation. That's really the one thing that I stress to people.
Traci:
It's the start of that- your education.
Rosie:
Yeah exactly.
Traci:
So what role does insurance play in financial planning and what types of insurance coverage should people consider?
Rosie:
Well, insurance plays a huge role in being able to protect someone's health and their wealth because life insurance isn't just for when you pass away. It can be used while you're living. You can actually use some of the death benefits to pay for care. To pay for those long-term care needs are to pay for your groceries as your mortgage payment.
So we actually call them living benefits. So it depends on each person, depends on their age, and how much coverage that they want. And that's really where the analysis comes in. We help them determine how much coverage they should have for their family and then also how much they can afford and budget for. So we go through that analysis with them.
But I definitely think that that's something that, you know, people shouldn't just rely on having to ask friends, strangers for money to take care of those things. That's the importance of having something like a life insurance plan.
Traci:
A proper one. Can you provide some insights on potential tax implications or benefits associated with this type of financial planning?
Rosie:
Some of the plans that we offer are 100% tax free. So when you have a plan, for example, one of the plans that we have is called an index universal life. It provides cash value, cash value growth. So you can borrow the money, and take it out for your cost associated with your care. You can borrow from it.
tax-free
You can give it away tax free. You can pass it down to your beneficiaries tax free. And then also, if you're a business owner, some of these plans are actually a write-off, tax deduction. So it benefits you. And you can also set up a plan for a key employee.
Traci:
It's good to know. As individuals, how can a person incorporate their personal values and goals into their financial planning?
Rosie:
That's a great question. I think that a lot of people can, first of all, just write down what you want to have in your estate plan. That's something that the estate attorney can make sure that your wishes are met. There are also different plans where you can actually collect journals or photos and put them in you know, up in the cloud and have all these amazing things.
And what you want to have happen, let's say, for your end-of-life party or something like that, you can create so many different things, but definitely start writing it down. Make a list of what you want to have happen, you know, if you're sick or if anything, you know, unfortunate happens to you.
Traci:
Can you share any success stories or examples of, you know, when you guided people through teh process?
Rosie:
Well, thank you for asking. Yeah, actually, I consider myself a success story, even though I got started later in life. I feel like now that I've gotten some education, received some some help, created some strategies and plans for myself. I can also say I'm no longer worried that if anything happened to me, my children are actually going to be okay.
I used to worry that if something happened to me, I would have to depend on my children. They've already lost their dad and I don't want that to happen to them. So now I know that I can breathe a sigh of relief. I'm comforted knowing that I'm going to be okay and knowing that I, you know, we have a lot of success stories in our company where we start people on a plan, and then within a week or two weeks or even a few days, something's happened to them, right?
They've gotten sick or they've been diagnosed with terminal illness. And luckily, the financial services have really come to help the family. And that's so amazing to see how grateful people are that we stuck with the client and helped them. And even when they said, I don't want to think about it, now that they've come back and they come back and they say, okay, it's time I need to set it up.
And then, you know, something like that happens a few days later and it's just amazing to see that these types of plans really do work. They're great strategies, but you've got to start just start with a free consultation.
Traci:
Now in this situation that you talk about where a person gets sick or has an accident, are you with them along the way? How does that work today? Does the family call you?
Rosie:
How how does it work? Well, the family will call and say, here we have this plan. We don't know exactly what it does or, you know, how much we can get from it. Not necessarily. You know... they will deliver the funds to the family. We have a case where our broker owner has actually delivered a check at somebody's funeral, delivered checks to the children.
And it's like that's what we do. And we can give the funds right away. But it is something where clients will call. Or their children, their beneficiaries will call and find out because the parent sometimes has not told the family, told the children what they've set up in their plan. They've kind of kept it secret. And then the family knows after the fact.
But the agents, we stay with the family, with the children, we tell them what they had. We advise them, we counsel them, and then before you know it, they want to be a client to.
Traci:
Thank you so much for sharing your insights and your expertise and your stories. I really appreciate it. Your personal story and dedication to helping others navigate these critical moments are really inspiring. Thank you much. Before we wrap up, can you let our viewers know how they can reach you?
Rosie:
Yes. The best way to reach me is through text and my phone number is 408-607-9340. And then email. If somebody wants to send me a message on email it's rosiepoliquin.wfg@gmail.com.
Traci:
And we'll put that in the description.
So planning for major life events, especially end-of-life care, is a journey that requires careful consideration and expert guidance. I encourage our listeners to reach out to professionals like Rosie who can provide the necessary support and knowledge. Thank you for taking the time to watch this. If you've any questions, please comment below or reach out to me directly.
And if you found this video to be helpful, please like share, comment and subscribe.
Comentarios