First Time Homebuyer Seminar Announced

by NFS | Sep 20, 2017 | Archives

First Time Homebuyer Seminar
HarborOne U, Mansfield MA
Wednesday, October 18th, 2017
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Make a well-informed decision when you buy your first home. This seminar provides you the opportunity to get answers to your many questions from the professionals involved in the home buying process. Professionals include Mortgage Originator, Buyers Agent & Realtor, Real Estate  Attorney, Insurance Agent, JEFFREY SCHWEITZER, Tax Advisor and Home Inspector.

Equifax Cybersecurity Incident & Important Consumer Information

by NFS | Sep 12, 2017 | Archives

By now, you may have heard about the recent cyber security incident at Equifax, one of the largest
credit reporting agencies in the United States. Popular news sources have reported that nearly 143 million people or nearly half of the U.S. population.

Credit reporting agencies work differently from other data companies, so while you may never have dealt with Equifax, their servers were still likely to have your data.

Here are some tips to help you protect yourself:

• Equifax has set up an online registry you can check using your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number, but it doesn’t offer satisfying results (check back in later this month!). There are also questions about an arbitration clause and what you’re really getting from its offer of free ID theft protection. There’s no harm in waiting a week or two while all that shakes out.
• Get a copy of your credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com and mark your calendar to get another one in about three months.
• Be on the lookout: Watch your mail for anything suspicious. Check your bank accounts at least weekly for signs of fraud. Listen closely when applying for a loan or a government benefit for signs that someone else might be using your Social Security number. Get your annual Social Security benefits statement online and look for anything unusual.
• Consider putting a security freeze on all your accounts — the most serious but most proactive step you can take. But take this step with great care. If you plan to shop for a car loan or a home loan any time soon, you probably shouldn’t do this, because security freezes lock credit report files so no one — not even you — can open a new credit account in your name. Freezes also generally cost money (the rules vary by state; Trans Union has a grid showing you the varying fee levels by state and consumer criteria), and they can be a hassle, because when it comes time to get a mortgage or an auto loan, consumers sometimes don’t remember the procedure to “thaw” their reports.

If you think you have been affected by this or any other Identity Theft/Fraud occurence, please contact our office for a FREE copy of the booklet “Taking Charge – What To Do If Your Identity Is Stolen”.

Why Now Is The Best Time to Buy Life Insurance

by NFS | Sep 11, 2017 | Archives

The sluggish economy continues to put financial strain on many of us. So it just makes sense to examine our budgets and look for ways to trim the fat from our monthly expenses and put more into savings, if possible.

That’s a great way to help stabilize your finances, but it’s also important that you have a financial safety net in place in case something were to happen to you. Life insurance is one of the few guarantees your family could rely on to maintain their quality of life if you were no longer there to provide for them.

There are 95 million adult Americans without life insurance, according to LIMRA, an insurance industry research group. The fact is, the vast majority of Americans need life insurance and, sadly, most people either have none or not enough. If someone depends on you financially, you need life insurance. It’s that simple.

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to take stock of your life insurance needs. And there are three additional reasons why now is the best time to look into getting life insurance.

You’ll never be younger than you are now. While that may sound obvious, youth is on your side when it comes to life insurance. It makes good financial sense to get coverage when you’re young and healthy, as premiums are based on your age and health. For most policies, your premiums will be locked in at that rate over the life of the policy, and can’t be raised due to a change in your health status.

It’s affordable, with rates near historic lows. People overestimate the cost of life insurance by nearly three times, according to a recent study conducted by LIMRA and the LIFE Foundation, a nonprofit insurance education organization. In fact, life insurance rates remain near historic lows; the cost of basic term life insurance has fallen by nearly 50 percent over the past decade. For example, a healthy 30-year-old can buy a 20-year, $250,000 level-term policy for about $13 per month.

Life happens. One day life is going along smoothly, and the next, you’re thrown a curve ball. No one knows what the future holds. None of us expect to die prematurely, but the truth is roughly 600,000 people die each year in the prime of their lives. That’s why today is always the best day to take care of your life insurance needs.

Life Insurance Awareness Month is the ideal time for a life insurance review. I urge everyone to take a few minutes out of their busy schedules to make sure they have adequate life insurance protection.

Consumers can get a general sense of their life insurance needs by going to www.lifehappens.org/lifecalculator and using the online calculator offered by the LIFE Foundation. The next step should be to contact a local insurance professional, who can conduct a more comprehensive needs analysis and help you find the right products to fit your specific needs and budget.

Held each September, Life Insurance Awareness Month is an industry-wide effort that is coordinated by the nonprofit LIFE Foundation. The campaign was created in response to growing concern about the large number of Americans who lack adequate life insurance protection. Roughly 95 million adult Americans have no life insurance, and most with coverage have less than most insurance experts recommend. For more information on life insurance, visit LIFE’s website at www.lifehappens.org.

Call us at 800-560-4637 and we can help you through the entire life insurance process!