What is seeping into your home? Each day our priority is keeping our families safe from a multitude of things. We are concerned about maintaining optimal health. Our homes are secure, seatbelts inplace each time we are in the car. Wholesome family time meals, balancing that sedentary lifestyle and exercise. Have you thought about the things you can't see or smell but creates a great health risk to those dear to you?

November is more then just about Thanksgivings, its about the Health and Safety of your loved ones. November is lung cancer awareness month. While smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, the SECOND leading cause is an odorless gas that may be seeping into your homes from the very ground your house is built on. This odorless gas is found in much of the soil in the Upper Midwest which contains widespread uranium and radium. These mineral continuously breaks down to release radon gas. more...

We wish to thank Mary Ann Klutenkamper for submitting this article.

Learn more about Radon Gas.

During these trying financial times, you may be looking for ways to trim your monthly expenses - perhaps you have toyed with the idea of cutting back on your insurance coverage.

It is important to keep in mind that there are some expenses that you can safety cut with no risk of adverse future financial consequenses. Then there is your insurance coverage that if cut may put your financial future and/or retirement at risk.

If you think you are paying too much for your insurance or that you may have insurance coverage that you don't need, call us. We would be happy to assist you in reviewing your needs and help you design the appropriate insurance protection for those needs. Call 952-469-0414 to schedule an appointment.

Question: I always heard that you will need 80% or so of your working salary to live on in retirement. This question was posed to Walter Undegrave a senior editor with Money Magazine, and his answer follows.

This rule of thumb has long confused many people who are trying to get a handle on their retirement planning. But the question of how much income you'll need to live comfortably after calling it a career has taken on a special urgency the last year or so as retirement account balances wilted during the market's meltdown. After all, if you earn roughly $100,000 a year and take home, say, $80,000 after taxes, the difference between requiring 80% of your gross income ($80,000) and 80% of your net income after taxes ($64,000) is substantial. Unless you've got a pretty sizeable nest egg, the difference between coming up with $80,000 a year (plus inflation increases to maintain purchasing power) and $64,000 can have a significant impact on whether your money can support you the rest of your life. So now is a good time to re-examine this oft quoted benchmark and add a bit of perspective about how to apply this rule to your retirement planning. Before I get to your specific question, though, a quick word about where this rule of thumb comes from. The percentage stems from the "replacement ratio" studies that Aon Consulting and Georgia State University have done for the last 20 years. Basically, researchers cull information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditures Survey, which details how U.S. consumers, including older households, spend their money. By using this and other data and making some reasonable assumptions, the study authors calculate the percentage of pre- retirement salary retirees need on average to maintain their standard of living once they retire.

Need professional help? Contact us or call 952-469-0414.