Since When Does Christmas Come Before Thanksgiving?

By Nick Bautista

As I walked through stores this past weekend, I realized that as a country we have completely forgotten about Thanksgiving. No longer do we think about turkey or giving thanks, instead we worry about where to find the best deals to get our shopping done early for Christmas. Not only do we buy gifts for others they probably don’t need, but we string up Christmas lights and decorations by the second week in November. So what gives?

When as Americans did we get so caught up with the next best thing that we can't stop for one minute to give thanks for the things we already have. I thought we valued humility and working hard for success yet we don’t give thanks when we achieve those things. Instead, we bypass those values to give the most awesome gift ever. Do you even remember the gift you were given last year or better yet the year before? How meaningful was that gift as opposed to spending time with the person who gave it to you?

But forget all that we need those deals!!

I was always taught to be thankful for the things I have, because you never know when you might not have those things again, so I’ll make it simple:

Do you have shelter?

Do you have food?

Do you have a job?

If you answered yes to any of the above you have plenty to be thankful for.

Let’s not forget Thanksgiving, instead let's embrace those things we often forget that are provided to us daily, which is the friends and family who support us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

PS. I love Christmas

Tax Refund Scammers Are Starting Early This Season

As part of our ongoing efforts to help keep your personal information as safe as possible, we want to remind you to stay on the lookout for the many e-mail, text message, and voicemail scams making the rounds in cyberspace today.

Tax return scammers are starting their season early! Recent fraudulent activity has involved e-mails and phone calls claiming to come from the IRS regarding tax refunds. Some fraudsters have been asking for sensitive refund information over the phone or using e-mails stating that someone has filed for the recipient’s refund and that he or she needs to click a (malicious) link if he or she did not file for it. Common characteristics of the scams include:

· The criminal may use a fake or common name and make up taxpayer identification information.
· The scammer may know certain information about the recipient, such as the last four digits of the recipient’s social security number or personal e-mail address.
· The scammer may spoof his or her phone number so that appears to be the IRS’s toll-free number and mimics actual IRS calls—complete with phone conversations going on in the background.
· The criminal may follow up phone calls with e-mails to appear legitimate.
· The scammer may threaten the recipient and scare him or her into falling for the scheme. Such threats may include driver license revocation, pretending to be a police officer, and so on.

Any phone calls or e-mails regarding your tax refund or that contain the characteristics listed above should automatically raise a red flag. Do not provide any information to the caller, click on any links, or open any attachments.

What to do if you receive a suspicious e-mail or phone call
If you receive an e-mail or phone call asking for information regarding your tax refund, please delete it from your inbox immediately—or hang up on the caller—and don’t click on any links, open any attachments, provide any information, or reply to the sender. Links and attachments could potentially install malicious software onto your computer, and the sender or caller could use your personal sensitive information to steal your identity or actual tax refund.

Protect yourself
Keep in mind the following if you receive any suspicious phone calls or e-mails regarding your tax return:

1. As noted above, don’t click on any links or attachments within an e-mail.
2. Do not provide any information to the sender or caller if it is asked for. Immediately hang up or delete the e-mail.
3. Call the IRS at 866.562.5227 if you are unsure of the legitimacy of an e-mail or phone call.
4. Prepare and file your tax returns as early as possible. This will take away the scammer’s ability to file and steal your return. This will also help you in detecting whether a call or e-mail is fraudulent or not. If someone claims you need to provide him or her with information to file your return, and you have already filed your return, you will know that the request is fraudulent!
5. If you access a dangerous attachment or link, and believe a password-stealer is running on your computer, get in touch with a technology specialist.
6. All unsolicited e-mails concerning password or account changes to any of your online accounts—especially unsolicited e-mails that contain attachments—should be considered scams until verified. Open a new browser and log in directly to the account in question to check the situation.
7. Refer to the IRS’s “Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2013” to get the 12 most common scam types that have seen going around.


Rest assured that we are always concerned about information security. If you have any questions, please contact us at 949.333.6394

Healthcare- What You Need To Know

Presented By: Nick Bautista

It's that time of year. The time when you must select your health care plan for next year.



Being that the open enrollment period is upon us for employers it's good to review the basics of what Health insurance coverages mean. With all the recent changes in Health Care you may be thinking what happens to your health insurance as you go to choose a plan for 2014.

Well... Not much, as the employee based plans won't see much change. But maybe you are asking, what they heck do all the health coverages mean again, I don't know which one to choose?

Know the basics

Deductible - The amount you pay the insurer to start insurance coverage for whatever you need. For example if you have a $200 deductible and need a $10,000 surgery of which your insurance will cover 80% of the cost, then you would have to pay your deductible before the insurance company started paying their 80%.

Coinsurance amount - is the amount the insurance company splits the cost with you, which is usually 80/20, meaning your insurance company will pay 80% of the cost while you cover the 20% after the deductible is paid.

Maximum Out of Pocket - The maximum you will pay for any procedures (surgeries, the like) after the deductible. In the previous example if your maximum OOP was $1,000, after you pay the $200 deductible you would be responsible to pay 20% (co-insurance amount) but would only pay up to your maximum Out of Pocket, which would be in this case $1,000.

Premium - Cost of coverage, either you pay, your employer pays or you share. This is usually a monthly cost.

Copay- The amount you pay when you visit a Doctor.

HMO – think of a gatekeeper. You must visit your primary doctor to have access to other specialist, through a primary doctor referral

PPO – Go direct to the Doctor, no gatekeeper.

Knowing these basics give you a better idea on which insurance to choose. A rule of thumb is that if you are young and healthy a high deductible is likely best being that you won't have much need to see a Doctor as would a 60 year old. Keep in mind that if you do have a high deductible then you should have the cash in reserves, if you did have a health event, to pay for the high deductible cost.

One last thing to do is call your primary doctor before you switch coverages so that you know they will accept your new insurance. Don’t let health insurance and the new laws scare you, give us a call if you have questions.