Hamilton Insurance Group - March 2020

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THE SILVER LINING To Your Life & Health

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L ift W hile Y ou C limb

Looking Beyond Someone’s Resume and Taking a Chance

In the worksphere, I’m a big believer in the “lift-while-you- climb” principle. That means that when you’re climbing the company ladder, you should always make sure that for every new step you reach, you extend a helping hand to someone below you. As a business owner, I always try my best to live out this principle because I wouldn’t be where I am today without all the helping hands that were extended to me. In fact, without my first employer’s help, I wouldn’t have even gotten hired at my first job. I had just graduated from the University of San Diego with my MBA, and I wanted to start a career in real estate. Now, anyone who has ever received a college degree, whether that be a bachelor’s, a master’s, or any other option, knows that the degree itself is rarely enough to get you hired. I had no previous work experience in my degree field and seemingly no reason to expect to get a job if it weren’t for a few of my professors and a guy named William Jones. Previously, while I was an undergraduate student, I told Dr. William Harden, one of my professors, that I planned on moving to San Diego, and that I wanted to pursue a career in real estate. I asked him if he knew

of any good MBA programs in the city for that. He told me to go to the University of San Diego and to connect with Dr. Mark Reidy, who at the time was the director of the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate (BMC). I followed his advice and began working on my MBA through the BMC. I was the only African American student in the entire program, and I was also the youngest. Dr. Reidy saw how hard I was working and how passionate I was about my career pursuits, and he really took to me. He told William Jones, who would later be my first boss, that I was the best student he had ever had. At that point, I had no way of knowing how that recommendation would impact my career. William Jones was a real “who’s who” in San Diego. He became the youngest city councilman in the city at age 24; he was a business partner of Sol Price, who pioneered the warehouse retail format (without Sol Price, there would be no Costco); and he was the president of CityLink Investment Corp. Because of Dr. Reidy’s recommendation, William Jones hired me at CityLink without a resume or even an interview. My business career had begun, and it was only possible because of the people who took a chance on me.

The favor that William Jones showed me has stuck with me throughout my career. It has continued to weigh heavily on me, in a good way, and that’s reflected in the way I hire my employees. I don’t do resumes or much of the traditional hiring process. My current assistant is the niece of one of my clients. I learned that she had been laid off from her job. So, I went over to her house, learned a little bit about her and her background, and, later, hired her. While no employee is perfect — and while I’m certainly not perfect in taking care of my employees — I think that sometimes you can find the best workers in the most unorthodox ways. Because someone took a risk on me, I try to look beyond a person’s resume and extend a helping

hand to the prospective employees who really need it and deserve it.

–Duane Hamilton 1 770-744-1855

then you can use the money you would have put toward your mortgage into your retirement fund for all the fun vacations to come. No More Mortgage If you live in a big home in a nice neighborhood because you wanted to raise your kids in that kind of environment, then you’re probably paying a pretty hefty mortgage. If the kids are all gone, however, there’s no need to keep the house or the payment. Downsize and ditch the huge mortgage for a smaller home that you own outright, and you could potentially save thousands of dollars. A Community of People Like You That nice, safe neighborhood that’s close to good schools might be the ideal place to buy a home for a young Here are three of the best power tools you can use to turn your home project dreams into reality. Makita DT01W 12V Max Lithium- Ion Cordless Impact Driver Drill Previous drill models were built out of hard plastic and steel, which made them heavy, hard to maneuver, and difficult to grip. However, Makita drills are designed with soft grip handles, making them easier to use if you have arthritis or other joint conditions. In addition, they weigh only 2 pounds, so they’re safe and easy to handle in the tightest of spaces. That said, don’t let the size fool you: This drill can deliver 800 pounds of maximum torque, making it an ideal drill for your heavy-duty projects. Dremel 7300-N/5 4.8V MiniMite Cordless Rotary Tool Getting the amount of precision needed for smaller projects like

engraving, polishing, and finish work with older rotary tools is near impossible. Fortunately, this handy power tool is perfect for polishing, cutting small-scale copper piping, engraving, or even spot-grinding a nasty weld. It also weighs only 1.1 pounds, so it’s perfect for intricate engravings or polishing your favorite set of wheels. BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX 5-1/2-Inch Circular Saw For bigger DIY projects, it might not be realistic for you to work with the heavy, corded, and bulky saws that you used to use. When it comes to home renovations or those bigger DIY projects, there is nothing better than this BLACK+DECKER saw. With a tool-free depth of cut and easy-to-use bevel, it’s so much easier to get the type of cut you need. At 6.1 pounds, it’s painless to manage and less risky when you need to stretch to get a longer cut.

As you age, it can be harder to tackle the home projects you once did without a second thought. That said, just because they appear harder doesn’t mean they’re impossible to do. And, luckily, with age comes experience; you know how to get a job done faster and more efficiently than any 20-year-old would — you just need the tools to do it right.

More Opportunities With Less The Perks of Downsizing Your Home After the Kids Move Out

Big homes are meant for creating memories with your children and family. After all the kids move out to start their own families though, that big house suddenly feels a lot more empty. Unsurprisingly, many adults aged 50 and older opt to downsize their homes after their kids leave the nest. And while it might be hard to leave a house full of memories behind, there are some definite perks to downsizing sooner rather than later. More Money for the Retirement Fund Travelling the world and pursuing your passions are harder to pay for when you’re living on a fixed income from a retirement account and when you’re paying a mortgage or property taxes on a large home. If you downsize around 10 years before retirement,

family, but it might no longer suit the needs of a couple of empty nesters. If you want more opportunities to be in community with people your age, it’s worth it to downsize to a home near neighbors at a similar stage in life. It’s never too late to want to develop new connections! Moving costs and minor home repairs may mean paying a lot upfront to downsize. However, over the course of your golden years, the opportunities you’ll have to travel, learn, and spend time with your loved ones will be worth it.

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S eniors and the C ensus

January ushered in not only a new year but also a new decade. That means that this month, every American will be invited to take part in the national census, which will determine how much federal money will go toward your community and how many congress members will represent your state in the U.S. House of Representatives. In censuses past, seniors have often been the most responsive demographic, and there’s no indication that will change in 2020. However, you should be aware of a few pieces of information before you fill out the form. You don’t have to fill out the census form online. 2020 will be the first year that U.S. residents are given the option to fill out the census online. Between March 12–20, most households will receive a postcard in the mail inviting them to take the census online. If you don’t want to take it online, however, don’t worry; you don’t have to. If you don’t fill it out online, then you’ll still receive the paper form in the mail.

Many seniors get double counted by mistake. Seniors are more likely to be mistakenly double counted than undercounted. If you receive the census form at your vacation home, don’t fill it out. Only fill out the form sent to your primary residence. However, if you’re missed in the census, don’t worry. Chances are that your community will still get the federal funding it needs. The census can improve the lives of all seniors. The number of people in the U.S. aged 65 and older is projected to reach 55 million this year — around 16% of the total U.S. population. Participating will make sure that your communities receive funding for parks, safer roads, mass transit, and hospitals. Your participation in the census ensures you’ll have access to the amenities you need for the next decade.

Are You Paying Too Much for Your Medicine?

You May Qualify for Assistance — There Is Help Available!

Anyone who has Medicare can get Medicare prescription drug coverage. Some people with limited resources and income also may be able to get Extra Help with the costs — monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and prescription copayments — related to a Medicare prescription drug plan. The Extra Help is estimated to be worth about $5,000 per year. Many people qualify for these big savings and don’t even know it. To find out if you qualify, the Social Security Administration will need to know the value of your savings, investments, real estate (other than your home), and your income. They will also need information about you and your spouse, e.g. if you are married and living together. To qualify for Extra Help, your assets must be limited to $14,610 for an individual or $29,160 for a married couple living together.

NOTE: The asset and income amounts are for 2019 and may change in 2020. If your assets and income are slightly higher, you should still apply for Extra Help. To qualify for Extra Help, your annual income must be limited to $18,735 for an individual or $25,365 for a married couple living together. Even if your annual income is higher, you may still be able to get some help. Some examples where your income may be higher but still qualify for Extra Help include if you or your spouse: • Support other family members who live with you.

• Have earnings from work. • Live in Alaska or Hawaii.

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The Helping Hands That Got Me My First Job

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Best Power Tools for Older Folks Is It Time to Downsize Your Home? Seniors and the Census Are You Paying Too Much for Your Medicine?

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Would You Like Some Pi?

ANOTHER SLICE OF PI(E)

Break out your calculators and grab your aprons because it’s almost Pi Day! This holiday has gained popularity among mathematicians and bakers alike — two groups that rarely overlap. Pi Day is March 14, which when written numerically is 3/14, the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi. Pi is special because it’s used to calculate the circumference of a circle. This might not sound like a big deal, but pi is used in engineering, construction, GPS, motors, power generation, and even television! If we hadn’t calculated pi, none of these achievements would be possible. Pi is pretty important, and it’s definitely worth celebrating! Here are two ways you can get in on the fun. Learn to Recite Pi Pi has fascinated mathematicians for centuries because it’s an irrational

number, meaning the digits go on forever. If you want to try your hand at memorizing some of the numbers, here are the first 50 decimal digits of pi (with spaces, so they’re easier to remember!). 3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288 41971 69399 37510 To make things simple, we often round pi up to 3.14, but many people have challenged themselves to memorize and recite as many digits as possible. In the Guinness Book of World Records, the record is currently held by Rajveer Meena, who recited pi to the 70,000th digit on March 21, 2015. And he did it all while blindfolded! Eat Some Pie Another popular way to enjoy Pi Day is to bake and eat pie. This dessert is perfect because it’s both a homophone

(same pronunciation as “pi” but with a different spelling and meaning) and a circle. Challenge your friends to a pie-baking contest, or buy your favorite pie from the store and have a pie-eating contest . And, while this may be a controversial stance, we believe pizza pie deserves a place in Pi Day celebrations, too. Here’s to Pi Day: the tastiest, nerdiest holiday of the year!

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