Check out our September newsletter!
LYN’S LEDGER
Lyndon Thomas Insurance
September 2023
We Help You With Medicare.
The owner of a growing business always has in mind whom they are going to hire next. I have been fortunate to hire well. Beth came aboard in 2018 and Susan in 2021. Both are doing an amazing job in their roles. Then last year, I had the opportunity to bring Rod Owen onto the team. I’ve known Rod for over 20 years, as we’ve worked together with the Ojai Valley Family Shelter Board of Directors. I’ve observed his outgoing personality and networking abilities and have long thought he would do very well in the insurance business. Last year, as we were meeting about Family Shelter matters, he told me that his forty-year career in information technology was coming to an end. I chatted with him only so long as to appreciate that successful career, then asked him, “So do you want to learn insurance?” His eyes lit up, and without hesitation, said, “Yes!” We worked out the details, and he started with us two months later. The rest is history. Here’s Rod in his own words: “I grew up in rural northern Indiana in a small town of 420 people. My parents ran the only restaurant in town, so I grew up in a service environment. My high school was made up of students from several small farming communities. Several natural lakes in the area provided many activities. After working a job or two after high school, I moved to California and received training in large-scale computing at a major defense contractor. Not just a job, it’s where I met my wife in 1985! I am married to the love of my life, Jenny. Through the years, work took us back to Indiana, Florida, and back to California. I consider myself beyond blessed, and I thank God every day for my wife and my family. We are very active in our local church, First Baptist of Ojai. Our daughter Elena is a charge nurse for Scripps Health System in La Jolla, California. She was just married this past New Year’s Eve in Palm Desert. Our son Rodney just recently moved back to Ojai after completing college, medical school, and his three-year residency in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He and his wife Liz — and our 7-month- LTI’S GROWING TEAM WELCOMES ROD OWEN!
old granddaughter Zoe — have recently purchased a home in the Ojai Valley. Rodney is now one of the emergency room doctors at our local Ojai Valley Hospital! After a 40-year career in information systems/ telecommunications, I have recently retired from the City of Camarillo after 16 1/2 years of service. Beginning in August 2022, I have moved on to a new career, working with Lyn Thomas at the Lyndon Thomas Insurance Agency as a licensed broker agent. I am having a blast assisting friends and clients with Medicare plans and long-term care needs. My longtime second career as a security consultant for concert venues and high-profile events finds me mostly retired. Also, for the past 20 years, I have served as Vice President for Fundraising for the Ojai Valley Family Shelter. I couldn’t be happier doing what I am now, helping people with their transition to Medicare and providing companion insurance plans to secure their health care future.” Mutual friends ask me how Rod is doing in his new career, and my usual response is, “Rod is having the time of his life talking to people all day long and getting paid for it!” Welcome, Rod, to LTI, and thank you for helping build a fantastic team! What a joy! We are blessed!
–Lyn Thomas
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www.LT-ins.com
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Lyndon Thomas Insurance
GET YOUR HOME FALL-READY
Simple, Affordable DIY Projects You’ll Love
Housewares stores are currently full of cute autumn decor, but the cost of refreshing your house’s look each season adds up quickly. Fortunately, you can do a lot for less.
Instead of succulents in the top of your pumpkin, you can set wax and a candle wick to create something unique. If you’re bored with pumpkins, try the same with acorn caps. An even simpler idea involves glazing real or fabric leaves on the outside of mason jars with craft glue. Then add decorative stones and a wax or battery-operated tealight for a seasonal twinkle. Decorate your door. Wreaths are a DIY staple for several reasons. They’re easy for beginners to make and can set the tone for your home by offering visitors an autumnal focal point. You can buy a variety of starter wreaths at the craft store, so find one that suits your taste. Then pick up other supplies like leaves, pine cones, dried corn, and ribbon. Now you’re ready to hot glue to your heart’s content and create something distinctive.
Many DIY crafts are not as complicated as you might think. In addition to saving money, you’ll create personalized charm none of your neighbors can match. Repurpose your pumpkins. Small gourds are incredibly versatile. Just sprinkling a few around your dining room table or mantle makes it feel like fall. But you can quickly elevate them using metallic paint to add cute designs, phrases, or names. Another option is to wrap seasonal fabric around them like a pouch, gathered at the stem. If you feel more ambitious, you can also use pumpkins to make succulent planters. Cut a crater in the top of the pumpkin, pop in the succulent and soil, and press the dirt until snug. Light up the night. The soft glow of a lantern or candle is the perfect way to get the cozy vibes started.
If you need further ideas, look closer the next time you shop. Many of the fun fall items for sale aren’t very difficult to make yourself with a few minor adjustments and a little creativity.
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ANNUAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD
The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is fast approaching. I’d like to offer a few observations about this Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 period for those in Medicare to change plans. The Annual Notice of Change for your Prescription Drug Program or Medicare Advantage Plan is a very important piece of mail. Arriving in late September, the ANOC highlights changes in your plan from this year to the next. In response to changes in costs, regulations and other factors, PDPs, and MAPDs can change from year to year. Often, these changes are small enough that you can take no action and let your plan roll over for next year. At other times, the changes are great enough to be disruptive. Premiums and copays may go up or down. Ancillary benefits may be increased or eliminated. A health plan may leave an area, requiring those members to enroll in another plan. New plans may enter the area, providing more options. Again, look for your Annual Notice of Change and assess your current plan.
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CA# 0D96309
1211 Maricopa Hwy, Ste 222, Ojai, CA 93023
www.LT-ins.com
We Help You With Medicare.
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If you need to change plans: Take action only if you want to change your pla n. If you are happy with your plan, then take no action and your current plan will roll over and continue for next year. The marketing environment will improve slightly this year. Medicare is working to reduce the annoying
guidelines. Please contact LTIA with any questions about your Medicare supplement policy. Change Happens. Even though Medicare works with health plans to maintain service area and coverage stability, companies may add new plans, replace a plan with one similar, or even leave a service area altogether. Medicare has stringent requirements
for communication with plan members. Be on the alert for mail from your current Medicare Advantage Plan or Prescription Drug Program for information on your plan for the next year. The team here at LTIA assesses these changes in plans for our clients. While more options are better, they can be confusing. We are here for your benefit.
telephone calls and misleading media marketing. There are new restrictions on call centers and marketing organizations. Joe Namath never has represented Medicare itself, and TV ads implying fictitious plans should be a thing of the past. There are greater restrictions on the use of the Medicare card image and name. Agents have increased documentation requirements on client communications and enrollments. These changes are intended to give Medicare beneficiaries greater control over their Medicare plan enrollment process. Medicare Supplement Plans are not affected by the Annual Enrollment Period . “Med Supps” or “Medi-gap” plans are governed by different enrollment
The Annual Enrollment Period is our seven-week Super Bowl. We are looking forward to assisting you and many others with your Medicare plan needs. Please don’t keep us a secret! Pass our number or website on to others who would appreciate some help and clarity.
SUDOKU
COZY FRENCH ONION SOUP
Ingredients
• • • • •
5 tbsp olive oil, divided
• • • •
2 32-oz cartons beef broth Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp butter
8 cups sliced onions 3 garlic cloves, minced
24 slices baguette (1/2-inch thick) 3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup port wine
1. In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp oil and butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, then reduce heat. Occasionally stir until brown (around 30 minutes). Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. 2. Stir in wine and bring to a boil. When liquid has reduced by half, add broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour. 3. Preheat oven to 400 F. On a baking sheet, brush baguette slices with remaining oil. Bake until golden (3–5 minutes each side). 4. In 12 broiler-safe 8-oz bowls, place 2 toast slices and pour soup into each. Top with cheese and broil until melted. Directions
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CA# 0D96309
805-646-6409
Inspired by TasteOfHome.com
Lyndon Thomas Insurance
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
P.O. Box 207 Ojai, CA 93024
INSIDE
CA# 0D96309 | www.LT-ins.com | 805-646-6409
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Meet Rod Owen!
Simple, Affordable DIY Projects You’ll Love
Some Thoughts About the Annual Enrollment Period
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Sudoku
Cozy French Onion Soup
AI Scams: Voice Cloning Could Drain Your Bank Account!
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
With AI capabilities growing daily, you need to be even more vigilant against potential scammers. We’ve already heard about AI’s power to create written content and, more recently, use musicians’ voices to sing different songs. So, how does this relate to scammers? Well, TikTok users and other online users have shared a new scam that utilizes AI to drain the bank accounts of their family members called voice cloning. Scammers looking to steal thousands of dollars will use AI to replicate the voices of people who’ve posted their voices online via videos like TikTok. They’ll clone a person’s voice and then use it to call their relatives and pretend to be their children or grandchildren who need money as soon as possible. The person on the phone is a scammer, not your family member, even though they sound just like them. Never send money without first verifying whether it is or isn’t your relative. Some online users advise creating secret code words to exchange over the phone to confirm their family member is requesting the money. Always contact your relative and ask if they actually made the call. Remember, anyone who has posted a short clip of their voice can find it cloned with AI and used to scam their families. Stay safe! Voice Cloning Could Drain Your Bank Account! AI SCAMS:
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1211 Maricopa Hwy, Ste 222, Ojai, CA 93023
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