Le Tip Le News

LeTip met on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Exton, PA. We were joined by guests representing a company that provides flooring products.

Our showboater was Dave Kozak (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), our property and casualty insurance broker. He reminded us of the importance of having adequate coverage for all of the "what ifs" in life. Dave and his employees can ask all the right questions to make sure that you have the insurance products and coverage that you need.

Our speaker was Glen Coral (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), our life insurance specialist. Glen informed us that life insurance can cover many different expenses, some while the policy holder is still alive. There are approximately 95 million Americans who have no life insurance at all and many more who have coverage that is less than adequate. Many people are interested in acquiring long-term care coverage, and this can often be added as a rider to a life insurance policy. Glen can discuss the available options and also help to calculate how much coverage you will need based on monthly estimated expenses. You may already have some money set aside in the bank for retirement, and he can also determine how much money that will generate in a certain number of years, based on the interest rate you expect to earn. Glen is an insurance broker and can shop with different carriers. He also mentioned that life insurance can be given as a gift to children, and he can help arrange for those types of policies also.

LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, October 21, 2014. We were joined by guests representing a flooring company.

Our showboater was Gary Hunter, our carpenter from Hunter Custom Carpentry (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). He displayed some materials that he has been using recently for building decks. Wooden decks can rot over time, so he may opt to use composite or PVC materials that come in different colors and/or can be painted in the desired color.

Our speaker was Lonnie Cooper, our mortgage broker from The Rate Kings Mortgage (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Lonnie told us about the importance of acquiring a mortgage pre-approval before searching for a house. The pre-approval is proof of your financial backing and will give "teeth" to an offer that you make on a home. Many realtors will not take you to look at a house without a pre-approval, and many sellers will automatically disregard and offer that you make on their house if you lack this financial backing. There is a loan application on Lonnie's website (www.theratekings.com) to get the process started. The general rule for pre-approval is that your total debt can't exceed 45% of your monthly income. A mortgage calculator will figure out what the monthly payment would be for the loan amount you need (house price minus your down payment amount). Lonnie can help with any or all of this process, and if you are able to qualify for the pre-approval, he can generally offer a lower rate than other mortgage companies, banks, or credit unions. He may also be able to offer a slightly higher rate than his usual rate for the loan but then cover all the closing costs. It may be attractive to a buyer to pay a bit more for the monthly mortgage payments in exchange for the elimination of additional costs at closing. Contact Lonnie to discuss options for home purchases or mortgage refinancing. He is The King, but he'll treat YOU like royalty!

LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, October 7, 2014. Our speaker for the morning was our Interior Designer, Theresa Barlow from A Perfect View (www.APerfectViewInteriors.com). There are many benefits to hiring Theresa for help with interior design. She shared details from one of her recent jobs, and she was able to save the client thousands of dollars. The client did not have a good understanding of the size of her living room, and she had planned to buy new furniture that would not have fit into the space. Theresa was able to make a new drawing of the room with furniture that fit. Theresa will be ordering furniture with custom fabric for this particular client, because the room will be used by guests as well as several pets. The furniture fabric is both attractive and resilient, to meet all of the client's needs. Theresa is happy to assist with redesigning whole rooms, or she can consult regarding window treatments or color schemes. Her main concern is to help the client to achieve their goals with both form and function in mind, also staying within their budget. Contact her to help with your "Perfect View."