Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Advanced Hearing Family Says Thanks



Lance F. Greer, Au.D
Doctor of Audiology
With Thanksgiving and Christmas just recently behind us, I can't think of a better time to talk about family and giving thanks for another successful year.  Each day that I come into the office I feel extremely blessed to work with the employees that really want to make a difference in the lives of those that walk through our doors needing help with their hearing or dizziness needs.  For me, coming to the office is really a home away from home.  Very often I arrive well before patients start to arrive for the day and very often I am not the first one here.  We have dedicated staff that come in early to make sure that your experience is as pleasant as possible.  I can't even begin to list the countless tasks that need to be done; from office cleanliness, to chart preparation, to aligning you with the best technologies, to preauthorization's and billing, to shipping/receiving, to cleaning and checking your hearing devices or to just putting on a smile each day, all day long.  Our Staff is full of people that are eager to assist you in any way.

As the managing partner in the day to day operations of Advanced Hearing & Balance Specialists, there is no responsibility that is higher than taking care of our employees, as well as you, who we feel belong to our AHB Family.  I am proud at the accomplishments that we continue to make to be the best hearing care provider in Central and Southern Utah and Southern Nevada.  Kimball Forbes, being our most tenured Audiologist has been in St. George for over 33 years.  He is timeless and looks as young as the day he moved to St. George.  Dr. Eric Maxwell has been in Cedar City for 13 years.  You couldn't pry him out of there even if you had a crow bar.  I have been Servicing the St. George/Mesquite areas for nearly 18 years and enjoy the friendship I have made with my patients over the years. 

During these years, we have seen many hearing service offices come and go.  As I have thought of this, I have come to the conclusion is that these offices are more concerned about their pocket books than the service and relationships that they provide for their patients.  Over the years we have consistently had dedicated employees who pride themselves in providing honest, friendly service to you, our AHB family members.  They have delivered repaired hearing aids to patients home who had difficulty coming in to pick them up.  Others have stayed after hours to accommodate work schedules or those that come in on a weekend.  Customer service and friendliness is what we pride ourselves in.  We may not always get it right the first time, but we will always to find solutions and answers to the help you seek.  Every interaction we have with you is an opportunity to connect you with what's important in your life.  Sure, we are a hearing care office, but it's the human connections that we make in your journey that mean the most to us.

To serve you better we have added a new Audiologist, Spencer Stirland, Au.D and support staff, Hayli Heussner and Ashley Brimhall who you'll read about in their bio's.

So on behalf of the entire AHB Family, I'd like to thank you - the one's who really sign all of our paychecks and making it all possible - for offering us an opportunity to welcome you into our home.  It's an honor to serve you and we wish you many blessings and much joy in this New Year!

Sincerely,
Lance F. Greer, Au.D
Doctor of Audiology
Co-Owner, Managing Member of AHB

Friday, December 4, 2015

My Spouse Always Managed Our Finances. What Do I Do?


It is not uncommon for us to meet with a client whose spouse was responsible for paying debts, making investments, arranging for insurance and paying the taxes, but has become incapacitated or passed away.  The well spouse is left to deal with the emotions of losing their partner, whether that is due to incapacitation or death, and has the challenge of learning how to manage the household finances. This often becomes overwhelming to the well spouse.

If you are faced with this problem, you may need help to get through the financial questions.  You may want to gather a support team which could include a qualified attorney, accountant, investment advisor and a trusted friend or family member. The first thing will be to determine income, assets and expenses.  Hopefully, your spouse will have an organized method for paying bills, tracking income, and keeping track of investments.  If that is not the case, you will need to get organized.  One way is to create file folders with headings such as bills, credit card statements, banking, taxes, investment accounts, estate documents and life insurance policies. 

Review the checkbook and bank statements to see when bills have been paid.  Take care to pay bills on time so late charges do not accrue.  Payments may include mortgage, credit cards, car loans, utilities, property taxes, and insurance premiums.  You may want to cancel club memberships and monthly magazine subscriptions you no longer need or want.  Explain the situation and you may be able to cancel with no penalty and possibly receive a partial refund.

The best solution to this situation is for a couple to work together before a life changing event.  Make sure both of you meet with the family attorney, investment advisor, accountant, banker and insurance agent.  It is important that both of you have a good relationship with the advisors and that you trust their advice.  Both of you need to be educated on your joint and personal assets, insurance, sources of income, monthly bills, investments and even passwords.  Now is the time for you to be proactive.

JensenBayles, LLP provides a broad spectrum of legal services.  Thomas J. Bayles has been actively providing advice in the areas of trusts, wills, probate and tax planning in the St. George area for over 15 years. Please visit our web site www.jensenbayles.com or call 435-674-9718 and ask for Thomas J. Bayles or Phillip G. Gubler. The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be construed as legal advice.
 
Phillip G. Gubler and Thomas J. Bayles, Attorneys at Law