How are you treating yourself!

Happy November! 

May this blog find you in great health during the madness of the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP).

Alert, Alert⏰:  If your insurance company calls you to suggest a “better plan” than your current one, warning Will Robinson, danger⚠️!

Having an Independent Medicare Insurance Broker means you don’t have to settle for a single carrier sneaking in and trying to railroad you into their plan. You and I can shop all the different carriers if you have questions. Don’t be bamboozled!

Book a time here if you need me because we have till December 7th.

Plato standing in the Colorado snow of Karl's backyard.

Plato hopes you and your family had a fun Halloween. Ours was a little colder than expected, plus some of the white stuff.

Karl Bruns-Kyler wraps a tree in the snow.

Q delegated wrapping operations from inside the house. Plato and I did our best to protect this tree from the cold and the deer. As you can see, he looks pretty comfortable in the snow.

Carving pumpkins in Karl's kitchen.

Sunday night was all about carving pumpkins, roasting seeds, and eating treats. Wine may have been involved and the names were changed to protect the innocent.

Daughter Sus and her pals in northern Colorado had a great time celebrating the holiday. I’m sending our honey to the first three who identify the characters and the movie they represented. Bee prompt.

Sus and friends in costumes for the guessing.

Congrats to Gail in Ohio for winning honey last week! She’s the only one who jumped in the leaves. Good on you Gail. Keep an eye out for a Starbucks card as well!

Gail playing in the leaves in Ohio.

Technically, Bryan didn’t follow the directions to take a selfie in the leaves, but this picture wins the award for cuteness, right? Bryan, the honey is on the way.

Cute kid playing in the autumn leaves.

The holidays have me thinking a lot about food and what’s ahead.

A recent news report estimated that starting from age 19, individuals experience a gradual decrease in calorie requirements, which becomes more evident in the 60s, leading either to possible weight gain or to a reduced appetite.

Aging also results in muscle loss, increased fat, brain shrinkage, and decreased physical activity, all contributing to fewer calories burned.

Karl's friend John holding a bottle of honey as Plato watches.

It’s hard for me to believe this is true when I meet someone like John, a veteran who is still working, laughing, and living well, but I guess it applies to all of us. It helps to be mindful of how we eat.

Two cute dogs together in a dining room.

As calorie needs decrease, older adults require more nutrients like calcium, vitamin B6, vitamin D, and protein.

Focusing on nutrient-dense foods becomes essential, with less room for treats. A multivitamin supplement can help fill gaps, but maintaining a balanced diet is crucial for health.

Karl with Helen Dave and Kate in Colorado.

I had a fun surprise Monday night when my 7pm phone appointment with Helen turned into a face to face at our house with Dave, Kate, and Helen. Flexibility is the secret to good living. It was a pleasure getting to know these folks who live just minutes away.

The door is always open, just be sure to give us 15 minutes warning so Quantz can hide upstairs!

An old photograph of Karl and his buddes back in school days.

If you’re a regular reader, you know I just returned from a high school reunion in the Shenandoah Valley. Growing up in a Mennonite community, the joke always was:

Mennonites don’t have sex standing up because they are afraid it’ll lead to dancing.

Of course social mores have loosened up (see the beer glasses below) but thank goodness, the friendships remain. You can see four of the six below from the picture above and we hung out with the other two as well. As we used to sing, “may the circle be unbroken.”

I sure give thanks for these guys!

Karl and his school buddies.

One of the joys of returning to where you grew up are the memories that return. My brothers pulled out these old pics of us playing speed chess with our late dad.

Dad would sometimes play us blindfolded and shout out the moves from the living room. He was rated just short of a Master and actually played Bobby Fisher once in New York when we were kids (so the story goes).

Karls dad playing chess with his sons.

None of us excelled to his level but every time we visited, the board would come out and the games would begin. See how his hand is raised in the picture above and below? Even though the second game wasn’t a speed chess game with a clock, at 84 he was still in competitive form, ready to slap the timer.

Our best hope of winning was only if he spotted us a piece and a couple of cocktails.

Karl and his dad playing chess in later years.

I couldn’t count the thousands of games we played, but what a pleasure to be playing and honoring our father whenever we get together on the chessboards we played on with him.

Karl and bros playing chess.

Please share your family’s rituals, the ones you want to pass on and gift them to the next generation. You will be glad you did!

Nick playing chess.

My amazing wife Q has only two speeds, on or on. She’s been home a week, caught up on the house, and now she’s volunteering again for the Sherriff’s department. Mostly phone calls and clerical, but keep an eye out for her on election day, keeping the peace at a voter station near you.

So get out there and vote, be a great citizen and THANK your neighbor for having a different set of beliefs than you do. That’s what makes America amazing!

“There is no them, there is only us!”

Quantz ready for duty.

Keep squeezing the juice out of life!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

 

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here


As a novice to navigating the Medicare system, I cannot recommend the services of Karl enough. His knowledge has saved my wife and I a lot of money, both on the Medicare supplement insurance and the drug coverage. Costs you nothing to listen and has saved up thousands of dollars over time.
– Robert B

Happy with my Service?
Click Here to Leave a Review
.


Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:

Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin

The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 10 organizations that offer 50 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

The Big 65 Medicare insurance broker logo.

 

Here’s the one D that’s good for you!

May this blog find you in great health with your Medicare Insurance working properly 😊.

Plato hopes you’re enjoying the leaves wherever you are in America. In fact, he double 🐶 dares you to make a pile and jump on it 🍁.

I’ll send a bottle of our honey to the first three people who send selfies in the leaves.

And don’t worry, yellowing Florida palm fronds count 🌴!

Plato getting ready for the Annual Election Period for 2023.

The Annual Election Period is in full swing and the phone is ringing.

If you’re happy with your current coverage, and there have been no major changes, then no action is necessary, leave things be 🐝. But…

If you are unhappy, unsure, or just want peace of mind, book a time here. We have till December 7th. Here’s my current list of states:

ALAZCACOCTFLGAIDINIAKSLAMDMIMNMONV,

NHNJNYNCOHOKPASCTNTXVAWAWI.

Remember: anyone who calls YOU about Medicare without permission is BREAKING THE LAW. Ask for their insurance license number and watch them disappear 👿.

Virginia countryside.

Yours truly had a great time visiting clients, old high school classmates, and family in the Shenandoah Valley. Reconnecting is good for the heart and great for the soul, and it is a reminder we are getting older!

Karl and Hass cold water plunge in Virginia.

It wasn’t easy to convince my little brother to take an ice bath ❄️ on his farm in late October. The shock is good for the body and the brain, but don’t you try it till you consult a doctor.

I would’ve posted the video, but Haas dropped too many F bombs 😅. That’s what brothers do, right?

Three nice ladies holding fruit.

Nobody likes feeling older so one of the most important things we can do as we age is to take the time to practice self care, especially of the brain.

A recent study posits that vitamin D deficiencies could be linked to an increased risk of stroke or dementia. And here’s the crazy thing…

Friends gathering inside a dark room for The Big 65.

Up to 42% of US adults may be deficient in vitamin D!! The good news is there are plenty of easy ways to remedy this problem.

Friends gathering to break bread at a small dining room table.

Here are some simple ways to increase vitamin D:

•  Spend time in the sun.
•  Eat vitamin D-rich foods, fatty fish, eggs, and cheese.
•  Take supplements if necessary.
•  Include mushrooms in your diet.

Be sure to consult your doctor for personalized advice, but do pick at least one and add it to your life, and let us know if it helps!

Haas in the mountains of Virginia.

68 pounds🍯. That was the honey harvest this year.

Karl and Plato in Colorado with the honey.

Thanks to so many friends for their advice and help in the harvesting and taking care of the bees. I’m keeping my fingers crossed the winter isn’t too hard on them.

Karl's good neighbor Erick holding a bottle of Karl's honey.

Neighbor Erick was kind enough to enough to give me advice about my sprinkler system so I sent him home with honey.

He is an amazing landscape architect who recently completed Seven Stones here in Colorado, a botanical garden cemetery with a whole new approach to celebrate and honor the passing of life. I can’t wait to walk the property. Even better, they have bees!

Miss Shirley smiling for The Big 65.

We lost one of my favorites in Atlanta this month. Miss Shirley was 95, beautiful on the inside and the outside, one of those remarkable people you get the privilege to hear about. Healthy, kind, engaged, and loved. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Adrienne told me her mom loved seeing her picture in the newsletter. In fact, we’d just been talking about her the week before she passed. Miss Shirley, you’ll be missed. Hope your ears are ringing in heaven.

Stan and Michelle in London.

Stan and Michelle finally pulled off their dream adventure: London, Highclere Castle (from Downton Abbey), Paris, Provence, and Giverny, plus lots of great wine.

Here’s wishing the engineer and his wife continued adventures!

Thomas House restaurant in Dayton Virginia.

If you ever find yourself a wandering in the Shenandoah, be sure to visit the Thomas House in Dayton, Virginia. Just off Route 11, we’ve been eating there since time out of mind.

Old Mama Thomas has long passed, though some of her china plates still remain on the walls, and the food will bring you back. Digging in to this comfort food reminds me of my days working on Abe Lincoln’s uncle’s dairy farm before school, in the heart of Virginia Mennonite country.

Thomas House restaurant in Dayton, Virginia.

You may need to take a statin and some insulin before grabbing a meat and three plus a glass of sweet tea, but I assure you, it’s worth the indulgence.

Luke and Lightning Lukas at Thomas House.

Better yet, go with your best friend Luke, his son Lightning Lucas, and a big appetite. You won’t be disappointed.

Leave a good tip and a great smile. The world will thank you.

Good news: Quantz finally came home 🎉!  Last stop was Armenia, including a glimpse of Mount Ararat and this Gampr, a huge dog bred to protect flocks from predators (the ears are cropped so the wolves can’t bite them).

73 countries visited, 122 to go! Miles to go before we sleep.

Quantz hugging a Gampr.

Keep squeezing the juice out of life!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

 

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here


As a novice to navigating the Medicare system, I cannot recommend the services of Karl enough. His knowledge has saved my wife and I a lot of money, both on the Medicare supplement insurance and the drug coverage. Costs you nothing to listen and has saved up thousands of dollars over time.
– Robert B

Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.


Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in twenty-seven states around the country, including:

Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut

Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin

The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 10 organizations that offer 50 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

The Big 65 Medicare insurance broker logo.

Don’t be a hero this weekend!

May this newsletter-blog post find you in great health with your Medicare Insurance working properly as we prepare for the 4th of July Smile emoji..

Are you getting outside and enjoying life?  Great, but don’t be a hero this weekend! 

Perhaps you should check out pickleball! The game is fun, inexpensive, and a great way to meet people.

Just be sure you do the right preparation before starting!

USPTA Certified Teaching Pro Pam Lippy holding a pickleball racquet and ball.

According to USPTA Certified Teaching Pro Pam Lippy (PamLippy@gmail.com), who runs Pickleball Clinics in Ohio and Florida, it is imperative to get clearance from your doctor and to also do dynamic stretching before you just jump on a court and start playing.

Two ladies holding an oversized plastic pickle for pickleball.

According to a recent Bloomberg article, Pickleball may be responsible for nearly $400 million in medical costs! Hip injuries, torn ligaments, and sprains.

A lot of this is caused by over eager players with a “can do attitude” who don’t take the time to warm up properly and get the training they need to get started.

Group of smiling people on pickleball court.

Just remember what my daughter said to me many years ago when I came back from soccer with a torn calf muscle: “Daddy, don’t be a hero!”

Keep trying new things, but be careful Smile emoji..

Aftermath of Highlands Ranch tornado including pile of trees.

Life is getting back to normal here in Colorado after last week’s tornado. Miraculously, no one was injured but we did lose thousands of trees. This is the park behind our house where the trees are being mulched.

Quantz and friends walking in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

Q and I have had so much fun hanging out with our neighbor Vickie and her grandvarmints.

Cute kid shows grandmother a spider in Colorado.

Going on walks and exploring nature with them has been so much fun.

We know how hot it’s been for Medicare clients in the South and the Midwest. Plato hopes you’re staying cool.

Cute kid playing with Plato in Colorado.

We’ve had more rain in the last three months than we did in the previous year, but this week, we had a couple of days in the 90’s and our bees are doing their best to adapt.

This is called bearding when the girls build up on the outside of the hive. I thought they might be swarming but my bee buddy Toly set me straight. Keep your fingers crossed they produce a ton of honey Bee emjoji.

Beehive bearding in Colorado.

Congratulations to Jack and Adrienne on the celebration of their 24th wedding anniversary. Their smiles say it all. Adrienne, please send more pics of your puppy doodle Winston, people have been asking!

Jack and Adrienne celebrate 24th wedding anniversary.

Summer means different things to different people, but to my little brother Haas, it means fishing the rivers of the Shenandoah Valley.

Haas holding a fish he caught in Virginia.

Our Air Force son, Nicholas, has been deployed to Eastern Europe where he and his fellow Airmen are working twelve hours days six days a week.

We give thanks for tech that allows us to screen share and stay in touch.

Nicholas talking to Karl Bruns-Kyler and The Big 65.

Nico and the other soldiers have befriended a local cat now named “Perogi,” feeding him leftovers and trying to fatten him up. It’s those little connections that make all the difference.

Be sure to keep all our soldiers in your prayers.

Perogi the kitty cat and friend of the US Air Force.

That’s it for this week; Keep squeezing the juice out of life!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

 

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here


As a novice to navigating the Medicare system, I cannot recommend the services of Karl enough. His knowledge has saved my wife and I a lot of money, both on the Medicare supplement insurance and the drug coverage. Costs you nothing to listen and has saved up thousands of dollars over time.
– Robert B

Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in twenty-three states around the country, including:

Alabama
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Idaho

Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
New Hampshire

New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin

The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does 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 your options.

The Big 65 Medicare insurance broker logo.

How To Use Your Crystallized Intelligence

I hope you’ve been avoiding the Medicare trolls and incessant telemarketers. Beware of anyone who promises too much! Meanwhile, Plato says Happy SNowvember

Here are a few stories that may inspire you to use your crystallized intelligence.

Last Saturday, when we were walking, we ran into a buddy who saved his newly born grandchild’s life. The baby was born prematurely and was not putting on weight. After one ounce of milk, the baby stopped nursing and the newly minted doctor ordered a feeding tube but the feeding tube was not fixing the problem. The baby was still losing weight.

My buddy had been actively involved in the feeding and the care of all sixteen of his other grandchildren and he took the doctor to task.

He asked for the chance to remedy the situation by being allowed to take over the feeding. In one night, using the learning of a lifetime, Bill turned the situation around.

When morning came around, his grandbaby had consumed 2 and 1/2 bottles of formula and was on the road to living. No feeding tube was needed after Bill worked his magic.

Plato Happy Snowvember from The Big 65

We often think of aging as a diminishing process. However, don’t underestimate the power of crystallized intelligence … the wisdom we have gained over a lifetime.

In our younger years, it’s our fluid intelligence that helps us succeed. As we age, crystallized intelligence makes us specialists in certain areas and the onus is upon us to use that wisdom for good.

Since I’ve already made every mistake in the book, I try to use what I have learned to mentor the lives of younger people (and of course to help all of you with Medicare).

Aging well should also include growth, learning and trying new things, but do look for ways to share what you have learned over life with your tribe. How are you going to help others?

Here’s how Martin has helped ...

Martin is a buddy of mine in France. He bought this barren farm in 1992 when he had a still had a head full of hair. Over the next thirty years, he worked as a teacher and spent his free time transforming the land into a forest. Martin jokes that though he lost hair, he regrew it on the land. That, to me, is a legacy.

Famed psychologist Raymond Cattell describes crystallized intelligence as what we acquire from past experiences, through knowledge, and culture.

There are more ways we can learn to use our crystallized intelligence for enriching the lives of our fellow humans.

Tom’s Halloween Masterpiece …

Tom's Halloween Masterpiece That Kids Love

Neighbor Tom takes pleasure every year in building a Halloween spectacle. Though his kids have been out of the house for quite a while, Tom has created a masterpiece that brings joy to everyone who sees it. Each year, his monster madness is more amazing than the year before.

Ed and Perri walking with their dog_neighbors of The Big 65

Ed and Perri are neighbors. We usually run into each other out on the trails with our dogs. Though I don’t know them well, I always enjoy our casual conversations. Everything I read says these connections are essential to living well, to staying connected. So, keep looking for ways to stay connected, that is the secret sauce.

You all know that I love Colorado, but if you are looking for “Almost Heaven…”

Shenandoah Valley in Virginia_The Big 65 Medicare Broker

You have to go where I grew up, the Shenandoah Valley, the edge of West Virginia.

Haas in Virginia_brother of Karl and a friend of The Big 65

My little brother Haas lives deep in the Valley and he’s loving his new puppy, Georgia, even when she causes trouble. He takes her everywhere he goes.

Haas with Georgia in Virginia_The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Broker

Georgia says watch out for “Medicare bull” and don’t underestimate the power of your own crystallized intelligence. And let me know what’s going on in your world and how I can help. 

Please forward this newsletter to all your friends and family! Remember, referrals are the lifeblood of my business. And thank you.

Have a great week, be safe, and call me if you need me.

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here


Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker licensed to help Medicare recipients in twenty-two states around the country. States served by Karl include:

Alabama
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin


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 your options.

Pennsylvania Medicare insurance agent Karl Kyler