Christy began her career in 1991 at State Farm's Home Office in Bloomington, IL. Over the last 17 years, Christy honed her skills in both property/casualty insurance and financial services through various roles within the State Farm organization. Christy opened her agency in Cape Coral on June 1, 2007 and achieved the nation's "Top 100" status for all new State Farm agents during her first year. As the number one insurer of autos and homes in the US and Florida, State Farm is known as a leader in property and casualty insurance. Christy has expanded the services she provides to her clients by specializing in estate, education and retirement planning.

Christy is thrilled to be a resident of Cape Coral and is honored to currently serve more than 1,300 families in Cape Coral and SouthwestFlorida.

Her mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. She accomplishes this mission by meeting one-on-one with her clients, discovering their priorities and developing a plan to meet their individual needs.

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We have many products which can be categorized into six main lines:

Auto Insurance

Home Insurance

Life Insurance

Health Insurance (including Long Term Care) Bank Products (loans and deposit products) Mutual Funds

Paying for College

• Start putting money aside now! The earlier you start, the greater the potential for long-term growth.
   
• Investigate Section 529 plans. These plans allow tax-free growth of your college savings and Federal tax-free withdrawal of the proceeds for qualified educational expenses when your children enter college.[1] Some states also allow tax deductions for a limited amount of contributions by in-state residents and tax-free qualified withdrawals.
   
• In addition to Section 529 Plans, you can also put the maximum annual amount ($2000 per child) into a Coverdell Education Savings Account if your income meets eligibility requirements. Like 529 Plans, earnings may be distributed tax-free if used for educational expenses.² In addition, Coverdell Accounts may be used for pre-college educational expenses, such as elementary or secondary educational costs.
   
• Direct your investments in an age appropriate manner, whether you are investing in a 529 Plan, Coverdell Account, or other investment. Your financial professional can help you determine an appropriate mix of assets in your college accounts based on your time horizon and risk tolerance. As a rule of thumb, the further your children are from college, the more aggressive your investments can be. Because stocks are subject to relatively wide price swings and lots of day-to-day volatility, it may be advisable to switch to less volatile investments, such as bonds, as your children get nearer to college. Many 529 Plans offer a choice of investments, including funds that automatically change the asset mix as your child gets closer to college age. If you direct your investments, under Federal law you are permitted to re-allocate Section 529 Plan investments once a year.
   
• After other options have been exhausted, investigate variable annuities. Variable annuities offer tax-deferred growth potential and often have a wide range of investment options. Withdrawals are taxable, regardless of what they are used for and when they are taken. Withdrawals are also generally subject to a surrender charge in the contract’s early years. There is also a 10% penalty tax imposed on the taxable portion of withdrawals if taken before age 59 ½. Annuities have limitations and also contain an expense structure that may be higher than other college funding options. Your financial professional can provide you with information on annuities, including costs, so that you can determine if it is a suitable product based on your needs.

•  Before investing in an account in the child’s name, you should be aware that colleges expect the student to contribute approximately 35% of his or her assets to pay for college costs, while the percentage expected of the parent is far lower (around 5%).3 If you’ve put assets into an account in the child’s name, you may increase the amount that the college expects the child to pay and reduce your child’s chance of receiving financial aid. Section 529 Accounts are not affected, because they are considered parental assets.
   
• Investigate Federal tax credits, including the Lifetime Learning Credit and the Hope Scholarship Credit. There are income limitations on these credits, so speak to your tax advisor to determine if you qualify.
   
• Look into financial aid, even if your income seems too high. No matter what your income, do not assume your child is ineligible for financial aid. In addition to need-based aid, some colleges offer scholarships to outstanding students regardless of need. In addition, there are private scholarships, sponsored by employers, clubs and religious groups. Most high school guidance counselors have access to data bases that can give you a full listing. The financial aid office at the college may also put together a package based on the programs for which your children are eligible, including grants, loans and work/study programs.
   
• Borrow as inexpensively as possible. There are numerous Federal and state loan programs that charge below market rate interest to qualified college borrowers. Other lower-cost sources of loans for college expenses include home equity loans, loans against your 401(k) plan, and policy loans on cash value life insurance.

NEGOTIATE:

“The ability to communicate information that creates a climate of goodwill and favor instead of fear in the changing of opinions, circumstances and agreements”

In the sales process, negotiating is much more effective if done after the buyer has made a heart decision to purchase from you. If you begin to negotiate terms, price, delivery etc, before the buyer has made that decision, you will find yourself in a weaker bargaining position. You only have a certain, limited number of “chips” you can bargain with. Why give them all up before the buyer has settled on the rightness of your product or service offering? Certainly, some concessions up front can make the buyer more interested in your offer, but it also creates an expectation of more concessions from you with little effort on their part. 

SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES FOR WIN / WIN NEGOTIATIONS

1) Appeal to the heart (emotion).

ü      90% of the decision is made in the heart ( the battleground).

ü      10% of the decision is made in the mind ( the negotiating table ).

ü      People buy into a “position” based on emotion, then justify with logic

       2) Reduce conflict by stressing common goals.

ü      Focus on things in common versus what divides.

ü      What are the common goals you share with the other party?

ü      Emphasizing common goals, reduces conflict & creates conducive environment.

         3) Include others to increase the impact of the decision.

ü      Identify all who will be impacted by this decision.

ü      Others will be watching for your decision.

ü      Include the others in the decision process where appropriate.

          4) Express value for the relationship.

ü      People need to feel valued.

ü      People need to feel significant.

ü      The need for significance is the #1 addiction in America.

ü      When people feel insignificant they withdraw emotionally and hinder negotiations.

ü      If you honor the other party, they are more likely to respond favorably.

ü      Express value for the people at all levels not just the “ decision maker”

ü      Value the people, and they will value doing business with you.

             5) Invest in the relationship.

ü      People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!

ü      How have you invested in the relationship so far? How can you now?

ü      Are you only looking at this transaction for what you can get out of it?

ü      Send them relevant business articles from current publications.

ü      Send other information relevant to their business that could help them.

ü      Send them some referrals.

ü      At the very least, pray for them!

            6) Involve their good reputation.

ü      Recognize their past achievements.

ü      Attach their reputation to the outcome.

ü      People want to protect their reputation.

             7) Build on past gains.                                                              

ü      Don’t re-invent the wheel.

ü      Don’t lay again the same foundation.

ü      Reiterate progress made thus far.

ü      Keep in the forefront the gains or progress you have already made together.

ü      “You’ve been a customer a long time now” or “We’ve worked together before”

A Quantum Leap For Business

Strategic Resource Institute/

Sarasota Florida

Jacob Mermin CHI/CMI
Co- Founder Neighbor Helping Neighbor
www.mermininspecions.com
239-243-7322