Tax-Time Money Movesto Consider Now.It’s official: it’s tax season. Here are a few things you should be considering to put yourself in the best financial shape for the rest of this year and beyond.

CONTRIBUTE TO TAX ADVANTAGE ACCOUNTS: You have until April 15 to fully fund traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs, possibly reducing your taxable income now and providing further protections down the road. This year, each person can contribute $5,500 ($6,500 if you’re age 50 or older) to either type of IRA.

DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR WITHHOLDING: If you’re still working, now is a good time to make sure your employer is withholding the proper amount of taxes. Speak with your tax advisor to determine if you’ve been over or under paying.

REQUEST AN EXTENSION: If you’re unable to file your taxes before April 15, file for an extension using IRS Form 4868. You’ll still have to pay taxes due now and may be subject to interest and penalties. But it does give you time to complete the paperwork.

DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR DEDUCTIONS: Did you move or have major medical bills this year? You may qualify for additional deductions.

UNDERSTAND YOUR TRUSTS: If you utilize trusts as part of your larger estate and financial plan, now is a good time to make sure they’re properly funded, up-to-date with current legislation and accurately reflect your wants and needs.

QUESTIONS? CONCERNS? Let’s talk. In addition to the core Helmstar team, we can always connect you with industry-leading experts for areas beyond our purview.

VOYAGER

FROM THE DESK OF… features rotating columns from

Helmstar principals Tom Steelmanand Ben Boettcher, ChFc®, CFP.TM

ISSUE 1 . APRIL . 2015

Healthy Savings

What is a health savings account and how does it fit into your bigger financial picture?

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Lunch & Learn

Health Insurance & Medicare: What You Need to Know

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Meet the Team

Kim is Helmstar’s Director of Client Services.

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FROM THEDESK OF…

TOMSTEELMAN

Ben and I couldn’t be happier or more excited to roll out our new client newsletter, !

With so much information — and misinformation — swirling around financial planning and personal finance issues, we believe it is more important than ever that we at Helmstar do our part to bring clarity and focus to the discussion.

Hopefully you will find this more engaging and more helpful than ever. It’s part of our continued effort to improve in every way to serve you better.

We’ll be looking at important topics related to your money and your life, as well as keeping you in the loop with Helmstar events, and even helping you get to know our team a little better. All with the candor and professionalism we hope you’ve come to expect from Helmstar.

While Voyager is written with our clients in mind, we are also happy to provide it to your friends and family. So if you have someone you think would want or need to receive Voyager, please have them reach out to kim@helmstargroup.com.

Of course, if this newsletter or anything else in the news raises questions in your mind about your investment strategy, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our team is here to help, all year round.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to say ‘thank you.’ We sincerely appreciate your decision to trust us in shaping your financial future. It’s a trust we take seriously. So thank you, thank you, thank you. We’re honored to have you as part of the Helmstar family.

What is a health savings account and how does it fit into your bigger financial picture?A health savings account, commonly referred to as an HSA, is a special savings account used in conjunction with a high-deductible health insurance policy that allows you to save money tax-free against medical expenses.

IT WORKS LIKE THIS: i. You sign up for a high-deductible, HSA-compliant health insurance plan. ii. You contribute money, tax-free, to an HSA account either at a local bank or online. iii. You pay your premiums as normal, but most other medical expenses can be paid using the tax-free money.

A single person can contribute up to $3,350 and families can contribute up to $6,650 (with an additional $1,000 if you’re 55 or over) — and it’s all tax deductible. You, not your employer or your insurance company, control how you spend the funds in your HSA. This means you can choose to save the money tax-free, but pay with taxable money, allowing more of your HSA savings to continue to grow tax-deferred. If, years later, you use that money for qualifying medical expenses, it’s still tax free.

When you do use the HSA funds to pay medical bills, most banks that provide HSAs give you an easy-to-use debit card that you then use to pay your qualifying expenses. HSAs are completely portable and even your employer can contribute to the account. Your HSA savings accumulate overtime and there is no “use it or lose it” policy.

Of course, an HSA isn’t for everyone. For starters, you must use an HSA-qualified insurance policy. These all have relatively high deductibles, often more than $5,000. If your insurance plan doesn’t qualify, you can’t have an HSA. As always, you’ll want to be careful when setting up an HSA account to check for any “fine print.” Set-up, management and other fees can really chew into the benefits of an HSA.

As always, it’s best to check with us before diving in. Helmstar can examine your situation, do some situation analysis and make recommendations that make sense.

Healthy Savings TYPICAL QUALIFYING MEDICAL EXPENSES

Here are just some of the expenses that may qualify to be paid from your HSA:

Acupuncture Ambulance Chiropractor Contact Lenses Crutches Dental Treatment Eye Exam Guide Dog or Other Service Animal Hearing Aids Home Care Lead-Based Paint Removal Nursing Services Prosthesis Stop-Smoking Programs Therapy Vasectomy Vision Correction Surgery Weight-Loss Program Wheelchair Wig X-ray

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MEET THE TEAM:KIMKim is Helmstar’s Director of Client Services. She is charged with making certain our clients are happy. This means ensuring quality and timeliness at every step of the process, from answering questions to overseeing distribution requests.

“I love everything about my job,” Kim says. “But my favorite parts are our relationships with our clients and the way we work together as a team to make those relationships stronger.”

Born and raised in Emmett and college-educated at Boise State University, Kim has developed a strong love for Idaho’s outdoors. When not at work, hiking, tennis and playing with her dogs Dizzy and Dazzy fill her days — that is, when she and her husband are not traveling or spending time with family and friends.

We’re honored to have Kim on our team. If there is something she could do to help you, please contact her at 208.429.0800.

To meet the rest of our team, visit our website at:

helmstargroup.com

We’re proud to launch a new Lunch & Learn series designed to empower Helmstar clients to get more out of their money and their life.

HEALTH INSURANCE & MEDICARE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

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LUN

CH

LEA

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WHAT: An educational hour of learning — with lunch included. Local expert Melinda McDaniel will share her wisdom and answer your questions regarding the changing landscape of health insurance in Idaho.

WHO: Helmstar clients and their friends and family.

WHEN: Tues., May 12th, 2015 from noon‑1pm.

WHERE: C.W. Moore Conference Room (in our building) 250 S. 5th Street, Boise

RSVP: Space is limited and lunch will be provided, so please RSVP by Tuesday May 5th: 208.429.0800 or kim@helmstartgroup.com

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66% of all U.S. currency is held overseas.Source: Discover Magazine

© 2015 The Helmstar Group.Material in this newsletter is for informational purposes only. It is not to be construed as tax, legal or investment advice. Information has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable, but individual situations can vary. Please consult with an investment, legal, accounting or tax professional about your unique situation.

DID YOUKNOW?

Connect.Have you seen our new and improved online client center? Go to http://helmstargroup.com/client-center to keep up-to-date with your personal financial status or read past newsletters and articles.

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No Matter What Your Age,Your Social Security Statement MattersFifteen years ago, the Social Security Administration (SSA) launched the Social Security Statement, a tool to help Americans understand the features and benefits that Social Security offers. Since then, millions of Americans have reviewed their personalized statements to see a detailed record of their earnings, as well as estimates of retirement, survivor, and disability benefits based on those earnings. Here’s how to get a copy of your statement, and why it deserves more than just a quick glance, even if you’re years away from retirement.

HOW DO YOU GET YOUR STATEMENT?Workers attaining ages 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 who are not receiving Social Security benefits and are not registered for an online account will receive a statement in the mail about three months before their next birthday. Workers older than age 60 will receive a statement every year.

But why wait? A more convenient way to view your Social Security Statement is online. First, visit socialsecurity.gov to sign up for a personal ‘my Social Security’ account (you must be 18 or older to sign up online). Once you have an account, you can view your Social Security Statement anytime you want, as often as you want.

CHECK YOUR ESTIMATED BENEFITSYour Social Security Statement gives you information about retirement, disability, and survivor benefits. It tells you whether you’ve earned enough credits to qualify for these benefits and, if you qualify, how much you can expect to receive. As each Social Security Statement notes, the amounts listed are only estimates based on your average earnings in the past and a projection of future earnings.

REVIEW YOUR EARNINGS RECORDIn addition to benefit information, your Social Security Statement contains a year-by-year record of your earnings. This record is updated whenever your employer reports your earnings (or if you’re self-employed, when you report your own earnings). Earnings are generally reported annually, so keep in mind that your earnings from last year may not yet be on your statement.

It’s a good idea to make sure that your earnings have been reported correctly, because mistakes do happen. You can do this by comparing your earnings record against past tax returns or W-2s you’ve received. This is an important step to take because your Social Security benefits are based on your average lifetime earnings. If your earnings have been reported incorrectly, you may not receive the benefits to which you’re entitled. What if you find errors? The SSA advises you to call right away if any earnings are reported incorrectly. The SSA phone number is 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

helmstargroup.comT 208.429.0800 | F 208.429.0801250 S. 5th St. Suite 600 | Boise, ID 83702