Stark Financial Group, Inc.

Annual Enrollment for Medicare starts 10/15 and it is fast approaching folks. If you are nearing 65 as well as those who are already on Medicare who want to do a Medicare review (PS you DO need a review!) please reach out to us as we can connect you with someone that can help. Below is just a snapshot of what our Medicare connection tells us that are some big updates coming to Medicare in 2025 that you should know about.

1- $2,000 Out-of-Pocket Cap for Part D: Starting in 2025, there’s going to be a cap on how much you have to spend out of pocket on prescription drugs—$2,000 for the whole year. After you hit that limit, Medicare will cover the rest, which is great news if you have high drug costs.
2- No More Cost-Sharing in Catastrophic Coverage: If you reach the catastrophic coverage phase in Part D, you won’t have to worry about paying anything out of pocket after that point. This change started in 2024 and will continue into 2025, which is a big relief for many.

Supporting our neighbors in Johnstown as we watched the final SUPER LOAD being delivered to Intel on Tuesday. Xander and I were happy to celebrate with fellow Johnstown community members to see them drive through at Lynd's Fruit farm. I'm told that this means that mega building at Intel now begins. See also that they had to raise up the traffic lights. It was quite a show. *If you are local and haven't been to Lynd's in the past few years I encourage you to check it out. They have a really great facility now with lots of local produce, canned goods and events throughout the year.

Had a great time leading a little book review and discussion for the Johnstown Chamber of Commerce. This is a good book for any business owner or employee who can really blow the winds of change in their organization.

Sean and myself recently took an exploratory roadtrip to various cities in search of a place to call a secondary ‘home’ for us personally as well as to expand the business. Our travels took us to Philadelphia, Virginia, a number of coastal towns in North Carolina and we finished in the Raleigh/ Chapel Hill, NC area. So far, the Raleigh and Raleigh suburbs area has checked the most boxes and we look forward to going back in the coming months to explore more of what this area has to offer. While we intend for our Westerville office to always be our home office, we are planners by trade, so this sort of long-term planning comes natural to us and we thoroughly enjoy the process - if you can't tell by all the fun things we did! haha

Help me in congratulating Sean Stark for obtaining his CPFA® designation! This means that Sean now has the recognized distinction as a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor by the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA).
WHAT IS THIS AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? Plan advisors who earn their CPFA® demonstrate the expertise, knowledge and commitment required to act as a plan fiduciary or help 401(k) plan fiduciaries manage their roles and responsibilities especially when working with retirement plans. CFPA® certified advisors are required to adhere to a strict code of ethics and professional conduct. This helps protect client's interests and ensures that advisors act in a fiduciary capacity, putting their client's needs ahead of their own.

Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA®) was issued by National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) to Sean Stark. The Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA®) credential — developed by some of the nation’s leading advisors and retirement plan experts — demonstrates your knowledge, expertise, and commitment to working with retirement plans. Financial advisors who earn their CPFA designation demonstrate th...

Do you enjoy clay shooting? The Sunbury Chamber is hosting their Annual Big Shot event on August 15th! Beginners welcome. See link for registration detials> https://business.sunburybigwalnutchamber.com/.../big-shot...

See our Monthly update- Vacations, seminars and info on Tax Exemption Sunset Planning....

Our thoughts and prayers are with our clients and everyone living in Texas today.

Millions of Texans lose power in the aftermath of Beryl Beryl made landfall Monday around 4 a.m. near Matagorda, Texas, as a Category 1 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. Beryl was downgraded to a tropical storm around 10 a.m. Monday as i…

Website rebranding is being worked on now. Very exciting! Sneak peek....

What a fantastic time we had hosting over 40 members from the Johnstown, Sunbury & Westerville Chambers last week! Not pictured were the free chair massages offered my AMG Manual Therapy, fun s'mores over a campfire and the Grilled Cheese Gangsters food truck out back. Being the first of its kind, we were unsure how the reception would be, bringing three Chambers together- but I think it was truly a hit. Thank you everyone who came, connected and had fun with us!

Feel the 'Summer Vibes' from our latest monthly Newsletter. Learn about our upcoming office event, new leadership roles, re-branding progress and a special note about HYBRID Long Term Care Insurance products too.
"It's like a beach blanket & a bottle of wine, it feels something like summertime!" -Bon Jovi

Check out the Westerville Chamber job posting platform or our own website for information regarding our Advisor search. Growing our team will mean more opportunities for all! So if you know of an Advisor who is thinking about making the switch to the Independent world, send them our way.

Our good friends at the Johnstown Chamber of Commerce are now seeking to fill their Executive Director Position. Please pass the below description on to professionals that you know. Perhaps a retired CEO, teacher, entrepreneur or C-suite executive?...

'The Johnstown Ohio Chamber of Commerce seeks an Executive Director to lead its vibrant community of businesses and non-profits. The role entails managing finances, overseeing office operations, leading volunteers, organizing events, securing sponsorships, and fostering member engagement. Key responsibilities include strategic planning, event coordination, social media management, and community liaison. The ideal candidate possesses strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills, with a background in executive-level management and chamber or non-profit experience preferred. The position offers competitive compensation including salary, bonus, holidays, and paid time off. Applicants should submit a resume, references, and salary expectations to [email protected].'

I was asked to speak to the 5th grade students at Big Walnut Intermediate school a few weeks ago for Career Day and here are a few of the 'Thank You' cards they wrote me! My heart is full

Xander was my wingman at the Johnstown Ohio Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting last night. I am so dang proud of who he is ❤ Our meeting was at Lauren Rose Farms that JUST opened! Check out their 75 person+ event space and 1,800sq ft luxury Air B&B on the top floor. Absolutely perfect for Weddings, Baby showers, bridal showers, corporate events, christmas parties, family reunions, bourbon tastings, wine tastings and so much more. I should have taken more pictures! Guess you'll have to come see for yourself 😉 https://laurenrosefarm.com/ *Food was provided by the super yummy Ghostwriter too! https://ghostwriterph.com/

So much to be grateful for this month... including these May office updates!

I had the opportunity to speak at Big Walnut Intermediate school yesterday for career day about what we do! Such a great time and the children were wonderful. *Here I am pictured with my son and his best friend. I am so grateful that my son WANTED me to come and speak. Not sure how long I'll stay the 'cool mom' but I'm grateful for this time :)

A BIG announcement from the FTC yesterday regarding Non-competes. See what this could mean for captive Advisors who are thinking about moving into the independent world. Reach out to us with questions as we are currently expanding our Independent firm and looking for experienced Advisors to join our team.

FTC Announces Rule Banning Noncompetes Today, the Federal Trade Commission issued a final rule to promote competition by banning noncompetes nationwide, protecting the fundamen

What a blessing for Delaware County youth!!! Check out this article announcing Ohio Wesleyan's commitment to FREE TUITION for incoming students that live in Delaware Co. with a household AGI of

Ohio Wesleyan to become tuition-free for lower-income Delaware County students The Delaware County Promise will provide full-tuition scholarships to Ohio Wesleyan for qualifying students from Delaware County.

Q1 Done! See our April office update for info on Sean's Florida visit, beneficiary benefits, 401(k) info, anniversaries and more!

Do you know any graduating students who want personal introductions to local business owners? The Johnstown Ohio Chamber of Commerce is encouraging graduating seniors (HS or College) to join as a 'Social' member! What a fantastic opportunity to encourage our kids (old and young) to keep their career talents local. $75 for the year gets individuals in front of business owners and representatives from Intel, Banking, Title, Insurance, Healthcare, Legal, Finance... you name it! I can't recommend this group of amazing people enough. *Please share this info with teachers, professors and other pillars of the community. We want to connect people with good jobs and help them make life-long valuable connections!

https://johnstownchamber.org/membership-information/?_ga=2.168446177.1505414097.1711381999-738134154.1711381999&_gl=1*1rxg7nv*_ga*NzM4MTM0MTU0LjE3MTEzODE5OTk.*_ga_HKTKD9T74B*MTcxMTQ3OTM3Mi40LjEuMTcxMTQ3OTgzNS4wLjAuMA..*_ga_RCC7H7HXTK*MTcxMTQ3OTM3Mi40LjEuMTcxMTQ3OTgzNS4wLjAuMA..

We want to thank the Westerville Chamber for the opportunity to host the Ambassadors Committee this week. Getting to connect with our community is our favorite thing!

We had a 'Knock Out' time at 9Round in Westerville last night- Held my the Sunbury Chamber. Reach out if you would like any coupons so you can check the place out for yourself for FREE... of yea, and it is just down from our office too!

Sean was the BIG WINNER at the Westerville Chamber After Hour in January. Since then, we have made great connections with HealthWorx & Impact Health and Wellness personally and look forward to working with them in the coming months!

Mark your calendars! For those of you that can make a morning meeting in Sunbury, I invite you to our Financial Seminar held at the Sunbury Big Walnut Chamber of Commerce- Right on the square! Breakfast snacks provided and an hour packed-full of info. You do not have to be a chamber member. Hope to see you there! 😃
To Register: https://business.sunburybigwalnutchamber.com/.../ffbbob-6773
OR
Just message me directly.

When the sticker goes on the door that's when you know it's official. We are so looking forward to contributing and connecting in the Johnstown Community Chamber this year! ❤ *We enjoy being active in the Sunbury & Westerville Chambers so much. I highly recommend joining your local chamber for so many reasons. Fun Fact- Did you know that you don't have to be a business owner to join a chamber? Usually they offer 'individual persons' memberships too. What a great way to get to know the 'movers and shakers' in your community!