The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 13 No. 13 - January 9, 2013

BUSINESS

Bistro offspring gets honor

The judges at the Golden Spoon are in love with Sean Murphy’s Beach Bistro and now they’re saying “Eat here,” when talking about his newest restaurants. The Eat Here Restaurants at 5315 Gulf Drive, in Holmes Beach, and 1888 Main St., in Sarasota, have won the Golden Spoon “Best New Restaurants in Florida” Award

Murphy was profoundly moved by the award.

“It was an amazing thrill and it took me back to the Bistro’s first Golden Spoon Award,” he said. “To be recognized by Florida Trend is particularly gratifying when there are so many online selection processes that are subject to bias and abuse. Florida Trend still has a great deal of authority and culinary integrity. Chris Sherman is one of the few truly passionate and qualified restaurant critics that is still writing.”

The Golden Spoon recognition for Eat Here follows on the recent announcement by ZAGAT that the Beach Bistro was awarded “Best Food” status for the Gulf Coast. The Bistro has consistently garnered some of the highest scores for food and service in Florida and was selected by ZAGAT for inclusion in its small guide to the “Top Restaurants in America”.

Murphy was asked to explain the difference between his Bistro and Eat Here operations:

“At the Bistro, we are trying to honor your special occasion by giving you one of the best dining experiences that you have ever had,” he said. “The Eat Here concept is meant to be less sacrosanct and more frolicsome than the Beach Bistro’s.

“The two Eat Here restaurants on Anna Maria and in Sarasota had won ‘Best New’ kudos by local newspapers and magazines in their neighborhoods, but the statewide Florida Trend recognition was a particular endorsement of all the creative work that the Eat Here service and chef staffs have accomplished over the past year,” he said. “The ZAGAT and Florida Trend recognition helped bring Christmas early for us.”

A new Eat Here will be opening in Siesta Village on Siesta Key later this month.

The Eat Here restaurants serve more casual and lighter versions of Beach Bistro culinary creations. The Chef staffs are trained by Bistro Chefs. They focus Bistro methods on more accessible products to create dishes at pricing for more casual, every day dining. The Eat Here bars offer classic and creative cocktails and family crafted beers and wines.

To contact Eat Here, call 778-0411 in Holmes Beach and 941-365-8700 in Sarasota or log onto www.eathereannamaria.com or www.eatheresarasota.com.

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Getting Social Security right the first time

Investment Corner

In 2010, the Social Security Administration implemented a rule change which placed a time constraint for when people can re-do their Social Security income election. Recipients now have only 12 months from the date they file their income application claim to re-do their election.

So what does this mean for those who are approaching the date they will become eligible to file or those who recently started receiving benefits? The difference between a poor Social Security income election and a well-grounded one can be in excess of $100,000 over a couple’s – and even singles’ – lifetimes. The total income benefit amount over a couple’s lifetime can approach, and even often exceeds, $1 million dollars. With today’s low interest rate environment, maximizing Social Security income is even more important.

Social Security’s policy prior to December 8, 2010, provided for an open time window for changing a person’s income election. Individuals who had filed their claim and collected income could repay the income received from the government and then re-file. Not surprisingly, financial research publications and the media caught on to this loophole and touted it as an opportunity to secure an interest-free loan from the government, but that loophole is now closed.

Most are aware that by waiting past the earliest age you become eligible to collect benefits that the monthly benefit amount increases. Indeed, by waiting, Social Security income increases roughly 6 percent annually between age 62 and 66, and 8 percent between age 66 and 70. Cost-of-living adjustments can also be added to these benefit “bump-ups,” which means increases can potentially range between 9 and 11 percent per year (assuming 3 percent inflation). For those born between 1943 and 1954, they will receive 100 percent of their Social Security income benefit at age 66, and at age 67 for those born later. This is known as full retirement age. Waiting past full retirement age allows the benefit to rise to about 130 percent of the full retirement benefit.

Pre-retirees and retirees can expect, in general, to live much longer than previous generations. For couples considering their Social Security income options, the woman’s life expectancy, on average, is commonly at least several years longer than the male’s. Consequently, a smart Social Security income decision becomes an issue of maximizing both the lifetime income and the spousal survivor benefit.

There are income and spousal survivor planning strategies such as the “File & Suspend” and “Claim Some Now, More Later” techniques that help couples maximize and optimize their Social Security income planning. The Social Security income and survivor benefit is a substantial gift that should not be ignored. Also, divorced or widowed spouses, in some instances, can harness a spousal or survivor benefit and then switch to their own benefit to harvest more Social Security income over his/her lifetime.

So what action should you take? If a person or couple has filed for benefits within the past 12 months, their benefit election should be reviewed by a qualified financial professional, because there may still have some time to repair it. And, if a person is approaching their potential filing date in the next few years, it’s a great idea to plan ahead and identify the best strategy for you.

My firm can help you with this analysis using a state of the art software system that examines all the scenarios based on your personal data. We will provide a full report to help you make sound decisions. Give us a call to learn more about this service.

Tom Breiter is president of Breiter Capital Management, Inc., an Anna Maria based investment advisor. He can be reached at 778-1900. Some of the investment concepts highlighted in this column may carry the risk of loss of principal, and investors should determine appropriateness for their personal situation before investing. Visit www.breitercapital.com.

 


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