Vantage Benefit Solutions Hosts A FREE Medicare Seminar Oct. 30

By Celeste McLaughlin

When Ken Bass turned 65 this year, he was inundated with information about Medicare and available health insurance coverage options. He needed someone to help him navigate the deluge of information to choose the perfect policy for his individual circumstances. 

“We turned to Jerry Mann and Vantage Benefit Solutions to assist us in making the best selection,” says Ken’s wife, Sharen.

Gerald R. Mann, CLU, ChFC, CLTC (Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, Certified in Long-Term Care), who goes by “Jerry,” is the owner of Vantage Benefit Solutions. He is a pension consultant and licensed securities representative who has provided insurance and investment services to small businesses and individuals in North Tampa since the 1970s. Sharen first met him in 1989, when she was setting up shop as a solo practice attorney in Temple Terrace. He stopped by to welcome her into the community.  

“Jerry has been our trusted insurance advisor for many years,” she says. “He is very informed about the products available on the market and is willing to share his extensive knowledge and experience with his clients to select the product(s) that will best suit their individual needs.”

Vantage Benefit Solutions (VBS) provides this type of personalized service to anyone needing help navigating Medicare and other complicated decisions. In fact, Jerry is offering a free educational seminar for those who are 65 or older, or are turning 65 in the next six months, to teach those who qualify for Medicare about the enrollment process (see ad on page 29). 

“We are not trying to sell anything (at the seminar),” says Jerry. “As I have aged, and my clients have aged, we’re facing new issues. Because of the large population of baby boomers who are hitting this milestone, I have become an expert on Medicare. It’s a critical need for older people.”

The next VBS Medicare educational seminar will be held at Pebble Creek Country Club on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in New Tampa, on Thursday, October 30, 10 a.m. To RSVP, or for other dates and locations, call Elizabeth at 769-1825 or email Elizabeth@vantage-benefits.com. The Medicare seminar is not a sales presentation, and there’s no cost to attend.

Jerry explains that the seminar will help people understand the difference between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which are offered by private companies contracted with Medicare to provide healthcare services. Although the two plans offer the same services, Medicare Advantage plan members must go to approved facilities, and Jerry says there are many medical centers that do not accept those plans. He says that once you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can’t go back to Medicare, so it’s extremely important that you get it right the first time.

Services Offered

Jerry owns a family of companies that work seamlessly to provide employee benefits plans to companies and the people who run them. “Our goal is to be a single-source provider for clients, to provide whatever they need in the benefit world,” he says. This includes group insurance plans for employees, such as health, dental, vision, life and disability. VBS’ services include plan design, consulting, administration, and vendor selection for employee benefit plans.

Through another one of his companies, Executive Tax Benefits of Florida, Inc., Jerry also provides corporate retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans, including plan design and employee education.

In addition, a company he started in 1986, called COBRA Administrative Services, Inc., offers full service COBRA plan administration, helping employers comply with this complex law.

Additional consulting specialties include business continuation planning, estate planning, disability income planning, investment strategies, life insurance planning, long-term care planning and retirement income planning.

His expertise comes from decades of experience helping businesses and individuals in these areas. Jerry has deep roots in the area, having grown up in Temple Terrace, where his dad was an insurance agent. Jerry attended college at USF, but left before graduating to serve in the military during the Vietnam War. In 1974, he went to work for his dad and his business partner at Executive Tax Benefits. In 1985, Jerry bought the firm and began expanding it quickly. Two employees he hired in the early years are still working for him today, as plan administrators: Rick Thompson was hired in 1987 and Mark Lasota was hired in 1991.

Jerry says that Rick, Mark, and the rest of his staff provide excellent service and top-notch expertise to their clients. 

“I surround myself with great people,” he says. Elizabeth Vilchis is his executive assistant and office manager. The rest of the team includes VP Troy Dimsdale and case managers Jean Gaad and Jessica Thompson.

Longevity seems to be a theme with Jerry. “I have a lot of long-term clients, building deep and long-lasting relationships,” he says. “In fact, many clients who first started working with us in the 1980s are still clients today.”

One such client is San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union, whose membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in East Hernando and East Pasco counties, including Wesley Chapel. Tim Baldwin is president of the credit union, and says San Antonio Citizens has worked with Executive Tax Benefits to provide 401(k) plans to its employees — now a staff of 38 people — since 1985. 

“The service to our credit union and our employees has been good, and the plan has grown nicely over the years,” Tim says. “When our employees need counseling or advice, they ask Jerry’s staff members, who are always responsive and helpful.”

Business Consulting

“Business owners have special needs,” says Jerry. He meets a wide variety of those needs for companies and the people who lead them. Some examples of the services he provides include:

• Business continuation planning — helping business owners come up with an exit strategy for when the day comes that they will no longer run their business.

• Key person insurance — identifying  “the small cadre of talented key employees who would cause a lot of grief if you lost them.” This insurance offers a dollar benefit to the company to help with the financial impact of diminished sales, hiring a new employee, etc.

• Estate planning — Federal law says estate taxes are due within nine months of a person’s death, and tax rates are generally 35 to 55 percent of the value of the estate. Jerry says it’s essential that business owners have a plan so that family members are not forced to liquidate a business in the event of a business owner’s death.

One of Jerry’s certifications (CLTC, or Certified in Long-Term Care) includes special training to help people address long-term care. He says the federal Department of Health & Human Services says the odds of someone needing long-term care between the age of 65 and death are 2/3. This means it’s essential for people to plan for these substantial expenses. He explains that many baby boomers have seen their parents fail to plan and some have exhausted their own resources taking care of their parents. They now want to be sure they don’t put their own children in such a difficult predicament in the future.

“I meet people every day with no will, no estate plans, and no long-term care plans,” says Jerry. “I consider it my personal responsibility to motivate them to get their affairs in order. I want people to know they can count on me to help them get it done.”

Vantage Benefit Solutions is located at 13065 N. Telecom Pkwy., in Telecom Park on E. Fletcher Ave., west of I-75. The office is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, or to register for the Oct. 30 Medicare seminar, call 769-1825 or email Elizabeth@Vantage-Benefits.com. The company’s website is Vantage-Benefits.com.