< Full site
The Prescott Daily Courier Mobile

Interest Rate Store helps retirees preserve income


Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier
Judy Southstone is the account manager for the Interest Rate Store, a financial services business located at 2069 Willow Creek Road, Suite B, Prescott.
8/14/2012 10:01:00 PM

 By Ken Hedler

 PRESCOTT - Judy Southstone moved to Prescott five years ago from Redmond, Wash., home of Microsoft. Southstone said she occasionally saw Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in public. Maybe those brushes with one of the wealthiest men in the world inspired her new career, in which helps her clientele - mainly affluent retirees - preserve their wealth.

Her boss, Will Hepburn, opened The Interest Rate Store March 21 beneath Hepburn Capital at 2069 Willow Creek Road, Suite B.

Hepburn brings 35 years of experience to his new venture, including ownership of financial planning and real estate brokerage firms.

The Interest Rate Store specializes in guaranteed investments that are designed for many needs and flexible solutions, according to Southstone, who is the business' account manager.

"A guaranteed investment is basically for preserving your retirement dollars," Southstone explained. "These (investments) are guaranteed by life insurance companies. A lot of the products are based on the preservation of retirement dollars."

Southstone said she works with about 25 insurance companies. Her employer offers products such as home health care protection and a family protection plan.

The home health care plan pays for home health care while the family plan is a death benefit, she said.

Southstone said clients make investments ranging from $5,000 to $1 million, adding most of the clients range in age from 65 to 85.

"It does not matter what you earn," she said. "It is what you want to invest to help secure the retirement income for the future."

Clients inquire about passing on their retirement income to their heirs, Southstone said. She added she provides policies for spouses and other family members.

"It helps people sleep at night knowing that when they wake up in the morning there is no downturn risk," Southstone said. She said clients may transfer money from 401(k) plans, individual retirement accounts, certificates of deposit and other investments into in a tax-deferred, guaranteed retirement plan.

The rates for the guaranteed plans are fixed, Southstone said, adding, "Nothing can go wrong because it is guaranteed.

"This is people's money. This is people's personal money. Some of the funds are all they have left because they lost money in the (stock) market."

She said she does not charge fees for the services, and instead gets paid by insurance companies that she represents.

The Interest Rate Store maintains business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. For more information, call 445-6600, or log onto www.TheInterestRateStore.com.



Have you opened a new business that is not a home occupation? Send an email to khedler@prescottaz.com.


 

The Prescott Daily Courier Home


< Full site