Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Wilhelm.
Michael, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was very fortunate to have the mother I have today. She is 87 years old, volunteer 3 days a week at the food pantry, walks 3 miles every day and has a spiritual, uplifting attitude-she has no quit and would rather break down physically than rust sitting on a couch. This is the attitude that she raised my brother Kim and I with. My brother Kim is also an extremely successful business owner in Houston. We both found our passion and set out to help people. I have always loved working with Senior Citizens. They are so sweet, loving and kind. The challenge that they are faced with, is that they have not always had someone to trust to help them transition properly and safely into the last part of their years. Helping guide them safely in the last part of their life, so that they can live a long and healthy life is a burning desire in my heart to assist them.
My life has always been about having fun along with building. I realized early on that if what I was doing was not fun, then it was not really a burning desire in my heart. Building is about self-improvement, spirituality and the gift of life. When my parents divorced at an early age, my mother worked 2 jobs to build a life for my brother and I. My brother and I learned at an early age that the way to overcome pain and sorrow, was through building a better life. If we did not focus on building a better life, the focus would be on the pain and suffering, which is no fun. As I like to tell everybody, God did not leave anybody out. Look what happened to Him and everything He did, He did in love. If you are hurting financially, the only way out of poverty is by building a better life. If you are having health challenges, you have to build your health. To me, it’s all about building.
Has it been a smooth road?
Unlicensed individuals who provide insurance advice: People like to hear the advice of people they know and trust. This oftentimes includes family, church members, neighbors, friends and sometimes even doctors or pharmacists. While this is good in many instances, that’s not so when it comes to providing insurance advice. We speak with people every day whose spouse, sibling, doctor, etc. has advised them to enroll in a certain Medicare plan because it is “the best”. What’s best for one may not be best for someone else. Everyone’s situation is unique to them and it is important that a unique analysis is done to ensure the chosen plan is going to meet their individual needs. For example: people who see the doctor more frequently and have serious health conditions may want to consider a Medicare Supplement over a Medicare Advantage Plan.
This type of plan has a higher monthly premium, but costs are more predictable because there are no co-pays or co-insurance amounts once the premium has been paid. For people who do not go to the doctor very often or who are on a fixed income, they may want to consider a Medicare Advantage Plan which offers a very low, sometimes, $0, monthly premium. With this type of plan, you pay as you receive services so the more often you see the doctor or have any procedure or test done, the more it will cost out of pocket. If someone who is healthy recommends a Medicare Advantage Plan to someone who sees the doctor several times a month and whose health is critical, it could put them in a very bad situation in regard to their health and finances. While that won’t be true in every case, this is just an example that we see all too often. In order to overcome this, we take our time to explain both types of plans, the benefits of each one, and what the drawbacks are. We validate the information we provide by using verifiable sources such as Medicare’s website.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Trusted Senior Specialists story. Tell us more about the business.
Trusted Senior Specialists takes pride in educating, guiding and empowering our Medicare eligible on how to research and enroll in Medicare health plans that best fit their needs and situations. Starting in Texas over a decade ago, TSS still loves serving the thousands of beneficiaries nationwide with their healthcare needs. In recognizing businesses and non-profits for their achievements and commitment to quality in the workplace, Trusted Senior Specialists was one of the 292 companies recognized at the annual Better Business Bureau Awards of Excellence on May 10, 2017. Recognized as a Winner of Distinction and Pinnacle Award this was the third time to be recognized by the Better Business Bureau for service excellence. There was only one awarded every year in our category.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The recent hurricane showed the can do, caring attitude of this great city. We are such a diverse culture that people from all over the world come here to live their dreams, raise their families and experience freedom. Houston has more single business owners than any other city in the United States. I would recommend someone starting out in Houston. If you don’t have a great attitude or a great work ethic, you won’t make it anywhere.
Contact Info:
- Address: 10998 S. Wilcrest Drive Suite 195
Houston, TX 77099 - Website: trustedseniorspecialists.com
- Phone: 1-(855)-474-6234
- Email: service@TrustedSeniorSpecialists.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trustedseniorspecialists/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trustedseniorspecialists/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/medicaretss
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/trusted-senior-specialists-houston
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
