Employee Benefits Brokers - Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky

January 2012 – Letter From The CEO

Matt Plapp — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:07:39 +0000

anuary 2012

Friday, January 6, 2012

The Purpose of My E-Newsletter
I hope you enjoy receiving my e-newsletter. It is intended to enhance and complement the personalized service that you already receive from me. The e-newsletter’s main objective is to ensure, regardless of busy work schedules and travel plans, that each of my clients will receive at least a minimal amount of timely advice on a regular basis. I also hope it will stimulate your thinking on issues related to your personal finances by providing you with articles on a variety of financial topics. Please feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions or comments, particularly with regard to the applicability of a given idea to your personal situation.

Please be liberal in sharing this e-newsletter with your colleagues and friends. Feel free to call or e-mail me with the names and addresses of people who might enjoy receiving their own copy of this e-newsletter.

A Financial Plan: Your Financial Road Map
A 2009 survey by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards found that only slightly more than one-third (36%) of Americans have a formal financial plan. A financial plan is a document that serves as a blueprint for addressing your money needs in the most efficient way possible for the rest of your life.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Achieving Your Resolutions
How often have you drawn up an ambitious list of new year’s resolutions, only to find you’ve given up on them after a few weeks? Don’t let that happen to you in 2012. If you want to make strides toward achieving your financial goals, determine why your resolutions have failed in the past and find ways to overcome those obstacles.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Your 401(k) after Changing Jobs
Long gone are the days when most employees worked for the same employer their entire careers. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently that people born between 1957 and 1964 held an average of nearly 11 different jobs between the ages of 18 and 42.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Estate Planning for Singles
If you’re single and think that estate planning is a topic only relevant to married couples, think again. Whether you’ve never been married or recently became a single person again, there are a number of estate planning steps you should consider.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Save as Much as You Can
Are you contributing as much as you can to retirement plans? If you’re not funding the maximum amount possible, you could be missing out on a way to significantly increase your retirement funds.
[FULL ARTICLE]

December 2011 – Letter From The CEO

Matt Plapp — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:53:27 +0000

December 2011

Monday, December 5, 2011

How Your Stage of Life Impacts Your Bond Strategies
A common misconception regarding bonds is that they are only appropriate for older or more conservative investors. However, bonds should be considered by all investors as part of a well-diversified portfolio, even though their role may change over your lifetime.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Helping Beneficiaries Avoid IRA Mistakes
While annual contributions to IRAs are still relatively modest, the ability to roll over 401(k) balances to an IRA can result in significant IRA balances. In addition to retirement planning vehicles, IRAs are thus becoming estate planning tools for individuals who won’t use the entire balance during their lifetimes. If you are in that situation, help your beneficiaries avoid these common IRA mistakes.
[FULL ARTICLE]

How Much Disability Insurance Do You Need?
For many, a long-term disability would be financially devastating. Although no one likes to think about this possibility, you should consider your options now so that you can obtain disability income insurance if needed. Many individuals can find the funds, even though it might be difficult, to get through a short-term disability of six months or less.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Understanding the Roth 401(k)
In 1998, the Roth individual retirement account (IRA) was enacted. Instead of offering a tax break when you contribute, the Roth only allows after-tax contributions; and instead of subjecting retirement-age withdrawals to income taxes, qualified Roth IRA withdrawals are tax free.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Avoid Withdrawal Mistakes
During your working years, your emphasis was to accumulate as much as possible for retirement. But as you near retirement age, you need to start thinking about how to withdraw those funds to maximize your income. To help accomplish that, avoid these mistakes.
[FULL ARTICLE]

November 2011 – Letter From The CEO

Matt Plapp — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:40:40 +0000

November 2011

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Economic Indicators: What Can They Tell You?
Sooner or later, every investor is curious to know if economic indicators can provide clues for investing. That’s why financial institutions have economists on staff and why the latest government reports on this economic indicator or that make headline news. However, the economy is a bit like the weather: forecasters are always talking about it, but what actually happens is quite often a surprise.
[FULL ARTICLE]

How and Why to Build a Bond Ladder
While bonds are subject to several types of risk, two of the main types are interest rate risk, or the risk that interest rate changes will change your bond’s value, and reinvestment risk, or the risk that interest and principal cannot be reinvested at the current bond’s interest rate. It is difficult to simultaneously reduce both risks, since a rise in interest rates reduces reinvestment risk and increases interest rate risk. Thus, you need to find a balance between the two risks.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Keeping Score of Your Financial Progress
Keeping score is important in finances. You only know if you’re making progress toward your goals if you’ve created a plan that tells you where you need to be and when. Essentially, there are two numbers to focus on: your total net worth and your liquid net worth.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Consider Maturity Dates
To help control volatility in your bond portfolio, carefully consider maturity dates before purchase. Bonds can be purchased with maturity dates ranging from several weeks to several decades. Review how that date affects investment risk and your ability to pursue your investment goals.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Staggered Retirements
Often, spouses don’t retire at the same time. Keep these points in mind if you are in that situation.
[FULL ARTICLE]

October 2011 – Letter From The CEO

scanloninc — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:50:40 +0000

October 2011

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Get These Decisions Right
The sheer number of financial decisions required to manage our finances can seem overwhelming. But often we spend an inordinate amount of time on small stuff – getting the bills paid on time, reconciling bank accounts, and calling to have a late charge waived. While those things need to get done, how do we judge whether we’re headed on the right course? There are six basic financial decisions that can determine the course of your financial life.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Keep Track of Your Retirement Accounts
In the past, when a person worked for one company for his/her entire career, keeping track of his/her retirement plan was easy. In those days, a retirement plan meant a pension; and unless you worked in the pension department, you didn’t have to do anything to manage it except show up for work.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Financial Advice for Your Children
It’s a common enough goal – to live a better life than your parents. While you may be able to say you accomplished that goal, how likely is it that your children will be able to say the same thing? To help them with that pursuit, make sure to teach them these important financial lessons.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Contributing to a Spousal IRA
A spousal individual retirement account (IRA) allows a nonworking spouse to contribute to an IRA, even though the spouse has little or no earned income. Here are the basics.
[FULL ARTICLE]

What Is Causing the Jobless Recovery?
Although the recession officially ended in June 2009, unemployment rates are decreasing slowly, the average length of unemployment remains at a historical high, and the unemployment rate is projected to remain above 7.8% until 2013. The concern is that we are again facing a jobless recovery, with economic activity growing while the unemployment rate remains high.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Referral Success 202

Matt Plapp — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 14:21:28 +0000

Title: Referral Success 202
Location: Blue Ash Office HQ
Link out: Click here
Description: If you don’t have a referral marketing plan for your business, this session is a must!

You will learn how to develop a strategic referral network, who should be in it, how to find them, and how to motivate those people to refer business to you.

This class will open your eyes to the possibilities of generating more sales in less time by doing business by relationship. Unless you can find more time and work harder than you already are, you can’t afford to miss this class. You will learn some specific techniques that will enable you to really work smarter, not harder.

Office Blue Ash West Lake Center
4555 Lake Forest Dr
Suite 650
Cincinnati, OH 45242

Start Time: 1pm
Date: 2011-09-07
End Time: 5pm

Letter From The CEO

Matt Plapp — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:57:11 +0000

Brought to you compliments of Scanlon & Associates Below you’ll find out monthly E-Newsletter that talks about many topics that can help you and your business with everyday challenges.The Purpose of My E-Newsletter
I hope you enjoy receiving my e-newsletter. It is intended to enhance and complement the personalized service that you already receive from me. The e-newsletter’s main objective is to ensure, regardless of busy work schedules and travel plans, that each of my clients will receive at least a minimal amount of timely advice on a regular basis. I also hope it will stimulate your thinking on issues related to your personal finances by providing you with articles on a variety of financial topics. Please feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions or comments, particularly with regard to the applicability of a given idea to your personal situation.Please be liberal in sharing this e-newsletter with your colleagues and friends. Feel free to call or e-mail me with the names and addresses of people who might enjoy receiving their own copy of this e-newsletter.

September 2011 Monday, September 12, 2011

Saving and Life Planning
Everybody is unique, so there’s no such thing as one financial plan that will suit everyone. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some broad guidelines to fit common situations. So, when it comes to your savings, here are some benchmarks to indicate whether you’re following the right priorities and are on track for meeting your financial goals.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Is the U.S. Past the Savings Crisis?
From the 1990s until just a few years ago, the U.S. was experiencing a savings crisis. People were spending nearly all the money they earned and more, by borrowing on credit cards and the equity in their homes. In late 2005, the U.S. saving rate officially went negative.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Using IRAs for Charitable Contributions
As part of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, taxpayers age 70 1/2 and older can still take tax-free distributions, up to $100,000 in 2011, from traditional and Roth individual retirement accounts (IRAs) for charitable purposes. This provision is expected to increase charitable contributions from IRAs.
[FULL ARTICLE]

The Advantage of Going Public
As the price of attending the nation’s “elite” private colleges and universities rose over the last 10 to 20 years, a curious thing happened: so did their number of student applications. These schools, whose total annual costs have risen to $50,000 year or more, appear to have defied the laws of supply and demand.
[FULL ARTICLE]

Taking Required Minimum Distributions
While the tax code allows you to save money, tax deferred, in retirement plans such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs), 401(k) plans, and other retirement plans, the Internal Revenue Services wants its cut sometime. That’s why most holders of most retirement accounts must start withdrawing money at age 70 1/2. The amount that you are required to withdraw is called a required minimum distribution (RMD).
[FULL ARTICLE]

Referral Marketing At It’s Best

Matt Plapp — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:35:12 +0000

Since 1999 we have owned and operated the franchise in Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky for BNI, Business Network International. BNI is the #1 referral marketing organization in the world. Locally in 2011 1,400 members will pass $40 Million in closed business. Stop Cold Calling and join a BNI Chapter today!

Welcome to our new website!

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 19:21:35 +0000

Welcome to the new Scanloninc.net! Our new website will help you interact with us even better. Let us know what you think and give us any suggestions that you’d like to see. On this site you’ll find the most recent updates on Health Care Reform, updates on referral marketing from BNI and The Referral Institute and the information& forms you’ll need to help you through the process of getting you and your employees insured.