Text Box: Text Box: Agent picture Text Box: Text Box: Look Out for The Hidden 401 (K) Costs When it comes to your 401(k), you probably don’t think about fees. After all, your employer foots the bill, right? Wrong. Employees typically paid mutual-fund expenses, but now more are shouldering administrative expenses, which employers used to pay. “Fees for 401(k) plans run anywhere from 10 basis points (0.01 percent) for IBM’s plan to 300 basis points (3 percent),” says Ted Benna, who created the first 401(k) plan in 1981 and is founder of the 401(k) Association, a Pennsylvania benefits consulting firm. At a Fortune 500 corporation, your fees are likely to be lower than what you would pay if you worked for a small company; 90 percent of plans cover fewer than 100 participants. Depending on their size, fees can determine whether your nest egg looks like an ostrich’s or a sparrow’s. Say you invest $50,000 in a plan that charges a 0.5 percent fee, and you enjoy an 8 percent annual return for 30 years. You will retire with $437,748. Pay fees of 1.5 percent and you will have $107,000 less. The fees are not always visible. Typically a broker will set up a company’s plan at no charge, bundling fees for administering the account with mutual-fund expenses. The broker stuffs the plan with higher-cost share classes, which drain money from employees’ accounts. “In essence the company shifts the costs of administering the plan directly to the employees,” explained Don Phillips, managing director of Morningstar, the Chicago-based mutual-fund research company. How you can save • Choose funds with low expense ratios. • Ask your human-resources department to disclose the total fees you are paying. One percent is reasonable, says Benna. If you don’t get a response, call the Employee Benefit Security Administration at 866-444-3272 to complain. • If you left 401(k) accounts with an old job, particularly with a small company, consider rolling the money into your new employer’s plan or to an Individual Retirement Account to save on fees. For additional information please give our office a call.   Text Box:  I hope you enjoy this month's sample newsletter In addition, if you want to have your own client newsletter go to :Http://www.pmrsystem.com     Please contact our office at 435-563-4749 with any questions you might have.                 Text Box: FEBRUARY issue Smart Money News and Facts You Should Know! Your Address Phone number  § E-mail:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Text Box: Thoughts For The Month   Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.         - Winston Churchill You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.        - Eleanor Roosevelt                

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

                                                                                                                                                             

 

Text Box: More Interesting Facts you Should Know! Text Box:   What should I pack in my carry-on luggage? A passport, for all travel outside the U.S. and identification purposes,  including Wallet, Driver’s License, photo ID Insurance cards for both your medical and auto, Credit Cards and Travelers checks Airline, Cruise or Train tickets Itinerary with confirmation numbers and addresses and phone numbers of where you'll be staying Travel brochures and maps Lots of crisp one-dollar bills for tipping A small amount of local currency for immediate use. Here’s 10 Ways To Make You and Your Family Safer?  (1) First and foremost, we must be more vigilant. We must be more aware of our surroundings. This is not being paranoid, it’s being aware.  (2)Review the situation in your mind. You need to be prepared to assess all your options quickly, to ensure that your response will be the one most likely to get you out of the situation unharmed.  (3)Act, don't react. This goes along with remaining proactive and taking the initiative, rather than allowing the wrongdoer to be the one who "calls the shots." Expect the unexpected by being aware and prepared.  (4) Develop an effective personal protection plan. Having a plan in advance will reduce the likelihood that you'll be thrown off guard and act foolishly rather than proactively if you have to protect yourself.  (5) Practice protection and evacuation/escape techniques and procedures. Practice makes perfect is more than and old saying, it is a time honored truth. These type skills can save lives, including your own.  (6) Don't forget to turn on your alarm system whenever you leave your house. You won't be surprised when you re-enter your home.  (7) Don't neglect to repair broken locks on windows or doors. What you don't fix today can help a wrongdoer tonight or tomorrow. Don't be an accomplice in a crime against yourself.  (8) Don't leave the bushes and shrubbery around your house untrimmed. When you do, you leave places and spaces for the wrongdoers to lurk and hide and lye in the shadows.  (9) A wrongdoer's ultimate dream. An unlocked car in a driveway with an extra set of keys to your house inside. This can be a nightmare.  (10)Always keep a charged cell phone in your bedroom at night.  Alphonso Smith Author is a personal security design specialist,       Text Box: 3 Secret Success Tips for Daily Living Whether we like to admit it or not, most of us have a common misconception that people who are truly successful in life have some sort of gift or skill, or that they were given some kind of incredible break or opportunity during their life that allowed them to achieve their incredible success. The secret to true and lasting success is that we simply need to get out of our own way and permanently bury the self-limiting beliefs that have been keeping us from our dreams for all of these years! Success Secret #1Every single person who ever achieved or maintained success in this world first had a clear picture in their mind of what that success looked like. How much success do you think you will have if your statement of action looks like any of these? I am going to be the best BLANK in the history of mankind! My body is going to BLANK like no one else’s ever has! I am going to build the most powerful company ever, and we are going to sell BLANK Success Success Secret #2 You must BELIEVE that you can accomplish your goal! You would think that something as simple as that would go without saying, but the sad truth of the matter is that most people are brought up to believe that they are limited by what is realistically possible. In fact, the more time you spend learning about the state of affairs in the world at large, as well as in your own neighborhood, the more you will become conditioned to believe that you can only accomplish certain things because “that’s just the way it is”. Success Secret #3 No one who ever achieved any lasting success ever did so by sitting at home studying the long lost secrets of other successful people. It doesn’t matter if you are talking about following the path of wealthy business men and women, tracking the health practices of people with picture-perfect bodies, or just cracking the code of someone who has mastered gloriously fulfilling relationships. Your ability to memorize their master plans will do you absolutely no good whatsoever if you do not get up and take action on what you have learned. Does that mean that you need to plan to dedicate 18-hour work days to building the next business empire, spend countless hours at the gym, or practice every relationship-saving technique that you read about? Of course not. The Secrets to Success of the Simple Minded are 3 very ordinary concepts that every single person ever born has the ability to bring to bear: Know what you Want - Believe that you can have It – Take consistent action to attain It a  Aaron Potts is the founder of the Today is that Day Success Community, and the author of products that teach about [http://www.todayisthatday.com] (link: http://www.todayisthatday.com) to learn about his Success Community, his products, or his free Self Empowerment newsletter    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

                                                                                                                                                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

 

Text Box: Page 2 Text Box: This news is all about you… Text Box: Thank You for Your Referrals There’s no question I have the BEST customers on the entire planet. My business is built on word of mouth advertising and I like to thank the following people who were kind enough to recommend my services to their friends.   Thank you soooo much!   (In this section you list all your clients who referred people to you, even if those people didn’t end up buying.)     Famous Birthdays for February   Lisa Marie Presley             Christie Brinkley                   Fran Tarkenton                     Charles Lindberg                  Henry “Hank” Aaron          Roger Staubach                    Greg Norman                      L.L. Bean                          Jack Benny                         Gene Pitney                        Edward Kennedy              Peter Fonda                        Mario Andretti                   Beware of Safety Deposit Boxes   Are you aware that when the owner of a safety deposit box dies, the bank often seals the box until after the estate settles.  That makes it impossible for the heir’s t o access the contents of the box.  You wouldn’t think that would be a big deal...except that often times the box contains important papers that would help the heirs collect on life Insurance polices or papers that the heirs need to file a final tax return for the deceased (to avoid penalties and other costs to the  estate)…just a couple of examples of things that could go wrong if the safety deposit box weren’t titled properly. Please call our office to discuss several solutions to this problem.                            

 
 

Text Box:     Financial Strategy of the Month Annuities vs. CDs Annuities and CDs (bank certificates of deposit) are similar in that they are safe, secure investments with guaranteed rate of returns based on interest rates, both issued by large financial institutions, CDs issued by banks, Annuities offered by insurance companies, but they both possess inherent differences as well. The big differences are that while Annuities offer everything CDs offer, they carry several advantages. Generally Higher returns Tax-Deferral and Liquidity. CDs do have FDIC protection to guard against Bank or banking industry failure, but Annuities also have safety measures put in place by the state to ensure Insurance companies have reserve pools in place. Insurance companies may also be vetted for financial strength by obtaining their rating from objective rating firms -- Standard & Poor's, Moody's, A.M. Best or Duff & Phelps. The more solid the rating usually equates to a more solid financial backbone of Insurance Company. Higher Returns: Annuities, like CDs, are hinged to interest rates. But when rates are low so are CD returns whereas annuities have a minimum guarantee in place, usually 3% or 4%. Your investment will never dip below the guaranteed minimum interest rate during times of falling or low interest rates. Again, low interest rates mean CD returns will be low as well. To offset the problem of low or falling interest rates, insurance companies equip annuities with guaranteed minimums.  Tax-Deferral: You pay annual taxes on CD interest earned without being able to withdraw funds until your investment term is over. With annuities, there is also a set term, but the earnings are tax-deferred. You only pay taxes on interest earned when money is withdrawn. So with annuities the deferred tax on your interest remains in the investment earning you more and more money, instead of being paid out to state and federal tax agencies on a yearly basis. Liquidity: CDs do not allow you to withdraw any monies during term. Period. Annuities have provisions that allow you to withdraw money, generally 10% of your account value annually plus many contracts allow you to remove the earned interest on a monthly basis. Several other contract provisions allow you access to all of your funds such as in the event you are hospitalized, undergoing a life-threatening illness, subjected to a permanent or extended stay in a nursing home, or other major calamities that affect you economically. In addition, annuities can be structured to pay-out for the life of the owner over a fixed term such as five or ten years, thereby spreading out your tax-burden and providing enhanced income security. In short, Annuities offer enhanced flexibility.   Bank CD Annuity Loan privileges No YES Flexible premium No YES Avoidance of probate costs and delays No YES Withdraw for required minimum distributions, penalty free No YES Potential Social Security tax advantage No YES Nursing Home Benefit No YES Guaranteed lifetime income option No YES Potentially high yields No YES Tax-deferred Growth No YES        

  

 

 


 

                                                                                                                                                                        

 

 

 

 

 

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Text Box: Page 3 Text Box: The back page… Text Box: Health Smart Daily Exercise Suggestions "To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first." -Shakespeare, Henry VIII. Act I. Sc. 1 Walk 10 Minutes a Day and Increase Your Fitness Level Old thinking was to work out in a sweat-filled gym for hours a day. No pain, no gain. New studies show that even short bouts of activity can increase your fitness level, especially if you're new at working out.  Park and Walk Whenever you have an errand, park your car as far away as you can handle and walk to the store. At the mall, park at the farthest end and walk the length of the mall. Use every opportunity to walk. At the end of the day, it all adds up to better fitness. Crunch in Bed Before you even get out of bed in the morning, do 10 stomach crunches while lying flat on your mattress. Increase daily by one until you get up to 100. Think you'll never get there? Try it. You may eventually have to set your clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier, a small price to pay for a flatter stomach. FREE REPORTS!   The following reports are available at our website or call our office: www.promoneyreports.com/username   “The 10 Things Your Banker Won’t Tell You About Your CD’s” How To Protect Your Assets  From the Government” Text Box: Latest Health News     New Clients We Want To Welcome…   I’d like to welcome the following people and organizations to my rapidly expanding client family…   (In this section you will list of your new clients.)   And Our Client Of The Month Is….   (In this section you feature one of your clients and give some brief details about him or her. People love this!)   Five Tips on How to Stick with your New Year's Resolutions 1. Focus on positive self-talk. Congratulate yourself every time you take a step towards your resolution goal. Be your own best cheerleader. 2. Avoid berating yourself if you should fall back or break a resolution. Just brush yourself off and start over again. 3. Stick to your resolution by considering it a promise to yourself, not a test of your willpower. 4. Avoid situations that put you in temptation's path, meaning if you're on a diet, don't go to the ice cream parlor. 5. Keep a sticky note in a prominent place so that you see it every day, reminding yourself of your resolutions. (i.e., on your bathroom mirror, next to your bed, on the visor of your car, on the refrigerator)                                    

 

 

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