1 January February 2015 David Rosenow, Editor VP Business & Product Dev Director of Compliance Insight Light JoAnne Hufnagel, Advanced Sales & Strategies Assistant http://www.harbourinv.com Investment Advisor Magazine’s Division 1 Broker Dealer of the Year 2007 & 2008 In Co te it gr i m m St a t y n e m lit i b y t Admiral’s Club Trip 2015 - Panama Our Admiral’s Club trip destination 2015 was Panama City, Panama. Panama City is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama and is located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Panama’s Tocumen International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in Central America with direct international flights. Our resort, the Intercontinental Playa Bonita was on the Canal and I was really taken with the view from the beachfront or our patio – lines of ships waiting to travel through the Panama Canal. Tides on the Pacific side were as high as 18 ft while the Atlantic side is only 1 ½ to 2 ft. It was truly an amazing Insight Light January February 2015 experience! Most of the group got in Saturday so we had a Happy Hour / Reunion later in the day to meet, get acquainted and relax after a long flight. We had 78 travelers this year and many first time attendees. There is always something to do and people are free to go at their own pace or spend time with the group, so everyone had a great time. Many went to historic Old Town, the causeway and dined at Trump Towers, enjoying the warm temperatures as well as the cultural diversity. Sunday was a free day, just relaxing by the pool, and later watching the Super Bowl. Thank goodness it was broadcast in English! Monday, more than twenty of us went on a four mile hike up and around the peak next to the resort. We saw a variety of wildlife, such as sloths, various species of birds and a tarantula as we trekked through the forest. Tuesday we climbed onto buses to Colon. We went to the Free Trade Zone and in late afternoon took the Panamanian Railroad back to Panama City. The Panamanian Railroad was used to ship cargo from one coast to the other before the Panama Canal was built and is still being used today. On Wednesday, we regrouped, taking over the activities pool. We played lots of water volleyball and just relaxed for the day, enjoying the warm tropical temperatures. Thursday everyone was up and at ‘em to take part in a partial transit on the Panama Canal. I enjoyed the trip down the Canal immensely, learning the history of the Canal as well as moving through the locks and watching the ships. The largest ship we saw was carrying 5,000 cars. The most interesting fact I learned about the cargo ships was that they stack cargo containers, as much as ten high and if they encounter bad weather, they release the top containers into the ocean so they stay afloat and balanced. The shipping companies include that loss as part of their profit/loss ratio. Most returned home on Saturday after a relaxing and diverse week in Panama! I enjoy our trip every year because I get to spend quality time with our reps and their spouses. If you have not gone with the group yet, I think you should put it on your bucket list. Those who attended get to cross the Panama Canal off their list! Submitted by Rhonda Meyer VP and Chief Operating Officer Did You Know? Some 52 million gallons of fresh water are used each time a ship makes a trip through the Panama Canal. The water comes from Gatun Lake, which was formed during the canal’s construction by damning the Chagres River. With an area of more than 163 square miles, Gatun Lake was once the world’s largest made-man lake. On average, it takes a ship 8 to 10 hours to pass through the canal. While moving through it, a system of locks raises each ship 85 feet above sea level. Ship captains aren’t allowed to transit the canal on their own; instead, a specially trained canal pilot takes navigational control of each vessel to guide it through the waterway. In 2010, the 1 millionth vessel crossed the canal since it started in 1914. 2 Insight Light 3 January February 2015 Financial Tracking It is that time of year again to log in to financial tracking and verify the activity in your brokerage accounts. As you know, Harbour has a responsibility to supervise our representative’s brokerage accounts and it is your responsibility to notify Harbour of those accounts. We are asking you to go to https://secure.financialtracking.com/login to verify this information by July 31, 2015. Your user name is your email address and your password is what you set it at last year. If you don’t have a financial interest in a brokerage account, there is no need to do anything. Financial Tracking will send out a monthly notice to those who have not successfully verified their accounts. At this time, we are not able to customize the message to identify that the Financial Tracking message is associated with Harbour. If you have brokerage accounts that are not showing up in the Financial Tracking website or accounts that have been closed, please let me know so we can get it updated. Submitted by Jeremey Brown Advanced Sales & Strategies Principal Fixed Insurance Manager Harbour Staff Direct Lines - Skip The Receptionist For a list of Harbour staff, their direct numbers and, phone extensions please click here. As always, in case of immediate need, feel free to call (608) 662-6100 and we can find someone to answer your question. But for those calls that do not require immediate attention, please dial the direct number or enter an extension when you get to Harbour’s voice mail message. If the person you dialed does not answer, please leave a message and staff will be diligent to return your calls. Most often when someone does not answer, they are on the phone, in a meeting or have stepped out for lunch. In addition to dialing an extension you can dial 2 for Trading, 3 for Commissions or Licensing, or 4 for Recruiting. This goes into a loop and the next available person in that department will answer. And maybe you didn’t know that by pressing the star key, you can enter the first letters of either someone’s first or last name and in most cases it will transfer to that staff member. Skipping the receptionist is a time saver!! Submitted by JoAnne Hufnagel Advanced Sales & Strategies Assistant Making the Best of Your Job I was reading an article in one of our local magazines called, In Business, and the title itself caught my eye. The article was written by Jenna Atkinson whose father had just retired from UPS after thirty years of employment. So why was this editorial so unique and something worth passing along to you? Let’s be honest, we all have our days where we just want to be at home or out doing other things besides “work” and this happened to be one of those days for me (also a few days before Panama so I had the itch to be someplace warm). Reading, “How to Love Your Job,” made me realize just how much I do appreciate where I am at not only in life, but in my career, and the biggest part of this… the people. While reading below, think of how these situations relate to you and your clients. Insight Light 4 January February 2015 Jenna asked her father three key questions to find out what allowed him to be with an employer for 30 years. Not only was it because UPS wanted to keep him around, but the people he worked with played a tremendous role and was his favorite thing about the job. “There will always be difficult people in the world, but the majority of them have good intentions. Everyone is fighting his or her own battles, so be kind and always willing to help,” says her father. He continues with saying, “Invest in getting to know people and helping them succeed, and it will pay huge dividends in your career and life.” The second question she asked, “What advice would you give to people just starting careers?” His response, “look for a company that would help support you and your professional growth in the same way you contribute to its success and growth. Look for companies and company leaders who are willing to help you reach your goals.” Try replacing “Company” with “Advisor” and speak from the client. They go hand-in-hand don’t they. Your clients are looking to you to help them reach their retirement goals. From the company aspect, one of Harbour’s goals is to help you reach your goals so you can share them with others. Compliance is a big part of what we do to help you as an independent financial professional, but we also are here to help you so you can help your clients. The final question Jenna asked her father, “What was the biggest challenge of your career?” As most of you have probably experienced, when you have to choose between your family and career, you hope for no regrets. In a particular situation, he chose his family even though this would limit him to certain opportunities in his career. The challenge wasn’t so much making the decision; it was learning to love his job for what it was. He found ways to spread his dedication, positive attitude and passion to everyone around him. Every once in awhile, we are forced to make choices that may not benefit our career, but sometimes “success is not about how high you climb, but how you handle your priorities and who is with you on the journey.” To sum it up, getting to know the people you work with on a deeper level can help your experiences with your employer or coworkers that much better; finding ways to show dedication to your organization can create respect and trust between everybody involved; and taking steps to truly love what you do can be the hardest part, but worth it in the end. All of these were accomplished on my experience to Panama with the Harbour family this year. I was not only able to learn more about the people that make Harbour possible, but they were all so positive and supportive of each other both professionally and personally. By far one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had, well until July 2015 that is. Works Cited Atkinson, J. (2015, February). In Business. How to Love Your Job , p. 6. Submitted by Carina Moreland Training & Transition Coordinator Registered Principal Free Money For College? Your clients won’t be getting grants or scholarships for their retirement, but you can help them try to get some for their kid’s college. If you have clients with kids in college, or kids entering college next year, you should urge your client to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA form is necessary to be considered for financial aid from federal and state government and from most colleges and universities. This includes grants, loans and/ or merit based aid. Although the federal deadline for the form isn’t until June 30th 2016 for the 2015-2016 school year, many states and schools have deadlines in early 2015 and some award aid on a first come, first served basis. On average, students that complete the FAFSA form in January, February and March receive more than twice as much grant funding as students who 5 Insight Light January February 2015 complete the FAFSA later. If your client thinks they may make too much money to get aid, or were previously turned down, they should still file the form. Surprisingly, 18.7% of students whose parents earned over $100,000 received non-need and merit based grants according to the 2011-12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). Additionally, for those same students whose parents made over $100,000, 11.3% received needbased grants. One possible reason for such a seemingly high number is that they take into account the number of siblings going to college at the same time. Having two kids in school is similar to making only half the income. If your clients are not currently using the FAFSA, they are in the minority according to the 2011-12 NPSAS. Approximately 72% of all families who have kids in college fill out the form, and that is true for all income levels. 73.2% of families earning over $250,000 per year are filling out the form in hopes of getting some sort of aid. Even if college is years away, you can do some things now to help your clients be prepared to get aid. One way is to let them know to watch out for grandparent owned 529 Plans. Distributions from these plans are considered untaxed income to the student and can reduce their need-based eligibility by up to 50% of the distribution amount. Conversely, a distribution from 529 Plans owned by the parent or the student is only counted at a rate of 5.64%. So if the student received $10,000 from a 529 owned by their grandparent, it might reduce their eligibility by $5,000, but if that distribution came from a parent owned 529, it would only reduce eligibility by $564. In cases like this, you may want to change the owner of the 529 Plan to the parent in advance of filling out the FAFSA, or use the money from the grandparent owned 529 Plan last, preferably when the student is a senior, or doesn’t need financial aid anymore. Another idea to understand is that 529 Plans that are owned by the student in an UTMA are considered a parent asset, but if the UTMA is not in a 529 Plan, it is considered the student’s asset. One last thing to consider is if your client owns a business, he or she might want to consider shifting some income to the student. This is because if a student can show that they pay half of their own support and file their own tax return, they may be eligible for tax credits. You should visit www.Edvisors.com/ fafsa/forms/tutorial/ to learn more about the subject. It has a link to the FAFSA form and a nice instruction manual to help your clients fill it out. Submitted by Rick Medland Transaction Compliance Manager New Changes to 529 Plans Changes for all 529 Plans have been updated on Harbour’s web site, but of particular interest is the change President Obama signed into law late last year. Investors in 529 college savings plans can now make changes to their investment holdings twice a year rather than the onceyearly change permitted under previous IRS restrictions. Please keep in mind that you are required by SEC rules to discuss the 529 Plan offered by the state where the owner resides. There have also been some exciting changes that were made to the WI 529, Edvest and Tomorrow’s Scholar. For those of you who are in Wisconsin or have clients in Wisconsin, you need to know about Senate Bill 389, which provides a number of changes to the existing Wisconsin state tax deduction for 529 plan contributions. Among the changes: • All contributions in excess of the maximum limit may be carried forward for an unlimited number of years. • Any contributor who is a Wisconsin tax payer may contribute to any Wisconsin 529 plan account and receive an income tax deduction for their contributions, regardless of their relationship to the beneficiary. • The deadline for making the annual deductible contribution will be extended to April 15th of the following year. • The maximum annual deductible limit per beneficiary will be increased annually to reflect inflation. For 2014, the limit is $3,050.00. The deductible limit for 2015 has not been announced, and may not be announced until after April 15th. Insight Light 6 January February 2015 • Deductions taken for contributions and later withdrawn as a non-qualified distribution will be subject to recapture. • Wisconsin 529 accounts will not be subject to claims by creditors. These changes are all very beneficial to Wisconsin residents and make it even easier for you to sell to your clients. Here are some other highlights of the WI Plan: • Run by TIAA CREF and VOYA Funds • Minimum contribution of $250, or $25 with an automatic contribution • Maximum contribution limit is $330,000 • No enrollment fee, and a $25 annual fee is waived for accounts with over $25,000 in assets or accounts with automatic deposits that have been turned on for over one year. As for other states in the area, here are the highlights: Illinois – Bright Start College Savings Program: • Run by Oppenheimer Funds • Up to $10,000 per parent (so a total of up to $20,000 a year) is deductible from IL state taxes • Maximum contribution limit is $350,000 • No enrollment fee and a $25 minimum to open an account • Contribution deadline is December 31st postmark • Employers can claim a credit against Illinois tax for 25% of matching contributions made to an employee’s account in an Illinois 529 Plan, with a maximum annual credit of $500 per employee, and unused credits may be carried forward for five years. Indiana • Run by Ascensus • A 20% tax credit on up to $5,000 per year in contributions can be claimed against Indiana income tax (maximum yearly credit is $1,000). The account must remain open for at least one year to avoid recapture of the tax credit on distributions used to pay qualified education expenses. Rollover contributions and contributions generated through a rewards program are not eligible for the tax credit. • Maximum contribution limit is $298,770 • Minimum contribution is $25 • A $20 annual account maintenance fee is charged to accounts with assets under $25,000 • Contribution deadline is December 31st Iowa – IAdvisor 529 Plan: • Run by VOYA Funds • Up to $3,163 per parent (so a total of up to $6,326 a year) is deductible from IA state taxes, only contributions made by the account owner are deductible • Maximum contribution limit is $320,000 • No enrollment fee and a $250 lump sum minimum initial contribution, $50 minimum if a monthly deposit is set up • Contribution deadline is December 31st postmark Michigan • Run by Allianz Funds • Up to $5,000 per parent (so a total of up to $10,000 a year) is deductible from MI state taxes. Rollover contributions are not deductible. • Maximum contribution limit is $235,000 • No enrollment fee and a $25 minimum contribution per portfolio • Contribution deadline is December 31st Minnesota • Run by TIAA CREF • Cannot be sold by Harbour representatives, only CREF • No tax deduction is available from MN taxes Ohio – CollegeAdvantage 529 Plan • Run by BlackRock • Up to $2,000 per beneficiary is deductible from OH state taxes per year on contributions or rollovers, with unlimited carryover of excess contributions • Maximum contribution limit is $414,000 • No enrollment fee and a $25 minimum contribution • Annual fee of $25 per year is waived for accounts with assets over $25,000 • Contribution deadline is December 31st Submitted by Rick Medland Transaction Compliance Manager Insight Light January February 2015 Lynn Berry Lynn Berry joined Harbour in November from her previous broker-dealer, NEXT Financial Group. She has been in the securities industry since 1994. Lynn married her high school sweetheart, Scott, who is also in the business. Both reside in Neenah, WI. As a proud Navy mom, she enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, reading and volunteering for Special Olympics and the Boys and Girls Brigade. Julie Gneiser Julie Gneiser joined Harbour in November from her previous broker-dealer, NEXT Financial Group. She has been in the securities industry since 1999. Julie resides in Princeton, WI and enjoys spending her free time with her four children and her grandchildren, gardening, reading, and volunteering as a project coordinator for various local fund raisers in her community. Her mission is to encourage and assist women to become knowledgeable about investing and achieving financial independence. 7 John Harezlak John Harezlak joined Harbour in September from his previous broker-dealer, NFP Securities. He has been in the securities industry since 2001. John and his wife, Theresa, reside in Rockford, IL. In John’s free time, he enjoys volunteering for the Boys and Girls Club and Rockford Lutheran Schools as well as watching his children play sports and taking them fishing. Lyle Hoverson – Esko, MN Lyle and his wife, Debra, live in Esko, MN. They have two grown daughters, Katie and Sarah. Lyle has been in the securities industry since 1988, joining Harbour from his previous broker dealer, Transamerica Financial in January, 2015. Lyle has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Dakota. Lyle is a former Lions Club member and volunteers at his church. He enjoys boating, woodworking and following his favorite teams, the Packers, Vikings, Twins and Brewers. Helen Kelleher - Dubuque, IA Helen Kelleher joined Harbour in October from her previous broker-dealer, First Heartland Capital. She has been in the securities industry since 2003. Helen and her husband Tim reside in Dubuque, IA. When she’s not at the office, she is volunteering as a committee member for the planning team for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life as well as a volunteer for various activities through her church . 8 January February 2015 Dan Lemens - Green Bay, WI Kevin Olvaney – Indianapolis, IN Dan Lemens joined Harbour in November from his previous broker-dealer, NEXT Financial Group. He has been in the securities industry since 2000. Kevin and his wife, Becky live in Indianapolis and have one son, Brennan. Kevin has been in the securities industry since 1999, joining Harbour from his previous broker dealer, American Portfolios in January, 2015. He attended Indiana University. Insight Light Recently married, Dan and his wife Cortney reside in Green Bay, WI. In his free time, you can find him on the coaching staff of the Ashwaubenon Varsity Girls basketball team or playing golf, basketball or football. Kevin is a volunteer for United Way and Mental Health America of Greater Indianapolis. He enjoys spending time with family, golfing and watching his favorite teams, the Colts, Hoosiers and Pacers. His favorite restaurant / food is micro-brewed beer and his favorite travel spot is Florida. MOTIVATIONAL WHAT IS YOUR BASIC RESOURCE? What is your most basic resource? It's not money, not brains, not who you know. Your basic resource is time. Unless you use your time well, you'll never even get a glimpse of what your potential is. Using your time well isn't easy -- which is why so few people do it. We all have challenges with organizing our lives, setting priorities, and planning our time. Regardless of what you do in life, time is money. If I gave you a check for $86,400 and said, "From this moment you have 24 hours to invest it. You can invest in anything you want to with this money. Whatever you don't invest, I get back tomorrow at this exact same moment." What would you do during the next 24 hours? You'd be out there working hard and fast to invest that $86,400, wouldn't you? That being your attitude, why aren't you busily investing as much as you can of the 86,400 seconds given to you every day? That's right -- at the beginning of every day we're all given 86,400 seconds. As each second ticks by, we've lost the benefit of it forever unless we find a way to invest that moment in the future. The seconds of your life -- and that's the way you live it, one second at a time -- can be invested in countless ways that will bring you a future return. Many of these ways will give you repeated returns stretching over many years. You can invest your seconds in the creation of future income, in gaining new knowledge and acquiring useful skills, in making contacts, in enhancing your personal life. The methods of gaining future benefits from present time are myriad. And so are the ways of wasting time. The seconds you squander vanish forever with no potential return. If you don't invest your daily treasure of 86,400 seconds wisely, in essence you hand them back at the end of each day to the force that gave them to you. So, invest your time wisely. Written by Tom Hopkins Courtesy of Jim Rohn International Excerpt taken from Virtual Sales Assistant 9 January February 2015 Upcoming Events Anniversary Wishes! Annual Marketing & Compliance Conference September 28 - 30, 2015 at Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, Wisconsin Gavin Dues - Feb 1, 2012 - Eaton, OH Stephanie Wachholz - Feb 1, 2006 - Green Bay, WI Jim Thompson - Feb 5, 1988 - Madison, WI Randy Brice - Feb 8, 1999 - Green Bay, WI Michelle Caudle - Feb 8, 2011 - Minocqua, WI Mark Santas - Feb 10, 2011 - Beloit, WI Greg Volitich - Feb 11, 2013 - McKees Rocks, PA Roger Hellenbrand - Feb 12, 1997 - Madison, WI Jose Murillo - Feb 14, 2007 - Stevens Point, WI Kerry Gasman - Feb 16, 1993 - Appleton, WI Joe Czukas - Feb 21, 2003 - Brookfield, WI Karla Reno - Feb 23, 2006 - Kalamazoo, MI Bruce Carroll - Feb 26, 1998 - Verona, WI Carol Fasbender - Mar 3, 2000 - St Joseph, MI Gary Drzewiecki - Mar 6, 1990 - Pulaski, WI John Steinke - Mar 6, 2008 - Wisconsin Rapids, WI Troy Pauls - Mar 11, 2002 - Fitchburg, WI Michelle Harrington - Mar 11, 2005 - St Louis Park, MN John Birder - Mar 12, 1998 - Green Bay, WI Tom Bodin - Mar 12, 2009 - Waukehsa, WI Robert Packard - Mar 19, 1991 - Oregon, WI Mark Saunders - Mar 19, 1991 - Madison, WI Ken Rumbaugh - Mar 27, 2003 - Lima OH Terry Balding - Mar 30, 1990 - Sun Prairie, WI Larry Smith - Mar 30, 1990 - Baraboo, WI Gail Aglynas - Mar 30, 2004 - Palos Hills, IL Jay Hinkens - Apr 2, 2007 - Middleton, WI Steve Powers - Apr 8, 2004 - Plymouth, MN Michael Young - Apr 8, 2014 - Verona, WI Jared Holt - Apr 10, 2013 - Mankato, MN Corby Kiss - Apr 17, 2006 - Richland, MI John Augustin - Apr 20, 2001 - Brookfield, WI David DiStefano - Apr 25, 2012 - Janesville, WI Ray Kovalski - Apr 27, 2012 - Beachwood, OH Insight Light Harbour and the Markets Closed February 16 - President’s Day April 3 - Good Friday May 25 - Memorial Day Birthday Wishes! Kerry Gasman - Feb 1 - Appleton, WI Nick White - Feb 2 - Oregon, WI Craig Gonn - Feb 4 - Grafton, WI Erin Jones - Feb 6 - DeForest, WI Larry Smith - Feb 10 - Baraboo, WI Susan Olson - Feb 14 - Sun Prairie, WI Becky Best - Feb 16 - Battle Creek,MI Michelle Caudle - Feb 18 - Minocqua, WI Beverly Hicks - Feb 23 - Madison, WI David Knibbe - Feb 25 - Kalamazoo, MI E. Erik Gauger - Mar 3 - Menomonee Falls, WI Frank Shimkus - Mar 11 - Bloomington, MN Barry Meythaler - Mar 11 - S Wayne, WI Amy Peirce - Mar 13 - St Joseph, MI Rob Groves - Mar 16 - Appleton, WI Jack McKissick - Mar 23 - Elkhart, IN Chris Swenson - Mar 25 - Sun Prairie, WI Julie Gneiser - Mar 26 - Neenah, WI Steve Ratajczak - Mar 27 - Oostburg, WI KC Kauth - Mar 28 - St Paul, MN Christopher Yard - Apr 1 - Maple Grove, MN Jason Speich - Apr 1 - Madison, WI Darrell Carlson - Apr 1 -Vadnais Hts, MN Greg Wagner - Apr 2 - Cross Plains, WI Diane Dillett - Apr 7 - Fitchburg, WI Scott Weilage - Apr 7 - Mankato, MN Bill Rodgers - Apr 9 - St Louis Park, MN Joe Catanzarite - Apr 16 - S Bend, IN Paul Knibbe - Apr 16 - Kalamazoo, MI Greg Volitich - Apr 16 - McKees Rocks, PA Mark Saunders - Apr 21 -Madison, WI Terry Balding - Apr 24 - Sun Prairie, WI Don Gross - Apr 25 - Waukesha, WI Dennis Natzke - Apr 29 - Pulaski, WI Staff Anniversary Wishes! Dan Wipperfurth - Feb 7, 2000 Julie Nelles - Feb 17, 2004 Jessica Koch - Feb 17, 2010 Jim Dushek - Feb 28, 2000 Angie Hellenbrand - March 14, 2005 Jeremey Brown - March 27, 2000 Jennica Valdez - April 11, 2005 Rick MedlandApril 18, 1996 Melissa Johnson - April 23, 2007 Participating Sponsors 2015 Platinum Level Tier I
© Copyright 2026 Paperzz