If federal employees are forced to contribute more toward their civil service retirement benefits, many might have to cut back on their investments in the Thrift Savings Plan, employee organization officials said Monday.

Were very concerned about what the reactions are going to be if the government requires higher contributions, said Clifford Dailing, secretary-treasurer of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association. Federal employees current needs for money could win out, and I have very grave concerns theyre going to live for today and not save for retirement, he said.

NRLCA and other unions, management associations and employee groups are members of the Employee Thrift Advisory Council, which met Monday with the governing board of the TSP, the 401(k)-style retirement savings program for federal employees and retirees and uniformed services members and retirees.

Several members of the council raised concerns about pending legislation to increase required employee contributions toward annuity benefits in the Federal Employees Retirement System and the Civil Service Retirement System. Last week, a House committee approved a bill to raise those contributions by 5 percent of salary, phased in over five years starting in 2013.

That bill could come to a House floor vote soon but is not expected to advance in the Senate.

A separate plan before the House would increase contributions by 1.5 percent of salary over three years. A law enacted this year already requires a 2.3 percent increase for those hired into the government starting next year who have fewer than five years of prior federal service.

Currently, employees under FERS pay Social Security taxes usually 6.2 percent, but 4.2 percent this year plus 0.8 percent of salary toward their civil service benefit; those under CSRS pay 7 percent of their salary toward a more generous civil service benefit but dont receive a Social Security benefit.

If you increase the amount the employees contribute to their base retirement system, theyre going to reduce the amount they pay into the TSP, said Myke Reid, legislative and political department director for the American Postal Workers Union. I think theres a direct correlation. After you get to 12 percent of salary, theres very little left to invest in the TSP.

Reid noted that the FERS system, which covers about four-fifths of executive branch and postal workers, was designed as a three-part system consisting of a smaller civil service annuity, Social Security and the TSP with employer contributions. FERS employees can receive employer contributions equaling up to 5 percent of salary, but only by investing at least that much themselves.

The TSP does not determine the formula for matching investments and has no role in the level of required contributions toward civil service annuities. However, Jacqueline Simon, public policy director for the American Federation of Government Employees, asked the TSP for data that could help gauge whether employees, especially those at lower salary levels, would react to higher contributions toward FERS and CSRS by cutting back on their TSP savings.

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Thrift Savings Plan: Groups ask about retirement benefits changes

DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

From the smallest to the largest, retirement plan clients give the Principal Financial Group high marks for satisfaction and loyalty in two surveyswith client service driving the strong scores.

In the 2011 Chatham Partners Client Satisfaction Survey of medium-to-large defined benefit and defined contribution plans1, The Principal outperformed the benchmark in client loyalty. Ninety-eight percent of clients said they plan to maintain or increase their relationship with The Principal.

The top ratings provided by clients of The Principal are demonstrative of its industry leadership and the consistently excellent service delivered by its client service professionals, said Joshua Dietch, Managing Director of Chatham Partners.

Overall satisfaction with The Principal continues to be strong, receiving a Best in Class ranking2 and 97 percent overall satisfaction score. The Principal exceeded the benchmark in nearly all measures of satisfaction including:

Small plans give big scores

The smallest3 retirement plan clients also gave The Principal high scores. In a similar survey conducted by the retirement market research team at The Principal, the company received a 95 percent or higher score in multiple areas, including:

Transition satisfaction

New clients, who recently transitioned their retirement plans to The Principal, also provide high marks. Across all plan sizes, satisfaction with the coordination/management of client conversion was 95 percent.

We focus on providing the highest level of service for clients of all sizes from day one. We are gratified they continue to rank us so highly, said Greg Burrows, senior vice president of retirement and investor services at The Principal. We use this valuable client feedback to enhance our products and services with the ultimate goal of helping plan sponsors, their financial professionals and participants achieve successful long-term retirement outcomes.

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Retirement Plan Clients of The Principal are Highly Satisfied and Very Loyal

This post comes fromMiranda Marquitat partner blog Bargaineering.

One of the greatretirement savings toolsis the tax-advantaged account. Accounts like 401k's and the IRAs can help you save for retirement, and reap tax advantages at the same time. Your tax-advantaged retirement account can provide you with a great way to save up money for retirement, putting your capital to work for you and building wealth. These accounts are easy to use, and they make saving up for the future fairly simple.

However, even though tax-advantaged retirement accounts are relatively easy to manage, it is possible to make mistakes with them. As you contribute to your retirement account, here arefive common retirement mistakes to avoid:

Not starting as soon as possible

The biggest mistake in any retirement savings plan is to not start as soon as possible. The earlier you start, the more time compound interest can work on your behalf. Getting started is a major part of retirement savings, and putting it off means you fall further behind. Along with this is the idea that you should max out your retirement accounts if you can. Even if you can't max out your contributions right now, you can create a plan to work up to it. (Post continues below video.)

Leaving money on the table

Another issue comes with leaving money on the table. If your employer offers a match, you should take it, up to the maximum allowed. Find out what sort of match is available, and then do what you can to contribute as much as you can in order to qualify for that matching contribution. It's free money that can go toward building your nest egg.

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5 common retirement mistakes

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Transamerica Retirement Services announced today the launch of the Transamerica Partners Sales Academy. The Transamerica Partners Sales Academy offers selected third party administrators (TPAs) the opportunity to define their firms unique value proposition in the small- and mid-sized retirement plan market. Transamericas training helps TPAs build their brand and sales skills expertise through core messaging exercises and presentation skills workshops.

The Transamerica Partners Sales Academy allows TPAs to refine key marketing skills that can help build relationships with small- and mid-sized business owners, said Deb Rubin, vice president and director, national distribution of TPA services at Transamerica Retirement Services. We are committed to helping TPAs expand their businesses. Transamerica has doubled its efforts to better serve the TPA community over the past two years, and has experienced record-breaking growth in the TPA marketplace as a result.

The inaugural Transamerica Partners Sales Academy event was held in Baltimore, Md. and concluded on April 27. Christabelle Cook, a retirement plan consultant with Trinity Pension Consultants, noted, Transamerica gave us access to experts that know how to build and reinforce our companys positive brand, which is just what we need to be more successful. This program is perfectly suited for TPAs because it focuses on giving financial professionals a competitive edge in the retirement plan market.

Phil Dabney, vice president of business development for Benetech, Inc., said, The curriculum was outstanding. Transamerica Partners Sales Academy is a brilliant idea because it offers training and knowledge that can help TPAs like us to exceed our goals.

For more information about Transamerica Partners Sales Academy, please call (877) 398-7526 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

About Transamerica Retirement Services Corporation

Transamerica Retirement Services Corporation (Transamerica or Transamerica Retirement Services), which is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, designs customized retirement plan solutions to meet the unique needs of small- to mid-sized businesses. Transamerica and its affiliates have more than 17,0001 retirement plans totaling more than $20 billion1 in assets. For more information about Transamerica, please refer to http://www.TA-Retirement.com.

1As of December 31, 2011.

TRSC 6303-0412

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Transamerica Retirement Services Announces Partners Sales Academy

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Personal Identity Performance Piece - Video

LOS ANGELES, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To kick off National Physical Fitness Month, SP Health, a consumer health business which develops the world's most comprehensive online weight loss platforms, and personal trainer Gunnar Peterson are launching The Gunnar Challenge, an exclusive online community who participate in an eight-week program of online workouts and healthy meal plans to help achieve dramatic fitness and weight loss results. Once only available to celebrities and top athletes, now anyone who signs up can transform their body in record time with access to Peterson as a personal trainer, including his workouts, recipes, insights, and support tools.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120501/AQ98515)

To celebrate the inaugural challenge, a special "Premiere" workout will be led by Peterson from his exclusive Beverly Hills gym and is free to anyone that signs up on gunnarchallenge.com. The "Premiere" workout will be streamed live online on Tuesday, May 8 at 7 a.m. PST/10 a.m. EST. Following this special event, the first Gunnar Challenge starts Monday, May 21. Registration is now open at gunnarchallenge.com and the full eight-week program costs only $99.

The Gunnar Challenge is an innovative digital health and fitness program that unites nutrition with exercise to help people lose weight and get in great shape.Besides having access to Peterson's private techniques and nutritional guidance to help make the right food choices, The Gunnar Challenge was developed by a team that understands what it takes to lose weight and make a real change in one's life.

"As a personal trainer, my philosophy is that if you put in the work, you get results," said Peterson, the Beverly Hills-based personal trainer to celebrities and professional athletes. "For more than 25 years I've been working with people to transform their bodies, and now I'm proud to launch The Gunnar Challenge so that anyone willing to put in the effort can achieve their goals and change their outlook on life. I can't promise it will be easy, but I will promise to make it fun."

Each workout was developed by and features Peterson, based on his proven techniques that have been getting Hollywood's A-listers in shape for decades. Woven into the workouts are daily motivational video messages which Gunnar calls "verbal vitamins" sharing his personal weight loss beliefs and providing encouragement with a humorous approach. The workouts, between 30 and 60 minutes in length, include functional movements to tone and strengthen the entire body, combined with cardio to burn body fat. There is a new workout each day to prevent boredom, plus a surprise wildcard workout every Saturday.

"Research shows that people often get frustrated with exercise programs because they get stuck in a rut or lose motivation before seeing results," said Scott Penn, founder and chairman of SP Health and former global vice president of Weight Watchers International. "We are thrilled to launch The Gunnar Challenge with America's top celebrity trainer our weight loss program is based on the combined philosophies that through physical science and increased motivation, changes will be made and we'll get you looking 'great in 8.'"

Alongside the workout videos are weekly meal plans and healthy recipes developed by nutrition experts, including family-friendly shopping lists and tips for curbing hunger. Also included is a food tracker with a database of over 100,000 foods, so that all calories can be counted and nutrition intake measured.

Based on the belief that competition spurs motivation, an online forum also is part of the program, as well as a branded presence on Facebook and Twitter. Both to share messages of encouragement and inspire through personal success, a leaderboard will be continuously updated to track progress, with chances to win prizes based on effort, results and performance. Gunnar will also keep participants accountable by demanding a goal be set prior to participation be it losing 20 pounds or being able to run without stopping for 15 minutes and progress will be followed with reminders from Gunnar himself.

The Gunnar Challenge is accessible via the website and smart phones. If not at a personal computer, a log-in is provided to visit the site, view the videos or download recipes from any computer with internet access. The mobile website can be accessed via phones and tablets for unlimited access.

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Gunnar Peterson Launches "The Gunnar Challenge" In Partnership With SP Health

By Bobby Fisher - May 1, 2012 | Tickers: DNKN, PEP, KO | 0 Comments

Bobby is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) has proposeda 2-for-1 stock split which would be its first in 16 years. The split is part of its plan to double its revenues during this decade. Since 1919, when the stock first began to trade, the largest beverages company in the world has split its stock only 10 times. As a strategy, stock splits are used to encourage trading when a company feels that its stock has become too expensive. It can also be used when a company feels that the price of its stock is well above the price of stock of its competition. If the stockholders approve, each shareholder will get one additional share for each shareheld and the total number of shares outstanding will double from 5.6 billion shares to 11.2 billion shares. Coke had earlier reported first-quarter profits that exceeded expectations and the strong performance was the result of higher sales of drinks especially in developing markets such as India and China. The company has successfully managed commodity price inflation while catering to customers who care about price with smaller pack sizes. Incidentally, the smaller sizes also have higher profit margins.

Earlier, Coke had reported a solid performance for the first quarter of 2012. There was 5% growth in global volumes well distributed over the world. Important developed markets such as North America (+2%), Japan (+3%) and Germany (+3%) all showed satisfactory growth but the real strength came from the developing countries India (+20%), China (+9%) and Brazil (+4%). Sparkling beverage volumes were up 4% with contributions from the Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta brands. For the quarter, still beverages such as water, tea, coffee and energy drinks grew by 9% globally. Net income for the quarter was $2.05 billion ($.89 a share) against $1.9 billion ($.82 a share) for the same quarter in the previous year. Revenue for the quarter at $11.14 billion was up 6% over the figure of $10.82 billion for the corresponding quarter in the previous year.

Despite a commendable performance in a declining North American market, the near future for Coke lies in the developing markets and particularly in Asia. You just have to look at the growth in India and China to see where the focus should be. The company expects that the middle class in these markets will add to between 800 million and one billion people in the rest of this decade. It is investing $4 billion in China where growth has doubled over the last few years and is expected to double again by the end of the decade. With over 40 bottling facilities and 60% or more of the market, there is no reason why this objective is not achievable. The key to this growth is not just sparkling beverages like the flagship brand but also beverages like green tea and mineral water in markets like Japan. I personally believe that the blockbuster growth will come from bottled water because many of these countries do not have safe and reliable drinking water and public utilities just do not have the same credibility as a company like Coke. Add to this Coke's ability to invest large amounts in brand building and its expertise in building brands on a long-term basis and you have a powerful recipe for success. In India, the company is looking to invest $2 billion more in order to boost its marketing efforts and its production and distribution infrastructure.

The top beverages in terms of volume sales in the US are Coke, Diet Coke and Sprite all from the Coke stable, Pepsi and 7-Up from Pepsico (NYSE: PEP)and Snapple from Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Globally there is no doubt that this is a two horse race between Coke and Pepsi and no other beverage company can even be remotely considered as competition. I consider quite likely that both Pepsi and Coke could make some strategic acquisitions of brands with large domestic market share. This has worked successfully in India where the Coke acquisition of local cola brand Thums Up has proved to be successful with the local cola out selling its flagship brand. The energy drinks sector is small but growing rapidly and further attention is required. The market leaders are Monster Beverage with a market share of approximately 40% and privately-owned Austrian company Red Bull GmbH with a market share of just under 30%. The Coke energy drink offering, Full Throttle is quite a long way behind and has some catching up to do.

Coke continues an aggressive growth strategy by using partnerships with large beverage distributors and their most recent and notable success has been the exclusive tie up with Dunkin Brands Group (NASDAQ: DNKN). This would give them access to more than 16,000 Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins restaurants in the US. Its willingness to expand its brand portfolio to accommodate local tastes is evidenced by the contribution of local Indian mango beverage "Maaza" to the continued growth. Success for Coke in the beverages market is far more critical than Pepsi because Coke does not have the cushion of the foods businesses that Pepsi does. A major area of concern is the continuously rising sugar prices because sugar is an important input. Production costs continue to increase sharply and, though all beverage manufacturers would be affected, Coke could have the bigger problem because it does not have other diversified businesses.

Because of its solid performance over many years and leadership qualities that it has demonstrated, Coke has always been a high priority as far as equity investors are concerned. In fact, this presents a problem as you will rarely find that the stock market undervalues Coke stock. Most certainly, if you have an investment in Coke, you should consider it as an anchor stock in your portfolio. You should look to add to your holdings on declines in the market price.

BobbyFisher has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. If you have questions about this post or the Fools blog network, click here for information.

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Coca-Cola: This American Staple Should Be in Your Portfolio

HOUSTON, April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. (KRA), a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers, announces financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2012.

2012 FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

"During the first quarter 2012, prices for feedstocks such as butadiene increased rapidly from the December 2011 lows, marking the end of the customer destocking that prevailed in the second half of 2011 and driving demand, particularly in our paving and roofing end use, as customers built inventory in advance of the summer paving season. As a result, first quarter sales volumes were a record 90 kilotons," said Kevin M. Fogarty, Kraton's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Not surprising however, our margins in the first quarter 2012 were pressured by the impact of these raw material price increases and the inherent lag in recognition of price increases for our products, which are typically implemented with thirty days' notice to customers. We therefore expect our margins in the second quarter of 2012 to reflect the benefit of our first quarter price increases. While we remain optimistic about the outlook for the year, our second quarter sales volume could be lower than the volume we posted in the first quarter" Fogarty added. "Although raw material prices increased in the first quarter, we generated $56 million of cash from operating activities. Through active inventory management, we were able to avert the working capital build that has historically been associated with rising raw material prices. Lastly, in terms of innovation results, on a trailing twelve month basis our Vitality Index was 14%, which is the percentage of total revenue coming from innovations introduced within the past five years."

Three Months Ended March 31,

(US $ in thousands, except per share amounts)

2012

2011

Revenues

$ 408,313

$ 344,828

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Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2012 Results

LAS VEGAS, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Altrient, Inc., a maker of high-performance nutritional supplements, primarily high-dose vitamin C, is coming to Detroit, May 3-6, to join in the celebration of the 17th year of the Michigan International Women's Show during The Balance Your Life Road Tour 2012, part of "The Balancing Act" Morning Show on Lifetime Television. The tour is presented in conjunction with the multi-state Southern Women's Show.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111206/LA16628LOGO)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111213/LA20305)

"For the past three months, we have been traveling throughout the South enjoying everything that is wonderful about Southern hospitality," said Cindy Nachman, CEO of Altrient, Inc. "Now we're headed north and looking forward to participating in an event that has a strong history of success. We're also looking forward to introducing our high-performance nutritional products to the many smart and health-conscious show attendees."

Among the products Nachman will be showcasing is Altrient C, considered by many to be the best vitamin C on the market, along with Altrient ME and LED. LED is the proprietary Liposome Encapsulated Delivery system that transports essential nutrients throughout the body. Because Altrient alone uses LED, it can offer levels of product effectiveness unmatched by any other health or supplement provider at any price. To learn more, go to http://www.altrient.com.

The Balance Your Life Road Tour is one of the most highly anticipated events in Detroit. It attracts thousands of local women with fashion shows, cooking demonstrations, beauty tips, health screenings, decorating ideas, and personal growth opportunities. After Detroit, The Balance Your Life Road Tour takes a short summer vacation and returns on Sept. 20 to Charlotte, NC.

About the Balance Your Life Road Tour:

The "Balance Your Life Pavilion" will reach over 250,000 women in person, and millions through online and TV broadcast. Tour partners include CeraVe, Big Fish Games, Altrient and The Gateway for Cancer Research.It's the perfect partnership,since "The Balancing Act" and the Southern Women's Show not only share a common constituency, but also a mutual purpose and mission: To help women balance it all. For more information on the "Balance Your Life Road Tour" go to http://www.thebalancingact.com/tour/.

MEDIA NOTES: To schedule an interview with Cindy Nachman, or learn more about Altrient products, contact Virginia Martino at 702-257-2345 or virginia@brandltd.com. For more information on the "Balance Your Life Road Tour" go to http://www.thebalancingact.com/tour/.

Contact: Virginia Martino virginia@brandltd.com or 702-257-2345

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Altrient High-Performance Vitamin C Celebrates 17th Year of Michigan International Women's Show, May 3-6

Aston Martin showed three 'Year of the Dragon' special editions in Beijing

While there were no totally new offerings from Aston Martin at Auto China 2012, the British luxury automaker took the opportunity to showcase its personalization capabilities by unveiling three "Year of the Dragon" special editions. The decked-out DBS Volante, Virage Coupe and V8 Vantage S Coupe on show in Beijing are part of the company's "Dragon 88" edition which will be limited to, you guessed it, 88 customized sports cars.

Aston Martin says that each of the 88 cars will feature "bespoke details that celebrate the mystical qualities of the dragon symbol, synonymous with power, strength and good luck in Chinese folklore." This detailing includes golden dragons embroidered on the headrests and 24-carat gold coated Aston Martin wing badges. The cars also get a special paint job to "chime with traditional Chinese art and imagery."

The customization doesn't extend to performance upgrades, but perhaps to soften this blow, Aston Martin showed the 7.3-litre, carbon fiber-packing One-77 supercar alongside the "Year of the Dragon" offerings.

Aston Martin wasn't alone in its efforts to impress the locals in Beijing (Smart and Jeep also showed dragon-themed cars) and is pushing to rapidly expand its distribution in the region.

We are investing significantly in the Chinese market throughout 2012 and beyond," says Aston Martin's Global Sales Director Andy Gawthorpe. "Today Aston Martin operates nine dealerships in the region, with 11 additional showrooms planned to open in China this year alone. China is on course to become Aston Martins third biggest market.

Source: Aston Martin

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Aston Martin gets personal in Beijing