When most Americans hear the term retirement plan, they immediately think 401(k). However, what many people do not know is that there are other retirement plan options that cater to small businesses. Since about half of Americans are employed by small businesses, some of these options make a great deal of sense for the business owner who wants to help his employees prepare for retirement while avoiding the expense and complexity of the conventional 401(k) plan.

For once, something is SIMPLE: The SIMPLE IRA was designed with the small business in mind. In fact, it is reserved for companies with 100 or fewer employees who earn at least $5,000 annually. With the SIMPLE, employees are allowed to contribute up to $11,500 of their salary, and all contributions made to this account are tax-deductible. Individuals who are older than age 50 have the opportunity to defer an additional $2,500 per year for a total of $14,000. Also, businesses can make matching contributions on their employees behalf, which is tax deductible to the company.

Another attractive feature of this plan is the flexibility of investment options. Since this is an IRA, employees can invest their contributions into several options including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange traded funds.

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SEP IRA: Even though the SIMPLE IRA provides an easy retirement plan option for many business owners, its contribution limits are not as generous as other plans. The SEP IRA is an alternative to the SIMPLE that allows business owners to contribute the lesser of $50,000 or 20 percent of their net income annually to the plan. While procrastination is not recommended, this plan offers companies the privilege of waiting until the tax filing deadline, plus extensions to make tax-deductible contributions to the plan.

Another point of interest is the suitability of this plan. The SEP IRA is a good option for family owned and operated companies, but it is not always the best option for all small businesses. While contributions are not required, 100 percent of the contributions are made by the employer. Therefore, this may not be the first choice option for business owners reluctant to make contributions to employees that extend beyond their immediate families.

Safe Harbor 401(k): Sometimes business owners want to contribute more than the SIMPLE IRA limits, but do not want to be obligated to make contributions on their employees behalf. In these situations, the Safe Harbor 401(k) often presents a viable option. This plan allows employees to defer up to $17,000 of their salary per year and a catch up contribution of an additional $5,500 for those over age 50. In this type of plan, companies have the option to make matching contributions or a required contribution even if the employee does not contribute. The employers choice will depend upon many variables primarily cost and employee satisfaction.

Today, more than ever, business owners have several options to help themselves and their employees prepare for retirement. By consulting with your accountant and financial advisor, you can determine which plan is appropriate for your needs and begin making contributions for one of the most anticipated milestones in your life. To find more information, visit http://www.retirementplans.irs.gov.

Life is a journey, plan for it.

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Retirement plans can come with several options

By Mary McCarty and Laura A. Bischoff

Staff Writers

Before he was led away in handcuffs after being charged with theft in office, money laundering and other felony charges, Clayton Luckie seemed the epitome of the hometown success story.

He grew up in a middle-class West Dayton family and played basketball at Chaminade-Julienne High School, graduating in 1981. After serving 10 years on the Dayton school board, he was elected to the legislature representing Daytons 39th House District.

He drove a Cadillac Escalade, wore finely-tailored suits and bought a home for his mother in Springboro.

I was really impressed by how good he was to his mother, noted Mario Gallin, who was often an adversary on the Dayton school board. That seemed counter to his image as the super politician.

Some privately wondered how Luckies lifestyle reconciled with his $68,000 income as a state representative and less than $10,000 from his part-time job as director of sales for Johnson Energy Co. There was always smoke, but I never saw any flames, Gallin said. Nothing happened that was anything but proper and above board.

Gallin was among those caught off-guard last week by the news that Luckie had been indicted on 49 criminal charges, including theft in office, money laundering, election falsification, tampering with records, and tampering with evidence and forgery. The indictment says that over his six years in the Ohio House he stole nearly $130,000 from his campaign account.

If convicted, he could spend years in prison.

Its no secret we werent friends, Gallin said of the six years the two served together on the school board. But, she said, Luckie cared about the school district and was an advocate for children.

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Hometown success story faces possible prison time

By Pat Perry

Throughout my career, I have been very fortunate to meet many successful business people.

Regardless of the type of success they have achieved, there seems to be characteristics they all have in common. And, it does not matter whether you are a recent graduate or a 40-year business veteran, successful people can provide you life lessons about personal achievement, work/life balance and happiness.

They also show us how to manage and lead organizations that do the right thing, make an economic impact and contribute back to the community. So here are several attributes that appear to be common denominators among these high achieving individuals:

* Define success They define success and use it as a critical guiding principle upon which they base decisions and take actions that affect their career path, personal wealth and family. Interestingly enough, the more successful people I meet the more I realize that most, if not all, have placed family first over career and money.

* Never grow up I have found successful business people to be incredibly creative, innovative and risk takers. These are great attributes that tend to be showcased more by kids than adults. In today's fear-based business environment, it is refreshing to run across people that are still "kid at heart" and find that each day is a new journey to explore, create and try something new. Successful business people recognize that traditional corporate procedures, reward systems and promotions are often based upon employees following the rules, playing company politics and being risk adverse. Rather than follow most of corporate America, these successful leaders have company cultures where magic is allowed to happen because they are not afraid of letting their employees be kids again.

* Communication masters Successful business people are very good at written and oral communication. These skill sets are essential in getting along with others, selling ideas, resolving conflict and contributing to organizational success. They may not be that great at texting, but their interpersonal skill sets are extraordinary. And, most importantly, they know how to listen.

* Last place Probably the most admirable attribute of successful business people is that they always put everyone else first and place themselves last. Their selfless approach with others inside and outside of their businesses goes against conventional "What's' in it for me?" thinking.

* Keep learning They read all they can, including general literature and career related information. Successful people ask plenty of questions and are not afraid to continually challenge themselves and others with new ideas, skill sets and technology.

* It's Called Work Successful people lead by example when it comes to work ethic. They are driven to give 100 percent at home and at their company. For them, it's about effort and energy and knowing that they gave it their all. And, they recognize it's not about the hours put into the job but what gets accomplished in the hours they work.

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Pat Perry: Success 101: Learning from those who have found their way

Master Sgt. William S. Benedict, a 1996 Beyer High graduate, received the Master Gunnery Sgt. Samuel C. Plott Staff Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year award at the annual Marine Corps Association & Foundation Intelligence Dinner last month in Arlington, Va.

The award is given for outstanding leadership and is presented annually in memory of Plott, who served 26 years in the Corps.

Benedict enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1996 and attended the Defense Language Institute, graduating in November 1998 as a Russian cryptologic linguist. He has served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He currently serves as the Marine Special Operations Intelligence Company's senior enlisted adviser.

Benedict is a graduate of the radio reconnaissance indoctrination program; survival, evasion, resistance and escape course; cold weather survival course; urban reconnaissance and surveillance course; U.S. Army Airborne School; Navy Dive School; military free fall course; and the U.S. Army jumpmaster advanced course.

Benedict's personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and the Good Conduct Medal. Benedict is married to the former Shannon Silva and has one son, Chase.

Yosemite National Park's Historic Preservation Program received the Appleman-Judd-Lewis award last month. The award recognizes expertise and outstanding contributions to cultural resource stewardship and management by permanent full-time employees of the National Park Service. The crew completed a collaborative preservation effort on the fountain of the historic Wawona Hotel in Wawona. The program was one of four programs or individuals honored by the park service.

Terry McGrath of Modesto is the new lieutenant governor of Division 46 of the California-Nevada, Hawaii District Kiwanis Clubs. The division covers 16 Kiwanis Clubs in the four counties of Stanislaus, Merced, Calaveras and Mariposa. He is a member of Modesto Kiwanis, which recently seated President Karen Peterson, President-elect Jim Mesquit, Vice President Margaret Trammell, Secretary Don Ross and Treasurer Paul Hearst.

Submit items for Success & Service to local@modbee.com.

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Success & Service: Marine group recognizes Beyer High graduate

Mind Movies Co-Founder Natalie Ledwell releases exclusive video on YouTube revealing how understanding and overcoming one's limiting beliefs are crucial to long-term success and personal development.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 14, 2012

YouTube Training Video: http://youtu.be/Z51lzl1TI3M

Natalie Ledwell reveals in this video how anyone can overcome a limiting belief for good, which she believes is crucial for long-term success.

According to Ledwell, "Often, we're not even aware that a limiting belief exists, and may blame events, people, or luck for our lack of success. Yet if we only let go of these limiting beliefs, the success would naturally come to us. In many ways, a limiting belief is like resistance that makes it harder to take the steps towards your goals and life dreams."

No longer just for fans of the movie The Secret, many tactics from Law of Attraction teachers like Ledwell are gaining widespread acceptance in the personal development world. Many famous celebrities, from Will Smith, to Oprah, to Michael Phelps use Law of Attraction principles such as creative visualization to help them achieve their goals and stay on track.

Ledwell explains, "People are using Law of Attraction principles to achieve all kinds of goals, whether those goals have to do with health, money, relationships, romance, even weight loss!"

Ledwell herself was able to drop several clothing sizes by using the principles outlined in this video to overcome limiting beliefs that were keeping her overweight.

"By taking the power of digital vision boards like Mind Movies, which dramatically increases the power of creative visualization, and combining that with the tactic of overcoming limiting beliefs, I was able to drop several sizes just in time for my birthday!"

Over 1 million people worldwide have already received Ledwells free pre-made Mind Movies, which are dynamic moving video vision boards that help viewers visualize and achieve their desires and goals faster and easier than they ever thought possible.

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Overcoming Limiting Beliefs Clears Invisible Mental Barriers to Personal Development Success Claims Law of Attraction ...

Article posted: 10/13/2012 9:50 AM

Recently, I had the opportunity to serve on a panel at the annual conference of Credit Suisse, a multinational financial services company specializing in investing in companies that show promise. I quickly learned the conference was a playground for hedge funds. Hedge funds are funds about which I have little understanding. I felt a little out of place because the major participants were the for-profit institutions like the University of Phoenix, Capella University and DeVry University.

Yet my fellow panelists were from more traditional nonprofits like Boston University and Colorado State University Global Campus, the online campus of the Colorado State University System. Since this was our first conference of this sort, we wondered what was going on. Our panel was scheduled for early afternoon, and I found myself scheduled for a slew of one-on-one interviews with a lot of people whom I did not know.

As I entertained first interviewer, I was very honest and said I had no idea what I was doing at the interview. He quickly dispelled my lack of understanding by explaining that he was an investor looking for investment opportunities. As such, he wanted to know about Benedictine University. As I completed my 50,000-foot overview of the university, he began to drill down and ask specific financial questions. What are the universitys margins? How much profit was made in the last few years?

As several more such sessions ensued with other investors, the pattern of my giving an overview and the drilling down with financial questions continued. At one point, a question arose that baffled me. With the kind of growth and margins that you have, why havent you sold the university? My abrupt and shocked answer was, Benedictine University isnt for sale.

As it came time for our panel, the scenario just described for the interviews played out on the larger stage. Each representative was give two minutes to introduce her/his institution. The introductions were followed by pointed questions regarding the rise of online programs at traditional universities like Benedictine, and the real threat these programs were to the large for-profits like Phoenix and Capella. Clearly, the investors were worried by the nonprofits emergence as a major threat to market share.

In response to some of these questions, I suggested that Benedictines success and that of other similar institutions has to do with home cooking. Benedictine University and Boston University are institutions that have been around for a long time. They are brands people know and trust. As these types of institutions continue to make their way into the online market, the recognition factor on the part of potential students may bode well for our success. In fact, initial queries of our almost 2,000 online students affirm that a major reason these students chose Benedictine was name recognition and trust.

Are online programs the future of private higher education? The answer is probably yes and no. For Benedictine, online programs are part of a carefully crafted strategy of program diversification. There always will be students for whom the traditional bricks and mortar presence is the way. However, there is another important segment of students who rely on online programs for their educational needs. Both populations of students will exist side-by-side far into the future. The successful university of tomorrow must figure out how to serve both.

As I left the conference, I left with a strange yet good sense that the big guys were worried about us. Since the emergence of traditional institutions into the online world, the growth of some of the larger for-profits has slowed. Their investors had clearly charted a steep path of increased revenues in the online world for the for-profit institutions.

This path seems seriously threatened with the continued emergence of universities like Benedictine entering the market. As one investor said, No matter how you cut it, there are a limited number of students out there for online education. Every student the nonprofits attract are fewer students for the for-profits.

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Benedictine focused on education, not profit

The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees spent its annual retreat Saturday weighing the numerous pressures it faces in the greater world of higher education, including less state support, higher costs for students, fewer research dollars, and the uncertain but inevitable future of online education.

More particular to UK are issues such as a new way of budgeting, a housing boom, and a large and talented freshman class met with a nervous campus community that's facing another round of budget cuts.

Last year, the retreat helped determine that President Eli Capilouto needed to focus on undergraduate education, more residence halls and new academic facilities. Capilouto said the discussions with the board will be added to conversations with other parts of campus, including faculty, staff and students.

"What we're trying to do is serve as a bridge to our constituents ... the intersection of all these conversations, we think, will be useful in shaping the way we go."

One of the big issues will be online education. Vince Kellen, UK's Chief Information Officer, who was recently promoted to senior provost for academic planning, analytics and technologies, pointed out that many of the nation's elite universities are surging ahead in online education with Massive Open Online Courses, known as MOOCs, although it's not yet clear how or whether they will be profitable.

Capilouto said online education is already happening in pockets all over campus, but there is no centralized program.

"It's the fastest-growing segment in higher education," he said. "Where do we fit in all this?"

It's clear that trustees want Capilouto to figure that out.

"This is technology going on today," trustee Bill Britton said to Capilouto. "Be my leader what's going to be here five years from now? Do we have a plan for the next three years, five years, for what we're going to do for online education? It's here; we can either embrace it or get run over by it."

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At annual retreat, University of Kentucky trustees discuss money and online education

10/13/2012 7:30:00 AM RHSto battle elements, coaching distractions at GNCcross country meet Jeremy Mayo Sports Editor

The Great Northern Conference cross country meet takes place this morning at Edgewater Country Club in Tomahawk. It will be the culimination of a long week for the RHS cross country team.

The Hodags enter today's meet knowing it will be one of their final races under coach Josh Jaeger, who will be taking a teaching position in Crandon next month.

As for the race itself, the Hodags will look to bounce back from a tough race on the same course one week ago, but today's race may take a different feel with heavy rain in the forecast.

Jaeger to step down

As the River News reported online Wednesday, Jaeger is coaching his final races as the head coach at RHS. He told his team Tuesday that he accepted a teaching position in Crandon. His final day at RHSwill be Nov. 2.

"They took it hard, but a lot of them understand the decision I made and why I made it,"Jaeger told the River News. "We talked a long time about that (Tuesday) night and I told them when you hit a point in your life where you have to make a decision, it may greatly impact a lot of people, but you need to make the decision that is best for you and your family."

Jaeger is a Crandon native and resides there with his wife and two young children. He admitted the news did not come at a great time for the team, before one of its biggest races of the year, but said he the decision had to be made.

"Plain and simple the timing is just horrendous,"Jaeger said. "I knew that coming in, but I made a decision based on what I think is in the best interest of my family and my children. My goal as a parent is to be there for the two children I helped bring into this planet.

"I don't get to see my kids as often as I would like. I strap them into my wife's vehicle at 6:30 a.m. every morning and I don't get to see them until after 6 p.m. every night. I see my kids probably two hours a day and this new job in Crandon would allow me to see my children more."

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RHS to battle elements, coaching distractions at GNC cross country meet

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMLYBJb5kvs

12-10-2012 16:02 Samir Becic, health and fitness expert and founder of the Health and Fitness Revolution, sits down with Houston Mayor Annise Parker in an open interview for Health and Fitness Sports Magazine about Healthy Houston initiative, the medical center, police force, education, and the Mayor's hobbies.

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Samir Becic Interviews Houston Mayor Annise Parker for Health and Fitness Sports Magazine - Video

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Texas 4-H through Prairie View A&M Universitys Cooperative Extension Program and UnitedHealthcare announced a new partnership to promote healthy living and empower youth to help fight the nations obesity epidemic.

The partnership, called Eat4-Health, is activating thousands of 4-H youth ambassadors to make healthy choices for themselves and encourage friends, families and people in their communities to make positive changes through training, creative programs and educational events. It currently spans 10 states, including Texas.

At the partnership launch in Houston, more than 500 4-H youth, families and community leaders from Harris County came together for a Back to School-Back to Health event to promote health, fitness and healthy living. UnitedHealthcares mascot Dr. Health E. Hound was on hand to lead participants in healthy exercises and participate in gardening activities. Representatives from UnitedHealthcare presented a $30,000 check to Prairie View A&M University officials and 4-H youth to launch the program.

The event took place at The Last Organic Outpost, a Houston area community garden, and featured hands-on gardening demonstrations, healthy-cooking classes and educational presentations by 4-H members on making healthy food choices. Exercise activities included Zumba and swing out dancing classes, a fitness challenge, and swing out dancing routines that encouraged attendees to participate in simple, fun group activities designed to burn calories and promote health. Participating families received bags of fresh produce donated by the Houston Food Bank and Target Hunger.

Establishing healthy habits is a step toward healthy lifestyles, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said. Private-sector partnerships like Eat4-Health are great examples of how we can help reverse the escalating trend toward obesity and the costly effect it is having on our nation. I commend the Eat4-Health partnership for empowering our youth to make healthy living a priority. This project complements my initiative, the 3Es of Healthy Living Education, Exercise and Eating Right which calls on parents and children to adopt healthy eating choices and lifestyle habits. These positive initiatives benefit our personal health as well as our states economic health.

Eat4-Health builds on UnitedHealthcares successful partnership with National 4-H Council that began last year in Florida, Mississippi and Texas. The campaign is expanding to Arizona, Louisiana, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee. Each participating state 4-H organization is receiving a $30,000 grant funded by UnitedHealthcare to support healthy-living programs, events and other activities administered by 4-H that encourage young people and their families to eat more nutritious foods and exercise regularly. The partnership in Texas is being administered through the Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension Program.

Prairie View A&M University is proud to partner with UnitedHealthcare again this year to promote healthy living among 4-H youth and their families, said Dr. Alton B. Johnson, Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) and Administrator of the Cooperative Extension Program. We are excited to continue this important work together and use this grant to support 4-H programs that help educate communities about these important messages. Todays event is a perfect example of how we can make a positive impact.

We are fortunate to once again work together with 4-Hers here in Texas to help make a difference in the lives of so many families in the state, said Norine Yukon, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas. UnitedHealthcare and 4-H look forward to continuing this partnership that is harnessing the energy and excitement of 4-H youth to promote healthy living.

Participating 4-H state programs receiving a grant are developing action plans that provide innovative, hands-on learning approaches that target specific community needs in their state. Many of these activities will support healthy-living programs led by 4-H that encourage youth and community participation through events such as health fairs, cooking demonstrations, after-school programs, workshops and educational forums, among others. UnitedHealthcare employees will team up with 4-H at many of these events, assisting with planning and executing projects that lead to positive, sustainable change at the community and individual level.

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Texas 4-H Youth and UnitedHealthcare Launch Partnership at "Back to School-Back to Health" Event in Houston to Promote ...