Friday, April 03, 2009

Redesigned Web Site and Earth Day

Friday, April 03, 2009 Blog

For those of you who have been following my blog who are not clients I apologize, but the March newsletter will not appear in this blog. Some things are only for paying clients.

We do have two new announcements:

First, we have opened a new office in Portage, Michigan. Many of you know we have been approached to open offices in Las Vegas and Phoenix, but we decided that would take too much time away from our current clients.

Second, our completely redesigned web site is now up and running. It took six months and a lot of time and money, but the new web site has a lot more to offer.

  1. For the Gen-X type, we have a free financial planning software program available on the left side of the home page. I believe you will find it very user friendly, life orientated, thorough and, as I mentioned, free.
  2. There are a lot of flash videos, MP3 player audios and Power Point presentations.
  3. The In The News area shows most of the WLNS television news clips we have been in over the last 12 months and articles we have been in from Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times to the Peruvia news (Peru, South America) and more.
  4. There are areas showing frequently asked questions, our privacy policy, contract, fees, disclosure and more.
  5. Under What Clients Can Expect is our new Planning Tenets. This should be interesting to even our long-time clients.
  6. Finally, there is a new password-protected Client Links area.
    • That helps clients access their Charles Schwab accounts.
    • There is an access to MoneyGuidePro, a very thorough Life, Financial and Wealth Planning program that is only for client use.
    • There are links to the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security, Student Aid information, the Special Needs Alliance and other client oriented areas.
    • We are hoping that, by next year, clients will be able to store their valuable paperwork like tax returns, wills, trusts, medical directives, and powers of attorney. They will be able to access their investment reports, 1099 forms and average cost basis forms whenever they wish, via their own computer.

$ Ways to Go Green and Save Green $

With Earth Day just around the corner, you might want to think about ways you can help Mother Earth while helping yourself save some money. Here are just a few small ways you can modify your own hapits to help the environment and your wallet:

  1. Recycle. Everything from cell phones to computers can now be recycled or reused. Most computer manufacturers now have recycling programs, and cell phones can be donated to a number of charities.
  2. When you need a new monitor, get an LCD. Flat-screen LCDs use less energy than plasma monitors, and they're now Energy Star rated.
  3. Reduce "vampire power" with a smart power strip. Many of the devices you use every day pull a fair amount of current even when they're not turned on. A smart power strip can detect when devices are shut off and prevent the flow of current to those devices. Some can also be set to automatically power down peripheral devices, such as printers, whenever the main device (like your computer) shuts off.
  4. Buy electronics that use rechargeable batteries. You'll have to buy fewer disposable batteries, and fewer disposable batteries will end up in landfills.
  5. Don't buy it if you don't need it. A lot of people replace their cell phones, MP3 players, and other gadgets as soon as the newest version comes out. If you stick with the old version through a new product release or two, it saves you money and reduces landfill waste.

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