American Trust Earns National Honors for Retirement Planning Services
Dubuque, IA (PRWEB) January 05, 2012
American Trust Retirement Planning Services, for the fourth consecutive year, was ranked among the top 10 retirement plan providers nationwide and designated Best in Class by PLANSPONSOR Magazine, published in November 2011 by Asset International, Inc. The publication is geared toward employment executives charged with providing income and benefits to retirees through investment.
The rankings are based on qualifying results from approximately 50,000 survey questionnaires the magazine sent between late June and late August 2011 to defined contribution plan sponsors in its database and client lists provided by plan providers. A total of 6,885 usable responses were received.
Across all market sizes (less than $ 5 million to greater than $ 1 billion in plan assets) American Trust Retirement Planning ranked number two nationally in average employee participation rate at 80.7%, topping such national providers as MassMutual, Fidelity, The Hartford, Principal, ING, and John Hancock. American Trust ranked number four nationally in the percentage of clients with relationships greater than seven years, and ranked number six nationally for plan providers extremely likely to recommend American Trust Retirement Planning at 84.1%.
Letter grades were assigned to the cumulative participant and sponsor services scores, with A+ scores for 96 to 100%. In the Small Market, $ 5 Million to $ 50 Million category, American Trust Retirement Planning earned an A+ grade at 97.5% and earned 10 Best in Class awards in 10 sponsor services categories. American Trust also earned an A+ grade at 97.9%, and 12 out of 13 Best in Class awards in the participant services category. American Trust ranked number one in average participation rate in the Small Market.
Were extremely proud to have earned the number one participation rate ranking in the small market and the number two participation rate ranking across all market sizes, said Kurt Wedewer, American Trust executive vice president and division manager. During these turbulent times, our employee participation rates are a meaningful indicator of the quality, dedication, and commitment to our plan sponsors and their employees provided by American Trusts retirement planning experts and professional support staff, he added. Our constant client care and communication have enabled many participants to make important contributions to their financial future despite the troubled economy.
According to PLANSPONSOR Magazines web site, with a circulation of more than 35,000 and readership over 110,000, the magazines goal is to help plan sponsors design the best retirement plans and put in place winning investment strategies, through service-oriented articles that stress objective analysis and pragmatic solutions. Readers range from those who oversee very small plans with several million dollars in assets to giant public funds with tens of billions of dollars in investments. PLANSPONSOR Magazine has served retirement plan sponsors since 1993, and it is considered to be the premier monthly publication reporting on the pension industry.
American Trust Retirement Planning Services is a division of American Trust & Savings Bank, which is a subsidiary of ATBancorp, Inc., a $ 943 million bank holding company headquartered in Dubuque. American Trust has 10 full-service bank offices in the Iowa communities of Dubuque, Dyersville, and Farley, and an office in West Des Moines at 9350 University Avenue. It also offers retirement planning and wealth management services with an office in San Mateo, California.
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Categories: Nationwide Retirement Solution Tags: American, Earns, Honors, National, Planning, Retirement, Services, Trust
CNN Money Answers The Question “Are You Better Off Than Your Mom and Dad?” The Good News-Young People Still Believe In The American Dream
Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) December 14, 2011
Jim Hitt, CEO of American IRA-A National Provider of Self-Directed IRAs, says “Things are pretty spooky. The United States, fresh from a downgrade on its bonds, was unable to come to an agreement to cut the ballooning deficit. Meanwhile, the European Union is teetering on the edge of collapse because of its own inability to get its fiscal and monetary house in order. And Iran is building nukes and inviting a military response that could disrupt the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf.
With all this negativity it is encouraging to see that young people still believe in the American Dream and why shouldn’t they?! It’s within reach especially with the right tools at their disposal-Self Directed IRAs are an important part of that tool box.”
Successful gold investors feel that gold is the perfect hedge against chaotic times. When economies zig, gold zags. The value of gold, priced in dollars, tends to rise under conditions like these:
Categories: Canadian Retirement Tags: American, Answers, Believe, better, Dream, Good, Money, NewsYoung, People, Question, Still, than
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Categories: Retirement Services Tags: 401k, American, Bullion, from, Gold, Inc., Invest, Real, Rollover, Services, Something
Retirement Heist: How Companies Plunder and Profit from the Nest Eggs of American Workers
Retirement Heist: How Companies Plunder and Profit from the Nest Eggs of American Workers
An award-winning journalist exposes how corporations manipulate retirement plans for their benefit
It’s no secret that hundreds of companies, from GM to IBM, have been slashing pensions and health coverage for millions of retirees. Employers blame an aging workforce, global competition, and spiraling costs. But the so-called retirement crisis is no demographic accident- corporations have played a significant and hidden role in the death spiral of pensions and benefits.
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Categories: Pension Tags: American, Companies, Eggs, from, Heist, Nest, Plunder, Profit, Retirement, Workers
American Century Investments LIVESTRONG
Kansas City, Missouri (PRWEB) November 17, 2011
American Century Investments, manager of LIVESTRONG
Categories: Retirement Income Tags: , American, Century, Date, Families, Fund, Garner, Investments, Portfolios, Ranking, Study, Target
ISMAmerica Reviews Benefits of New American Financial Fitness Plan
Cave Creek, AZ (PRWEB) November 09, 2011
ISMAmerica, an independent organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the American Dream, has completed a total review of their new American Financial Fitness Plan, or AFFP, which is aimed at viewing retirement strategies in a whole new light. The new plan reviews both the way in which people now view retiring as well as the language used by those attempting to help get them there.
The world is changing which is evident by the attitude of consumers these days. America is rapidly resetting their vision of retirement and financial security. It is a new paradigm shift. The economic tsunami that swept over all of us in 2008 still resonates deeply today and will continue to be felt for many years to come. This is precisely what the American Financial Fitness Plan addresses, said Tim Robley, National Marketing Director of ISMAmerica.
ISMAmerica felt the need to address these situations as the company felt there was a real lack of consistent information available to consumers today. The company cited the fact that many of the languages found in a variety of todays most popular financial instruments were crafted decades ago making them confusing and even non-relevant for todays modern investor.
When asked why ISMAmerica reviews such matters, Tim Robley replied, The language many financial institutions sell with frustrates and confuses the public with their insurance-buying experience. They dont have a remote guess as to a clear and complete understanding of what we do, so it is no wonder that the consumer of today believes that insurance companies and agents benefit more from the sale of insurance products more than they do. It is our hope that the American Financial Fitness Plan can address all these problems and help America continue on the path to financial freedom.
For additional information on ISMAmericas American Financial Fitness Plan, please contact Tim Robley at (855) 668-7667 or visit http://www.ismamerica.com.
ISMAmerica is an independent organization committed to restoring hope and preserving the American Dream. Though education and demonstration, the company shows everyday people how they too can achieve the American Dream of financial freedom through hard work and determination.
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Deferring Income in an Uncertain Tax Environment – A New Article From James Herlihy of the American Benefit Corporation
Rutland, VT (PRWEB) October 31, 2011
A new study from the American Benefit Corporation discusses the value of income deferral in an uncertain tax environment. In a recent article, the Wall Street Journal’s Karen Blumenthal questioned if boomers were ready for the great retirement income scramble. The need for retirement income is imminent and most boomers have not accumulated adequate funds.
Several years ago a wealthy investor stated that he had experienced two types of tax problems. The first was having to pay too much in taxes because he had too much income. The second was paying too little in taxes because he had too little income. He went on to state that having to pay too much in taxes is always preferable to having too little income.
Most highly compensated executives realize that company sponsored 401(k) plans and defined benefit plans are not going to provide them an adequate income replacement ratio at retirement. The solution to this deficient income replacement ratio is to defer pre-tax income into a company sponsored non-qualified deferred compensation plan, even if income taxes increase in the future. Remember – paying too much in taxes is always preferable to having too little income.
The current income tax environment continues to breed uncertainty. Income taxes on the highly compensated may increase in upcoming years, but no one can say with certainty if they will. It is known with relative certainty that Republicans will attempt to block any future tax increase. An executive who attempts to develop a personal investment portfolio with personal after-tax money will incur taxable income each year on realized gains. Invested assets in a non-qualified deferred compensation plan avoid all of these taxes until there is a plan distribution. These advantages continue during the retirement payout period. The longer the payout period of the deferred compensation account, the greater the advantages become.
Read the entire article here:
About Us -
At American Benefit Corporation, we design, fund and manage executive non-qualified benefit plans for highly compensated corporate executives who wish to reduce current income taxes and form personal capital on a tax efficient basis. Established more than 30 years ago, we serve the unique needs of executives in numerous corporations with their personal capital formation objectives.
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Categories: Retirement Funds Tags: American, article, Benefit, Corporation, Deferring, Environment, from, Herlihy, Income, James, Uncertain
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Categories: Individual Retirement Account Tags: American, Business, Commission, Launch
American Prosperity Group (APG) Grows to Fifteen Retirement Planning Franchises in Nine States, as More Retirees Seek Protection for their Financial Assets
American Prosperity Group (APG) Grows to Fifteen Retirement Planning Franchises in Nine States, as More Retirees Seek Protection for their Financial Assets
New York, NY (PRWEB) August 12, 2011
When American Prosperity Group (APG) opens a new office in Morristown, New Jersey, this fall, it will mark the fifteenth franchised office in the company’s system, and a doubling of the network’s size in the past three years.
That makes the company the first, biggest and fastest-growing retirement and estate planning franchise brand in the country, and CEO Mark Charnet believes APG’s growth is just beginning.
“It’s been an unprecedented three years in the financial markets and the U.S. economy,” said Charnet, who founded APG with a single office out of his Wayne, New Jersey home, in 2003 after 22 years in the financial services industry. “And the volatility does not seem to be ending any time soon.”
Charnet concluded, “One thing is irrefutably clear. You can never have too much security in your portfolio, and at APG that’s our mission – battling the Five Forces of Portfolio Demise.”
They do it through what Charnet calls the “Trinity Method of Investing©,” which allows retirees to maximize income today, while protecting, preserving and perpetuating their wealth for tomorrow – no matter what nasty turns the market might take.
More on the company’s unique approach to retirement and estate planning can be found at http://www.1APG.com.
Much of the company’s growth results from the diversity and commitment of APG’s franchisees. They are an eclectic group of entrepreneurs, each of whom had a successful career in or outside the financial services industry. They helped the company reach number 300 in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2011 Franchise 500 list.
“We are only as good as the approach we espouse, and the results we deliver for our clients,” said Jeff Beyer, APG’s franchisee in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
According to Beyer, it has been, and continues to be, a challenging environment – but one that lends itself to explaining the APG value proposition.
“It’s gotten pretty ugly out there again,” said Beyer, “And more than ever, retirees tell us that the key to their peace of mind is to preserve and protect their accumulated wealth.” He concluded, “That’s what the Trinity Method of Investing is all about.”
According to Charnet, that method helps protect retirees from the Five Forces of Portfolio Demise:
Risk of loss from a liability lawsuit
High cost of health care
Negative portfolio impact of paying for long-term care
The impact of federal and state estate taxes and income taxes at death
Stock market losses
And if APG’s franchise growth is any indication, the method is paying off. The company’s Morristown office will be operational in the fall, and APG expects to reach 20 franchised offices within a year.
About American Prosperity Group
American Prosperity Group (APG), is the leading and fastest growing Retirement Planning Services franchise in the country, with fifteen franchised offices open in nine states. APG is headquartered in Wayne, NJ, and was founded by Mark Charnet, with a mission to continue helping retirees and others, plan and implement a successful retirement and proper estate plan. The emerging franchise does this by implementing parts of a total retirement and estate planning system required to meet each client’s needs. The system is built around Charnet’s proprietary and copyrighted system known as the Trinity Method of Investing©. For more information, visit http://www.1APG.com and http://www.APGFranchise.com.
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Categories: New York State Retirement System Tags: American, Assets, Fifteen, Financial, Franchises, Group, Grows, More, Nine, Planning, Prosperity, Protection, Retirees, Retirement, Seek, States, Their
Greenspan Social Security Plans Could Worsen American Retirement Crisis
Greenspan Social Security Plans Could Worsen American Retirement Crisis
HOUSTON, TEXAS (PRWEB) February 27, 2004
Alan Greenspan has proposed retirement benefit reductions to avert a fiscal crisis in America’s Social Security system. America’s retirement system, already drowning in debt and operating with record deficits, is the primary funding source for many retirees. According to retirement planning expert and CPA Jim Trippon, “Greenspan’s cure may be worse than the disease.”
Trippon, who recently completed a multi-year study of American retiree’s, states “Our research found that “21% of people who retired in the past five years have been forced back into the workplace because of inadequate finances.” Trippon offers information on his study and a free subscription to his on-line newsletter at his website http://www.stayrichforever.com
Trippon believes, “The idea of cutting benefits to a group already in financial crisis makes no sense when there are better alternatives such as reversing the recent millionaire tax cuts which contributed heavily to our new deficits.” Trippon points out that “just last year Congress cut tax rates on the dividends millionaires receive by 60%.” He predicts “Social Security benefit reductions will continue to be a red-hot issue throughout this years election cycle.”
It is well documented that most Americans reach retirement age with little in savings to fall back on. This is why any cut in future Social Security benefits could prove devastating. Trippon found that in spite of the fact that most Americans reach retirement with limited financial resources, about 3% of the population retires as self-made millionaires.
Trippon, the author of the bestselling book “How Millionaires Stay Rich Forever” spent three years interviewing hundreds of retired millionaires and documenting their secrets to avoiding what Trippon calls the “American Retirement Nightmare.”
Jim Trippon is available for interviews. For booking information contact Sarah Choi at 713-661-3806 or Trippon at 713-661-1040.
Publication Data: How Millionaires Stay Rich Forever: Retirement Planning Secrets of Millionaires and How They Can Work For You by Jim Trippon, CPA; Published by Bretton Woods Press LLC and distributed by Midpoint Trade Books; February 2004; 254 pages; $ 21.95; 6 x 9 Hard Cover – Cloth; ISBN: 0-9723389-1-8
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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Categories: Retirement System Tags: American, could, Crisis, Greenspan, Plans, Retirement, Security, Social, Worsen
