Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4A
, FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS W«dn—d«y, Jinmry 13,1W8
Financial planning for women
It is estimated over 60 percent
of the nation’s wealth is con
trolled by women. Some may
have inherited wealth and may or
may not be employed. Some are
corporate executives, entrepre
neurs or middle management.
They may be single, married or
divorced. They may or may not
have children. A woman’s finan
cial situation is often unique, and
an individual approach to finan
cial planning is essential.
However, areas of common con
cern do exist.
Many women work outside the
home. If so, they may have
income tax problems, especially
if they face higher taxes because
they are single and unable to file
a joint return. To address these
problems, women should consid
er the following areas: the role of
tax-advantaged investments to
reduce their tax burden; the taxa
tion and treatment of executive
perks from their employer and the
effect of age-related tax and
Social Security provisions. In
addition, small business owners
have unique tax problems includ
ing choice of organization, the
selection of a retirement plan and
the taxes upon disposition of their
business interest.
Closely related to income tax
planning for women is investment
planning. Investment selection
and asset allocation involve much
more than tax considerations.
There are various questions
women should consider. Do
investment objectives line up with
Is a home-based business in your future ?
“Starting A Home-Based Business For Women” is
a morning seminar being offered on Thursday, Jan.
21, from 9-H a.m. at The University of Georgia
Business Outreach Services Small Business
Development Center located (inside the Gainesville
Bank & Trust Bank building) 500 Jesse Jewell
Parkway, Suite 302, Gainesville. Choosing a home
based business is like choosing a spouse or partner -
your decision must be approached with a great deal
of care. You need to learn as much about the market
for any product or service as you can. There are
many advantages of running a small business includ
ing independence, satisfaction, and income.
Pre-registration and advance payment of $25 is
requested as there is limited seating registration at
the seminar S3O if space is available.
This seminar is for those who want to make some
extra money by starting a home based business. It
will help you take stock of your interests, aptitudes
Gainesville College offers business
related continuing education courses
The Office of Continuing
Education at Gainesville College
is offering several courses which
would be of interest to business
and individuals seeking to
enhance their skills.
Problem Solving Skills, Course
# 307009, is being offered Jan.
21, Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Learn how to rationally confront
problems and systematically
resolve crises in this six-hour
workshop. Supervisors, foremen,
and group leaders will benefit
from this class by using the com
prehensive system presented.
Learning to define, unravel and
analyze tough dilemmas and
recurring foul-ups will be
stressed. Registration deadline is
Jan. 18. Fee: $125. Chandler
Brown will be the instructor.
Delegation Skills, Course
#307002, will be offered Jan. 22,
Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Organizations exist because the
amount of work required to
accomplish the mission is more
than one person can do. This
workshop looks at the motivating
environment and the increase in
productivity that results from
proper task assignment, delega-
Reach Mttons m the Internet
to Sei Yew Products/Servkes
• Classified Ads • Web Pages
• On-Line Ordering
w ft VlßeWraiv ■ I vnlUllOli
Don't Mbs Ont On This
txatrng IWW NWIRM •
MVuniSlnJj!
Tech-Thno Internet Consulting
Ph/fax 770-664-4787
C»nM> WiYVnWXwmtnuSpnOy.CCMii
financial resources and needs? Is
the investment advice they are
receiving objective, reliable and
in line with their goals, time hori
zon and risk tolerance? Will a
trust help with their investment
planning? Women who are too
busy or unable to oversee the
day-to-day management of their
investments should consider a
trust. A trust may provide the
comfort that comes with knowing
that financial affairs will be prop
erly handled in all eventualities.
Estate planning, like tax and
investment planning, depends on
individual circumstances.
Whether a woman has built her
own estate through work invest
ments, or a business, or whether a
woman has inherited a husband’s
estate is irrelevant. What matters
is that she is aware of the estate
planning options that are avail
able. Unmarried or widowed, a
single woman might use lifetime
gifts to reduce her estate tax bur
den by using the gift tax annual
exclusion and lifetime unified
credit. Trusts may also be useful
in a program of lifetime gifts,
particularly where minor children
or grandchildren are involved.
Estate plan coordination, charita
ble contributions and life insur
ance can also play important roles
in achieving estate planning
goals.
For those women working for a
large employer or inheriting their
spouse’s retirement plan, they
will frequently be faced with
decisions affecting retirement
and skills. Many people have good business ideas
but not everyone has what it takes to succeed.
Inadequate or careless attention to development of a
detailed business plan can be costly for you and your
family in terms of lost time, wasted talent and disap
pearing dollars. Discussion will cover practical plan
ning, organizing, operating elements, financial con
siderations and the real responsibilities of a business.
The University of Georgia Business Outreach
Services Small Business Development Center is
sponsoring this informative seminar.
All SBDC programs are nondiscriminatory. Special
arrangements for individuals with disabilities will be
made if requested 24 hours in advance. To register or
for more information, call Betty Stephens at The
University of Georgia BOS/SBDC office in
Gainesville (770) 531-5681. Space is limited, so reg
ister early. We are now accepting credit cards as pay
ment for seminars.
tion of authority, and assignment
of responsibility. Registration
deadline is Jan. 19. Fee: $125.
Chandler Brown will be the
instructor.
Managing Priorities, Course
#307007, is set for Jan. 28,
Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Today’s
workplace is constantly chang
ing and growing. As a result,
managers find themselves pulled
in many different directions with
less time to devote to each pro
ject. In this fast-paced seminar,
Edward Leader demonstrates how
to choose priorities, delegate
I
M >x - ■
| SEE KE FOR ALL
YOUR FAMILY
A INSURANCE NEEDS
■I INSUR AN C t '
I '■> l»il I r !!■’■■ ■
Ricky Noles
IBBIF 214 Canton Hwy.
* Cumming, GA 30103
887-5405
Home Offices: Bloomington, Illinois
Mlh
Luke Wg.
Haymond
benefits. Those decisions may
have a significant impact on their
financial situation the remainder
of their life. Critical questions
may arise such as: Which of the
several distribution options pro
vided by an employer’s qualified
retirement plan is best; will their
retirement nest egg be adequate
to maintain their present lifestyle;
and what benefits will they be
entitled to from Social Security,
Medicare, and employer-spon
sored plans?
No two women are alike nor are
the financial predicaments in
which women are likely to find
themselves. As anyone can see,
there are a variety of issues, prob
lems and solutions to consider.
Adopting a systematic and indi
vidualized approach with the aid
of financial planning profession
als can help to address and solve
these problems while achieving a
woman’s investment, retirement
and estate planning goals.
Luke Haymond and Mike
Antonio are Financial Planners
with Robert Thomas Securities,
Cumming. For additional infor
mation, you may contact their
office at (770) 844-0020.
responsibilities, solve problems
and organize time effectively and
efficiently. You will learn how to:
• Feel organized and in control
of your workday - even on the
toughest days.
• Plan and keep a painless time
log in order to meet deadlines
with ease.
• Forecast projects to anticipate
deadlines and possible conflicts to
ensure success.
• Eliminate” Blue Mondays.”
Registration Deadline is Jan. 25.
Fee: $125. Edward Leader is the
instructor.
For information and to register,
BUSINESS
'i!
, Photo/Tom Brooks
First Union Bank sign goes up
No pun intended, says Jonathon Blackwood, when talking about First Union Bank being “a long
time in coming to Cumming.” But First Union is again on the move with the sign going up last
week at the new location planned for Old Buford Road and Hwy. 9 in Cumming. Recently, First
Union held its ribbon-cutting with the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce at their
4205 Johns Creek, Suwanee, location. The Old Buford Road location will be nearly identical to the
Johns Creek facility, complete with drive-up ATMs. Mid-summer is targeted as the opening date,
depending on weather, Blackwood said.
Business notes
Insurance environment
for autos is healthy, says
Commissioner Oxendine
Insurance Commissioner John
W. Oxendine announced Friday
that an 8.8 percent loss cost advi
sory rate reduction filed by the
Insurance Services Organization
(ISO) is a sign that the auto insur
ance environment in Georgia is
healthy and that cost trends of
auto insurance continue to
improve.
The advisory filed by ISO came
on the heels of a $1.4 million rate
reduction announced for the
SAFEC Group, one of the state’s
largest auto insurers. Other rate
reductions include $490,845 in
savings for policyholders of
Arnica and $118,663 in savings
for policyholders of Central
Mutual.
The ISO is a rating organization
that collects and compiles data,
develops policy forms and devel
ops portions of rating plans on
behalf of its property and casualty
insurance company membership.
ISO is recommending that its
loss cost be decreased by 8.8 per
cent overall. Loss cost is the loss
portion of a rate, and does not
include company allowances for
normal operating costs.
“The rate reductions for Arnica,
Central Mutual and SAFECO are
just the latest in a series of auto
insurance company decreases in
Georgia, and are the result of a
healthy and very competitive auto
insurance market in Georgia,”
Commissioner Oxendine said.
FIRST CALL
781-HELP
(4357)
Emergency help line for
Forsyth County.
■ Mills Fuel Service, Inc.
■ PROPANE GAS B
Serving the Forsyth County area Since 1964
* Residential * Commercial Fuel * Farm Fuel A H
See us for all your Propane Gas needs.... ■
• HEATERS • WATER HEATERS |
I , • GAS LOGS • GAS INSERTS I
I ? • SALES & SERVICE
O\\’ned and Operated by The William Mills Family J |H
Cumming yy 1
(770) 887-5235 ZA 5765 Dahlonega Hwy I
(770) 887-5252 Cumming, GA
Dawsonville MUIIIBIPMI
* (706) 265-3394
“Add ISO’s advisory filing, and
what you have is further evidence
that private passenger auto experi
ence has continually improved in
Georgia. Insurance rates are com
ing down and the savings are
being passed on to consumers.”
Auto insurance companies must
file rates based on individual
company loss experience, which
may differ from the entire ISO
membership. Nevertheless, ISO’s
advisory is a very positive sign,
Oxendine said. Since Jan. 1 of last
year, 20 auto insurance companies
have taken rate reductions, saving
Georgia consumers more than $35
million per year in auto insurance
premiums.
Chamber hosts annual
meeting on Jan. 30
The 44th annual Cumming-
Forsyth County Chamber of
Commerce meeting will be held
Saturday, Jan. 30, from 6:45-11
p.m.
The cost is $65 per person or
$520 for a table of eight. The
Chamber also is accepting cash
donations of SSO or more, which
will be recognized in the annual
meeting program as well as in
local news and Chamber news.
Donation levels are: Diamond,
$500; Gold, $200; Silver, $100;
and Bronze, SSO.
The annual meeting will be held
at the Sawnee Center at 1090
Tribble Gap Road in Cumming.
Seating is limited as last year’s
meeting sold out.
Donna Wade is the incoming
GOLF CAR SALES & SUPPLY, INC.
new & COMPLETELY REBUILT GAS & ELECTRIC CARS
I Sales • Service • leasing • Parts • Commercial • I tility • Recreational
• 2,4 or 6 Passenger Models • Factory Trained Technidaiv
BUM szeqohz: YAMAHA USA
| oarcMisTwwomo Nothing compares'.
5695 GA. 400 • Cumming, Ga 30040 a-—.——
3 miles south of Factory Outlet Stores on
Hwy 400 South oocr c*irr nets ■-
Buy from the Leader 3
(678)947-5870
chairman of the Board of
Directors.
For more information or to make
a donation, contact the Chamber
at (770) 887-6461.
Starting, growing your
business seminar set
“Starting and growing your own
business” is an evening seminar
being offered on Thursday, Jan.
21, from 6-8 p.m. at North Hall
High School, 4885 Mt. Vernon
Road, Gainesville. Pre-registra
tion fee is $25; late registration at
seminar S3O if space is available.
This seminar contains pre-venture
information on the basics of start
ing and maintaining a new busi
ness. A How To Start Manual is
included in this course.
This seminar is being co-spon
sored by the Hall County
Community Education Program
and The University of Georgia
Business Outreach Service/Small
Business Development Center.
The course is designed primarily
for persons who are considering
starting a now business, it pre
sents information of value to a
prospective entrepreneur and
includes an overview of legal,
marketing, and financial consider
ations and composition of a useful
business plan.
To register or get further infor
mation, call Stanley Martin at
North Hall High School (770)
983-3322 or Betty Stephens at
The University of Georgia (770)
531-5681. Space is limited, so
register early.