Newspaper Page Text
(/u?T f ’Vf Jimistmi Jintnr if
dihe .ijiumtal
' TUESDAY,
JULY 27, 2004
Chris Kinnas
Investment Advice
Are you bumping
up against
401 (k) ceiling?
If you participate in a
401(k) plan, you probably
already know that it’s a
great retirement savings
vehicle. After all, your pre
tax contributions lower
your annual taxable income,
your earnings grow tax
deferred and you’ve got a
range of investment options
from which to choose. So,
it’s probably a good idea to
contribute the maximum to
your 401 (k), right? That
may be true - but, depend
ing on your situation, you
may have to figure out what
the maximum is.
In the financial and
investment worlds, few
things are as simple as we’d
like them to be - and the
issue of “maximum” 401(k)
contributions is a perfect
example. On one hand, the
laws governing 401(k)s
limit contributions to a
maximum of $13,000 in
2004; if you’re 50 or over,
you can put in an extra
$3,000. However, your
employer may limit your
401(k) annual contribution
to 6 percent of your salary
- and that amount may fall
short of the $13,000 ceiling.
Which figure applies? It’s
the lower one. If the 6 per
cent calculation totals only
SIO,OOO, then that’s what
you can contribute.
Conversely, if the 6 percent
limit meant you could actu
ally put $17,000 into your
401(k), you’d be limited by
the $13,000 cap.
What can you do if you
reach one of these ceilings
but would like to put more
away? You could try to lobby
your company’s benefits
area to change the rules,
but you may not have much
success. Companies are
often restricted by “non-dis
crimination” laws designed
to limit the amount of con
tributions made by highly
paid employees.
Consequently, you’re bet
ter off looking for other tax
advantaged investments.
Start with a traditional or
Roth IRA. In 2004, you can
put up to $3,000 into your
IRA, with another SSOO as a
“catch-up” contribution if
you’re 50 or over. Each type
of IRA offers tax advan
tages: A traditional IRA
grows on a tax-deferred
basis, while Roth IRA earn
ings grow totally tax-free,
provided you meet certain
conditions. Furthermore,
you can fund your IRA with
virtually any type of invest
ment stocks, bonds, cer
tificates of deposit, govern
ment securities, etc.
After “maxing out” on
your 401(k) and IRA, what
should you do if you still
have money to invest in tax
advantaged vehicles? You
may want to consider pur
chasing a municipal bond,
which offers interest pay
ments that are free of feder
al taxes. Municipal bond
interest also may be free of
state and local taxes; how
ever, some munis may incur
the alternative minimum
tax. In general, you will
achieve the greatest benefit
from municipal bonds if you
are in one of the highest tax
brackets and if the “spread”
the difference in yield
between taxable bonds and
municipal bonds is relative
ly small.
See KINNAS, page 7A
Goodbye Sonny’s, hello CVS
it
BF-qM* •'
l h—l
HH.J Ed Bania
Work crews recently tore down the old Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q restaurant and
cleared the comer lot at Russell Parkway and Kimberly Road in Warner Robins.
Sonny’s owner Brad Fink said he sold the corner to CVS Pharmacy Stores because the
company wants to build a standalone drugstore on the site and close the one in the
Foodmax shopping center on Russell Parkway.
Flint receives fourth straight honor
Special to the HHJ
For the fourth consecutive
year, Flint Energies was
honored on July 19 in the
2004 “Spotlight on
Excellence” awards pro
gram, sponsored by the
National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association’s
(NRECA) Council of Rural
Electric Communicators
(CREC). Flint received an
Award of Merit for the Best
Use of Electronic
Communications for its Web
site.
Within the past three
years, the Flint Energies
Web site has been honored
with two Awards of Merit.
Former Manager of
Communications Hayley
Greene produced the award
winning
www.flintenergies.com Web
site with the help of Apogee
Interactive in Atlanta. It is
the fourth year in a row that
Flint has won one of these
awards.
Awards were presented
during a special luncheon at
the 2004 NRECA
Marketing, Member
Services and
Communication Conference.
All winning entries were
displayed at the conference
held in Columbus, Ohio,
from July 18-21.
The Spotlight awards
Brown’s Eye Center accepts award
BiSKF* m W/'
8J % Mm » m* aMCa.,
" w- mj % •
submitted
Brown’s Eye Center accepted the July 4004 Small Business of the Month award from
the Warner Robins Area Chamber of Commerce recently. Brown’s Eye Center is locat
ed at 1112 Russell Parkway, Warner Robins.
(To send in your event for
the Business Calendar, fax
the details to 988-1181, e
mail to hhjCajevansnewspa
pers.com or mail to Houston
Home Journal, P.O. Box
1910, Perry, GA 31069. The
deadline for inclusion is 5
p.m. Fridays.)
Business
competition is an annual
event recognizing the top
rated communication and
marketing efforts by electric
cooperatives and related
organizations. Electric coop
erative communicators and
marketing professionals
submitted a record 745
entries in the Spotlight on
Excellence program, now in
its 16th year. Faculty mem
bers from the prestigious
University of
Missouri-Columbia and
University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill judged
the entries.
CREC was organized in
1982, and seeks to advance
the recognition, education,
and professionalism of elec
tric cooperative communica
tors and their affiliated
organizations. It is a volun
teer association working on
behalf of approximately
1,300 electric cooperative
communicators across the
United States. NRECA, the
trade and service organiza
tion representing the
national interests of cooper
ative electric utilities, coor
dinates the Council’s activi
ties. Other national organi
zations supporting the work
of the Council are the
National Rural Utilities
Cooperative Finance
Corporation, the National
BUSINESS CALENDAR
July 27: How to Write a
Marketing Plan
WARNER ROBINS - In
this seminar, sponsored by
the University of Georgia
Small Business
Development Center, learn a
simple and proven method
that will show how to devel
op a detailed marketing plan
Rural Telecommunications
Cooperative, and Federated
Rural Electric Insurance
Exchange.
CREC also certifies com
municators in a national
certification program.
Greene, Jimmy Autry and
Karen Garza are all CCC’s
under the certification pro
gram.
Flint Energies, incorpo
rated in 1937, is an electric
membership cooperative
that provides energy servic
es to residential, commer
cial, industrial and agricul
tural members in parts of 17
central Georgia counties.
Flint has 230 employees and
serves more than 252,000
Georgians through more
than 72,200 meters. Flint’s
physical plant consists of
nearly 5,750 miles of distri
bution line and 48 substa
tions located within Bibb,
Chattahoochee, Crawford,
Dooly, Harris, Houston,
Macon, Marion, Monroe,
Muscogee, Peach, Schley,
Sumter, Taylor, Talbot,
Twiggs and Upson Counties.
The system also includes the
Fort Benning military post.
Flint is the seventh largest
of Georgia’s 42 EMCs and
the 33rd largest of the
nation’s nearly 1,000 rural
electric cooperatives.
for your company.
Participants will learn how
to transform their market
ing efforts to reach out and
attract more customers for
their products and services.
The class will be from 6-8
p.m. at 151 Osigian Blvd.
Prepaid registration is S3O.
(478) 751-6592.
Breaking routine
I am on vacation this
week - except for today.
It’s to be a full day of serv
ice to five leaders of a
client company.
Circumstances required
that I be up early for a
brief commitment. Now I
have several hours until
the day’s work begins.
I’ve found a quiet restau
rant overlooking a com
muter highway. As I enjoy
my coffee and breakfast, I
observe and reflect.
The food is good, but
the restaurant is almost
empty - there are more
waitresses than patrons..
I’m surprised, since this is
a busy, crowded part of
our nation.
I expected to have to
wait for a seat. Where are
all the people this morn
ing? I pause and look
around. Aha - now I real
ize - I can see their pro
files down below me in
those cars and trucks.
They have gobbled their
breakfast somewhere in
the crowded community
to my left, and they are
now rushing to the large
city to my right.
I will be in that traffic
soon enough. A friend
counseled me to wait it
out. He assured me I’d
arrive at my appointment
in plenty of time with a lot
less stress if I would just
let the heaviest hour of
traffic pass.
My abnormal morning
is a gift of time to muse.
Those in my sight are
caught up in their daily
routines. I, too, am usual
ly caught up in routine.
But not today. I am thank
ful for the time to reflect.
I wonder when these peo
ple last opened them
selves to new learning.
My mission today is to
introduce a learning
opportunity to five indi
viduals. Their organiza
tion has committed to a
renewal effort that recog
nizes the value of skill
development for growing
leaders.
As I observe the people
in my sight, few are learn
ing anything new. They
mastered their activities
long ago. They repeat
their morning routine so
often that no conscious
thought is required.
My routine is broken
this morning. I have the
time and circumstances to
ponder. We humans don’t
learn much when we are
caught in routine.
My time with these
leaders later today will be
Serving the Lord
-and His people
with gladness.
Subscribe
today
Call 987-1823
Bringing Quality
Banco instruction
to Wamor Rabins
for 20 team
Classes begin W
August 2! I J
• Creative Movement i I
•Ballet I
• Pointe
•Tap 53
• Jazz *'
• New! Hip Hop (478) 922-6220
Dennis Hooper
... even greater things .. .
dhooper2@juno.com
a break in their routine.
For the first time in a long
time - maybe in their lives
- they will consider their
competencies among a
wide assortment of lead
ership skills. Most consid
er themselves good lead
ers. Each, however, will
find dozens of attributes
they will evaluate as limi
tations.
Today’s experience will
be great learning in itself.
Most individuals who con
duct this self-evaluation
do not realize how much
is involved in “leader
ship.” For about an hour,
they will be torn between
wanting to look good in
this assessment and real
izing that they haven’t
even considered the
importance of some of
these characteristics. For
each, it begins a year of
learning.
The president of the
company made the deci
sion for this intervention.
The other four leaders are
supportive. Most feel the
effort is long overdue.
We humans need breaks
in our routine to learn.
Perhaps an hour of unin
terrupted reflection.
Perhaps the chance to
pick the brain of a mentor.
Perhaps some intentional
instruction from a
respected subject matter
expert. Perhaps a new
awareness of something
we’ve taken for granted
all our lives.
Be careful that your
routine isn’t so firmly
entrenched that you miss
the opportunity to inter
vene - to learn in a new
way. Occasionally, hold
your routine up to the
light of day—and then
break it!
• • •
What are your questions
about leadership develop
ment? Send an e-mail to
dhooper2@juno.com or
call me at (478) 988-0237.
F. Dennis Hooper
Certified
Leadership Development Coach
Building leaders and
organizations of excellence
(478) 988-0237
#1 Noon
Buffet
ween derby
1-75 Exit 136 • 987-8877
k G/frat/mty SOa/uv
d 7 ; ///// /?</
’ /I'll tort G&dvti
Fall Registration!
Friday. July 30.4-7 pm
Saturday, July 31.
9am-2pm
Now searching for
dancers for our
Cinderella .
production!
A <
6A
dhooper2@juno.com