Our Great City

Submitted by: Jean Keener, Keener Financial - 817-993-0401

Many employers have reduced or eliminated matching in the past several years. If you're fortunate enough to still have a match, you want to take full advantage of this potentially significant boost to your retirement plans. Every dollar your employer contributes toward your retirement is a dollar you don't have to.

To make the most of employer matching, you need to answer two questions:

1.  What's the formula?
2. How does my employer handle "maxing out" - reaching the federal limits of $16,500 for 401(k) plans for those under 50, and $22,000 for those 50+ - before the end of the year?

The first part - understanding the formula - is usually the easy part.

Once you know the formula, you need to contribute at least as much as they match if at all possible. A common formula is 100% up to 3% and then 50% on the next 2% - so you would need to contribute a minimum of 5% to get the full match. Other times, employers match up to 6%, 10% or more, so your contributions to make the most of the match are higher.

The next part - answering the max out question - can get more complex.

Sometimes the most aggressive and well-intentioned savers actually hurt themselves by completing their full contribution before the end of the year. Companies have several choices in how they approach calculating your match, and it all really depends on your plan's summary plan description.

Here are some of the ways it's handled:

Submitted By: Kweethai Neill & Steve Stork of

iHealth -Center for Integrated Wellness

Wanna gross out your kid on Valentine’s Day? In a public place, with lots of people around, say the three words everyone wants to hear, “Child, I am in love with you.” See how many cell phones speed-dial Child Protective Services.

Submitted by: Lois Frazier, Monart School of Art - Keller

I recently requested a copy of a new Dana Consortium report on Arts and Cognition. Basically, it’s a comprehensive report on the science of how creative arts interplays with our cognitive functions and growth patterns for elementary and middle school students. This interesting report is supported by more than 250 neuroscientists and the progress of brain science.

Submitted By:  Jean Keener, Keener Financial Planning -  817-993-0401

If you've been out of work for a period of time, it's a huge relief when the paychecks start rolling in again. Depending on how long you were unemployed, what your finances were like before the job loss, and other sources of income in your household, getting back to work could be just the beginning of a long recovery process for your finances.

Read the latest information on the advantages of using a high quality, all-natural, glycerin based shaving cream. The Boardroom Salon uses and recommends The Art of Shaving product line, which is all-natural and aromatherapy based using 100 percent pure essential oils selected for their therapeutic properties as well as their light, natural scents. To read more about the lines that this product makes, click here. Visit the new website for The Boardroom Salon at www.theBoardroomSalon.com.

Submitted by: Blind and Shutter Guys Southlake, TX 817-251-4940 www.blindandshutterguys.com

CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION ANNOUNCES WINDOW FASHIONS “RECALL TO REPAIR”

On 12/15/09 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary “recall to repair” roman shades and roll-up blinds. Hunter Douglas supports these efforts to make window coverings safer; as do we, as a retailer of Hunter Douglas window fashions.