As of June 9, 2017, a new Fiduciary Rule put forth by the Department of Labor will go into effect, potentially changing the level of accountability for many financial advisors currently not officially considered a “fiduciary.” The new rule expands the “investment advice fiduciary” definition under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Essentially, the Department of Labor’s definition of a fiduciary demands that advisors act in the best interests of their clients, and to put their clients’ interests above their own. It leaves no room for advisors to conceal any potential conflict of interest, and states that all fees and commissions must be clearly disclosed in dollar form to clients. The definition has been expanded to include any professional making a recommendation or solicitation — and not simply giving ongoing advice. Previously, only advisors who were charging a fee for service (either hourly or as a percentage of account holdings) on retirement plans were considered fiduciaries.
MPPL has recently added two new and exciting databases from Gale focused on resources ideal for entrepreneurs and small business owners: Business Insights: Global and Small Business Resource Center. Available as part of our Web Resources and accessible to anyone inside the library (and remotely at home for MPPL cardholders), these two powerful resources offer information and help around everything from writing a business plan, market research and industry reports to company information, funding sources and management strategies. If you’re someone working to start your own business or simply looking for ways to enhance your current one, take a moment to explore these rich and user-friendly tools!
It’s the time of year when many of us make decisions about our employee benefits for the coming year–“open enrollment” season. The Office of Financial Education, a part of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, offers this sound advice:
You can guide your children in finding the financial help they need
The financial world of today isn’t the same world you grew up in. New services and choices are being offered all the time. For your children to navigate the new financial world they’ll face, they need to know when to seek out information and how to evaluate it. Your children need practice making money choices, and they could use your guidance. At this age they may be earning some money of their own. Now, as you make benefits choices for next year, think about including your teenager in your decision-making process. You can help your teenager think about how to use information to make a good decision. If you have benefits fact sheets or Web sites from your employer, sit with your teenager and go through them. Talk through the questions your child has, and ask a few questions of your own:
What is the most important thing to think about for the family’s health care? Why?
Have there been any changes in the family since last year that could make a difference to health care? To insurance? To flexible spending dollars?
What could be the advantages or disadvantages of having benefits deducted from your paycheck, compared to paying the costs on your own?
How trustworthy is the information you receive? How would you look for further information?
You don’t have to do anything you wouldn’t do normally, when you make your benefits choices. Just by showing your teens how you approach enrollment, you’re helping them practice the decision-making process before their own paychecks are at stake. For more ideas, visit www.consumerfinance.gov/parents.
Summer is almost over, but the need for money smarts will never end! With that in mind, here are a few free, prepackaged programs and curricula selected and compiled by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) designed to help you improve your own financial literacy and develop the best personal strategy for saving, investing and more.
Elementary School Economics Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Personal finance and economic lessons are paired with popular children’s books. Librarians can read the book to the children and follow the reading with discussions about money decisions, saving, spending, choices, needs and wants and much more. Includes lesson plans and handouts.
Econlowdown Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
An online learning platform for more than 25 courses about money, financial decisions and economics. Register free to access the full list of courses. Instructors can select courses for their online “classrooms,” hold online discussions with classroom students, view progress, and present poll questions or surveys.
Money Smart for Older Americans CFPB, FDIC
An instructor-led training developed jointly by FDIC and CFPB, this module provides awareness among older adults and their caregivers about how to prevent elder financial exploitation and to encourage advance planning and informed financial decision-making.
Thrive by 5 Credit Union National Association Inc.
Simple activities and other resources that are parent-and-child tested and meant to give you ideas for: Teaching how money works and what it can do, talking about how your family uses money, and modeling good money management.
The Small Business Administration is offering webinars on the Affordable Care Act for small business owners. Here is a description of the content:
This free webinar will focus on what the new healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act, means for small businesses. It will focus on both federal and state provisions to help local small business owners understand how the law will affect them. Topics being discussed include:
•Small business tax credits (available to businesses and tax-exempt non-profits)— who’s eligible for them and how to claim them
•Marketplace updates
•Shared responsibility
•Cost containment
•Tools and resources available for small businesses interested in learning more about the law
A question and answer period will follow.
The webinar will be repeated at the following times:
•Thursday, August 1 at 1:00 PM CT
•Thursday, August 8 at 1:00 PM CT
•Thursday, August 15 at 1:00 PM CT
Registration instructions and information about the presenters are in the link above.
SCORE, Village Bank & Trust, Harper College, Robert Morris University and SALUTE, Inc. have partnered to create an informational seminar on Veterans financing. The presentation will feature topics on home financing as well as small business loans. Discussion will include the Patriot Express Loan for new or expanding businesses. Dinner will be provided.
Please call or RSVP online
Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Event Phone: (847) 870-6020
Meadow Club
2950 West Golf Road
Rolling Meadows IL 60008
YouTube has a category for university level videos in Business. Lectures from institutions such as Stanford, Yale, Harvard CPL, and Carnegie Mellon, among others, are organized into useful subcategories:
Leadership Finance Management Entreprenuership Globalization Supply Chain Management Operations Management Human Resources Management Accounting Marketing Business Ethics
Some new titles in the Library’s collection were recently highlighted at a Jump Start Your Business session, a series of business programs offered by the Library and Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce.
@ Your Service : How to Attract New Customers, Increase Sales, and Grow Your Business Using Simple Customer Service Techniques / Frank Eliason. (658.812 ELI) 2012
Scammed : How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World Of Schemes, Swindles, And Shady Deals / Christopher Elliott. (332.024 ELL) 2012
Customer Service Management Training 101 : Quick and Easy Techniques That Get Great Results / Renee Evenson. (658.3124 EVE) 2012
The Apple Experience : Secrets to Building Insanely Great Customer Loyalty / Carmine Gallo. (658.812 GAL)
Winning The Customer : Turn Consumers Into Fans and Get Them to Spend More / Lou Imbriano, Elizabeth King. (658.802 IMB) 2012
Uplifting Service : The Proven Path to Delighting Your Customers, Colleagues, and Everyone Else You Meet / Ron Kaufman. (658.812 KAU) 2012
The Loyalty Leap : Turning Customer Information into Customer Intimacy / Bryan Pearson. (658.8343 PEA) 2012
Who’s your Gladys? : How to Turn Even the Most Difficult Customer into Your Biggest Fan / Marilyn Suttle and Lori Jo Vest. (658.812 SUT) 2009
What’s Your Problem? / Jon Yates. (381.34 YAT) 2011
Some new titles in the Library’s collection were recently discussed at the Mount Prospect Women’s Chamber Lunch:
I’d Rather Be in Charge: A Legendary Business Leader’s Roadmap for Achieving Pride, Power, and Joy at Work by Charlotte Beers. (2012)
am-BITCH-ous : Learn to Be Her Now by Debra Condren. (2006)
Seducing the Boys Club: Uncensored Tactics From a Woman at the Top by Nina DiSesa. 2008)
Her Place at the Table: A Woman’s Guide to Negotiating Five Key Challenges to Leadership Success by Deborah M. Kolb, Judith Williams, Carol Frohlinger. (2010)
Iron Butterflies: Women Transforming Themselves and the World by Birute Regine. (2010)
Pushback: How Smart Women Ask–and Stand Up–for What They Want by Selena Rezvani and Lois P. Frankel (2012)
The Crporate Dominatrix: Six Roles to Play to Get Your Way at Work by Lisa Robyn (2007)
Breaking into the Boys’ Club: 8 Ways for Women to Get Ahead in Business by Molly D. Shepard, Jane K. Stimmler, and Peter J. Dean. (2009)