Friday, December 2, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Just Bee Generous
It's Thanksgiving every day for a New Orleanian who inspires others to 'Just Bee Generous'
Published: Tuesday, November 22, 2011, 5:00 AM
By This is the time of year when we open our hearts and our wallets: taking food to the food bank, sending checks to worthy causes, buying presents for Toys for Tots and the Forgotten Angels. Kelly McAtee has come up with something better.
The McAttes, left to right: Collin, 17; Kelly and Lily, 2; Lindsay, 15; Cy, 5; Patrick and Reid, 11. “’Just be generous’ is just something I’ve told my kids since they were born,” McAtee says.
McAtee lives in Williamsburg, Va., with her husband, Patrick, and their five children, but she will always be a New Orleanian and “a Sacred Heart girl” at heart.
She has five pounds of CDM Coffee delivered every month, and in the summertime, she carries condensed milk with her when she’s on her way to a Virginia “snowcone” stand.
“We even have a St. Bernard that sits and watches the Saints games with us,” she says.
Most of her relatives still live in southeast Louisiana, but after she graduated from LSU, she and her fighter pilot husband traveled all over the world.
“I’ve been gone for a long time, but New Orleans contributed to who I am,” she says, “and how I’ve raised my children is a reflection of that.”
Teaching their kids kindness
A couple of years ago, the McAtees decided they needed to do something concrete to instill the idea of generosity in their children, so they started doing small random acts of kindness. They would anonymously pay for another family’s meal when they were eating at a restaurant or buy $25 gift cards and leave them on windshields in a parking lot with little notes.
“We wanted our kids to understand the virtue of giving without expecting anything in return,” McAtee says.
She remembers the first time she realized their son Reid, who was 9 at the time, got the concept. It had been a busy day filled with after-school activities, and she had just dropped off her oldest son at soccer practice. She stopped at a drive-up window to get a fast supper for her younger children and found herself in a long line of cars.
While they waited, she was talking to the children about being nice and she told them they were going to do something nice for someone they didn’t know. When she finally got up to the window, she told the woman she wanted to pay for the car behind them, too.
“The woman at the window did not seem happy being a Burger King employee,” McAtee says.
The woman curtly told McAtee she needed to pull up because part of her order would take a while.
“That wasn’t part of my plan, because I wanted to just be able to drive away without anyone seeing who we were,” she says.
Instead, the woman behind her got out of her car to ask why she had bought her dinner. When she explained that she was trying to teach her children about being generous, the woman was surprised.
“It was just a small meal, but she kept thanking us,” McAtee says. “She seemed awestruck by what we’d done.”
And when the drive-up window employee brought the rest of their order, she had a smile on her face. She said they had made her day.
“After we left, Reid said, ‘Mom, when you’re nice to someone, maybe it helps them be nice to someone else,’” McAtee says. “He totally got something out of it.”
'Just Bee Nice'
From that small incident, McAtee’s idea for “Just Bee Nice” began to evolve. She came up with a card to explain her mission, and her family helped design it, using a honeybee as part of the logo.
“It’s basically a pay-it-forward card that tells the recipient, ‘Pass this along when you have a chance to do a random act of generosity,’” she says.
The front shows a globe with the bee buzzing around it and says “Just bee generous to a total stranger for no reason at all,” and under that, “Can you be the bee?” On the back is an explanation and the Just Bee Generous website.
“I had no idea if anybody would log on to the website,” McAtee says. “It was really more of an experiment with our kids.”
She got 100 cards printed up on business-card paper, so they would hold up and be able to be passed along. And, beginning in the summer of 2010, each time they did an anonymous act of generosity, they’d leave a card behind.
Not long after they started leaving the cards, they began to get messages on their website from as far away as Canada, Europe and Asia.
“That continues to blow me away,” McAtee says. “I get people logging on from all over the world. This week I heard from someone in Austria.”
She added a place on the website where you can order five free cards after people started requesting them, and though she hasn’t kept track of exactly how many she’s sent out, she knows it’s more than 5,000.
“I get the weirdest requests,” she says. The Department of Labor in Washington state asked for 500 cards.”
Their most recent addition to the website is “Just Bee Generous” T-shirts that sell for $25 and come with three cards and a request that the receiver go out and perform three anonymous acts of generosity for three different people. If they make any profit from them, it will go toward acts of generosity, such as helping a family after a fire.
“Right now, they’re just paying for the cards,” McAtee says.
Most generous state: Louisiana
What she likes best about her generosity project is the change she’s seen in her children.
“Everybody in the house has the cards, and the kids will often do things on their own,” she says.
Collin, a high school senior, has spread the idea to his classmates.
“He has all these 17- and 18-year-olds using the cards,” she says.
She was also happy to discover how generous people in Louisiana are.
“People from Louisiana log in more than anybody else,” she says. “They log in and ask for cards every single day.”
McAtee thinks it’s because of the mindset we have here.
“I grew up learning generosity in New Orleans and in my family and at Sacred Heart,” she says.
She and Patrick have wondered if eventually one of the cards might circle back to them. So far, that hasn’t happened, but something even better did. For a long time after she started handing out the cards, she didn’t mention what she was doing to her mother, Gayle Petagna Sisk, who lives in Covington with McAtee’s step-dad, Fred Sisk.
About a week after McAtee told her about her family’s generosity project, her mom received a Just Bee Generous card in the mail along with a $100 gift card for Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.
“All we know is the envelope had a New Orleans postmark,” McAtee says. “Neither one of us has any idea who sent it.”
Sheila Stroup's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday in The Times-Picayune's Livingsection. Contact her at sstroup@timespicayune.com or 985.898.4831
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Great Piece on Education from Thomas Friedman
Taken From Sunday's New York Times
Op-Ed Columnist
How About Better Parents?
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: November 19, 2011
- IN recent years, we’ve been treated to reams of op-ed articles about how we need better teachers in our public schools and, if only the teachers’ unions would go away, our kids would score like Singapore’s on the big international tests. There’s no question that a great teacher can make a huge difference in a student’s achievement, and we need to recruit, train and reward more such teachers. But here’s what some new studies are also showing: We need better parents. Parents more focused on their children’s education can also make a huge difference in a student’s achievement.
Josh Haner/The New York Times
Thomas L. Friedman
How do we know? Every three years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or O.E.C.D., conducts exams as part of the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, which tests 15-year-olds in the world’s leading industrialized nations on their reading comprehension and ability to use what they’ve learned in math and science to solve real problems — the most important skills for succeeding in college and life. America’s 15-year-olds have not been distinguishing themselves in the PISA exams compared with students in Singapore, Finland and Shanghai.
To better understand why some students thrive taking the PISA tests and others do not, Andreas Schleicher, who oversees the exams for the O.E.C.D., was encouraged by the O.E.C.D. countries to look beyond the classrooms. So starting with four countries in 2006, and then adding 14 more in 2009, the PISA team went to the parents of 5,000 students and interviewed them “about how they raised their kids and then compared that with the test results” for each of those years, Schleicher explained to me. Two weeks ago, the PISA team published the three main findings of its study:
“Fifteen-year-old students whose parents often read books with them during their first year of primary school show markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents read with them infrequently or not at all. The performance advantage among students whose parents read to them in their early school years is evident regardless of the family’s socioeconomic background. Parents’ engagement with their 15-year-olds is strongly associated with better performance in PISA.”
Schleicher explained to me that “just asking your child how was their school day and showing genuine interest in the learning that they are doing can have the same impact as hours of private tutoring. It is something every parent can do, no matter what their education level or social background.”
For instance, the PISA study revealed that “students whose parents reported that they had read a book with their child ‘every day or almost every day’ or ‘once or twice a week’ during the first year of primary school have markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents reported that they had read a book with their child ‘never or almost never’ or only ‘once or twice a month.’ On average, the score difference is 25 points, the equivalent of well over half a school year.”
Yes, students from more well-to-do households are more likely to have more involved parents. “However,” the PISA team found, “even when comparing students of similar socioeconomic backgrounds, those students whose parents regularly read books to them when they were in the first year of primary school score 14 points higher, on average, than students whose parents did not.”
The kind of parental involvement matters, as well. “For example,” the PISA study noted, “on average, the score point difference in reading that is associated with parental involvement is largest when parents read a book with their child, when they talk about things they have done during the day, and when they tell stories to their children.” The score point difference is smallest when parental involvement takes the form of simply playing with their children.
These PISA findings were echoed in a recent study by the National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education, and written up by the center’s director, Patte Barth, in the latest issue of The American School Board Journal.
The study, called “Back to School: How parent involvement affects student achievement,” found something “somewhat surprising,” wrote Barth: “Parent involvement can take many forms, but only a few of them relate to higher student performance. Of those that work, parental actions that support children’s learning at home are most likely to have an impact on academic achievement at school.
“Monitoring homework; making sure children get to school; rewarding their efforts and talking up the idea of going to college. These parent actions are linked to better attendance, grades, test scores, and preparation for college,” Barth wrote. “The study found that getting parents involved with their children’s learning at home is a more powerful driver of achievement than parents attending P.T.A. and school board meetings, volunteering in classrooms, participating in fund-raising, and showing up at back-to-school nights.”
To be sure, there is no substitute for a good teacher. There is nothing more valuable than great classroom instruction. But let’s stop putting the whole burden on teachers. We also need better parents. Better parents can make every teacher more effective.
“Fifteen-year-old students whose parents often read books with them during their first year of primary school show markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents read with them infrequently or not at all. The performance advantage among students whose parents read to them in their early school years is evident regardless of the family’s socioeconomic background. Parents’ engagement with their 15-year-olds is strongly associated with better performance in PISA.”
Schleicher explained to me that “just asking your child how was their school day and showing genuine interest in the learning that they are doing can have the same impact as hours of private tutoring. It is something every parent can do, no matter what their education level or social background.”
For instance, the PISA study revealed that “students whose parents reported that they had read a book with their child ‘every day or almost every day’ or ‘once or twice a week’ during the first year of primary school have markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents reported that they had read a book with their child ‘never or almost never’ or only ‘once or twice a month.’ On average, the score difference is 25 points, the equivalent of well over half a school year.”
Yes, students from more well-to-do households are more likely to have more involved parents. “However,” the PISA team found, “even when comparing students of similar socioeconomic backgrounds, those students whose parents regularly read books to them when they were in the first year of primary school score 14 points higher, on average, than students whose parents did not.”
The kind of parental involvement matters, as well. “For example,” the PISA study noted, “on average, the score point difference in reading that is associated with parental involvement is largest when parents read a book with their child, when they talk about things they have done during the day, and when they tell stories to their children.” The score point difference is smallest when parental involvement takes the form of simply playing with their children.
These PISA findings were echoed in a recent study by the National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education, and written up by the center’s director, Patte Barth, in the latest issue of The American School Board Journal.
The study, called “Back to School: How parent involvement affects student achievement,” found something “somewhat surprising,” wrote Barth: “Parent involvement can take many forms, but only a few of them relate to higher student performance. Of those that work, parental actions that support children’s learning at home are most likely to have an impact on academic achievement at school.
“Monitoring homework; making sure children get to school; rewarding their efforts and talking up the idea of going to college. These parent actions are linked to better attendance, grades, test scores, and preparation for college,” Barth wrote. “The study found that getting parents involved with their children’s learning at home is a more powerful driver of achievement than parents attending P.T.A. and school board meetings, volunteering in classrooms, participating in fund-raising, and showing up at back-to-school nights.”
To be sure, there is no substitute for a good teacher. There is nothing more valuable than great classroom instruction. But let’s stop putting the whole burden on teachers. We also need better parents. Better parents can make every teacher more effective.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Taking a Closer Look
Managing the Business Side of the Business
By MP MUELLERLast year at my aunt’s 80th birthday gathering, I talked business with one of my cousins, Phil Ochoa. Phil and his wife, Sharyn, started a company, Federal Defense Industries, out of the garage of their Southern California home. Ten years later, they are the family success story, with eight-figure revenue, and they have traded way up and out of their office with the Genie door opener.
They have an interesting niche business that finds and sells spare parts for military equipment that the United States has sold to its overseas allies. Phil talks about entrepreneurship with a mixture of reverence and sport. Quotes from Sam Walton and Zig Ziglar pepper his conversation. He and Sharyn asked me to come out to California for a couple of days to review their marketing strategies and to suggest some new ones.
So, last December, I visited the Los Angeles area, learned a lot about their business and left them with some marketing strategies and tactics. But it was I who really benefited, getting to see how astutely they ran the business side of their business. Oh, that, you say! You see, I opened my advertising agency 16 years ago with a love for doing creative work. Years later, I’ve hired people who are much better at that than I am, and my role has shifted to managing the business. There is no pride when I admit this, but we’ve been in business for the better part of two decades, and I have never had a business plan or an annual budget. (I hope my banker isn’t reading this!)
What I have learned about managing a business has come from talking to friends, picking the brains of top business folks, and reading, reading, reading . . . business articles, business books, the other You’re the Boss bloggers. I’ve even hired the occasional consultant for our really blind spots. Truth be told, running the business has always been the least interesting part of my job, and I have never given it much of an embrace. But with these past few recession years and the “learning opportunities” they have presented, I have discovered new interest in running the business well. So I asked Phil and Sharyn if they would mind making a trip to Austin to take a look and share their thoughts.
The Ochoas booked their flights within a day of being asked. They requested financials for airplane reading, took an outsider’s and client’s eye to our Web site, sent some prep questions, and once here spent a January weekend poring over our books, asking more questions and probing about processes, procedures and people. What surprised me was how vulnerable I felt — expecting them to discover some skeleton in my business closet that I didn’t know existed.
I know I’ve been very lucky on many levels, kind of making it up as I go and mostly succeeding. I treated hiccups in my business practices like an unraveled hem, stapling it back and moving fast so people wouldn’t notice, but never going back and putting the right processes in place for the long run. What would their final analysis be? Had I been, sob, a bad business mother?
An hour before we were to head to the airport, we regrouped in the conference room. Being the good managers they are, they started with the compliments. The business is in good order, they said, but there are some areas that could be improved. Phil used a formula to analyze our billable hours and determined that we were pretty far off target for the percentage of billable hours vs. administrative hours — we were at 57-percent billable instead of 80 percent. Behind that was the challenge of getting everyone to fill out time sheets weekly in order to create the most realistic estimates and track time against budgeted hours. And who was the biggest transgressor? That would be me. “If you don’t value your time,” Phil said, “no one else will.”
Other suggestions included reviewing our business pitches, reassessing our wins and losses from 2010 and our targets for 2011 — making sure to focus on the ones that offer the best opportunities for profit. They also recommended building an advisory board, comparing actual hours against allocated hours at our weekly status meeting, reviewing our accounting records regularly with our accountant, developing proprietary services and products and, yes, creating an annual operations plan and budget.
“Do you have a vision board?” they asked. White board? Check. No, they said, a vision board. Explain, please? Get some poster board, some magazines and cut out pictures of what success looks like to you and stick them on the board. Put it in a prominent place where you can see it daily. They encouraged me to spend more time visualizing where I want the business to be and how it will feel when we get there. Before you go to an important meeting, they suggested, sit down and imagine what you want that meeting to be like. Create a mock financial statement (for visualization purposes only) that shows huge profits. Think of everything you are grateful for, and focus on those positive thoughts.
Lastly, Phil walked over to my desk and seeing it covered in papers shook his head. “This is where you work?” he asked. “Clean it up, and you’ll be amazed at how much more you will achieve. Read ‘Office Feng Shui.’” I cleaned my desk, made a couple other prescribed tweaks, shifted the location of my computer and I am amazed how my energy at my desk has lifted.
The time they took to help me with my business is one of the most generous gifts I’ve ever received. Phil and Sharyn’s attention to the agency inspired me beyond the list they left. I’ll share with you how I’m progressing with my “business of running a business” list in future posts. Working on managing things better is like the P90X of business workouts, only there is no 90-day endpoint for this exercise. Learning to enjoy this side of business may never be up there with doing the creative (or even with nachos and beer), but I’m determined to look better in that spreadsheet swimsuit.
Friday, October 28, 2011
We Will See You Tommorow Night!!!!
Those of you that know me know that I am not the biggest baseball fan in the world, however I have not missed one pitch of this series-and tonight after the final out is recorded I will wish that they could just do it all over again.
Here's to the Cardinals and the men who will line up and wear it on Saturday in Nashville!!!
Ryan Mallett Football Raises Money For Boys & Girls Club
Thursday, October 27, 2011
MSCC Executive Assistant Earns Outstanding Staff Award
October 24, 2011
MSCC Executive Assistant Earns Outstanding Staff Award
Deborah Webb, Executive Assistant to the President, has been selected as a 2011
Outstanding Staff Member at Mid-South Community College. Webb received formal
recognition and a plaque at the Arkansas Association of Two-Year College Fall
Conference in Hot Springs on Oct. 17.
“In my mind everyone at Mid-South
Community College is ‘outstanding,’ so I’m
especially humbled by this honor,” said Webb, who
began working at MSCC in July 1996. “When I
joined the college 15 years ago, I never dreamed
we’d be where we are today. I love my job and
appreciate the opportunity to work with such
wonderful staff and students.”
The AATYC Outstanding Staff Member
program recognizes exemplary employees for their
campus and community contributions. MSCC
selection criteria include exhibiting a positive attitude, showing commitment to
professional development, performing college service to institutional advancement,
supporting the College’s commitments to the community, demonstrating innovation and
enthusiasm, and exhibiting integrity, professionalism and fairness with students and
colleagues.
Webb’s coworkers say she is an exceptionally deserving honoree.
“Deborah is a tremendous asset to me and to Mid-South Community College,”
said Dr. Glen Fenter, MSCC President. “Working in the president’s office presents
numerous and varied challenges, and Deborah handles them all very effectively and
efficiently and with her own special style. We are so fortunate to have her as part of our
MSCC family.”
Don Threm, MSCC Publicity Coordinator, said her years of service and
commitment to Mid-South Community College make her a logical and excellent choice
for the honor.
“I have worked fairly closely with Deborah for more than a decade, and I can’t
think of a time when she has demonstrated anything but a positive attitude,” Threm said.
“She is an excellent representative of the College, both in face-to-face meetings and
telephone conversations with everyone from White House officials to potential students.”
“Deborah also attends almost every special event related to MSCC and is often
actively involved in the behind-the-scenes efforts to make them run smoothly.”
“Deborah is an absolute pleasure to work with and has been especially kind,
supportive and inspirational to me since I came to work here four years ago,” said Patti
Coleman, Director of Advancement. “She never meets a stranger and is always helpful to
everyone on campus.”
Pat Crume, a student worker who is also Mid-South’s 2011-12 Academic All-
Star, said Webb “has a really big heart. She is so compassionate, and she goes out of her
way to help anyone she can. She also has a great sense of humor. I feel so blessed and
honored to know and work with such a wonderful person as Deb Webb.”
Webb came to Mid-South Community College in July 1996 after working for
Fidelity National Bank of West Memphis (Vice President/Marketing), St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital (Assistant Director of Public Relations), First Tennessee National
Corporation (Administrative Assistant to General Counsel) , and the Commercial Appeal
(copy writer, customer service representative, and secretary).
She has been involved in many community activities including the West Memphis
Chamber of Commerce, West Memphis Meals on Wheels, the Crittenden Arts Council,
and Junior Achievement.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Public
Relations from the University of Memphis.
Other Outstanding Staff honorees at MSCC have included LaToya Roberson, Rita
Hulen, Linda Graham, Melissa Cox Powers, Sherry Fountain, Verna Davis, Leslie
Anderson, Jeremy Reece, Jerry Webb, Nancy Hogan, Don Threm, Tom Cook, Barbara
Stewart, Debra West, and Sandra Williams.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Senate votes to end Direct Payments to Farmers
This was taken from the Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The Senate has voted to end direct payments to farmers whose annual incomes exceed $1 million.
The 84-15 vote approving the provision by Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn came as the Senate worked into the early morning hours Friday on a vast spending bill.
Coburn argued that the government shouldn’t be subsidizing the highest earning farmers at a time of deep budget deficits. The leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee, who opposed Coburn, are working on legislation that could eliminate the entire $5 billion-a-year direct payment program for farmers.
Direct payments go to farmers regardless of crop prices or yields. They are relied on heavily by many rice and cotton farmers in the South.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thank You Mark Pryor!!!
Two senators are pressing to remove a federal requirement that homeowners and businesses near levees and dams purchase flood insurance.
Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) have launched an effort to convince their colleagues to overturn a provision in Senate legislation that would require federal flood insurance coverage in areas already protected by levees, dams or other flood control structures.
Cochran and Pryor are circulating a bipartisan letter to the Senate Banking Committee that asks for reconsideration of a section of the Senate bill to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that would expand required insurance coverage to “areas of residual risk” that are located behind levees, near dams or other flood control structures.
Cochran and Pryor contend that the provision would impose financial and economic hardships in protected areas that have only a 1 in 500 chance of flooding in a given year based on actuarial analysis. The argue that the bill would not require the same insurance purchase requirement on properties without levee protection, which they said have a 1 in 101 chance of flooding.
“The National Flood Insurance Program must be reformed, and I believe the Senate Banking Committee has done yeoman’s work on crafting bipartisan reform legislation,” said Cochran. “I do, however, have grave concerns about some of the provisions in the bill, particularly ones that create new flood insurance coverage mandates on families and businesses that are already protected by strong levees and dams. The blanket approach taken in the current bill should be changed in order to ensure fair treatment for those protected properties.”
“Families and business owners in Arkansas understand the importance of sound flood protection, which is why they pay levee taxes,” Pryor said. “In addition to expensive out-of-pocket insurance costs, this requirement will scare off new economic development opportunities. I am hopeful my colleagues will take a fresh look at this requirement and decide not put this enormous burden on our communities.”
Section 107 of the Senate bill would require certain homeowners and businesses protected by flood control structures to purchase flood insurance policies. The bill gives the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency the discretion to impose the requirement and, in turn, correlating land-use restrictions.
There is no schedule set for Senate consideration of the NFIP reauthorization bill approved by the Banking Committee. The House has passed its own flood insurance bill.
The NFIP program is currently operating on the latest in a series of short-term extensions, which will continue its authorization through Nov. 18.
Two senators are pressing to remove a federal requirement that homeowners and businesses near levees and dams purchase flood insurance.
Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) have launched an effort to convince their colleagues to overturn a provision in Senate legislation that would require federal flood insurance coverage in areas already protected by levees, dams or other flood control structures.
Cochran and Pryor are circulating a bipartisan letter to the Senate Banking Committee that asks for reconsideration of a section of the Senate bill to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that would expand required insurance coverage to “areas of residual risk” that are located behind levees, near dams or other flood control structures.
Cochran and Pryor contend that the provision would impose financial and economic hardships in protected areas that have only a 1 in 500 chance of flooding in a given year based on actuarial analysis. The argue that the bill would not require the same insurance purchase requirement on properties without levee protection, which they said have a 1 in 101 chance of flooding.
“The National Flood Insurance Program must be reformed, and I believe the Senate Banking Committee has done yeoman’s work on crafting bipartisan reform legislation,” said Cochran. “I do, however, have grave concerns about some of the provisions in the bill, particularly ones that create new flood insurance coverage mandates on families and businesses that are already protected by strong levees and dams. The blanket approach taken in the current bill should be changed in order to ensure fair treatment for those protected properties.”
“Families and business owners in Arkansas understand the importance of sound flood protection, which is why they pay levee taxes,” Pryor said. “In addition to expensive out-of-pocket insurance costs, this requirement will scare off new economic development opportunities. I am hopeful my colleagues will take a fresh look at this requirement and decide not put this enormous burden on our communities.”
Section 107 of the Senate bill would require certain homeowners and businesses protected by flood control structures to purchase flood insurance policies. The bill gives the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency the discretion to impose the requirement and, in turn, correlating land-use restrictions.
There is no schedule set for Senate consideration of the NFIP reauthorization bill approved by the Banking Committee. The House has passed its own flood insurance bill.
The NFIP program is currently operating on the latest in a series of short-term extensions, which will continue its authorization through Nov. 18.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Pimento Cheese, The Grove, and Insurance for Rent Houses
Ok, This is the best pimento cheese recipe in the world. Better than the one's served at the Masters and yes I did create the recipe.
Ingriedents
1 lb Mild Chedder Cheese
10 ounces drained pimentos
1 and 1/2 cup of Duke's Mayonaise
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Insstructions
Grade the cheese yourself on as small a slot as possible, you want the cheese to form a paste like consistency. You can not use pre-packaged shredded cheese. It will not work. You have to shred your own cheese.
Combine all of the other ingridents, stir well, then refridgerate for at least 2 hours. Serve on my favorite white bread or crackers. Trust me, its incredable.
The Grove
This year will mark the first time in forever that we will not be attending the Ole Miss-Arkansas game in Oxford. As most of you know, my wife-who is from Little Rock, holds 2 degrees from the The University of Mississippi and her entire family has went to school there. I graduated from Arkansas and until Ole Miss hired one Houston Dale Nutt, I actually enjoyed Oxford and Ole Miss. One of my wife's really good friends owns a cool bar in the square called the Library(Hello John Dessler) and one of her best friends from Little Rock and Ole Miss, was actually able to get us a room at the Downtown Inn for the Friday and Saturday Nights of the game weekend. This year Ole Miss is the worst team in the SEC, well maybe the worst team, and I actually want to just make some pimento cheese and sit in my chair and watch the game at home. Sure I will be jealous when all of my friends start calling on their drive to Oxford saying "Where you at?" But when its all over, it will be so nice to crawl in my own bed, in my own home at 9:00 at night. For those of you going, have a great time and be safe.
Rent Houses, Apartments, and Condos
Ok, if you own anyone of the above mentioned in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, or Missouri you need to call me, so you can start saving some money. I have clients in all of these states who we have literally been able to save them thousands of dollars on their insurance. You can get us at (870)732-0707.
Monday, October 17, 2011
HSA's, High Deductible Plans, and Other Stuff
With January right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to remind everyone about HSAs and other health insurance options. Here is an article that ran last year in the NY Times, that pretty much explains HSAs, High Deductible Plans, and other health insurance options.
High-Deductible Plans Grow, but Not Everyone Should Get on Board
Kevin J. Fitzsimons for The New York Times
Phil Derrow, CEO of Ohio Transmission Corportation, in the company’s distribution center.
By WALECIA KONRAD
Published: August 27, 2010
FRUSTRATED by exploding health care costs, many firms are encouraging employees to enroll in high-deductible health insurance plans linked to tax-exempt health savings accounts.
At first glance, it can seem like a great deal. In exchange for picking up a larger share of their own health care costs, employees pay lower insurance premiums and are allowed to use pretax dollars to pay out-of-pocket costs. But many consumers embracing the plans have discovered there are pitfalls aplenty, including out-of-pocket expenses they cannot afford.
To open a health savings account, you must be enrolled in a qualified health insurance plan with a deductible of at least $1,200 for an individual or $2,400 for a family.
In return for accepting the higher deductible, you are allowed to deposit pretax dollars in the H.S.A., which are used to pay your out-of-pocket medical costs. This year, singles may contribute a maximum of $3,050 to an H.S.A. and families can deposit up to $6,150.
Earnings on the account are also tax-free, and no taxes are paid on withdrawals used for qualified medical expenses.
More than 10 million people are enrolled in high-deductible health plans linked to health savings accounts, up from 6.1 million in 2008, according to a recent survey by America’s Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group.
Companies like the plans because they require workers to shoulder more of their own health care costs, and the premiums for high-deductible plans, to which firms contribute, are far lower than for traditional policies.
If workers must pay a bigger chunk of their own costs, the argument goes, they will become wiser consumers of health care. And since the balances in H.S.A. accounts roll over from year to year and travel with an employee from job to job, they can help finance individuals’ health care costs during retirement.
Since Philip Derrow, owner and chief executive of Ohio Transmission Corporation in Columbus, switched to a high-deductible H.S.A. plan for himself and 300 employees four years ago, his firm’s health insurance premium costs have increased by an average 2 percent or so a year, compared with 10 to 12 percent increases in previous years.
“This was by far the most affordable option for us, and I really believe it makes us better health care consumers,” Mr. Derrow said.
Critics have been less enthusiastic about H.S.A.’s, worrying that high-deductible plans work only for young, relatively healthy people who do not spend a lot on health care anyway. When sick people are faced with paying high out-of-pocket costs for medical bills, they simply go without the care they need, experts note.
What’s more, shopping for the best health care prices is difficult for consumers — sometimes impossible, because doctors and other health care providers don’t readily disclose prices.
And the new health care law may make high-deductible plans less attractive if new rules, yet to be announced, require lower deductibles and impose other restrictions.
If you’re in or are about to join an H.S.A., here are some ways to make the most of your decision.
SHOP FOR LOWER FEES Prepare to be nickeled-and-dimed. Banks and other financial institutions that offer H.S.A.’s often charge a one-time set-up fee of $25 to $75, along with an annual fee in the same range. Charges for checks, debit card and automated teller transactions can run a dollar or two each. Of course, the usual big charges may apply for overdrafts or bounced checks.
In addition, depending on where you park your health care money, you may pay an investment or so-called 12b-1 fee on top of the banking fees.
These charges may seem small, but over time they can add up. Shop for the financial institution with the lowest fees, and keep as much money as you can in your account to pay medical bills.
Most employers who offer an H.S.A. option contract with a single financial institution and pick up the administrative fees for any employees who set up their accounts there. This choice is often your best bet. But you are not obligated to use that institution. You’ll still want to compare what your employer is offering with other big H.S.A. providers like H.S.A. Bank or Wells Fargo to make sure the fees offered are at the low end of the spectrum.
CHOOSE SAFER INVESTMENTS Almost everyone with an H.S.A. wants to put the money in a haven. That’s why most employers provide plans with low-interest, conservative savings or money market accounts. These days most of those accounts offer little more than a percentage point in interest. You should expect to earn at least that much — after all, it is better than nothing.
Other providers, like Fidelity and Wells Fargo, offer a range of investment options for H.S.A.’s, including stocks and stock mutual funds. These aggressive strategies should probably be reserved for people who have accumulated a fair amount in their accounts and do not plan to spend it in the short term, said Edward Kaplan, national health practice leader at the Segal Company, a benefits consulting firm.
For most people, there is no need to be swayed by the fancy marketing materials promoting dozens of H.S.A. investment options when an interest-bearing savings or money market account will keep low balances safe.
EMPLOYER INCENTIVES To get employees excited about H.S.A.’s, many firms will contribute directly to your account. For example, two-thirds of Fidelity Consulting Group’s clients contribute an average of $750 per employee into health savings accounts, said William Applegate, vice president of product management at Fidelity.
In addition, many companies offer high-deductible plans that pay for annual physicals and other wellness programs. In January, the new health care law will make it mandatory for all health plans to pay for preventive and wellness services. That means if you are relatively healthy, you may well be able to dodge out-of-pocket health costs for routine care, allowing your H.S.A. balance to grow and roll over into the next year.
RECORD YOUR PAYMENTS Use your H.S.A. money only for qualified medical expenses, and always keep receipts so you can prove your expenditures. (Check your benefits office or insurance provider for guidelines.) Under the new health care law, any unqualified purchases made with H.S.A. money will be subject to a 20 percent penalty starting in January, up from the current 10 percent.
Keep in mind another change also beginning in January: over-the-counter pharmaceuticals will no longer be eligible for reimbursement from an H.S.A. unless prescribed by a doctor. If you were accustomed to paying for, say, Claritin or Motrin with H.S.A. dollars, you’ll have to recalculate.
COMPARE PRICES FOR CARE Although it can be difficult to find accurate pricing information, there are some resources you will want to turn to if you are paying for more than routine care, like an M.R.I. or surgery. Most insurance companies offer price information on their Web sites. And independent sites like PriceDoc.com and HealthcareBlueBook.com offer comparisons for practitioners and common medical procedures.
Mr. Derrow simply calls around for the best deal. When he was suddenly paying full price for a prescription medicine he took regularly, he said, “You can’t believe how fast I was on the phone comparing prices at area pharmacies. I had never bothered to do that before, when I knew it was simply a $25 co-pay no matter where I went.”
To open a health savings account, you must be enrolled in a qualified health insurance plan with a deductible of at least $1,200 for an individual or $2,400 for a family.
In return for accepting the higher deductible, you are allowed to deposit pretax dollars in the H.S.A., which are used to pay your out-of-pocket medical costs. This year, singles may contribute a maximum of $3,050 to an H.S.A. and families can deposit up to $6,150.
Earnings on the account are also tax-free, and no taxes are paid on withdrawals used for qualified medical expenses.
More than 10 million people are enrolled in high-deductible health plans linked to health savings accounts, up from 6.1 million in 2008, according to a recent survey by America’s Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group.
Companies like the plans because they require workers to shoulder more of their own health care costs, and the premiums for high-deductible plans, to which firms contribute, are far lower than for traditional policies.
If workers must pay a bigger chunk of their own costs, the argument goes, they will become wiser consumers of health care. And since the balances in H.S.A. accounts roll over from year to year and travel with an employee from job to job, they can help finance individuals’ health care costs during retirement.
Since Philip Derrow, owner and chief executive of Ohio Transmission Corporation in Columbus, switched to a high-deductible H.S.A. plan for himself and 300 employees four years ago, his firm’s health insurance premium costs have increased by an average 2 percent or so a year, compared with 10 to 12 percent increases in previous years.
“This was by far the most affordable option for us, and I really believe it makes us better health care consumers,” Mr. Derrow said.
Critics have been less enthusiastic about H.S.A.’s, worrying that high-deductible plans work only for young, relatively healthy people who do not spend a lot on health care anyway. When sick people are faced with paying high out-of-pocket costs for medical bills, they simply go without the care they need, experts note.
What’s more, shopping for the best health care prices is difficult for consumers — sometimes impossible, because doctors and other health care providers don’t readily disclose prices.
And the new health care law may make high-deductible plans less attractive if new rules, yet to be announced, require lower deductibles and impose other restrictions.
If you’re in or are about to join an H.S.A., here are some ways to make the most of your decision.
SHOP FOR LOWER FEES Prepare to be nickeled-and-dimed. Banks and other financial institutions that offer H.S.A.’s often charge a one-time set-up fee of $25 to $75, along with an annual fee in the same range. Charges for checks, debit card and automated teller transactions can run a dollar or two each. Of course, the usual big charges may apply for overdrafts or bounced checks.
In addition, depending on where you park your health care money, you may pay an investment or so-called 12b-1 fee on top of the banking fees.
These charges may seem small, but over time they can add up. Shop for the financial institution with the lowest fees, and keep as much money as you can in your account to pay medical bills.
Most employers who offer an H.S.A. option contract with a single financial institution and pick up the administrative fees for any employees who set up their accounts there. This choice is often your best bet. But you are not obligated to use that institution. You’ll still want to compare what your employer is offering with other big H.S.A. providers like H.S.A. Bank or Wells Fargo to make sure the fees offered are at the low end of the spectrum.
CHOOSE SAFER INVESTMENTS Almost everyone with an H.S.A. wants to put the money in a haven. That’s why most employers provide plans with low-interest, conservative savings or money market accounts. These days most of those accounts offer little more than a percentage point in interest. You should expect to earn at least that much — after all, it is better than nothing.
Other providers, like Fidelity and Wells Fargo, offer a range of investment options for H.S.A.’s, including stocks and stock mutual funds. These aggressive strategies should probably be reserved for people who have accumulated a fair amount in their accounts and do not plan to spend it in the short term, said Edward Kaplan, national health practice leader at the Segal Company, a benefits consulting firm.
For most people, there is no need to be swayed by the fancy marketing materials promoting dozens of H.S.A. investment options when an interest-bearing savings or money market account will keep low balances safe.
EMPLOYER INCENTIVES To get employees excited about H.S.A.’s, many firms will contribute directly to your account. For example, two-thirds of Fidelity Consulting Group’s clients contribute an average of $750 per employee into health savings accounts, said William Applegate, vice president of product management at Fidelity.
In addition, many companies offer high-deductible plans that pay for annual physicals and other wellness programs. In January, the new health care law will make it mandatory for all health plans to pay for preventive and wellness services. That means if you are relatively healthy, you may well be able to dodge out-of-pocket health costs for routine care, allowing your H.S.A. balance to grow and roll over into the next year.
RECORD YOUR PAYMENTS Use your H.S.A. money only for qualified medical expenses, and always keep receipts so you can prove your expenditures. (Check your benefits office or insurance provider for guidelines.) Under the new health care law, any unqualified purchases made with H.S.A. money will be subject to a 20 percent penalty starting in January, up from the current 10 percent.
Keep in mind another change also beginning in January: over-the-counter pharmaceuticals will no longer be eligible for reimbursement from an H.S.A. unless prescribed by a doctor. If you were accustomed to paying for, say, Claritin or Motrin with H.S.A. dollars, you’ll have to recalculate.
COMPARE PRICES FOR CARE Although it can be difficult to find accurate pricing information, there are some resources you will want to turn to if you are paying for more than routine care, like an M.R.I. or surgery. Most insurance companies offer price information on their Web sites. And independent sites like PriceDoc.com and HealthcareBlueBook.com offer comparisons for practitioners and common medical procedures.
Mr. Derrow simply calls around for the best deal. When he was suddenly paying full price for a prescription medicine he took regularly, he said, “You can’t believe how fast I was on the phone comparing prices at area pharmacies. I had never bothered to do that before, when I knew it was simply a $25 co-pay no matter where I went.”
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Who says the Delta is Dead!!!
Wow, what a great weekend here in Crittenden County, AR. Although I didn't make it to everything-I am told that all of the events that took place here this weekend were great. I was mostly on Daddy duty, as my wife and mother-in-law created every type of flower arrangement possible for Charity Ball. The club looked great and we had an awsome time.
St. Micheals School held there first ever Italian Fest and I am told that there was a line a mile long waiting to recieve some of Mr. Primo's famous sauce. Southland Park Gaming & Racing held a steak cook off with the Gin Blossoms performing, and Crittenden Countty Junior Auxilory held there annual fundraiser Charity Ball. It was a busy weekend and a great time for everybody.
Well tommorow marks the start of another work week and I am ready for it. Arkansas is ranked #9 in the first BCS poll and I hope more than anything for another trip to New Orleans this January!! As always if you have not shopped your insurance lately, please give us a call and let us save you some money!!
St. Micheals School held there first ever Italian Fest and I am told that there was a line a mile long waiting to recieve some of Mr. Primo's famous sauce. Southland Park Gaming & Racing held a steak cook off with the Gin Blossoms performing, and Crittenden Countty Junior Auxilory held there annual fundraiser Charity Ball. It was a busy weekend and a great time for everybody.
Well tommorow marks the start of another work week and I am ready for it. Arkansas is ranked #9 in the first BCS poll and I hope more than anything for another trip to New Orleans this January!! As always if you have not shopped your insurance lately, please give us a call and let us save you some money!!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Insurance in Arkansas
Have you shopped your insurance lately? If your like most of my clients, the answer is probably no. Did you know that on average most of our clients at Fidelity Insurance Group save more than 30% on their annual insurance premiums. I know you are probably asking, whats the catch? Believe it or not, there is no catch. As one of Arkansas' largest independent insurance agencies, Fidelity Insurance Group works with insurance brokers and managing general agencies across the country to provide you acess to literally hundreds of companies.
The last time you renewed your car insurance, do you ask your agent if there were other insurance companies that might actually offer you the same coverage levels at a lower price? An independent insurance agents main goals are supposed to be quality service and maximum protection at the lowest possible price. There are a couple of old sayings like "You get what you pay for" and "The cheapest is not always best", while those sayings are often times true, there not totally accurate.
Lets take a look at an example where those sayings are not true:
Insurance Company A
Rated A++ by S&P
Provides incredible service and great claims handling
Agent of record is knowlegeable, accessable, and easy to work with
Premium: $10,000
Insurance Company B
Rated A++ by S&P
Provides incredible service and great claims handling
Agent of record is knowlegeable, accessable, and easy to work with
Premium: $7,000
Whats the difference between these 2 companies? Price and the commission paid to the agent.
What incentive does your current insurance agent have to switch your coverage to another company? Actually alot, if he or she is acting as your partner rather than your pawn.
My goal in starting this blog is to save you money. Nothing more, because I realize that if I can save you money-I can make money. Its really nothing more. We figured out that if we treated our clients insurance they we treat ours, that not only would we really form a partnership with our clients but we would also never have to fear loosing our clients to competitors.
If you feel that we could save you or your company some money by switching to us, please give us a call at (870)732-0707. We offer quotes on commercial and personal lines insurance including but not limited to auto, home, life, health, group health, business owners, bonds, liability, commercial homes, condos, and apartments.
The last time you renewed your car insurance, do you ask your agent if there were other insurance companies that might actually offer you the same coverage levels at a lower price? An independent insurance agents main goals are supposed to be quality service and maximum protection at the lowest possible price. There are a couple of old sayings like "You get what you pay for" and "The cheapest is not always best", while those sayings are often times true, there not totally accurate.
Lets take a look at an example where those sayings are not true:
Insurance Company A
Rated A++ by S&P
Provides incredible service and great claims handling
Agent of record is knowlegeable, accessable, and easy to work with
Premium: $10,000
Insurance Company B
Rated A++ by S&P
Provides incredible service and great claims handling
Agent of record is knowlegeable, accessable, and easy to work with
Premium: $7,000
Whats the difference between these 2 companies? Price and the commission paid to the agent.
What incentive does your current insurance agent have to switch your coverage to another company? Actually alot, if he or she is acting as your partner rather than your pawn.
My goal in starting this blog is to save you money. Nothing more, because I realize that if I can save you money-I can make money. Its really nothing more. We figured out that if we treated our clients insurance they we treat ours, that not only would we really form a partnership with our clients but we would also never have to fear loosing our clients to competitors.
If you feel that we could save you or your company some money by switching to us, please give us a call at (870)732-0707. We offer quotes on commercial and personal lines insurance including but not limited to auto, home, life, health, group health, business owners, bonds, liability, commercial homes, condos, and apartments.
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