Toledo business owners have discovered a new way to promote their brands.

Will Lucas

Creadio offers a custom Internet streaming service, giving businesses a custom radio and television station to promote their brand in-store. The radio service comes complete with disc jockeys spinning music, custom jingles and commercials promoting the business. The television station offers consumers content such as sports, weather and news, tailored to the business.

“When we build a new station, we build a station customized for the business,” Creadio creator Will Lucas said. “Everything from the bottom up is individually customized for the customer. What we do is empower brands by replacing traditional background music (like Muzak) with real radio stations.”

The 30-year-old Lucas began a career in radio at the end of his high school career in 1998.

“I never got into radio to do radio. I was always an entrepreneur at heart,” Lucas said.

While shopping in a department store in 2003, Lucas heard a local radio station being broadcast when a competitor’s advertisement came on. Lucas said he realized the absurdity of the situation and put his entrepreneurial spirit to work.

He spent a year trying to figure out what technology would best deliver his service. He first turned to customized 90-minute CDs and tested his product in a friend’s business. When the CDs failed to meet his vision, he turned to Internet streaming.

According to Lucas, all of the stations are supplemented with voice tracks — prescheduled inserts of a DJ talking. Live DJs are is available to subscribers at any point. Business owners are encouraged to call into the station with a song request or a birthday wish for an in-store customer. The on-air work is subcontracted to professional DJs — contacts Lucas made during his days working in radio. There is always a DJ on-site who can speak live on air at any time.

“We want the customer environment to be custom tailored by the consumer,” Lucas said.

In September 2009, Lucas, attended a National Black McDonald’s Operators Association (NBMOA) conference. He turned his locally grown idea into a national business, with contracts in Los Angeles, West Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland and Kentucky, among others. Creadio can be heard in Toledo in The Andersons and McDonald’s.

“[Creadio] allows us to continuously do our own advertising as well as provide a good quality music offering to customers shopping in the store,” Dan Anderson, president of the retail group of The Andersons, said. “Our customer reaction to [Creadio] has been pretty darn favorable.”

Jon Harris owns eight McDonald’s restaurants throughout the Toledo area and is a subscriber to Creadio. He credits Creadio with the rise in dessert sales because of the in-store advertisements delivered via the radio and TV.

“The nicest thing about Creadio is you have the music and you have the TV. You never hear a competitor’s message on there. All you hear is [your business] advertised,” Harris said.

The Creadio radio service ranges from $28-$85 permonth and the television service ranges from $65-$95 per month. Call (419) 830-0710 or email will@creadio.com to subscribe to Creadio.

By Jeff Berry

Tags: Business Link, Creadio, Entrepreneurs, Will Lucas

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 27th, 2011 at 6:49 am and is filed under Entrepreneurs, Toledo Business Link.
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Nostalgia : A yearning for the past, or a longing to go back to a particular period in time. There can be happy thoughts of the past but nostalgia often creates melancholy feelings knowing that the past is gone. Nostalgia has been related to sailors at sea having a strong feeling of homesickness to the point of being ill and even dying.

When I (Mark) think of nostalgia I think of happy times of my childhood, family vacations, the music of my youthful years, friends from high school and college, meeting my wife for the first time, the birth of my three children and many other memories. I often think it would be cool to be able to pick out periods in time and go back for a few hours and experience those moments again. I recently saw a picture of my three children standing outside our house the day my middle son Ryan was getting ready to get on the school bus for the first time. His brother Brett and sister Caitlyn were standing outside with him as he was anticipating this experience. How great it would be to go back there and be in that moment again. That was a happy time but it causes a feeling of sadness knowing that it has come and gone.

What makes you feel nostalgic? For many it is the soundtrack to your life at the time. For me it is the sound of Peter Frampton playing on the school PA system in the high school lunch room. His album “Frampton Comes Alive” became the biggest seller in live rock album history at the time selling over 10 million copies. Every time Peter comes to town to play a concert, I am there because I love hearing him play the music from my youth. This has almost become nostalgic for my children as well since I drag them along with me each year. They are probably a little sick of it but I have the feeling it already brings back good memories for them as we bond and hang out together listening to a great guitar player.

I tried to think of some things that make me feel nostalgic and came up with a list of 10.

1. Black and white TV.
2. 8-track tapes
3. Popcorn cooked in oil in a pan
4. Walking to school (2 miles in the rain and snow and we liked it that way!)
5. Cartoons only on Saturdays
6. 4 TV channels to choose from
7. Pez candy dispensers
8. The Fonz saying “sit on it”
9. The Ford Pinto ( I actually had a Ford Pinto Wagon! How pathetic!)
10. Chuckles Candy (now the official candy of The Retirement Guys)

Being too nostalgic can be dangerous. If all we do is long for the past we will not be able to enjoy the present. We will not be able to pay attention to things that need to be addressed now like planning for and enjoying retirement. The title of our previous column was “Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be.” The Retirement Guys feel that since things are different now, we are at a critical moment in time that makes it necessary to pay close attention to what is going on in the world and take certain steps to insure a happy and relaxing retirement. It used to be that, like my Grandfather, you could work for a corporation your entire career and know you would have a secure retirement. It is very common now to see folks out of work mid career. This is why it is important to pay close attention to your retirement planning. There is a difference between investing your money and creating a real plan with purpose that is based on time frames, risk tolerance, current age, etc. Even though we often think things today are not as good as they were in the past, we still need to live in the present. There is still an exciting world out there and there is a lot of living yet to do. Get out there and create great memories that you can be nostalgic about later. One way to help you stay on track is to visit www.retirementguysnetwork.com and request a free copy of “11 Biggest Retirement Mistakes To Avoid.” Nolan and I would like to know what you feel nostalgic about. Post your thoughts online with us at www.ToledoFreePress.com.

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 PM on 1370 WSPD or visit www.retirementguysradio.com.  Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC.  NEXT Financial Group, Inc nor its representatives provide tax advice.  The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537. 419-842-0550

Tags: Business Link, Retirement Guys

This entry was posted on Friday, March 25th, 2011 at 6:31 am and is filed under Retirement Guys, Toledo Business Link.
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The concept of risk and how it is defined by investors and advisers is something that we’ve discussed before, and which we feel warrants periodic reminders.

Over time the definition of “risk” has changed, thanks mostly to academics who teach finances classes and venerable money managers with advanced degrees (many of whom are now broke). The commonly accepted definition of risk among investors and advisers has essentially been substituted with the definition of volatility.

While there have been many reasons for this change, among them is the fact that volatility is measurable, while risk is not. Additionally, while risk can be conceptualized and considered broadly when making investment decisions, risk is quantifiable. Because of these aspects, methods have been developed for reducing volatility as means of reducing “risk” to investors.

Essentially, this redefining of risk has allowed less confident, experienced, or knowledgeable money managers and investors, who can now quantify “risk” to sleep at night because their portfolios are somehow “safer.”

As James Montier of GMO so perfectly stated in his recent piece, 7 Immutable Laws of Investing, risk isn’t a number, “and it is foolhardy to try to reduce it to a single figure.”

In reality Alpha, Beta, Delta, or any other numerical characteristic of an investment’s volatility is useless in defining risk. A low Beta, for example, really only indicates that investors will lose money more slowly if an investment begins to fall.

The problem is that, in modern finance, risk is inaccurately defined by a measure of volatility; but risk isn’t volatility. Risk is the likelihood that an investment will fall in value; or, to borrow another phrase from Montier: “Risk is the permanent loss of capital.”

Despite the best efforts of academics and quants the world over, lower volatility doesn’t make investments safer. No volatility measure in the world would consider the risk of an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown in Japan; or uprisings in Libya, Tunisia, Iran, Syria, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia – much less all of them occurring at the same time.

It is of utmost importance that investors, both professional and part-timers, admit and understand that financial markets don’t operate on mathematical principals. Rather, they are the study of behavioral psychology. As such, they can’t be defined by numbers.

In fact, looking across all the worlds’ markets, there is only one investment that can be simplified to a mathematic formula, and that is the relationships between bond prices and interest rates. Everything else, being unable to be expressed in a simple formula, is only theory.

At the end of the day an investment, a share of stock for example, is only worth what someone will pay for it. Investors use tools like valuation, volatility, and other measures to justify one price or another; but ultimately the decision to buy or sell is still an emotional one.

After all, it should come as no surprise that so many “black box” trading systems have gone broke over the years. Long-Term Capital Management went bust, and almost took down the world’s financial system with it. Portfolio Insurance also failed; black box trading systems are also said to have contributed to the downfall of Bear Stearns.

Lesson of the day: Risk cannot be expressed by a number. Any attempt to do so is useless, and will only lead to one place: bankruptcy court.

Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA. He works for Treece Financial Services Corp and also serves as editor of the financial news site Green Faucet (www.GreenFaucet.com) and as a business commentator for the Toledo Free Press (www.ToledoFreePress.com). The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

Tags: Business Link, Dock David Treece, Treece Blog

This entry was posted on Friday, March 25th, 2011 at 4:28 am and is filed under Toledo Business Link, Treece Blog.
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Periodically we like to peruse articles we’ve published previously, reviewing them to see how accurate some of our forecasts turned out. We like to see whether things developed as we predicted, or if there are lessons to be learned so our outlook can be better going forward. Since last week we’ve done just that.

The first article we came across was from May and was entitled “Bracing for a Breakdown.” Just a few weeks before its publication the markets had been shocked by the “Flash Crash” of May 6th, when many equities, led by ETFs, inexplicably crashed.

Our premise at the time was that, in spite of the Flash Crash, the market remained overpriced. Stocks and commodities had simply run too far too fast without any substantial correction. Further, investors appeared to have forgotten many of the markets’ sins.

As it turned out, our forecast turned to have some merit. While the correction was largely over, as the market had corrected further after the Flash Crash and before the publication of “Bracing for a Breakdown,” the market did continue to pull back several percentage points over the ensuing weeks.

In fact, the market finally bottomed over a month later at the beginning of July, which is significant because it coincided with the publication of another of our articles, “Double-Dippers Reject Reality.”

In the weeks leading up to this article, the market correction following the Flash Crash had sparked quite a bit of worry that the economy may be entering a “double-dip,” which many had been calling for since the market bottomed in March of 2009 (two years ago this week in fact).

We had long-contended that a double-dip was unlikely, a prediction that turned out to be accurate. In fact, the week our anti-double-dip article was published, stocks bottomed and began what has become more than an eight-month rally. So far the Dow Jones Industrial has climbed more than 25% from low to high.

What we take pride in is not that we were right on these occasions, but that our accuracy allowed us to be profitable for our clients.

Presently our outlook on the economy remains largely unchanged. Despite the lack of confidence expressed in recent Gallup surveys, we continue to believe that the economy is poised to continue its recovery. Obviously the economy can be encouraged by better policies from Washington, and growth might be stifled somewhat if the price of oil continues [substantially] higher, things continue to look good nevertheless.

While things continue to look good for the economy, the outlook for the stock market has changed somewhat.

As mentioned previously, this week marks the 2-year anniversary of the market’s post-2008 bottom in March of 2009. Since then, stocks (as represented by the Dow Jones Industrial) have roughly doubled, as many of the problems in this country (e.g. poor policy, excess debt, etc) have been resolved somewhat.

However, this anniversary should have some real significance for investors. After all, the first two years of any market recovery are almost always (a) the most profitable and (b) the easiest. Put simply, the easy money has been made.

That’s not too say that there won’t be money to be made going forward. As the economy continues to recover, there will undoubtedly be money to be made, but it’s going to get harder.

There will certainly be a number of investors who fail to adjust, and they may lose money going forward. There are some that are simply late to the party, and they may end up getting stuck with the tab. Bond giant PIMCO could end up being one example.

For years California-based PIMCO has been a behemoth in the fixed-income world. Run by gurus Bill Gross and Mohamed El-Erian, the firm’s Total Return Fund is the single largest mutual fund in the world with assets over $200 billion.

Unfortunately, for all their prowess in the debt world, PIMCO is not known as a big player in equities. It is telling that PIMCO and other players are just now expanding their equity operations, now that the recovery in the stock-market is two years old and the easy money has been made.

PIMCO’s move into equities may work out for them in the long run, with interest rates at generational lows and bonds likely to perform poorly over the coming decades. However, they will certainly have their work cut out for them as it gets harder to make money in stocks.

Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA. He works for Treece Financial Services Corp and also serves as editor of the financial news site Green Faucet (www.GreenFaucet.com) and as a business commentator for the Toledo Free Press (www.ToledoFreePress.com). The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

Tags: Business Link, Dock David Treece, Treece Blog

This entry was posted on Friday, March 11th, 2011 at 6:33 am and is filed under Toledo Business Link, Treece Blog.
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I was recently referenced into an account by this company’s bank. I have done work for clients of this bank and have had very good success assisting the company in turning around their business. My first meeting with the account the President started right in on what he wanted me to do. I interrupted him and asked how they had come to give me a call? They explained that the bank had indirectly told them that they needed help and that Roger Bostdorff is someone that some of their clients had used with good success. We went on with our conversation. The business had been founded many years ago by the father of the current President. The President had on his staff, his wife, multiple sons, as well as more than one daughter in-law, etc. This definitely was a family owned and operated business.

The President explained to me what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to help him increase his sales. He wanted to know how I was going to do that. I explained that I first need to do an analysis of the business to determine what the problem/s were and why. He explained to me that lack of sales was definitely the problem. I suggested that he should let me do some analysis to determine if lack of sales was the problem, or potentially a symptom to a bigger or different problem. He finally agreed and then told me to deal with his bookkeeper and oldest son. I asked to see his financial statements so that I could analyze them as compared to the industry averages.

After doing my analysis it was apparent that sales had indeed suffered over the last year. However, much like most of the US they were living beyond their means. This has gotten our country in trouble as well as my client. My client had far more debt than they should have, their expenses were way out of line as compared to the industry averages and most significantly their inventory was ballooned way above the industry average. I reviewed this with the President’s oldest son and their bookkeeper as directed. We put a plan in place to cut expenses on some items immediately such as cell phones. We also put a plan in place for the bookkeeper to create a report that listed the inventory by date of last sale. I was going to do some further analysis of this data and teach them the process to identify old inventory. We would then create the plan to move it!!

I received the data and started the analysis. They had items that had not sold since 1998. (Have you looked at your inventory lately??) Before I was able to create and document my plan of attack the Son of the Owner called me. He shared with me that his Dad was not in agreement with our plan; in spite of the fact that Dad had instructed me to work with #1 son and his bookkeeper to create the plan. (Strike One)

I called Dad to find out the issue. He went on a tirade on the phone explaining how stupid his son was. I am talking over 45 minutes with me barely getting a word in. I explained that it makes no sense for me to work with his son to create a plan only to have Dad veto it after the fact. I reminded him that I had invited him to attend the meeting, because I had had this very concern, and he declined. We agreed that no future meetings would take place without him in attendance.

The next meeting was enlightening. Before the next meeting Dad had instructed me that he wanted me to create an incentive program for his sales team. I shared with him that I could do this, but what about inventory, expenses, which if we were able to get under control could reduce his debt. He committed to me that we would discuss this at the next meeting. However, my main focus should be incentive program.

The team met. There were 5 people in the room. At one point in the meeting the brothers were screaming at each other and Dad was trying to talk over the screams. I finally explained with some language that my mother would not be proud of that this was NOT the way to run a business meeting. We need to stop screaming and start working on the issues. We got to the point where we set up the date for the next meeting with “To Do’s assigned for all of us. The sons left and Dad explained the shortcoming of his sons. The apple had not fallen far from the tree. (Strike Two)

The date of the next meeting was fast approaching. I received a call that due to the holiday season they could not make this meeting. We rescheduled. I asked about the progress of the “To Do’s” on their end and Dad told me that he and his sons had not had time to focus on the agreed upon assignments. (Strike Three) Dad assured me that his family will have their “To Do’s” “To Done,” at our next meeting.

The next appointment was at 1PM. The oldest son and bookkeeper were in attendance but Dad was not there. Dad finally showed up 20 minutes later. I began asking question regarding the cut in cell phones-nothing done, number of people on staff-no cuts had been made or identified, what about addressing the reduction in inventory? Dad exploded by telling me that my questions were “None of my daXX business!”

At this point we decided to not work together any further.

This story is not about me getting fired. Although I can honestly say, that had they not decided to part company, I was going to suggest it. In fact, I mentioned that if Dad did not want my advice then he should stop wasting his money and my time in the prior meeting.

What this is really about is being honest with oneself. Dad never wanted my advice. He felt he knew how to run his business without outside interference. He just needed the bank’s $$. Dad got me engaged to simply appease the bank. Now what Dad does not know is what the bank will do when he asks for more credit. Our country has had a difficult time the last few years by living beyond our means. Many companies are suffering the same issues. Turning sales around in a time when unemployment is high is NOT impossible but it is challenging. Therefore, to buy yourself more runway/time you need to watch the expense side of your business like a hawk. However, even more importantly you need to insure that your emotional attachment to your business does not cloud your decision making process. Finally, in a family business in particular, if you are grooming a son or daughter to take over eventually he/she needs to gain the knowledge and the confidence to do so. Belittling this son/daughter in front of them or even behind their back does neither.

Roger Bostdorff is the President of B2B Sales Boost. He spent over 30 years with IBM in sales and sales management. He then became President/COO of a small internet security company before founding B2B Sales Boost, LLC. B2B Sales Boost, LLC is a consulting company helping organizations improve their sales and overall business processes. Roger is also available for public speaking engagements. You can find more about B2B Sales Boost on the web at www.b2bsalesboost.com or calling 419-351-4347. If you would like to receive the B2B Sales Boost Newsletter please send an email to sales@b2bsalesboost.com

Tags: Business Link, Roger Bostdorff

This entry was posted on Monday, March 7th, 2011 at 6:04 am and is filed under Entrepreneurs, Toledo Business Link.
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This week we feel it is necessary to revisit a subject that has been the focus of a great many headlines recently: inflation.

Lately the investing public has taken note of rising prices of goods and services, which have sparked inflation worries. These worries have been further spurred by the government’s “printing” of money through quantitative easing (“QE”) and more recently “QE2.” Of course, pop-economists, fear mongers, and gold bugs certainly haven’t helped.

Much of the concern surrounding prospects of inflation is based on popular misconception of how inflation is defined.

Inflation, as defined by the American College Dictionary, is growth in money supply that exceeds growth in the economy, as measured by Gross Domestic Product. It is purely a monetary event. Contrary to popular opinion, inflation is NOT defined as rising prices. Admittedly, it is sometimes characterized by price increases.

Based on the correct definition, current inflation worries are easily dismissed as unfounded, as money supply growth in this country has actually been negative for the past 18 months. This certainly doesn’t mean that inflation won’t become a real worry in the future. It simply means that current circumstances do not warrant anxiety.

Unfortunately, the government is often misleading (imagine that: the government misleading citizens) in its reporting of inflation. Up until about five years ago, the popular metric for tracking inflation was M3, a broad measure of money supply. However, since it’s discontinuation (how convenient), the government has instead reported inflation through the Consumer Price Index, or CPI.

The change in CPI, the government asserts, is a realistic picture of inflation in this country, as CPI measures the changing cost of a set basket of goods. In essence, CPI is the government’s way of measuring changes in the US cost of living.

So, while investors and even government officials like Ben Bernanke note the rising prices reflected in CPI, in truth the prospects of inflation in the near term (the next six months) are extremely low. Money supply growth continues to stay in negative territory, and it does not appear poised to resume positive growth, let alone a rate of increase that would exceed recent growth in the economy.

It is certainly true that recently the prices of some goods and services have risen, though the cause of such increases is a matter for debate. Based on our research, it appears that such price increases are more likely due to simply supply and demand, as opposed to inflation.

For example, the prices of many food stuffs have risen, mostly because recent deep cold snaps in the southern United States caused crops to freeze. Naturally, less supply has driven up costs. Likewise, the price of gasoline has obviously risen, but this is undoubtedly because the turmoil in the Middle East has threatened the flow of oil supplies, not because the US government is expanding the money supply – a claim that we still judge to be false.

Contrary to now-popular opinion (we say now-popular because we were worried about inflation more than a decade ago and were able to position ourselves and our clients to benefit from it, which they did), inflation isn’t behind every increase in prices. It’s important to remember that increasing prices are a symptom of inflation, not vice versa. Inflation is a monetary event, meaning that it occurs when money supply expands faster than the economy. We expect many investors to learn this distinction over the next several years, and it will no doubt be expensive.

Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp. and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA.

Tags: Business Link, Dock David Treece, Treece Blog

This entry was posted on Friday, March 4th, 2011 at 6:10 am and is filed under Toledo Business Link, Treece Blog.
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Mark at fantasy camp

As we sit here warming our tootsies making our way out of this week’s winter snow storm, the good news is Spring is coming. It is encouraging to know that even though our winters seem to be way to long, that eventually things will change for the better and spring will be here followed by summer. Phil the famous Groundhog even says it will be an early spring. The sun will come out, the skies will turn blue and the grass will turn a beautiful green. What a great feeling it is that first time the sun comes out and it is warm enough to get outside and enjoy it. A feeling of happiness and joy is felt as we feel the warmth on our skin and breath in the fresh air.

I (Mark) got to experience some of that early. Early in January I turned the big five-o and told my wife Lisa that I did not want any surprise party and just wanted it to be another birthday without too much fanfare. Although I did not want a party, Lisa wanted to give some kind of gift to recognize this landmark event. Being a huge lifelong Detroit Tiger fan and a decent athlete back in the day, she asked me if I would like to attend the Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp. My answer was, “YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!!”

If you have never heard what this kind of fantasy camp is, it is a week of going to Florida where the Detroit Tigers have spring training and playing baseball and hanging out with other nuts like me as well as former Detroit Tiger players. Attendees are assigned to a team and compete with the other teams to “win the championship.” You are given a personalized locker and both a home and away Tiger uniform with your name on the back and the number of your choice. I chose number 11 which was always my number going back to Little League and just so happens to be the great former manager of the Tigers Sparky Anderson’s number which the Tigers will retire in is honor this season. I must say that I think I looked pretty good in the uniform. I sure felt good.

I was assigned to a team that would be coached by former Tiger pitcher Walt Terrell and Jim Price who was a catcher for the 1968 World Champions and currently serves as an announcer on the radio for the team. Some of the former players that were there to serve as coaches, you may remember if you are a baseball fan. Willie Horton, Mickey Lolich, John Hiller, Willie Hernandez, Rick Leach and Milt Wilcox among others. The theme of the camp was Mr. Tiger, the great Al Kaline, who was honored at a banquet and conducted a hitting clinic. As the coaches explained what to expect for the week they said that the motto of the camp was to “start out slow and taper off.” Since the average age of the campers attending was about 52, boy they were right. They understood that by the middle of the week campers would start dropping like flies with injuries. That is why 16 players on a team were not too many.

I got through the first day OK that consisted of several hitting and fielding clinics, batting practice and our first game. We lost and unfortunately our team got into a bad pattern of not being able to score many runs. The second day wasn’t any better as far as winning and we lost our two games that would end up being a five game losing streak. I fully intended before I got to Florida to do everything possible not to get hurt. I wanted to make sure I would come back in one piece so I could continue without a problem taking care of my responsibilities here at home. Well, that did not happen. I hit a ball and while running to first base realized if I did not speed up I would be called out. My athletic instincts took over and I accelerated to try to beat the throw and felt something pop in the back of my leg. I went tumbling to the ground and had “pulled a hammy” (hamstring), and to add to my embarrassment from gracefully falling on my face, I was called out.

Would our team be able to recover from our 5 game losing streak? Would I be able to overcome my injuries (notice this is plural) ? Would I get the autograph of my favorite player? STAY TUNED. TO BE CONTINUED……..

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 PM on 1370 WSPD or visit www.retirementguysradio.com.  Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537. 419-842-0550

Tags: Business Link, Mark Clair, Nolan Baker, Opinion, Retirement Guys

This entry was posted on Friday, February 4th, 2011 at 8:42 am and is filed under Retirement Guys, Toledo Business Link.
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Most of the headlines lately have been consumed with stories unrelated to business or the markets. Though many are still focused on the tragedy in Tucson, we will try out best to stick to relevant subject matter that relates to investing and economics.

Since the New Year many investments — stocks and gold, for example — have paused in their upward rally. The question is whether this is a pause that will refresh the market before it moves higher, or if it is the top before the decline.

There has been widespread anticipation among investors and pundits that stocks are overvalued and are set for decline. What we continually ask ourselves is whether such a widely predicted decline ever develops.

The pause in gold, on the other hand, is widely thought to be simply a delay in the rally as the price heads to $6,000 per ounce and beyond. In fact, vending machines that dispense gold have been popping up lately in affluent communities like Boca Raton and gambling hubs such as Las Vegas.

Of the few business-related headlines, many have focused on the housing industry amid speculation that builders are in the midst of a major recovery. Though we know the real estate industry is starting to see turnover, we have yet to see whether builders can recover amid lower home prices as buyers rely less on debt.

Since January 1st we have seen the entrance of the new Congress, which has already been accompanied by a rebound in the legislature’s job approval rating (according to Gallup).

Though the new Congress is hardly a week old, already there has been a palpable shift in the business climate of the country as legislators have begun talking about pro-business legislation. Chief executives of major corporations have paid visit to the White House, not to listen to plans from Obama, but to offer ideas that might foster economic growth and create new jobs.

At this point all we can do is wait to see whether this shift in policy continues; and hope that it will have a positive impact and keep this country going on the its road to recovery.

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Arizona, much has been said about the heated political debate that has permeated this country in recent years. Some have gone so far as to say that free speech should be restricted to less offensive language.

Though it might seem hard to see in troubling times, people can rest assured that the system IS working. Were it not for fervent debate, our country would never have been born from insurrection and revolution, let alone become the wonderful nation it is today.

No one knows what the future holds; what policies will be pursued in Washington or to what end, much less whether another tragedy will strike. All we can trust is that the business and political leaders of our nation are doing the best they can with the information they have, and that we will endure. We will persevere; and we will see good times again.

Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA. He works for Treece Financial Services Corp and also serves as editor of the financial news site Green Faucet (www.GreenFaucet.com) and as a business commentator for the Toledo Free Press (www.ToledoFreePress.com). The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, January 16th, 2011 at 11:45 am and is filed under Toledo Business Link, Treece Blog.
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In their new book, “The Two-Income Trap,” Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi discuss why middle-class mothers and fathers are going broke. According to their book, “more people will end up in bankruptcy this year than will suffer a heart attack, be diagnosed with cancer, or graduate from college.” Ringing in the New Year, many of us make resolutions. Make this year the year to resolve to be financially fit and declare 2011 the year of financial independence.

Independence is defined as “freedom from control or influence of another or others.” A recent retiree who visited our office described it quite well. Exampling that retirement was not just an event, but was a point in his life that he knew he was free to do what he wanted no matter how other people and occurrences beyond his control impacted his financial situation. The day he knew he was there was what he called his “Freedom Day.”

The first step is to identify an emergency or rainy day account and make sure there is enough money in this account. Nearly everyone has been affected by the recent recession that almost turned into a depression. Some lost their jobs, others had to help family members out, most saw their investment accounts decline in value, and still others had to drain down their emergency accounts. Gaining financial independence starts with building up a liquid account, such as a savings or money market account, to cover short term emergencies that will come up. An emergency could be a new furnace, a major car repair, or unexpected health care bills. Keeping about 6 months worth of income set aside in an emergency account can help fight off the majority of problems that can arise in the new year.

Build up this emergency account by moving money from the left pocket to the right pocket. This means pay yourself first. Complete a budget to find out where money is going on a monthly basis and then identify ways to change spending habits. It could be eliminating two nights dinning out and instead opting for a movie night or playing cards with a spouse or friends. Instead of signing up for the gym membership, try free alternatives such as group runs or biking in our local metroparks. Joining a group can not only be free or low cost, the group can be a great motivator. Contact the Chamber of Commerce to plan a year’s worth of fun activities that you didn’t even know existed. Our local community has a treasure trove of wonderful activities that are just waiting to explored. A few simple and easy changes could save several hundreds of dollars a month that can be put into building the emergency account up.

Next, eliminate all outstanding debts. When someone has a debt they are a slave to the lender, subject to their rules and changes with limited or no control. Principals of saving can become a habit and since it takes a few months to build up an emergency account, those habits can become a regular way of life. Once the emergency account is built up, redirect those savings dollars towards debt elimination. Financial Professional, Dave Ramsey suggests the “snowball effect.” That means putting all of the extra money towards the lowest balance debt first. Pay off debts, one debt at a time.

Increase the amount of money being saved for retirement. Time flies and what seems like a long way off will be here before you know it. Remember that financial independence means freedom from control or influence of another or others. At any point the company retirement plan could change, be it the pension, health expenses, etc. The same should be expected with government benefits such as Social Security for yourself or a survivor along with all government benefits. The single best way to address this is to save and invest on your own. Put away 20% of earnings in a retirement savings account. Save as much as possible once debts are eliminated and increase savings every time there is a pay raise.

Stop letting circumstances and others control your financial future. Don’t rely and expect others to take care of you in the future, take personal financial responsibility. It will take some time, it will take some effort, but won’t being able to reach your Freedom Day be worth it? Won’t it be a great feeling knowing that you now are in control? Declare this year, the year you gained financial independence. You can do it, you deserve victory.

For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 PM on 1370 WSPD or visit www.retirementguysradio.com.  Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. NEXT Financial Group, Inc nor its representatives provide tax advice.  The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, January 2nd, 2011 at 6:55 am and is filed under Retirement Guys, Toledo Business Link.
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They say failure to plan is planning for failure. While many rely on a financial plan to outline their long term goals and strategies, each year it’s a good idea to take a little time to reassess what progress has been made and think further about long-term goals, as well as plans for achieving those goals.

Obviously we all have different financial needs and varying opinions on strategies for achieving our goals. There are many different ways to manage money, so while results are important, much more significant is what system is a comfortable fit for the client.

For example, diversification will, by design, tend to yield lower results than concentrated portfolios, the offset being, ideally, less volatility. Similarly, systems of actively managing money typically have higher fees, as well as better returns — or at least that’s the hope.

Consider for example that the Standard & Poor 500 Index is up roughly 12% for the year. Representing a wide array of stocks from varying sectors, the S&P essentially illustrates the direction of the broader stock market.

Given the results of the S&P this year, investors need to look at their own statements, and if returns aren’t in or at least near double digits, take some time to think about whether to stick with their current strategy.

For those using a diversified strategy, this is probably a good time to schedule an appointment with an advisor, if you have one. This is the time of year to look at the last year and do a little portfolio rebalancing. You might even consider “tilting” your portfolio in one direction or another, based either on your own research or on professional advice.

On the other hand, investors using active management systems like ours have more questions to ask themselves. First and foremost, they need to decide if they’re still comfortable with the system their money manager is using. While investors should obviously be pleased with their returns, these are hardly important if they aren’t comfortable with their advisor’s system.

Those attempting to actively manage themselves have quite a to-do list for the end of the year. They need to be doing research to come up with a forecast of what the market will likely do next year.

Then they need to decide whether they want to be invested. If so, what do they want to own? Are there particular asset classes that look more attractive than others? Do they want to make any moves immediately? Maybe they want to be patient and wait for opportunities to develop.

Few people realize how much work goes into money management. The number of people who think they can trade in their spare time and be profitable is astounding. And despite the odds stacked against them, people continue to try their luck in the markets — and make no mistake — the average investor managing money in their spare time without devoting any real time to research is basing their success on just that: Luck.

No matter the strategy, around this time each year it’s a good idea for all of us to spend a little time thinking about the upcoming year, what’s upcoming and what might develop. Make a list of any issues coming up this next year that might affect your financial life. If you have a child going to college, hopefully you’ve been putting money away for some time, but don’t forget about the costs of moving and/or travelling to visit.

Take an inventory of these kinds of issues, from travel expenses to health or medical expectations, kids’ school costs, and so on. While some of these require long-term preparation, others are good just to keep in the back of your mind. Ignoring them doesn’t solve the problem, but at least we can keep them from sneaking up on us.

Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA. He works for Treece Financial Services Corp and also serves as editor of the financial news site Green Faucet (www.GreenFaucet.com) and as a business commentator for the Toledo Free Press (www.ToledoFreePress.com). The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

Tags: Business Link, Dock David Treece, Treece Blog

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 1st, 2011 at 7:30 am and is filed under Toledo Business Link, Treece Blog.
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