|
Bring Some Ruckus into Your Life !
|
|
|
June 2013 - In This Issue:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Let's Make Some RUCKUS!
By Charlie Epstein
Earlier this month, as I stood waiting for my start in the Boston Ruckus Obstacle Race, I began to wonder what in the heck I was doing here! Don't get me wrong, I'm in good shape. I have healthy eating habits; I'm an avid cyclist and exercise regularly - but a 4 mile obstacle course? That was unfamiliar territory. Those of you who are not familiar with Ruckus, you are not alone! I was unaware of this race series myself and the many others like it, which I now know is all the rage across the country. A couple of months prior, Marie Forest, Director of Event Planning for The 401k Coach, came to me with this crazy, yet fantastic idea for a team building activity... Thank You Marie!
So there we stood; The 401k Coach team along with my wife Lorie and her son, Marc. We waited in uneasy anticipation in the "Sorta Fast" corral, behind "Wicked Fast" but in front of "Not So Fast." One hour, 18 minutes, and four miles of running trails, tire pits, vertical walls, cargo nets, and mud crawls later, we stood together again - with our muddy smiles and complimentary beers in hand. We ran as a team, worked as a team and encouraged each other the whole way through. Now was our time to savor this accomplishment. I felt more exhilarated, challenged, and confident than ever before.
 
|
|
401kWire's
"100 Most Influential People in Defined Contribution"
Congratulations to all the
2013 Nominees!
Vote for Charlie and your other favorite nominees:
Voting ends Wednesday, July 3rd
|
Introducing the Paychecks for Life
TRIFECTA
Save Time, Money and Gain the Advantage with this Ultimate 401(k) Marketing Solution
|
FREE Book Offer
Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think
Get a FREE hardcover copy of Abundance by Peter Diamandis! (pay only $6.95 for shipping)
"A manifesto for the future that is grounded in practical solutions addressing the world's most pressing concerns: overpopulation, food, water, energy, education, health care and freedom."
- The Wall Street Journal
|
Good Read. 
2,948 Books
Great Cause.
1,200 Kids
Many, many thanks to all the businesses, advisors and individuals who helped make the
On June 19th, we were able to deliver a check for $17,347 to the kids at Square One!
|
YEAR 1 PROGRAM
(Chicago)
Beginning December 5-6, 2013
|
Calling All Coach Alumni!
Our industry is ever evolving, and so are our Programs! Why not Refresh
your Clarity, Confidence and Capabilities? We would like to invite you and anyone else from your firm to attend a 2013 Year 1 Program. Call us for your special pricing:
(877) 932-6236
|
|
 |
|
|
____________________________________________
|
 DOL Releases PPACA and HIPAA Self-Compliance Tools By Marcia Wagner
The U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") has issued two self-compliance tools that allow sponsors of group health plans to test whether they are in compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("PPACA") and the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA").
The PPACA self-compliance tool provides plan sponsors with a checklist of requirements that are already in effect under the law and offers guidance on how group health plans should currently be operating. However, this tool does not offer guidance on requirements that do not have final regulations or on those that have a future effective date.
The HIPAA self-compliance tool primarily evaluates whether a group health plan is compliant with requirements other than those under PPACA. This tool provides assistance to plan sponsors in determining whether a plan is compliant with the HIPAA nondiscrimination rules, wellness program guidelines, the Mental Health Parity Act requirements, the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act and the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act
The PPACA compliance tool is at
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/part7-2.pdf
and the HIPAA compliance tool is at
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/CAGappA.pdf
To replay a free webinar hosted by The Wagner Law Group on "Complying with PPACA" please visit:
wagnerlawgroup.com/events.html#podcasts
|
|
____________________________________________
|
 Data Analysis Ensures Future Success
by Barbara Lewis
Research indicates that firms with marketing plans have higher revenues than firms without plans. The basis of this important fact begins with collecting data. Analyzing the data creates an accurate picture of historical target markets for clients, as well as referral sources. This information is critical in developing future marketing initiatives. Although data collection may seem overwhelming, the result in the growth of your firm makes it well worth the effort.
Choosing a Platform for Your Database
Database information is a critical key in developing future clients. Various platforms easily and seamlessly aid in data capture. For example, Act, Goldmine, Outlook and SalesForce are a few of the different types of programs that are available. Most commercial databases have fields for referral sources or contain fields for customizable data.
Another platform is Excel, which is an excellent tool for data analysis. In addition to sorting and filtering, one of Excel's greatest innovations has been the pivot table. With pivot tables, you can take an entire database of information and produce graphs that tell the story about marketing efforts. This can be particularly helpful when analyzing marketing success. The analysis also aids in identifying the demographic profile of your clients.
|
|
____________________________________________
|
Livescribe
By DJ Ware
Purpose/Usefulness:
A Livescribe smartpen is equipped with a removable ball-point ink cartridge, a microphone to record audio, a speaker for playback, a small OLED display, an infra-red camera, and internal flash memory that captures handwritten notes, audio and drawings. It's essentially a computer with an audio recorder inside. The pen works by using the infrared camera to take small measurements of your pen strokes on the special paper provided with the pen. It then translates that data into a document (which you can pair with audio if you choose to do so) and then uploads it to your desktop software or Evernote account for review. It will actually play back the document like you're writing it on the screen! You can create chapters for the audio (which is synced to your notes) as well by writing numbers, which you can then click on to play the audio at that point in time when you were writing. If you take a lot of notes, this is a great next step in order to boost your productivity.
Easier, Faster, Cheaper, Bigger:
By using a Livescribe Smartpen, you're revolutionizing your note taking game as well as increasing your productivity. You can take a pen to an important meeting and take diligent notes (and audio if allowed) and IMMEDIATELY send that information to your Evernote account so you can review them later. If you have a support team, you can send the notes to them as soon as it's uploaded to the cloud. No more waiting to share notes with colleagues or trying to find your place in your sound recorder and match it with your notes. Say goodbye to confusing diagrams and explanations - now you can draw EXACTLY what you're imagining and set an interactive audio note to explain what you're talking about, making it easier on you and your team to produce results.
|
|
____________________________________________
|
|
|
Impacting the Success, Satisfaction
and Significance of the Retirement Plan Industry
(877) 932-6236
|
|
|
|
|
|
