Banking & Finance – October 2018

October Special Section

2 | August, 2018 | NorthFulton.com | ForsythHerald.com

Banking & Finance• Sponsored Section

Consolidating accounts can lead to clear financial strategy None of us can completely control all the things that happen to us. Yet, when it comes to achieving your longterm financial goals, including a comfortable retirement, you do have a great deal of power – as long as you follow Helen Rice a clear, well-defined financial strategy. And one way to help build and maintain such a strategy is by consolidating your financial accounts.

Over the course of their lives, many people pick up a variety of financial accounts from multiple sources. They might have a few IRAs from different providers, a couple of old 401(k) plans from past employers, an insurance policy (or two) purchased many years ago, and a scattershot of stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit and other investments.

If this picture describes your situation, you may want to think about consolidating. For one thing, having a variety of accounts can run up a lot of fees. Furthermore, you’ll have lots of paperwork to keep track of all your accounts, including several different tax statements.

Plus, just by having so many accounts, you risk forgetting about some of them – and if you don’t think you’d ever forget about your own money, consider this: Well over $40 billion in unclaimed cash and property, including 401(k)s, pensions and IRAs, is awaiting return to the rightful owners, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.

But beyond reducing your possible fees, paperwork and potential for lost assets, consolidating your accounts with one provider can give you a centralized, unifying investment strategy, one that can help you in the following ways: • Diversification – If you own several different financial accounts, including IRAs, 401(k)s and online accounts, you might have many similar investments within them. You might even own a cash-value insurance policy containing investments that closely track the ones you have in the other accounts.

This type of duplication can be harmful, because if a market downturn primarily affects one type of asset, and your portfolio is dominated by that asset or similar ones, you could take a big hit.

But if you have all your investments in the same place, a financial professional

can review your holdings and recommend appropriate ways to diversify your investment dollars. (Be aware, though, that while diversification can reduce the impact of market volatility on your portfolio, it can’t guarantee profits or protect against all losses.

• Staying on track – With all your accounts in one place, you’ll find it easier to keep the big picture in mind and make the moves necessary to help you progress toward your financial goals.

Two main actions include buying or selling investments and adjusting your portfolio to make it more aggressive or conservative, depending on your situation.

• Avoiding mistakes – If you own

several separate accounts, you could see a loss in one or more of them and overreact by selling investments that could still be valuable to you. But with a consolidated investment platform, you can see more clearly that the impact of a loss may be small, relative to the rest of your holdings.

As we’ve seen, consolidating your investment accounts with a single provider can have several advantages. So think carefully about bringing everything together – you may find that there’s strength in unity.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

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www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC

Banking & Finance • Sponsored Section

NorthFulton.com | ForsythHerald.com | May 17, 2018 | 3

Championing manufactured housing Local banks succeed as their communities succeed. American Commerce Bank makes it a priority to champion community development efforts as well as the needs of its business banking customers.

American Commerce Bank served as the Gold Sponsor for this year’s Southeast Community Owner’s Conference (SECO) held recently at the Atlanta Airport Marriott in College Park. SECO is a not-for-profit organization that brings together manufacturers, lenders, insurers and other industry representatives to advance the cause of affordable and attractive manufactured housing and related housing communities. Segments include self-storage facilities, RV parks, modular housing and mobile homes.

ACB retired CEO Larry Mathews served as emcee for the event.

“SECO is an important conference for a variety of vendors and presenters.

Some of our largest business customers participate as community investors, owners and builders”, said Carlos Laverde, ACB’s Atlanta market president. “Our bank serves as a premier lender to the investor-owner community, and we are proud to play leading role at this event”. SECO also provides a great

American Commerce Bank lenders Jeff Bush and Justin Wimberly at SECO 2018 opportunity for owners and investors to network and learn about developments

in the industry. You can learn more about SECO at https://secoconference.

com/about-seco/.

American Commerce Bank offers commercial and personal banking services to the North Fulton markets from its branch in Johns Creek. The bank offers customized lending solutions and SBA loan programs as well as highly convenient on-line banking and treasury management services. The bank’s experienced staff pride themselves in knowing their customers by name and in meeting the needs of businesses and their employees. ACB’s participation in the nation-wide CDARS network enables it to offer FDIC deposit insurance on balances well in excess of the standard $250,000 limit. In offering such services, ACB “brings big banking products down to the community bank level”, says Soraya Kenney, ACB’s John Creek branch manager. By catering lending and deposit services to the specific needs of business and consumer customers, ACB provides industry-leading solutions to support the growth and success of our communities.

For more information about American Commerce Bank, stop by the branch located at 10690 Medlock Bridge Road, or visit www.AmericanCommerceBank. com

4 | August, 2018 | NorthFulton.com | ForsythHerald.com

Banking & Finance• Sponsored Section

Try these three proven Parents say they’re ‘Yoda’ about finances investment guidelines We’ve just recently reached the longest bull market in history.

But what does this mean to you, as an individual investor?

For one thing, it suggests that patience and perseverance can pay off. From October 2007 to March 2009, the S&P 500 fell more than 56%.

But since then, it has risen about 320%, so, if you had stayed invested durBURNS ing these past 9-1/2 years, your portfolio might have achieved impressive results. But no matter what the market is doing, you should consider following some proven investment guidelines.

First, review your portfolio periodically to determine if you are still on track toward meeting your goals.

Second, rebalance your investment mix, as needed, to ensure you are staying within your risk tolerance.

And third, stick with your long-term investment strategies.

By doing so, you will be less tempted to overreact to the inevitable short-term downturns and other bumps along the road.

The record bull market created interesting headlines for a few days – but in the long run, it’s what you do, year in and year out, that will help you write your own story.

If you have any questions, please contact Chris Burns, your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor, at 770-2051579.

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(NAPSI)—Parents identify with Yoda more than other Star Wars characters when it comes to family finances—according to a survey by New York Life.

Yoda is patient, uses past experiences to guide future decisions and finds it important to teach the next generation.

Yet, many parents aren’t following Yoda’s most famous saying “Do. Or do not. There is no try” when it comes to taking the most basic step to secure their family’s finances: buying life insurance. Research continues to show that parents recognize the value of life insurance in protecting their family but haven’t been able to “Do.” Here are four common reasons (and the reality): 1. It is hard to get started—Not anymore. Companies are doing a better job at providing simple information and financial tools on their websites. For example, on New York Life’s site, you can now create a plan around what’s most important to you and access educational material to help you get started.

2. I have it at work and that is enough—Not really.

Life insurance through work is very beneficial but typically covers one year of your salary.

If you were to die, that benefit could run out quickly. Experts agree that most people need 10 or more years of their salary covered by life insurance.

3. I can’t afford it—You probably can. People are surprised when they find out how affordable life insurance can be. While having a child brings lots of new expenses, life insurance should be

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* Annual Percentage Yield (APY) effective 10/11/2018. CDs offered by Edward Jones are bank-issued and FDIC-insured up to $250,000 (principal and interest accrued but not yet paid) per depositor, per insured depository institution, for each account ownership category. Please visit www.fdic.gov or contact your financial advisor for additional information. Subject to availability and price change. CD values are subject to interest rate risk such that when interest rates rise, the prices of CDs can decrease. If CDs are sold prior to maturity, the investor can lose principal value.

FDIC insurance does not cover losses in market value. Early withdrawal may not be permitted.

Yields quoted are net of all commissions. CDs require the distribution of interest and do not allow interest to compound. CDs offered through Edward Jones are issued by banks and thrifts nationwide. All CDs sold by Edward Jones are registered with the Depository Trust Corp. (DTC).

Chris Burns Financial Advisor 5285 Lake Point Center Drive Suite A Cumming, GA 30041 770-205-1579

www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC

at the top of that list so that your child’s plans for the future can stay on track even if the worst were to happen.

4. My life could change—Not to worry. Whether you change jobs, have more children, welcome your parents back under your roof or need to pay for college, your life insurance plan can change, too.

A professional life insurance agent can help you build a strategy that provides the flexibility you need.

Choosing the right type of life insurance depends on your needs.

For example, term life insurance is a good place to start if your needs are temporary or short term.

It offers affordable coverage for a set period of time.

If your needs are long term, a permanent policy (most commonly whole life) might be the best option.

In addition to the insurance protection, you build up cash value within the policy that grows on a tax-deferred basis and, if structured properly, can be accessed tax-free.

If needed, the cash value can be accessed via loans to help pay for a child’s education or any other important financial need (though loans accrue interest and reduce cash value and death benefit).

You may find that a combination of permanent and term insurance is best for you.

To start planning for your family’s future, visit the Agent Locator at www.newyorklife.com.

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Banking & Finance• Sponsored Section

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