the BEACON Newspaper, Indiana Sept 2017 Beacon | Page 7

September 2017
B
Beacon
USINESS
NEWS ABOUT OUR
ADVERTISERS
Continued from Page 6
the proud owner of Harrison
Bakery that creates authentic
German pastries including
stollen, springerle, cream
puffs, chocolate cookies, and
cakes, just to name a few.
The family-run business
includes Mr. Noller's wife,
Sandy, and two daughters, De-
nise Frazier and Diane Wikette.
Mr.Noller's philosophy for
success is, "Get yourself a
good trade, work long hours,
and the possibilities are end-
less." (See ad on page 17)
Ripley County
Community
Foundation Gets
National Accreditation
The Ripley County Com-
munity Foundation recently re-
ceived the highest standard of
philanthropic distinction by the
National Standards for U.S.
Community Foundations ® .
The National Standards for
U.S. Community Founda-
tions ® accreditation program
represents a community
foundation’s commitment to
exceeding legal requirements
to demonstrate accountability
and excellence to the commu-
nity, contributors, and people
it serves. This program aims
to assure responsible manage-
ment of the foundation and its
assets to donors and the public.
“The Board works hard to be
good stewards of the charitable
assets entrusted with the com-
munity foundation. Achieving
this national accreditation was a
rigorous process and was done to
demonstrate our commitment to
our donors and to Ripley County
as a whole” stated Amy Strea tor,
RCCF Executive Director.
Ivy Tech Students
Serve Community
Ivy Tech Community Col-
lege has completed the first
THE BEACON
year of its Service Learn-
ing Program with students
having completed 632 hours
of volunteer work at various
agencies in Dearborn County.
The program embeds
community service hours,
projects, lessons, discussion,
and reflections into existing
coursework so that classes are
more hands-on and meaning-
ful. There were one hundred
fifteen enrollments in the
program’s inaugural year.
Each student committed to
ten hours of service per term in
such classes as biology, sociol-
ogy, communication, psychol-
ogy, criminology, ethics, and
others. Some speech students
gave cooking demonstrations
at the Clearinghouse. The Eth-
ics class cleaned and decorated
graves at a local cemetery and
then studied how our culture
views death. One class collect-
ed personal hygiene products
for the Heart House. Two
classes worked together to de-
velop a new media plan for the
Hoosier Hills Literary League.
One student worked with Al-
zheimer’s patients. A group of
students worked on Earth Day
to clean Guilford Park.
Students then used these ex-
periences to connect to their
studies. For example, students
in English 111 used their
experiences at the Clearing-
house to study food insecu-
rity and wrote their research
papers on this topic. Biology
students worked with the
Community Garden Project
and then studied plant sci-
ence and nutrition. Sociology
students “rang the Christmas
bell” for the Salvation Army
and then studied community
relationships.
Even more Service Learning
classes are planned for the up-
coming fall semester. The pro-
gram is coordinated by Ron
Nicholson, associate professor
of English. Students interested
in Service Learning classes for
the fall should contact Nichol-
son at rnicholson16@ivytech.
edu or see an adviser in the
Express Enrollment Center at
the Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg
Riverfront campus.
Gaming Revenue Concerns Tabled
A recent standard audit of
Dearborn County's 2014-2015
books started a barrage of
concerns about the legality of
how the county disburses riv-
erboat gaming revenue. The
question of noncompliance
was raised by the Indiana
State Board of Accounts.
Both county council
members and legal counsel
researched a proper way of
complying with the new state
gaming bill but to no avail.
One state representative who
was involved in the audit had
a suggestion about how the
county could become compli-
ant, while another person at
the State level suggested us-
ing a loosely structured grant
process for the distribution of
funds.
Attorney Baudendistal sug-
gested to the Council that he
would like clarification on the
Home Rule ordinance be-
cause he did not find specific
wording about what has to be
done and what can be legally
done with the money. Because
no clear cut answer could be
found, the County Council
motioned to table the recen-
sion of the current county
gaming ordinance indefinitely.
Should I Do A Rollover?
Many employees are fortunate to have the opportunity to be a
participant in an employee sponsored retirement savings plan.
Employee sponsored plans come in all shapes and sizes. Some
of the most popular plans are the 401(k), 403(b), 457, Thrift
Savings, and SIMPLE IRA. These plans provide a tremendous
service to employees by making it easy for them to set money
aside for retirement —typically growing tax deferred until it
is used for income in retirement. However, with these noted
benefits, there are some potential drawbacks to these plans. #
#1 Potential for Underperformance
A participant of an employee sponsored plan has limited
investment choices. In other words, the participant can be
cut off from the entire universe of investment choices. Instead
of being able to pick from the best in every category, the
participant is forced to pick the best from the options available.
This can create a greater potential for underperformance in the
market and comparative benchmarks.
#2 Lack of Service
Most employee sponsored plans are outsourced to a third party
Page 7
This ladder truck first saw service in Greendale before being purchased by St. Leon.
A Dream Realized by the Kindness of Others
This is a story that spans
fifty years. It shows the
strength of the human spirit
and how much can be accom-
plished and how many can be
impacted by the vision and
dedication of a few.
On March 13, 1967 a group
of men met at St. Joseph
American Legion Post 464 in
St. Leon to discuss the forma-
tion of a volunteer fire depart-
ment. Among the first mem-
bers were Andrew Hornbach,
the first president, Albert
Schuman, the first secretary-
treasurer and Ted Stenger, the
first fire chief.
The vision of these men
resulted in the first fire engine
being purchased for $1,400.
Fund raisers were held and,
with the help of many vol-
unteers, enough funds were
raised to pay off the engine
by May, 1967. The engine
was stored in Jake Stenger’s
garage because St. Leon Fire
Department didn't even have a
firehouse. But that didn't mat-
ter- the department was off
and running.
In November of 1967 the
first turkey dinner and raffle
were held at the legion post
to raise funds for a new fire
station. Little did the firemen
envision that they had created
a tradition to be enjoyed by
all for years to come.
Several more dinners and
pancake breakfasts were
held, and by May of 1969
enough funds were available
to purchase two acres of land
from Madeline Callahan. The
dream of having a St. Leon
firehouse was one step closer
to becoming a reality.
Fundraisers were increased
and included $100 pledges
from residents. Finally in July
of 1969 construction began
on the new fire station. The
members of the department
and community members
donated much of the labor
and materials to get the job
completed.
 The dedication of the new
building and first official festi-
val at the new building was held
on August 7-8, 1969. The first
“fried chicken” festival wasn’t
held until 1971. Over 1,600
lbs. of our famous “St. Leon
Chicken” were fried up. This
year over 4300 bs. were served
up. Everyone loves to come out
to St. Leon for this event.
Profits from the festival are
used for the day-to-day opera-
tion and purchase of much
needed equipment for the
department.
With the 1990's came a new
paging system for fire runs.
The department switched
from calling out the firemen
via telephone calls where
each member called 2 other
members to advise of the run,
to the use of pagers through
Dearborn County dispatch.
Progress.
The decision to become a
first responder unit was made
in 1993. Grant money was
used to purchase the depart-
ment’s first defibrillator,
and the department had four
EMTs with several members
taking first responder and
service, leaving the participant to
be a number, not a true person.
Often times, participants will only
meet with the plan administrator
initially to set up their investment
options and then receive minimal
if any support in the future when
it comes to taking advantage of
ever changing market conditions. “Employee sponsored plans can
#3 ERISA
be a great retirement savings
tool... but some drawbacks need
to be addressed to avoid some
pitfalls.” — Roger Ford
Employee sponsored plans fall
under the rules and regulations
of the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974
(ERISA). One of the biggest pitfalls of ERISA is that it is not
designed for contingent beneficiaries. For example, a husband
lists his wife as the primary beneficiary of his 401(k) plan. If he
passes away, his wife can assume the 401(k) without having to
draw all the money out at once. However, if a husband and a
wife are in a tragic car accident, and the husband had his wife
listed as the primary beneficiary of the 401(k) with his children
listed as the contingent beneficiaries; the children will have
to take the proceeds from the 401(k) in a lump sum. For the
children, this is not advantageous because they have to pay all
the tax owed up front and run the risk of being bumped into a
higher tax bracket.
EMT training classes. In No-
vember of 1995 a rescue truck
was purchased, and another
new truck was purchased in
1996.
In September of 2000 a new
pumper was purchased in the
amount of $200,000. This was
quite different from the fire
truck that was purchased in
1967 for $1,400!
Over the years festivals,
volunteer efforts, and the
dedication of the residents
made the purchase of more
equipment possible. The St .
Leon Fire Department would
not exist if not for the help
of the many members of our
community who come and
give so willingly of their time
to help with our festivals and
make them a huge success.
 With a dream to provide
fire protection for our com-
munity finally realized, the
department stands strong.
They currently have 15-20
volunteer firefighters. Like
all county departments, they
will always welcome more
members to fulfill their hope
of becoming a transport unit.
A final important note to share, these employee sponsored plans
usually allow for an “in-service rollout” once the participant
reaches age 59 ½ or when employment has ended. An in-service
rollout allows the participant to move from the employee
sponsored plan to an IRA that is in their care, custody, and
control. By doing this, it allows for more investment options,
creates the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with
an investment advisor, and solves the contingent beneficiary
rules under ERISA to be eliminated. Even after completing an
in-service rollout while still employed with the company, some
employees may still be eligible to receive the company match.
If you are over age 59 ½ or have money with a previous
employer and would like more information, we would be happy
to sit down with you and discuss your options.
Employee sponsored plans can be a great retirement savings
tool, and I don’t want to sell them short, but some drawbacks
need to be addressed to avoid some pitfalls.
Conservative Financial Solutions | Roger L. Ford
10403 Harrison Ave. | Harrison, OH 45030
513.367.1113 | ConservativeFinancialSolutions.com
Securities offered through Madison Avenue Securities, LLC (MAS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through AE
Wealth Management, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor. MAS and Conservative Financial Solutions are not affiliated companies. AE
Wealth Management and Conservative Financial Solutions are not affiliated companies. Investing involves risk, including the potential
loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values. Any references to
protection benefits or lifetime income generally refer to fixed insurance products, never securities or investment products. Insurance and
annuity product guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. We are
not affiliated with the US government or any governmental agency. Neither the firm nor its agents or representatives may give tax or legal
advice. Individuals should consult with a qualified professional for guidance before making any purchasing decisions. AW06173045
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