The Bettendorf Discovery Shop invites you to join them beginning Thursday, April 9^th for their 23^rd annual cookbook and kitchenware event.   

We will have a vast collection of new and vintage cookbooks that will be a delight for new and experienced cooks to see.  Healthy cooking books, ethnic cooking, desert ideas, everyday cooking idea books, and the always favorite groups and churches cookbooks are just some of what you will see.  Plus we have a great selection of cooking aids, gadgets, small appliances, pans, and other fun things for you kitchen.  

If you love to cook, or know someone that does, this will be the perfect day for you to shop at the Discovery Shop.  If you have cookbooks or cooking related items that you would like to donate for this event we would be happy to have them. 

 

The Discovery Shop is an upscale resale shop selling gently used items donated by the community and staffed by over 100 volunteers.  Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society for cancer research, education, patient services and advocacy.

 

Donations are accepted anytime the shop is open and a tax receipt is always available.  Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 am to 5 pm., Thursday from 10 am to 7 pm. and Saturday from10 am to 4 pm.

 

We are thankful for all the wonderful donations and excited to have this fun event for our customers.

Event Announcement:   

Event:           Project Management: The Human and Technical View  

Date:           Thursday, April 2, 2015 and Friday, April 3, 2015  

Time:            8:00 AM - 4:00 PM  

Where:         MRA - The Management Association  

3800 Avenue of the Cities, Suite 100  

Moline, IL  61265  

Cost:             MRA Members: $460; Nonmembers: $645   

This two day program, gain the know-how to lead projects to successful outcomes.  Participants will learn to implement a process for planning and completing any project, using a practical, hands-on approach.  Discuss the roles and responsibilities of a project manager, including managing the human dynamics of the team and stakeholders.  A communication-style assessment guides project managers to an understanding of the power of an adaptable style. Participants will be able to explain how to affect change and influence others as projects evolve.

To Register, or for more details, go to www.mratraining.com, or contact MRA at 309.277.4183 or heatherroberts@mranet.org.  

   

Event Announcement:   

Event:           Affirmative Action Plan Workshop  

Date:           Thursday, April 9, 2015 and Friday, April 10, 2015  

Time:            8:00 AM - 3:30 PM  

Where:         MRA - The Management Association  

3800 Avenue of the Cities, Suite 100  

Moline, IL  61265  

Cost:            MRA Members: $460; Nonmembers: $665  

 

During this two day workshop, you will receive the tools you need to write a federally-sound affirmative action plan from start to finish, including the preparation of all critical statistical analyses.  In addition to writing the plan, we discuss important affirmative action concepts and implementation requirements.  Our approach is unique.  First, the seminar is conducted by MRA's AA/EEO managers.  Second, this is one of the most "hands-on" and "interactive" seminars you will ever attend.  You actually prepare many elements of your plan during the seminar.

To Register, or for more details, go to www.mratraining.com, or contact MRA at 309.277.4183 or heatherroberts@mranet.org.

 

 

Event Announcement: 

Event:           Advanced Communication Series - The Art and Science of Excellence

 

Date:           Effective Communication - Beyond the Basics - Friday, April 10, 2015

Communication From The Inside Out - Friday, April 24, 2015

Right Brain/Left Brain Thinking -  Friday, May 15, 2015

 

Time:            8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

 

Where:         MRA - The Management Association

3800 Avenue of the Cities, Suite 100

Moline, IL  61265

 

Cost:             MRA Members: $885; Nonmembers: $1170 

 

During this three day series, you will push your communication skills to higher levels. In this series, participants will learn how humans take in and process language and information and the ways language and information drive our thinking and behavior.  This series will explore current science of the mind and its impact on language, behavior, understanding, and actions.  This highly interactive series seeks to move information to knowledge and then to action.

To Register, or for more details, go to www.mratraining.com, or contact MRA at 309.277.4183 or heatherroberts@mranet.org.

 

 

Event Announcement: 

Event:           Human Resource Professional Certificate Series

 

Date:           Session 1: HR Professional As Business Partner - Friday, April 17, 2015 (8:00 AM - 3:30 PM)

Session 2: HR Metrics: ROI For HR Initiative - Friday, April 24, 2015 (8:00 AM - 11:30 AM)

Session 3: Internal Investigations: A How-To-Guide - Friday, April 24, 2015 (12:30 PM - 4:00 PM)

Session 4: Fundamentals of Compensation - Friday, May 1, 2015 (8:00 AM - 3:00 PM)

Session 5: Finance Essentials For The HR Professional - Friday, May 8, 2015 (8:00 AM - 3:30 PM)

 

Where:         MRA - The Management Association

3800 Avenue of the Cities, Suite 100

Moline, IL  61265

 

Cost:             MRA Members: $1100; Nonmembers: $1490

 

This certificate series is designed specifically for those with at least 3 years of professional level HR experience and for experienced HR Professionals looking to improve their overall technical and management knowledge.  Prior completion of the Essentials of HR Certificate Series is strongly recommended.

During this five session certificate series, you will be building upon the technical skills gained in the Essentials of HR Certificate Series, this certificate series continues to grow your technical HR expertise, while focusing on key HR competencies of business acumen, collaboration, influencing, and work relationships.

HRCI Credit: 16.25 Business (Strategic)

To Register, or for more details, go to www.mratraining.com, or contact MRA at 309.277.4183 or heatherroberts@mranet.org

 

 

Event Announcement: 

Event:           Frontline Leadership Certificate Series

Date:           1. Motivation and Trust Building - Tuesday, April 21, 2015

2. Communication Skills - Tuesday, April 28, 2015

3. Effective Training Techniques - Tuesday, May 5, 2015

4. Resolving Conflict And Handling Difficult People Problems - Tuesday, May 12, 2015

5. Achieving High Impact Results - Tuesday, May 19, 2015

 

Time:            8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Where:         MRA - The Management Association

3800 Avenue of the Cities, Suite 100

Moline, IL  61265

 

Cost:             MRA Members: $1250; Nonmembers: $1700 

 

This five-day series is for those individuals who provide leadership or formal guidance to a work group without the power to hire, to fire, or conduct performance reviews. (They may be called group leaders, team leaders, coordinators, leaders of work groups, "go to" people, etc.) These employees often do the work while providing leadership to their work group. 

This series introduces the important principles of motivation, interpersonal communication, employee training, influencing others to achieve results, meeting organizational objectives, and resolving conflict. Using a combination of discussion, case study, and skill practice, participants are prepared to be more productive within their organization by developing their leadership skills. This series is also effective for individuals that are being groomed for a leadership-type role. 

To Register, or for more details, go to www.mratraining.com, or contact MRA at 309.277.4183 or heatherroberts@mranet.org

 

 

About MRA-The Management Association
Founded in 1901, MRA-The Management is a not-for-profit employer association that serves more than 4,000 employers throughout the Midwest, covering 800,000+ employees. As one of the largest employer associations in the nation, MRA helps its member organizations thrive by creating powerful teams and safe, successful workplaces. MRA conducts more than 2,000 learning events each year. Members of MRA also receive access to expert guidance, best practices, professionally facilitated roundtables, essential tools, and dozens of business services in the areas of human resources and training. MRA is headquartered in Waukesha, Wis., and has regional offices in Palatine, Ill.; Moline, Ill.; and Plymouth, Minn. To learn more and to become a member of MRA, visit www.mranet.org.

MOUNT CARROLL, IL -- Timber Lake Playhouse, the professional summer theatre in Mount Carroll, announces their "kick-off" fundraiser, "Lena Las Vegas" Casino Night onSaturday, April 18 from 6:00 - 9:00.  TLP's Casino Night will be held at The Rafters in Lena.  Tickets are $50 per person.

Included in the ticket price is a starting purse, chances to win prizes, roving appetizers, and "Cheezer's Palace" Mac & Cheese Bar.  Casino games include craps, blackjack, roulette, and Texas Hold'em.  Casino games are being provided by U.S. Poker and Casino Parties of Bensenville.

TLP is also looking for sponsors for the event.  Sponsor levels begin at a $150 Casino Table Sponsor and go to the High Roller level at $1000.

For information about sponsorship or tickets, visit www.timberlakeplayhouse.org or call the box office at 815-244-2035 between the hours of 10:00 - 3:00.  Tickets may also be purchased at the TLP administrative offices across from the playhouse at 8216 Black Oak Road in Mount Carroll also between the hours of 10:00 - 3:00.

Financial Consultants Say Retirees Can Take Steps To Protect Savings From Vagaries Of The Market

As people creep into the retirement "red zone" - those years just before or right after they retire - it becomes more important than ever that they find ways to keep their savings safe.

Because at that point, their retirement picture will change significantly only if they lose a lot of money, says Chris Bennett, co-founding partner of The Abbott Bennett Group, (www.theabbottbennettgroup.com).

"They are not going to change who they are," Bennett says. "But if they lose a bucket of money, they are not going to go out to eat, they won't travel, they won't be able to leave money to their children and grandchildren. They will end up having to make sacrifices."

In other words, they won't be living the retirement they envisioned all those years they were saving a nest egg.

Having a "safe money" strategy is key to a secure retirement, say Bennett and Michael Abbott, CFO of the firm. It's important to be able to create an income stream that the retiree won't outlive.

There are several areas you and your financial professional can focus on as part of an overall "safe money" strategy, Abbott and Bennett say. Here are two examples:

• Rate of return vs. sequence of return. The average rate of return on an investment can be misleading, they say. That's because in reality how well you hang onto your money depends more on "sequence of return." That is, exactly when do those profits and losses come about?

To see how that might work, imagine a 50 percent loss followed by a 50 percent gain. That would appear to average out to a zero rate of return. But that's not how it would look in your portfolio, Bennett says. If you have $100,000, a 50 percent loss drops it to $50,000. The market rebounds with a 50 percent gain. But a 50 percent gain on $50,000 just increases that investment to $75,000, so you've still taken a loss.

Now consider that kind of activity over the course of your retirement as you are also withdrawing money from your savings to live on. Depending on when market fluctuations happened, you could take major hits. That's especially true if the dips come early in retirement when your savings are at their peak, and the rallies arrive late when there is less left in the account.

"One big downturn and that money could run dry," Bennett says.

Abbott and Bennett say there are tools that a good financial professional uses that can help people reduce the risk created by sequence of return.

• Maneuvering toward tax-free income. "Whatever the tax rates may be in the future, taxes can be a drag on your savings and may adversely impact your retirement security," Abbott says. So it's important to consider the tax implications of how you hold your assets.

Even those Social Security benefits that retirees draw can be taxed, but they don't necessarily have to be, Bennett says. Once again, a financial professional can review strategies that could help reduce or even eliminate the tax on that monthly Social Security benefit.

"It's possible to have tax-free income in retirement," Bennett says. "Talk about being in control. Then you can just enjoy your retirement with your children and your grandchildren."

About Michael Abbott and Christopher Bennett

Michael Abbott has two decades of experience assisting retirees with their 401(k)s and pension plans. He is co-founder of The Abbott Bennett Group, LLC, an independent financial services firm, where he serves as CFO. He is a lifetime member of MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table), an association composed of the world's best financial services professionals, and a member of NAIFA (National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors). He holds a Master of Estate Preservation designation.

Christopher Bennett is a 16-year financial professional who has served as CEO of The Abbott Bennett Group, LLC, since 2003. He holds a Certified in Long-Term Care designation, a Master of Estate Preservation certification, and is a lifetime member of Million Dollar Round Table). Chris is also a member of multiple chambers of commerce, and participates in the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. He has hosted and conducted hundreds of seminars and workshops.