The Next Phase of the American Dream:
Growing & Preserving Your Wealth
Financial Planner Shares 3 Smart Tips for Retirement

Ever since the financial crisis of 2008, many pundits and experts have openly doubted the viability of achieving the American dream.

With homeownership, job opportunity and retirement security in decline, an Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll shows that most Americans agree with what the experts have said. Seven in 10 think that tomorrow's adults - today's kids - will have less financial security than adults today.

"There are several long-term issues we need to address, including our estimated $17.3 trillion debt, a legacy that our children are poised to inherit; but I think the United States will be stable for the next 10 years, and maybe longer if we get our financial house in order," says Stephen Ng, founder and president of Stephen Ng Financial Group, (www.stephenngfg.com).

"Many Americans who've worked their entire lives for a comfortable, if not luxurious, retirement want to know their money will be there - that's their dream."

Ng is an international financial planner with certifications in 19 states. He's passionate about teaching sound wealth practices to both clients and his community. Here are three important tips every pre-retiree and retiree should know to help preserve their wealth.

• Go to an independent retirement-planning advisor. Financial planning can be confusing. For most retirees who are not professionals, the numbers, rules and terminology can seem like a foreign language. An independent advisor, who is licensed in multiple products - insurance, annuities and more - allows for a higher degree of objectivity, tailoring options for a client's specific needs. He or she will not be bound to a corporate agenda or limited in their knowledge. Also, talk to the person who will be the architect of your financial future. Find out his or her values. How do they feel about their job? Are they patient in explaining your options? Do you trust your advisor?

• Pre-retirees: know your start-date options for retirement. Be aware that in most cases, withdrawals from tax-deferred retirement plans before age 59½ may be subject to a 10 percent federal income tax penalty. The latest date to begin required minimum distributions is usually April 1 of the year after you turn age 70½. In most cases, withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income. There are 10 common planning options, some of which are funded by employers. They are the defined benefit pension; money purchase pension; profit-sharing plan; savings plan; employee stock ownership plan; tax-sheltered annuities, or 403(b) plans; individual retirement accounts; self-employed plans; simplified employee pensions; Savings Incentive Match Plans for Employees; and annuity contracts.

• Make sure you feel good about your annuity. An annuity is a contract with an insurance company in which you make one or more payments in exchange for a future income stream in retirement. The funds in an annuity accumulate tax-deferred, regardless of which type of annuity you choose. Fixed annuity contracts are issued with guaranteed minimum interest rates. Although the rate may be adjusted, it should never fall below a guaranteed minimum rate specified in the contract. Keep in mind that annuity guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the insurance company and contain fees and charges which are not limited to sales and surrender charges. All withdrawals of tax-deferred earnings are subject to current income tax, and, if made prior to age 59½, may also be subject to a 10 percent federal income tax penalty. Additionally, if purchased within a qualified plan, an annuity will provide no further tax deferral features. The contract, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the total amount invested.

"This may be plenty of information to take in for now, but this is only the tip of the iceberg," Ng says. "Don't be afraid to ask questions. And, the more education you have about your own money, the better."

About Stephen Ng

Stephen Ng is the founder and president of Stephen Ng Financial Group™ (www.stephenngfg.com). Since 1992, he has helped pre-retirees and retirees preserve and increase their wealth by, in part, helping them avoid common mistakes. He regularly holds financial management, retirement investing and insurance planning seminars at businesses, churches and non-profit organizations. Ng is a Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant and a Certified Estate Planner. He is also an Investment Advisor Representative offering securities and advisory services through SagePoint Financial, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Stephen Ng Financial Group and SagePoint Financial, Inc. are unaffiliated entities. Stephen brings a national and international perspective to his financial advice, with professional and educational roots in Australia and Asia, and certifications in 19 states.

Nana Meriwether to Drop Puck, Meet Fans When Mallards Take on Arizona

MOLINE, Ill. (February 27, 2014) - The Quad City Mallards and Genesis Health System will welcome Nana Meriwether, Miss USA 2012, to the Mallards' Friday, March 7 game against the Arizona Sundogs at the iWireless Center.

Nana will drop the puck for a ceremonial faceoff just before the 7:05 p.m. start of the game and will meet fans, sign autographs and pose for pictures during that contest.

After being named Miss Maryland USA 2012, Nana went on to win the title of Miss USA 2012 in December of that year.  Nana is also a professional and Olympic-level volleyball player, philanthropist and highly accomplished student.

"Since her first visit to the Quad Cities last spring, Nana has been working with us as a member of the Genesis Philanthropy Board of Directors. Her expertise and experience with global health has been hugely beneficial to us.  Nana brings a unique perspective and a passion for health and wellness," said Genesis Health Services Foundation executive director Missy Gowey.  "I'm excited she'll have a chance to meet our Mallards fans and gain in her understanding of what makes the Quad Cities a great place to live."

In 2007, Nana co-founded the Meriwether Foundation, an international non-profit organization dedicated to improving health and empowering communities.  The foundation conducts health, education, nutrition and empowerment programs that provide assistance to impoverished rural communities in five southern African countries: Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  More information on the Meriwether Foundation can be found at www.MeriwetherFoundation.org.

Born in South Africa and raised in the Washington D.C. area, Nana was standout in volleyball first at Duke University and then, after transferring, at UCLA.  At Duke, Nana followed in the trailblazing footsteps of her father Delano, who was the first African American to be admitted to and graduate from the Duke University School of Medicine.  By the end of her college career, Nana had broken three NCAA volleyball records, led UCLA to the NCAA Final Four and earned NCAA All-American honors two years in a row.

Nana was a Dean's List student at Duke and was named to the Director's Honor Roll on multiple occasions while at UCLA before graduating with a degree in political science.  She was also named to both the NCAA and Pac 10 Conference All-Academic teams.

In addition to appearing on NBC for both the 2012 and 2013 Miss USA competitions, Nana has been featured in Sports Illustrated and on Lifetime's Project Runway and Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta and New York.

Tickets for March 7 game and all Mallards regular season home tilts can be purchased at the iWireless Center ticket office, Ticketmaster outlets, through ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000.  The ticket office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.

About Genesis Health System
Genesis Health System, its affiliates and partners offer a full continuum of health care services.  Genesis Health System's affiliates include : acute and tertiary hospital care at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport and DeWitt, Iowa and Genesis Medical Center, Silvis and Aledo in Illinois; home health and hospice services through Genesis VNA and Hospice; Genesis Workplace Services, including occupational health, employee assistance and wellness services for employers and their employees; the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House; senior living facilities offering rehabilitation and long-term care; Genesis Health Group, with more than 170 primary care physicians and specialists; a Family Practice Residency program; Genesis Psychology Associates; three Convenient Care clinics; and Genesis Home Medical Equipment.  Partners include the Genesis Medical Park, Crow Valley, Genesis Imaging Centers and Spring Street Surgical Center, Davenport. Genesis Health System serves a 10-county area of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Genesis also manages Jackson County Regional Health Center in Maquoketa, Iowa. For more information, visit www.genesishealth.com.

About the Quad City Mallards
A proud affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, the Quad City Mallards are in the midst of their seventeenth season their fourth in the Central Hockey League.  One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League from 1995 through 2007 and in the International Hockey League in 2009-10.  The Mallards' proud history has seen them capture the UHL's Colonial Cup Championship three times (1997, 1998, 2001) and secure that league's Tarry Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002) for the best overall regular season record.  In 2001, the Mallards made professional hockey history, recording their sixth consecutive season with 50 or more wins, a feat that has yet to be matched.  The iWireless Center provides a unique environment for hockey and features one-of-a-kind seating areas such as the Nest for groups and functions and the exclusive Drake Club.  For more information on the Quad City Mallards or for Mallards tickets go to www.myqcmallards.com.  Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/quadcitymallards.