DES MOINES, IA (04/10/2012)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald wants to encourage Iowans to make the most of their tax refunds this year by investing in College Savings Iowa. "Much like the April 17 deadline for taxes, the time to save for college is over before you know it," said Fitzgerald. "Put your refund to good use and start saving for a loved one's future educational needs today. By starting early, saving a little at a time and making smart investment choices, families can make their savings work for them."

College Savings Iowa is designed to provide families a tax-advantaged way to save money for their children's higher education. It only takes $25 to open an account, and anyone - parents, grandparents, friends and relatives - can invest in College Savings Iowa on behalf of a child. Participants who are Iowa taxpayers can deduct contributions up to $2,975 per beneficiary from their 2012 adjusted gross income, and there are no income or residency restrictions.* Investors can withdraw their investment federally tax-free to pay for qualified higher education expenses including tuition, books, supplies and certain room and board costs at any eligible college, university, community college or accredited technical training school in the United States or abroad.**

Saving for a child's education is always a smart investment, and College Savings Iowa is there to help. To learn more about College Savings Iowa or to open an account, please visit www.collegesavingsiowa.com or call 1-888-672-9116.

*Adjusted annually for inflation. If withdrawals are not qualified, the deductions must be added back to Iowa taxable income.

**Earnings on non-qualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state income taxes. The availability of tax or other benefits may be contingent on meeting other requirements.

###

Investment returns are not guaranteed and you could lose money by investing in the plan. Participants assume all investment risks as well as responsibility for any federal and state tax consequences. If you are not an Iowa taxpayer, consider before investing whether your or the designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state's qualified tuition program.

For more information about the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan, call 888-672-9116 or visit www.collegesavingsiowa.com to obtain a Program Description. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are included in the Program Description; read and consider it carefully before investing.

Celebrate Preservation Month and National Tourism Week at Brucemore with free guided tours of the mansion Saturday, May 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 6 from noon to 3:00 p.m. The 21-room Queen Anne style mansion and 26-acre park-like estate, built between 1884 and 1886, provides insight into Cedar Rapids' rich history and Midwestern life in the early twentieth century. Tours will begin approximately every 15 minutes with the last tour beginning at 3:00 p.m.

 

In 1971, the National Trust created Preservation Week to spotlight grassroots preservation efforts around the country, and has since grown into an annual celebration for local communities to honor their past and help build their future. Brucemore will offer other Preservation Month activities in May, including:

• Brucemore's Historic Neighborhood Walk - May 3, 6:00 p.m. and May 5, 12:00 p.m.
• Brucemore Plant Sale - May 12, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Nooks and Crannies Mansion Tours - May 15-18, 6:00 p.m.
• Historic Landscape Tours - May 19, 10:30 a.m. and May 24, 6:00 p.m.

 

The 2012 Plant Sale will celebrate the newly-restored Lord & Burnham Greenhouse.  This annual event funds preservation projects throughout the estate. For more information about Preservation Month activities during May and throughout the year, visit Brucemore's website at www.brucemore.org or call (319) 362-7375. Visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation website at www.preservationnation.org for more information about Preservation Month.

 

The Cedar Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau invites you to "Discover CR: Be a Tourist in Your Town" by celebrating National Tourism Week, May 5 through 13. Other participating businesses and organizations can be found by visiting www.cedar-rapids.com/partners/tourist-in-your-town/.

 

Brucemore, Iowa's only National Trust Historic Site, is located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The 26-acre park-like estate in the heart of Cedar Rapids boasts a Queen Anne style mansion built between 1884 and 1886. Brucemore has been home to three prominent families who used the estate as a center for culture and the arts. The estate continues to be a hub for cultural, philanthropic, and educational activities. Each year thousands of visitors attend specialty tours, concerts, fine arts performances, children's programs, holiday celebrations, preservation events, and garden workshops on the estate. For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

###

Most won't wait more than ten minutes at a retail outlet

(April 2012) To keep local customers happy, retailers might want to focus less on the register and more on the clock. In these busy, hectic times, retailers better hop to it and wait on customers quickly, or customers will hop on out of there - because customers HATE TO WAIT!

In a new national survey:
• 76% of respondents say a wait any longer than five to ten minutes at a retail business is unreasonable.
• 94% say a reasonable amount of time to wait at a retail business is 5 - 10 minutes or less.

If a retail business makes them wait fifteen minutes or longer:
• 63% say it shows bad customer service and a lack of respect for their time.
• 52% say they take their business elsewhere
• 48% say they assume the business is not well run and badly managed.

When asked what bothered them the most about a retailer:
Most often ranked as the #1 annoyance (in order):
• A rude staff
• They made me wait
• I paid too much

In other survey findings:
• 87% of respondents say they would use a technology that kept them from waiting in line at a retail stores if it saved them 15 minutes of waiting.
• 2 out of 3 respondents say they would use online check-in or download an app that saved their place in line at a retail business.

The survey also asked respondents for the most annoying time waster in their lives.
Most often ranked as the #1 annoyance (in order):
• Getting Placed on Hold
• Waiting in Line
• Sitting in Traffic

Great Clips, a local hair salon brand and the first ever to introduce time saving online check-in, asked consumers about waiting as part of a campaign to introduce the new online check-in app. The technology, which allows customers to check in from their desktops or smart phones, has trimmed haircut wait times from about fifteen minutes to five minutes, so customers can pretty much walk right in with little or no wait.

"In all our research, in focus group after focus group, we hear that today's busy singles and families alike are stressed out, exhausted and short on time - and today, time is money," says Rhoda Olsen, CEO of Great Clips. "Online check-in gives people back those few extra minutes that can take your day from good to great."

Online check-in is already gaining steam, with more than one million customers checking in online in 2011. In 2012, that number is even greater with an average 200,000 checking in online per month. With more than 80,000 new downloads of the app each month, it's clear customers find it helpful.

###

In Need of a House Call?
Telemedicine is Growing with Advances in Video Conferencing

Fans of the Fox TV drama "House," now in its final season, may wonder why New Jersey isn't known as The Mysterious Medical Maladies State -- it seems everyone who lives there has one.

Fortunately, they also have the fictional Dr. Gregory House, who makes up in diagnostic acumen what he lacks in charm and bedside manner.

Hugh Laurie's acting talent isn't the only reason the 2012 Guinness Book of Records ranks "House" the world's most popular TV show. It's as much because the premise is all too real, says Sean Belanger, CEO of CSDVRS, a national video relay services provider for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

"Many illnesses defy diagnosis and ingenious specialists are few and far between," he says. "Which is why recent technological advances in video conferencing are so exciting. Telemedicine is not just about more convenient meetings - it's about saving lives."

Belanger's corporation launched Stratus Video (www.stratusvideo.com) last year to focus on honing that technology. He understands the life-changing potential of high-quality, on-demand video conferencing - his company provides video-relayed deaf interpreting services to government agencies and businesses across the country, including the Social Security Administration, Boeing Corp. and Wal-Mart.

"On-demand, high-definition mobile video conferencing solves life-or-death problems, like the hospital patient in Georgia who needs to be seen by the specialist at the Mayo Clinic - fast," Belanger says. "To that end, we support video technology today for American Sign Language and Spanish, and provide language interpretation access for more than 180 spoken languages, all on a mobile device."

Telemedicine is also used to bring doctors to far-flung rural communities; save travel time and money on consultations and team problem-solving; and even to have more experienced medical professionals offering guidance and instruction during procedures.

Observation and reliable connections are critical when video conferencing is used in these ways, Belanger notes. So continuing to refine and improve the tools will have far-reaching - and very personal - effects.

"Think about what happens when you go to the doctor. He or she looks down your throat, into your eyes and ears. What they see there gives them information about what's wrong with you," he says. "The better the video relay system, the more reliable and trusted telemedicine becomes and, who knows?, that could even lead to lower health insurance premiums."

At the least, it ensures patients get all the medical whiz genius of a Gregory House - without the snark.

"Hey, with video conferencing," Belanger says, "just hang up on him."

About Sean Belanger

Sean Belanger is the chief executive officer of CSDVRS, the parent company of Stratus Video. A graduate of Virginia Technology, he has 30 years' experience in the technology industry. He previously served as CEO of the Paradyne Networks and general manager of 3Coms' network service provider division.