After the 2008 economic meltdown, when the stock market fell 37 percent, veteran financial advisor Curt Whipple says he met with clients from outside financial institutions who'd lost 50 to 60 percent of their portfolio in a single year.

"Almost no one foresaw what happened that year, and I doubt very much that many will foresee a collapse if it happens again," says Whipple, a Certified Wealth Strategist, Certified Estate Planner and CEO of C. Curtis Financial Group.

"Regardless, there are eight indicators that you can focus on that will help you identify whether or not you're taking too much risk in your portfolio and if your retirement plan is in danger."

Whipple, who recently published "Retiree Lifeline! How to Get Government Out of Your Pocket," (www.ccurtisfinancial.com), a retirement planning guide, reviews the six danger signs from 2008 to watch out for in 2014.

• You either looked at your accounts every day OR you wouldn't look at them at all. In 2008, people couldn't believe what was happening to their portfolios. They looked at their account every day - an exercise in masochism - as their advisors told them either, "just hang in there," or reminded them that the market is a long-term investment that cyclically rises and falls. That advice led them to stop looking at their accounts, which was as bad as looking at them every day, as their advisor told them to just hold on.

• You lost more than 15 to 20 percent of your investments' value in 2008. That indicates you had too many risky investments. It's important to know what level of risk you're comfortable with - generally speaking, the younger you are, the riskier you can be. However, risk is also a personal decision. Make sure you and your advisor are on the same page regarding risk tolerance. That will require your advisor taking the time to explain your investments and how they're diversified.

• Your broker or financial advisor fails to call you regularly. You should get a call every quarter from your advisor to review and discuss your account. The only time this should not be the case is if you specifically request to be contacted less frequently.

• Your portfolio is tied mostly to Wall Street or stocks, bonds and mutual funds. If each investment you have is one or all of the above, then your investments are not truly diversified. In addition to those investments, you should consider alternative investments like Real Estate Trusts (REITS), and your accounts should feature some kind of guarantee.

• You depend on your bond portfolio to protect you in hard times. We are living in a new financial era; bonds now have an inverse relationship to interest rates, which are so low now that they will invariably increase in the future. As interest rates rise, bonds will decline in value. That's why using bonds as your only alternative to a falling market is a dangerous idea.

• You excessively worry about money. Your fear may be based in reality if you have a number of risky investments; if you really don't understand what you are invested in; or if you don't have a clear plan to achieve your financial objectives.

About Curt Whipple, CWS, CEP

Curt Whipple is the author of "Retiree Lifeline! How to Get Government Out of Your Pocket," (www.ccurtisfinancial.com). A Certified Wealth Strategist (CWS) and Certified Estate Planner (CEP), he is Chief Managing Partner at the C. Curtis Financial Group, which he formed in 1986. Since then, Curtis Financial Group has counseled and advised individuals and corporations on their financial goals and decisions. Whipple is a nationally recognized speaker.

Wage Gap Still Exists Between Women and Men in the Workplace

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today joined local elected officials to recognize Equal Pay Day and raise awareness of the disparity that remains between workplace earnings among women and men. This date, proclaimed by the Governor and designated by the Illinois General Assembly, marks how far into the current year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year. Today's observance is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to drive economic growth and ensure that all Illinois workers are treated fairly.

"If someone does the same work, they should earn the same pay," Governor Quinn said. "Yet here we are in 2014 - 51 years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act - and women on average still don't earn as much as their male counterparts in the workplace. We won't be satisfied until all workers are equally compensated for the same work, regardless of their gender. When women succeed, our economy grows."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois women still earn just 78 cents of every dollar earned by Illinois men based on the median weekly earnings of full-time workers. The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) enforces the Illinois Equal Pay Act, which was enacted to help close the wage gap between men and women.  IDOL has successfully recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages for women who were paid less than their male co-workers for doing the same work, which is prohibited under the Act.

"Our Department has helped Illinois workers recover wages they lost as a result of gender-based pay discrimination," IDOL Director Joseph Costigan said. "Through rigorous enforcement, we will continue to ensure fair pay in the workplace."

Since the law went into effect in 2004, the Department has received 709 complaints and of the investigations completed to date, has recovered more than $690,000 in back wages for workers who did not receive equal pay for equal work.

Illinois' Equal Pay Act prohibits employers with four or more employees from paying unequal wages to men and women doing the same or substantially similar work, requiring equal skill, effort, responsibility and under similar working conditions. The law protects both men and women and any individual who files an equal pay complaint is protected under the Act from harassment or retaliation. If an employer is found guilty of pay discrimination, they will be required to make up the wage difference to the employee and may be subject to pay legal costs and civil fines of up to $2,500 per violation.

Today's Equal Pay Day observance is the latest in Governor Quinn's drive to protect and empower women in Illinois. The Governor's actions to support women and equal rights include :

• Fought for and signed a law amending the Equal Pay Act to give victims of underpayment more time to address their claims.
• Launched the innovative Birth to Five Initiative in his 2014 State of the State address to expand access to prenatal care; early care and learning opportunities for every child; and strong parent support.
• Leading the charge to increase the state's minimum wage to at least $10 per hour - six in ten minimum wage workers in Illinois are female.
• In his 2014 State of the State address, proposed a minimum of two days of earned sick leave per year for 2.5 million Illinois workers, 78 percent of whom are women, who have no sick leave.
• Launched the first ever Women Owned Business Symposium.

For more information on Illinois' Equal Pay Act or to file a complaint, call the Illinois Department of Labor's Equal Pay hotline at 1-866-EPA-IDOL. Complaint forms are also available to download on the Department's website: Labor.Illinois.gov.

DES MOINES, IA (04/08/2014)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald is encouraging Iowans to make the most of their tax refunds this year by investing in College Savings Iowa. "Much like the April 15 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 $3,098 per beneficiary from their 2014 adjusted gross income, and there are no income or residency restrictions.* Earnings grow tax free and investors can withdraw their investment federally and Iowa state 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 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.

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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.

College Savings Iowa is an Iowa trust sponsored by the Iowa State Treasurer's Office. The Treasurer of the State of Iowa sponsors and is responsible for overseeing the administration of the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan. The Vanguard Group, Inc., serves as Investment Manager and Vanguard Marketing Corporation, an affiliate of The Vanguard Group, Inc., assists the Treasurer with marketing and distributing the Plan. Upromise Investment Advisors, LLC, provides records administration services. The Plan's portfolios, although they invest in Vanguard mutual funds, are not mutual funds.

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement today after the United States Senate's successful passage of an emergency extension of unemployment benefits, restoring benefits that expired at the end of December. This is the Senate's second successful attempt to pass a bipartisan compromise.

"No one in Congress is wondering how they're going to make ends meet during a job search in a tough economy, but 13,000 Iowans?many of whom are struggling to get by?live that reality every day," Braley said. "This lifeline was suddenly cut short three months ago, and it's past time we did something to restore it."

An emergency extension of unemployment benefits expired at the end of last year, affecting over 13,000 Iowa families. The Senate has passed two separate bipartisan compromises for a short-term extension of those benefits, but neither has been brought up for a vote in the U.S. House.