The Credit Union Perspective By: John Normandeau, President/CEO BestSource Credit Union and Gary M. Remer, firm sharehold- ers, were both honored in the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation category. Davis Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services has announced its top investment specialists for 2011. Paul Davis and Andrew Daitch serve at the firm's Detroit office. Davis, senior vice president investments, serves as a senior director of the firm's National Multi Housing Group. Daitch is a first vice pres- ident investments and senior director of the firm's National Multi Housing Group. Adena Kass, formerly of Huntington Woods, has accepted the position of manager, Strategic Initiatives for Agenda 360, the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce's strategic action plan, begin- ning in June 2012, when she completes her master's degree in community plan- ning at the University of Cincinnati. She will provide support for Agenda 360's goals of retaining and attract- ing talent, creating jobs Kass and fostering economic prosperity, and manag- ing specific initiatives, such as develop- ment of a regional transit plan for the Cincinnati area. After 32 years in the Insurance Benefits business, Howard B. Sherizen of Oak Park has been inducted as a Life Member into the Million Dollar Round Table. His firm, Sherizen Sherizen Benefits Group LLC, provides advisory services in the ever-changing field of health insurance benefits. As the national health care mandate evolves, con- sumers are looking to find value among the many choices. Sherizen Benefits Group LLC helps identify new purchasing opportunities in the marketplace. Shining Light On Autism Birmingham business t urns blue for autism. A pril is Autism Awareness Month and Birmingham- based Brogan & Partners has committed to light the exterior of its building blue to raise awareness of autism for the entire month of April. The Brogan offices are housed in the historic Peabody Mansion, located at 325 S. Old Woodward. Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex devel- opmental brain disorders — autism spectrum disorders — caused by a com- bination of genes and environmental influences. These disorders are character- ized, in varying degrees, by social and behavioral challenges, as well as repetitive behaviors. An estimated 1 in 88 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum — a 1000 percent increase in the past 40 years that is only partly explained by improved diagnosis. Brogan decided to support the national initiative called, "Light It Up Blue which is in its third year and is a global initiative by Autism Speaks to help raise awareness about the growing public health concern that is autism. Brogan & Partners' Managing Partner Ellyn Davidson is a longtime supporter of Friendship Circle of Michigan, which pro- vides services to kids with special needs, including those with autism. She also is involved with Camp Kids All Together, Take the mystery out of planning for your financial future! 1 11 In the last ten years the economic climate has changed significantly. Additionally, with employer sponsored pensions a thing of the past and the uncertainty of social security benefits, planning for retirement has become a bit John Normandeau, C'1 2 0 of a mystery to many people. People must now rely on their own savings to sustain their retirement years. With this in mind it's important to have a clear plan. A great tool for retirement planning is an IRA. An IRA is a personal savings plan that provides income tax advantages to individuals saving for their retirement. Contributions can be made up to the allowable amounts as determined by the government for that year. There are five different types of IRA's so it's important to review your goals to determine the best IRA fit for your situation. Anyone can start an IRA and it doesn't require a large investment. IRA's are offered at most financial institutions. And remember, if you leave your current place of employment, you can roll your employee sponsored retirement account into an individual IRA giving you control of the funds and avoiding any taxes or penalties. Since IRA's were designed to assist you in providing for your retirement, there are penalties imposed for withdrawing these funds before retirement age with a few excep- tions. It's not too late to setup an IRA for 2011 or contribute to an already existing IRA. The deadline for tax purposes is April 17, 2012. At BestSource Credit Union our mission is to improve our members' financial lives. Stop by a branch or give us a call at 800.666.4500 to see how we can help you achieve your goals. For more information, visit www.bestsourcecu.org . I llEaSOURCEI C R F lPll Improving Members' Financial Lives U N 1 0 N Why I Walk for Israel Brogan & Partners' offices which helps autistic kids go to an inclu- sive day camp at the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit along with children of all abilities. "People with special needs are a part of the community and they can so enrich our lives:' says Davidson. "It's important to me personally that they have the same opportunities we all do:' The company also supported Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley in his effort to implement autism insurance reform in Michigan — to make sure that the 15,000 people living with autism in Michigan get the treatment they need to live a bright and productive future. The three-bill autism insurance reform package was voted out of the legislature on March 29. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was expected to sign the bill shortly after. For more on Autism Speaks, visit autismspeaks.org. ❑ "We're going to Walk for Israel because this is a time when it's vital for our community to take a visible stand in support of Israel. Israel is a strong American ally and stands for democracy, human rights, and religious freedom. Israel is the home for the Jewish people. We're going to Walk for Israel because we're proud American Jews and proud of Israel. Please join us on Sunday, May 6' 67 - The Kaufman Family For more information, please visit www.walkforisrael.org 1745950 April 12 • 2012 29