PostMature2-21-13

Club makes investing easy and rewardingArea women fi nd fun, friendship in lucrative venture

BY EMILY HEDGESCONTRIBUTING WRITER

For many people, investing in the stock market can be mysterious and daunting. They don’t know where to be-gin or how to avoid losing savings dur-ing the learning curve. That’s why many Boomers are choosing to join investment clubs, a safe place to learn, grow your nest egg and have a lot of fun in the pro-cess.

“There’s safety in numbers. It takes something frightening and makes it eas-ier,” said Lynn Ostrem, founder of the Crow River Investment Club. “Invest-ment clubs can make saving money more fun than spending it. If I can get my hands on an extra $100, I go buy stock.”

The Crow River Investment Club has members in New Hope, Minneton-ka, Champlin and St. Michael. They are between the ages of 50 and 65 years old. The group meets monthly, usually over coffee, to review stocks, decide what to buy and sell, hear presentations on new ideas and discuss the economy.

When Ostrem moved to the Twin Cities, she decided to start an investment club. She took out an ad in the local newspaper for members.

“The ad came out on Sept. 11, 2001,” she recalled. “I thought it would be a waste of money, but believe it or not, we got seven new members off of that ad.”

Ostrem remembers the early days of the club were diffi cult ones.

“At the same time the country is dealing with this horrifi c thing of 9/11,

we’re trying to start our little club,” said Ostrem.

In October 2001, the group was ready to register as a partnership with the State of Minnesota.

“That’s when the state government shut down for a month. We couldn’t get our bank account open. That was our rough start 12 years ago, but we’ve sur-vived it.”

In the beginning of the club, dues were $25. “We made mistakes in the be-ginning, but $25 a month is a cheap edu-cation,” said Ostrem.

At its largest, the group had 15 members. Now four women comprise the Crow River Investment Club.

“We’re lean and mean and dedicat-ed,” said Ostrem. “We’ve been clubbing

for so many years, we’ve grown in our sophistication.”

In the investment club, each mem-ber gets a capital account and owns a percentage of the club based on the amount put in.

“Even though money is comingled into one dollar amount, we each own a portion of that nest egg. Whatever dues you put in and whatever you make is yours,” said Ostrem. “You get to learn something in a group. A few people can make it more interesting. Everybody takes a small piece of it. You don’t have

to learn so much on your own that way.”Beth Silverwater of New Hope

heard Lynn give a presentation on invest-ing and wanted to know more.

“I knew she was knowledgeable about investing. When I heard there were openings in the group, I immediately got in touch with her,” she said.

Silverwater was excited to apply the things she learned in the club to her own personal portfolio to improve her retire-ment nest egg.

Pictured (left to right) are three members of the Crow River Investment Club: Beth Silverwater, Myra Snyderman and Lynn Ostrem. “Investment club has made saving money

more fun than spending it. If I can get my hands on an extra $100, I go buy stock.”

INVESTMENT CLUB - TO PAGE 6

Mature Lifestyles • Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 Post.mnsun.com

Humana is a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract. For accommodation of people with special needs atsales meetings, call 1-800-537-3592, (TTY: 711), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week.Y0040_GHHHDP5HH CMS Accepted

1-800-537-3692TTY: 7118 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week

Get the answers you need!Humana is one of the country’s leading healthcare companies, with more than 50years in the healthcare industry. Turn to a leader to help you find a Humana planthat’s right for you! Personalized help from our licensed sales representatives is justa phone call away.

GET ANSWERS! CALL TODAY!

New toMedicare?

meet my needs?

Post.mnsun.com Mature Lifestyles • Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013


Those looking to bring greater wealth and fi nancial abundance into their life might be surprised to learn that knowing where to declutter your home or business, a water image or perhaps the right shade of purple could do the trick.

Minnetonka resident and feng shui prac-titioner Hinda Abrahamson believes that con-necting to fi nancial prosperity and abundance is no accident; it’s all about understanding how the energy and placement of your home supports the practical aspects of your life.

“I look at feng shui as another tool that we have in our tool kit, accumulated through experience, wisdom and helpful guides in our lives,” she said.

Abrahamson began studying feng shui in the mid-90s. She is a founding member and current president of the Feng Shui Society of the Midwest (FSIM), a Minnetonka-based professional and social organization, open to the public, serving as a community resource for the art and science of feng shui.

Feng shui, pronounced “fung shway” in English, is the Chinese art of arranging build-ings, objects and environment in such a way as

to achieve harmony and balance. The objec-tive is to assist people in creating a space that supports and nurtures their needs, desires and overall well-being.

Debbie Miller, who has worked in interior design for 32 years, is another feng shui practi-tioner and member of FSIM.

She became fascinated by feng shui while working with a practitioner on an Asian-themed designer showcase home. She brought in a certifi ed feng shui practitioner to make suggestions on a design scheme.

“The adjustments that she was making actually changed the way the room felt. I knew I needed to learn more about that,” said Miller.

She went on to complete a master’s pro-gram in feng shui.

“In space planning for design clients, and in my own home, I always use feng shui. I feel it makes my life and my family’s life healthier and more balanced,” she said. “Fellow feng shui practitioners call it looking at everything with ‘feng shui eyes.’”

When it comes to building a person’s abundance and wealth, Abrahamson explains that most people only pursue the “mundane” steps, such as seeking a fi nancial planner for assistance. Feng shui offers a “metaphysical” component that looks at your environment to

see how energy, colors, furniture and design of a room can support you fi nancially.

“There may be a missing piece. If it is in the wealth area, I might say to a client, ‘Your home isn’t supporting you in wealth and abun-dance. Let’s do something to fi nish that miss-ing piece,’” said Abrahamson.

Practitioners of Western feng shui, like Abrahamson and Miller, identify areas of the home using a compass and an energy map, called a Baqua, which they align with the front door of the home. The southeast corner of the home is associated with wealth and prosperity.

“One of the things we can do to enhance wealth or prosperity in this area involves add-ing wood (one of the fi ve feng shui elements) such as healthy plants and trees, or things that support that element, like adding water,” said Miller.

“Water is also an ancient symbol for wealth and abundance. Images of fl owing wa-ter and fountains work well as wealth energiz-ers.”

Miller says you want to stay away from destructive elements to wood in this area, like fi re or metal. You wouldn’t want a fi replace there, but if you do, there are feng shui adjust-ments that can be made.

For Abrahamson, the wealth or abun-

dance area of her home presented a challenge because it is the garage. The fi rst thing she and her family did was to de-clutter and write the intentions for wealth and abundance on the wall.

“We painted the back wall a gorgeous shade of redish purple. We then had a large storage closet built,” she said. “We painted those walls green to support the wood element. When the area was fi nished, we did a blessing and then hung a wind chime. Every time we drive into our garage, we are delighted with the energy of that space and know it is supporting our intentions.”

Symbols — like wind chimes, fountains and crystals — and the use of colors, like pur-ple, blue, and green for abundance, are used to attract chi and balance energy.

Miller points out that making these phys-ical changes impacts the way you think.

“You are shifting the way you’re trying to improve your fi nances and your business,” she said. “It’s not so much the placement of crys-tals as it is the way you change your mindset. It’s all about your intention to make a change in your life.”

For more information about FSIM and to fi nd a local practitioner, go to fsim.org.

Feng shui – a tool in the kit of life

Covenant Retirement Communities is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Covenant Retirement Communities does not discriminate pursuant to the federal Fair Housing Act.

R E T I R E M E N T is your time to thriveThere’s never been a better time to make the move to the engaging retirementlifestyle at our faith-based community. Our generous menu of services and amenitiesgives you time for what matters to you. And we can make moving hassle free.

Free & Easy Move!We’ll pay 100% of your moving expenses up to $5,000 for turnkey, worry-free services. We’ll take care of everything.

BONUS IF YOU MOVE NOW!• Save up to $10,000 on select apartments• Get $5,000 in upgrades to your new apartment home

Call today. (877) 336-1015 • [email protected]

5800 St. Croix Ave. N., Golden Valley, MN 55422 l www.CovenantVillageofGoldenValley.org


Edina fi nancial advisors help seniors plan for decades ahead


Susan Stiles loves business and man-aging money. The Edina-based fi nancial advisor recalls sitting on her bed at mid-night as an 11-year-old, piling up her cash from her thriving babysitting busi-ness. When her father came in and told her to go to sleep, she said, “I know this is bad, but I just love money!”

“I loved to collect it, pile it up, save it, and hide it. I was always meant to be in the money business,” said the New York native.

Even then, her entrepreneurial bent was evident. Her babysitting/house clean-ing business became so popular that she hired her brother and several close friends to work for her. At 13, while managing that enterprise, she worked as a hostess and bus girl at a popular, high-end res-taurant where the boss soon had her lo-cating, training and managing extra help during busy times.

“Even as a little girl, all my friends came to me for fi nancial advice and guid-ance,” said Stiles. “People are comfort-able confi ding in me. They are looking for common sense advice without judg-ment.”

After graduating from the business school at Cornell University with a MBA in fi nance and accounting, it didn’t take her long to strike out on her own again. In 1999, she opened Stiles Financial Ser-vices, Inc., an independent fi nancial con-sulting and wealth management fi rm. Every year since 2008 she was named a Five Star Wealth Advisor for best client satisfaction in the Twin Cities.

“When I work with my older clients who are nearing or already in retirement, they know I can be trusted. Elderly clients can sometimes be vulnerable and taken advantage of, particularly if they don’t

have a good grasp of fi nancial issues and topics,” said Stiles, who is passionate about education and volunteers her time toward fi nancial and economic literacy in the Minneapolis Public Schools. “If you don’t have a strong understanding of money, how can you really know the person you’re working with has your best interest at heart?”

Janel Goff of The Goff Investment Group with Benjamin F. Edwards Inc., also in Edina, shares Stiles’ commitment to education.

When she started her career in fi -nance 20 years ago, she launched a series called “Invest in yourself,” an informal gathering of clients to learn basic fi -nancial concepts. Over the years, it has evolved into an opportunity for business executives and small business owners to provide education and insight on issues of interest, along with the opportunity to

network professionally.Her love of education grew during

a television stint delivering weekly eco-nomic reports for WCCO-TV.

“I love the education piece of it. The most important key to fi nancial success is to be educated,” she said.

Although she has always enjoyed the market and staying on top of strategies, for Goff it’s the planning piece that keeps her in the business.

“I enjoy helping people understand what they needed to be doing and what decisions they need to be making to achieve their goals,” she said. “Instead of selling them a bond, I want to help them determine if they should be investing in bonds.”

She points out that fi nancial plan-ning is trickier these days than it was when she began her career.

“Most people don’t have pensions,

and health care plans are not crossing over into the last decades of life. This makes planning even more important,” she said.

Goff concentrates on helping clients plan in decades of life and how to create income fl ow to meet lifestyle needs. She believes that one of the biggest challenges these days is the pressure to make short-term decisions on your long-term goals.

“You’re always hearing about what’s going on in the market. Decisions are made every minute. It’s created frustra-tion in planning for fi nancial futures,” she said.

Although it can be frustrating, Goff admits she loves what she does, and she’s good at it. Like Stiles, she has earned mul-tiple Five Star Wealth Manager awards over the years.

For the love of money ....

MONEY - TO NEXT PAGE

Edina fi nancial planner Susan Stiles is passionate about educating clients on money issues and topics.

SUSAN STILES

ON MONEY:“I loved to col-

lect it, pile it up, save it, and hide it. I was always meant to be in the money business.”


“When I started, if I wasn’t able to be successful in the planning part, I would not have stayed in this business. I love be-ing able to meet with people and fi gure out income fl ow to meet their lifestyle needs,” said Goff.

Stiles also relishes the role she plays in helping clients pile up their own money for the future.

“Working as a fi nancial advisor puts you in the role of confi dante. People share sensitive issues with me. We discuss their lives, dreams, goals and disappointments. It’s a privilege,” she said.

For more information on The Goff Investment Group, go to benjaminfed-wards.com/goff.investment.group, or on Stiles Financial Services, go to stilesfi nan-cial.com.

Janel Goff of The Goff Investment Group with Benjamin F. Edwards Inc., also in Edina, shares Stiles’ commitment to education. (Sun Current staff photo by Lisa Kaczke.)

JANEL GOFF ONMONEY:

“One of the biggest chal-lenges these days is the pres-sure to make short-term de-cisions on your long-term goals.”

MONEY - FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

quicker recoveryless scarringimproved comfortlong-lasting results

Contact us today at 763-587-9293 orhealthpartners.com/vascularsurgery

Do you hide your legs because of unsightly varicose veins?

HealthPartners Clinics offer leading-edge treatment and laser procedures.

Compared to traditional vein stripping, these new treatments provide many benefits:

We accept most health plans and insurance.

• Your Trusted Community News Leader • Your Trusted Community News Leader • Your Trusted Community News Leader •

• Your Trusted Community News Leader • Your Trusted Community News Leader • Your Trusted Community News Leader •Your

Trus

ted

Com

mun

ity N

ews L

eade

r •

Your

Trus

ted

Com

mun

ity N

ews L

eade

r •

Your

Trus

ted

Com

mun

ity N

ews L

eade

r Your Trusted Comm

unity New

s Leader • Your Trusted Comm

unity New

s Leader • Your Trusted Comm

unity New

s Leader

Your Hometown Newspaper...

...Wherever You Call Home!51 Community NewspapersOver 650,000 Minnesota Homes

A division of:

North Crow River l


Lynn Ostrem speaks at InvestEd about investment clubs.

“The club is both a hobby and an essential part of our fi nancial planning,” said Silverwater. “The money that my husband and I invest for ourselves is what we’ll be living on the rest of our lives.”

Ostrem believes that investing is an economic necessity.

“I don’t believe there will be Social Security for me when I’m 67, or at least not in the shape it’s in today. I don’t calcu-late Social Security into my retirement,” said Ostrem.

“We’ve turned into a society that ex-pects everyone to take care of us. People need to get in and take responsibility for retirement sooner than 50.”

She would like to see more young people get involved in groups like theirs.

“If a young person gets in an invest-

ment club at 25 years old and spends $25 a month, in 30 years they’re going to be a millionaire,” said Ostrem.

Ostrem loves to help others start their own investment club, which is the reason she has offered a class on how to do it for a number of years.

She estimates that over the last 12 years, she’s helped more than 100 new clubs across the country gets started.

Although Ostrem and Silverwater won’t say how much money they’ve made through the club over the years, overall they’ve done well.

“We’ve beat the market,” said Os-trem. “We took a bath in 2008, but dur-ing that time we learned how to protect our money to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

For more information on the Crow River Investment Club, or starting your own club, go to bivio.com/crowriver.

FROM PAGE 1

Investment club

CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

NEW PATIENTS

New patients only. Price is good for each family member you schedule thesame day. (*If your exam reveals a more extensive cleaning is required,

an additional fee will incur) Not valid with any other offer.

Try Us For Just $78Includes Comprehensive Exam, Necessary X-Rays & Preliminary Cleaning* ($300 value)

$50.00 OFFOut of pocket expenses for

any dental procedure.New patients only. Can be used for insurance co-payments.

Not redeemable for cash. Not valid with any other offer.

ALPINE DENTAL • 763-536-1118 Dr. Greg Bichler • www.alpinedentaloffice.com


Ethel VenneCoon Rapids

“I didn’t realize how poor my old hearing aids were. I couldn’t believe how noisy things were, like the car, road noise, the furnace, but now I’m used to them. I tell everyone to get help as soon as they no-tice a problem. Hear better while you can still hear.”

Shirley SlingerMinneapolis

“Overall I am hearing better and my hearing aids are not noticeable and are very comfort-able.”

Hub NelsonBloomington

“I am hearing much better in the car. Hearing women’s and children’s voices are a lot easier since I got my True 17 63’s.”

William WeverCoon Rapids

“With my new Beltones I hear so much clearer and better than I ever have. The minister comes through clear as a bell and TV is so much beter. I am able to hear my family bet-ter and I love them. I am enjoying my new Beltones.”

Wed. Aug. 15th & 22nd and Fri. Aug. 17th & 24thFebruary 22nd to March 1st

Mark KennedyCoon Rapids

“The hearing aids have changed my life. I can hear my customers and co-workers so much clearer.”

Mark TravisEden Prairie

“Beltone’s wire-less technology is far more advanced than any other hearing aid com-pany out there. Customer service is excellent and very easy to work with. Very satisfi ed with Beltone Hearing.” Kathy Pinske

Champlin

“I feel more confi -dent because I’m not straining to hear. I now can be a part of conversa-tion. I don’t no-tice my tinnitus as much. I am happy with my Beltone.”

David CarlsonLindstrom

“These hearing aids have been a blessing. The back-ground reduction setting is so helpful in groups, the car and restaurants. I am pleased too that my own voice sounds more natu-ral than it did with my old ones.”

Evenings, weekend, and inhome appointments available.

WHITE BEAR LAKE1310 Hwy 96


YOU’RE STILL MADE FOR EACH OTHER. WE’VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU.

Some things just go together. Meet your perfect health care match in UCare for SeniorsSM, a Medicare health plan tailored to fi t the needs of Baby Boomers.

UCare for Seniors lets you choose from plans that cover prescription drugs, travel, eyewear, dental, fi tness programs like SilverSneakers® and more. There are no co-pays for primary care visits with most plans. And you’ll get to talkto a real person 24/7 when you call customer service. It’s just what you’d expect from health care that starts with you.

Learn more about the benefi ts of UCare for Seniors in our new eGuide to Medicare at ucareplans.org/eguide. Or call (toll free) 1-877-523-1518 (TTY) 1-800-688-2534,8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

UCare Minnesota and UCare Wisconsin, Inc. are health plans with Medicare contracts. ©2012, UCareH2459 H4270_ 090512 CMS Accepted (09102012)

PostMature2-21-13

Documents

Transcript of PostMature2-21-13