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10th Anniversary MetLife National Study Cites Need for Cutting Edge Employee Benefits

10th Anniversary MetLife National Study Cites Need for Cutting Edge Employee Benefits











A Marketplace USA Chaplain greets a bank employee during his regular rounds as part of the companies’ unique benefit package.


Plano, TX (PRWEB) May 09, 2012

The 10th anniversary of the prestigious MetLife Study of Employee Benefit Trends highlighted the need for cutting edge benefits like Marketplace Chaplains which today serves more than 500 corporate clients with 2,669 service locations in the U.S. and worldwide. Each year, the national study explores an evolving benefits landscape from the point of view of employers and employees across all U.S. regions, industries and company sizes. Through both robust years and turbulent economic times, the study has identified significant key findings and insights that have served to inform and shape today’s benefits strategies for employers and their advisors.

The study marks a decade of decoding and discovering these benefits. A key finding this year is 60% of surveyed employers recognize the precarious economic climate, rather than reducing business focus on employee benefits, actually creates opportunity for benefits to drive human capital. In addition, the study found employees are less committed to their employers, but at the same time, are highly dependent on their workplace benefits according to the published study summary.

That’s exactly what Rilo Stephens, President & CEO of Atlanta-based client company, Eckardt Electric Co. found when he decided to employ Marketplace Chaplains as a new employee benefit for his company.

It’s important to have someone on-site and professionally trained to be there for the employees and their family members,” he said of his growing company of 125 employees spread out over the Southeast U.S. “Our customers are asking more of us and we are asking more of each other; it’s a very pressured and stressed time for all of us and we see the chaplains make a huge impact on all of us.”

According to the published information, one of the Study’s most significant findings is the strong relationship between satisfaction with benefits and job satisfaction. First noted in 2004 and every year since, this correlation creates compelling evidence for the power of benefits to drive a universal set of business objectives – employee attraction, retention and productivity. It is a central tenet for benefits professionals and justifies benefits investment to senior management.

“It doesn’t matter if the company is large or small, Fortune 100 or family-owned, having a professional caregiver who is a trained and caring Marketplace Chaplain has proven to benefit the company’s bottom line and their top line, employees and their family members,” said Marketplace Chaplains’ President & COO Dick De Witt.

“Our industry has seen a great deal of change over the last four-to-five years and putting the chaplain service in place is one of the best business decisions I have made,” added Stephens.

Ten years ago employees expected benefits, but were far less engaged in their true value, the study reported. Today, new economic realities are driving employees to more fully appreciate the benefits that their employers provide – even if they have to pay more of the costs themselves.

The benefits are an indispensable ingredient in how the working American family achieves short- and long-term financial security. Indeed it’s unlikely that workplace benefits have ever been as desirable or important as they are in the current era.

For more information on this fast-growing corporate strategic initiative, featured on NBC Nightly News, CNN, Washington Post and the New York Times, visit http://www.mchapusa.com.

For more information or to arrange an interview with a client company or local chaplain, contact VP of Public Relations Art Stricklin at artstricklin(at)mchapusa(dot)com or 1-800-775-7657.











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Zoo Director on Event Security: “We Need To Reevaluate For The Future”

Zoo Director on Event Security: “We Need To Reevaluate For The Future”
Okay, let’s just get this out of the way: the National Zoo is a really safe place. You should definitely bring your children there. ( Please go to the Zoo. ) Now, with that said: today, the Zoo’s director, Dennis Kelly, said that the facility needs “to reevaluate for the future” when it comes to maintaining the safety of people who attend popular events where the lion cubs roam. [ more › ]
Read more on DCist

Obama gathers top aides on Afghanistan, Pakistan
US President Barack Obama Monday gathered top national security and intelligence staff for his regular review of Afghan and Pakistan strategy, amid signs of fresh tensions with Islamabad.
Read more on AFP via Yahoo! News

PSC earmarks P26.5M for national games
 BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occ. (PIA) — Commissioner Jose Luis Gomez of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) revealed that some P26.5 million has been allocated for the revival of the Philippine National Games (PNG) on May 22- 29 this year.   Gomez was in Bacolod Wednesday to discuss preparations for the staging of the national sporting event which will jointly be hosted by Silay, Talisay, Bacolod …
Read more on Manila Bulletin

Please, I need good historical quotes warning the people about the potential corruption/tyranny of government?

Question by Troll2009: Please, I need good historical quotes warning the people about the potential corruption/tyranny of government?
Someone already sent me these three quotes from Jefferson

“I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive”.-Thomas Jefferson

“Most bad government has grown out of too much government”.-Thomas Jefferson

“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first”.-Thomas Jefferson

Anything more quotes like this with a source would be greatly appreciated, I would like to memorize these, thanks

Best answer:

Answer by chickadee34
“Remember, democracy never lasts long.
It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself.
There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”
John Adams (American 2nd US President (1797-1801), 1735-1826)

“The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.” John Adams

“No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can
any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused and Virtue is
preserved. On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant,
and debauched in their Manners, they will sink under their own
weight without the Aid of foreign Invaders.”
Samuel Adams

How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words!
Samuel Adams

“I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” Thomas Jefferson

“Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day.” Thomas Jefferson

“If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.” Thomas Jefferson

“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” James Madison

“Corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be inevitable products of democracy, as they undoubtedly are today” Mahatma Gandhi

“One must beware of ministers who can do nothing without money, and those who want to do everything with money.” Indira Gandhi

“One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.” Bertrand Russell
“One should respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.” Bertrand Russell

“There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” Charles de Montesquieu

“Whenever is found what is called a paternal government, there is found state education. It has been discovered that the best way to ensure implicit obedience is to commence tyranny in the nursery” Benjamin Disraeli

“Monarchy degenerates into tyranny, aristocracy into oligarchy, and democracy into savage violence and chaos.” Polybius (Greek statesman and historian, 200-118bc)

“The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants, and it provides the further advantage of giving the servants of tyranny a good conscience.” Albert Camus

“Anarchy is the sure consequence of tyranny; or no power that is not limited by laws can ever be protected by them.” John Milton

Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it; and this I know, my lords, that where laws end, tyranny begins.” William Pitt the younger (British PrimeMinister (1783-1801, 1804-06) during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. 1759-1806)

“The tyranny of the multitude is a multiplied tyranny.” Edmund Burke (British Statesman and Philosopher, 1729-1797)

“Tyrants are seldom free; the cares and the instruments of their tyranny enslave them.” George Santayana (Spanish born American Philosopher, Poet and Humanist who made important contributions to aesthetics, speculative philosophy and literary criticism. 1863-1952)

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Financing Religious Use Property – Churches are Businesses Which Also Need Financing

Financing Houses of God

Church lending can be intimidating even to the most seasoned loan officer or loan originator. However, financing a church and its dreams are not too difficult to master. The church loan or loan for religious use are not ordinary by any stretch of the imagination. Yet they can be rewarding and you can even make some money in the process.

Lending Fears

There are a few basic fears that keep most from lending on Churches.

Foreclosure. Foreclosing on a ‘House of God’ and ridding a community of it’s place of worship turns a majority of lenders off from the get go (not us, we love church loans).

Single Use-Special Use Property Type.The uniqueness of most church properties is another turn off for most lenders. What do you do with a building that has a steeple, choir loft, stained glass, naives, aspy’s, altars, pews for 300? What kind of resale market is there? How long will it take to sell? What if grounds also contain a cemetery? Now what?

Qualifying. Churches are not-for-profit organizations. So, they don’t have tax returns nor do they have traditional methods of determining income for qualifying. So, again most lenders will steer away from anything that is not traditional.

Lending is simple on Churches

When lending on a church the first criteria is to determine the denomination. Yep, denomination. Reason being that not all loan programs will lend to just any denomination. A statistic I picked up from the US State Department, is that there are 565 organized and recognized religions in the world. From mainstream to off beat, they exist. Since loan funds are derived from various sources or pools of funds, it is important to match the correct denomination with the correct sources. For example, you wouldn’t want to seek financing for a Temple or Shrine from a Christian Pastoral Retirement Trust Fund. These practices are not congruent in their belief systems with each other. The end game may be the same for all, however the path and practices to get there are very different and can be offensive to each other.

The next item is responsibility for the proposed loan. You need to determine if personal guarantees are going to be an issue with the religious organization. If not, you have just openned the door for sources to finance the church. However, over 85% of the time personal guarantees will be a big deal to the church and the sources that want the guarantee are out of the picture.

The third issue is banking business requirements. Some sources require the church to move most or all of its banking business to the institution that is writing the loan. About 50% of Churches don’t like this covenant either.

What is the basic information that you will need?

Church Questionnaire (a form of application)

Church’s Statement of Faith

Church’s Organizational Documents with a statement of Good Standing from the state of organization

3-yrs financials (e.g. Quick Books) + YTD profit and loss

Pastor’s or Church Leader’s Resume

Use of funds letter

Authorization to Lend Letter

Evidence of tax exempt status

Color Digital Photos of church property

Primary church contact or liaison person(s)

Although there are many additional items and steps, with these basics you are well on your way of being able to professionally present a package to a lender.

Rates, Fees, Making an Income

I almost forgot these key items. Church loans current have rates in the 6.50% to 9.50% range, with fees running in the 3-6% of loan amount.  This is the norm and is most typical. I know that there are times when Church’s obtain financing outside these norms, but that has to do with hundreds of variables specific to that organization.

As far as making income–in you think you are going to be earning 2-3 pts. on the deal…Stop. Not going to happen. Church loan sources are very strict about what you can earn, so if you get 1/2 to 1 pt on the deal, be grateful. When you do a great job for a church, Pastors, Deacons, Bishops, and other leaders talk–word gets out you treat them fairly, more deals will come your way.

By the way, if you missed it, we love church loans and we’d love to be of assistance. I can be reached via cfrgroup@att.net or visit our web site at www.mycommerciallendingpro.com

 

Gregg S Cochran, President of CFR Mortgage Group, Inc. a wholesale commercial lender based in Tustin, CA.

Need freedom from self-serving politicians: RTI activist

Need freedom from self-serving politicians: RTI activist
The urgent need of the country is freedom from self-serving leaders who run politics as commercial shops, prominent Right To Information (RTI) activist Subash Chandra Aggarwal wrote in an article on the eve of the Independence Day.

Read more on Calcutta News

Church volunteers reach out to help congregation in need

Church volunteers reach out to help congregation in need
At 146-years-old, Pilgrim Hill Baptist Church is one of the oldest congregations in Tomball, and in its times of trouble, members of other local churches are doing what they can to help out.

Read more on The Potpourri