Thrivent Financial News —
A roundup of news and features
OUTREACH
Join
Hands Day Award Winners Announced
The National Fraternal Congress of America recognized eight Thrivent chapters
with Excellence Awards during the annual JOIN HANDS DAY awards presented last
fall to honor the youth and adult partnerships focused on making a difference
in their communities. The following award-winning chapters helped clean up their
communities, provided landscaping services to a nursing home, packed health kits
for Lutheran World Relief and much more:
- Central Benton County Chapter, Cole Camp, Missouri
- Bull Run Chapter, Manassas, Virginia
- Coos County Chapter, Coos Bay, Oregon
- Davidson-Randolph County Chapter, Lexington, North Carolina
- Yadkin River Chapter, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Yellow Medicine County Chapter, Clarkfield, Minnesota
- Grigg-Steele County Chapter, Cooperstown, North Dakota
- Traill County Chapter, Hatton, North Dakota
The award-winning Thrivent chapter projects were among 20 winners overall that
were selected from thousands of volunteer projects nationwide, which developed
youth and adult partnerships in planning and conducting a community event in
May 2005. More than 85 percent of Thrivent chapters participated in Join Hands
Day in 2005, conducting more than 3,000 activities nationwide. Together, these
activities made a significant impact on their communities.
JOIN HANDS DAY is sponsored by America's fraternal benefit societies in partnership
with the Points of Light Foundation and the Volunteer Center National Network.
JOIN HANDS DAY
The next JOIN HANDS DAY will be May 6. For more information, visit www.joinhandsday.org
or call 877-687-1329. Thrivent Financial will give each chapter $1,000 to support
two or more JOIN HANDS DAY projects.
To set up an activity in your area, contact your chapter leaders at www.thrivent.com.
Log into the Members/Chapters area and click on Information About My Chapter.
INVESTING
Rollover IRAs Made Easy
If you've changed jobs recently, you're not alone. Statistics from the U.S.
Department of Labor show that 70 percent of all jobs last less than five years,
and most people have held an average of 10 jobs by the time they turn 50.
The big question is: What do you do with the money accumulated in all those
different retirement plans? If you've held multiple jobs, you might have a 401(k)
account here, a 403(b) account there, possibly even a traditional or Roth IRA
somewhere else. Multiple accounts make it difficult to manage your investments
and track them against your retirement goals—not to mention the unnecessary
fees being paid.
Now it's easier than ever to take control of your retirement assets. Contact
your Thrivent Financial representative to learn more about a special limited-time
offer on Easy Rollover IRAs, available through April 30, 2006.
With expert advice from your Thrivent Financial representative, you can develop
a sound financial strategy to ensure your retirement plan is on track. Your
Thrivent Financial representative's information is printed on the back page
of Spring 2006 edition of Thrivent Magazine.
Take Action
You can find information on your Thrivent Financial representative at www.thrivent.com/locate.
GIVING
Tsunami
Relief Update
Residents of India and Indonesia are still feeling the effects of the December
2004 tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people and damaged or destroyed countless
homes.
In response to the disaster, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) raised $20.4 million
for relief efforts, one-third of which was contributed by Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans and Thrivent Financial members.
Last October, Tim Schwan, leader of church and community engagement for Thrivent
Financial, accompanied a delegation led by LWR President Kathryn Wolford to
visit tsunami-affected areas and witness firsthand the impact of relief efforts
by both organizations.
"The impact of the tsunami on individuals and communities was deeper and
more traumatic than I had anticipated," Schwan wrote as part of a series
of online articles documenting the trip. Schwan wrote that he was impressed
by the resiliency and the courage of the people who were slowly rebuilding their
lives.
In India, the delegation visited schools, helped plant trees and visited the
rebuilding efforts in various villages. In the Indian village of Thamnampettai,
the group joined in the dedication of 10 permanent homes. In Koolaiyar, they
took part in gifting several goats to Dalit women, a low-ranking group in India's
caste system. The gift of goats provides them with milk and the chance to rebuild
their herds and livelihoods.
"In one village, we met a group of women who had started a fabric business,"
recalled Schwan. "When we asked what they did with the profits, we learned
that they use them in their village, and are beginning to look for ways to use
the profits to help other villages. What a true and powerful sign of recovery
and that they feel connected to other villages in need."
In Indonesia, partners such as Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU), Yayasan Tanggul
Benkana (YTB) and Church World Services (CWS) guided the group through the relief
projects underway. The delegation visited several villages along the northwest
coastal area of Sumatra and learned about water purification systems, projects
to rebuild livelihoods and health clinics that served displaced persons. The
group also participated in a lively village meeting about the issues involved
in moving back to the coast to rebuild homes and their fishing livelihood.
As part of ongoing relief efforts, LWR has pledged to work in the affected
areas for up to 10 years with the help of partner organizations such as Churches
Auxiliary for Social Action and United Evangelical Lutheran Church of India
in India and CWS, YEU and YTB in Indonesia. The relief organizations were on
hand when the tsunami struck, and due to disaster preparedness, local partners
and response training were able to begin providing immediate aid. These organizations
work primarily with the poor and marginalized and are committed to long-term
development.
"LWR has picked excellent partners who have been and will be in this business
for a long time," Schwan wrote. "They know and live with the people
they are helping. They are committed to community building. They will be in
these villages for the long haul. And, they are building a mentality of self-help,
rather than a dependency on handouts. Thrivent Financial members can be confident
that LWR is putting their donations to use in ways that are really making a
difference."
A Note From Lutheran World Relief
Last fall, I led a delegation to India and Indonesia to visit some of Lutheran
World Relief's tsunami recovery projects. While it was clear that there is a
long way to go, what we saw was amazing. Families were moving into permanent,
earthquake-resistant homes. Small businesses, many of them owned by women, were
thriving. Men were fishing. Children were laughing and playing.
Lutheran World Relief has made a commitment to stay in the affected region
for up to 10 years. The tsunami highlighted some important opportunities for
change, and our approach addresses the root causes of poverty and vulnerability,
not just the symptoms. We hope that the momentum will continue beyond the immediate
recovery and reconstruction-and we thank Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and
Thrivent Financial's members for helping us to make it possible.
Kathryn Wolford
President, Lutheran World Relief
Read Tim Schwan's blog entires from www.startribune.com/abroad below:
INSURANCE
Looking to Reduce Medical Expenses?
Health care costs are on the rise, often hitting those 65 or older the hardest.
In addition to struggling with fixed incomes, seniors discover Medicare doesn't
cover many expenses, such as deductibles and coinsurance.
The solution? "For seniors who are looking at ways to reduce their out-of-pocket
expenses, Medicare supplement insurance may be the right fit," says Aimee
Johnson, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans health product specialist.
There are 12 standardized Medicare supplement insurance plans available, which
are labeled Plan A-L, two of which offer a high-deductible option. Plan A, which
offers basic core benefits, is available from all insurers offering Medicare
supplements, including Thrivent Financial. Companies may offer all or some of
the other plans, but the benefits provided by a given plan are identical from
company to company. For example, a Plan F from Thrivent Financial contains the
same benefits as a Plan F from another company. The plans typically cover Medicare
Part A coinsurance and hospital benefits, Medicare Part B coinsurance and up
to 3 pints of blood for transfusions. In Wisconsin, Minnesota and Massachusetts,
the insurance plans have slight differences, but the plans are standardized.
The best time to buy Medicare supplement insurance is during your open enrollment
period. If your Medicare Part B coverage starts the month you turn age 65 (common
for most people) or later, you have a six-month open enrollment period beginning
the day your Medicare Part B coverage begins. In select states, if you are under
age 65 with a disability or end-stage renal disease, you will also be given
a six-month open enrollment period when your Medicare Part B coverage begins.
During this period, you can't be denied coverage or charged more due to past
or present health problems.
"People have the ability to assess their needs now and choose a plan that
is right for them to cover some out-of-pocket expenses," says Johnson.
"It is important to make a decision within the context of your total financial
situation. You should consider how medical expenses fit in with your other expenses
and income."
For more information, contact your Thrivent Financial representative, whose
name is available at www.thrivent.com/locate.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is not connected with or endorsed by the
U.S. Government or the federal Medicare program. Not available in all states.
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