Financial Focus Put your financial ‘puzzle’ pieces together Unless you keep track of obscure


holidays, you may not be aware that Jan. 29 is National Puzzle Day. And while this day may not draw much attention, it does recognize the en- joyment that millions of people get from doing puzzles. Of course, you’ll find puzzles in all aspects of your life. Consider, for example, the type of re- tirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned: travel, volunteering, pursuing hob- bies, and perhaps even opening your own business. To make this picture come to life, you need to put the fi- nancial “pieces” together: And one way to help accomplish this is to con- solidate your various retirement ac- counts — such as your IRA, 401(k) and other employer-sponsored retire- ment plans — with one financial ser- vices provider. When you consolidate these types


of accounts, you can gain a number of key benefits, including these: • Potential reduction of fees and pa-


perwork — By working with just one provider, you may be able to save on the fees and paperwork required to


maintain your account. • Easier management of distributions


— Most retirement plans, including a 401(k), 457(b), 403(b) and a tradi- tional IRA, require you to start tak- ing minimum distributions once you turn 70 -1/2. (Tese distributions are not required for Roth IRAs.) While it’s not terribly complicated to deter- mine a single distribution, it can be cumbersome and confusing to cal- culate multiple distributions from multiple providers. Having all your RMDs coming from a single provider can greatly streamline the process. • Easier calculation of taxes — Most


types of retirement accounts are tax- deferred — but on those accounts, taxes will be due on your withdrawals. By consolidating your accounts, your distributions will be easier to track, as mentioned above, which may make it easier for you to calculate the taxes due. • Unified investment strategy — If


you place all your financial assets with one financial-services provider, you’ll find it much easier to follow a single,


unified investment strategy. A local, qualified financial advisor can help you allocate your investment dollars in a way that’s appropriate for your retirement goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. To start the consolidation process,


make a detailed list of your financial assets, such as your bank accounts, investments, IRAs and employer- sponsored retirement plans, such as a 401(k), if you worked for a private employer, a 457(b), if you worked for a state or local government, or a 403(b), if you worked for a school or other tax-exempt organization. You might think this is a simple and straightfor- ward task, but you would be surprised at how many people actually lose track of these types of accounts, and, as a result, may forfeit the money that is rightfully theirs. After you’ve identified what assets


you have, and where they’re located, seek to consolidate them with a fi- nancial services provider. Try to find one that offers face-to-face service and regular reviews of your situation.


Baptist association roots cont... Continued from page 16


bership back into the French Broad Association. Te churches also re- quested that special attention be given to two churches in their As- sociation that no longer held servic- es to prevent them being used by a cult group. Tese two churches were Ball City, and Flats of Spring Creek Churches. Ball City is still vacant today, but Flats of Spring Creek is a member of the French Broad As- sociation and a thriving church in the Spring Creek community. Te leaders in the French Broad Asso- ciation agreed to accept these nine churches one week later.


Te history Not much is known from the


early years of the Newfound Bap- tist Association because most of the records have been lost up to 1903. Te first readable minutes available are from 1871. Te association met Aug. 11,


1871 at Spring Creek Church. At this time, there were 25 churches in the Newfound Association covering Leicester, Marshall, Spring Creek, Hot Springs, Big Pine, Sandy Mush and Asheville. Te next minutes that have sur-


vived are from 1880 when the as- sociation met at North Fork of Big Pine Church. Tese minutes hold the earliest rules of decorum avail- able. Tese were just basic rules of a business meeting to keep order in the meetings. Reports on the fol-


www.leicesterleader.com


lowing were given at most meetings: the orphanage, missions, union meetings, periodicals, education, temperance, finance and Sunday school, among other topics. Te association was a power-


house throughout the area. One of the earliest notable preachers in the association was Fate M. McElreath. “Uncle Fate,” as he was known to many, was born in Buncombe County in 1876. He married Hester Teague in 1903 and, they made their home on North Turkey Creek in Leicester where they lived on a farm along with their eight children. McElreath joined Beulah Baptist Church and was licensed to preach in 1914 by Beulah Baptist and later ordained. He was known primarily for his evangelistic work. Another known preacher from


the early days of the Newfound Baptist Association was the Rev. E. Venson Plemmons. Plemmons was more of a circuit riding preacher. He rode a horse from place to place. Te story has been told that many times when he reached his destina- tion in the wintertime someone had to break his feet out of the stirrups because they were frozen with snow and ice. A few years later there were two


brothers, Grady and Chester Free- man, who were influential preach- ers in this association. Grady was the pastor at many churches but a lot of his time was spent as pastor of Chestnut Grove Baptist Church


in Sandy Mush. Chester was a pas- tor at many churches in Madison and Buncombe counties includ- ing Union Baptist where he was a member. Te Rev J.B. Gibson was known


to most people as Pee-Wee Gibson. He organized New Hope Baptist Church and presided over it for 32 years. Another reverend, J. Garfield


Lindsey, was responsible for orga- nizing Ball City Baptist Church on Betsy’s Gap. He also passed it down to his son, Lawrence Lindsey, who was active in the association as he was the pastor at Union Baptist for many years. Not all of the influential people


in the Newfound Baptist Associa- tion were preachers. James Nathan Surrett, or “Uncle Nate,” was a faithful member of Chestnut Grove for 54 years. Tere was a time in the history


of Union Baptist Church and Jones Valley Baptist Church that, if it had not been for a few praying women, their doors would have been shut. For more on the association’s


history and photos, stop by the of- fices of the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society on Bingham Road in Asheville.


Editor’s note: Greg Brookshire


is the president of the Leicester Community Center. He can be reached at leicestergreg@bell- south.net.


“It’s not just


sleep, it’s Beautyrest”


828-254-7936 January 27 - February 2, 2011 - THE TRIBUNE/LEADER 17 As you can see, by consolidating


your various investment accounts, you can help solve the “puzzle” of creating the retirement you seek. So, when the time comes, start putting all the pieces together. You might like the picture that ultimately emerges.


Tis article was written by Edward


Jones for use by your local Edward Jones financial advisor. Edward Jones, its associates and financial advisors cannot provide tax advice. Please consult your qualified tax ad- visor regarding your situation.


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