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JW Dicks, Founder of Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency, a Personal Branding company, explains that showing gratitude is an important component of a strong brand.

Orlando, FL – DATE , 2013- J.W. Dicks, Founder of Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency®, a Personal Branding company, recently published a blog on his website (www.jwdicks.com) discussing branding strategy. The blog, titled “Personal Branding: Show Appreciation… and Build Your Business” offers practical advice to business owners.

J.W. Dicks writes, “I know what you’re thinking—you’re here for business advice, not Etiquette 101. But showing appreciation and expressing gratitude is more than just good manners.”

Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency® specializes in Personal Branding. They help clients to elevate their recognition and credibility in their business or professional niche.

The entire blog can be found at http://www.jwdicks.com/blogroll/personal-branding-show-appreciation-and-build-your-business.php.

To learn more about JW Dicks and Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency®, please visit http://www.JWDicks.com and http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/

About J.W. Dicks:

JW Dicks, is America’s foremost expert on personal branding for business development and the Business Agent® to top Celebrity Experts. He is an advisor to clients internationally and has created business development and marketing campaigns that have produced sales of over a billion dollars in products and services. He is a Best Selling author with over 24 business books to his credit and has co-authored with Brian Tracy, Jack Canfield, Tom Hopkins, Dr. Ivan Misner and Mari Smith.

JW is called the “Expert to the Experts” and has appeared and been quoted in such national media as USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, Forbes.com, CNBC.Com, and Fortune Small business. His television appearances include ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX affiliates around the country. He is the resident branding expert for Fast Company’s internationally syndicated blog and is the editor and publisher of Celebrity Expert Insider, a monthly newsletter to experts worldwide. He produces and syndicates a line of franchised business television shows and received an Emmy nomination as Executive Producer of the documentary film Jacob’s Turn.

Andrew Costa and Grant Conness, wealth management experts, were recently featured in Newsweek as one of America’s PremierExperts.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL – March 4, 2013 – Andrew Costa and Grant Conness, Managing Directors of Global Wealth Management, were recently featured in Newsweek with other leading professionals as one of America’s PremierExperts’® “Financial Trendsetters.” In the Newsweek feature, Andrew and Grant along with other leading financial experts were showcased for their forward thinking and successful strategies for wealth management, retirement planning, wealth building and much more.

Here is what the Newsweek feature had to say about Mr. Conness and Mr. Costa:

Andrew Costa and Grant Conness have revolutionized the financial services industry by finally providing affluent individuals and families with what they deserve, a fully-transparent, concierge level of service Wealth Management platform. They hold themselves to the “Fiduciary Standard” in every aspect of their Financial Advisory practice. Whether it be retirement income planning or estate planning concerns, Andrew Costa and Grant Conness are committed to helping qualified clients achieve their unique goals and objectives.

The mission of Global Wealth Management is to provide the comprehensive wealth management demanded by Andrew and Grant’s clients with significant financial worth. They do this by providing financial advice across a broad spectrum of disciplines together with exemplary client service. Their advice is customized to meet the dynamic needs of their clients.

“We aim to provide capital preservation, income and estate planning solutions to individuals and families, thereby leaving Global Wealth Management clients free to pursue their retirement aspirations,” remarked Mr. Costa.

Learn more about Andrew Costa, Grant Conness and Global Wealth Management at http://globalwma.com/

Dr. Lisa Lang, of the Science of Business, was recently featured in Newsweek as well as major online media outlets, including Yahoo!Finance, Morningstar, CNBC, MarketWatch and many others.

Green Valley, AZ – January 9, 2013 – “Dr. Lisa” Lang, President of the Science of Business, was recently featured in Newsweek as a “Champion”. A feature story about Dr. Lisa was also recently seen on the online home pages of major publications such as Yahoo! Finance, CNBC, The Boston Globe, The Miami Herald, Morningstar, Los Angeles Daily News and MarketWatch, among many others.

In the Newsweek feature, Dr. Lisa was named a “Manufacturing Champion”, she remarked, “To get more jobs done faster, to reduce your lead times and to improve due date performance in a highly custom job shop — STOP focusing on efficiency. Efficiency is an effect. To improve productivity with the same people and resources — focus on FLOW!”

Dr. Lisa is one of the foremost Theory of Constraints experts in the world and a sought after manufacturing expert having been named the 2012 Manufacturing Trendsetter in the USA Today for her inexpensive and guaranteed Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program that has dramatically improved performance of well over 100 highly custom job shops and machine shops.  She has also appeared in CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, Finance.com, About.com, Gear Technology, CNBC, NY Daily News, The Fabricator, NTMA’s The Record and many others.

Dr Lisa is active in helping the reshoring of manufacturing back to the U.S. and in the NTMA, PMA, and AMT communities having helped member companies to reduce their lead-times and improve due date performance. She worked with Dr. Goldratt who is the father of Theory of Constraints and author of the bestselling book, The Goal. Dr Lisa is the President of the Science of Business specializing in increasing profits of highly custom manufacturers by applying Theory of Constraints, Lean and Six Sigma (TLS) to operations with Velocity Scheduling System and to engineering/design with Project Velocity System and to marketing with her Mafia Offer Boot Camp.

To read the full feature story about Dr. Lisa, as seen on CNBC, Morningstar, CBS MoneyWatch, The Houston Chronicle and others, please visit http://www.velocityschedulingsystem.com/breaking-the-mold-and-the-constraints-in-custom-manufacturing/

Learn more about Dr. Lisa at http://www.VelocitySchedulingSystem.com/ and check out her 47-minute webinar “How To Get More Jobs Done Faster” for job shop scheduling and machine shop scheduling at www.VelocitySchedulingSystem.com/webinar.

Rick Parkes, financial and retirement planning expert discusses three straightforward strategies to help families grow towards a stronger financial future.

Raleigh, NC – December 29, 2012 – Rick Parkes, CRFA®, co-founder of Diversified Estate Services, recently discussed how time impacts your retirement money, and offers ways to help build a strong retirement plan.

“I find that time, math and money rarely move in the same direction,” remarked Rick Parkes. “It is quite strange because the whole idea of compounding interest and capital appreciation are based on a rate of return compounded over time. In fact, the math for appreciation is based on four variables: Present Value, Future Value, Rate of Return and Time.”

“Logically, time, money and math should be aligned and making retirees (and soon–to-be retirees) money – right?”, asked Rick. “Well, Maybe. If you take risk with your money values can go up — but they can also go down. Market historians and verified data offer long term rates of return that are very attractive but when the economy gets rough, money can (and has been) lost, which is not helping folks and their families grow towards a stronger financial future.”

Rick Parkes offered three simple strategies that can help those who are saving and planning for retirement stay on a responsible path:

For more information on this topic, or to learn how Rick Parkes can help you, please visit www.desllc.org

About Rick Parkes:

Rick is co-owner of Diversified Estate Services, LLC and Retirement Investment Strategies a comprehensive financial advisory firm.  Diversified Estate Services, LLC and Retirement Investment Strategies is a firm that specializes in assisting individuals to gain clarity, balance and focus which empowers them with confidence. He teaches the powerful knowledge of retirement planning to attorneys, CPAs, and the general public.

Rick Parkes industry designations include Life Underwriter Training Council (LUTC) and Certified Retirement Financial Advisors (CRFA).  Rick is also a radio talk show host.

Rick’s firm is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau with the highest rating A+, where he is pleased to instill customer confidence of nearly 1,000 consumer’s inquiries. Rick is also a member of the National Ethics Bureau, where he successfully passed the Ethics Check System™, a rigorous eight-point background check for criminal, civil, and business violations.

Financial Advisor Jim Black was recently seen on NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX network affiliates around the country as an expert guest on the TV show, America’s PremierExperts®

Redmond, WA – December 4, 2012 – Jim Black, co-founder of Absolute Return Solutions, Inc., was recently featured as an expert guest on the TV show “America’s PremierExperts®.” The show, filmed in Orlando, FL, was seen on NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX network affiliates around the country.

“America’s PremierExperts®” features an interview format, with host Nick Nanton interviewing some of the best business, marketing and financial minds from around the world.  Mr. Black was one of the recent guests, discussing how he his helping his clients “retire” based on their own terms. This means focusing on desired income and estate goals; striving to better assure lifetime income and asset preservation.

Jim Black has over 20 years of experience in the financial planning industry, and now devotes his efforts to the distribution planning arena. After graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in international finance, Jim went on to earn his MBA from Willamette University. Jim is also a Certified Financial Planner™.

“At Absolute Return Solutions, Inc., our goal is to help minimize your taxes while providing potential for maximum income at the appropriate risk level. That is our focus and everything we do for our client’s portfolios attempts to reflect that focus,” remarked Jim Black.

“America’s PremierExperts®” was produced by Emmy Award winning director and producer, Nick Nanton, Esq. and Emmy Nominated Producer, JW Dicks, Esq., Co-Founders of America’s PremierExperts® and The Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency®.

To learn more about Jim Black and Absolute Returns Solutions, please visit www.absolutereturnsolutions.com.

Financial Advisor Russ Jalbert discusses how higher gas prices and inflation will affect your retirement and income planning.

Southfield, MI – December 4, 2012 – Russ Jalbert, President of Jalbert Financial Group, recently discussed how gas prices will affect your retirement planning and how inflation is a “stealth tax” waiting to happen.

“Gas prices affect us in many ways. The vast majority of what we eat and what we wear gets to stores by long haul truck delivery. For example, higher oil prices increase the production cost of fertilizers and food processing and these higher costs are passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices at the grocery store. As these cost increases ripple across multiple supply chains, they can push core inflation higher,” remarked Russ Jalbert.

The inflation rate in America is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and is calculated by the government monitoring a “market basket of goods and services” to accurately index the cost increases we all deal with over time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics explains that the CPI represents all goods and services purchased for consumption by the reference population. These goods and services are broken into major categories such as Food/Beverages, Housing, Apparel, Transportation, Medical Care, Recreation, Education/Communication and others.

“The CPI does not include investment items, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and life insurance, since these items relate to savings and not to day-to-day consumption expenses,” explained Russ Jalbert. “I found that quite interesting, because it is blind to market pressures and it excludes taxes which we already know are going up, starting in 2013. So, my clients who are in retirement face an increase in their cost of living due to higher taxes, but there isn’t any relief for that cost.”

Russ also offered three insights as to how this information informs the retirement-planning strategies for his clients. “First, taxes are undoubtedly going up. Second, regardless of economic maneuvers (what they call quantitative easing), what our clients buy is likely to get more expensive – even if the government’s ‘basket’ doesn’t want to own that reality.  Finally, we keep a close eye on our income-planning strategies, so that the retirees who place trust in us can continue to live the lifestyle they earned.”
For more information on this topic, or to learn how Russ Jalbert can help, please visit www.jalbertfinancial.com.

About Russ Jalbert:

Russ Jalbert, CFP, has been a top financial planner for nearly four decades. During that time, he played an active role in the Reagan Administration and amassed an impressive list of accolades.

America’s ‘Dean of Financial Planning,’ Jalbert now points his clients to the solace of much safer products and approaches, and his record speaks for itself. When the market began its ascent in 2003, Jalbert’s clients were enjoying returns of five to seven percent, growing steadily but not as fast as the market from 2003 to 2007. When the market plummeted in 2008, losing half its value and causing panic, Jalbert’s clients didn’t lose a penny.

As if all of these accomplishments were not enough, Jalbert is also an accomplished radio personality and author. The Jalbert Financial Forum airs on WMUZ 103.5 Saturdays from 2 to 3 p.m. He also hosts a show on WJR 760 AM On Sundays from 2-3:00 PM.

Jalbert has also written several books covering a wide range of issues. His first book, “Giving: Philanthropy For Everyone,” was published in 2003 and raised $125 million. His most recent book, “Rescue Your Retirement,” offers readers all of the new methods and strategies that are keeping his clients in good fiscal health.

JW Dicks, Founder of Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency, a Personal Branding company, explains that you don’t have to be an extrovert to build a powerful personal brand.

Orlando, FL – November 30, 2012- J.W. Dicks, Founder of Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency®, a Personal Branding company, recently published a blog on his website (www.jwdicks.com) discussing personal branding. The blog, titled “You Don’t Have to be an ‘Extrovert’ to Build a Powerful Personal Brand” explains that personal branding is all about leveraging one’s personality, not turning them into someone they are not.  

J.W. Dicks writes, “The truth is that every business owner has the opportunity to leverage their personal brand in order to build their business… whether or not they’re a classic extrovert.”

Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency® specializes in Personal Branding. They help clients to elevate their recognition and credibility in their business or professional niche.

The entire blog can be found at http://www.jwdicks.com/blogroll/you-dont-have-to-be-an-extrovert-to-build-a-powerful-personal-brand.php

To learn more about JW Dicks and Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency®, please visit http://www.JWDicks.com and http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/

About J.W. Dicks:

JW Dicks, is America’s foremost expert on personal branding for business development and the Business Agent® to top Celebrity Experts. He is an advisor to clients internationally and has created business development and marketing campaigns that have produced sales of over a billion dollars in products and services. He is a Best Selling author with over 24 business books to his credit and has co-authored with Brian Tracy, Jack Canfield, Tom Hopkins, Dr. Ivan Misner and Mari Smith.

JW is called the “Expert to the Experts” and has appeared and been quoted in such national media as USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, Forbes.com, CNBC.Com, and Fortune Small business. His television appearances include ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX affiliates around the country. He is the resident branding expert for Fast Company’s internationally syndicated blog and is the editor and publisher of Celebrity Expert Insider, a monthly newsletter to experts worldwide. He produces and syndicates a line of franchised business television shows and received an Emmy nomination as Executive Producer of the documentary film Jacob’s Turn.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com •  800.980.1626

http://www.DicksNanton.com

Lance Drury, Missouri tax attorney was recently seen on NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX network affiliates around the country as an expert guest on the TV show, America’s PremierExperts®

Ste. Genevieve, Mo. – November 21, 2012 – Tax attorney Lance Drury was recently featured as an expert guest on the TV show “America’s PremierExperts®.” The show, filmed in Orlando, FL, was seen on NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX network affiliates around the country.

“America’s PremierExperts®” features an interview format, with host Nick Nanton interviewing some of the best business, marketing and financial minds from around the world.  Mr. Drury was one of the recent guests, discussing how he was driven to become a tax attorney by his desire to help serve others in need, and he has discovered that he loves the challenge of finding the “perfect” solution for his clients’ needs.

As a Missouri native, Lance Drury possesses that unique quality only present in those who choose to live their lives in the state of their birth—a complete and personal investment in the lives of the people of his community. He was born and raised in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri and moved back to the area 22 years ago. By creating a local presence in Ste. Genevieve, Columbia, and Southeast Missouri, Lance brings 28 years of legal experience to the area.

Lance has an undergraduate degree in political science and economics, a law degree, and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis with an emphasis in finance.  Lance is also the best-selling co-author of the legal book, Protect and Defend: Proven Strategies from America’s Leading Attorneys to help you Protect and Defend Your Business, Family and Wealth.

“America’s PremierExperts®” was produced by Emmy Award winning director and producer, Nick Nanton, Esq. and Emmy Nominated Producer, JW Dicks, Esq., Co-Founders of America’s PremierExperts® and The Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency®.

Learn more about Lance Drury at http://www.LanceDruryLaw.com

Financial Advisor and Author Teresa Bear offers information about trusts – helping others understand how they can better direct their estate and protect their assets.

Phoenix, AZ – November 14, 2012 – Teresa Bear, President of JC Grason of Mesa, LLC, recently explained four important things everyone should know about trusts.  “There are four basic things that are essential in figuring out if a trust is right for you, or if the trust you already have is doing its job,” remarked Teresa Bear.

Teresa continued to explain four important things to know about trusts from a financial planning perspective:

• Revocable Trust – There are many types of trusts, but the most basic is a revocable trust, sometimes referred to as a living trust.  A revocable trust is advisable when you have after-tax accounts (not your IRA’s, 401K’s, 403B’s or other pre-tax retirement plans), and you do not want them to go through probate.  A revocable trust directs your estate privately, so there is neither a public announcement nor a judge involved in making sure your estate is settled without debt.  A revocable trust can also distribute money over time, if your goal is to spread distribution to your family for many years after you pass away.  Many times we see trusts distributed this way when the grandchildren are young.  So as you can see, the benefits of using a revocable trust can be great.  Revocable trust owners need to be aware that if they become disabled their successor trustee must follow their instructions.  In essence, the trust can be revoked or changed by you, but your child who takes over in the event you are disabled does not have that same flexibility.  What to watch out for: The biggest possible misstep with a revocable trust comes when you, as the grantor of the trust, become disabled and your adult child takes over when there is language specific to healthcare and your direction to pay for that care from your trust.  In this situation, any protection of your assets from long-term care that your child could have used to protect your hard-earned dollars from a medical spend-down is lost.
• Irrevocable trusts – Irrevocable trusts can have many strings attached.  You need to know what those are before you enter into an agreement that cannot be changed without court involvement.  Irrevocable trusts are great for holding life insurance outside of your taxable estate, if you have no intention of getting to your cash value in the future.  Some irrevocable trust planning may also make sense when certain types of real estate are involved.  Experienced Elder Law Attorneys know how to create hybrid trusts that offer some of the desirable benefits of an irrevocable trust while offering more flexibility and less problematic strings attached.
• What about IRA’s? A trust cannot own an Individual Retirement Account.  The key word here is “individual”.  When the IRA (or other “tax qualified” plan) account owner passes away, the transfer of the assets in the account is driven by beneficiary designations.  It is critical that you keep a copy of your beneficiary designation form with your legal documents.  In the event you die and the custodian cannot find your IRA beneficiary designation, your IRA is paid to your estate and ends up becoming a probate asset that goes through the full process of probate. This cost and delay of probate can easily be avoided by maintaining a copy of your IRA beneficiary designation form.
• Trust Funding – In many situations trusts make sense, but if the trust is not funded, the benefits are lost.  All too often a person seeks out the least expensive trust option – desiring value for their money – but ends up getting absolutely nothing for their money.  Once you have a trust, you must link it to the accounts you want governed by the terms and conditions of your trust (could be revocable or irrevocable).  For instance, if you have a CD at Happy People’s Bank for $100,000, and you want it to be distributed to your family through your revocable trust but the statement comes – and it is your name on the account registration – then none of the benefits of the trust are realized.  The CD will go through probate and the instructions you left behind after your death will be ignored.  Funding a trust is not hard, but you need to take the time to make sure all the institutions that hold your money have a copy of the trust that reflects the proper ownership of your assets to the trust and not to you, in your name individually, or jointly, if married.

Teresa also stressed the importance of getting the opinion of an advisor who can confirm that the assets you own are in fact properly wired to your trust.  “Take some time to discuss your trust planning options, and when you decide they are right for you, make every effort to ensure they are properly attached to your assets so they ultimately go to those you love,” said Ms. Bear.  “A team approach with your CPA, Financial Advisor and Elder Law Attorney working together for your family will help ensure that your assets are protected.”
For more information on how Teresa Bear can help, please visit www.teresabear.com.

About Teresa Bear:

Teresa Bear is the President of JC Grason of Mesa, LLC and specializes in retirement planning and asset preservation for retirees and their loved ones. She has been a Certified Public Accountant practicing in the area of taxation for more than 25 years and is also a Certified Financial Planner ™.  She is also an Investment Advisor Representative with Brookstone Capital Management LLC, a SEC Registered Investment Advisor.

Teresa is a graduate of Graceland University in Iowa and has an MBA from the University of Kansas. She is also the author of the book She Retired Happily Ever After. Teresa has been featured in the USA Today and Woman’s Day Magazine.  Teresa Bear is not an attorney and does not give legal advice.  Material discussed is meant for general informational purposes only and it is not to be construed as legal advice and should not be considered a substitute for legal advice from a competent attorney.

Nick Nanton, The Celebrity Lawyer and Agent to top Celebrity Experts, identifies common branding mistakes to avoid.

Orlando, FL – November 14, 2012 – Nick Nanton, Esq., Founder of The Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency®, a Personal Branding company, recently published an article on his website (http://www.nicknanton.com) discussing common personal branding mistakes. The article, titled “Personal Branding 101: Six Classic Branding Mistakes to Avoid” advises business owners to avoid several particularly common mistakes.

Nick Nanton writes, “Personal branding can be extremely profitable for business owners. We’ve talked extensively in this space about the process of creating an effective brand. But if you’re committing any of these mistakes, you’re making the job much harder for yourself!”

The Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency® specializes in Personal Branding. They help clients to elevate their recognition and credibility in their business or professional niche.

The entire article can be found at http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/articles/personal-branding-101-six-classic-branding-mistakes-to-avoid.php

To learn more about Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.nicknanton.com and http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

An Emmy Award Winning Director and Producer, Nick Nanton, Esq., is known as The Celebrity Lawyer and Agent to top Celebrity Experts for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts, through personal branding, media, marketing and PR to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at major universities around the world.

The CEO of The Dicks + Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency, Nick is an award winning director, producer and songwriter who has worked on everything from large scale events to television shows with the likes of Jack Canfield (co-creator of the Chicken Soup of rate Soul Series), Michael E. Gerber (The E-Myth), Brian Tracy, Dan Kennedy, Tom Hopkins, Dr. Ivan Misner (founder of BNI), Mari Smith, Robert Allen, Jay Conrad Levinson and many more.

Nick is recognized as one of the top thought-leaders in the business world and has co-authored 23 best-selling books, including the breakthrough hit Celebrity Branding You!, that has been used as a college textbook on personal branding. Nick serves as publisher of CelebrityPress®, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress® has published books by many celebrity experts and Nick has led the marketing and PR campaigns that have driven more than 800 authors to Best-Seller status. Nick has been seen in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, Inc. Magazine, The New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates around the country, as well as on CNN, FOX News, CNBC and MSNBC in major markets across the nation, speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a member of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Home to the Emmy Awards) co-founder of the National Academy of Best-Selling Authors, a 13-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life and Downtown Credo Orlando as well as rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina and their three children, Brock, Bowen and Addison.

Learn more at http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com