Progress Through Business, Inc.

Helaman Barrios of the Educated Investor University, a product of Precision Information, Inc., decribed to the directors of Progress just how it educates Credit Union employees on-line and on financial matters. The 10 courses available to employees cover budgeting to marco economics and everything in between.

This is exciting news for Progress. We expect to know shortly if one of our members is to become a Policy Advisor in the Treasury Department. Just the fact that a member is being considered is really significant. Position responsibilities would include Job Creation, Small Business Development and Entrepreneurship, Economic Development, Community Development, Financial Stability, and Financial Education. Once we know the outcome we will post it on our blog along with the details.

Access to Independence is a non-profit located in Madison that provides services to help people with disabilities in Dane County live independently – all ages and all disabilities. Our program that is planned to start in March, 2011 includes free tax preparation with public service benefits to 100 clients on-site, free one-on-one coaching to 20 clients (individual coaching for five, one-hour sessions over five weeks), and the completion of FAFSA forms for eight clients. There is also a possibility of providing on-line financial literacy training through a partner, Precision Information.

Don Graves, CEO of Progress Through Business, participated on January 13th in the Education and Training Subcommittee of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB) meeting in Washington, DC. The Subcommittee is looking at a variety of initiatives related to tax and tax preparation policy and other policies that will aid in the financial stability of American workers struggling in the current economy.

Every one of us at PTB is excited for the opportunities 2010 promises to bring and we're eager to make improvements in both our personal and professional lives.

From exercising and Saxophone lessons, helping with PTA committees, to creating a website on the philosophy of kite-flying, we have many things to occupy our time.

We are eager to increase our efforts to strengthen and expand tax preparation programs and sites (expecially in light of the changes in tax laws and brackets this year).

We will also continue working with credit unions, businesses, and other organizations to provide financial education to more people.

And, among many other things, we'll be dedicating our time and energy to employee ownership programs and domestic as well as overseas entrepreneurship support projects.

2010 will be great!

With the passing of John Logue, Executive Director of the Ohio Employee Ownership Center and a board of advisor member of Progress Through Business, there is now a huge hole in the economic development world.

John had just started working with us, as well, on the new Alliance Holdings SES Advisors Legacy Fund. It was a pleasure to be with him whenever we could.
And we miss him already.

Our best go out to John's family. And we look forward to picking up a small part of the work that John was not able to complete.

Greg Robinson, long time friend and associate of John Hoffmire and entrepreneur of significant note has accepted an invitation to join Progress. Greg will operate from his Utah home/office. Greg will provide needed energy in both fundraising and active project management and direction. He says his guiding principal is to "make life better" for those who have not had the advantages he has. We all welcome Greg to the team.

Paul Hammeke, a VISTA volunteer with Progress through Business attended the 2010 VITA Grant Orientation Conference on how to administer the $3,725 grant from the IRS, which will provide help to low income people in completing
their income tax forms.
The Dec 1-3 conference, held in Atlanta and attended by about 150 people covered a range of technical issues including how to report expenses,
allowable uses of the grant money, and how to complete the required quarterly reports.

Paul Hammeke attended the IRS 2010 Grant Program Orientation Program which took place in Atlanta on December 1st through the 3rd. He represented Progress Through Business, Inc. at the conference. The conference covered detailed information about how to administer VITA grant funds including management of the funds and reporting requirements. Other subjects covered included Privacy Rights, Tax Wise and IRS “Shoppers”. Overall the conference was extremely informative.

Progress Through Business is planning a new and exciting program to improve the finances of battered women and their children who are temporarily living in a downtown Detroit shelter, by offering free tax preparation, financial coaching, and completion of FAFSA applications.

Progress Through Business is teaming up with the University of Wisconsin Credit Union to provide free tax preparation to low-income employees from the UW-Hospital. We are very excited about this unique collaboration and the difference it will make for Madison residents.

Len Janeski of Progress Through Business is working with Al Barsema in Rockford, Illinois
to help gather clients for income tax help, a long standing effort by
Progress to ensure that low income people are able to get the tax credits
they are eligible for.
He is working with faith-based organizations in the Rockford area to get
people to go to a tax preparation site operated by the Center for Economic
Progress, a Chicago-based non-profit organization.

The United States Code contains the official federal definition of homeless. In Title 42, Chapter 119, Subchapter I, homeless is defined as:
http://www.hud.gov/homeless/definition.cfm

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Family released a report today that said ignorance of the federal earned income tax credit and triple-digit interest rapid refunds charged by tax return preparers are costing the state’s low income population $200 million a year.
http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2009/11/tax_prep_costing_the_...

Up to 4000 Wisconsin credit union employees will be taking part in an online investment education program that is being managed in part by Progress Through Business through the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center on Business and Poverty.
The program is being funded by a $200,000
grant from the Investor Protection Trust.
The 18 month program will offer 30,000 hours of investment education, provided by Precision Information, including investment basics, managing IRAs, 401(k)s, managing risk, and diversifying portfolios, to name but a few
of the more than a dozen topics.

Conferences co-sponsored by Progress Through Business brought together diverse groups of individuals to learn how to tap into the federal government's stimulus package. The conferences were held on October 13th and October 15th at two California universities.

Hello this is Helaman. I'm looking forward to participating in this effort.

Welcome to the Progress Through Business blog.
We welcome comments relevant to our mission.

March 11, 2009 - A wave of US companies are suspending payments to their staff 401(k) retirement plans in a bid to cut costs amid the economic downturn.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad0dbbb0-0ddc-11de-8ea3-0000779fd2ac.html

Here’s a plan that could solve the toxic-asset pricing problem voluntarily—without requiring Uncle Sam to nationalize the whole industry—and make (pretty much) everyone a winner.

FEBRUARY 2009 • Lowell Bryan and Toos Daruvala, Consultants in Financial Services