Discovery in the News
News for Immediate Release
Local Interest: Muilenberg Achieves Top of the Table
MDRT Membership is Exclusive to World’s Leading Financial Professionals
PARK RIDGE, Ill. – David M. Muilenberg of Ada, MI, has qualified for Top of the Table of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). David is a 34-year MDRT member and 12-year Top of the Table qualifier.
Top of the Table is the highest level of membership in MDRT and places Muilenberg among the top professionals in the global life insurance and financial services industry.
“MDRT provides a unique mix of networking and resources to help members broaden their expertise, grow their businesses and educate clients about the importance of financial planning,” said MDRT President, Mark J. Hanna, CLU, ChFC. “MDRT is committed to delivering innovative ideas and connecting members so they can share best practices in order to maintain high professional and ethical standards.”
In addition to recognizing career accomplishments, Top of the Table membership offers Muilenberg the opportunity to further improve his professional skills by sharing ideas and best practices with other leading professionals at the Top of the Table Annual Meeting and other educational forums.
For more information, contact David Muilenberg at 616.957.999 or david.muilenberg@lpl.com.
ABOUT MDRT
Founded in 1927, the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), The Premier Association of Financial Professionals®, is a global, independent association of more than 49,500 of the world's leading life insurance and financial services professionals from more than 500 companies in 70 countries. MDRT members demonstrate exceptional professional knowledge, strict ethical conduct and outstanding client service. MDRT membership is recognized internationally as the standard of excellence in the life insurance and financial services business.
Grand Rapids Business Journal 2016 BOOK OF LISTS
Discovery Financial, LLC was ranked in the Top 7 in the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 2016 BOOK OF LISTS as a Top Area Financial Planning Firm. We are very proud to receive this recognition and would like to thank our clients and team for their support! Ranking is based on 2014/2013 West Michigan Assets Under Management, determined by a survey conducted by GRBJ that contacted 88 companies, yielding 30 responses.
www.grbj.com
Discovery Financial, LLC Ranked as a Top Area Stock Brokerage Firm
The Grand Rapids Business Journal has ranked Discovery Financial, LLC in the Top 10 as being a Top Area Stock Brokerage Firm. We appreciate the support of our clients and thank our team for their hard work and dedication. Ranking is based on the number of West Michigan licensed representatives in 2014. The Business Journal surveyed 40 firms and yielded 16 responses.
Discovery Financial, LLC Receives Recognition by the Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan (BBB)
Discovery Financial, LLC has been recognized as an Accredited Business by the Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan (BBB). We have met the BBB’s standards for accreditation outlined in their Code of Business Practices. We take pride in creating and maintaining trust in business!
Please visit www.bbb.org/western-michigan to learn more about Discovery Financial, LLC.
More 401(k) Is On the Way. In the Wake of the Recession, Employers are Renewing Retirement Contributions.
The Grand Rapids Business Journal, November 7, 2014, by Rachel Weick
There is good news for workers: It appears companies have sufficiently recovered from the recent recession to again begin offering matching funds for 401(k) retirement plans.
While a number of companies, impacted by the financial crisis, had suspended matching funds to employees’ 401(k) plans, the number of workers and employers participating in employment-based retirement plans is on the rise again.
In 2009, Hewitt released its Trends and Experience in 401(k) Plans report, which noted the financial crisis that began in 2008 had a significant impact on some companies, as employer contributions decreased, were suspended, or eliminated.
The survey included more than 300 respondents from companies having 10,000 or more employees. Of the participating employers, 10 percent reported suspending employer matching contributions during 2007 and 2009, while another 10 percent suspended non-matching profit-sharing contributions or employer non-matching contributions.
David Muilenberg, principal and president of Ada-based Discovery Financial, said from 2007-2009, his firm worked with quite a few companies that had stopped or deferred their matching contributions or 401(k) plans due to the financial hardship.
“Many employers stopped their matching contributions or suspended their profit-sharing contributions to save money, just because business earnings were down, profits were down and everybody was scared,” said Muilenberg.
As an independent firm, Discovery Financial provides a variety of products and services, including financial planning, investment management, retirement strategies, group health plans, 401(k) and pension plans and business succession planning.
Although some companies suspended or eliminated 401(k) plans for employees, the Investment Company Institute noted out of more than 22 million defined contribution plan participants, only 3.7 percent of individuals stopped contributing to their accounts in 2008, despite the total asset value of 401(k) plans in the United States dropping from $3 trillion in 2007 to $2.2 trillion in 2008.
Jim Mack, chief operating officer at AccessPoint Human Resources, said his organization didn’t see much of a change during the recession with its clientele, primarily due to the size of the companies.
“From an AccessPoint standpoint, we work with companies primarily with less than 100 employees, and what we have found was that during the recession, companies were cutting back the employees they had, but they were concerned about retaining the employees still there,” said Mack. “They pretty well kept the 401(k) plans and matching plans in place, because they were concerned about making sure they kept those core employees.”
A professional employer organization, AccessPoint provides outsourced human resource to its clients, including payroll, employee benefits, 401(k) plans, safety and workers compensation, and unemployment.
As the economy stabilized and the total asset value of U.S. 401(k) plans hit $4.4 trillion as of June 30, according to ICI, Muilenberg said every one of the reduced or eliminated employer contribution plans during the recession has met or exceeded that level.
“We probably have between five and eight plans right now that we are going to be implementing in the first quarter of ’15 from employers who have never had one before, who are looking to add because their employees are requesting it,” said Muilenberg. “I think employees are a big part of driving 401(k) plans if a company doesn’t have them.”
With 64.2 million workers enrolled in employment-based retirement plans during 2013 — up from 61.6 million in 2012 — it is the largest percentage of employee participation since 2007, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute.
During 2013 in Michigan, 46.9 percent of 3.7 million private-sector wage and salary workers participated in an employment-based retirement plan, while 71.9 percent of 500,000 public-sector workers participated.
“I think they are extremely important for the competitive edge of a company and I think people expect if they are going to work for a company, they have a 401(k) plan because it is one of the last tax shelters left people can actually defer money to and save on their taxes,” said Muilenberg. “I think it is an excellent hiring tool and I think it is very important that employers and business owners offer up these plans because it does help.”
Aon Hewitt’s 2013 report on defined contribution plans revealed that for 75 percent of responding employers, it is the primary source of retirement income for employees, and despite the risk shifting toward the individual, plan sponsors are empowering workers to save. Representing a pool of more than 400 plan sponsors and 10 million workers, the survey noted roughly 98 percent of participating employers provide some form of employer contribution to a plan.
“Most employers take on that maternal or paternalistic role; they feel a little bit of responsibility to have their employees save for retirement, so therefore they have the match and feel it is important they are contributing to helping people save,” said Muilenberg. “The trends I am seeing right now are more focused on employees and their retirement, not so much trends in what is offered or what type of plans but more focused on the employers wanting to know the retirement readiness of their employees.”
Offering a defined contribution or 401(k) plan is tremendously important when taking the landscape of Social Security into account, according to Mack. A majority of AccessPoint clients offer a 401(k) plan, and Mack said there is roughly a 35 percent participation rate from the employees.
“Employees need to take the initiative on their own to start saving for retirement, and 401(k) is one of the best ways to do that — and especially if an employer has a matching plan,” said Mack.
Discovery Financial Reaches 10-Year Milestone
January, of 2013, marks the 10th anniversary of David M. Muilenberg, CLU, ChFC, AIF and Discovery Financial's association with LPL, ranked as the largest independent broker dealer in the country.*
Our relationship with LPL Financial allows us to continue offering our valued clients access to independent, unbiased advice, products and services. As we reflect on this special milestone, we remain grateful for the continued trust and confidence you place in the Discovery Financial team.
*Based on total revenue, Financial Planning Magazine June 1996-2013
David M. Muilenberg Attends Opening Bell Ceremony
On July 30, 2012, David Muilenberg was one of a select number of LPL advisors invited to attend the NASDAQ Opening Bell Ceremony at the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square, New York City, hosted by LPL. A highlight of the day's events included David's 'larger than life' image on the NASDAQ Market Tower!
David M. Muilenberg, Jeffrey A. Keessen & Matthew J. Lehman All Receive AIF Designation
David Muilenberg, Jeffrey Keessen and Matthew Lehman have all been awarded the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF) designation, allowing them to provide fiduciary advice to retirement plan trustees. Discovery Financial provides comprehensive retirement planning to executives and business owners in a variety of industries.
Services include:
- Plan Evaluation Services
- Plan Sponsor Services
- Investment Line-up Selection and Monitoring
Please call Discovery Financial, LLC at (866) 702-9090 if you would like more information.
Heather Biggs Awarded LPL's Associate & Bachelor Degrees
Heather Biggs, Director of Client Services, has completed the Associate and Bachelor degrees within LPL Financial's AdminU program. These degrees are designed to enhance employees' effectiveness in the areas of client service, office management, technology, sales and marketing. Heather completed the course content for these degrees over the course of this past year.
Congratulations, Heather!
Angela M. Muilenberg Director of Operations & Insurance Consultant
Angela has a 'Certified in Long-Term Care' designation (CLTC). Long-Term Care (LTC) is the assistance, or supervision, you may need when you are not able to do some of the basic activities of daily living (ADL) such as bathing, dressing, eating, continence, toileting and transferring.
A need for LTC may result from:
- Accidents
- Illness
- Advanced Aging
- Strokes
- Other Chronic Conditions
LTC can be received at home, in the community, or in a nursing or assisted-living facility. Long Term Care is not just for the elderly.
Approximately 40% of people needing LTC are between the ages of 18 and 64¹
About 1/4 of 700,000 stroke victims each year are under the age of 65¹
LTC Insurance helps those who need long-term care services but also want to maintain choice and control over the decision making.
There are many options available today to protect your income and assets from a costly chronic or critical illness. If you haven’t done the proper planning to protect yourself, please call us today!
1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information, 11/14/07. www.longtermcare.gov/LTC/Main_Site/Understanding_Long_Term_Care/Basics/Basics.aspx.
Discovery Financial, LLC Expands to Hastings, MI.
Barry Chamber of Commerce Welcomes Discovery Financial's Hastings Office
There was an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, held by the Barry County Chamber of Commerce, at Discovery Financial's Hastings office on July 11, 2012, to welcome them to the Hastings community. David Muilenberg, Jeffrey Keessen, Robin Welton, Angela Muilenberg and Kimberly Smith were there representing Discovery Financial, as well as Valerie Byrnes, representing the Chamber.
(L to R) Valerie Byrnes, Robin Welton, Kimberly Smith, Jeffrey Keessen, David Muilenberg & Angela Muilenberg
'Marvin E. Muilenberg Distinguished Service Award'
David and Angela Muilenberg proudly hold the 'Marvin E. Muilenberg Distinguished Service Award' for 2010. [Click on the link below for more information.]
Marvin E. Muilenberg Distinguished Service Award 2010
