New Online!

Financial Calculators Updated

The Financial Calculators have been updated. Some of the improvements include:

• Updated for 2008 limits
• Graphs & Charts now show on the printed reports

If you haven't used these calculators before, take a moment to see how they can help you plan for your future.

BC/BS Contact Information

Please do not contact the Plan office with questions regarding the Blue Cross Blue Shield program.

Please call BC/BS directly at (651) 662-4593 or toll free 1-866-477-1587. You may also visit their web site at www.bluelinktpamn.com

Benefits Office E-mail Address

We have added another way for you to contact the Benefits Office with your questions and/or comments.

You can now send an e-mail to Benefits@ibew110.org. Your e-mail will be routed to the correct benefits specialist and you should receive a response within 1 business day.

Benefits Office Extended Hours

The Benefits Office extended hours will be suspended during the summer months of June thru September. Check back here for more information this fall.

Medical Plan Changes

Effective July 1, 2008 there will be a number of changes to the Medical Plan.

Please take a few moments to read this notice from the Board of Trustees regarding these changes and what you can expect to happen next.

Investing In Difficult Markets

If the markets are good at one thing, it's reminding investors that they don't go up uninterrupted forever.  We are always quick to remind ourselves that neither panic nor greed are investment strategies. Your only real insurance against the unpredictable is having and sticking with a long-term strategic asset allocation plan.

In reality, investors should rarely, if ever, react to short-term moves in the market. As intriguing as it may seem to try to catch every market wiggle in order to reap big profits, the "tactical" (or shorter-term) approach to investing has its limitations and its risks.

We believe it's the "strategic" asset allocation decision and the ability to stick with it that will ultimately reap the greatest rewards. These decisions are not a function of short-term market gyrations or forecasts, but are tied to your risk tolerance and long-term goals. Developing and maintaining the right long-term asset mix is by far the most important set of decisions an investor will ever make.

Asset allocation and diversification are an investors' "free lunch"  There are very few free lunches in investing. Asset allocation and diversification are as close as you get.

Never before has information about the global economy and markets been more readily available and disseminated. As a result, global markets have become very interconnected. In turn, our reaction mechanisms have kicked in, and investor time horizons have shortened dramatically, but not necessarily to our advantage. Yes, the long term is really just a series of short-term events, but it's how we react to them that decides our ultimate fate as investors.

Longer Time Horizon = Lower Downside Risk.  The longer you extend your time horizon, the less likely you'll experience a loss over that holding period.