dsmWealth May 20, 2021

A lot of business in Des Moines gets done by way of connections. For a great number of us, including insurance company executive Tony Dickinson, a lot of fundraising and charitable work get done that way too. He was making some calls a few years back, trying to raise some money for a nonprofit he was engaged with, and found that donor doors opened just a little easier when he mentioned he was working on the project with Steve Lacy, then executive chairman at Meredith Corp.

“I built a relationship with Lacy,” as a result of working together on those capital campaigns, said Dickinson, who is president of NCMIC in West Des Moines.

Dickinson, 41, said Lacy and others served as mentors to him as he worked his way through the corporate and charitable giving sides of Des Moines. He ticked off a number of influencers he met while working previously at Wells Fargo, such as Cara Heiden, the retired president of its sprawling home mortgage operations here, and Scott Johnson, on the banking side; and NCMIC CEO Mike McCoy, who now is Dickinson’s boss. All of these people, plus more, guided him both professionally and in the many nonprofits he has served with in the community, such as the Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa, United Way and the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

Dickinson got involved in volunteer work by way of the church. His dad was a banker in Mount Pleasant and ran the finance committee at the Catholic church there. “It was always something at the church,” he said of volunteer duties, be it selling ice cream at a church booth staged at the annual Midwest Old Threshers Reunion (back on again this year) or even rising early every Sunday morning to serve as an altar boy.

And when it came time for the Knights of Columbus to raise money, “there I was – I sold Tootsie Rolls.”

An older Dickinson volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. And currently he’s on the board of the Iowa Sports Foundation, which annually brings together tens of thousands of Iowans to show their athletic skills at the Iowa Games and Iowa Senior Games; and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Iowa (see story below).

NCMIC fits Dickinson’s style. “We take care of our own, and that extends to our customers and community,” he said. From there, and his church work, he has seen the value of social responsibility. He also saw the value of those role models, and now hopes to pass along lessons learned from them to his peers.

The Dickinsons Turn Volunteering Into a Family Affair

BY STEVE DINNEN

Volunteer work and family togetherness don’t necessarily go hand in hand. There are board meetings, often at night, and visiting facilities or attending events tied the charitable organization. How might any of that involve your 10-year-old?

But with a little effort, a way can be found to combine family life with volunteer life. Tony Dickinson discovered that at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Iowa, where he currently serves on the board as a vice president. He and his wife, Kim, have two boys and a girl and just as often as not, the entire family can be found after school there, involved in something tied to one of its activities.

“When school’s out, club’s in,” Dickinson said. The clubs put on a talent show every year, and Dickinson said Kim and the kids are keen to take part in it and interact with children from different parts of town. This is a family effort, and Dickinson said he had to make sure Kim was on board with it. She agreed.

“My wife loves Boys and Girls Clubs. She’s up there first,” he said.

And there’s always Little League. Tony spends some 400 hours a year coaching the two boys in sports. Their 3-year-old daughter is not quite up to swinging a bat yet. But give her time.

Inflation Could Help Mortgage and Student Loan Borrowers

BY HEIDI RIVERA FOR MONEY.COM

Investors and economists are worried about inflation, but should you be? Not necessarily. In fact, if you are paying a mortgage or struggling with student debt, it could be a lifeline.

With the U.S. economy gradually emerging from COVID lockdowns, and many consumers flush with cash from government stimulus checks, prices for goods from used cars to lumber have been spiking. A recent survey by the National Association for Business Economics revealed that over 60% of economists believe there’s a higher risk now than at any time in the past two decades.

Inflation — usually measured by the consumer price index — is caused by two basic factors: Consumers have too much disposable income or there aren’t enough goods and services for them to spend their money on. Either of these dynamics can have the same effect: a general increase in prices to keep up with demand. Higher prices mean less purchasing power. In other words, money loses its value.

So, how exactly does that help you? READ MORE.

How Much Do You Need to Be 'Financially Comfortable'?

BY MEGAN LEONHARDT FOR MSN.COM

When it comes to achieving financial peace of mind, you might not need to be a millionaire. In fact, Americans say you only need a net worth of $624,000 to be considered "financially comfortable."

That's down significantly from the $934,000 net worth that Americans cited as the minimum needed for financial comfort last year, according to Schwab's 2021 Modern Wealth Survey, an annual poll of 1,000 U.S. adults that focuses on how Americans think about saving, spending, investing and wealth.

The COVID-19 pandemic almost certainly played a role in lowering the bar when it comes to net worth, which is essentially a calculation of all of a person's assets — including cash in checking and savings accounts, financial investments and the value of any real estate or vehicles owned — minus all their debt, including credit card balances, student loans and mortgages.

The global health and economic crisis caused many Americans to reprioritize what's important, Schwab found. About 69% of survey respondents say mental health is more important to them now than it was before.

The definition of financial comfort also varies by age and gender. Men feel you need a net worth of $864,000 to be considered "financially comfortable," which is more than double the $325,000 net worth cited by women. READ MORE.

Forbes.com reports that vaccinated Americans can travel to Europe this summer.

MarketWatch advises to know all the details before investing in annuities.
The New York Times reports how faith-based investing is making up ground in gains and convenience.

dsmWealth is published on the first and third Thursday of each month and updated on dsmMagazine.com.

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