Speak Out 4/13/16

McCaskill urged

to close loophole

Millions of Americans are counting on their 401(k) and retirement accounts for a secure financial future, and I'm counting on Sen. McCaskill to oppose any effort that would prevent the Department of Labor from closing a loophole that allows unscrupulous financial planners to play with your hard-earned money for their benefit.

This conflict of interest loophole can result in typical savers losing about 25 percent of their hard-earned retirement savings over their lifetime. The Department of Labor is finalizing a new rule that would close the loophole and hold all financial advisers accountable for giving you the best possible retirement advice that meets your needs.

The public assumes compensated financial professionals work for them. While most are reliable, a few are out to line their own pockets and the difference takes more money than necessary out of your pockets. We should be able to trust our financial advisors to put our interests first.

We can expect the final rule to be published soon. As this comes down to the wire, I'm calling on Sen. McCaskill to support consumers by supporting the closure of the loophole. I urge everyone to do the same.

Neelyville schools

are the exception

I am writing to commend the person that wrote the recent article regarding the comparison of the Neelyville and Poplar Bluff school districts. Unfortunately, I hear similar tales of woe (as those experienced in PB) from my son, recently retired teacher/coach, and daughter-in-law, still teaching, in Texas. Neelyville is the exception and the administration and teachers there should feel quite good about their approach to educating young people. While on the subject of educating, I have never seen (and I try to watch closely things like $30 million bonds issues) what the PB administration's targets are with regard to improving school test scores and changes in graduation rate to justify the near 20 percent increase in property taxes.