I’ve heard about Roth IRA accounts and have wondered how they compare to a traditional IRA.  I sat down with my boss, Erik Dyrland, and in about 15 minutes had a pretty good understanding of the comparisons and differences.  I have had a traditional IRA account for many years but for my 2006 IRA contribution, I will be opening a Roth IRA account to take advantage of its many benefits.  There is still time to inquire about a Roth IRA and make a 2006 contribution.  To talk to MY qualified financial advisor, contact Erik Dyrland’s office, Farmers Insurance & Financial Services at (360) 734-5072 or visit our website at www.dyrlandinsurance.com   I do encourage you to find out about a Roth IRA account - it’s a good investment in your future!

This week, many of us said good-bye to a very dear friend, Jerry Chambers.  As I sat at Jerry’s funeral service in Ferndale, I was profoundly amazed and yet not surprised, that there had to be over 400 people in attendance.  What a tribute to a great guy!  Jerry supported many events that I helped organize that benefited many of the citizens of our county.  From kids to cancer, Jerry always donated.  For 3 years, he contributed a car for a hole-in-one contest for the annual golf tournament to benefit the St. Joseph Cancer Center.  For over 20 years, he served as a board member of the Ferndale Boys & Girls Club.  The last 5 years, I have served as the chair of the Ferndale Boys & Girls Club’s auction and Jerry has been the loudest cheerleader and strongest supporter; always buying the back table (always competing with BP for that honor!) in the room.  He told me the reason he bought the rear table and not the head table was so that he could watch everyone else throughout the night - not them watching him!  At last year’s auction, Jerry served as the person standing on the stage doing the “Sponsor a Child” portion of the event, talking about the club and what it does for the kids and eventually asking attendees to donate cash to the event.  Jerry raised over $25,000 for the Club in less than 5 minutes!  As I watched him, I stood in awe of the stature, charisma and heart of the man on the stage.  As a community, we will miss his generosity.  As his friends, we will miss his kindness and his laugh.  As someone who respected and admired him, I will miss his wisdom, his humor and his hugs.  Your legacy will live on, Jerry Chambers.  And you will be missed forever.  Rest in peace, you Gentle Giant.

As the Vice President of the Ferndale Boys & Girls Club board, and as an employee of Erik Dyrland Insurance Agency - Farmers Insurance, many friends have asked me about coverage of their home in light of the recent B&GC fire on New Year’s day.  I have learned from working in Erik’s office, that we are never prepared for the worst.  Many people don’t realize that their homeowner’s insurance should be reviewed annually.  The most common error is the confusion over insuring the real estate value versus what it would cost to rebuild in the event it is completely destroyed by a disaster.  Many of us simply purchase enough insurance to satisfy our mortgage lender and then go years without reviewing our coverage.  If it is has been more than a year since you visited with your insurance agent, please blow the dust off of your current policy and give their office a call.  Hopefully a disaster won’t strike you and your family - but if it does, we want you to be prepared.   For answers to any of your insurance questions, here is a link to our website.  We’d be happy to help you!  www.dyrlandinsurance.com