2009 is coming to an end. The holidays are here and Christmas is right around the corner. There is no better time for reflection, and as such United Financial Systems, Corpora-tion would like to take a moment to congratulate every representative on a fantastic year filled with growth and exciting changes. Representatives are the lifeblood of the organization, and without you there would be no UFSC. Let’s take a look back at everything we have accomplished this year. One of the biggest changes in 2009 happened in March, when the United Financial home office moved to its new location. It was a lot of work, but with everyone working together the transition was a smooth one. The new space is both modern and profession-al. It didn’t take long to find a groove in the new building, and today the home office staff runs like a well-oiled machine. For anything and everything you need as a representative, simply call in and the home office will take care of it. The next exciting change was the development of the online training system for new representatives. The Litmos training site now hosts all EPA and HPA basic training. Instead of fly-ing into the home office, prospective representatives can go through their training at their own pace, right in the comfort of their own home. Represen-tatives who have already been trained can also go in and view the lessons for review on www.unitedfin.com. In addition, Dunia Moso spent months

developing an online contracting program. Because of this, new repre-sentatives can get contracted and train online from home, allowing the home office to focus on growth and helping current representatives and customers. Another change was to the ac-tual United Financial website. Chad Daniel worked feverishly, taking loads of new content and updates from Michael Hawkins, and inserting them into Chad’s new website design. If you haven’t checked it out yet, point your browser to www.unitedfin.com. You’ll be proud to see a design that is sleek and eye-catching, and that fully illustrates the professionalism of the UFSC organization. The new look and feel is going to be implemented in almost every aspect of future documents, presen-tations and videos. In fact, Chad is currently working on a redesign of the back end of the website, where everything a representative needs will be laid out and organized in an easy to use system. Look for it in the coming year! It’s true, this past year has been rough on the economy due to the recession, but United Financial has continued to grow despite this. That’s the beauty of the financial planning field. People are always going to need the services we provide for them. In fact, in 2009 alone we expanded into three additional states, and in 2010 we plan on expanding into an additional 5 states, for a total of 20! All of this is the result of the fabulous work you

by Adam Sturm

and your fellow representatives do and the growing need for the services we provide. For the 2009 President’s Club, this year was filled with fun in the sun. The 2009 President’s Club trip took place aboard the Royal Carib-bean ship, Freedom of the Seas. They sailed to the exotic destinations of Haiti, Jamaica and the Grand Cay-mans. Later, for the annual Presi-dent’s Club conference, club mem-bers enjoyed a cookout at the home office, complete with basketball and volleyball. FPAs and Area Directors also participated, making the occasion a great experience for all. (To see who made the 2010 President’s Club, look on page 4.) United Financial really cares about you and your fellow representatives.

Now that the year is coming to a close, it’s time to honor our top rep-resentatives for the company. Listed above are the top 5 EPA and FPA producers. From the EPA side: Bill Tiffany, Jim Herrman, Brad Herrman, Jody Waugh and Doug Pfaff. From the FPA side: Michael Cooper, Keith Cvercko, Alan Lyon, Mark Ashworth and Tim Sullivan. Congratulations to all top producers! In addition, Dan McEvilly wins the Rookie of the Year award for outstanding production for the short time he has been with us. Top producers better watch out for him in the coming year! UFSC would also like to congratu-late the top two offices for the year. Top EPA office is the Kansas, Oklaho-ma, Missouri and Texas territory, with Area Director Ken Lygrisse. Top FPA

office is the Michigan team, with Tim Walworth as the Area Director. Thank you for your outstanding performance throughout the year! All in all, 2009 has been a produc-tive year for United Financial. As you reflect back on the year, think of all the things we’ve accomplished together, then think of all the things we’ll be able to accomplish in 2010. Congratulations again to all the top producers. It’s a fantastic achievement being one of the top five producers. In the coming year, work hard and you might find yourself among the elite of the elite. From all of us here at United Financial, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Every year we have recognized our top 12 sales producers from each of the EPA and FPA Divisions as mem-bers of the President’s Club. You have seen all of the qualifying information in the corporate awards and incentives brochure. One of the most exciting points in identifying the President’s Club mem-bers is selecting the “President’s Pick” –the 25th member of the President’s Club. This person is someone who did not otherwise qualify for the trip but who has made some significant

contribution to the sales effort during the past year. It is normally someone who is a recent addition to the sales teams or someone who has made a difference. This year we are pleased to announce the President’s Pick for 2010 is Jerry Hoffman, an FPA from Wisconsin. Jerry has been instrumen-tal is assisting other representatives in training and sharing his sales ideas, especially with the National Guardian Life funeral trust. Jerry gave a presen-tation to the entire FPA sales team ear-lier in the year –and even volunteered

to have his presentation recorded. As a result, we have seen a marked increase in production from the entire sales force regarding that specific prod-uct. Jerry freely gave of his time and talents and shared his success with the rest of the sales force. We are pleased to have him on the United Financial team and welcome him to the 2010 United Financial Systems, Corporation President’s Club.

by Dick Follett

May 16May 17May 18May 19May 19May 20May 21May 22May 23

Depart Seattle, WashingtonAt SeaKetchikan, AlaskaTracy Arm Fjord, AlaskaJuneau, AlaskaSkagway, AlaskaAt SeaVictoria, British ColumbiaArrive Seattle, Washington

DAY LOCATION

Next year the President’s Club trip will be held aboard the Princess Cruise ship Sapphire Princess. The 10-day cruise will embark from Seattle, Wash-ington and travel along the Canadian coast to Alaska, visiting exciting ports such as Ketchikan, Juneau and Skag-way. Congratulations to the 2010 Presi-

dent’s Club members for earning the privilege to embark on this exclusive voyage to America’s “last frontier.” Each month in 2010, a different city will be featured right here in The Com-pass, to get you informed and excited about the trip to come. Stay tuned!

by Karen Brown

Intention = action = success. Set-ting your intent is the process of ac-tively telling yourself to do something, making a plan and setting wheels into motion. Through creating a mental strategy and positive visualization, you can move through your appointments and life, achieving a positive outcome in all endeavors. For example, I set my intent to have an uplifting, posi-tive experience at the office every day. This column is about how you choose to approach your opportunities, and what sort of choices you make to have a great day, week and life. Only you control the outcome of your day. When I worked for Pyramid Life, a Universal American Company, I managed the Midwest division. My responsibilities included recruit-ing, training and managing a career sales force for 7 states. Having the experience of recruiting hundreds of agents, I trusted my instincts to weed out producers quickly. I confidently approached appointments, expecting the agent to convince me to hire him or her. I knew within moments of the introduction if I was going to hire the producer or not. I was a big believer in the three second rule and first impres-sions. I secretly yearned to hire a super star, but I often got in my own way, making fast decisions about the pro-spective agent. Many of the agents I hired were ok and moderately produc-tive, but not super stars. Light bulb: It had to be me, ultimately making the decisions, which was causing me to miss out on some gems.

In February 1999, I decided that maybe I should look for positive characteristics in my candidates, rather than mentally ticking off why a can-didate wouldn’t be the right fit. I was going into an appointment with Gary H., repeating the same old routine mental process. And then… I thought “Find a way to work together.” I set my intent to see this Gary as someone I could work with. I wouldn’t wait for him to convince me to hire him. I vi-sualized Gary and I working together, positive and productive. We met for brunch, and I smiled warmly, stating “Let’s see if we can find a way to work together.” And we did. In 2001, Gary was the top per-sonal producer of my division, issuing $256,000 in Medicare supplement pre-

mium. (That was when premiums were around $800/year). I discovered more super stars by setting aside my initial impressions until I had listened with a positive ear, and figuring out how we could work together. In 2002, I was awarded “Director of Agencies of the Year, 2002” for Pyramid Life. I posted a whopping 42% growth from 2001 to 2002, and only because I changed, not the producers, not the market, not the product, not the commissions, not the customers… I don’t know how I had the pres-ence of mind to recognize my need to change, but I am so grateful I had that clarity. Set your intent to find a way to view every opportunity as new and filled with potential.

by Lori Rozgonyi

Lori Rozgonyi has been with United Financial Systems, Corporation since May of 2009. Since then, she has been an integral part in leading the as-piring HPA department to new heights and successes. This col-umn is the first in a continuing series where Lori explains what it means to “set your intent.” Check back in future issues of The Compass for more devel-opments and further inspiring words. If you want to talk with Lori directly, give her a call at extension 845.

recipe provided by Michael Hawkins

by Cheri Harvey

It isn’t a secret that over the last few years that our country has been experiencing economic woes. It also isn’t a secret that due to these woes, many Americans have lost their jobs, life savings and homes. But, what has seemingly been a secret for the last few years is that United Financial Systems, Corporation (UFSC) has answered the call to help individuals that are less fortunate. In 2007 and 2008, UFSC elected to adopt-a-family for Christmas. In both cases, the executives and the home of-

fice quickly began to brainstorm about the needs of families. Teams were selected and the collection of items began. But, it wasn’t until it came time for delivery that we realized how much the families really needed us. First, in 2007, our experience was a domestic violence victim. This woman had 5 children and had just walked away from her husband. She lived in temporary housing and had NOTH-ING! The only thing she had was a Christmas tree that was given to her. But, UFSC was able to help.

In 2008 came our second experi-ence, with a woman with 2 children. She was simply having a tough time making ends meet. Both years proved to be a heartfelt experience not just for those individuals that were helped, but for UFSC too. It was these moments that made us realize that we needed to help more families. This Christmas season, the execu-tives and home office staff are more excited than ever, because our focus was to help the homeless. In an effort to reach our goals, the home office staff purchased hats, gloves, blankets, socks, toys, canned goods and food service items. In addition, to supple-

“As a single mother, raising 3 small children and having just walked away from domestic violence, I was once on the receiving end of the kind-ness that is shown on Christmas. If I had to choose the one moment in my life that lifted me and showed me that there is hope, it would be the mo-ment the caravan of cars pulled in front of my house. Car doors opened, eight adults and 4 children climbed out, dressed in holiday attire carrying gifts for my children and me. During the busiest time of year, these amaz-ing angels, took time away from their family, and money that could have been spent on their own family, and purchased gifts so that my children could have a joyous holiday. As wonderful as it was to see all the gifts under the tree (a tree that they had also brought), it was not the beautifully wrapped presents with the hand-tied bows that made me cry. It was the thought that, at that moment, my children had witnessed the true meaning of compassion first hand. This is a moment that none of them have ever forgotten and each year together as a family we remember that Christmas and the difference it made in our lives. For the last two years I have been blessed to pay it forward by partici-pating in the UFSC adopt-a-family program. I am now on the other side. As I climb out of the car, arms full of presents, I get to see the excitement on the children’s faces, and new found hope in the parent’s eyes. I hug all of them and tell them that “Life will get better, you just have to believe.” It will get better because of loving and caring people in the world that know the true meaning of Christmas. So each year as UFSC collects the gifts for our Adopted Family it warms my heart to know that TOGETHER, WE ARE MAKING A DIFFENCE IN SOMEONE’S LIFE.” -Karen Buis-Brown

“I think that everyone has a giving spirit all year long, but it is around the holidays where it really comes out in all of us. I appreciate that we have been able to donate to more than one fam-ily this year. By giving something different a little bit at a time each week, it keeps the spirit of the holiday going longer. It makes you feel good to know that each person is going to receive some-thing that we take for granted on a daily basis. Whether it is a blanket, hat or gloves, these things will change the holiday for that person. That is what the spirit of the season is all about. It is wonderful to see the entire home office be so generous with people we will never meet.” -Ali Laitas

Santa and his elves are very busy this time of the year, but they did make time to put together a con-test that is sure to make for a merry month of December. Each of the five weeks of December will hold a new contest. If you didn’t already know, now you do! There’s still time to left to win some extra stuffing for your stocking. Best of all, the contest won’t be determined by Santa or his elves. It’s up to you to come up with the ideas. Submit your contest ideas to rfollett@unitedfin.com. Enter as many ideas as you like. Each week the winning contest idea will be chosen and a $50 Visa card will be awarded to that person, not to men-tion the added possibility of winning the contest itself! Good at Med Sups? Why not submit an idea all about sell-ing them? The sky is the limit!

To see what the current contest for the week is, log in to the representa-tive section of www.unitedfin.com and click on the Santa banner at the top of the page. Check back each week to see what the bonus is for that week, then get out there and sell, sell, sell through the end of the year! And from Santa and his elves, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! There are still two weeks left before the start of the new year, so make the most of the time that is left.

from the Exective Team

ment our collection, our teams also sponsored fundraising lunches. We are hopeful that our efforts this year will help the many, instead of a few. I’m thankful to UFSC for giv-ing the home office staff a chance to remember someone else at Christmas. You know, it’s easy to think of all the things what we might want for Christ-mas, but how about those people that can’t imagine their wants because the needs are so much greater? These needs carry on throughout the year. For instance, needs such as clothes on their backs, food on the table and a warm place to lay their heads. This Christmas season please remember those that are less fortu-nate. Also, remember that you do have something to give. Your giving can be of yourself by volunteering, or by making a monetary donation. Just give…Christmas, and throughout the year.

“The Christmas Campaign was a unique and rewarding way of helping in our community. Knowing that struggling families will be provided with basic living essentials, as well as extras dur-ing this holiday season, brings joy and comfort to the hearts of many. It was a pleasure being able to participate as a company in donat-ing and helping so many grateful families.” -Mellany Bull

It was December 25, 1914, only 5 months into World War I. German, British, and French soldiers, already sick and tired of the senseless kill-ing, disobeyed their superiors and fraternized with “the enemy” along two-thirds of the Western Front (a crime punishable by death in times of war). German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches with signs, “Merry Christmas.” “You no shoot, we no shoot.” Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man’s land. They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the top brass forced them to

fire their weapons, and to aim high. A shudder ran through the high command on either side. Here was disaster in the making: soldiers declar-ing their brotherhood with each other and refusing to fight. Generals on both sides declared this spontaneous peace-making to be treasonous and subject to court martial. By March 1915 the frat-ernization movement had been eradi-cated. By the time of the armistice in 1918, fifteen million would be killed. Not many people have heard the story of the Christmas Truce. On Christmas Day, 1988, a story in the Boston Globe mentioned that a lo-cal FM radio host played “Christmas in the Trenches,” a ballad about the Christmas Truce, several times and was startled by the effect. The song became the most requested recording

during the holidays in Boston on sev-eral FM stations. “Even more startling than the number of requests I get is the reaction to the ballad afterward by callers who hadn’t heard it before,” said the radio host. “They telephone me deeply moved.” I think I know why the callers were in tears. The Christmas Truce story goes against most of what we have been taught about people. It gives us a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be and says, “This re-ally happened once.” It reminds us of those thoughts we keep hidden away, out of range of the TV and newspa-per stories that tell us how trivial and mean human life is. It is like hearing that our deepest wishes really are true: the world really could be different.

by David G. Stratman