Quad Cities, IL/IA

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Meet Ruth Ahnen — A Local Financial Services Professional to Help You Plan for Life

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 Is saving money a challenge? Are you scared you’ll outlive your
money? If you die, will your family be buried in debt? If you answered
“yes” to any of these questions, don’t worry—you’re not alone. The good
news? There’s someone nearby who can help you plan for life. Her name is
Ruth Ahnen, and she’s a financial representative for Modern Woodmen of
America.

Ruth grew up on a farm in a small town in southeast
Minnesota. After graduating from high school and earning a degree in
criminal justice, she accepted a management position with Hy-Vee.  Eight
years ago, she found a home at Modern Woodmen.

Financial Planning
Through Modern Woodmen, she offers a variety of life insurance
products for adults, children, personal needs, and business needs.  She
also cares for clients needs on a personal level or for small businesses
not to mention the investment* products available through Modern
Woodmen Financial Services.   “From estate planning to children’s life
insurance to college planning, no two days are the same,” says Ruth.

Ruth stresses the importance of consulting a financial services
professional, even if you don’t purchase a product. “People can sit down
with me for free,” she says. “There’s no service charge, no obligation
to do business. And in many cases, financial planning is greatly under
prioritized in many people’s lives. First, most people get little
instruction in money management in the course of their lifetime.  Most
high schools do not offer a course on money management and many college
courses only briefly discuss the topic.  Books, television shows, and
radio programs can help, but they sometimes confuse consumers because
these avenues do not provide advice for a specific situation or specific
needs.  Unfortunately, they often deal with generalities out of
necessity.”

Ruth continues, “Second, as a financial services
professional my role is to find out what it is that the member wants to
accomplish financially, and then put a plan in place that can accomplish
those goals.  It is common that the first time a person really thinks
about their financial goal is when I ask them that question.  My job and
defining those goals is the most important cog in this process.  I ask
my clients very direct, open-ended questions designed to elicit both
logic and emotion.  I do this to get them to better define and own their
personal financial goals. Once we have accomplished this, I can put
together a plan that accomplishes these goals.  As situations change –
whether it be a new home, a career change, another child or getting
closer to retirement—I can help retool the services to protect you and
your family.”

Mark Hendricks, Manager of Ace Auto in Bettendorf,
discovered the importance of having a financial advisor for his
employees since he began working with Ruth.  “Our employees are very
knowledgeable with cars, but not necessarily finances.  We don’t have
time to know the latest laws and services, and where we should be
putting our dollars.  Ruth has been so patient walking us through which
products our employees should have.  We have the utmost respect in Ruth
and her ability to handle our investments.”

And at the end of
the day, Ruth says it’s all about the people. “I love the relationships I
have with my clients,” she says. “I love discovering their concerns and
goals, then providing solutions. What an amazing feeling!”

Life Insurance and Retirement Products
There are some common misconceptions about life insurance and/or
retirement products, which is something Ruth likes to educate many of
her clients about. “First, people who are not experienced think that
life insurance is expensive.  Many of these consumers assume that since
their car insurance is $150 per month, their life insurance has to be
too. This is not the case.

Ruth continues, “Others think that
the only way you “win” is if you die. People don’t buy car insurance in
the hope that car will get wrecked, or buy homeowners insurance hoping
their house will burn down.  Life insurance can present many living
benefits along with benefits to survivors if the worst occurs.

“Another
misconception is that financial representatives only want to sell
things with big commissions.  Many consumers don’t understand the value
of fact-finding and how it can help produce the right blend of products
to meet their families’ needs.”

This is the reason why many
colleagues refer their clients to Ruth.  Mike Ducey, Loan Officer with
Cherry Creek Mortgage says of Ruth, “For anyone I’ve ever referred to
Ruth, she always puts a heartbeat to the client; simply put, she wraps
her arms around them to protect them.”

Kelly Wainwright, Vice
President of Business Banking at Northwest Bank, agrees.  “Ruth truly
cares about her clients.  She has impressed me with her absolute
commitment to doing what’s right for her customers, for both long-term
goals and short-term needs.” 

A Community Leader
“One of the things that attracted me to Modern Woodmen was its
community involvement,” recalls Ruth. “As a financial representative,
I’m encouraged to get involved with causes in my local community that
I’m passionate about.”
And that’s exactly what she’s done. Ruth’s
passion for volunteering has led her to help raise funds for a number of
local nonprofit organizations, including: Hand-in-Hand, a special needs
care center in Bettendorf; Gigi’s Playhouse, a Down syndrome
educational center in Moline; CASI, Davenport’s center for active
seniors; Gilda’s Club of the Quad Cities, a cancer support community;
and the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities.

Bob Morrison, Hub
Director, Honor Flight of the Quad Cities says, “Ruth Ahnen has been a
wonderful supporter of Honor Flight.  Ruth really cares about our
veterans.  She did a great job as Guardian on three flights to
Washington DC in April 2009, October 2009, and November 2011. When a TV
crew asked for volunteers to be interviewed about their Guardian
experience, she readily agreed to participate to help the program.  She
is a ‘10’ in my book!”

When she’s not busy donating her time
and talents, Ruth is helping clients meet their personal financial
goals. A large portion of Ruth’s business is devoted to retirement
planning. Modern Woodmen offers a number of financial vehicles
(including traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, mutual funds, and
fixed, variable and immediate annuities), and Ruth regularly helps
clients find the product to meet their needs. “Now’s the perfect time to
review your 2012 and 2013 IRA contributions,” she adds.  “It’s never
too late to start working on your financial future.”

*Securities offered through MWA Financial Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Modern Woodmen of America.

To learn more about financial planning, financial products or life insurance please call Ruth Ahnen (563) 508-0842 or visit Ruth.Ahnen@mwarep.org.