Hello. I would like to welcome all those who have come to this Post via the www.LifeAfterBorders.com URL. Most of you are either former Borders employees, or are soon-to-be former employees. Thank you for coming!
This website is brought to you by Paul Smudski, former Borders Group employee, turned Real Estate Investor, and IRA “journeyman”. I don’t like to use the term “expert” because I really don’t consider myself one yet. But I certainly have learned quite a bit about them in the past ten years or so.
Obviously, the news of the liquidation of Borders is all over the media. It is truly a sad day for the company, and, indeed, for everyone who had the privilege of working there. I have been reading on Facebook in a couple of the Borders Group pages there, how much this company has meant to those of us who worked there, even for a short time. I’m no different. The culture at Borders, even in IT and at the Distribution Centers, brought good people together, into shared goals and common purposes. People who loved to read and people who just loved books.
I saw one person’s comment today about how she just loved the smell of all the new books in the stores. In all humility, she said, “How sick is that?” Well, I for one identify with her. I absolutely loved walking around the stores and especially around the Distribution Centers, mostly after hours, just taking in all the books. I’ll never forget that unique feeling.
I came from a family of readers and my wife and I have raised our children as readers. Because I worked at Borders for almost 10 years, my children had more books than they knew what to do with. They loved it, too! And they, too, are already missing it.
For those of you still working at Borders, particularly at or near the home office in Ann Arbor, who will be laid off soon, my heart goes out to you. I hope that you will be able to find gainful employment very quickly, if that’s what you’re looking for. I’m sure there are a number of things the company is working to help you with — severance packages, job search assistance, career counseling perhaps.
In keeping with the purpose of this site, I want to bring up something that I think you should be aware of. One of the big things that becomes paramount when you leave a company is what to do with your 401(k). Most companies in this position bring in local financial planners or brokerage companies to talk with the exiting employees about the options they have with their retirement accounts. Most will regale you with all the different investment options available with their companies and the service you will get if you roll over your 401(k) to an IRA with them.
What I would like to do, though, is give you a somewhat broader perspective than what you’re going to hear from most, if not all, of these folks. I want to get you this information as quickly as possible so that you don’t miss it and possibly make an uninformed decision on what to do with your 401(k) after leaving Borders.
To that end, I want to make you aware of a Free Report I wrote recently that details some of the alternatives you have when rolling over your 401(k). It’s an educational report and is not intended to sell you anything. I want to make sure you’re aware of the broader array of alternatives available to you when you do decide to move your 401(k).
To get this report, just sign up in the column to the right, with your name and email address. And I will immediately send you your Free Report called “The Basics of Self Directed IRAs”, which introduces you to a new spectrum of investment alternatives that could not only provide better returns, but also do so more consistently and safely.
Sometime in the next month or so, I plan to hold a webinar, specifically for you, that will more completely outline how to work with truly Self Directed IRAs, how and where to set them up, and the different investment strategies which could help you sleep more soundly at night, not worrying about the effect of the volatile markets on your retirement accounts.
If you’re like me, Borders and the people you met, worked with, and socialized with there, have been a big, important part of your life. The retirement account you have nurtured there has been buffeted by the ups and downs of the stock market, but you probably have a nice nest egg to call your own. Come learn how you can keep it growing more consistently and safely for many years to come.
And while you’re here at The IRA Concierge website, check out some of the posts.
Go ahead. Sign up and get your Free Report today. I hope to hear from you soon!
Thank you very much!