In This Issue:

• Celebrating 20 Years of Success in Evansville!
• How will the 2004 tax-cut package affect you?
• Kemper 1st Choice Payroll
• Kemper Capital Management – Loose Change
  Helping Your Financial Professional Help You
  What if you can't work?
• Kemper Technology Consulting
  WARNING: "Unsubscribe" Links – Hidden Dangers Lurk

Congratulations to the Evansville, Indiana office of Kemper CPA Group LLP, which celebrated a 20th Anniversary in Evansville on September 28, 2004! On July 4, 1984, the former Managing Partner of the Firm, Richard Roth, met with the current Partner-in-Charge of the Evansville office, Robert Swan, to discuss acquiring the accounting practice of Herrmann Stephens in Evansville. Herrmann Stephens at that time had nine employees and approximately $250,000 in annual gross revenue.

Negotiations over the summer of 1984 culminated in the opening of the Evansville office of Kemper CPA Group LLP on September 28, 1984. "When we began that practice, Richard told me we would have no impact in Evansville until our gross revenue was at least $750,000," current Partner-in-Charge Robert Swan recalls. "So, he told me to sign back-up agreements with local accountants and try to merge some practices in to reach that target."

"Five mergers/acquisitions and twenty years later we are over $2.5 million in gross with 16 CPAs and about 25 total staff, and Kemper has made an impact in Evansville," states Swan.

We are proud of our wonderful partners and staff in our Evansville office-congratulations on 20 years of success!

...And a New Address!
 

The partners and staff of Kemper CPA Group LLP are pleased to announce the relocation of the Evansville, Indiana office.

Effective Sept. 27, 2004, the new address for the Evansville office is:   111 South East Third Street P.O. Box 52 Evansville, Indiana 47701 Please note: the telephone and fax numbers for the Evansville office remain the same at: Phone: (812) 421-8000           Fax: (812) 421-2292 mapquest® map: 111 Se 3rd St

Partner-in-charge Robert Swan says of the move: "We simply ran out of room in our old location–couldn't add anyone for our office, or the technology group or Kemper Capital Management. We wanted to stay downtown because we believe that is where the financial hub of the area is located. Our new office provides us with 50% more space than we had before (at marginally more cost) and all on one floor. The new office also has indoor parking for our staff. We are excited about our future here and absolutely thrilled to have the move over!"

Congratulations Evansville! Please stop by to say hello and see the new home of our office in historic downtown Evansville!
 

• Extension of marriage penalty relief through 2008.
• Extension of the $1,000 child tax credit through 2009.
• Extension of relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) for one year.
• Extension of the expanded 10 percent tax bracket through 2010.
• Accelerate refundability of the child credit for low-income families for one year.
• Extend the corporate research and development tax credit until the end of 2005.
• Extend for one year a tax credit for the production of electricity from wind, biomass and poultry litter.
• Extend for one year a tax credit for qualified electric vehicles.
    

	The extension of these provisions and others within the law provides the perfect opportunity for year-end tax planning with your local Kemper CPA Group professionals! Come in and talk with us to see how we can help you plan ahead for April 15, to help you receive the greatest benefit possible from the new legislation. It's your money-we can help you keep more of it! Contact us today!

Kemper CPA Group LLP Announces Availability of Kemper 1st Choice Payroll LLC
 
The partners and staff at Kemper CPA Group LLP are pleased to introduce a new service that the firm has been offering for over forty years. Our CPAs have expanded the payroll service offering and have formed Kemper 1stChoice Payroll LLC in response to clients' requests and because we realize that keeping up with payroll is becoming an increasingly difficult task.

Kemper 1st Choice Payroll is prepared to handle a full range of payroll services, including:
 

Online Employer - Payroll 24/7: Internet Enabled Access Tax Pay and File Service Direct Deposit and Debit Cards Third Party Checks and/or ACH Third Party Reporting Automatic Check Signing Electronic Report Delivery Divisional, Departmental, and Labor Allocation Reporting New Hire Reporting Workers' Compensation Services ...And Much More!

In business, flexibility is key. Our Online Employer - Payroll 24/7 service enables clients to enter, maintain, and track data any time of the day via a secure connection to Kemper's system. Expanding your ability to enter, maintain and track data at your convenience is a key part of our services. Online Employer allows you to enter data at your site, with an easy-to-use screen that you can access at any time, day or night. It is not necessary to have a large business to benefit from having an outside payroll service. With today's complex tax law changes and ever-changing government-required reporting procedures, in-house payroll and payroll tax preparation can be very trying. In addition, year-end payroll processing can bring even more unanticipated problems, eating away at valuable time and causing undue hassle. Outsourcing payroll can be advantageous in that it allows business owners to put that burden on payroll professionals, which, in turn, gives businesses more time to focus on core business functions.

For more information about Kemper 1st Choice Payroll services and/or a free consultation, contact us today!
  

Helping Your Financial Professional Help You
 
You wouldn't hire a plumber to fix a leak without saying where it was, would you? And, if the plumber said replacing a pipe was the best way to stop the leak, would you ignore the advice? Of course not. So, shouldn't you treat your financial professional . . . well . . . like your plumber?

Whether you're a new client or you've been working with your financial professional for many years, you want to get the most out of the relationship. And that means sharing as much information as possible about your finances and your investment goals. It also means being open to recommendations. Before you sit down with your advisor–for the first time or the fiftieth–think about what you want to accomplish. Then, come to the meeting armed with all the necessary financial data and an open mind.

Time To Tell All
Coming up with an effective financial plan means that your advisor needs to know everything about your finances. Be willing to share all your financial information-income, loans, debts, savings, and investments. Before your visit, gather receipts, bank statements, brokerage and retirement account statements, and your last pay stubs for the year. Your last year's income-tax return may be helpful, as well.

Bring Your Spouse
If you're married, both you and your spouse should meet with your financial professional. And both of you should be forthcoming about your goals and expectations so your advisor can make appropriate recommendations. It's a good idea for you and your spouse to discuss financial issues before you go to the meeting.

Be Willing To Take Advice
You can talk with your financial professional all you want, but if you're not willing to implement recommendations, you're wasting time and money. Remember that your advisor is suggesting a specific course of action for you, based on your time frame, risk tolerance, and financial objectives. It's important to trust your advisor's knowledge and experience.

Ask Questions
Even if the questions seem simple and the answers obvious, ask them anyway. Make sure you understand how your money is being handled.

To read more financial advice, click here to view the September/October 2004 issue of Kemper Capital Management's online newsletter "Loose Change"! The financial professionals at Kemper Capital Management are ready to help you with your financial planning needs.

Investment advisory services offered by KCPAG Financial Advisors LLC, a registered investment advisor. Securities offered through CapPro Brokerage Services, Inc., member NASD & SIPC. Insurance services offered through KCPAG Insurance Services LLC.
   
What if you can't work?

No one likes to think about becoming disabled. But it happens. Disability income insurance replaces a percentage of your pay if you're disabled and can't work. Before you buy a policy, shop around. Important things to consider are:

• How the policy defines disability

• The waiting period, if any, before benefits begin

• The amount of the benefit

• How long you'll receive benefits

• Whether disabilities from accidents and illness are both covered

• Whether benefits are adjusted for inflation

• The availability of partial benefits if you're able to work part-time

• Policy exclusions

• The ability to renew the policy without a medical exam

• The financial strength of the insurer

Disability income insurance can help you maintain your current standard of living at a difficult time, but make sure you get the right coverage.

For more financial advice, click here to view the September/October 2004 issue of Kemper Capital Management's online newsletter "Loose Change"! If you would like more information about disability income insurance, contact Kemper Capital Management today!

Investment advisory services offered by KCPAG Financial Advisors LLC, a registered investment advisor. Securities offered through CapPro Brokerage Services, Inc., member NASD & SIPC. Insurance services offered through KCPAG Insurance Services LLC.
 

The spam in your mailbox is a problem, no doubt, but attempting to remove your e-mail address from the spammer's list could create a far worse problem. Clicking on that "Unsubscribe" link could result in a virus or keystroke logger program being downloaded to your hard drive.

The spammers have resorted to linking the "Unsubscribe" button to Internet sites that, when accessed, will download a virus that would in turn use your computer to send spam. By accessing these sites and entering your e-mail address to remove it from the "list", the potential exists to unwittingly do some/all of the following:

• inform the spammers that your e-mail address is an active, legitimate address
• possibly download a virus that would hijack your computer to send spam
• possibly download a "keystroke logger" program; a keystroke logger "records" keystrokes made on your computer, exposing passwords, credit card numbers, or other critical personal information to illegal scrutiny or seizure

The Internet sites to which a victim is routed to unsubscribe usually have links with names that appear legitimate, but the underlying code of the link actually routes the victims to an entirely different site. Sometimes, victims are simply directed to an obscure site on which an executable file is stored–that executable file contains the virus or keystroke program. Accessing the site will result in an automatic download of the malicious code to your hard drive.

The "Can Spam Act", (federal legislation that became effective in early 2004), requires that unsubscribe links be available in all commercial e-mail messages. Thus, the use of these links for distributing viruses and spyware is especially devious.

The best way to avoid any of these issues is to just delete the spam. Do not open the messages or use any of the unsubscribe links; rather, immediately delete such messages from your inbox and your trash can.

Kemper Technology Consulting can provide the complete answer to your security concerns, for one computer or one hundred. Services offered include removal and prevention of spam (spam blocking services), adware/spyware removal services, network security administration, network infrastructure administration, disaster recovery support, and hardware support along with other software training and support. We can help–contact us today!