Business November 14, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 17 Investment Services at Atlantic Stewardship Bank will host two Social Security Benefits Planning Workshops in conjunction with AXA Distributors, LLC. The workshops will be held at Atlantic Stewardship Bank on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the North Haledon Branch located at 33 Sicomac Road and on Monday, Nov. 19 at the Pequannock Branch located at 249 Newark-Pompton Turnpike. Both workshops will begin at 5:30 p.m. with light refreshments provided. Chris Trepcos, regional vice president of AXA Distributors, LLC will discuss “Getting the Most out of Your Social Security Benefits.” Topics will include: Understanding the value, solvency, when to begin taking benefits, working and receiving benefits, and maximizing benefits. Trepcos will also discuss how to work with a financial advisor on a comprehensive retirement income plan. Financial Consultants Michael Maglio and David Ares with Investment Services at Atlantic Stewardship Bank will also be available to provide information and answer questions regarding retirement planning. Seating for the workshops is limited. To RSVP, contact Nancy Rickenberg at (201) 444-7100, extension 7111 or nrickenberg@asbnow.com. Variable annuities are long-term, tax-deferred investment vehicles designed for retirement purposes and contain both an investment and insurance component. They have fees and charges, including mortality and expense risk charges, administrative fees, and contract fees. They are sold only by prospectus. Guarantees are based on the claims paying ability of the issuer. Withdrawals made prior to age 59 are subject to 10 percent IRS penalty tax and surrender charges may apply. Gains from tax-deferred investments are taxable as ordinary income upon withdrawal. The investment returns and principal value of the available sub-account portfolios will fluctuate so that the value of an investor’s unit, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original value. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risk, charges, and expenses of the variable annuity contract and sub-accounts carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the variable rate annuity and sub-accounts. Individuals can obtain contract and sub-account prospectuses from a financial representative. Read prospectuses carefully before investing. AXA Distributors, LLC, Investment Services at Atlantic Stewardship Bank and LPL Financial are not affiliated. Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Insurance products offered through LPL Financial or its licensed affiliates. Please Note: Not FDIC insured, not bank guaranteed, may lose value, not insured by any federal government agency, not a bank depoist. Workshops slated R&S pursues certifications Ramon Santos, Juan Carlos Rodriguez and Juan Alvarado discuss last minute strategies before the exam. R&S Landscaping recently announced that a record eight employees sought the landscaping industry’s internationally recognized accreditation of Landscape Industry Certified Technician. Certification provides recognition of proficiency in the landscape workforce, upgrades the status of the landscape contractor, and provides the public with a means of identifying qualified landscape professionals. R&S exam takers ranged from high-ranking managers to first-year crew members. The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), who offers the certification, has created four areas of study: ornamental maintenance, lawn maintenance, hardscape, and softscape. Each participant must choose one of these tracks in which to become certified. R&S Landscaping staff members that took the lawn maintenance track were Maintenance Division Manager Rocky Bilyeu, Maintenance Assistant Production Manager Juan Romero, Foreman Ramon Santos, and crew members. Those who took the hardscaping track were Foreman Leonel Sanchez, Assistant Project Manager Brittney Hunter, and crew members Victor Aguilar, Serbando Balan, Brayan Orbe, and Juan Carlos Rodriguez. “We are extremely proud of our participating staff,” said R&S Landscaping President, Robert Schucker. “This is a very difficult test and we commend their ambition to continue their education and enhance their service abilities. It has been an honor to watch this group of employees come together and help one another learn and study.” R&S employee Damian Sanchez of Spring Valley, New York, served his second year as a practical judge at the annual exam. For more information, contact R&S Landscaping at (201) 447-6205 or service@rscape.com. Kenneth Schindler recently received a Technical Emmy at the awards ceremony in Burbank, California. Schindler grew up in Allendale and graduated from Northern Highlands Regional High School in 1992. After graduating from University of Miami in Florida with a double major in music engineering, he went on to University of Gainsville to complete a master’s in engineering. From there, he went to work at Dolby Digital in San Francisco. This is Schindler’s second Emmy; the first one was awarded to him in 2000 for his work on audio coding technology called “Dolby –E,” a professional encoder and Ken Schindler wins Technical Emmy decoder. This recent Emmy was awarded to him for his work on the “PRM-4200: A Professional Reference Monitor.” “This time, he was invited to the actual awards ceremony in Burbank,” said Schidnler’s mom, Nickie Lisella. “We are so excited for him. It is wonderful to receive this kind of recognition within the industry.” The statue will be kept at the Dolby headquarters in San Francisco. Schindler will receive a framed certificate that he will display in his office next to his first one. Schindler and his wife Pauline reside in Alameda, a suburb of San Francisco.