| | Illinois State Treasurer’s Office eNewsletter
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Volume 1, issue 4 | ||||||
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In this issue:
· Letter from the Treasurer · Program Spotlight · SWSM Season Kick-Off · Cash Dash · Bright Start Drawing · AG Scholarship Contest
Contact Us:
Newsletter@treasurer.state.il.us
Illinois State Treasurer’s Office 100 West Randolph Street Suite 15-600 Chicago, IL 60601 Phone: 312.814.1700 Fax: 312.814.5930
State Capitol Room 219 Springfield, IL 62706 Phone: 217.782.2211 Fax: 217.785.2777
| Letter from the Treasurer
Dear Friends:
In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, it seems only fitting that this issue of the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office eNewsletter be dedicated to helping you find your pot of gold.
Be it through forgotten pots of unclaimed property, trying your luck in the Bright Start drawing, or making the most out of your green at our Smart Women Smart Money conference, the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office wants this to be your lucky day.
In this issue, you will also see how we are investing state funds to bring more jobs to Illinois and helping future agricultural professionals through the Treasurer’s Office Excellence in Agricultural Scholarship.
Thank you for your continued interest in the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office. I wish you success and prosperity this month and in those to come.
Technology Development Account
To date, the Treasurer’s Office has invested in 35 Illinois companies that have created thousands of jobs and compete in a wide range of industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and software development. These investments have attracted more than $550 million in private investments to Illinois over competing states and technology sectors.
The TDA’s most recent success story took place in Champaign-Urbana at iCyt Mission Technologies. Sony Corporation of America acquired the biotechnology company and is using its expertise and technologies to expand into the life science field as part of Sony’s 2011 national healthcare initiative. Seeded in part with money from TDA, iCyt has created 44 jobs since its inception in 2005. This sale brings a Fortune 500 company to the State of Illinois and promises to bring many more jobs.
Currently, the Treasurer’s Office is also working with the General Assembly on legislation to expand this program. TDA II will boost the state’s maximum investment to 2 percent of the state portfolio, increasing the state’s ability to bring much-needed jobs to Illinois.
For more information on the Illinois Technology Development Account, contact Technology Development Fund Administrator Brace Clement at (312) 814-1699 or bclement@treasurer.state.il.us . You can also contact your state legislators to encourage them to vote for the TDA II to being more jobs to Illinois.
Celebrating Ten Years of Educating and Empowering Women
2010 marks the tenth anniversary of educating and empowering women across the State of Illinois. A lot has changed since the first SWSM conference in 2001, but women still face significant challenges when it comes to their personal finances. As the economic downturn continues, women need reliable information about how to save, spend wisely and make smart decisions in these tough times.
In this anniversary year of Smart Women Smart Money, the Treasurer’s Office is proud to again offer free conferences as a way for women to come together, celebrate their accomplishments and learn with and from each other.
Illinois State Treasurer’s Chief of Staff Robin Kelly will host the first SWSM conference of the 2010 SWSM season on March 18. The conference will be held at White Eagle Banquets located at 6839 North Milwaukee Avenue in Niles, IL. The plenary speaker will be Charlene Soby, Vice President of Personal Financial Services at Northern Trust, who will speak on “Life is a Marathon, not a Sprint.”
Check-in will open at 4:00PM and the conference will begin at 4:45PM with a light dinner to be served. To register for the conference please visit www.treasurer.il.gov or click on the SWSM logo.
In honor of our anniversary, the SWSM theme this year is “A Perfect 10.” SWSM is designed to offer practical skills and information we can all use as we strive to achieve our financial goals and perfect our money management skills.
Cash Dash The Treasurer’s Office May be Holding Your Pot of Gold! The State Treasurer’s Office currently has $1.4 billion in lost, forgotten or abandoned cash and assets that belongs to 10 million Illinois residents. Some of this so-called “unclaimed property” could be yours!
Twice a year, the office publicizes the last known owner and address for each new property that is over $100. The names are kept in our online Cash Dash database forever. Recently, the Treasurer’s Office published the names of 66,492 new owners of unclaimed property owners in various news papers throughout the state.
In 2009, the Treasurer’s Office returned nearly $83 million in lost funds and assets to more than 39,000 Illinois residents and businesses statewide.
To find out if you or someone you know has unclaimed property, please visit www.cashdash.net.
Enter by April 30, 2010 to win!
With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, today may be your lucky day! The Bright Start College Savings Program is giving away up to $10,000 to K-8 students in Illinois schools. Ten lucky names will be drawn at random and will receive a $500 deposit into a Bright Start account. In addition, Bright Start will give away up to $500 in school supplies to the Illinois public or private grade K-8 school listed on each winner’s entry.
You do not need a Bright Start account to enter or win. All participants for the Bright Start contest must enter by April 30, 2010. Winners will be notified by phone and/or e-mail. To enter the Bright Start contest go to www.treasurer.il.gov or click on the “Win Money for College” icon below.
Bright Start is one of Illinois’ 529 college savings plan and is administered by the Illinois State Treasurer. Bright Start allows you to save money toward your future student’s higher education expenses such as tuition, books, fees, room and board. Withdrawals from the account to pay for qualified expenses are tax-free at most schools in-state, out-of-state or abroad. In addition, Illinois residents enjoy a generous state tax deduction for contributions made to a Bright Start account, up to $10,000 per year for single filers and up to $20,000 per year for joint filers.
For more information on how you can save tax-free for college with Bright Start visit www.brightstartsavings.com or call 1-800-565-7353.
Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship Contest Treasurer Giannoulias wants Illinois high school seniors who plan to major in agriculture-related studies to apply for his office’s Excellence in Agriculture Scholarships. Treasurer Giannoulias will award ten $2,000 scholarships to students planning on attending an Illinois-based college or university in the fall. Applications must be postmarked on or before May 14, 2010. A scholarship committee will select the winners. The Treasurer’s Office will notify the winners by May 28, 2010. Students must also submit a completed application, which is available either on the Treasurer’s website, www.treasurer.il.gov, or by calling 217-557-6436. Eligibility requirements: · Minimum GPA of 2.75 during the 2009-10 school year · Be accepted at an accredited higher education institution in Illinois by the application deadline. · Plan to pursue a career in agriculture or an agriculture-related field. The following information must be included with the application: · A statement of goals and future plans · A typed essay (minimum 250 words) identifying the reason(s) you want to pursue a career in agriculture or an agriculture-related field · An official high school transcript · Two letters of reference, including one from a non-school source · A list of extracurricular activities To date, the Treasurer’s Office has awarded $125,000 in scholarships to rural and urban students seeking degrees in a broad array of agriculture-related fields, from crop and livestock production to agri-business, engineering, communications, economics and animal science. These scholarships are funded through the Bright Start College Savings Program, which is run by the Treasurer’s Office. Bright Start is Illinois’ 529 college savings plan and is an easy, tax-free way to invest for college.
Did you know that President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th | ||||||
Friday, March 12, 2010
Treasurer's Office eNewsletter
Anybody know either businesses or education programs, being funded by the Treasurer's office? Maybe we should meet with them to ask?
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