The Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce held its monthly membership meeting at Grace Community Church on March 7. There were 26 members and guests in attendance. Each person in attendance gave a brief introduction and a 30-second ìcommercialî about their business. Following the introductions, our first guest speaker, Doreen Bronner, shared information about the American Legion Post 2008.Doreen Bronner is the junior vice commander for the American Legion Post 2008 in Falcon. Doreen talked about the great things the American Legion is doing for the community and their mission to take care of veterans. Doreen said they will again host their annual golf tournament to raise money, and they are also looking for land and/or a building they could purchase to secure a permanent home for the post. For more information, contact the American Legion Post 2008 at legionpost2008@gmail.com.Brandon Shaw of Edward Jones presented next. Brandon spoke about several topics, including how to weather the tax season, cost/basis information related to taxation, planning for college and planning for retirement.Brandon talked about making this tax season as easy as possible. He said one of the most important things to do is to get organized and then decide if you need help. There are many options to prepare taxes. Depending on the complexity of the specific situation, it might be necessary to consult with a tax professional to get the most from the ever-complicated tax code. Also, Brandon mentioned it is not too late to make an IRA contribution for 2017. He said individual taxpayers have until their filing deadline to contribute to a traditional IRA and potentially get a tax benefit. Brandon discussed how to plan for college and the options available. He mentioned 529 plans, which allow monies to grow tax free as long as the money is used for qualified education expenses. He also mentioned other tax advantaged investments. Brandon closed by mentioning the importance of asking for help, if necessary, with financial planning and investing. For more information, Brandon can be reached at 719-282-0539.Dave Ahrens, president of the chamber, closed the meeting with a few announcements about upcoming chamber events. Our next meeting will be an after-hours event April 4 at Patriot High School. Annual dues for 2018 must be in as soon as possible. Invoices were sent out, and the chamber can be paid online through PayPal or by sending a check to the chamber.The Chamber of Commerce Board is currently looking to fill the secretary position. If you are interested or know someone who would be interested, contact the board at the email address below.The next meeting will be April 4 ó invite friends and fellow business owners to attend.Upcoming speakers:June ñ Suzanne Craig of Legal Shield is the breakfast sponsor.There are many open spots in the coming year for both breakfast sponsorships and feature speakers. The breakfast sponsor typically has five to 10 minutes to share information on his or her business. The featured speaker has 20 to 25 minutes to share information on a topic of choice. As we have done in the past, we will be filling spots with community leaders but would also like the opportunity to spotlight our members.If you or your organization would be interested in being the featured speaker for one of the upcoming chamber of commerce meetings, contact the chamber board at board@easternplainschamber.com.The Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce meets the first Wednesday of each month, from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at Grace Community Church ó 9475 Grace Church View in Falcon.
