Business briefs for June 30

Drake receives diploma from LSU

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Matthew Drake, senior lender at First State Bank and Trust in Sikeston, is among the 155 bankers who received graduation diplomas on June 7 from the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. The three-year program provides courses covering all aspects of banking, economics and related subjects. Students traveled from 20 states and Mexico to participate in the session.

Sponsored by 15 southern state bankers associations in cooperation with the Division of Continuing Education at LSU, the banking school requires attendance on campus for three years, with extensive bank study assignments between sessions. The faculty consists of bankers, business and professional leaders and educators from all parts of the U.S.

During their three years at the Graduate School of Banking, students receive 180 hours of classroom instruction, 30 hours of reviews, planned evening study and written final examinations at the end of each session.

New benefit is unveiled

SIKESTON -- Final Wishes is a valuable resource for individuals and executors

Modern Woodmen of America developed a free new tool to help its members plan for their own end of life and cope with the financial issues surrounding the death of a loved one. Final Wishes is a USB device containing tools to help prepare, share and store final wishes.

"As a Modern Woodmen representative, my job is to help members plan for life and prepare financially for what could happen next," said local representative Lee Bowman in Sikeston. "This new member benefit is a natural extension of this mission. It gives you a place to start with your own end-of-life planning."

The Final Wishes member benefit contains many helpful resources.

Information on choosing an executor and the executor's role, including an estate administration timeline.

Documents for end-of-life financial and funeral planning.

Advice on sharing plans with others.

Tools to help loved ones make notifications and financial decisions.

How it works

The small USB device opens the Final Wishes digital tool on a PC or Mac. From here, members can browse the contents and fill out helpful documents on their own or side-by-side with a loved one. The completed documents can then be saved directly to the device or on the computer.

For more information, contact Bowman at 573-471-5377, or visit modern-woodmen.org.