Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 15, 2014

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS 13 
Mountain Views News Saturday, March 15, 2014 BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS 13 
Mountain Views News Saturday, March 15, 2014 
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FAMILY MATTERS 

By Marc Garlett 

HOW LIVING WILLS BECAME A WAY OF LIFE IN 
ONE AMERICAN TOWN 

With just over 50,000 residents, La Crosse, WI is a lot like most other small towns in America – but 
one thing makes La Crosse stand out: 96% of La Crosse residents who have died had an advance 
health care directive (also commonly called a living will) in place. Nationally, only about 30% of 
American adults have an advance health care directive in place. 

Actually, there are two things that make La Crosse stand out: the town also has lower healthcare costs 
than any other place in the U.S. And these two things – a high percentage of residents with advance 
directives and lower healthcare costs -- are inextricably linked. 

According to a recent NPR story, all this came about because of one man: Dr. Bud Hammes, Medical 
Humanities Director at Gundersen Hospital in La Crosse. Dr.Hammes often found himself sitting 
with families of terminally ill patients, trying to figure out what to do next. He said the conversations 
were excruciating: “Did mom ever say anything to you?” “Do you know what dad wants?” He felt the 
moral distress of those families and it was palpable. 

Dr. Hammes knew these scenarios could easily be avoided, since most patients were usually sick 
for years. So he started training nurses to ask patients early on if they wanted to sign an advance 
directive, and over the years, planning for death has become a way of life in La Crosse.
And the lower healthcare costs? Dr. Hammes said the reduction in spending was a complete accident; 
simply a byproduct of letting people make their own choices. He said that when you let patients 
choose and direct their own care, they often make a much less expensive choice. 

Making end of life plans is one of the easiest, and yet most comforting things you can do for your 
family. To make things as stress-free as possible for your loved ones, contact our office to schedule a 
time for us to sit down and talk. Because this planning is so important, I’ve made space for the next 
two people who mention this article to have a complete family estate planning session at no charge. 

Call 626.355.4000 today and mention this article or visit us at www.GarlettLaw.com for more 
information. 

RETIREMENT MYTHS WOMEN BELIEVE 

By Gregory J. Welborn 

When it comes to retirement, many women just 
aren’t prepared. In many cases, the problem is that 
they’ve fallen prey to one or more of the following 
common retirement myths. 

Myth #1: Social Security will be enough for me to 
live on when I retire. Social Security was designed 
as a safety net to help seniors avoid severe poverty, 
not to fund all of your retirement expenses. The 
current average monthly benefit is just over $1,200. 
In Southern California, that’s probably not enough 
to comfortably retire. You’ll need more. 


Myth #2: I still have plenty of time to save for retirement. Starting early is key; waiting can cost you 
a lot. Saving $100 a month for 30 years earning 6% annually should generate approximately $98,000 
for retirement. Increasing that contribution each year to keep up with 3% inflation would increase 
your retirement savings to $141,000. Time matters. 

Myth #3: I have to save for my kids’ college education first. Helping your children is certainly one of 
life’s priorities, but you shouldn’t sacrifice your retirement security just so your children can graduate 
from a pricey college free of debt. Your kids can borrow money to pay for college, but you can’t get a 
loan to pay for retirement. 

Myth #4: I can’t afford to save. Life can get expensive. Unless things are really dire, keep making 
retirement contributions. First, saving money early gives it more time to grow. Second, by not saving 
for retirement, you could be turning down free money. If your employer matches your retirement 
contributions, try to contribute at least to the amount of the match. 

Myth #5: I don’t work outside the home, so I don’t need to worry about retirement. Many women are 
simply counting on their husbands to handle all of the retirement planning. That isn’t always a smart 
move as divorce rates attest. But even if you decide not to contribute, it’s still important to be involved 
in the retirement planning process and know what’s being saved and where. 

Retirement Planning: Get Started Today 

Planning for retirement is a lifelong process. Starting today, even with small amounts, can increase 
the odds of a comfortable retirement in the future. Having trouble getting started? Consider making 
an appointment with a financial advisor. He or she can talk to you about your long-term goals and 
help you develop a retirement savings strategy that works for you. 

About the author: Gregory J. Welborn is the Managing Partner of First Financial Consulting, a fee-
only advisory firm. He has worked with The Today Show, Kiplinger’s Magazine, and USA Today 
to provide objective financial advice to their readers and listeners. He has 3 grown children and is 
honored to be married to his wife of 25 years. He can be reached at gwelborn@ffconsult.net 


HOW TO ADD A LINK ON A FACEBOOK POST 

One of the benefits of 
social media is that it 
can provide back links 
to our web sites. A back 
link is a hyperlink that 
links from a site like 
Facebook, back to your own web site, they are 
also called inbound links. They are important 
in determining the importance of your web site 
and help with your search engine optimization. 

It’s important to add links to your web site every 
once in a while in your Facebook posts. Here are 
the steps: 

• 
Type or paste your link in the publisher, 
it doesn’t matter if it is a really long url, you candelete it after it populates. 
• 
Once you see your link below the 
dotted line, erase it in the top part andwrite something about the link you are sharing. 
• 
You can upload a custom image to gowith your link and it too will link to the url. 
About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, 
a creative services business that specializes in Internet 
Marketing strategies and Social Media. They offer social 
media management services and help their clients build 
a strong on-line presence. “Like” them on Facebook for 
trending news in social media, internet marketing and 
other helpful tips, www.facebook.com/hutdogs.
Sign up for their upcoming classes and presentations at: 
www.hutdogs.com/workshops/schedule 


• 


So, you want to start using social media to 
promote your business? Last time I wrote about 
how important it is to start with your “why”. 
Why do you want to use social media? What is 
that heart-based reason for the effort? Knowing 
your why is essential; it is the first part of any goal 
because meaning inspires action. Once you feel 
it, you can create it. 

This brings us to the next step -- the action, or the 
actual “doing” of it. Here’s where most people’s 
plans go awry. Their social media strategy begins 
with 15 minutes twice a day, 6 days a week, over 
4 platforms. They are on fire! …For about a week. 
After that, things start to slip, days are missed, 
and eventually, “nothing’s happening.” Again. 

As we know, entrepreneurs are busy. Most are 
wearing many hats. In order to add one more 
thing, they’ve got to find room. If that is you, and 
there is “no room” in your schedule, start small… 
super small. So small it may seem ridiculous. 
Personally, I will start with 5 minutes. (Yes, I’ll 
admit that I’ve been meaning to start forever, 
too.) Most of us can find 5 minutes, and that is a 
great starting commitment. 

Next, how many days a week? Well, what seems 

*the creative entrepreneur 
by Lori Koop, Business Coach 
reasonable? Write it down…. Now halve that 
number. Then, halve it again. For me, my initial 
5 days became “once a week.” It sounds do-able, 
and (more importantly) it feels do-able. Next, 
add it to the calendar. It is best to book the same 
time each week, so it is easier to remember. I’ll 
choose Tuesdays from 8:30 to 8:45 am. 

It’s easy to doubt starting so small could have an 
impact, but this little commitment can make a 
big difference. It begins to add up… remember, 
you were doing nothing before, now you’re 
doing something. You are now someone who 
“does social media.” As I commit every week, I’m 
learning how to engage, build friendships, and 
share my passion. In just 5 minutes a week! 

Success inspires success. Start noticing and 
celebrating your successes, no matter how small. 
Celebrate because it feels good. Celebrate because 
it will inspire the next little bite. 

. . . . . 

LORI KOOP, helping creative entrepreneurs 
prosper. Schedule a complimentary session: www.
LORIKOOP.com or call 626-836-1667. (Location: 
49 S. Baldwin Avenue, Suite L, Sierra Madre 
91024) I’m here every other week. 

Fresh Business Ideas. 
New income opportunities. 
www.LORIKOOP.COM