Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 12, 2014

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BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, Jully 12, 2014 

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


A WARM INVITATION

In spring and summer, it’s easy to envision ways to 
enhance your home’s curb appeal with a trimmed 
lawn, planted and potted flowers, and patios and 
decks arranged with outdoor furniture and an 
inviting grill. But when the leaves fall and the 
temperatures drop, even homes in temperate 
climes undergo a winter transformation that can 
challenge a seller to create exterior appeal.

 When it comes to landscaping and colorful 
plants, there are plenty of ornamental grasses 
and plants that look great in wintertime. Purple 
cabbages, fountain grasses, and potted evergreens 
along pathways and by the door all add seasonal 
color and appeal. And obviously, your sidewalk, 
entry path, patio and deck should be clear of leaves 
and/or snow.

 Be sure to keep in mind that shorter days mean 
that buyers are that much more likely to see your 
home after sunset, so make sure all your floodlights 
are clean and in working order, highlighting 
your home’s exterior features. Lamps with soft 
lighting in all your windows will also offer a warm 
invitation.

 Finally, just to cover your bases, have photos 
available of your home in all its glory during the 
spring and summer months. 

 This gives buyers a better sense of your home’s 
appeal during all the seasons of the year. Your 
agent will have more tips for attracting buyers in 
any kind of weather.

A PLAN FOR PROTECTING YOUR MOST 

VALUABLE ASSET: YOUR CHILDREN


WHEN SHOULD YOU 

SIGN UP FOR MEDICARE

By Greg Welborn

 If you have young children, chances are your 
summer activities include some careful planning 
to keep them safe from harm. Unfortunately, 
even with proper precautions in place, accidents 
do happen - and not just to children. Have you 
planned for what would happen to your children 
if you were the one involved in a tragic accident?

If you don’t put the proper legal protections in 
place and the unthinkable happens to you, any 
number of things could happen to your children, 
and none of them are good:

 . Your children could be put in the care of 
Child Protective Services. You never want 
strangers determining your children’s fate, even 
temporarily.

 . Your children could be put in the custody of 
someone you would never want to have control 
over them by a judge who does not know anything 
about you or your family dynamics.

 . Your family could get into a fight over the 
custody of your children (and control of any assets 
you leave your children).

 . Your estate can be thrown into probate, with 
a large portion of your assets going to court costs 
and legal fees -- money that your children could 
have used in the future.

 . Whatever is left over would go to your children 
as soon as they turn 18, in one lump sum they will 
likely not be prepared to handle properly.

 . Your children’s inheritance would be a matter 
of public record, putting every predator and scam 
artist on notice with details about the assets being 
transferred along with access to your children’s 
personal information.

 Since there are so many bad things that can 
happen to your children should something 
bad happen to you, we have developed the 
Kids Protection Plan® for families with young 
children. This plan includes a comprehensive 
set of instructions and legal documents that will 
ensure your kids will be raised by someone of 
your choosing and that your assets are protected 
for their well-being.

 To get started ensuring your kids will always 
be protected, call our office today to schedule an 
appointment for a complimentary Family Estate 
Planning Session to identify the best ways for you 
to provide a legacy of love and financial security 
for your family, no matter what.

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

 

Marc, a local attorney, father, and Court Appointed 
Special Advocate for Children is on a mission 
to help parents protect what they love most. His 
office is located at 49 S. Baldwin Ave., Ste. G, Sierra 
Madre, CA 91024.

As with a number of government programs, there 
is some confusion about Medicare, especially in 
terms of when or whether to sign up for each 
component. Below is a short guide to make the 
process a bit easier.

 Signing up for Medicare Part A is almost a 
no-brainer. It covers in-patient hospital care, 
usually without a premium, although you pay 
a deductible and share costs. We recommend 
signing up 3 months before you turn 65.

Medicare Part B covers doctor’s visits and 
outpatient care. There is a monthly premium 
as well as a deductible and coinsurance. If 
you’re collecting Social Security when you turn 
65, you’ll be automatically enrolled, but you 
might want to opt out if you still have employer 
coverage. Dates are important here. When you 
lose employer coverage, you have 8 months to 
sign up. Miss that deadline, and you have to 
wait til open enrollment (Jan 1 – Mar 31) but 
your premium permanently increases by 10% for 
every12 months you delay.

 Medigap (Medicare Supplement Coverage) 
covers part or all of the costs you would pay 
under parts A & B. Benefits are standardized 
but insurers set their own premiums. You have 
6 months to enroll from the first day of the 
month you turn 65 or older AND are enrolled 
in Medicare Part B. Don’t miss this deadline or 
you could be denied coverage due to preexisting 
conditions.

 Medicare Part D is provided by private 
insurers and covers prescription drugs. 
There is a premium, along with co-pays 
and coinsurance. Some of the plans have 
deductibles. The plans cover a certain amount 
each year, after which you pay a higher share of 
costs (“the doughnut hole”), but after you reach 
a yearly maximum, your share goes way down 
until year end, then it starts over again. You may 
enroll during your Medigap initial enrollment 
period. If you don’t subscribe and go more 
than 62 days without “credible coverage” from 
somewhere else, then when you enroll, there will 
be a penalty charge.

One last option to consider is a Medicare 
Advantage Plan. These combine medical, 
prescription drug, and other benefits. They are 
offered through private insurers. You can enroll 
during your initial enrollment period or open 
enrollment (Oct 15 – Dec 7 for this one).

While not exhaustive, we hope the above 
provides at least a primer and some structure 
and timelines for the various options. More 
information is available at www.medicare.gov/ 
or at www.ssa.gov/medicare/.

 

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


THREE MARKETING INITIATIVES TO WORK ON THIS 
SUMMER 

1. List building: If you work hard on list building this summer, your year-end holiday campaigns will 
be more effective. Set a goal and stick with an action plan.

Start a social campaign where people enter for a chance to win one of your summer products or a 
service. This type of campaign collects a Facebook “Like” and an email (builds your list). Constant 
Contact’s social campaign tool works well for this type of give-away.

2. Engagement: Survey your audience and ask them to participate in some type of decision that you are 
working on. Maybe you are designing a new product line and you want them to choose the color they 
like best. Create a simple survey and have them vote. Getting people involved can help create brand 
loyalty and positive word of mouth.

3. Humanize your brand. Add a human touch to your posts. Most people tend to do business with 
people they like and trust. Talk about the people behind your brand. Show behind-the-scenes photos 
from your business. Tell your story. Why you started your business and why you are passionate about 
it. Share fun slices of your business life. 

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, webinars and presentations at: www.hutdogs.com/workshops/schedule 

 * thecreative entrepreneurby Lori Koop, Business Coach
An entrepreneur client recently confided that she 
felt like a failure. She sighted the diverse career 
paths she had traveled over the years as evidence. 
Now, she was about to embark on a new venture, 
and she was concerned about what other people 
would think.

 As a coach, there was a lot to that little 
conversation. Things that could potentially 
hold her back from success. I thought I would 
share them with you, so you too could benefit. 
We entrepreneurs tend to think alike. And we 
all want to succeed. Simple tools can make the 
difference. Look for them over the next few 
articles.

 Let’s start with our need to please. It seems 
built into us. We want to be accepted, loved, 
and so we concern ourselves with making other 
people happy. If we do things that make them 
happy, then we are happy. If our actions don’t 
result in them being happy, then unfortunately, 
we aren’t. Do you see that it’s their response to 
our actions that is determining how we feel? We 
are not in control. They are.

 And how we feel determines what we do. 
If we’re happy and energized, we work hard. 
If we’re not, we don’t. So to go even deeper, in 
essence, their reactions are determining our 
business success. Ugh! That’s no way to reach our 
potential.

No, to give your venture a great chance at 
success, you must be in charge of your feelings. 
Your business is your business, no one else’s. 
Don’t look around. They may not approve… and 
that’s okay. It’s their business how they feel, not 
yours. Your job is to do what you’ve been put on 
this earth to do. No one has that same work to 
do. Or skill.

 Finding your right path won’t come from 
them. It can only come from you. What truly 
excites you? Follow that! And watch how things 
magically fall into place.

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 write every other week.

 
Be the boss of you.
Start your own business.
Learn how...
www.LORiKOOP.com
200 S. Los Robles Ave., Suite 320, Pasadena, California 91101 . (626) 792-2228 . www.cliffordswan.com 
Investment Counselors since 1915 
Providing Objective and Experienced Investment Counsel to Financially Successful Families 
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com