Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 30, 2014

B3

 

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, August 30, 2014 

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


LIKE MOTHS TO A FLAME

 Have you done your ”spring cleaning” yet? If 
you’re selling your home, it’s essential to take 
care of the details, both inside and out. Since 
buyers first see your property from the street, 
there are some steps you can take to pique 
their interest in seeing more.

 Obviously, color makes an impact. Emphasize 
two or three colors in your flowerbeds and 
shrubs, and coordinate your blooms with the 
seasons, be it spring or summer. Also make 
sure your trees and shrubs are properly sized 
to the house and grounds, and not blocking 
any of your home’s positive features.

 Perfectly maintaining your lawn is critical 
while you’re listing, since a well-manicured 
lawn powerfully symbolizes your pride of 
ownership and attention to maintenance. 
You can reduce the time invested in mowing 
and watering if you can do some simple 
landscaping with rocks, ornamental grasses 
and drought-tolerant plants.

The sound of water also turns buyers on. Even 
if you don’t have a pond, you can achieve the 
same effect by installing a small fountain in 
the front yard, or even running an electric 
fountain on your porch or deck.

 Finally, there are a couple of architectural 
flourishes that add interest, such as colorful 
window boxes, a trellis with flowering vines, 
or even a pretty new mailbox. Contact your 
agent for a wealth of other ideas to attract 
buyers.

ROBIN WILLIAMS: A LESSON IN DEEDS, 

NOT WORDS + ONE ERROR IN PLANNING

One of the most eloquent responses to Robin 
Williams’ death came from his best friend Billy 
Crystal, who posted on Twitter simply: “No 
words.” 

 When someone close to us dies -- especially 
in a sudden and tragic way -- the grief is so deep 
that we truly don’t have words to describe it. 
And while Robin Williams may have lost the 
battle to take care of himself, it appears that 
he did take care of his family through various 
estate planning strategies that will at least spare 
them the pain and cost of a public probate court 
proceeding.

 According to a Forbes article following 
Williams’ death, Williams had significant 
real estate holdings including a 653-acre Napa 
Valley estate and a waterfront home in Tiburon, 
California. The Napa Valley estate has been for 
sale since April with a price tag of $29.9 million; 
the Tiburon home has been valued at $6 million.

Both properties are held in the name of a real 
estate holding trust, which can remove the 
value of the properties from Williams’ estate 
and result in significant estate tax savings for 
his family. 

 Williams also set up a trust for his three 
children that splits the assets into equal 
distributions for each child once they reach the 
ages of 21, 25 and 30. This trust was established 
during his 2009 divorce from his second wife.

 This is the one place Williams could have 
done better. Leaving assets to children outright 
when they reach specific ages is a common 
strategy of many estate planning attorneys, 
but it isn’t always the best strategy. Instead, 
Williams could have left the distributions in 
lifetime asset protection trusts that his children 
would have controlled as co-trustees, and then 
as they got older, sole trustees. This would have 
protected the trust assets from lawsuits, divorce, 
bankruptcy or any other type of creditor and 
future estate taxes, for generations to come. 

While most of us do not have the wealth that 
Robin Williams enjoyed during his lifetime, 
we can all protect what we do have and ensure 
it passes to our loved ones using many of the 
same estate planning devices Williams did. 
For example, a trust allows our assets to pass 
outside of probate so our families will not have 
to endure a court proceeding or have assets 
frozen during the probate process. This can be 
a lifeline for grieving families in trying times.

One of the main goals of my law practice is to help 
families like yours plan for the safe, successful 
transfer of wealth to the next generations. If 
you have any questions about how to ensure 
your family is protected and provided for, no 
matter what, please get in touch.

 All the best to you and your family,






Marc, a local attorney, father, and CASA 
volunteer (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. 
Call 626.355.4000 to schedule an appointment 
to sit down and talk with him about giving your 
family the gift of a lasting legacy of love and 
financial security or visit www.GarlettLaw.com 
for more information.


MOBILE-FRIENDLY EMAIL CAMPAIGNS 

PRODUCE BETTER RESULTS

 I just read a statistic that says the average 
person looks at their phone 150 times a day and 
more than 43% of all emails are read on a smart 
phone or tablet. 

 Let’s face it, we are never going back to the old 
way of email marketing….long-winded, multi-
columned emails. Those types of emails don’t 
look good on a mobile device, plus people don’t 
have time to read them. They want content that is 
quick and easy to digest. 

 We are finding that simple, one-column 
emails with a single clear call to action (above 
the scroll) are getting the best results. Constant 
Contact has found that there is a trend in the 
type of links people are clicking on too. Believe 
it or not, text links vs. fancy buttons are getting 
more action. 

 If email marketing is important to your 
business and you haven’t switched to a mobile-
friendly design and content strategy, it’s time. 
Format your email campaigns in a way that’s 
easy for your readers to consume and take action 
on. Throw out the over-thinking process and 
keep them simple. 

 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 

Come to MJ’s presentation on Tuesday, 
September 2, 2014 at the Sierra Madre Kiwanis 
Club, 33 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre at 
noon. Lunch $10 

For reservations call 626-355-0728

 * thecreative entrepreneurby Lori Koop, Business Coach 
I have been in the process of looking for a new 
office for several months now. My deadline was 
September 1. And it was quickly approaching. I 
wanted another place in Sierra Madre.

 But the supply was limited. It seemed like 
only months before, there were lots of “for lease” 
signs. But not now. Once I started looking, the 
signs disappeared.

 A dear friend had a cool office in a fabulous 
warehouse space that I was seriously considering. 
For three months, I kept it as the back-up plan. 
Maybe this WAS the right place, I thought. So I 
gave her a deposit. After all, it was only ten days 
til deadline. 

 Well as often happens, three days later, I found 
the exact right spot. And wrote a check then and 
there. I just knew. It was a gut thing. How many 
times had I coached people about trusting their 
gut!

 Waiting, trusting the exact right thing will 
show up when you need it is one of the hardest, 
bravest things you will ever do. And one of the 
most exciting reminders you will ever experience. 

 LORI KOOP, helping creative entrepreneurs 
prosper. Schedule a complimentary session: www.
LORIKOOP.com or call 626-836-1667. (Location: 
47 E. Montecito Avenue, Sierra Madre 91024) I 
write every other week. 

 
Has work taken over?
Restore balance + peace of mind.
www.LORiKOOP.com
HOW TO AVOID FRAUDULENT JOBS

Job hunting is tough enough, but there 
are people and organizations that want to 
take advantage of you during your career 
efforts. Your personal information, 
intellectual property, money, and more 
can be at risk during all aspects of your 
job hunt.

 The objectives of this presentation are 
to make you aware of common scams, 
show you how to identify questionable 
job practices, and tell you what to do if 
you are the victim of a fraudulent job.

 Presenter Tom Lenzo has seen many 
fraudulent jobs during a career working 
in training, organizational development, 
technology, and security. He is an identity 
theft investigator (volunteer) with the 
Pasadena Police Department, and is a 
member of the FBI’s InfraGard program, 
specializing in cybercrime. Tom is also a 
Women at Work volunteer.

When: Wednesday Sept. 17, 2014

 Doors open at 5:15

 Presentation 5:30 - 6:30

 Networking 6:30 - 7:00

Where: Women At Work

 2555 E. Colorado #204, Pasadena

Cost: Women at Work clients – a 
contribution, please. Employed Guests: 
$5.00


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