Mountain Views News     Logo: MVNews     Saturday, January 30, 2016

MVNews this week:  Page 13

13

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, January 30, 2016 


FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


PLANNING FOR 
CHARITABLE GIVING

January 1 wiped the slate clean for your tax 
deductible charitable contributions. So this is a 
great time to reassess your approach to donating 
to charities. Most of us respond to some of the 
appeals which come through various avenues 
such as unsolicited phone calls, campaigns at 
work, or church related charities. Whatever 
the source of the appeal may be, however, most 
people are inconsistent givers and fret when 
finding a way to say no.

 

A Better Way

A solution to the dilemma of when to give 
and when not to, is having a plan in advance. 
Knowing ahead of time how much you are 
willing to contribute to charities and those 
specific charities to which you will give makes it 
easier to deal with those groups not on your “list”. 
Hard-charging solicitors are more likely to back 
off when informed that you have a charitable 
giving plan to which you strictly adhere.

 To begin creating your own personal 
charitable giving plan, first look at your past 
giving patterns and amounts. Did you take an 
itemized deduction? If yes, you can start with 
that amount and decide whether it is too high 
or too low. Many people do not keep track of all 
they have given, and some may even overstate 
the amount. Whatever the case, decide on an 
amount you want to give and then make a list of 
the organizations to which you will donate.

 Once you identify the recipients, you can 
decide how and when you want to make your 
contributions. If cash flow is an issue, you might 
set up a schedule for contributions. Consultation 
with the charity may provide some knowledge 
of what works best for that organization.

 

An Even More Coordinated Approach

If you want to provide a one-time outlay that 
gets your charitable funds set aside, a donor-
advised fund can be established through a 
financial services firm. This way, a contribution 
to the fund can be made and then disbursed 
at later dates. The tax deduction is based on 
the contribution to the fund rather than to 
individual organizations. This also allows other 
family members to contribute if they would like 
to simplify their charitable gift-giving, too.

 A plan for charitable giving that specifies 
an amount and the recipients, in advance, 
takes away the angst of considering numerous 
solicitations that come randomly throughout 
the year. Knowing you have an action plan in 
place makes it that much easier to either ignore 
solicitations or provide a standard response.

 Dedicated to your family’s wealth, health, and 
happiness,

 

A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett 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. Schedule an 
appointment to sit down and talk about ensuring 
a legacy of love and financial security for your 
family by calling 626.587.3058 or visit www.
GarlettLaw.com for more information.

POST ONCE, POPULATE MANY - 
BUILD SYSTEMS FOR YOUR ONLINE MARKETING

Building systems for your social media 
marketing will save you time and help 
you get your message out. Here are three 
simple systems that are easy to set up: 
Constant Contact Email System:
When you schedule your next Constant 
Contact Email campaign, use the Simple 
Share Feature. As you schedule your 
email to go out to your subscribers, it will 
also post to your Facebook, Twitter and 
LinkedIn accounts.

 A Simple Facebook System:
Facebook can act as a distribution hub as 
well. When you post to your Facebook 
Page, you can have that post populate 
Twitter and your web site.

 To link your Facebook posts to Twitter 
simply follow the instructions at www.
facebook.com/twitter. 

 You can have Facebook feed directly 
to your web site via a Facebook Like Box. 
Get the html code for your Like Box at: 
bit.ly/likeboxmaker. 

 This will create a content box on your 
website which will display your most 
recent posts. Plus it can give your web site 
a fresh look every time you post to Facebook. You 
will need to have designated space on your site for 
the feed.

Instagram System:

Instagram is a great starting tool in a system. You 
can take a picture from your smart phone, post 
it on Instagram and it will automatically post on 
Twitter, Facebook and your website. Here are 
two easy steps that will build a system for your 
Instagram posts:

Instagram settings: choose “share settings.” Select 
Facebook and Twitter and follow the instructions 
to link to your accounts. You can set up your 
Facebook feed to go to your personal profile page 
or to a business page you admin.

Add a feed to your website: Use a widget maker like 
Snapwidget.com to create code that you can install 
on your website. There are several widget format 
types to choose from (grid, slide show, scrolling 
etc.) This is a great way to keep images current on 
your website.

 The systems mentioned are pretty basic. You can 
build on them as you grow your on-line presence. 
The point is to create systems that work for your 
business. Systems that will save you time and 
provide maximum exposure for your valuable 
content.

 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 


ARCHITECT TO SPEAK ON 

EARTH-FRIENDLY HOME DESIGN

Dr. I-Jyh Wen, professor of Architecture at 
Taiwan’s National Yunlin University of Science and 
Technology (Yun Tech), follows his university’s 
creed: “Students should place an equal emphasis 
on humanities and technology.“ To that end, Dr. 
Wen practices a “green” approach to architecture, 
which attempts to do minimal harm to human 
health and environment by using eco-friendly 
building materials and construction methods. A 
graduate of Kyu-Shu University in Japan, Dr. Wen 
brought his expertise to Taiwan’s National Yunlin 
Univ. where he teaches that green building designs 
can be applied to diverse terrains, such as flat areas 
or mountainous regions. Many of Dr. Wen’s 
students have been influenced by his teachings. 

 Dr. Wen will speak at a meeting of the American 
Association of University Women-Arcadia Branch 
(AAUW-Arcadia) on Monday, February 22, 2016, 
at 2:00 pm. in the Church of the Good Shepherd’s 
Jordan Hall, 400 W. Duarte Road, Arcadia (SW 
corner of Duarte Road and Holly Avenue). The 
public is invited to come hear this international 
scholar and to view a power point presentation. An 
interpreter will be available. This is a free meeting, 
and ample parking is available. Refreshments will 
be served.

 

 For more information about the program or 
about membership in the American Association 
of University Women, please call Tamara Kato 
at (626) 375-6756 or Patricia Dietrich at (626) 
446-8437.


PET OF THE WEEK: ARTHUR: ANIMAL ID #A4911839

Meet a handsome young guy with a great 
personality to match, Arthur (A4911839)! Arthur 
is a loving and adorable 8-year-old tan-and-white 
male Beagle and Basset Hound mix who was 
found in Hacienda Heights on January 16th and 
brought to the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center. 
Weighing 23 lbs, Arthur has the cheery disposition 
for which Beagles are famous. He is eager to 
explore and would be a great companion to join 
you for walks around the neighborhood or hikes. 
Art knows how to walk on a leash and shows signs 
of being housebroken. Given his gentle disposition 
and eye-candy looks, we think he would be a great 
addition as an indoor pet and beloved buddy to a 
household with kids. To watch a video of Arthur, 
please visit the following link: https://youtu.be/
J9nVPxHX6-g 

 To meet Arthur in person, please see him at the 
Baldwin Park Shelter, located at 4275 N. Elton, 
Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 626-962-3577). 
He is currently available now. For any inquiries 
about Arthur, please reference his animal ID 
number: A4911839. The shelter is open seven 
days a week, 12 pm-7 pm Monday-Thursday and 
10am-5pm Friday-Sunday. This is a high-intake 
shelter with a great need for adoptions. For more 
information about Arthur or the adoption process, 
contact United Hope for Animals Volunteer 
Adoption Coordinator Samantha at Samantha@
hope4animals.org. To learn more about United 
Hope for Animals’ partnership with the Baldwin 
Park Shelter through its Shelter Support Program, 
as well as the many dogs of all breeds, ages, and 
sizes available for adoption in local shelters, visit 
http://www.unitedhope4animals.org/about-us/
shelter-support-program/.


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