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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
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