Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 13, 2016

13

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, February 13, 2016 


FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


FAMILY FINANCIAL 
TRADITIONS

To one degree or another, we are all a function of the social 
environments in which we were raised. Of course, that 
encompasses both positives and negatives. When it comes 
to money, the first exposure we have to its management 
is in our families. That makes good money management 
practices a real gift that parents can pass on to their children.

Don’t Just Buy Your Kid a Car 

The greatest motivator for a teenager is freedom, and their 
path to that freedom is a car. When you buy your kid a car, 
you are overlooking one of the greatest opportunities you 
have to support your child to learn to be self-sufficient.

 Instead, why not support him or her to earn the money 
to buy the car him/herself? Or, if you have an extra car 
already available for your child, at least require your child 
to pay for the gas and insurance, which will support him or 
her to begin to be prepared for those requirements of life in 
the future, when you aren’t there to provide for all the needs 
they have.

Kids Playing the Stock Market?

Introducing children to the stock market is not a far-fetched 
idea. There is plenty of information available that can be 
understood by kids. First off, children are very aware of 
products -- toys and games like the CashFlow Board Game, 
for example. They can be introduced to the fact that the 
companies that make these toys are owned by people like 
their parents, who hold shares of stock. From there, they 
can be shown the daily stock prices and how they change. 
As they grow older, your children can begin making small 
stock purchases and become comfortable with investing.

Family Vacation Saving

Family vacations are usually looked back on fondly and 
may even be considered family traditions. Saving during the 
year, by children as well as parents, for an annual vacation 
can also be part of that tradition and help teach good money 
management techniques. Whether it be from jobs kids have 
like grass cutting or babysitting, or just from allowance 
savings, it will serve children well later in life to have learned 
the value of setting money aside for a deferred pleasure.

Estate Planning

Involve your children in your estate planning as soon 
as they are old enough to understand. They will feel 
secure knowing you’ve planned well for what would 
happen to them, if and when something happens to 
you. Have them meet the lawyer they will work with, 
tell them about how they will receive their inheritance 
and when. And, begin to talk now about how you can 
increase the overall family wealth you have and how you 
want to be cared for by them in the twilight of your life. 
If you feel uncertain about how to approach these issues, 
contact us. Or read the books Die Wise, Being Mortal, and 
Family Wealth: Keeping It in the Family, all books that 
inform our firm’s personal process as your family lawyer.

Early Entrepreneurship

 Supporting your children to think like entrepreneurs 
can be one of the greatest gifts you give them. As the 
world shifts, we are moving into a new economy in which 
traditional jobs don’t always provide the security they once 
did. In fact, technology is already replacing many of the jobs 
people relied on in the past. As that trend continues, the 
only real job security will be resourcefulness, creativity and 
entrepreneurship.

 Consider reading the book The Last Safe Investment by 
Bryan Franklin and Michael Ellsberg for some more ideas 
around this topic or call us to discuss any of these financial 
management techniques further. 

 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.

A FRAMEWORK FOR MARKETING THAT WORKS

Marketing is really about producing compelling content 
that elicits a physical and measurable response. 

 A good marketing campaign should produce results: 
clicks, calls, shares, likes, replies, purchases, referrals, 
conversations etc. These are the actions that benefit your 
business. 

Here’s a simple framerwork: 

 Set up a calendar for your marketing. Each month, 
define goals, objective and a theme for your campaigns.

 Define your marketing goals. Do you need new 
customers? Do you need to nurture your current 
customers? Do you need to bring back dormant 
customers?

 Define a measurable objective? Do you want to 
increase sales by 20% in February? Do you need to fill 
seats at an event?

 Choose a campaign type: Information sharing, 
announcement, event invite, discussion, offer etc.

 What channels will help you get the word out: email, 
Facebook, Twitter, direct mail. 

 Come up with unique calls to action, headlines and 
subject lines. Stay away from “click here,” “January 
newsletter.” Be more specific and get creative. For 
example, if you are selling chocolates for Valentine’s day; 
instead of “buy now,” try “send some love.”

 Find the best time to send your content. Use analytics 
in Facebook and Constant Contact to determine what 
days and time are better for your audience. 

 Free 4-part digital marketing workshops at Pasadena 
SBDC:

 If you want to learn more about digital marketing, 
HUTdogs will be offering a four-part series Feb. 18 & 25, 
March 17 & 24 at the SBDC in Pasadena. The classes are 
free to attend. To register, sign up at www.hutdogs.com/
workshops/schedule 

 About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, 
a creative services and digital marketing business. “Like” 
them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hutdogs. Sign 
up for their upcoming workshops at: www.hutdogs.
com/workshops/schedule 

 
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