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Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, December 23, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||
B2 Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 23, 2017 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 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown All Things By Jeff Brown BUSINESS TODAY The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA WHY A SPENDTHRIFT TRUST CAN BE A GREAT SOLUTION FOR YOUR HEIRS There are many tools that can be used when putting together your estate plan. One such tool is a trust. A trust is a fiduciary arrangement, established by a someone (known as the grantor or trustmaker), giving a third party (known as a trustee) the authority to manage assets on behalf of one or more persons (known as a beneficiaries). Since every situation is different, there are a myriad of different types of trusts to ensure the best outcome for each beneficiary. One type of trust, known as a spendthrift trust, is commonly used to protect a beneficiary’s interest from creditors, a soon-to-be ex-spouse, or his or her own poor management of money. Generally, these trusts are created for the benefit of individuals who are not good with money, might easily fall into debt, may be easily defrauded or deceived, or have an addiction that may result in squandering of funds. Spendthrift Trust Basics Put simply, a spendthrift trust is for the benefit of someone who needs additional assistance managing or protecting his or her money. The spendthrift trust gives an independent trustee complete control and authority to make decisions on how the funds in the trust may be spent and what payments to or for the benefit of the beneficiary are necessary according to the trust document. Under a spendthrift trust, the beneficiary is prohibited from spending the money before he or she actually receives distributions. These restrictions prevent the beneficiary from squandering their entire interest or having it garnished by the beneficiary’s creditors. The trustee controls the assets in the trust, including managing and investing the funds, once the trust is made irrevocable. Most trusts become irrevocable after the grantor has passed, but some are irrevocable from the start. Creating a Spendthrift Trust A spendthrift trust is created essentially in the exact same manner as any other trust. However, the vital difference is that the spendthrift trust instrument must contain the right language to invoke the law’s protection. A knowledgeable estate planning attorney can provide guidance on how to best structure these provisions, so the trust meets your family’s needs. Like any trust, the benefits of a spendthrift trust can help avoid the delay and expense of probate as well as provide tax benefits and peace of mind. In fact, a spendthrift trust is an invaluable tool in protecting your heirs inheritance and ensuring your loved ones will be taken care of after your passing. Merry holidays to you and yours! Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and creating your legacy, 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. 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. The Christmas Train by David Baldacci One of America’s most critically acclaimed storytellers, David Baldacci has enthralled millions with his popular novels. Showcasing his remarkable versatility, Baldacci gift-wraps a beloved holiday classic...Disillusioned journalist Tom Langdon must get from Washington, D.C., to L.A. in time for Christmas. Forced to travel by train, he begins a journey of rude awakenings, thrilling adventures, and holiday magic. He has no idea that the locomotives pulling him across America will actually take him into the rugged terrain of his own heart, as he rediscovers people’s essential goodness and someone very special he believed he had lost. David Baldacci’s The Christmas Train is filled with memorable characters who have packed their bags with as much wisdom as mischief...and shows how we do get second chances to fulfill our deepest hopes and dreams, especially during this season of miracles. Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner (Author), Mark Buehner (Illustrator) Snowmen at Night shared with us the magical, slip-sliding adventures of snowmen after dark . . . but have you ever wondered what snowmen do for Christmas? Well, now’s your chance to find out! The snowmen are back, and this time they’re celebrating Christmas— the snowman way!This snappy and entertaining companion to the New York Times bestseller Snowmen at Night depicts all the best parts of the holiday, replete with icy treats and a snowman Kris Kringle.Told in the same bouncy verse as the original, the book is perfect for a snowy evening read-aloud. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski (Author), P.J. Lynch (Illustrator) “The tale is unfolded with such mastery, humor, and emotional force that we are entirely within its power.” —The New York Times Book Review.Jonathan Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley, but he is always alone and never smiles. No one knows about the mementos of his lost wife and child that he keeps in an unopened drawer. But one early winter’s day, a widow and her young son approach him with a gentle request that leads to a joyful miracle. The moving, lyrical tale, gloriously illustrated by P.J. Lynch, has been widely hailed as a true Christmas classic. You are Consciousness. You are that in which all appears. World, body, thoughts – all appear in you. You are not to be found as separate from anything. You are the source and appearance of all that is . You need not go anywhere or do anything for this to be obvious. It is the most obvious thing. You are always overlooking it, taking it for granted. All appears in awareness, ordinary awareness now, which is the ground of all that is, including this present experience. Simple awareness is the common factor to all experience. Just see that you are simply present. Nothing else is ever happening. See that all arises and falls in present awareness. People pass, clouds are going by, conversations are going on, thoughts appear. All unfolds in present awareness. Within awareness, you are appearing to yourself as everything. People, thoughts, worlds, universes, life, death – all take place in you. Identification as an ordinary human individual takes place in you. You are the source and appearance of all. All experience appears in you. There is only the present appearance of everything in and as awareness. Any ‘enlightenment’ experience is merely another modification of experience in awareness. You need not attempt any transcendence or annihilation of individuality, ego, or anything else. All of that appears in ordinary awareness. This experience now, however ordinary or extraordinary, is the content of awareness. Nothing whatsoever needs to change, there is nothing to get or realise. You are Consciousness, aware and appearing as everything. There is awareness right now – whatever the content. Awareness and content. Ocean and waves. The ebb and flow of life. This is it now. You are it. Entrepreneurs and small business owners are the engines that drive the economy. The list of successful ventures and contrasting business failures continues to grow each year. New businesses open in cities across America everyday. Some are able to weather all of the unforeseen challenges of starting a new venture, and others watch their dreams fizzle before their eyes. One of the primary factors that distinguishes the two outcomes is summed up in the following quote: “Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile.” - Gary Ryan Blair Aside from raising children, starting and running a successful business is one of the hardest things anyone will ever do. Dreamers only dream, but the dreams of entrepreneurs give birth to ideas that drive the economy. Whether it involves purchasing a franchise or existing business, or starting a business from scratch, entrepreneurs give birth to ideas that create revenue, jobs and economic activity. People who work for themselves often work much more than a typical forty hour work week, but the tradeoff of being one’s own boss is the satisfaction that can turn hours into minutes. Entrepreneurs don’t have the Monday morning dread of starting the preverbal countdown to Friday afternoon as soon as the workweek begins. When you love what you do, it’s just doesn’t feel so much like work. In recent years, I’ve met a growing number of professionals who have been “displaced” from their full-time careers as a result of corporate downsizings and mergers that have resulted in wave after wave of layoffs. Those that embrace this major change with a “glass half full” perspective are sometimes drawn into the entrepreneurial arena. They view their job loss as part of a grander plan of “one door closing for another to open” and more and more of them are realizing they have interest in walking through the newly opened door. Your idea or product may become the next million-dollar feature story, or it may at least result in a secondary income source that pays for the kid’s college tuition or family vacation. Thousands of Americans who survived the past year as entrepreneurs are poised to make bigger and better things happen in the upcoming year. Those who have continued to sit on the sidelines dreaming, contemplating and procrastinating are no closer to realizing the benefits of answering the inner call to “do one’s own thing”. If the call to try something daring and different continues to ring in your head, it may be time for you to move beyond your fear and give it your best shot. WALKING THROUGH THE DOOR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLARITY BY NATHAN GILL Podley Top Producer 2015 & 2016 Diane Hatfield 626.833.3171 diane.hatfield@podley.com 30 N. Baldwin Avenue Sierra Madre 91024 #01418407 Wishing You and Your Family a Very Merry Christmas! | ||||||||||||||||||||