Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, February 24, 2018

B2 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 24, 2018 
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS B2 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 24, 2018 
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS 
Jeff’s Book PicsBy Jeff Brown FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett 


meaning “cleaning.” This surprising 
“The first rule is that you don’t fall 

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig 

and invigorating process of clearing 
in love, ‘ he said... ‘There are other 

out unnecessary belongings can be 
rules too, but that is the main one. 

undertaken at any age or life stage 
No falling in love. No staying in love. 

but should be done sooner than 
No daydreaming of love. If you stick 

later, before others have to do it 
to this you will just about be okay.’” 

for you. In The book,Magnusson, 
A love story across the ages - and for 

with Scandinavian humor and 
the ages - about a man lost in time, 

wisdom, instructs readers to embrace 
the woman who could save him, and 

minimalism. Her radical and joyous 
the lifetimes it can take to learn how 

method for putting things in order 
to live. Tom Hazard has a dangerous 

helps families broach sensitive 
secret. He may look like an ordinary 

conversations, and makes the process 
41-year-old, but owing to a rare 

uplifting rather than overwhelming. 
condition, he’s been alive for centuries. 

Margareta suggests which 
Tom has lived history--performing 

possessions you can easily get rid of 
with Shakespeare, exploring the high 

(unworn clothes, unwanted presents, 
seas with Captain Cook, and sharing 

more plates than you’d ever use) 
cocktails with Fitzgerald. Now, he just 

and which you might want to keep 
wants an ordinary life. So Tom moves 

(photographs, love letters, a few of 
back to London, his old home, to 

your children’s art projects). Digging 
become a high school history teacher-

into her late husband’s tool shed, 
-the perfect job for someone who has 

and her own secret drawer of vices, 
witnessed the city’s history first hand. 

Margareta introduces an element of 
Better yet, a captivating French teacher 

fun to a potentially daunting task. 
at his school seems fascinated by him. 

Along the way readers get a glimpse 
But the Albatross Society, the secretive 

into her life in Sweden, and also 
group which protects people like 

become more comfortable with the 
Tom, has one rule: never fall in love. 

idea of letting go. 
As painful memories of his past and 
the erratic behavior of the Society’s 

WaR: Wizards and Robots 

by will.i.am and Brian David watchful leader threaten to derail his 

Johnson new life and romance, the one thing 

An explosive action-adventure novel 
one thing that might save him. Tom 

he can’t have just happens to be the 

created by will.i.am and renowned 
will have to decide once and for all 

futurist Brian David Johnson. Wizards 
whether to remain stuck in the past, 

are real, robots from the future are here, 
or finally begin living in the present. 

and the fate of our world rests in the 
How to Stop Time is a bighearted, 

hands of one unsuspecting teenager.
wildly original novel about losing and 

When a young man breaks into her

finding yourself, the inevitability of 
change, and how with enough time to learn, we 
just might find happiness. 

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death 
Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and 
Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter byMargareta Magnusson

A charming, practical, and unsentimental 
approach to putting a home in order while 
reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life. 
In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called 
döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning 

home claiming her life is in danger, AdaLuring’s world changes forever. Geller is a wizard,
on the run from his father’s hidden clan who want to 
kill Ada and her mother. Sara Luring is the scientistwho will create the first robot, the wizards’ age-oldfoes. But a robot has travelled back in time to find 
Ada, and will lay everything on the line to protecther, as she may just be the key to preventing theearth’s destruction in the future. Ada, Geller and 
the robots must learn to work together to changethe past and secure the future. But they don’t havemuch time before a mysterious enemy launches itsattack on Earth. 

All Things By Jeff Brown 

MESSAGES OF RAGE AND PAIN FROM THE TEENS 
WHO SURVIVED THE FLORIDA SHOOTING 

It’s the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglassomething instead of sending prayers. PrayersHigh who are providing the most harrowing publicwon’t fix this. But Gun control will prevent it fromaccounts of what unfolded. Many took to Twitter, ashappening again. Sara@chaddiedabaddie .She 
follows.Plus others. later deleted that tweet and said: Hello I’m the 16 

I cannot stop hearing the sound of the gun asyear old girl who tweeted you that I didn’t wanthe walked down my hallway. I cannot unsee myyour condolences, I wanted gun control, and wentclassmates who were shot get carried out by police. Iviral because of it. I heard you are coming to mycannot unsee the bodies on the floor. Please keep incommunity soon. I would love for you to hear mymind the horror of what we’ve gone through today.opinions on gun control in person.a survivor saraMorgan Williams#NEVERAGAIN (@sarahchad_)

Can everyone please take a second to pray for myI too am sending out thoughts and prayers:
coach today he took several bullets covering otherthoughts that Congress is a bunch of cowards, 
students at Douglas . Charlie Rothkopfand prayers that we’ll finally throw the bums out

I was hiding in a closet for 2 hours. It was aboutof office and elect representatives with the guts toguns. You weren’t there, you don’t know how it felt.enact the sane gun laws most citizens in our countryGuns give these disgusting people the ability to killare begging to see put in place.Neil Steinbergother human beings. This IS about guns and thisThis is my grandpa. When he was 12 years old,
is about all the people who had their life abruptlyhe hid in a closet while his family was murderedended because of guns. carly (@car_nove)during the first mass shooting in America. AlmostI don’t want your(Trump) condolences you f----g70 years later, I also hid in a closet from a murderer.
piece of sh-t, my friends and teachers were shot.These events shouldn’t be repetitive. Something hasMultiple of my fellow classmates are dead. Do to change. #douglasstrong 


WANT TO GIVE THE 
KIDS AN EARLY 
INHERITANCE? 4 
THINGS TO CONSIDER 

If you’re thinking about giving your children their 
inheritance early, you’re not alone. Studies suggestthat these days, nearly two-thirds of people over 
the age of 50 would rather pass their assets to the 
children early than make them wait until the will 
is read. It can be especially satisfying to fund our 
children’s dreams while we’re alive to enjoy them, 
and there’s no real financial penalty for doing so, if 
you structure the arrangement correctly. Here are 
four important factors to consider when planning 
to give an early inheritance. 

1. Keep the tax codes in mind.
The IRS doesn’t really care whether you give away 
your money now or later—the lifetime estate tax 
exemption is expected to be $11.18 million per 
individual in 2018, regardless of when the funds 
are transferred. So, whether you give up to $11.18 
million away now or wait until you die with that 
amount, your estate will not owe any federal estate 
tax (although, remember, the law is always subject 
to change). You can even give up to $15,000 per 
person (child, grandchild, or anyone else) per 
year without any gift tax issues at all. You might 
hear these $15,000 gifts referred to as “annual 
exclusion” gifts. There are also ways to make tax-
free gifts for educational expenses or medical care, 
but special rules apply to these gifts. Your trusted 
advisor can help you successfully navigate the 
maze of tax issues to ensure you and your children 
receive the greatest benefit from your giving. 

2. Gifts that keep on giving.
One way to make your children’s inheritance go 
even farther is to give it as an appreciable asset. For 
example, helping one of your children buy a home 
could increase the value of your gift considerably 
as the home appreciates in value. Likewise, if you 
have stock in a company that is likely to prosper, 
gifting some of the stock to your children could 
result in greater wealth for them in the future. 

3. One size does not fit all. 
Don’t feel pressured to follow the exact same path 
for all your children in the name of equal treatment. 
One of your children might actually prefer to wait 
to receive her inheritance, for example, while 
another might need the money now to start a 
business. Give yourself the latitude to do what is 
best for each child individually; just be willing 
to communicate your reasoning to the family to 
reduce the possibility of misunderstanding or 
resentment. 

4. Don’t touch your own retirement.
If the immediate need is great for one or more 
of your children, resist the urge to tap into your 
retirement accounts to help them out. Make sure 
your own future is secure before investing in 
theirs. It may sound selfish in the short term, but 
it’s better than possibly having to lean on your kids 
for financial help later when your retirement is 
depleted.

Giving your kids an early inheritance is not 
only feasible, but it also can be highly fulfilling 
and rewarding for all involved. That said, it’s 
best to involve a trusted financial advisor and an 
experienced estate planning attorney to help you 
navigate tax issues and come up with the best 
strategy for transferring your assets. Give us a call 
today to discuss your options.

Dedicated to empowering your family, building 
your wealth and defining 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 55 Auburn Avenue, 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. 

BUSINESS TODAY 

The latest on Business News, Trends and 
Techniques 

By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA 
BUILD YOUR TEAM, BUILD YOUR BUSINESS 

Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul and one of theYour retired Aunt Sally may have a lot of free time and“Sharks” on ABC’s popular “Shark Tank” television showbe available and willing to serve as your receptionist aprovided a great analogy about teamwork in a recentfew days during the week as you work to establish yourinterview captured on a Success Magazine CD. She used bookkeeping business. However, if you dear aunt retiredthe offensive line of a football team as one example offrom her job as a pastry chef but doesn’t have any officewhat can happen when a group of people commit to askills beyond knowing how to answer phones and usecommon goal and do their individual best on behalf ofe-mail, she has no business on your team. 
the team. “They’re like a moving wall that is unstoppable,” 
says Barbara.What do you have to offer?

If you’ve ever watched or played any team sport, youFor businesses already established, the obvious answer 
can relate to this dynamic. Whether it is soccer, basketball is a competitive compensation package and the best 
or hockey, whenever a team begins to dominate thepossible work environment. For newly founded 
competition, it is because they have tapped into abusinesses with limited resources, the answer is the 
seemingly magical zone of many becoming one powerfulsame, although the nature of what you will offer to 
force. “compensate” the team member(s) will look very 

This principle applies to any business, large or small.different initially. Many people are willing to forgo a 
Three simple questions provide a framework to select andgreat salary in the beginning if they are confident that 
build a team. they will be rewarded after the company moves beyond 

What do you want or need to accomplish? Answeringthe start up phase into profitability. 
this question will pinpoint the end destination. It will 
serve as the goal line, leading the winning touchdown,What are the Team Assignments?
the point of repeated achievement and celebration asOnce you’re recruited your team, it’s important thatthe team prepares to move toward the goal of anothereach member understands the roles, responsibilitieswin, ultimately ranking among the top teams vying forand parameters of what is expected. Although you, thechampionship status.business owner, are the leader by default, make sure that 

What is the type of knowledge, skills and talents neededyou identify and provide opportunities for others to 
to move toward, and ultimately complete your goal?move and grow in to leadership positions as the size andAnswering this question provides important informationprofits of your company expand. Here too, if you don’tfor you to set the baseline criteria for the requirementshave the basic skill set to function as a effective leader and 
needed to play on your team. In small businesses, manager, invest in learning those skills, or bring in a teamthe tendency is to recruit individuals who are readilymember who strong in these areas.
available, like relatives, friends or others that you alreadyBy building a strong team, with strong management toknow. This isn’t necessarily a bad choice, but anyone whoprovide the appropriate training, support and leadershipyou invite to join your team must fit the criteria of whatneeded for the team to operate, you can build a team thatyour team actually needs. thrives in your respective industry. 


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