Issue 39.09

Those who know me know that I am optimistic by nature.  Last February when the economic panic was peaking I taught a series of seminars entitled “A Case for Optimism” in which I demonstrated the reasons why the naysayers had it wrong. Many who attended those seminars were sincerely thankful for my perspective.

There will always be those who are negative.  There will always be those who are pessimistic and who predict failure for our country, our economy, and our stock market.  Over my 30 years in business I have often heard stock market investors compared to gamblers in a casino.  Those who make this comparison lack understanding of what the stock market is.

Casino gamblers face two insurmountable laws; the law of large numbers and the law of averages.  Both of these powerful laws guarantee that if the gambler plays long enough he will eventually go broke.  The gambler is betting against natural law and obtains no value for the money wagered.

When you invest in the stock market you are personally taking ownership in hundreds or even thousands of businesses around the world that produce goods and services that the people of the world need and want.  In the short term your investments can be volatile due mostly to emotions, but in the long term the volatility gives way to the profits and growth of those companies.  Unlike gamblers, a wise investor obtains value for his dollars.

The DOW^® is currently on a tremendous roll, up over 50% in just six months.  It will not go up forever.  Like all things in life it travels in cycles.  Our jobs, emotions, health, finances, marriages, weather and teenagers all move in cycles.  It is the nature of all life.  A wise parent does not cast off a child just because they start acting like a 13 year old.  A wise investor recognizes a market cycle for what it is and invests appropriately, neither getting too excited when it goes up, nor too discouraged when it goes down.

For over 200 years the US stock market has proven to be a tremendous machine for wealth creation.  In the simplest sense it represents the hopes and hard work of the American people, and those who bet against it in my opinion are the true gamblers.  Like gamblers, those who have preached against and bet against the ultimate success of this nation have always been disappointed.

Dan Wyson, CFP®  is author of the book “21 Financial Myths” and owner of Wyson Financial. 1173 S. 250 W #305 St. George 435-986-9525 – Securities offered through LPL Financial member FINRA/SIPC

Issue 39.09

The “New” FamilySearch program has been released in the St. George Utah Temple District for members of the LDS Church.  The following are very basic instructions for using the program.

Log onto the Internet and open your web browser.  At the top where you type in the www addresses, type in without any w’s: new.familysearch.org and make sure you get the dot between the new and familysearch.  This is the Welcome page.  In green, it says “Register for the new FamilySearch” click there if you haven’t been to this new program before.  It uses a different username and password than the regular FamilySearch.org, so you need to register in the new one.  You may register the same sign-in name and password if they are not already used by others.

After you have clicked the green register link, a registration page will appear and you will need to enter your Membership record number and your Confirmation date.  If you don’t know that information, ask your ward clerk or a member of the Bishopric to get it for you.  Then you type in the text from the box.  It will be some letters and numbers and you just type what you see and click Continue.  The program will recognize you from your membership number and have the information from church records.  Type in a sign-in name and password and write it down. Answer the security questions so you can retrieve a lost password.

When the new FamilySearch first starts, you will be prompted to view an overview introducing you to the system.  Watch the overview!

You need Adobe Reader 8.0 or higher and Flash Player 9.0.115 or higher.  Your computer now also needs at least 512 MB RAM and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768 pixels.

Browse around the new FamilySearch to familiarize yourself with its features.  When you go to the See Me and My Ancestors page, you will view the family pedigree and see what information the system already has about your family.  Look at your pedigree on the page and at the bottom you can also see more information by clicking one of the following: Individual Time Line, Individual Details, Individual Map, Parent and Siblings, Spouses and Children, LDS Ordinances or Possible Duplicates.

This release of new FamilySearch is limited to members only.  It will be released to the public probably within the next year.  You can find your local family history consultant by clicking on the Home page, click Help Center, then click the local assistance tab.

Shanna Sullivan Jones is a professional genealogist.  For additional information, Shanna can be reached at (435) 628-4900 or shannasjones@msn.com.

Issue 39

Many times, you really do need a good computer tech to solve problems on your computer.  However, there are a number of problems that will respond at least temporarily to quick tricks you can try that won’t do damage to your system or your data.

The first of these is the dreaded “lock-up”.  This occurs when the computer gets confused and doesn’t know what to do or how to do it.  It is usually accompanied by either an “hourglass” or “rotating circle” that just keeps going around and around or by a system that won’t respond at all – no clicks, no highlighting icons or files or any other indication that it knows you are there.  The first thing to do is wait for a few minutes and see if it recovers on its own.  The second is to hold down the “ctrl” and “alt” keys while you push Delete or “del”.

If the computer is not completely locked up, it will bring up a box called the Windows Task Manager.  Under the “Applications” tab, you may see programs that are not running.  If you highlight them and click “End Task”, it may get your system working again.  

Usually if you have a problem like this, you want to regain control of the computer so you can save what you have been doing.  Then you should turn off the computer and then restart it.  Remember that, if you don’t save your documents, they or any changes you have made to them may be lost if you turn off the program or the computer.

If the computer is truly “locked up” and you can’t get any reaction after a few minutes, you should turn it off for a minute or so and then restart.  If you can’t get it to turn off normally, you can hold the power button in for about 4 seconds and it should power down.  If it still won’t do so, you can unplug it.

Another problem people are having a lot lately is getting a pop-up that says they are infected with a virus.  The pop-up may even look like their anti-virus, but will have a different name such as “Personal Anti-Virus” or “Anti-Virus 2009”. This is not something you want.  Don’t activate it as it may be a virus trying to get around your protection system.  If you tell it to install or continue, it can virus your system even if you have AVG or Norton or the other anti-virus programs.

The rule of thumb is always – “If you didn’t ask for it, don’t install it – it’s probably dangerous.”  It’s better to be safe than sorry.  Also remember to always have a backup of anything that is important to you.

As always, stay safe and happy computing.

Shaun McCausland has been in the computer industry for 27 years (locally with Musicomp & Bits ‘N’ Bytes) and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions, you can reach him at 668-7118.

Issue 39.09

Hurricane season is here for many parts of the country.  In other areas of the nation, it’s wildfire season.  As you prepare for the threat of a natural disaster in your community, put signing up for Direct Deposit at the top of your “to do” list.  Doing so can eliminate the delay or non-delivery of your monthly payment if a disaster forces you from your home.

For years, Direct Deposit has been the safest, fastest and easiest way for people to receive their payments — and it still is the best way to get benefit payments for people who have a bank account.   Here’s why.

Direct Deposit is safe.  Your money is deposited directly into your account at your bank or other financial institution.  Because it’s transferred electronically, there’s never a risk of your check being lost or stolen.

Direct Deposit is quick.  You’ll get your payment faster when it’s deposited directly into your bank account.  Your money is immediately available to you once it’s deposited.

Direct Deposit is convenient.  No more standing in line at the bank to cash your check, or leaving your house when the weather is bad.  It’s nice to know your payment is safely in your bank account instead of the mailbox when you’re out of town or, worse, displaced from your home by a disaster.

For those who don’t have a bank account, there’s Direct Express.  With Direct Express, we automatically deposit benefit payments to a person’s Direct Express card account.  The card can be used to make purchases, pay bills or get cash at thousands of locations, and most services are free.  To learn more or to sign up for Direct Express, visit www.fms.treas.gov/directexpresscard. 

To learn more about Direct Deposit of your benefit payments, and to sign up, visit our website at www.socialsecurity.gov/deposit.  You also can call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

To learn more information about Direct Express, visit www.fms.treas.gov/directexpresscard.

In the unfortunate event that you are displaced by a natural disaster, your benefits do not have to be.  Your payments will be safe and secure, and arrive on time to your account with Direct Deposit or Direct Express.

Issue 39.09

Aprons were part of the official uniform for homemakers when I was growing up.  Every housewife had several which included the plain everyday serviceable cover-up to wear while doing housework and cooking, to the fancy aprons for special occasions complete with intricate needlework and trim which could include lace or rick-rack in different widths and designs.  My grandmother loved to make her own aprons on her treadle sewing machine.  She had some of the most unusual aprons in town.  If she was having a holiday dinner or a special occasion like a bridge club party, a fancy apron was called for as well as decorated tablecloths with matching napkins.  There were no paper plates, paper napkins or plastic tablecloths in those days.  Society was more proper.

An apron was a useful piece of clothing: you could gather eggs and apples or produce from the garden, wrap the baby up to carry him or her and wipe away the tears of an injured child.  It could also be used as a fan or cloth to wipe away a sweaty brow, hide a shy child, signal the workers from the porch that supper was ready or as a hot pad in taking pans directly from the oven to the table.  A pocket was helpful for all sorts of things like holding the baby’s bottle or pinky.

Styles varied, some were as long as the current style of dresses usually they tied in the back in a bow or they could button down the back.  Later there were half aprons and even shorter, briefer party aprons that were more decorative than useful, like crocheted or knitted mini aprons.  There were smock, butcher or baker’s styles with straps around the neck and ties in back, or half aprons with no tops or bibs.  The skirt part could be straight, pleaded or gathered.

Nowadays moms don’t wear aprons or dresses except for special occasions.  Their everyday uniform is usually jeans and a t-shirt.  Who needs to cover than with an apron?  Besides in our modern times, its no job at all to throw a load of clothes in the automatic washer while you are cooking or doing other household chores.  In my grandma’s time she owned fewer changes of clothing, only washed once a week and it was an all day task.  Aprons were a necessary item as she labored daily.

Issue 38.09

The brain is like any other muscle in your body.  You need to use it to keep it functioning at its full capacity.  The brain can lose the ability to retain new information, recall old information and function properly.  This is not necessarily a normal part of the aging process.  To prevent this from happening it is important that you never stop learning new things.  Trying new things is a great way to supply your brain with new information to process.

One of the best things you can do to keep your mind sharp is to exercise it.  A decrease in memory and concentration is generally caused by decreased blood flow to the brain and a loss of brain cells.  Research shows that physical and mental exercise may encourage the brain to work at optimum capacity by causing nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage.

It is important to incorporate mind-stimulating games into your daily routine.  Keeping your mind working and stimulated is extremely important.  Some of the things you can do are to listen intently to other people and learn information regarding their lives.  Try to memorize names, grocery lists and daily routines.  Puzzles and memory games can be fun and will also provide your brain with necessary stimulation.  Solving puzzles is a great way to stimulate your brains ability to think critically and process information.  Puzzles can be thought provoking, challenging and a fun activity.

A good night’s sleep is critical for mental energy because our bodies regenerate during sleep.  Sleep can help clear out the mental clutter and unimportant thoughts.  A good night’s rest can be the difference between a sharp memory and feeling forgetful.  

It is important that you maintain a sense of humor.  Laughter causes a natural release of the brain’s endorphins- chemicals that help lessen pain and increase overall well being.  Laughter is a well known, natural stress reliever.  Take the time to watch a comedy, share a comical story with a friend, crack a joke and increase your endorphin levels.

Sing and dance along to your favorite music.  Keep a daily journal and/or write down your childhood memories.  These things will all accomplish getting your brain stimulated.

A healthy debate strengthens the brain’s ability to think quickly and apply intelligence to verbal situations.  Socializing may have a protective effect on the brain because it is also a form of mental exercise.  Not only does interacting with other people stimulate the brain, but it can help keep it sharp, as dealing with other people can sometimes be pretty challenging.  Strong social ties have been associated with lower blood pressure and longer life expectancy.  Having no social ties is believed to be an independent risk factor for cognitive decline in older people.

So get out there and socialize with others.  Have a great time, and laugh a lot!!

Issue 38.09

Last month Dr. Richens discussed the ARMD study on Macular degeneration.  This week she continues with the second phase.

The second stage was designed to assess further information about the lutein and zeaxanthin and omega -on the development of AMD.

Enrollment concluded in June 2008 and participants will be followed between five and six years. 

We won’t know the full results of AREDS 2 for a number of years.  But in the meantime, it makes good sense to keep eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables for antioxidant nutrients, especially dark green leafy veggies which are good sources of lutein, and to eat fish at least 2-3 times weekly for their heart-healthy omega-3 fats.  If your eye doctor has recommended that you take supplements of the AREDS nutrients, be sure to follow that advice.  There are some macular degeneration patients that may need the amount of certain vitamins and minerals adjusted according to their certain circumstance. 

The right vitamins can make a big difference in your risk of getting macular degeneration.  If you already have macular drusen or advanced macular degeneration, the right vitamins can still slow the progression of the disease, and slow or prevent vision loss.

The studies showed clearly that vitamins do make a difference.  Vitamins, minerals and herbs are drugs.  The right amount is good medicine, more is NOT better and too much can be toxic.  Do not exceed the recommended doses of Vitamin A, D or E.  If you smoke, or quit smoking less than ten years ago, you should take preserVision, for smokers or I-Caps Multi-Vitamin, not Oculair.  If you have kidney failure you should not take any Vitamin A.  Vitamins need to be taken with food, after beginning or finishing a meal, not on an empty stomach.  Be sure your meal includes a little fat.  It doesn’t matter if it’s olive oil, dairy or meat, but you need a little fat in your tummy for all vitamins to be absorbed properly.  It’s imperative that you discuss this with your eye doctor before starting any new supplement, they can cause side effects especially those containing more than 80 mg. of zinc.  Also, vitamins and minerals are not monitored by the FDA and can very greatly in the quality of the product.  Biosyntrx ® is a high quality brand, but again please talk to your eye doctor before starting any new supplements.

For more information please call Richens Eye Center at 435-652-4040.

Issue 38.09

A lady came by my office with an insurance product she had just purchased after attending a dinner seminar.  After thinking it over she was concerned that maybe it was not really the best idea for her.  After a review of her financial situation and her needs I had to agree with her assessment.  I explained that the product itself was not inherently bad but that its use was probably not appropriate in her situation.

The story reminded me of an incident 5 years ago when a production company was filming a movie in my home.  How they talked me into using my home is a story for another time but suffice it to say, we laid down some very strict ground rules.  I had quite a bit of experience with movie companies from my children’s acting careers (yet another story) so I knew how hard they could be on your precious home.

The producer was a friend of mine so after reviewing the precautions they would take to protect our property we permitted them to move ahead.  During the first day of filming one of the technicians spilled a little soda pop on our nice wood floor.  Immediately a crewmember who had responsibility for our home grabbed his bottle of industrial strength 409 cleanser and began spraying the wood floor.  With a smile he looked up at us, so proud to show he was taking care of our floor.  Meanwhile I thought my wife was going to die.  Despite his good intentions, he was not aware of how damaging that type of cleanser can be to the finish on wood.

Financial planning is a very specialized matter.  What may be the solution to one person’s problems may cause another great pain.  Some believe that there is a magical bottle of financial 409 that can work in every situation.  The reality is that we are all different and so are our financial needs.  Good financial planning requires more than knowledge of one or two products, but rather a solid understanding of a broad range of options and how they might be applied to a specific client need.  Using a well thought out approach it is much more likely that your portfolio, and your wood floors, will bring you satisfaction for many years to come. 

Dan Wyson, CFP®  is author of the book “21 Financial Myths” and owner of Wyson Financial. 1173 S. 250 W #305 St. George 435-986-9525 - Securities offered through Linsco/Private Ledger member NASD/SIPC

Issue 38.09

Relocating to a new state often creates issues affecting estate planning.  Many people wonder if they need a new will or trust when they move from one state to another.  Although a will or trust validly executed in one state should be valid in a different state, it is a good idea to have the estate planning documents reviewed.  By addressing issues related to the relocation, an individual can avoid certain problems and maximize possible benefits.

One problem that can be avoided relates to references to another state’s laws.  Often, estate planning documents reference a particular state’s law as the governing law.  Many times specific state statutes are referenced.  If someone dies in a “new” state, the references in the estate planning documents to the “old” state’s laws can be problematic.  By executing an amendment to the trust or codicil to the will that changes the state law references to the “new” state’s law, one can avoid possible problems.

Another concern that should be addressed pertains to special health care documents.  In a complete estate plan, one should have legal documents pertaining to medical treatment decisions.  These documents usually consist of what is commonly referred to as a “living will” (more formally titled “Directive to Physicians”) and a durable power of attorney for medical matters.  These documents are very useful if an individual becomes incapacitated and unable to make his or her own decisions.  The documents allow one to specify what medical treatment he or she desires.  Additionally, the living will directs the treating doctor or health care facility to allow the termination of life support if the individual is determined to be in a vegetative state without possibility of recovery.

Significantly, these documents are created by state law.  Many states have special provisions related to these medical treatment documents.  Although a living will or power of attorney validly executed in one state should be valid in another, the doctors or health care facilities will probably be most familiar with the documents used in their state

Another issue related to relocating to another state that should be addressed in order to maximize potential tax benefits pertains to community property.  There are ten community property states (Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Idaho, Texas, Washington, Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Alaska – with Alaska recently adopting a form of community property ownership).  Many married couples have relocated to Southern Utah from community property states.  If a married couple has moved from a community property state or is planning to move to a community property state, they should have their estate plan reviewed. 

Jeffery J. McKenna is a local attorney serving clients in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona.  He is a shareholder at the law firm of Barney, McKenna and Olmstead, with offices in St. George and Mesquite.  He is a founding member of the Southern Utah Estate Planning Council. jmckenna@barney-mckenna.com or (435) 628-1711.

Issue 38.09

Create a pool of healthcare dollars that will grow in any market.

How will you pay for long term care?  The sad fact is that most people don’t know the answer to that question.  But a solution is available.

As baby boomers leave their careers behind, long term care insurance will become very important in their financial strategies.  

Your premium payments buy you access to a large pool of money which can be used to pay for long term care costs.  By paying for LTC out of that pool of money, you can preserve your retirement savings and income.

The cost of assisted living or nursing home care alone could motivate you to pay the premiums.  

The average annual payments to a non-Medicare certified, state-licensed home health aide are $43,884.¹

Can you imagine spending an extra $30-80K out of your retirement savings in a year?  What if you had to do it for more than one year?

AARP notes that approximately 60% of people over age 65 will require some kind of long term care during their lifetimes.²

What it pays for.  Some people think LTC coverage just pays for nursing home care.  Not true: it can pay for a wide variety of nursing, social, and rehabilitative services at home and away from home, for people with a chronic illness or disability or people who just need assistance bathing, eating or dressing.³

Choosing a DBA.  That stands for Daily Benefit Amount, which is the maximum amount your LTC plan will pay for one day’s care in a nursing home facility.  You can choose a Daily Benefit Amount when you pay for your LTC coverage, and you can also choose the length of time that you may receive the full DBA every day.  The DBA typically ranges from a few dozen dollars to hundreds of dollars.  

Too many people think Medicare will pick up the cost of long term care.  Medicare is not long term care insurance.  Medicare will only pay for the first 100 days of nursing home care, and only if 1) you are receiving skilled care and 2) you go into the nursing home right after a hospital stay of at least 3 days.  Medicare also covers limited home visits for skilled care, and some hospice services for the terminally ill.  That’s all.²

Now, Medicaid can actually pay for long term care – if you are destitute.  Are you willing to wait until you are broke for a way to fund long term care?  Of course not.  LTC insurance provides a way to do it.

Scott S. Lovell is the founder of Lovell Hathaway, Your Retirement Specialist^SM , and is a registered representative offering securities and advisory services through Geneos Wealth Management, Inc.  Member FINRA and SIPC.  For additional information, Scott can be reached at (435) 656-2518.

This article should not be construed as investment advice.

Citations available.