”When you know that everything matters – that every move counts as much as any other – you will begin living a life of permanent purpose. A life of permanent purpose will make you a better parent, a better spouse, and a more valuable friend. Your productivity and financial success will soar to new heights while the old days of uncertainty, doubt, and depression fade into the past.”

Taken from An excerpt from

The Butterfly Effect

by Andy Andrews

1.  Send or forward the email as a bcc.  Doing this means that each person on your distribution only sees their email address and prevents spammers and other unscrupulous people from getting the emails of your trusted contacts.

2. Strip out all of the previous forwarding information before sending on.   There’s nothing more annoying than getting a forwarded email that has a page or more of all the recipients of the email before it got to them.   It’s really easy:

• Click on forward
• Highlight all the old text (I find it is easier if you start from the starting point of the content you want to forward). Place your cursur in the line above that content
• Use your mouse to click and roll over all the names, etc. going up the page
• Once it is all highlighted, hit the backspace key to delete

Now you have a nice clean email to send on.  Believe, me it will be appreciated – especially for us Blackberry and Smartphone users.

Thanks in advance!

PS:  if you are interested in seeing a video of how to do this, let me know and I’ll work on creating one.

2. An estate plan has several elements. They include: a will; assignment of power of attorney; and a living will or health-care proxy (medical power of attorney). For some people, a trust may also make sense. When putting together a plan, you must be mindful of both federal and state laws governing estates.

3. Taking inventory of your assets is a good place to start. Your assets include your investments, retirement savings, insurance policies, and real estate or business interests. Ask yourself three questions:   Whom do you want to inherit your assets?   Whom do you want handling your financial affairs if you’re ever incapacitated?    Whom do you want making medical decisions for you if you become unable to make them for yourself?

 4. Everybody needs a will. A will tells the world exactly where you want your assets distributed when you die. It’s also the best place to name guardians for your children.  Dying without a will – also known as dying “intestate” – can be costly to your heirs and leaves you no say over who gets your assets.  Even if you have a trust, you still need a will to take care of any holdings outside of that trust when you die.

5. Trusts aren’t just for the wealthy. Trusts are legal mechanisms that let you put conditions on how and when your assets will be distributed upon your death. They also allow you to reduce your estate and gift taxes and to distribute assets to your heirs without the cost, delay and publicity of probate court, which administers wills. Some also offer greater protection of your assets from creditors and lawsuits.

6.  Discussing your estate plans with your heirs may prevent disputes or confusion. Inheritance can be a loaded issue. By being clear about your intentions, you help dispel potential conflicts after you’re gone.

7.  The federal estate tax exemption – the amount you may leave to heirs free of federal tax – has been rising gradually and will hit $3.5 million in 2009. Meanwhile, the top estate tax rate is coming down. The estate tax is scheduled to phase out completely by 2010, but only for a year.  Unless Congress passes new laws between now and then, the tax will be reinstated in 2011 and you will only be allowed to leave your heirs $1 million tax-free at that time.

8. You may leave an unlimited amount of money to your spouse tax-free, but this isn’t always the best tactic. By leaving all your assets to your spouse, you don’t use your estate tax exemption and instead increase your surviving spouse’s taxable estate. That means your children are likely to pay more in estate taxes if your spouse leaves them the money when he or she dies. Plus, it defers the tough decisions about the distribution of your assets until your spouse’s death.

9.  There are two easy ways to give gifts tax-free and reduce your estate. You may give up to $13,000 a year to an individual (or $26,000 if you’re married and giving the gift with your spouse). You may also pay an unlimited amount of medical and education bills for someone if you pay the expenses directly to the institutions where they were incurred.

10. There are ways to give charitable gifts that keep on giving. If you donate to a charitable gift fund or community foundation, your investment grows tax-free and you can select the charities to which contributions are given both before and after you die.

Find this article at: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/lesson21

It’s easy to allow desparation to fall upon us.  Customers are buying less, expenses are rising, businesses are downsizing and going out of business and competition is rampant.   Don’t let the current economy cause you to undervalue your talent and services. 

Know your value and spend your time doing the right activities for your business.  When networking, don’t just fill up your calendar with every event.   Assess the value of the prospective attendees to your business model and seek the best match.   When networking, tune in to the conversation…is it a match or are there referral opportunities?  If not, politely move on.

Stay positive and motivated…. I know it can be hard but if you love being your own boss…it’s worth it!

I offer to you:

• Credibility through actions and attitude.
• Consistent quality.
• Fierce dedication to my clients.
• A deep caring about your needs
• Value for your money
• A level of energy and passion few can match.

Thanks for reading my mission statement.   Find more information about my business at:

www.easengrace@live.com