Local Opinion Editorials

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Throughout much of your working life, you contribute to your 401(k), IRA and other investment accounts to help ensure a comfortable retirement. However, once you do retire, you’ll need to shift your focus somewhat from building these investments . . . 

Over the past few months, just about everyone has felt the loss of some type of freedom, whether it’s being able to travel, engage in social gatherings or participate in other activities we previously took for granted. Still, as we prepare to observe . . . 

Although the move to digital learning has led many to seek enrichment opportunities, it would be a mistake to take Hulu’s new original series, The Great, as a supplemental history lesson. I do, however, suggest watching this tongue-in-cheek take . . . 

As we go through the coronavirus crisis, we are all, first and foremost, concerned about the health of our loved ones and communities. But the economic implications of the virus have also weighed heavily on our minds. However, if you’re an investor or a business owner, you may benefit from COVID-19 relief legislation (“Legislation”) out of Washington – and it could make a big difference, at least in the short term, for your financial future. Expanded unemployment benefits – The Legislation provides $250 billion for extended unemployment insurance, expands eligibility and provides workers with an additional $600 per week until July 31, 2020, in addition to what state programs pay. The package also covers the self-employed, independent contractors and “gig economy” workers. Obviously, if your employment has been affected, these benefits can be a lifeline.

Furthermore, the benefits could help you avoid liquidating some long-term investments you’ve earmarked for retirement just to meet your daily cash flow needs.

Direct payments – You may already have received, or soon will receive, a one-time direct payment from the government. Individuals will receive up to $1,200; this amount is reduced for incomes over $75,000 and eliminated altogether at $99,000. Joint filers will receive up to $2,400, which will be reduced for incomes over $150,000 and eliminated at $198,000 for joint filers with no children. Plus, taxpayers with children will receive an extra $500 for each dependent child under the age of 17. If you don’t need this money for an immediate need, you might consider putting it into a low-risk, liquid account as part of an emergency fund.

No penalty on early withdrawals – Typically, you’d have to pay a 10% penalty on early withdrawals from IRAs, 401(k)s and similar retirement accounts. Under the Legislation, this penalty will be waived for individuals who qualify for COVID-19 relief and/or in plans that allow COVID-19 distributions. Withdrawals from traditional retirement accounts will still be taxable, but the taxes can be spread out over three years. Still, you might want to avoid taking early withdrawals, as you’ll want to keep your retirement accounts intact as long as possible.

Suspension of required withdrawals – Once you turn 72, you’ll be required to take withdrawals from your traditional IRA and 401(k). The Legislation waives these required minimum distributions for 2020. If you’re in this age group, but you don’t need the money, you can let your retirement accounts continue growing on a tax-deferred basis.

Increase of retirement plan loan limit – Retirement plan investors who qualify for COVID-19 relief can now borrow up to the lesser of $100,000 or the vested balance from their accounts, up from $50,000 or 50% of the vested balance, provided their plan allows loans. We recommend that you explore other options, such as the direct payments, to bridge the gap on current expenses and if you choose to take a plan loan work with your financial adviser to develop strategies to pay back these funds over time to reduce any long-term impact to your retirement goals.

Small-business loans – Included in the Legislation is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which initially provided $349 billion in federally guaranteed loans to help small businesses – those with 500 or fewer employees – retain workers and avoid closing up shop. The first allocation of funds was quickly depleted; however, Congress authorized an additional $310 billion for the PPP. These loans may be forgiven if borrowers use the loans for payroll and other essential business expenses (such as mortgage interest, rent and utilities) and maintain their payroll during the crisis. We’ll be in a challenging economic environment for some time, but the Legislation should give us a positive jolt – and brighten our outlook.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones. Member SIPC.

The health aspect of the coronavirus affects everyone – we’re all concerned about our well-being and those of our loved ones and communities.

However, the economic impact may vary among different age groups – and if you’re retired or about to retire, you might have some special concerns about starting to draw income from your investments when the financial markets are down. What moves should you consider making?

Here are a few suggestions:

Review your strategy (and avoid making major changes). During a market downturn, you might be tempted to “do something” – and for many people, that “something” is selling stocks to cut their losses. But this is more of an emotional response than a logical one, because your stocks are long-term investments, and by selling them when they’re down, you’re basically locking in your losses. Instead, try to address your current income needs by the cash, cash equivalents and short-term fixed-income investments in your portfolio, along with other sources, such as Social Security, dividends and interest, and even your pension, if you have one.

Review your withdrawal rate. When you retire, you need to determine how much you can withdraw each year from your retirement accounts, such as your IRA and 401(k), without running the risk of outliving your money. Before the market downturn, you might have established an appropriate withdrawal rate for your needs. Suppose, for example, this rate was 4%.

However, given the recent fluctuations in the markets, your portfolio’s value may have declined, meaning your withdrawals may be higher as a percentage of your portfolio. Therefore, you might consider adjusting your withdrawal rate downward, or, as an alternative, look for ways to cut down on your spending in the short term. With the stay-at-home measures being undertaken across the country, you may already have cut down spending in areas such as traveling, entertainment and dining out, so you may only have to make a few adjustments.

Review your reliance rate. Your reliance rate is how much you rely on your investment portfolio for your income needs. For example, if you need $60,000 in income each year and you’re getting $40,000 of that from your portfolio, your reliance rate is 66%. The higher your reliance rate, the more sensitive you may be to fluctuations in investment prices. If your risk tolerance has been greatly tested by the recent downturn and you don’t have much flexibility with your expenses, you might look for ways of lowering your reliance rate, such as certain annuities, which can provide a guaranteed lifetime income regardless of what’s happing in the financial markets.

You may want to consult with a financial professional to discuss the above suggestions and determine what other moves you might need to make. As a retiree, or near-retiree, it can be unsettling to start tapping into your resources when the financial markets are so turbulent. But if you’ve prepared or you’re willing to explore new courses of action, you can move into your golden years without getting unduly tarnished.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones. Member SIPC.

These are challenging times. Like everyone, you are concerned about keeping your family safe and healthy, and you’re doing your part to help protect your community from the effects of the coronavirus. And if you’re an investor, you must also address . . . 

I have seen the 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma approximately 150 times. My Mom and I used to watch it on weekends when my dad and brother were off DJing wedding receptions. On top of that, Emma is my favorite of Austen’s novels. These factors perhaps present a good case for why I am too biased to review the new adaptation written by Eleanor Catton and directed by Autumn de Wilde, but I’m going to do so anyway.

Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) is “handsome, clever, and rich.” When she is not busy attending to her fussy, hypochondriac father (Bill Nighy), she amuses herself by playing matchmaker for her friends. After successfully setting up her governess (Gemma Whelan) with the genial Mr. Weston (Rupert Graves), Emma turns her attention to poor Harriet Smith (Mia Goth), much to the chagrin of her friend George Knightley (Johnny Flynn). When Mr. Weston’s mysterious son, Frank Churchill (Callum Turner) arrives in the village, he adds intrigue to Emma’s already somewhat disastrous plans. Will falling in love herself end Emma’s career as a matchmaker?

Emma. preserves what I love most about the novel–the complicated relationships between the many residents of Highbury caused by personal infatuations as well as the class structure of Regency England. For example, at one point, Emma. declares a local farmer as much above her notice as below it, because, although he is a farmer, he is not poor and therefore does not need her charity. It’s complicated, but when friendships cross these boundaries, people’s feelings get caught up and it makes the story human and fun. I think that this adaptation could have benefited from being more subtle about the emotional aspects of the village dynamic. There are not many stiff upper lips in this version of the Austen comedy. Most notably, Mr. Knightley is the consummate gentleman and stoic to the point of being emotionally constipated in the book, and in this film, Johnny Flynn plays him as both very emotional and utterly besotted. It is certainly romantic, but not true to the source material. It also takes some of the tension out of the story.

This lack of subtlety affects other performances as well. Although many of the actors are charming and very funny, others chew the scenery from time to time. As the odious Mr. and Mrs. Elton, Josh O’Connor and Tanya Reynolds are hilariously obnoxious. As Miss Bates, however, Miranda Hart is very dull without the level of sweetness that the character demands.
Despite these criticisms, there were many elements of Emma. that I think work beautifully. I got a good chuckle from the servants animatedly exiting the scene whenever one of the main characters got upset. This film is full of fun details like that. The sets and costumes are also gorgeous and lush. The visual style reminds me of Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. Additionally, the music by David Schweitzer and Isobel Waller-Bridge adds rich transitions between the scenes.

In all, Emma. is a beautiful, romantic take on Austen’s novel that often lacks the snark and the nuance that make Austen’s books so good. Austen’s narrative voice sometimes seems like an actual character in the story and I wonder if a narrator could have helped this film. Although Emma. is less humorously critical than the novel, it is still funny and charming. I rate it 3.5/5 stars.

Emma. runs 2 hours and 4 and is rated PG for brief partial nudity.

If you’ve had an IRA or 401(k) for a long time, you’re probably pretty familiar with the rules governing withdrawals and contributions – because, for the most part, they haven’t changed in years. And you may also know what’s going to happen to your IRA if you leave it to someone as part of your estate plans. But we are about to see some changes – and you should be aware of how they may affect your individual situation.

Here’s the story: Congress recently approved legislation called the SECURE Act, which, among its many provisions, includes several that should be of particular interest to IRA and 401(k) investors.

The first of these changes deals with the money you take out of your IRA and 401(k). As you may know, under the old rules, you were required to start taking withdrawals – known as required minimum distributions (RMDs) – from your traditional IRA and your 401(k) when you turned 70 ½. Of course, you did not have to wait until that age, but if you didn’t take your full RMDs on time, the shortfall would typically be subject to a 50% tax penalty. Under the Secure Act, the RMD age has been pushed back to 72.

This higher age could benefit you by giving your IRA and/or 401(k) more time to potentially grow on a tax-deferred basis. On the other hand, by waiting until you’re 72, you could be forced to take larger RMDs, which are calculated by dividing your account balance by your life expectancy, as determined by IRS tables. And these RMDs are generally taxed at your personal tax rate.

The second big IRA-related change concerns the age limit for making traditional IRA contributions. Previously, you could only contribute to your traditional IRA until you were 70 ½. Under the Secure Act, however, you can fund your traditional IRA for as long as you have earned income. So, if you plan to work past what might be considered the typical retirement age, you have the opportunity to add a few more dollars to your IRA.

Another SECURE Act provision deals with early withdrawals from your IRA and 401(k). Usually, you must pay a 10% tax penalty when you withdraw funds from either of these accounts before you reach 59 ½. But now, with the new rules, you can withdraw up to $5,000 penalty-free from your IRA or 401(k) if you take the money within one year of a child being born or an adoption becoming final.

The new rules also might affect your loved ones who stand to inherit your IRA. Under the old rules, a non-spouse beneficiary could stretch taxable RMDs from a retirement account over his or her lifetime. Now, most non-spouse beneficiaries will have to deplete the entire account balance by the end of the tenth year after the account owner passes away. So, this change could have tax implications for family members who inherit your IRA. You may want to consult with your estate planning or tax professional regarding this issue.

Keep the new rules in mind when creating your retirement strategies. The more you know, the better prepared you can be to make the appropriate moves for you.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones. Member SIPC.

If you’re fortunate, you’ll live independently and in good health throughout your retirement years. However, if you ever needed some type of long-term care, such as a stay in a nursing home, would you be financially prepared?

To answer this question, you may want to evaluate two variables: your likelihood of needing long-term care and the cost of such care. Consider the following:

– Someone turning age 65 today has an almost 70% chance of eventually needing some type of long-term care, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

– The average cost for a private room in a nursing home is about $100,000 per year, while a home health aide costs about $50,000 per year, according to Genworth, an insurance company.

Clearly, these numbers are worth thinking about. If you needed several years of long-term care, the expense could seriously erode your savings and investments. And keep in mind that Medicare typically pays only a small percentage of long-term care costs. Therefore, you may want to evaluate the following options for meeting these expenses:

Self-insure – You could “self-insure” against long-term care expenses by designating some of your investment portfolio for this purpose. However, as the above numbers suggest, you’d likely have to put away a lot of money before you felt you were truly protected. This could be especially difficult, given the need to save and invest for the other expenses associated with retirement.

Long-term care insurance – When you purchase long-term care insurance, you are essentially transferring the risk of paying for long-term care from yourself to an insurance company. Some policies pay long-term care costs for a set number of years, while others cover you for life. You can also choose optional features, such as benefits that increase with inflation. And most long-term care policies have a waiting period between 0 and 90 days, or longer, before benefits kick in. You’ll want to shop around for a policy that offers the combination of features you think best meet your needs.

Also, you’ll want an insurer that has demonstrated strength and stability, as measured by independent rating agencies. Here’s one final point to keep in mind: Long-term care premiums get more expensive as you get older, so if you’re interested in this type of coverage, don’t wait too long to compare policies.

Hybrid policy – A “hybrid” policy, such as life insurance with a long-term care/chronic illness rider, combines long-term care benefits with those offered by a traditional life insurance policy. So, if you were to buy a hybrid policy and you never needed long-term care, your policy would pay a death benefit to the beneficiary you’ve named. Conversely, if you ever do need long-term care, your policy will pay benefits toward those expenses. And the amount of money available for long-term care can exceed the death benefit significantly. Hybrid policies can vary greatly in several ways, so, again, you’ll need to do some research before choosing appropriate coverage.

Ultimately, you may decide you’re willing to take the chance of never needing any type of long-term care. But if you think that’s a risk you’d rather not take, then explore all your coverage options carefully. There’s no one right answer for everyone – but there’s almost certainly one for you.

You may have heard that timing is everything. And in many walks of life, that may be true – but not necessarily when it comes to investing.
To understand why this is so, let’s look at three common mistakes investors make:

Selling investments and moving to cash when stocks are predicted to drop – If you follow the financial news on cable TV or the internet, you’re eventually bound to discover some “experts” who are predicting imminent, huge drops in the stock market. And on rare occasions, they may be right – but often they’re not. And if you were to sell some of your stocks or stock-based investments based on a prediction and move the money to cash or a cash equivalent, you could miss out on possible future growth opportunities if the predictor was wrong. And the investments you sold still could have played a valuable part in your portfolio balance.

Selling underperforming assets in favor of strong performers – As an investor, it can be tempting to unload an investment for one of those “hot” ones you read about that may have topped one list or another. Yet there’s no guarantee that investment will stay on top the next year, or even perform particularly well. Conversely, your own underperformers of today could be next year’s leaders.

Waiting for today’s risk or uncertainty to disappear before investing – Investing always involves risk and uncertainty. Instead of waiting for the perfect time to invest, you’re better off building a portfolio based on your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon.

All these mistakes are examples of a risky investment strategy: trying to “time” the market. If you try to be a market timer, not only will you end up questioning your buy/sell decisions, but you also might lose sight of why you bought certain investments in the first place. Specifically, you might own stocks or mutual funds because they are appropriate for your portfolio and your risk tolerance, and they can help you make progress toward your long-term financial goals. And these attributes don’t automatically disappear when the value of these stocks or funds has dropped, so you could end up selling investments that could still be doing you some good many years into the future.

While trying to time the market is a difficult investment strategy even for the professionals, it doesn’t mean you can never take advantage of falling prices. In fact, you can use periodic dips in the market to buy quality assets at more attractive prices. Suppose, for example, that you invested the same amount of money every month into the same investments. One month, your money could buy more shares when the price of the investment is down – meaning you’re automatically a savvy enough investor to take advantage of price drops. While your money will buy fewer shares when the price of the investment is up, your overall investment holdings will benefit from the increase in price.

Buying low and selling high sounds like a thrilling way to invest. But in the long run, you’re better off by following a consistent investment strategy and taking a long-term perspective. It’s time in the market, rather than timing the market, that helps keep portfolio returns moving in the right direction over time.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and we all have our feelings about it. If we’re dating or (happily) married, we may be excited about the flowers, chocolates, and candlelit dinners. If we are single, we may feel dissatisfied, sad, or annoyed. (We may even retitle the holiday “Singles Awareness Day.”) Either way, is our tendency to define love in terms of romance making us miss a much bigger picture?

Yes, I believe so. I have no issue with Valentine’s Day itself—I just don’t want us to let it trivialize what love actually is.

Whether you have a partner or not, don’t fall into the trap of seeing love as something outside yourself. We’re all born with love; in fact, it’s our Divine Purpose—our reason for being here—and it’s the origin of all our power. It’s what allows us to exert positive influence on those around us.

When you reconnect with that primal power—I call it “love-power”—you unlock the door to a deeper, richer, more meaningful life. You become a heart-driven person who regularly uses your influence to not only improve your life but the lives of those around you.

You may not be used to thinking of power and influence in terms of love. That’s because Western civilization views the mind (not the heart) as the source of power. But since intellect is intertwined with ego, love-based power often gets distorted, morphing into fear-based power. This causes us to seek to control others, to be passive-aggressive, to act like a victim, to engage in risky behaviors to feel special or noticed, and more.

I believe the ancient wisdom of the 4,000-year-old Tao Te Ching can help us identify and break the “power patterns” that undermine our influence, create dysfunctional relationships, and otherwise squelch our potential.
When you’re in pure love-power, you’re happy, curious, in an unending state of awe. You’re quick to forgive. You’re wide open to other people and new opportunities. Everything about how you experience the world—and how it experiences you—shifts.

Read on for some “light” and relatively simple things you can do on Valentine’s Day—and afterward—to start reconnecting with your pure love-power.

Take a Valentine’s Day meditation break. (It’s the key to experiencing life in the holy moment of now.) Why should we meditate? Because it helps us detach from our preferences—which trigger our need to be “right” or “in control” and lead to suffering—and practice being in the present. Just set aside 15-20 minutes to sit quietly and focus on your breath. If your mind wanders, that’s okay: The point is not to judge the thoughts that stream endlessly into your consciousness but to allow them to ebb and flow without getting emotionally hooked.

Gift yourself a lovely journal. Journaling is a powerful practice that can help you get in better touch with your thoughts and feelings, recognize goals, enhance gratitude, and pinpoint areas in your life that need work. Find a journal that speaks to you (pick a gorgeous one that inspires you to write). Then set aside some time alone (even just 10 minutes) to write each day.

Journal to find gratitude. Write about your blessings until you see how abundant your life really is. Pause as you write to ensure that you really feel the state of gratitude.

Sing and dance your way to gratitude. As mentioned, many people keep a gratitude journal. The problem is, it can turn into a mindless checklist that simply creates the illusion of gratitude. If that happens, try singing and dancing instead. In his book The Mastery of Love, Don Miguel Ruiz says this is a natural expression of our love-power—which is why little children sing and dance. They haven’t yet developed the filters and fear that they’ll be judged. You can dance and sing in the privacy of your room or as you clean your house. If you want to take it to the next level, consider signing up for a hip-hop or salsa class or joining a local choir.

Get rid of something that isn’t serving you. Often without realizing it, we clutter and complicate our lives with things that create chaos and drama. It can be anything from too much “stuff” in our homes, to too many commitments, to the wrong job or relationship. A great expression of self-love is to pinpoint something to purge. Do a closet clean out or a social media detox. Turn down a project. Draw a much-needed boundary. Just take one step to simplify your life and free up your energy.

Grieve losses and release pain with this heart exercise. This may not feel very Valentine-y, but when we’re changing our life for the better, we must first release what was. Otherwise we’ll get stuck and block the clarity we need to move forward. Pain can be released through the portal of the heart. When you focus on your heart, a desire to release the pain of the past may arise. Even better, your heart knows how to do that without your mind interrupting.

If you’re single, stop searching for “the one.” It’s common to believe that there’s one person out there who can finally see us for who we really are. But searching for our perfect match is a chase that’s based on an illusion. I love romance, but I’ve come to believe that it’s usually founded in the need to be special. People search for “the one” their entire lives, never escaping the constant craving for specialness. Never confuse love with specialness. Love supports a life of joy and love-power; “specialness” impedes it.

If you’re in a romantic relationship, start working toward a cause you believe in, together. There is no greater calling for a romantic relationship than to create a better world. In fact, many millennials are moving in this direction! Rather than being absorbed by one another, they are breaking the old paradigm of romantic co-dependency and choosing instead to be inter-dependent, working together for causes that uplift humanity. This new paradigm of relationship lets people shift from a state of isolation within their own dramas, fears, and wounds, which are experienced as they get to know their partner, to becoming a presence in the world.

Talk with your partner
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If your employer offers a 401(k) or similar plan, you’ve got a powerful retirement-savings tool at your disposal. And yet, how well you do with your 401(k) depends greatly on your choices and actions. What steps can you take to maximize the benefits of your plan?

For starters, be aware that your 401(k) may come with what might be called “standard” features, which you should review to determine their applicability to your situation. These features include the following:

Default deferral rate – When you take a job, your employer may automatically enroll you in the company’s 401(k) plan and assign a “default” contribution rate – the percentage of your salary you will put in to your 401(k). Many companies choose a default rate of 3 percent, although, in recent years, there has been a move toward higher rates, even up to 6 percent. Unfortunately, too many people don’t question their default rate, which could be a problem, especially if it’s at the lower end. If you want your 401(k) to ultimately provide you with as many financial resources as possible, you will likely need to contribute as much as you can afford. So, be aware of your default rate, and, if you can possibly afford it, increase that level. And every time your salary goes up, consider boosting your contributions.

Investment mix – When you’re automatically enrolled in your 401(k), the amount you might initially contribute isn’t the only “off the shelf” feature – you also might be assigned a default investment option. One common default investment is known as a target-date fund, which generally includes a mix of stocks, bonds and cash instruments. Your 401(k) plan provider, or your human resources area, will typically base this mix on your age and projected retirement date. Usually, this fund will grow more conservative over time, reflecting the need to reduce the portfolio’s risk as you get nearer to retirement. However, you may not be obligated to stick with the default option. Most 401(k) plans usually offer several options from which to choose. Ideally, you’d want to spread your investment dollars among a mix of these investments to give yourself the greatest growth potential, given your risk tolerance and time horizon. And always keep in mind that your 401(k) is a long-term vehicle, designed to help you prepare for a retirement that may be decades away. Consequently, try to discipline yourself to look past the inevitable short-term drops in your portfolio.

Matching contributions – If your employer offers a 401(k) matching contribution, you should certainly take advantage of it. Consider this: If you employer matches 50 cents for every dollar you contribute, up to 6 percent of your pay, and you contribute the full 6 percent, you would, in effect, be receiving a 3 percent pay raise (50 percent of 6 percent). That’s like a 50 percent rate of return even before you invest this added money.

Taking control of your 401(k) in the ways described above can help go a long way toward getting the most from your plan – and, as a result, may help get you closer to supporting the retirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

If you looked only at the big picture, you’d have to say we live in deeply troubled times. It seems we’ve never been more polarized. Political discourse feels more like a war zone than a thoughtful national conversation. But what happens when you zoom in closer?

That’s the question I ask myself as I reflect on the past year spent exploring dozens of small and mid-sized communities across America. I’ve talked with hundreds, maybe thousands, of mayors, chamber of commerce members, new entrepreneurs, business owners, and citizens of all ages. I’ve sat down to great meals in downtown restaurants, listened to fabulous bands, and attended some of the world’s coolest festivals. And what I’ve found is that the America one sees “up close and personal” bears little resemblance to the America one sees on the national news.

I’m not saying we don’t have real problems. We do. But we have more bright spots than dark—more courtesy than incivility—and often that good news flies under the radar. I’ve always been a believer in shining a light on the positive until it overcomes the negative. Gratitude is more powerful than griping. And what I’m grateful for today, at the turn of the year, is America’s communities.

Real life doesn’t happen nationally. It happens locally. And at the community level, I see people partnering with their neighbors to solve problems, working hard and playing hard, listening and compromising, and—quite often—making sacrifices for the good of others. Locally is where we’re at our very best. It’s where we can use our influence and our gifts to make our communities strong and to make life better for everyone.

I view communities through a lens of revitalization because that’s the work I do. As things have gotten more dysfunctional at the national level, the by-product is that people on the local level have kicked in. And what I see is that citizens aren’t counting on government to “save” them. They’re doing the hard work of revitalization themselves. They’re owning it. They’re investing in their cities and towns. And they’re starting new conversations: How can we make our community the best it can be? How can we reinvent ourselves, start and grow local businesses, and transform into a great place to work, live, and play?

This mindset has kicked in everywhere: big cities, small towns, communities of every shape and size. And no wonder. The chaos and uncertainty of the past few decades have made us crave personal connections with our friends and family. We want our children and grandchildren nearby (with good jobs to keep them there). We want lively downtowns with great restaurants, funky stores, cool living spaces, and plenty of fun things to do. And we’re making it happen.

In Thomas L. Friedman’s book Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, he talks about how rapid accelerations in technology, globalization, and Mother Nature are disrupting our lives and leaving people feeling destabilized. He says these forces are like a hurricane, one in which the winds of change are swirling so fast that families can’t find a way to anchor themselves.

Friedman makes the case that the only answer is building healthy communities, ones that are flexible enough to navigate this hurricane and provide stability for the citizens within them. He quotes the words from a ballad by Brandi Carlile, “You can dance in a hurricane, but only if you’re standing in the eye.” Our communities are that eye. They provide a firm place to stand and find stability while all this change is swirling around us.

My hope is that 2020 will be the Year of the Community. We can make it so. We can hold our families close. We can reach out to neighbors to connect with them, to help them, to engage them in the work of making things better. We can shop local. We can partner with government the right way.

We can smooth the way for entrepreneurs. We can galvanize our small business communities to drive positive change. And we can act as ambassadors for our communities so that others want to invest, live, work, and play here too.

Won’t you join me? Celebrating all the good in our communities, and working together to make them stronger, will make for a 2020 that’s even better than all the years that have come before.

Quint Studer is author of Building a Vibrant Community: For more information, please visit www.thebusyleadershandbook.com, www.vibrantcommunityblue print.com, and studeri.org.

This time of year, my customers are starting to get all their outdoor projects completed. The air is really getting cold, the snow is starting to fly, and it’s time to hunker down for the winter inside your home. Well guess what else wants to hunker down for the winter inside your home? Mice!

How in the heck do they get in your house? Mice can actually crawl through a hole the size of a dime. If you think about it, there could be a number of places around the outside of your home that they could gain entry. Take a close look where electrical wires, cable wires, plumbing, or natural gas pipes come inside your home. Even if it was caulked correctly when it was originally put in, it can deteriorate over time. And with a little chewing and digging by Mickey, access can be had. Cracks in your foundation and loose siding are other popular entryways for our furry little friends. How about your garage? Does your big garage door seal tight? Do you ever leave that door open for awhile? How about the door leading to the garage? Leave it open from time to time? You would be amazed at all the entryways that our little friends find.

So, what to do? First thing is to block those entryways. Start by removing any deteriorating caulk and other loose material from around those wires and pipes. There are a lot of fillers that you can then use, but it is hard to beat a tube of good quality caulk. Be generous, but be careful. Some caulks are easy to smooth out to a nice finish. But some, like a 100% silicone caulk, can be a little tricky to make it look good. We also carry a product called Great Stuff. It is best described as an aerosol can filled with a foam product that swells up when it comes out. It can be a mess to work with, but when it seals around those pipes it really makes a good seal. We even have a version of Great Stuff called Pestblock that has a bitter, non-pesticide ingredient to deter your visitors if they are a little hungrier than normal to get inside. Some customers will actually plug the holes with steel wool or SOS pads. That is definitely something that they can’t chew their way through.

Another easy and safe way to win the battle is with repellants. Peppermint oil and ammonia are two very aromatic products that might get them to turn tail. There is an ultrasonic, plug-in mouse repellent that uses high frequency sound waves to drive them out. We also sell a ton of moth balls for long life critter repelling. My friends toss a handful under their boat cover and inside their camper before closing them up for the winter.

And for those of you that the furry critters get in before you get a chance to keep them out, there are always good ‘ole mouse traps and rodenticides. The D-Con of old has been outlawed for a few years, but we have plenty of new versions that have taken its place. As far as traps are concerned, we have big ones, little ones, and plastic ones. We have traps that catch ‘em alive and traps that are just plain sticky. And if you are one of these people that just need to hear that SMACK of the old wooden mouse trap, we have those too!

So if Mickey is more of a nuisance in your home than a cute Walt Disney cartoon character, stop on in to your local hardware store and check out all the different ways we have to repel, keep out, our to, SMACK, catch those little critters!

From myself, my family, and the entire team here at Umber’s Do It Best Hardware, we hope your Christmas holiday is filled with family, friends, laughter, good food, and giving to others. And not forgetting the true meaning of this blessed day, celebrating Jesus’ birth.
Merry Christmas Everybody!