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Kathy and John realized their long planned retirement days would have to be postponed. Two events caught them by surprise: Their substantial portfolio had lost nearly one third of its value and Kathy’s mother, who watched her wealth disappear in the financial meltdown, suffered a debilitating stroke, which required 24-hour care. Like many people, Kathy and John never had a master wealth plan.
Just as successful institutions make every financial decision based on a specific master plan that outlines their focus on what they can control and what may impact their financial security, every person should have a master wealth plan as well.

Your master plan is the product of an honest conversation about where you are today and where you are going. It’s a living document that lays out assumptions about your future and helps you focus on the factors that you can control today. Equally important, your plan assumptions are continuously reassessed over time.

Your master plan demonstrates the impact and consequences of every decision and helps you make the appropriate trade-offs based on what you value most. It helps you prepare for and adjust to foreseen and unforeseen events in your life and in the financial markets.

A master wealth plan has four steps:

1. Identify your financial life goals.
Oftentimes, couples don’t know each other’s goals or they don’t have the same goals. Through candid discussions, couples begin to align their goals as they understand each other’s objectives. A private wealth counselor works to help the couple identify and clarify their goals and aspirations, which is the foundation of the master plan.

2. Understand the five financial control factors.
There are five aspects of your financial life, which you can control and which become the basis for your master plan assumptions. These assumptions may change as you pursue your lifestyle and long-term goals. The control factors are:

• Spending – lifestyle level you wish to maintain
• Savings – money dedicated for investment
• Timing – when you want the event to occur
• Risk – the level of volatility in your investment portfolio
• Legacy – assets you want to transfer to heirs or maintain as a safety net

3. Measure the probability of success.
To measure the likelihood of your plan’s success, a private wealth counselor will use advanced scenario analysis software that considers thousands of simulations of “financial lifetimes” with inputs of actual and hypothetical historical market performance. These scenarios include optimistic and pessimistic circumstances that have never occurred in the markets’ history, which demonstrates your plan’s ability to withstand the unexpected.

4. Make adjustments along the way.
Your plan is a living document that should be consistently updated to ensure its effectiveness over time. Unexpected changes can influence financial situations and decisions. These include changes in the tax code, a sudden rise in inflation, an inheritance or unforeseen illness, all of which require a review of your master wealth plan and adjustment of your control factors.

Don’t let the volatile financial market or life’s events catch you by surprise. By having a master wealth plan, you ensure that your goals, which you’ve worked hard to achieve, will occur as planned.

Kelly Trevethan CIMA is a Managing Director at United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC, a private wealth counseling firm with more than 80 offices around the country. He can be reached at (415) 418-2101 or at kelly.trevethan@unitedcp.com.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal, and investors should carefully consider their own investment objectives and never rely on any single chart, graph or marketing piece to make decisions. The information contained in this piece is intended for information only, is not a recommendation to buy or sell any securities, and should not be considered investment advice.

I consider myself a Patriot (yes, capital P). I don’t usually cry at movies. I didn’t even cry during Beaches or Terms of Endearment. Now I know that probably comes off a little hard core, but before you judge me, I want you to know that I always cry during the Star Spangled Banner or when the American Flag in front of a marching band goes by.

Taking Chance is a truly amazing movie. It doesn’t scream at you, it quietly gets under your skin. The films power comes from a simple word – Reverence. Yeah, I guess that one would have to be capitalized as well. Taking Chance tells a true story, adapting Marine Colonel Mike Strobl’s personal journal of his assignment escorting the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, killed in Iraq in 2004, to Phelps’ family in Dubois, Wyoming. Mike, who served in Desert Storm is now sitting behind a desk stateside and feels guilty for not requesting combat duty in Iraq. Living comfortably at home with his wife and children had been the choice. He often wakes in middle of the night and checks the KIA list. One night while Mike is perusing the list he sees a name listed from his home town. He volunteers to be Phelps’ escort home. It changes his life.

Director and Screenwriter, Ross Katz has done a brilliant job telling the story of one man’s coming home in death and another’s coming to life. It’s a delicate balancing act, keeping focus on both the mourning of Phelps and Mike’s personal journey, neither overshadowing the other.

Kevin Bacon, who plays Col. Strobl, is incredible. He does so much with just his facial expressions. Lean and chiseled, Bacon is the consummate Marine. Slow, deliberate and did I mention Reverent with his actions, Mike’s devotion lends the story great intensity, and his struggles lend it great honesty. This is probably Bacon’s best.

The film also shows how we honor our fallen heroes, a chore revealed in great detail. It is all very informative. From the time Lance Corporal Chance Phelps leaves the battlefield, packed in ice, to his arrival at Dover in the States, it’s an amazing journey. His body is cared for. His belongings are cared for. A new uniform was created especially for him even though it was a closed casket. No detail was left undone. We also see the custom of how the escort salutes the casket every time it is moved from one mode of transportation to another, all working to guarantee that what may look like a giant cardboard box being shipped cross country is truly a “pearl of great price.”

Don’t misunderstand; Taking Chance is no mere documentary about how military remains are transported. It is a story about grieving. It is a story about honor. It is a story of Americans at our finest. No political agenda—no “support our troops” platitudes—just Reverence with a Capital “R” from Dover to Dubois.

Once again, I invite and enjoy your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com or look for my movie archives on CarolynHastings.com

Eight nights of gorgeousness and on trend looks to astonish your friends and family. No more “I don’t know how to do my make-up.” Here’s a whole season worth of head-turning, heart-stopping and just flat-out fantastic ideas for nailing your look every single day or night this holiday season.

1. Modern Sleek
Vibrant red lipsticks always enhance a holiday chic look, but this year try a matte burgundy for that retro-modern swagger look. There is a wide range of burgundy lip colors out this year, even a maroon is interesting, so try a few to find your favorite shade for your very own contemporary festive vibe.

2. Hollywood Glam
Push the holiday fashion envelope by accentuating the eyes with a thick black eye liner, sweeping it up in the corner. This gives the eyes a serious, modern intensity, while looking totally chic and freshly up-to-date.

3. Holiday Lip Liner Stains
Get more mileage out of your lip color this holiday season by using a lip liner with a stain! Match your lip color with a lip liner stain to make your lips look fuller and sexier than ever! So brilliant! What will they think of next?!

4. Perfect Holiday Cheeks
Your trusty blush won’t do this holiday season if it is in pink tones. You want to punch it up to a burgundy undertone with a slight shimmer to give your skin that spot-on evening cocktail-hour glow.

5. Smoother Fuller Brows
Add some definition to your brows for drama this season with a *New* gel brow balm. A good gel brow balm will appear so natural and will look like your own brow hairs, while keeping true to your brow’s shape. Best new product!

6. 70’s On-Trend Beauty
Tap into the 70s trend by applying a soft shimmery bronze eye color on the lid, then add a champagne eye shimmer all over, follow with a bold cat eyeliner. Take a minimalist semi-sheer burgundy lip-gloss, to create an understated holiday statement. This level of unfussy mixing will earn compliments and everyone will say what a master make-up artist you are.

7. Holiday Family Brunch
To look cute but not too dressy for a brunch, marry dark, bold navy eyeliner with a winter-white eye color. Master at leisure and still look put together by teaming a sumptuous highlighter on the cheeks and a low-key rosy blush for a natural but awesome glow. Add a maroon lip-gloss for oomph!

8. Holiday Rush Hour Beauty
Blue isn’t a hue you usually reach for in winter, but it brings dreary, holiday rush-hour eyes to life. Apply a soft matte, peach eye color on the lid, follow with a gray-taupe in the crease, and top it off with a shimmer-beige color under the brow. Add an elegant plum liner on the top lid, followed by scrumptious, dark-shimmer, navy-blue eyeliner under the eye for accent. Spice up the holiday cocktail hour with a matte burgundy lip color to provide an effectively super-luxe finish that will make heads turn!

Since Align Healing Center opened its doors in 1999 we have been treating arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, well let’s just say all of the “itis’s.” In other words PAIN, whether it’s back pain, neck pain, knee pain, shoulder pain or any other pain, we have been there to awaken the healing potential in the body and relieve the pain.

That being said, I am always in search of miraculous new ways to relieve pain without drugs, without invasive procedures and without more pain. In 2004, Class III Laser therapy was added to my practice and the results have been amazing! Then in October of 2009 I was enlightened to a new treatment modality that is revealing itself to be truly miraculous- Class IV Laser Therapy. I am so passionate and excited about how Laser therapy is helping people heal and reclaim their life that I feel every person whether in pain or not should know about it!

I am here to tell you that you no longer need to “live with pain” from an injury or surgery no matter how long you may have had it. Pain ruins your quality of life. It can go on for months—even years, while you try to ignore it, take pain medications and try treatments that don’t work. In the mean time, you’re losing sleep and missing out on your favorite activities. There is no longer a reason to settle for a life of pain. But in order to get rid of the pain, you need to resolve the injury itself. I am often asked “why doesn’t my pain resolve on its own?” My answer is “often our cells don’t have enough energy to complete the healing process and they get stuck in an inflammatory cycle creating more pain.”

Class IV Laser therapy gets to the root of the injury and treats it at the cellular level providing energy to the cells so they can heal. We all know medications only mask the pain and inflammation and are not a long term solution so, now we have deep tissue Laser therapy as a treatment that stimulates the healing process, relieves inflammation and helps the body resolve the injury.

Laser treatments at Align Healing Center are done with the K-laser Cube IV Laser. This laser does not cut or burn but is gently absorbed by the tissue. During each painless treatment laser energy increases circulation, drawing water, oxygen and nutrients to the damaged area. This creates an optimal healing environment that reduces inflammation, swelling, muscle spasms, stiffness and pain. As the injured area returns to normal, function is restored and pain is relieved.

We are having great success treating neck and shoulder injuries, sciatica, arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel, migraines, plantar fasciitis, post surgical wounds, sports injuries and more; even if it’s long-term residual pain. I have seen patients with 10 years of post surgical pain get their life back in a short period of time. Even ar¬thritis and degenerative disc disease sufferers can see long term benefits from this treatment without any of the negative side effects experienced with the long term use of medications.

Dr. Niele Maimone, DC of Align Healing Center in Danville, CA has been active in natural health & wellness for 11 years. For more information or to set up a consult call 925.362.8283 or visit www.alignhealingcenter.com.

As I mentioned in my article last month, while this is not the flu season, it is the season of overindulgence in inflammatory foods and excitotoxins. Why would a dentist, specializing in TMJ, be concerned about what you eat? Unless things have changed, the head is still attached to the body, and unlike what insurance companies force upon us, what you do with your jaw to create TMJ problems is, many times, a result of problems elsewhere in your body.

One of the many bad side effects of increasing our intake of sugar, sugar substitutes and carbohydrates, is that a nasty little germ called candida, which thrives on these items, can take over as the ruling majority in one’s digestive system. The resulting symptoms can include fatigue, gerd, gas, bloating, depression, sleep loss, clenching/grinding the teeth and many more. These are not the kind of guests we want to invite over for the holidays. In addition, another side effect of this condition is severe weakening of the immune system, which thus invites other unwanted holiday guests like Mr. Cold and Mrs. Flu.

Aside from cutting back on our binges, what can be done to help our poor body make it through this season?

• Avoid processed foods. Go for the veggies and homemade dips. Take a look at the ingredients in a store-bought spinach dip.
Where in nature can you find all those chemicals? Well, certainly not in organic, unprocessed foods on which we evolved. Flavored chips tend to be very high in MSG as well.
• Try to avoid the non-complex carbohydrates, such as potatoes, bread and bakery goods. Keep candy and sweets to a minimum.
• Be aware of what foods are inflammatory, and avoid them. You can find lists of anti-inflammatory foods online. Seek out these anti-inflammatory foods.
• If you do binge, avoid milk and cereal for breakfast as well as any high carbohydrate breakfast, especially fruit juices, which further harm the liver.
• Take a high quality probiotic (30 billion CFU). This will help control the candida as well and help to protect your digestive system.
• A high quality multi nutrient supplement with chelated minerals can help make up for the empty calories associated with holiday food.

I love the holiday season and all the festivities and I wish a happy and healthy season to all. With a little effort we can give our bodies the best chance to survive this wonderful time of year, free from the flu. Hopefully the term “lose weight” need not be in our New Year’s resolutions.

Advanced Oral Diagnosis & Treatment Center is located in Danville. For more information please visit www.aodtc.com or call 925-837-8048.

Dear HSSS,
My husband has a rather big personality and has always spoken his mind, but lately he’s gone overboard. He has an opinion on everything and doesn’t hesitate to make it known. A family member mentioned that she was bothered by a comment my husband made at a recent family gathering. How can I get him to zip his lip? ~ Laura in Pleasanton

He Said: Chances are your husband doesn’t even have a clue that he’s offended someone or that he rubs people the wrong way with his commentary. Most people that like to hear the sound of their own voice mistakenly think that everyone else likes it too. I would simply mention to him that you’ve been told by several people that he crosses the line from time to time. Don’t make too big of a deal out of it, but just kindly let him know that most people can’t handle his off-color remarks and that he should do a better job of reading the room the next time he decides to tell people how he really feels. And reassure him that you love him for who he is, because what’s worse than a big personality? No personality at all.

She Said: Ah yes, the infamous KIA (Know-It-All). We’ve all known or been married to one of those—and the older they get, the more holes in the filter! They don’t know they’re doing it, so here’s what you do: in a quiet moment, when things are going smoothly, let him know that as much as you adore his effervescence, it can be a bit much sometimes. You know it’s not intentional, so when you notice it’s going a bit far, you will let him know by placing your hand on his arm and pressing gently, as your own personal secret code that he may want to dial it back a bit. My friend does this with her husband and it works like a charm, especially when she rewards his good behavior after everyone’s gone home!

Dear SSHS,
I am a16-year-old girl whose parents divorced eight years ago. I spend equal time with both of them, but my dad had to move out of our old neighborhood, so when I spend time with him, I feel really removed from my friends and my old life. We can’t afford to get me a car, and I hate to keep asking my dad to drive me around when I’m with him on his weekends. What should I do? ~ Bored in Orinda

She Said: I know there are rules about new drivers not being able to drive their friends around, so I sympathize with your dilemma. Divorce is tough on kids! How about talking to your dad about getting you a driving app, like Uber or Lyft? I use them all the time and am always pleased with the service. As long as you learn how to use them properly (try and refrain from using them at peak times) and don’t abuse the privilege, he might be really grateful to not have to taxi you around.

He Said: I was always taught that if you can’t afford something, then change your situation so that you can afford it. In other words, get a job so you can get that car! And Robin has a great idea with the driving apps like Uber or Lyft, but how about having your friends visit you when you’re with your dad? And there’s nothing wrong with spending some time away from your friends too. With all the technology nowadays, are you really ever that far from any of your friends at any given time? Just remember, your true friends aren’t going anywhere when you’re gone and I’m sure your dad wants to spend some time with you too.

Robin Fahr is a public relations specialist and co-host with Shawn Shizzo on Conversations and He Said/She Said seen daily on Tri-Valley TV, Channel 30 and online at www.trivalleytv.org. You can also catch He Said/She Said on TheTalkPod.com. Send your questions to www.AskHeSaidSheSaid.com.

I was in line at Safeway the other day and asked the twenty-something clerk, as we do with almost every social interaction, “How are you?” This is a polite gesture and unless posed to a close friend in time of need, requires very little outside of “Fine, how are you?” But she decided to answer, “I am sooooo tired.” I wanted to grab her and explain that we are ALL tired and you will be tired for most of your life. Honestly have you ever had somebody reply, “Very well rested, thank you.”

We are a people on the go and moving at often break neck speeds. The sheer area that we live in require us to be busier than most, simply to stay here. Here is a quick list of why I am personally tired: 1) I started a new company this year. 2) I have a three year old, an eighteen month old and one on the way. 3) I am moving 4) I have two jobs…but I love the station that I am in right now. My life is full. The problem often is, getting my belly to match.

We all know that 2 pm feeling of, “I can’t believe I haven’t eaten more than an Altoid today,” and we start to panic. I need food and I need it now, but I have no time. Unfortunately our programmed minds drift immediately to the Golden Arches or the King, and that is wrong on many levels. So here is what I do in different “need food now” scenarios:

Pre-Packaged

I often work from Peet’s Coffee in Alamo and at that haunting 2 pm hour, nothing pleases me more than getting the Cheese and Fruit Box for $5.95. Three different cheeses, apple slices, sesame crackers and a handful of almonds. Perfect—it keeps me good until dinner.

Trader Joes in Danville has a host of amazing pre-packaged salads for under eight dollars. Oddly, most have chicken so vegetarian is hard to do, but they hit the spot in the time it takes to check out.

Hot and Served

This is a really bizarre lunch option but I find myself doing it more and more often. Costco for lunch, and no not the free sample circuit, although that is wonderful and inexpensive but requires time invested. I don’t even go into the full store part but opt for the enormous slice (or two) of cheese pizza for two dollars a slice. The most time you are going to spend is finding parking.

Sandwiches

Jersey Mikes recently opened in Danville and I am excited they did. It is a conveyor belt operation that serves quality sandwiches for under ten dollars. In this town, you can easily spend thirty on two deli sandwiches that are created by Vincent Van Gogh himself and take a month to make. Jersey Mikes builds, wraps and rings, and you are out the door.

Sweet Tooth

Esin Restaurant was created on the dessert prowess of owner/operator Esin. Her dessert menu is second to none and if you know what you want you can call ahead and have it all bagged up, waiting. Sauces are always separated in plastic ramekins and the cost is under seven dollars. This is something I get for my wife on the way home from my Costco Pizza.

Yannis Taverna has, hands down, the best baklava that I have ever had, and larger than most tiny squares, but you are still going to want to get two.

So there you go. Just a couple of quick ideas to get quality food into your empty tanks without creating a “dining out” budget and proof that there is no need to get fries with that or supersize anything.

Q. This summer I planted three New Guniea Impatiens in pots and grew them in partial shade. They’re doing well. Will they survive the winter or should I bring them inside?

A. New Guniea Impatiens will not survive the winter months outside because of the cold. They can be grown indoors; however, your biggest challenge is to keep them blooming and prevent the growth from getting leggy. Both of these issues are related to the low light condition found in most homes. This may or may not be an issue, depending on your overall plan. If protecting them from the cold is your main objective, then it’s not a big deal. All you need to do is keep them watered. You’ll need to move them into a heated room so a garage is not suitable. They’ll grow more compactly in cooler rooms kept under seventy-five degrees. In late March, you move them outside, cut back the growth and feed them. I prefer Osmocote as you’ll only need to reapply the nutrients every four months but there are plenty of other excellent options. To keep them blooming indoors, you’ll need a location that receives at least four hour of indirect or direct sunlight. This can be challenging during the winter months. The Agro Sunlight from Hydro Farms is a grow light that can help resolve this problem. It’s available at many independent garden centers. New Guineas should survive outside as long as the nighttime temperatures stay above forty degrees but I’d moved them inside by Thanksgiving to be on the safe side. Ultimately, it’s a judgment call on your part. For me, it’s not worth all the trouble to overwinter them.

Q, My lawn is dead from the lack of water since I did not water it all summer. Is there anything I can do to help it come back this winter? It’s really crunchy and brown with lots bare spots.

A. Once a grass has turned brown from the lack of water, there isn’t a magic solution one can do to revive it other than to start over. Now, there are many seasonal grasses that turn brown or go dormant during the summer months but they still require some moisture. They’ll green up in the fall. Once a grass gets to the straw color and crunchy it’s past the revival point. Reseeding a lawn now is not an option as the grass seed germinates poorly with the short days and cool nights. You’ll need to wait until next March. Another option is to replant with a water-wise lawn substitute in the spring. The nursery professional at your favorite garden center can suggest some ornamental plants. The EBMUD book, Plants for Summer Dry Climates, is a fabulous resource of water-wise, attractive plants with great pictures. Keep in mind, they will require watering during the summer months but don’t require as much as a lawn and less when established. It’s not advisable to do nothing as your property value will suffer. One of the lessons learned from previous droughts is the cost to replace a lawn, trees and shrubs is not off-set from not watering your plants.

Buzz Bertolero is Executive Vice President of Navlet’s Garden Centers and a California Certified Nursery Professional. His web address is www.dirtgardener.com and you can send questions by email at dirtgarden@aol.com or to 360 Civic Drive Ste. ‘D’, Pleasant Hill, Calif. 94523 and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Buzz.Bertolero

One of the very few advantages of being so darned old is that I remember the glorious days of Radio. Yes, before television, families sat around their floor-model radios in the evening and let their imagination do wonderful tricks as we listened to very popular radio shows. So, get your grandparents to help you answer the following:

1. “It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” These were the opening words of what popular show?

2. Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll played all the parts in what radio show, which was the radio sensation of the 1930s?

3. What show featured the noise of our hero opening his closet followed by the sounds of all the contents falling on the floor?

4. What show always began with the playing of the William Tell Overture?

5. Whose show featured the Mean Little Kid and Clem Kadiddlehopper?

6. What bandleader had a quiz show called “That’s Wrong, You’re Right”