Welcome to DiVITA Speaks!!

Signing off for a bit

By  Chloe DiVita

I will be disappearing from the blog world and business world for the next week or so. Today at about 2:15pm Leigh passed away. She was never in any pain, so I am grateful for that. I also happened to call about 10 minutes prior and was on the phone when it happened. The phone was put to her ear so I could tell her I loved her, and I will hope and believe that she knew I was with her at that moment.

Tomorrow morning I am headed to

Chicago

to offer help and support in preparing for the services. Thank you to everyone who has been patient, understanding, and supportive over the past few months while I did everything I could to be with Leigh and help her. Without the support I have been given I would not have been able to be with her as much as I was, and those are moments I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life.

Please be well, and don’t forget the good things in life. As I’ve said before, Leigh would want me to be sure and appreciate all that I have, and I plan on continuing to do that. I hope each of you does the same.

Until next time…

Another Personal Touch

By Chloe DiVita   

And so I will continue with my previous post because today at about 4:15 pm I received a phone call. My cell phone rang, I was in the middle of a meeting, and when I picked it up (just to see) I saw it said Leigh. I knew that it wasn’t truly Leigh because Leigh is much past making phone calls, and for a second everything went silent and my heart sank. This couldn’t be good. And indeed, it wasn’t. It was Chris, Leigh’s husband (and my husband’s brother, but someone who I am extremely close with to the point where he calls me his twin). He said that the doctor, whom I knew was visiting during the day, said Leigh’s pulse was high. At least 160, but possibly higher because she actually had trouble counting that fast, and she hadn’t been truly awake in about 48 hours, and she seemed to be salivating at the mouth, and she was quite warm. This meant that Leigh has anywhere from a few hours to a few days, but definitely no more than a week.

I knew this. This phone call; I knew it was coming. And yet, in the middle of my meeting, I sat in a sort of shocked state. I had to finish what I was doing, and yet I was quite disturbed. I spoke to him for a few more seconds and then said I’d call him back when the environment was more conducive to speak freely. At this moment, I have not done that yet, but soon I will.

Now I sit debating the question of when I should leave. When I should go; when I should be there for Leigh, for Chris, for me. What is important right now? I have much to do. Work tasks are pulling at me, my daughter’s needs are pulling at me, my husband’s needs are pulling at me, and yet, it is me who I am most concerned about. I wonder is that selfish, is that right? I don’t know. But I know I have an overwhelming feeling, deep within myself, to be there. To be there for Leigh; to be there for Chris; to be there for me. I’m not sure I would ever be able to get past not going. So I believe I must go.

And right now, as I read through what I have written, I think I’ve said too much. Maybe let everyone in to my thoughts a bit more than intended, but maybe that’s the way it should be. So I will leave the words as they were written.

Please know that no matter what my decision is, I will be sure my loose ends are tied tight enough to survive my absence. Work or personal, I will be sure I have a plan. But right now, in a matter of life or death, I need to do what will provide my soul the most peace it can have.

Let's Not Forget...

By Chloe DiVita 

…to appreciate what we have. To find strength in those things which hinder our spirit.

Back in the beginning I said this was a business blog with a personal touch. Today is a personal touch, but our personal emotions tend to directly affect our business matters, so in that respect please take this to work with you today.

I look today to this picture of myself and Leigh from my bridal shower. Leigh, for those of you who do not know, is my sister-in-law/best-friend who is dying of brain cancer. Last Friday we were told she probably had 2 – 4 weeks of life left. Not that the life she is living is one anyone in their right mind would want to live for 1 day, much less 4 weeks.

Regardless, it is her picture from a time when there was more hope, more happiness, and more life, that is making me appreciate all that I have. I have my health, my family, my friends, a thriving business, my mind, and worries she is envious of. I find strength in Leigh by knowing she would not want me wallowing in my compassion for her. She would not want my life to come to halt because of the status of hers. She would want me to remember how lucky I am, and to live my life to the fullest.

So I will continue to look to this picture of Leigh, and remember just how fortunate I am. I let go of my anger and frustration of what she has had to go through battling brain cancer for the past 4 years, of my hurt that I am going to miss her, of my fear for what lies ahead for her, and I appreciate what I have. For her. She no longer has the ability to do much of anything, so for her, I remember what I have.

What do you have?

Will you be prepared to retire?

By Chloe DiVita

Investing, it’s a huge topic currently. What are the best choices? What type of investing has the best return? The best tax savings? There are endless questions to ask, and many different answers to give.

The best investment usually comes down to your specific situation. Are you single? Married? What’s your income level? Your age? If you find a good Investment Advisor he/she will get to know you and your situation before advising you on a plan. My advisor has given us some good advice, and helped us start up on a plan that will maximize our savings. Thomas Ritzdorf. I recommend him if you are looking.

The earlier you start the better. At 25 if you invest $100 you can retire a millionaire at 65. Waiting until 30 would require double the monthly investment to reach the same end goal. In other words, if you haven’t started, what are you waiting for?

Be sure to use the internet as a tool of education. You can educate yourself about what types of investments there are. Are you thinking Roth IRA? Traditional IRA? SEP? The more you know beforehand, the better questions you can ask

I like the Roth IRA. It suits my abilities to invest, and the idea of getting money tax free when I’m ready to retire is quite attractive. However, like most plans, there are limits on how much you can invest each year. If you want to invest more you will have to pick more than just the Roth.

I encourage everyone to start thinking seriously about their future. If you are investing, is it enough? Do you know where it will leave you when you are 65? I know I don’t plan on going anywhere, and I’d like to live comfortably in my old age, so I research and I invest. I hope you do the same.

Is your QuickBooks set up efficiently?

Is your QuickBooks set up efficiently?

By Chloe DiVita

Millions of small business owners use QuickBooks software. After all, it is advertised as “easy to learn and use” and as we are told by a pop up window, “that you can get set up and running in as little as half an hour.” This may in fact be true. I have indeed spent less than half an hour getting a company set up and ready to start. But, I believe there is more to the set up, then just being able to start using the software.

About a year and a half ago I spoke at a NAPA conference in Colorado about QuickBooks. I was asked to give a short training session on it. I started by walking everyone through the Preferences, which I recommend every person review. It’s part of the Edit drop down menu. There are many setup options within the preferences that can smooth out your operations. At first the audience seemed surprised to be learning about “Preferences,” but once I dug in and introduced them to the abilities the Preferences give you, everyone became eager to learn more!

ü      Do you want auto recall a transaction by the Customer or Vendor name?

ü      Do you like your decimal point to automatically be placed?

ü      Do you want account numbers?

ü      Do you want your books password protected by a specific date?

ü      Would you like your reports to refresh automatically?

ü      When you receive payments do you want to have them automatically applied?

ü      Maybe your payroll bank account is different than your operating expense account, and you want QuickBooks to remember which one to use based on what you are doing.

You will most likely be surprised by the capabilities you have to set up *how* operations run using the Preferences.

Additionally, have you taken advantage of the template customizations? You can import your logo, decide what company information you want printed, decide which columns and fields you would like to see on the screen, and what ones you would like to print. If you like, you can add your own memos and notes to keep your clients informed. You can even set up many different templates allowing you to create them for specific circumstances. And, if you are confused, you can hire us to help you!

Finally, if you want your QuickBooks file operating most efficiently utilize its ability to memorize transactions and reports. By setting up recurring transactions, and frequently used reports, you can save some of your invaluable time.

Security Freeze

By Benecia Beyer

Nearly 10 million Americans fall victim to identity theft each year. Financial institutions, credit bureaus, and other companies have not done a good job securing personal data. As a result, identity theft is one of the fastest growing financial crimes.

I've seen the movies and watched how it happened -- and I always thought to myself, "but that could never happen to me" -- as I'm sure some of the victims had the same thoughts themselves!

Since 2003, all California residents have had the right to freeze their credit reports, prohibiting credit from being issued in their names. This was a first for the United States. Four other states have offered their residents the same rights and over the next year, four more will offer this right. Most importantly, effective July 1st, the state of Colorado has made this available to all residents and to any consumer -- you do not need to be a previous victim of identity theft - as you do in some states.

Anyone can ask the three major credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on their credit reports. Fraud alerts are supposed to alert you when someone applies for credit in your name and they signal creditors to contact you for permission to issue credit in your name. Residents of any state can put a fraud alert on their reports. Creditors, however, aren't required to abide by or even check the alert.

A credit (security) freeze goes one step further. With a credit freeze, no one can open any form of credit in your name. Your credit file is off limits to potential lenders, insurers and even potential employers. They can't even access it. But this doesn't mean that you won't be able to get credit for yourself or allow potential employers to run a background check. The three credit bureaus assign a personal identification number for you when you freeze your report. Using this PIN, you can lift the freeze when ever necessary.

With a credit-lock down like this in place, a criminal can have your name, birthday and social security number - but it won't matter -- because no credit will be issued. Period. It's the only tool to available that actually gives consumers the ability to prevent identity theft before it happens.

To lock down your credit report, you must contact each of the three credit-reporting agencies. TransUnion, Equifax, Experian. You will need to send a certified letter with your name, address, social security number, date of birth, and proof of current address (i.e. utility bill).

Equifax Security Freeze
PO Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348
1-888-766-0008

Experian Security Freeze
PO Box 1017
Allen, TX  75013
1-888-397-3742
customerservice@creditexpert.com

TransUnion Security Freeze
PO Box 6790
Fullerton, CA  92834
1-800-680-7289
fvad@transunion.com

There is no fee for the first freeze, $10 for each additional freeze. $10 to lift temporarily or permanently per credit reporting agency.