Take a look at our newsletter this month.
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BUILD IT. PROTECT IT. PRESERVE IT.
LESSONS I LEARNED IN 2019
AND HOW I’M MOVING FORWARD IN 2020
If anything made 2019 great for me, it was the lessons I learned about how to be a better attorney, businessman, father, and husband. I plan on applying those lessons to my life this upcoming year in hopes of making 2020 even better. Every day, our clients trust us with their most personal matters, and providing merely adequate service is not enough. That’s why I always strive to provide our clients with the best possible service every time. Here are a few ways I’m going to do that in 2020. BE BRILLIANT AT THE BASICS. Understanding the law is a complex business, but sometimes taking a step back from the law-specific details, and getting back to the basics, is what it takes to allow a practice to serve its clients best. I hope this upcoming year will be one where my staff and I can focus on the basics and provide the best service possible to our clients. CREATE A SPACE WHERE WORKERS CAN THRIVE. Working with people you trust is a great thing. Having people who you can trust to carry out the mission of your workplace, even if you’re gone, is another thing entirely. I greatly appreciate my team, and I can’t wait to see what we do in the new year. I have no doubt that in 2020, Littlejohn Law will continue to be a place where we live out our mission and values on a daily basis, even more so than we do now.
HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM. Part of what I do to help my team work on behalf of our mission and values is leading myself well — and the way I did that in 2019 was by building a support system. I still need help, and I don’t always see the areas where I need to improve. That’s why, last year, I made an effort to surround myself with coaches and advisors who give me feedback on how to be a better entrepreneur. Life as a business owner can be lonely. When you’re in charge, you don’t always have someone in your life who understands what you’re going through. I hope I can continue to learn and draw wisdom from the advisors I’ve come to trust in 2020. KNOW YOUR VALUES AND WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU. This might be the most important lesson I learned last year. If you don’t know what your values are, your decisions will be rash, erratic, and against your best interest. While I want to serve my clients in the best way possible, I value my family more than anything else. In the past, I took on cases where I had to work some 12–18-hour days, and it kept me away from my wife and daughter. In 2019, I realized I can’t do that anymore. My family comes first, and knowing that, I can make better decisions for myself and my business.
If you find yourself in need of our services in 2020, know we’ll never stop improving or looking for ways to serve our community better. Happy New Year!
–Edward Littlejohn
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SO, WHO GETS ACCESS TO YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT WHEN YOU’RE GONE?
THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZING YOUR DIGITAL ASSETS
“Digital assets” is a phrase used to encompass internet-based assets, including your online photos, personal blog, social media accounts, financial accounts, professional blogs or websites that generate income, and digital currency such as Bitcoin. If you were to die, could the people you love access and claim these assets? Would they even know they exist? In the event of your death, your heirs might have difficulty accessing your assets and might need to take costly, time- consuming legal action in order to gain access. Even then, the court may not have any clear legal guidance about what to do because digital assets have evolved more quickly than the laws of inheritance that govern them. Now with a little preplanning, you can plan for these assets to transfer almost seamlessly into the hands of the people you intend to have them. However, a few practical and legal issues may prevent your heirs from gaining access to your digital assets:
There are measures you can take to address all of these. Some are simple and require no more than a notebook, a pen, and some time. Others have legal implications and are best addressed with the help of an estate planning attorney.
First, do an inventory of your digital assets and store it in a secure place readily accessible to your loved ones. A good old-fashioned loose-leaf binder or notebook works fine. List all your online accounts, such as Facebook, email, and online payment accounts and their corresponding passwords. (Update the notebook when you update your passwords or add accounts!) If the idea of committing all of this information to paper seems too old-fashioned or insecure to you, consider getting a password management app. These typically don’t cost much but can provide a level of security that might give you peace of mind. Another thing you should do is back up files that are stored to the cloud. While it’s convenient for you to have your family pictures in the cloud when you’re alive, you don’t want these irreplaceable treasures to be lost to your family after you’re gone. Make the effort to back up pictures and other important files to your own computer or local storage device.
• Federal laws intended to preserve data privacy
• Risk of criminal prosecution for unauthorized access to assets
• Data encryption
• Passwords that are difficult or impossible to bypass
• Lack of awareness that a digital asset exists
LOOK NO FURTHER FOR THE PERFECT GIFT
Hi there! My name is Kim, and I am the owner and creator of Backyard Candle Shoppe LLC. I have been making wax melts, candles, and more for my family and friends for a very long time. The products and scents I carry are made specifically for every season we are lucky enough to enjoy here in the valley! With that being said, I will be introducing my Winter Collection very soon. Presently, you can find and preorder from
my Shoppe on our Facebook page, where you will also see new product information, giveaways, sales, and upcoming events, such as festivals I will be attending. My wax melts, candles, and more are each highly scented and reasonably priced. I accept all orders, big or small, and even offer wholesale pricing when applicable. I hope you all had a merry Christmas and have a joyful new year!
This newsletter is for informational purposes only and no legal advice is intended. Be sure to consult with this law firm if you have a specific question about your situation. And, remember Edward and Jeff don’t take any unplanned inbound telephone or in-person meetings. We believe each case deserves our undivided attention.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS UPCOMING VIP EVENTS These SEMINARS AND TELECONFERENCE CALLS are FREE. That’s right; there is no charge. We just ask that you preregister so we can make sure there’s enough space. We want to make sure people make good decisions about their legal situations.
WHAT’S NEWWITH ME AND MY OWN?
It’s hard to believe 2020 is already here. 2020 means a lot of things: On Jan. 3, 2020, Kyzlee will be 2 1/2 years old. And her personality is really beginning to show — especially when she doesn’t want to do something. One day she’ll be praised for her strong leadership skills, but for now, we’ll keep working with her. On Jan. 18, 2020, I’ll have exactly six months to plan my fourth wedding anniversary. It’s hard to believe I’ve been married for 3 1/2 years. Time flies when you’re having fun. But as they say, “happy wife, happy life.” On Jan. 27, 2020, Jeff and Ally will celebrate their second wedding anniversary. Wishing you both a happy second anniversary!
January: Small Business Mastermind — Start 2020 Off Right
February: Business In-Person Meeting
March: Estate Planning Meeting
If you see a seminar or teleconference that’s interesting to you or your family, be sure to preregister by calling 740-314-4829 or visiting LittlejohnLawLLC.com. We’ll send you more information as we get closer to the meeting but only to those who have preregistered. If you have a topic you would like to learn more about, be sure to attend one of our seminars or teleconferences. Send your email requests to office@elittlejohnlaw.com.
SIMPLE PANCAKES FROM SCRATCH
Inspired by The New York Times
Everyone should be able to make pancakes without a boxed mix. This recipe is no-frills fantastic and can probably be made without so much as a trip to the grocery store. INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 tsp baking powder • 1/4 tsp salt • 1 tbsp sugar, optional
• 2 eggs • 1 3/4 cups milk • Unsalted butter or canola oil, to grease skillet
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat a griddle or skillet to medium-low. 2. In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (including sugar if you like a sweeter pancake). In a separate bowl, beat eggs into milk. Gently stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ones. Mix only until flour is moistened. Clumps are fine. 3. Add some butter or oil to the skillet. If the butter foams or oil shimmers, the temperature is correct. Pour in a pancake of any size, cooking until bubbles form, about 2–4 minutes. 4. Flip and cook other side for 2–4 minutes. Serve warm.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
LESSONS LEARNED IN 2019 AND MOVING FORWARD IN 2020
2
THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZING YOUR DIGITAL ASSETS
LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
3
WHAT’S NEWWITH ME AND MY OWN
UPCOMING VIP EVENTS
SIMPLE PANCAKES FROM SCRATCH
4
HELPING YOUR KIDS MAKE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
HELP YOUR KIDS ACHIEVE MORE THIS YEAR
With Simple and Actionable Goals
With every new year comes an opportunity to reinvent ourselves or start down a new path toward self-improvement. Making resolutions is a big part of many families’ New Year’s traditions, and parents often have a desire for their kids to take part in that tradition when they’re old enough. Following through on resolutions is tough, especially for young children, but with your help, they can achieve their goals. PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH. You are your children’s role model for almost everything, including following through on New Year’s resolutions. So, ask yourself if you follow through on your own resolutions. When you proclaim that you will read more books or finally get a gym membership, do you actually try to do it? Your kids will assign as much importance to New Year’s resolutions as you do, so by sticking to your own commitments, you can help them stay on track too. KEEP THINGS SIMPLE AND ACHIEVABLE. When your kids are forming their resolutions, their first attempts will probably be very broad. Statements like “I want to be more kind” or “I will try to help more around the house” incorporate good values but don’t include any actionable steps. Help your kids think
of tangible ways to act on those goals. For example, if they want to be tidier, a good resolution might be for them to clean their room once a week or take responsibility for one household chore every day.
DON’T DO ALL THE WORK FOR THEM. While it’s important for you to help your kids formulate their goals, be sure that you aren’t taking over. If they’re ultimately responsible for their resolutions, they’ll feel more compelled to keep them. Instead, suggest different goal areas they could improve, such as home, school, or sports, and let them elaborate. When it comes to creating habits, nobody is perfect, so even if your kids falter on their goals in the middle of February, don’t worry. The important thing is that you continue to encourage them every step of the way.
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