SafeWise just released its annual report of the 20 Safest Cities in Utah. North Ogden ranked as the #11 safest city in the state in 2019. Congrats!
Check out the full report to see how each city in Utah compares: https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-utah/
In related news, for the first time, SafeWise has also released its State of Safety in the US report. The report examines the attitudes and concerns of 5,000 US residents about safety across six categories - from concerns about violent and property crime to environmental and workplace safety.
Safety and security expert for SafeWise, Rebecca Edwards, will be available for interviews and can share key insights on simple steps people can take to dramatically increase their safety. Please let me know if you would like more information on safety tips or to arrange an interview with Rebecca Edwards.
About the Safest Cities report:
SafeWise announced the 20 Safest Cities in Utah on April 2nd, 2019.
Check out the resources and full report here:https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-utah/
Methodology:To identify the 20 Safest Cities in Utah, we reviewed the most recent FBI crime report statistics from 2017 and census population data. Cities that fell below identified population thresholds or that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI were excluded from the ranking system.
Our evaluation is based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) in each city. If there was a tie, we also factored in the number of property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). To level the playing field, we calculated the rate of crimes per 1,000 people in each city. This makes it easier to directly compare the likelihood of these crimes occurring in cities with vastly different populations.
About the State of Safety report:
SafeWise conducted third-party research of 5,000 US residents to understand their attitudes and opinions on safety across six categories: violent crime, property crime, cyber/digital crime, health and wellness, environmental and workplace safety.
To see how Utah-area residents feel about their safety, check out the Utah specific report here: https://www.safewise.com/state-of-safety/ut/
Who is SafeWise?
SafeWise is the leading resource for all things safety and security. We are real people seeking the best products to help you live your safest, smartest life. Guided by our Buy Smart, Live Safe philosophy, we figure out how things work and whether or not they’re worth your money. At SafeWise, we believe simplifying home security and safety helps bring peace of mind to you and your family.
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Why Managing Remotely Is So Tough—and Eight Ways to Make It Easier
Managing remote teams is a whole different ballgame. Yet in the age of flex work, satellite offices, and telecommuting, mastering this skill set is no longer optional. David Deacon shares some best practices that help self-determined managers connect with employees at a distance.
Melbourne, FL (April 2019)—Managing remotely has quickly become the norm in today's work world. And yet, it's not easy. With more employees working remotely or on flex schedules, it can be tough to create the kind of connection you need to help people do their best work. You can't pick up on non-verbal cues. You can't tell if they're having a good or bad day. You can't have those quick, informal interactions needed to form comfortable, cooperative relationships.
This is why you must be intentional about projecting to your remote workers the kind of environment and team culture you want, says David Deacon.
"You must ask more, listen better, clarify more, explore challenges together, and engage on personal stuff in addition to work stuff," says Deacon, author of The Self-Determined Manager: A Manifesto for Exceptional People Managers (Motivational Press, Inc., January 2019, ISBN: 978-1-62865-582-7, $19.95, www.selfdeterminedmanager.com). "The best managers are able to do these things in a way that builds loyalty and connections that endure the ups and downs of corporate life."
Deacon says the best managers seek to intentionally shape work environments. He describes managers who excel at creating the best environments, where people thrive and great work gets done, as "self-determined managers." This is challenging and relentless work even when everyone works in close quarters. So, when distance is a factor, a great manager must push even harder to build a positive culture and get the most out of their team.
Here are eight things the best managers do to successfully lead remote teams:
They keep in touch. Great managers connect with their people by email, Skype, or phone conversations. This isn't an occasional event either; it's a regular and predictable conversation that they look forward to.
They focus on more than tasks. The best managers know they need to show that they worry about everyone's successes and challenges. It's not only about the project or job at hand.
They talk about personal stuff and professional stuff. Being remote doesn't mean treating people like distant relatives. Good managers master the art of chatting and also take time to discuss and share information about what's going on.
They even talk about themselves a little. They know that managing well is personal, and they don't forget this just because their team member isn't in the room with them that day.
They listen more carefully. The greatest managers listen more when they are talking with people who aren't in the room with them. They are more attentive, more alert for signs and clues, and more conscious of the need to understand what is really going on.
They get really clear about what they need done. They know the goals their employee needs to achieve and what standards need to be met. They know it's harder to course correct along the way when everyone is remote and that less time together requires more clarity up front.
They ask more questions too. Great managers ask questions about context, about things that get in the way, about local relationships, and about resources. They make fewer assumptions that they know how things are or what would be best, so they inquire more and assume less.
They do more coaching. They do so not because remote employees need more coaching than other team members, but because there is a ton of value in exploring alternatives and options, and that's what coaching is. As a result, a large part of the conversation is the manager and the remote worker together coming up with great solutions given the environment the employee is working in—talking about priorities, and resources, and opportunities, and possible pitfalls, and choices.
"Bad managers do the opposite of these things," adds Deacon. "They listen less, not more. They make assumptions and do not offer help. They gather information they need but do not share. They give tasks without offering support. They take little interest in the person on the other end of the line. And they do not look forward to the conversation but see it as a chore."
To steer clear of these mistakes, grab a post-it and write out the following checklist. Refer to it before you connect with your remote team. When you've covered all five of these items, you'll have had a really good call with them.
"It takes a conscious effort to avoid the pitfalls of managing remotely," he concludes. "You can get the best out of your remote workforce by showing up for your team and projecting a supportive environment to them. Anything less and you're missing a valuable opportunity to get the very best from your people."
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About the Author:
David Deacon is the author of The Self-Determined Manager: A Manifesto for Exceptional People Managers. He has been a human resources professional for over thirty years and passionate about how managers manage for almost as long. He has worked for a variety of the world's leading companies, including Credit Suisse and MasterCard, and has lived and worked in the US, the UK, and Asia.
A thought leader in the fields of learning and development, talent management, and leadership development, Deacon has influenced leaders and teams around the world and created better-managed companies as a result. Recognized by the Best Practice Institute as a "Best Organizational Practitioner" in 2014, he continues to drive impact through leading world-class talent management approaches in the companies where he works.
For more information, please visit www.selfdeterminedmanager.com.
About the Book:
The Self-Determined Manager: A Manifesto for Exceptional People Managers (Motivational Press, Inc., January 2019, ISBN: 978-1-62865-582-7, $19.95) is available at bookstores nationwide and from major online booksellers.
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Announce Self-Titled Album
Set to Release June 7th
Listen to New Single "Peace", Here: http://bit.ly/2UtRXzW
**CHON is now available for pre-order HERE**
"CHON's technicality is used to make music that's inviting
to any type of listener who wants to just listen to a group of awesome musicians."
- Noisey
"CHON has been building momentum the last few years,
showcasing their dazzling, mathy, emotional, mostly instrumental tunes"
- Red Bull Music
"CHON paints vividly beautiful and elaborate settings with the power of instrumentation"
- EARMILK
San Diego, CA - April 4, 2019 - CHON is excited to announce that they will be releasing their third, and self-titled record on June 7th via Sumerian Records. Fans can watch the music video for the first single, "Peace", here: http://bit.ly/2UtRXzW. For more information and to pre-order the album, please visit: www.thisischon.com.
On their self-titled third album, CHON find themselves at the confluence of a great push and pull.
Since forming in 2008 in San Diego, the trio - guitarists Mario Camarena and Erick Hansel, along with drummer Nathan Camarena and bassist Esiah Camarena - have become one of the most buzzed-about acts in the new era of progressive rock, on the back of more than 40 million Spotify streams and tours with the likes of Coheed and Cambria, Animals As Leaders and Circa Survive.
Their debut full-length, 2015's Grow, established their mathy, forward-thinking take on the genre, while 2017's Homey furthered that sound while incorporating brand-new influences like effect-pedal-heavy elements of electronic music and trip-hop and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart. Now, with CHON, the trio once again have kicked down their musical guardrails - but in a way that balances their more eccentric impulses with a steadying dose of clarity and restraint.
"We really wanted to make songs with more simplistic structures, but also the craziest parts we've ever had musically," Mario Camarena explains. "I think our music is already so weird that when the structure is also crazy, it can be hard to follow. I really wanted this album to appeal to people who maybe don't listen to this style of music."
It's true that CHON streamlines some of the band's grandiose, free-flowing musicality in favor of more traditional sonic structures. But, most importantly, simplifying their sound doesn't mean resorting to being boring. If anything, CHON is brimming with some of the most forward-thinking, intricate musings the band have ever attempted, from the deep progressive propulsion of first single "Peace" to "Spike," which spins the band's youthful tech and metal influences together into a flashy riff-athon.
All at once, CHON respects the trio's current listeners while inviting a broader swath of new ones in - the rare progressive rock album adroit enough to straddle that line. For the band, it will be especially rewarding to bring this new musical mindset to crowds at festivals like Coachella, Shaky Knees and Electric Forest. There will be, of course, CHON diehards in the audience, but large-scale settings like these offer the band the opportunity to cultivate an even wider fanbase around their captivating sound.
CHON is set to release on June 7th via Sumerian Records. For more information, please visit: www.thisischon.com
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CHON Tracklisting:
01. Ghost
02. Cloudy
03. Gift
04. Visit
05. Petal
06. Pitch Dark
07. Rosewood
08. If
09. Spike
10. Dead End
11. Thanks
12. Peace
Upcoming Tour Dates:
April 13 - Indio, CA @ Coachella
April 20 - Indio, CA @ Coachella
May 4 - Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Music Festival
Check out more on CHON, here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicofchon
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/chonofficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CHONofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chonofficial
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Unsure What To Do With Your 401(k) When You Switch Jobs? Here Are 5 Options
The average American changes jobs 12 times in their lifetime. With each new job comes new offices, new co-workers – and possibly a decision about what to do with the 401(k) plan they started at their last job.
Selecting the right course of action for what becomes of that money can be crucial because the 401(k) has essentially replaced pensions as an employer-sponsored retirement savings vehicle.
“You have to look at where you are in life,” says Christy Smith (www.thepresleygroup.net), founder of Presley Wealth Management and an Investment Adviser Representative. “If you’re in your 40s with many working years left, it might be better to roll the 401(k) into your new company’s plan. If you’re just a few years from your planned retirement, putting the money into the new company’s plan is possibly not the best thing.”
Smith outlines five 401(k) options to consider when taking a new job:
Direct rollover to the new company’s 401(k). A direct rollover is a transfer of assets that allows those retirement savings to grow and remain tax-deferred without interruption. It goes directly into the new employer’s retirement plan without ever passing through your hands. “If you’ve got at least another 10-12 working years left with the job change, this is often a preferred route to take,” Smith says. “One of the advantages is a 401(k) offers lower-cost or plan-specific investment options.”
Direct rollover to a traditional IRA. People roll over a 401(k) to an IRA to have wider investment options and more control over their money. You don’t pay taxes on IRA contributions or gains until withdrawing the money, which you can do starting at age 59 ½. “With a traditional IRA you contribute pre-tax dollars, and that money grows tax-deferred,” Smith says. “This might be a better option for those closer to retirement. At that point you want lower-risk investments, and moving your money from a 401(k) to an IRA will give you a variety of fixed-income options.”
Convert to a Roth IRA. Contributions to a Roth are taxed when they’re made. The upside is you can withdraw contributions and earnings tax-free at age 59 ½. “If you have a relatively small 401(k), maybe it’s worth it to convert to a Roth and pay the taxes up front,” Smith says. “I certainly think Roth conversions can be a great situation, but they have to be done delicately.”
Leave it behind. Leaving your money in your former employer’s plan may make sense if you like the investment options it offers, or if you’re taking time to explore other options. “The downside is you’re no longer contributing to it,” Smith says.
Cash it out. Smith says this is almost never a good idea, due to the tax implications and the hit your overall retirement fund takes. “People who have financial distress will take the 401(k) distribution, but if there’s any way to avoid that they should,” she says. There’s a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty if you are under age 59 ½. The exception to this rule is if you are leaving or losing a job at age 55 or later, but the distribution counts toward that year’s taxable income.
“Whatever one decides,” Smith says, “the key considerations are continuing the tax-deferral of these retirement funds for as long as possible, and to avoid current taxes and penalties that can take big chunks out of what you’ve saved and invested.”
About Christy Smith
Christy Smith (www.thepresleygroup.net) is the founder and principal of Presley Wealth Management, which she opened in 2006. An investment Adviser Representative, she co-hosts a weekly radio show, “Your Money Matters,” and has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, MarketWatch and Kiplinger. Smith is the author of the book, Plan, Protect, Preserve, holds a life and health insurance license in Louisiana, passed the Series 65 securities exam and earned a Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC) designation.
