Utah Speaker Brad Wilson Announces House Staff
SALT LAKE CITY – Incoming Utah Speaker of the House, Brad Wilson, announces 2019 House staff structure and issued the following statement:
“I appreciate the hard work, dedication and sense of service members of our staff commit to helping us be successful. Each of these individuals is well qualified and their work will greatly benefit the House and the citizens of Utah for many years to come.”
Utah House staff as of January 7, 2019:
All House:
Greg Hartley, Chief of Staff
Megan Allen, Chief Clerk
Phalin Flowers, House Administrative Assistant
Cameron Blair, House Chief Technology Officer
Andrea Hansen, IT Assistant
Majority Staff:
Matthew Lusty, Deputy Chief of Staff
Jon Ammons, Director of Majority Policy & Strategic Messaging
Ian Robertson, Director of Majority Constituent Affairs & Majority Services
Edward Mueller, Majority Constituent Services Specialist
Harry Hansen, Majority Communications Specialist
Lancaster Brown, Special Assistant to the Speaker
Minority Staff:
Nick Frederick, Minority Staff Director
Ross Chambless, Minority Communications Specialist
Aneesa Turbovsky, Minority Constituent Services Special
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Make 2019 Financial Goals A Stretch,
But Also Keep Them Realistic
The first few weeks of January are filled with optimism as gym memberships soar and all those New Year’s resolutions have yet to be tarnished. When it comes to financial goals for the New Year, people should reach high but it is important that the goals really are attainable.
“Setting unrealistic annual financial goals is a recipe for failure,” says Kathy Longo, a financial professional and author of Flourish Financially – Values, Transitions, and Big Conversations (www.flourishwealthmanagement.com). “At the same time, you want to stretch and do things you haven’t tried before if you want to break out of the financial box you are in.”
Longo says when people establish unrealistic goals, these are the common mistakes:
Setting goals too aggressive for your lifestyle. If you make a commitment to spend less money, but you have not created a specific plan of action to make it happen, she says the goal is doomed to failure. “Making a New Year’s resolution to save money by eating out only once a week probably doesn’t work for a family with a lot of after-school commitments for their children,” Longo says. Likewise, a professional who travels frequently or people who haven’t prepared all of their own meals in the past may find this goal too much to do on a daily, consistent basis.
Setting unrealistic goals to track spending. It may sound like a great idea to track your spending, but Longo says it’s important to find a realistic solution for accomplishing that. She says the key is to find a system that works for you without overcommitting to tracking every penny, since that can become overwhelming. Some people work best with an Excel spreadsheet or money-tracking notebook. She also recommends exploring tracking tools like Quicken or an app like mint.com.
Setting your annual budget without consulting your spouse. In many households, one spouse handles paying the bills and keeping the family on track financially. But when it comes to setting the annual budget, Longo says both spouses should be included regardless of who writes all the checks. For example, deciding to eliminate a family trip or dropping a gym membership may look good on paper. However, it’s possible the family trip is a highlight of the year for your spouse and dropping the gym membership might conflict with your spouse’s health-oriented New Year’s resolution. All interested parties should discuss the annual budget (and it can be a great teaching tool for older children to be involved as well).
Setting overly aggressive debt reduction. Longo frequently cautions clients against setting aggressive goals to pay down debt or aspire to save a huge amount of money in the New Year. Although reducing debt or increasing savings should be part of an annual budget, the goals once again should be realistic. Longo says she encourages her clients to maintain flexibility in their goals so they can live for today while also saving for the future.
“The reality of today and aspirations for the future don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” Longo says. “Just remember to set goals that, with a little work and sacrifice, really can be reached.”
About Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Kathy Longo, author of Flourish Financially – Values, Transitions, and Big Conversations, is founder and president of Flourish Wealth Management (www.flourishwealthmanagement.com). For more than 25 years, she has served her clients with extensive knowledge and wisdom as a wealth manager, financial planner, firm manager and business owner. Her many awards include being named one of the top 50 Women in Wealth Management by Wealth Manager Magazine. She has been a wealth manager for 25 years and has held wealth management positions at such firms as Accredited Investors, Family Financial Strategies, American Express Trust Company, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche and CCP Financial Planning. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three children.
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New book invites young readers to follow the story of ‘A Little Star Named Theodore’
Aaron Chipley hopes to teach children the value of uniqueness and appreciation of God's gift
SPOKANE, Wash. – Debuting author Aaron Chipley marks his entry in the publishing scene with the release of “A Little Star Named Theodore” (published by WestBow Press), an illustrated children’s book that seeks to teach young readers the value of uniqueness and appreciation of God's gift.
A long time ago, in a special place, in the dark night sky, lived a little star named Theodore. Theodore lived with his brothers and sisters and many other stars. But he was different. All the other stars were bigger than Theodore. He had seven points instead of five points like all the other stars and he sparkled in the seven colors of the rainbow. Even though Theodore was small, he shined brighter than any of the other stars. What could be the reason behind it?
In colorful illustration and easy childlike language, “A Little Star Named Theodore” explains that everyone has been created uniquely for God’s purpose. It aims to help children discover and embrace the unique gifts God has given them.
“Children live in an environment where it’s important to ‘fit in’ with their peers. This book celebrates the uniqueness of a child that may set him/her apart from his/her peers, may be a gift from God that He will use to bring Him glory,” Chipley shares.
“A Little Star Named Theodore”
By Aaron Chipley
Softcover | 8.5 x 11in | 24 pages | ISBN 9781973642398
E-Book | 24 pages | ISBN 9781973642404
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Aaron Chipley is a husband, father and grandfather. He has worked with children for many years. He has raised two sons, has two granddaughters and has taught young children in Sunday school, Awana, and Bible study fellowship.
WestBow Press is a strategic supported self-publishing alliance between HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Author Solutions, LLC — the world leader in supported self-publishing. Titles published through WestBow Press are evaluated for sales potential and considered for publication through Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. For more information, visit www.westbowpress.com or call (866)-928-1240. For WestBow Press news, click “Like” at www.facebook.com/WestBowPress and follow @westbowpress on Twitter.
