August Newsletter 2019
Fall is Here (Almost)
Wow, summer is going fast. Kids are back to school now; the Broncos are practicing and the mornings are just a bit cooler.
While we do have one more month of summer officially, Labor Day is approaching. Of course, we will be closed on that day, which falls on Monday, September 2nd this year.
As we roll into fall, we wanted to share some ideas on things you can do around your home to properly prepare for fall and the change in season that occurs. Everything from furnace inspections to gutter cleaning, there is always a lot to do.
For those of you that want to hold off on the outdoor stuff, we absolutely love the suggestions for “designing the perfect bedroom”, courtesy of our pal Marina Dagenais at Designer Premier this month.
If you are super creative and have some time, we also came across this list of fun, but smaller DIY things you can do.
We hope you were able to get the kids back in school with very little fuss and we hope you have a wonderful end to your summer.
Go Broncos!!
Partners We Love
As our regular readers know, we love to feature true professionals in our “Partners we Love” section.
These are people that share our values when it comes to getting things done for their clients and operating in a professional and ethical way.
Our friends at Colorosa Commercial Properties/Keller Williams Commercial did a fabulous job managing the sale of our commercial property last month.
They managed the process, and our expectations masterfully throughout and adapted quickly when the inevitable curveballs came our way.
They are also great negotiators and understand the true art of “win-win” outcomes.
If you are looking for advice on a commercial property sale, or just want to know what is going on in the Denver commercial real estate world, please look up our friend Rachel Colorosa.
She is the managing partner and can be reached at 303-886-8154, or at [email protected].
5G Is Coming
Most of us have heard of 5G, but what does it mean for us practically?
While Denver isn’t fully implemented yet, we have seen the icon pop up on our phones, so we know something is up. Verizon seems to be leading the way in Denver, though.
In a nutshell, 5G provides more bandwidth than 4G (or 3G) for cell phone data users. This means speed increases of 5-10X!
On the other hand, the increased bandwidth will likely come with some coverage gaps, so all the coverage we have grown to love with 4G/LTE may not extend to the 5G network.
To fully understand the pros and cons of 5G, we found this article which lays it out nicely.
For a comparison of the speed difference that we can expect, the folks at Digital Trends came up with this informative piece.
We are always excited when technology takes a leap forward. For a list of where 5G is currently available and when it might be coming, by carrier, check this out.
Happy surfing!!!
Tax Evasion..Wait, What?
No, we do not advocate tax evasion.
However, we found an interesting article about the 2010 law that was passed that attempted to discourage hiding of income in foreign accounts.
This made it much harder for rich Americans to avoid U.S. taxes by hiding their money, and the investment income it generates, in foreign banks and opaque shell corporations.
Of course, there are always unintended consequences of ideas like this.
Folks have gotten more creative and are using new tactics like investing in real estate and art to skirt these requirements.
This article by the Stanford Graduate School of Business sums it up perfectly.
The bottom line? Folks will always look for creative ways to reduce/avoid taxes. Some legal ways to do this can be found here. If you are lucky enough to be in the top 0.5% we found these strategies as well.
Is Grit better than IQ?
Our friend Heather Klutznick at Trilogy Financial posed that question in her monthly newsletter, and it caught our eye.
We have never been the smartest folks around, but we have always worked really hard. In fact, it’s always been our goal to outwork everyone around us.
The funny thing is when you do that, you end up ahead of at least half the people and companies you are competing with. Most people give up way too easily.
From her newsletter, “It turns out that intelligence might not be the best indicator of future success. According to psychologist Angela Duckworth, the secret to outstanding achievement isn’t talent. Instead, it’s a special blend of persistence and passion that she calls “grit.”
The full article from Forbes can be found here. We also ran across a short piece on medium.com that echoes this sentiment.
The bottom line? You cannot control your IQ, but you can control your effort and your attitude!
Thanks to Heather for publishing and sharing this information. To learn more about Trilogy Financial and the great work Heather does, she can be reached by the links above!
Stay gritty Denver.
Monthly Award Winners
Please join me in congratulating our best performers for July 2019.
Our top Cleaning Associates for the month were Aurora Dominguez, Josefina Quinonez, Sandra Puga, Sandra Vidales, and Maria Zapata.
In the Team Leader ranks, our top Team Leaders were Natalia Olivas and Rosa Chavez.
Thanks to all our team members for their hard work, and a special thanks to our award winners!
Congrats ladies!
Queen Bee Corner
by Angela
Just for fun I thought I’d throw out a few interesting facts about our employee training procedures
Very important! We don’t have to teach our employees how to clean. We hire ladies who like to clean. We guide them and teach them about product and equipment usage and safety measures in the homes.
Our ongoing challenge is to increase their awareness of the interior placement of objects and furniture. The natural tendency is to move everything to clean, then put everything back – somewhere.
The total focus is cleanliness. Throws, pillows, decorative items, toiletries; secondary. I know this is perceived by the client as the ladies imposing their own preferences, but truthfully, they just see the shining counters and clean floors.
One thing our ladies need no training in is their polite and pleasant demeanor, whether in your homes, amongst themselves, or with the office staff.
I honestly thank each Team Leader at the end of whatever conversation we have throughout the day, and I always pass along the kind comments of our clients. So thank you too!
Bee