Lake Country This Month

FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE LAKE COUNTRY • Page 3A JANUARY 2015 INCOME TAXES DIETING INCOME TAXES DIETING Edith I. Christian, CPA 262-646-2008 FOR ACCURATE, STRESS-FREE PREPARATION OF THIS YEAR'S TAX RETURN, CALL OUR OFFICE FOR AN APPOINTMENT TODAY. Don't Pay More Income Tax Than The Law Requires. At least we can make one of these easier. www.edithchristiancpa.net 242182004 Serving the Milwaukee Metro Area Clocks of Distinction Little Swiss Clock Shop HUGE SELECTION! Clocks • Watches Cuckoos • Alarms CONTEMPORARY DESIGNS TO BEGIN THE NEW YEAR! 242075003 270 W. Main Street • Downtown Waukesha 262-547-2111 www.LittleSwissClockShop.com OPEN M-TH. 9-5:30pm FRI. 9-8:00pm SAT. 9-5:00pm 35" x 12" REG. $200 SALE $115 23" H. REG. $134 SALE $99 30" diam. Satin nickel finish $275 Sale REG. $499 2 4 2 1 4 6 0 0 2 Hours: 11-6pm Tues-Fri • 10-3pm Sat • 11-3pm Sun *Donations Made to Fischer House HOME OF THE BRAVE ★★★★★ The Military GiVE* Shop 231 South Street, Waukesha 262-549-1601 Sgt. Robert Flowers, Owner ★ FLAGS ★ APPAREL ★ HATS Support Our Troops & Wear Their Jersey! $ 10 .00 off All Flags & Winter Wear By Christopher Bennett Special to The Freeman DELAFIELD — If you want to tackle a big goal, like living healthier, it is best to think and start small. Every December, as the cal- endar turns to a new year, gym memberships skyrocket and exercise equipment flies off the shelves. Physical fit- ness and living healthier are among the most common of New Year's resolutions. By Groundhog Day, a lot of well-meaning individuals avoid the gym in favor of junk food, and their exercise equipment is nothing more than a convenient place for laundry. "I think it's a trendy fad to say 'I want to be healthy,' or start exercising, or cut out some type of junk food or add some type of healthy food," said Matthew Meyer, a per- sonal trainer and owner of Lake Country Training. Lake Country Training operates out of locations in Delafield and Oconomowoc, and is on the Web at http://www.lake- countrytraining.com. "I think some of it is with all those Christmas presents they receive, they also receive an extra couple of pounds, and they realize they need to do some damage con- trol." Meyer is an American Council of Exercise national- ly certified personal trainer, and has been since 2001. His advice is simple: Start small. "Think about starting small, and be willing to work," Meyer said. "Small changes are a lot easier to work on. Five small changes add up to something." Focus on getting moving. Again, think gradually. You will not go from couch potato to marathon runner in one week. "Start with some type of exercise activity," Meyer said. "It could be something along the lines of going for a walk. If you join a gym, just get on a piece of cardiovascu- lar equipment." Meyer said you don't need considerable experience with the machine. "Just get on it and spend a half-hour on the machine," Meyer said, "Start with something and build off of that. Don't go on Google and find the hot 90-minute work- out and try to do it, even if you haven't been doing any- thing." Meyer said it is best to focus on getting some form of cardiovascular activity most days of the week. Do not ignore your diet. "I don't expect everyone to have a grilled chicken breast with vegetables and a big bowl of quinoa," Meyer said. "If you were doing that, you wouldn't be making a New Year's resolution for a healthy life." Use common sense Meyer espoused a com- mon-sense approach to eat- ing, and said everyone knows a carrot stick is healthier than Christmas cookies. Exercise in modera- tion, and stick with it and commit to changing your lifestyle. "Think about making it a lifestyle change and not a crash course on how much weight you can lose in three weeks," Meyer said. This does not mean that one is not allowed fun food, like cheeseburgers or pizza. Practice moderation. Meyer said pizza on Saturday is still OK, but eat one or two slices and not the entire pizza. If you start small, practice moderation and maintain a positive attitude, your chances at success are expo- nentially greater than if you set an unattainable goal at the beginning, fall short and become discouraged. "I always coach people to focus on the positive," Meyer said. "If you focus on the positive, you can build some positive momentum, and it makes thing easier." You might also reach the point where you surpass your own ability and need the guidance of a profession- al to determine the next step in your fitness routine. Again, this level is only attainable if one starts small. "Find some sort of realis- tic expectation in the direc- tion you want to go and go with it," Meyer said. "Know that you can always master those first couple of things you're working at and add to it." By Christopher Bennett Special to The Freeman DELAFIELD — Your financial life could be much, much easier if you pay attention to J. Bernard Fiedler. Fiedler is an executive vice president with Prairie Financial Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wauke- sha State Bank. In Lake Country, Wauke- sha State Bank is located in Delafield, Oconomowoc and Pewaukee. Prairie Financial Group is the wealth man- agement division of Wauke- sha State Bank. "There are some very sim- ple things that I find the majority of the public does not do that just creates a dis- advantage for them," Fiedler said. "If all of my clients did these five things, it would save everyone a lot of trouble." The New Year is upon us with a vengeance, and now is the perfect time to give your resolution of living better financially more pur- pose and direction. Fiedler offers five tips. 1. Know where your money is going. "If you know where your money is going, then you can start a savings pro- gram," Fiedler said. You need a budget. A bud- get consists of a detailed listing of where every cent of your money goes, and is not rooted in a general idea. Fiedler said one of his clients once said their bud- get consisted of them shop- ping at a certain discount store because their prices were the lowest. When the client started tracking expenses, Fiedler said they were shocked at where their money was going. "Go make a list of every- thing you bought last month," Fiedler said. "Nobody tracks it. Know where your money is going." Fiedler advised using a computer program, if neces- sary, and suggested "You Need a Budget." It is found at ynab.com. 2. Check your credit score. If it is bad, fix it. Fiedler said the average person has less than $100,000 set aside for retirement, and said the number is closer to about $60,000. "You could save that much money just by having a good credit score," Fiedler said. Fiedler said one will pay about $3,800 in interest on a 60-month car loan at 7 per- cent interest. That's if the individual's FICO score is between 720 and 850. Someone with a credit score in the 500s can expect an interest rate closer to 12 percent, which equals $8,600 in interest. "We're talking more than $4,000 in five years you could have saved," Fiedler said. Apply this to every situa- tion where one pays interest and the savings add up in a hurry. If your credit score is less than ideal, pay your bills on time and it will, over time, improve. 3. Historically low inter- est rates will not last. Interest rates have been artificially suppressed for at least five years. Such a prac- tice is not going to last. "This is the time to put together a plan to pay off your short-term debt with variable interest," Fiedler said. Fiedler said he remembers when interest rates moved from 6 percent to 12 percent in the space of 12 months. Take the time now and make it a point to pay off credit card debt and student loans, before interest rates rise and you pay more. 4. Freeze your credit score. Fiedler said to freeze your credit score with the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. Freezing your credit score does not impact your access to credit. It does restrict access. The freeze seals your credit report. You must use a personal identification num- ber to access and "thaw" your credit so legitimate ser- vices can be processed. Freezing your credit score is as easy as writing the credit bureaus, and any costs associated are nomi- nal. 5. Have your invest- ments reviewed by a fee- only, registered invest- ment adviser. Fiedler advises doing this twice. A fee-only investment adviser is one that does not make any money off of product. Fee-only invest- ment advisers are paid to advise investors. The check performed on your invest- ments should be free. Fiedler said you should be sure to get an investor policy statement from each adviser. The IPS states your financial goals and the types of invest- ments and products that exist to help you reach your goals. Check the Financial Plan- ning Association of South- east Wisconsin if you are looking for a fee-only, regis- tered investment adviser or a certified financial planner. Fiedler is the past president of the organization. Check www.fpasw.org for more information. By Christopher Bennett Special to The Freeman DELAFIELD — A new year is a perfect time to pick through one's life and consider avenues for self-improvement. Perhaps you want to quit smoking, or eat better, or get control of your finances. Resolutions are as limitless as one's desire to be more. "A new year on the calendar turns into new hope for a lot of people," said Wendy Kay. Kay is a certified professional life coach based in Waukesha. "It's just a time of reflection, and time to make some moves to do something different and improve the quality of life, whether it's health or happi- ness." Making a personal change, which sums- up a resolution, is not easy. Many start with good intentions, and accept failure by spring. "It can be difficult changing habits," Kay said. "It's the same reason why people don't change a lot of things in their lives — they don't want to go through the difficulty. "It seems easier not to deal with it when, in reality, not doing anything over the long haul is more of a struggle in their lives." Kay said modern society is designed for instant gratification, and somehow many got the idea that everything is supposed to be easy. If you want your resolutions to be successful, start small, set clear goals and allow yourself some wiggle room. "The best chance you have is to take the time to think about why you're doing it," Kay said. "You really have to take that time and be with yourself and understand what it is, and write it down." Kay said to write down your resolution and goals, and let your written thoughts serve as reinforcement when you feel like you are about to fall short. Another important aspect is to acknowl- edge you are accustomed to a particular habit. You are not accustomed to the oppo- site of your current habits. "Something like quitting smoking, or quitting chocolate, or working out five times each week — those are all things that sound great, and a person knows they can do them, but they're in the habit of not doing it." Kay cited the example of a smoker. Some- one who smokes is not accustomed to not smoking, and might suddenly be confused with what to do with their hands, or after they eat dinner. Kay said to add another step to your men- tal preparation, and visualize yourself per- forming your resolution. If you resolve to work out more, visualize yourself working out. If you resolve to save money, visualize yourself going to the bank and making a deposit. "Visualization is a good tool," Kay said. "Doing that with something like smoking, somehow your mind just takes over, and you'll end up quitting." As you write down and define your inten- tions and use your mind's eye in visualiza- tion, be realistic. If you've been on the couch playing video games since high school and graduated in the early '90s, you need to ease back into a life of activity before running that 5K this spring. "As far as working out, just be realistic," Kay said. "If you're doing nothing now, but you start walking 15 to 30 minutes every day, that's something. It's going to show up." And if you fall short and deviate from the resolution, just get back up and resume the activity in the resolution. Beating one's self up is unproductive, and leads to negative self-worth, which makes complete failure that much more of an issue. "If something happens, and they kind of fall off, just get back on as soon as possible," Kay said. "What else can you do? We're works in progress, always. As a work in progress, we're not perfect beings. We don't do perfect things." Expert offers five tips for financial health Budgeting, planning key for long-term outlook Tips for self-improvement Change your life ONE STEP at a time Start small when working toward bigger goals

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