April Wise Stewards Finance Tip

Many of you remember Elder Marvin J. Ashton.  Some may even remember the talk he gave in the April 1975 general conference during the welfare session titled “Guide to Family Finance”.  This talk, given more than a quarter century ago is the basis of the church pamphlet “One for the Money” that is available through church distribution.  Its advice is as good today as it was then, and even more important to heed now.  I wanted to include a quote from Elder Ashton’s quote which is disturbing in that the statistics continue to remain similar to those cited in 1975.

“How important are money management and finances in marriage and family affairs? May I respond, “Tremendously.” The American Bar Association has indicated that 89 percent of all divorces can be traced to quarrels and accusations over money. Others have estimated that 75 percent of all divorces result from clashes over finances. Some professional counselors indicate that four out of five families are strapped with serious money problems.”

Elder Ashton’s talk has been reprinted in more than one Ensign issue in the years since it was first given, which reinforces how important his message is.  With all the resources the church puts out to help families, this one is vital.  I feel so blessed to belong to a church where the importance of the stability of marriage and family is paramount, and this reinforces my testimony of the gospel.  Over the next several months we’ll look at the 12 points that Elder Ashton covers in “One for the Money” so we can take a closer look at this topic that is so important whether you are single, married, or busily raising a family.

April RS Message

Happy Spring and a big welcome to Elsie who just turned 18 and joined the Relief Society!

It is such a beautiful time of year! Lawns are starting to green, trees and flowers are blooming. The world is awaking after winter. We celebrate Easter and think of the Savior and His atonement. We have all been promised the gift of "awaking" - resurrection and the opportunity of Eternal Life - to live as our Heavenly Father lives - if we are worthy. What an amazing gift is the Atonement!

We have been blessed by General Conference with the opportunity to hear the messages of the gospel from our prophet, apostles, and other general leaders. President Julie Beck, who was just released as the General RS President, gave a wonderful talk about Relief Society. She reminded us that Relief Society is to teach, strengthen, and inspire sisters in (our) purpose regarding faith, family, and relief. She quoted from President Joseph F. Smith, who said he expected the sisters "to lead the world and ... especially the women of the world, in everything that is praise-worthy, everything that is God-like, everything that is uplifting and that is purifying to the children of men." She closed her remarks by quoting President Lorenzo Snow: "The future of the (Relief) Society is full of promise. As the church grows, its field of usefulness will be correspondingly enlarged, and it will be even more potent for good than it has been in the past." 

Sisters, we have been given the charge! Let us strengthen ourselves so that we exert our righteous influence in our homes to our families; in our ward to our brothers and sisters; in our neighborhood to those around us; in our workplaces to those we associate with. May we, as individuals, and as a (relief) society of women let our light shine out to the world.

April Newsletter Announcements

YW News – A huge thank you to everyone who supported the youth fundraiser.  The YW enjoyed a nice dinner in March and each girl brought a special guest.  We'll start camp prep activities on June 6th.  Our YW who are in Kearns Color Guard just returned from San Francisco.  Andi was awarded with team MVP at her first track meet.  Kassidie is our newest Mia Maid, and Aspen joins YW in April.  We're so proud of our YW and all of their achievements!

YM News - March was full of excitement and adventure. In preparation for the 50/30/20/12 (50 miles total, 30 mi. biking, 20 mi. hiking, in 12 hours) the scouts walked to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Afterwards they had their overnight camp for the month at the Jamison home. Thank you to all who came and supported our successful annual YM/YW Chili Cook-Off Camp Fundraiser. During March, the scouts also worked on the Swimming MB at the fitness center. To finish off the month, the youth participated in a service scavenger hunt. They worked hard at ironing, pulling weeds, washing cars, raking leaves, and more for the members of the ward. Thanks to our youth who gave of their time.

Upcoming Ward / Stake Dates

Mark your calendars:

Emergency Preparedness Fair - for the whole community
(please invite your neighbors, family and friends)
May 22nd, Saturday, 9-12 @ South building

Stake Clothing Swap
July 17th, Saturday, 9-2 @ South building

April Q & A Winner

A big thank you to Diane for submitting our featured question!

Question: What resources are available to find good deals on things we need?

Answer: The best way to find good deals is to be an informed consumer! Do your research and shop around. If you are purchasing services (for example home or car repairs), call a few companies and get quotes to compare. Ask if they will match prices or accept competitor’s coupons. If you are purchasing something retail, check out a couple of stores before making your decision. It’s more work, but on expensive items, it could save you hundreds of dollars. Also, be aware of what something costs new versus used. You can sometimes find great deals on secondhand items, but sometimes you can find new items for even cheaper if you watch for sales and clearance items. Also, word of mouth is great too. Let others know what you are in need of; they may have great recommendations.

Online resources for secondhand items:
Ksl.com
Craigslist.com
Freecycle.org (must be a member)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UTBulletinBoard/ (must be a member)

Retail resources for secondhand items:
Deseret Industries
Savers (99¢ Mon, ½ price ticket items)
Thrift Town (½ price ticket items)
Kid to Kid (children & maternity clothing and items)
Plato’s Closet (teen clothing)

For tips on shopping at thrift stores from Angela Hunsaker, check out How to ENJOY Shopping at a Thrift Store on a previous post of this blog. If you have any tips or sites to add, please leave a comment.

Creating a Will

None of us like to think about morbid things like needing a will, but it is a necessity to be prepared. Wills can speed up the process of distributing your assets and will make sure that they are given to whom you want them to be given to. Also, a will is even more important if you have children under the age of 18 who will need a guardian to care for them. Wouldn’t you rather be the one to choose who will raise your children if it can’t be you?

Creating a will involves choosing who will receive your assets – your beneficiaries, who will allocate your assets and follow through with your wishes – the executor, and who will be the guardians of your children in the event of your death. You will also need to have two witnesses (not beneficiaries of your will) available as you sign your will and it is highly recommended to have your will notarized. Each spouse will need to create their own will. Make sure that when you have completed your will, you let your family and your executor know about your will. Put it in a safe, accessible place and have a couple of copies available. We have a copy filed at home, one with our executor and one with my parents in another state.

Wills don’t have to be complicated or expensive. There are many options available to you. However, most of these options are for the most common situations. If you have a complicated estate or very specific requests or needs, consulting a lawyer may be your only option. As far as getting your will notarized, contact your bank or credit union. Sometimes the use of a notary is free of charge to members. There are many online sites available where you can enter your information and they will either mail or email it to you (some require a fee). Be sure to verify the site before giving out your personal information online. There are also sites that have forms that you can copy, paste and print your own. The free forms are very basic in nature, but are better than nothing. Or there are downloadable computer programs that you can purchase and use to create your will. The library also has computer programs that you can check out and create your will for free at home. The computer programs are most likely to give you more options than simple forms or free online sites.

Many of these programs also help you create a living will or advance health care directive. Living wills and advance health care directives allow you to specify what medical care and life saving or prolonging measures you want to have in the case that your condition makes it unable for you to make those decisions yourself. You can also assign a health care proxy to allow someone you trust to make those decisions for you. In any instance, it is wise to create some type of living will to spare your family and loved ones from making those decisions and dealing with the legal issues related to those decisions.


Disclaimer: We are not endorsing any of the following listed programs or sites; they are just a sample of what is available both online and at the county library.

Information about wills and living wills:
Steven J. Dixon, “Planning Ahead: The Importance of Wills and Trusts,” Ensign, Jun 1983, 28
http://www.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/2007/11/12/how-to-write-a-will-online.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_health_care_directive

Free legal forms: http://www.free-legal-document.com/
Free online sites: http://www.doyourownwill.com/ & http://www.rocketlawyer.com/
Free computer programs from the library: Family Lawyer and Quicken WillMaker