It was a pristine night up on Parrett Mountain with the panoramic southwestern view of Newberg. We began with appetizers made from fresh ingredients from Sunshower Hill Farm, grown by the hands of Ranee, Jody, Ian and Margaret. We were treated to homemade pork lettuce wraps with sweet onion, roasted potato bites with toasted garlic accompanied by cilantro lime and fired Thai hot chili dipping sauces. We cooled off with peppermint sun tea and honey and, of course, wine. We had a perfect sized group. All shared the same value and wish of living well by eating well and supporting local businesses. The conversations were flowing which tied our connections from hear to heart. We teased one another a lot but left the night with the knowledge of how great local grown produce is. More importantly, how an individual can connect with a small group to support our local community. And, as a bonus, there were tips of being a successful entrepreneur like Ranee. For more info and pictures of the night please visit the Going Places Living Life blog .

Shout out to Cindy Wood, Take Shape For Life , from McMinnville for making the Connexi-Om! a powerful wellness night. Cindy walked us through sensitive questions on how we truly view ourselves on body, mind, and finance. Her earnestness and friendliness gave us the comfort to reveal ourselves for true answers. She encouraged us to dream, set goals, and take steps to get to where we want to be. To help us reach to the dream goals, she recommended several great books to read. It was a fun engaging night with useful information. Thank you Cindy Wood for sharing your passion for wellness. Some remarks from Connexi-Om ! attendants: Great topic, like the worksheets and book recommendations It was nice to learn about wellness and relaxing (relaxation techniques) Great for personal growth Learned a pathway to success

More and more people are moving into Roth IRAs because of the favorable tax treatments. Although Roth IRAs hold appeal, they may not be available for everyone.

Ladies, keep calm and continue working! Often times I complained to my husband how he loaded and unloaded the dishwasher. One day he turned to me and said, “The loading of the dishwasher issue could lead us to the “D” word”. The “D” word in his sense was divorce. I cowardly laughed at him but kept my mouth shut. As an advisor in insurance and finance, plus being a middle-aged woman, I know the facts about how divorce or death have some impact on women’s Social Security benefits. Ladies, you may argue that by the time you want the social security benefits, it will not be there. It will. And some of us may rely on it more than others. Longevity is a determined by key factors from family history, eating right, working out, and high quality medical technology and we all strive for it. But, longevity can turn into a risk if you outlive the money. Don’t stop taking good care of yourselves. Here are some facts: Women receive lower benefits than men. At age 65 or older, the average social security benefits women receive is about $13,500 per year, compared to $17,600 for men At age 65 or older, nearly 3 in 10 women rely on social security as their only source of income At age 65 and older, without social security benefits, nearly half of women would be poor (Source: National Women’s Law Center) In my case if one of the “D” words occurred, I would still need additional income to cover my own basic living expenses. I would also need to wait a decade to be at least age 60 to be able to file for his social security benefits. It means I would need to continue to work harder and longer. With the history of longevity in my family, who knows, after age 60 I could easily be living for 30 years or more! I would definitely need social security benefits, along with other retirement assets to live. Last but not least, my own social security benefits will increase if I delay filing for them until age 70. The longer we can wait to file (up to age 70), the bigger the social security payments we’ll receive. Remarriage could be a fantasy idea. Many say that marriage can bring financial security. In my humble point of view, the reality is men and women need to have financial security in line first to get married. So far, I have learned to be silent on the loading of the dishwasher issue. As a woman to women, I wish all of us the best. Have a plan you like and know how it is going to work for your retirement. Keep calm and continue working…