February 2015 Issue

V IVAmazingTu Lifestyle

TaxesPart Two

Valentine’sRecipe

EntrepreneurNely Galan

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MARIA ALVAREZCompliments of

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@ VIVAmazing #VIVAmazing

V IVAmazingTu Lifestyle

Monthly MensajeFebruary – Romance is in the air this month. Having said that, you will enjoy another issue of stories setting you up to have a romantic VivaMazing Valentines! Restaurant reservations can be difficult and pricey, so you will enjoy a simple recipe to make at home, but do not stop there….we also included a great playlist set up for you to play for that special evening.

Reminder that if you want to promote your business in the business directory in your market, please contact the information provided, it does not cost you anything to promote your business.

Start your own business with VivaMazing

VivaMazing is a Lifestyle distribution that focuses on the topics such as Fitness, Comida, Profiles, Real Estate, Sociedad (trends) and Musica…Tu Lifestyle! If you are interested in starting your own local VivaMazing magazine business, please contact us.There is a great opportunity for you to start your own business with VivaMazing digitally. For a free consultation on how you can start with VivaMazing Digital please email us at [email protected].

THIS SILKY BEAUTIFUL FLAN WOULD BE GREAT FOR ST.

VALENTINES DAYIngredients:

1 – 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk1 – 12 oz can evaporated milk

1 -13.5 Coconut Milk 5 eggs

1 - Cup Sugar2 tablespoons vanilla extract

pomegranate for garnish - optionalsprig of mint for garnish - optional

Directions:Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Caramel: In a small pan, (teflon coated) add a cup of sugar and heat until it begins to dissolve. Shake the pan slightly (do not stir) until all the sugar has melted. Increase the flame and let the sugar bubble and color. Pour the caramel into the mold and quickly turn it around in all directions to coat mold.

Custard:Beat all the above ingredients well. Pour into caramel prepared mold. Place ramekin or mold in a shallow baking dish and place in the middle rack of the oven. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekin or mold. Bake until the Flan is set but still wiggly in the center, 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes or until you insert a toothpick into the flan and it comes out clean. Carefully, remove the ramekin from the water and let it cool down at room temperature for about 60 minutes. Transfer to refrigerator to cool completely for 4 hours. 4. When ready to serve, gently run butter knife around edges and invert onto serving plates. Garnish with pomegranates and mint leaves, if desired. Courtesy of Karina Umaña

Maria Alvarez

I am thrilled to share with you this month’s issue of our monthly magazine where we bring you relevant and exciting stories. VivaMazing will cover topics such as Fitness, Success Profiles, Sociedad ( topics and trends ), Comida and Real Estate...simply put “Tu Lifestyle”

I will be putting together a list of local businesses to create a local business directory in the near future. These are small businesses that you should meet, if you would like to be a part of the network business directory, please contact me. This is a great way to connect our local community.

323.915.3996

I encourage you to read the magazine but also stay connectedwith me with any questions you may have. I am here to serve you, your friends and family with any real estate needs whether you are buying, sellinga home or simply want to know thevalue of your home today. I look forward to hear from you and enjoy this month’s issue.


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FITNESS


MINDSET CHANGES

Take care of your body; it’s the only place you have to live

Stop Waiting For Things to Happen, Go out and make them happen

Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference

WHEN I EAT LIKE CRAP, I FEEL LIKE CRAP

Never give up on something you really want, it’s difficult to wait, but worse to regret

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We wake up to the news or social media about fitness and this wellness craze and I myself want to live healthier. It is not easy to give up the foods we love that are not good for our body. It is not easy to eat the grains that are healthy for us. This month we thought that we would give you some quote for thought.

We might not have time to go to the gym as much as we want too. We might not have the money for a personal trainer. Here is an idea, flip the mindset. Let’s find workouts at home that we can do consistently and I promise you once you start seeing the results, it’s a no brainer.

Junk Food You’ve Craved For An Hour, Or The Body You’ve Craved For A Lifetime? Your Decision

I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going

to be worth it

For this issue, we show you how to make a dish for Valentines! Scallops over my go to Hearts of Palm Salad is a simple, healthy and sexy! You can also watch the recipe on video at my YouTube Channel “TitoTam”

COMIDA


SCALLOPS OVER HEARTS OF PALM

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Recipe for 2

Ingredients

6 scallops (you can pick the size depending on how special the occasion)

1 can hearts of palm

½ cup cherry heirloom tomatoes (any tomatoes will work)

¼ cup of kalimata olives

Olive oil to tastea

1 lime

Salt and Pepper to taste

Any green for garnish – you can use micro greens or cilantro

Recipe Scallops –

Heat a pan to medium high and wait for the pan to begin smoking to add the olive oil

Season the scallops with salt and pepper and then set in the pan 4 minutes on 1 side and then turn over for 2 minutes on the other side. Remove the scallops and set on top of a paper towel while you prepare the salad. (Note – you will only need to turn over the scallop once)

Salad – In a bowl add the hearts of palm, olives and tomatoes. Add the olive oil, lime and salt and pepper and mix.

Now you are ready to plate! On a white dish put some of the hearts of palm salad and top it with the scallops and you are ready! Well, first put on the Valentines playlist, pop open the Ceja Chardonnay and you are ready!

“You’ll be surprised how simple it is to cook a sophisticated dish at home.”

Where do we begin? Que tremendo orgullo Latino is how I would describe Nely. Continuamos con Latino y Latinas that you need to know. The reality is that Nely is wealthy enough to just enjoy her life and travel, but she decided to give back.

She heads the Adelante movement for Coca Cola but before we give away the secret sauce, get to know our hermanita Nely and visit www.theadelantemovement.com and register. Tell her que te mando Armando!

If there ever were a question of whether the American Dream was still alive, you wouldn’t have to look much farther than Nely Galan. From humble beginnings in Cuba, Galan emigrated to New Jersey with her parents in 1965. She was an avid journalist in high school, and was privileged to win a position as a guest editor for the young womens’ magazine Seventeen. Her career in media took off when, at the age of 22, she became the nation’s

youngest station manager for television. From there, she formed Tropix, a production company that focused on producing quality Latin entertainment. In two short years, she worked with HBO to combine Tropix and HBO into HBO Ole, their premier Latin American channel offering.

Nely wasn’t about to be stopped there. Crafting deal after deal, she worked with the FOX Network and Rupert Murdoch to bring FOX programming to Latin America. She created Galan Entertainment, which produced Latino networks for ESPN, MGM, and Sony. Galan spearheaded the Alma Awards, which honor Latino talent in the entertainment industry, and used her influence to craft the first telenovela in both Spanish and English for FOX’s Televisa network.

In 1998, Galan was offered the chance of a lifetime. Taking a leave of absence from Galan Entertainment, she accepted the position of president of entertainment at the Telemundo Network, one of the world’s largest Spanish-content broadcast networks.


“Don’t buy shoes buy buildings.” Nely Galan

PROFILES CELEBRITY, FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

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She spent three years developing Telemundo programming and after returning to her company, produced some of the network’s biggest hit shows, including Viva Vegas, Los Beltran, and Father Albert. On English-language networks, Galan produced The Swan, a reality show about transforming lives and bodies. In conjunction with the show, she also published her best selling companion The Swan Curriculum. The spiritual sequel to this show, The New You, aired on NBC. Her most successful show is La Cenicienta, an unscripted reality show on Telemundo. The show featured a lovely woman trying to pick her Prince Charming from among 20 eligible men. It has achieved some of the highest ratings of any show on that network in 50 years.

However, her most recent achievement has been outside of media. Galan recently founded The Adalante Movement, a grassroots organization dedicated to empowering, educating,

and transforming Latina women in America into powerful, strong beings. The movement focuses on uniting Latina women on social, political, and economic issues facing the modern Latina woman in America. Galan and a host of Latina businesswomen, philanthropists, and professionals tour the

country hosting lectures and luncheons dedicated to open discussion of current issues facing the Latino community, and to educate women on everything from financial matters to starting small businesses. The conferences include the National Council for La Raza, the nation’s leading Hispanic Civil Rights advocacy group, and brings together community leaders, politicians, clergy, and people from every walk of life to celebrate the perseverance of Latina women.

Nely Galan’s dedication to the entertainment industry and to those women who look up to her is to be admired. And the next time someone asks who has possibly achieved the American dream; you need look no further than Nely Galan.

PICK ONE?

Maria Alvarez

323.915.3996

Owning


VRemodel the home and increase the value

You control how long you want to live there

Build long term equity

Tax Benefits

Be proud of owning your own home

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When you choose the side you want to be on, CALL


SNo #nothappening

Landlord can ask you to move or raise rent

Create wealth for someone (not you) wink wink

No vacation $ from tax benefits

Not so proud

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Renting

PICK ONE?

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The media and news have so much negativity in relation to Real Estate that it can instill fear in all of us. What we have to believe in is that the majority of our wealth comes when you own a home.

Studies have shown that more college graduates come from a home that their parents own. In addition, more small business’ are opened from equity of a home. The list continues and the morale of this article is to remove the fear the media instills in us. We have to find the positive and align it with our future.

NO ONE GROWS UPASPIRING TO BE A RENTER

REAL ESTATE


“If you look at the wealthest in the country, they all own real estate.”

VIVAmazing


“At the end of the day we have one life. Let’s shoot for the stars, on creating wealth for ourselves.”

The media tells us that home values continue to rise as well as interest rates; however homes and rates are still lower than where they were 5 years ago. We do have to educate ourselves that a home should not be treated like an ATM. The subprime meltdown taught us that valuable lesson and from mistakes, valuable lessons are learned.

As Latino’s we measure one of our successes when we graduate from college and land that great job by buying a home.

As Latino’s one of the senses of accomplishment when we save our money, is to buy that home. When Richie Valens landed his first major contract with the music label, the first thing he did was buy his mother a home. Of course that was in the movie, but there is a list of celebrities and success stories that have the same note.

The home represents 2/3rd of the Latino wealth and understanding that, can provide more clarity. The famous quote “Its best to buy low and sell

high” This housing market allows us to buy low and instead of selling high, we keep for the long run and build wealth!

Buying a home is the most important financial decision that you will make, so we recommend that you learn the process. The Internet provides great information and read several sites before you consult a Loan Officer or REALTOR. This way you prepare yourself. Studies show that home owners with prior education on the home buying process tend to perform better and less of those who learned the process lost homes during the sub prime meltdown.

If you bought at the top of the market, there are options readily available with the sale of your home. Learn the process of short sales and the implications and then meet with a REALTOR.

Remember that education is knowledge and that turns into power. Go and build that WEALTH!

SOCIEDAD


THREE MISTAKES TO AVOID PART 2

More Helpful Information:

What are the Main Reasons People Delay Filing Their taxes?

Many things cause delays. Many times people have to wait for final pieces of information prior to filing their returns. Also, people who have medical problems may be delayed in filing.

“It’s my experience that the main reason people delay filing their taxes is due to procrastination. Some people have a ‘fear of filing’ that prevents them from doing it in a timely manner, and others delay because of lack of knowledge of the tax laws.”

What are the common mistakes that cause people to get an IRS audit?

“Keep in mind that the state and the federal government prefer electronic filing of tax returns. Electronic filing is safer and quicker. Refunds are received in 7-10 days as opposed to six to eight weeks when filing manually.”

Be aware that there are differences between federal and state laws that may or may not impact an individual’s tax return, but the taxpayer should be aware that such differences exist. Those differences, in some cases, could affect their state return. For example, depreciation

limits on rental property and business equipment.

Mr. Kremer also offers this helpful information:

“The IRS provides tax answers via a hotline. One must be aware that because of the way a question is asked and answered the information offered by the IRS may or may not be correct based on the agent’s understanding of the question. If clarity does not exist within the question/answer session, then the tax return may be completed improperly.”

If in doubt about any large item on your tax return, the taxpayer should consider seeking professional

VIVAmazing


assistance. Remember: The burden of proof is always on the taxpayer.

What to do When You Need to Find A Tax Professional

Since many of us do not understand taxes, we may have a tendency to oversimplify our tax information. If you find that you are in need of a tax professional, here are some questions to consider. What are some questions I can ask while interviewing a CPA?

“I would ask them how much experience they have in personal taxes, or if their experience is mostly in corporate taxation and corporate accounting.”

“Also: ‘Are you current with your continuing education requirements?’ This question would be valid because tax laws, unlike other laws, change every year.”

People think that a CPA is just for tax season, what are other benefits of a CPA?

An accountant may be called upon to review a personal budget or a home budget. The accountant can suggest where expenses can be cut and how more money can be saved. The accountant can also advise when seemingly bad investments can be stopped to limit losses.

The CPA can also project tax savings if a person went into a tax shelter such as a retirement fund, an IRA, or a deferred annuity. The

related tax savings can then be pointed out to the client.

A Final Word on Saving Money

“There is a saying in the financial world that you should pay yourself first. That simply means you should set some money aside for emergency savings, long-term savings or an investment before you spend money on a new car or a vacation.”

(Disclaimer: The writer, Helene Kremer, interviewed her father, Allan Kremer, for information for this article. Allan Kremer has been a practicing CPA for 50 years.)

“Every wealthy person that I’ve talked to has told me that credit and taxes are essential for success in this country.”

MUSICA


YOUR VALENTINE’SPLAY LIST

“A song brings out some of the memorable moments. Create your moments this month.”

1. John Legend – Save Room2. Marc Anthony – Que Precio Tiene El Cielo 3. Romeo Santos – You4. Mary J Blige – Sweet Thang5. KC Jojo – All My Life6. Huey Dunbar – Te Amare7. Miguel – Adorn 8. Trio Los Panchos – Amaneci en Tus Brazos9. Luis Enrique – Amor De Cerca10. Maxwell – Love You11. Guaco - Con Solo Un Beso12. Jose Feliciano – Usted13. Robin Thicke – Jus Right14. Keith Sweat – I Give All My Love to You15. Frankie Ruiz – Desnudate Mujer16. Frank Reyes – Te Regalo El Mar 17. Anthony Hamilton – Amazing18. Kem – Share My Life19. Kenny Lattimore – For You

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February 2015 Issue

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Transcript of February 2015 Issue