Thursday, August 12, 2010
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Flip-Flops? At
One of the most visible stores. No, that was not a
signs of generational dif- typo. That's a three followed
ferences in the workplace is by two zeros--S300. A very
style of dress. While Baby popular brand of foam-soled
Boomers may still cling flip-slops is selling in stores
~ ~" " ~ ~ ~ ~ r~ ~ "~
By Dr. Suzette Barta
to the traditional business
suit, complete with tie and
leather loafers (or pantyhose
with pumps for the ladies,)
Generation Y prefers their
ripped jeans and flip-flops,
Gen-X is caught somewhere
in the middle.
Let's talk a little about flip-
flops, because, let's face it.
Flop-flops have come a long
way from the days when they
were made of thin rubber and
cost a dollar at the discount
store. We still have those, of
course, and they are great to
wear to the swimming pool
or out in the yard. So what if
they get dirty? Just hose them
off, and they are as good as
new.
The one dollar rubber
flip-flop, however, is just
scratching the surface of the
flop-flop market--particu-
larly for women. Seriously,
I've seen flip-flops sell-
ing for over $300 in some
in Stillwater for around $40-
50. I recently found some of
them on sale though for
$19.99! What a bargain!
For some flip-flops!
Generally, when we spend
$50-300 for a pair of shoes,
we expect to be able to wear
them most places--includ-
ing church and work--even
if the shoes appear to fall
into the category of flip-
flops. Generation Y certainly
feels that way and younger
Gen-X is catching on to that
mindset-- even if their Baby
Boomer bosses are not (and
they are not.)
I tried to surf the net to find
out what the "experts" were
saying about flip-flops in the
workplace. Rather strangely,
articles mostly popped up
from 2005-2006. The articles
were mostly negative on the
topic. One style "expert"
in 2006 said that flip-flops
had reached their popularity
peak and would probably be
replaced by something else
next year. I'm no fashion
authority, but I can safely
say that she was wrong. Very
wrong. The flip-flop is alive
and well in 2010.
There are, of course,
good reasons not to wear
flip-flops to work at some
establishments. If you work
in a place where you might
drop something heavy, hot,
or sharp onto your feet, then
flip-flops do not make sense.
Also, if you are going to be
on your feet for long periods
of time, then the lack of arch
support in a flip-flop can be
detrimental. I'll point out,
however, that high-heeled
dress shoes are also not great
in either of these situations.
For those of you looking
to me for an answer as to
whether you can wear flip-
flops to work tomorrow,
you'll be disappointed. I'm
not going to give you one...
unless you are a lifeguard. If
you're a lifeguard at a pool,
I'm pretty sure it's okay. For
the rest of you, you need to
ask your boss. He or she
knows the standard in your
industry. If you work in
state government or a bank
or a large corporate firm, the
answer is probably "no." If
you work for a small graphic
design company owned by a
20-year old Gen-Y'er, then
the answer might be "yes."
If you work at a boutique
that specializes in fashion
flip-flops, again, the answer
might be "yes."
I will tell you this though.
The degree of casualness in
the workplace will continue
to change as the mix of Baby
Boomer. Gen-X, and Gen-Y
changes in the workplace.
Today's "bosses" are still
more likely to fall into the
Baby Boomer category,
suggesting that leather dress
shoes remain the most pre-
ferred form of professional
footwear for both men and
women. (Sorry, I know some
of you did not want to hear
that.)
This month's article is
based on a one-hour work-
shop that I've titled "I
Want to Wear Flip-Flops
to Work." The one-hour
workshop is designed
for teen-agers and young
employees. An emphasis
is placed on understanding
the expectations of Gen-X
and Baby Boomer bosses.
If you would like me to
present this to your group
of young people, contact
me at the Extension office,
405-747-8320.
Dr. Suzette Barta is
an Extension Educator,
Community and Economic
Development, with Payne
County OSU Extension. She
is also an active member
of the Perkins Community
Chamber of Commerce and
the Greater Perkins Area
Economic Development
Authority. To contact her
regarding the content of this
or other articles, e-mail her
at sbarta @provalue.net.
A Journey Down the 'Road to Success'
Life is full of the unex-
pected. I have in the
last weeks been keenly
reminded of something
a friend told me years
attitude of "entitlement",
but as we go through life
we envision how a vaca-
tion may be or what this
class will be like. More
ago -- "Expectations
(where others are con-
cerned) leads only to
disappointment." It is
difficult to not expect.
I am not speaking of an
often than not, our day-
dreams are way off base.
Dreaming is the first step
to a successful future, and
dreaming without action
is fruitless. Diatribes
of looking to the future
are usually presented in
the spring as graduation
ceremonies are paral-
leled with the beginning
of new opportunities. I
would like to assert: all
that lies in the future
begins now.
Dreams become reality
through the process of
goal setting. As with any
journey, it is essential to
have a destination. Road
maps, mile markers, gas
stations and rest areas are
also necessary if you are
to ever arrive.
As the school year
begins, when a new posi-
tion is accepted, it is easy
to forget that you are pres-
ently on the road of your
dream. Each class, each
assignment, each account
is a mile marker passed.
Semesters and promo-
tions, raises and report
cards are mile markers
along the way. They are
the measures that keep us
on the track of reaching
our dream.
Refueling and tune-ups
Be Prepared for Return of Estate Tax
There's never really a bad estate. But no matter what
time to, do estate planning, your level of assets, you'll
But in the months ahead, you want to have your estate
may have an extra incentive plans in order. First of all,
to look at your estate plans, you almost certainly need
By Matt Hull '~
Edward Jones Investments .
Why? Because changes
are coming to estate tax
laws so you'll want to
be ready.
Change is nothing new in
the world of estate taxes,
which have been in a state
of flux for years. As the
law now stands, there is no
federal estate tax in 2010.
Then, in 2011, the estate
tax is scheduled to return,
with an exemption amount
of $1 million and a top rate
of 55 percent. Yet, these
figures are highly likely to
change; ultimately, we may
see a return to what existed
in 2009: a $3.5 million or $5
million exemption and a top
rate of 45 percent.
Of course, your suscepti-
bility to the estate tax will
depend on the size of your
a will. You'll also need to
make sure you've named
the proper beneficiaries in
all your legal documents.
Now, let's return to
the estate tax issue. Spe-
cifically, how can you help
reduce any potential estate
tax burden your heirs may
face? Here are some ideas
to consider:
• Take Advantage of Your
Exemptions You and your
spouse each receive an
exemption from the federal
estate tax. As mentioned
above, this exemption
could be anywhere from
$1 million to $5 million,
starting in 2011. To maxi-
mize these exemptions, you
may want to create a credit
shelter trust. In a nutshell,
here's how it works: When
you die, you fund a credit
shelter trust with assets
equal in value to your
available exemption; if you
have other assets, you can
leave them to your spouse,
free of estate taxes. Your
surviving spouse can draw
income from the trust's
assets while he or she is
alive. Upon his or her
death, the trust disperses
the assets to your children
or other beneficiaries,
taking advantage of your
original estate tax exemp-
tion. Your spouse's estate
will also disperse-assets to
beneficiaries, using his or
her exemption to reduce or
avoid estate taxes.
• Use Life Insurance If you
owned a $1 million dollar
life insurance policy, and
it was subject to an estate
tax rate of 55 percent, your
beneficiaries would receive
a death benefit of just
$450,000. But if you estab-
lished an irrevocable life
insurance trust (ILIT) with
a new insurance policy, the
trust would own the policy
and distribute the proceeds
to the beneficiaries you've
chosen. By using an ILIT,
you'd keep the life insur-
ance out of your taxable
estate.
• Give generously. You
can give up to $13.000 per
year to as many individuals
as you like without incurring
gift taxes. And the more you
give, the lower your taxable
estate. You can also reduce
your estate by making gifts
to charitable organizations.
Keep in mind that estate
planning can be complex.
You will need to work with
your legal and tax advisors
before establishing any
type of trust or other estate-
planning mechanism. And
with the looming return of
the estate tax, there's no
time like the present to get
started.
Edward Jones, its associ-
ates and financial advisors
are not estate planners and
cannot provide tax or legal
advice. Please consult your
attorney or qualified tax
advisor regarding your par-
ticular situation.
Matt Hull is a financial
advisor for Edward Jones
Investments in Stillwater.
assure your body, mind
and spirit are in good run-
ning order. Healthy eating
habits encourage alert-
ness bringing stimulation
to your mind. Time-outs
whether through church,
exercise, fellowship or
quietness refresh your
spirit and invigorate you
to continue the journey
toward your goals.
Yesterday I came across
this quote under the head-
ing "Road to Success" and
was meditating on it.
"Throw away all ambi-
tion beyond that of doing
the day's work well. The
travelers on the road to
success live in the pres-
ent, heedless of taking
thought for the morrow.
Live neither in the past
nor in the future, but let
each day's work absorb
your entire energies, and
satisfy your widest ambi-
tion." William Osier
How does one balance
the dream and the road
map process of attain-
ing their dream without
losing sight of the essence
of today? I think it has
everything to do with
focus and expectations.
When I was taught to
drive (by Mr. Shenan-
doah at CE Donart) many
moons ago, I remember
being told to not focus
on the road directly in
front of the bumper, but
to look at the road some
distance ahead. This
gives the driver a larger
field of vision and helps
them drive straighter.
If we focus only on
today, right in front of
the bumper, we lose
sight of flowers, trees,
oncoming traffic and
hazards darting across
the street. If we gaze at
the horizon, lost in the
dreams of the future, we
lose sight of all the above
and our ability to safely
maneuver through what
is in front of us.
Finding a middle
ground allows us to give
attention to today's tasks
and lessons. Glancing up
we can see our dream in
the distance, so we do not
let unexpected obstacles
overwhelm the day or
week.
The funny thing about
journeys, goals, and
dreams is they are ever
expanding. The closer
we are to arriving at our
destination we see new
roads branching even
further beyond. It's an
unending process that
starts with today.
