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Sandwiched Between Receiving and Giving – What’s Important To You?

Some call Baby Boomers — those between 52 and 70 this year — the Sandwich Generation because many are caring for both parents and children.

Similarly, many in this age group are sandwiched between inheriting assets or family businesses, and planning for future distributions of their own assets or transferring the family business.

An estimated 90 percent of inheritance is depleted by the third generation, and only 12 percent of family businesses survive from the second to the third generation, research shows. It is hard to know exactly how to prevent this, but many believe that communicating with and educating family members is key.

TELL YOUR STORY

Preserving wealth and family business is only part of the picture. Now is the time you can add to the picture of your life, change the story and make yourself understood. Simply put, people in this age group have reached a stage in their lives when finding meaning in life has become a priority.

You want your adult children and grandchildren to understand what you value most and why — how you have tried to make a difference and where. You also want them to be financially literate and prepared to inherit. You want your children to know why you give to your favorite charities, and you may hope that they carry on those choices.

Financial and legal advisers who work with adults in this situation may not feel comfortable starting the “soft” conversations around money and values. It is up to you to ask these professionals if they will work with your family to articulate the values that accompany the inheriting and passing on of valuables. Much more than assets are about to be transferred; ideals are being passed on to the next generation as well.

You can start the conversation yourself. Do you know the charitable organizations that mean the most to the people closest to you?

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The Best (Movie) Time of The Year – Superheroes, creepy villains, wild car chases – the summertime is yours. But when the days get short and the nights cool down, it’s time for movies for the rest of us.

Over the next few months, we’ll get a chance to see many of this year’s likely Oscar contenders, and others that will keep us thinking and hoping and maybe even laughing.

So, what should be on your must-see list as the year winds down? We went to David Huffman of JRF Management, which runs Cleveland’s Capitol Theatre, Cedar Lee Theatre, Chagrin Cinemas, Shaker Square Cinemas and Tower City Cinemas.

This is what he’s looking forward to and what he thinks our readers will like, too:

1. HACKSAW RIDGE

(opening Nov. 4)

The extraordinary true story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss, who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of World War II, saved 75 men without firing a gun.

Starring Andrew Garfield and Sam Worthington

2. RULES DON’T APPLY

(opening Nov. 11)

It’s Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen and devout Baptist Marla Mabrey, under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes, arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her personal driver, Frank Forbes, only two weeks on the job and also from a religiously conservative background. Their instant attraction not only puts their religious convictions to the test, but also defies Hughes’ No. 1 rule: No employee is allowed to have an intimate relationship with a contract actress.

Starring Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, Alden Ehrenreich and Lily Collins

3. ALLIED

(opening Nov. 23)

The story of intelligence officer Max Vatan, who in 1942 North Africa encounters French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Reunited in London, their relationship is threatened by the extreme pressures of the war.

Starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard

4. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

(opening late November/early December, date TBD)

Lee Chandler is a brooding, irritable loner who works as a handyman for a Boston apartment block. One damp winter day, he gets a call summoning him to his hometown, north of the city.

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Too Old to Adopt? Think Again

November is National Adoption Month. Ohio has more than 2,500 children waiting for a permanent home. Could you be the one a child is waiting for?

Age isn’t necessarily a barrier for adoptive parents. As people stay healthy and live longer than past generations, adoption agencies increasingly are welcoming people 50 and older to explore the adoption option.

One place to start is by taking a self-assessment online through the North American Council on Adoptable Children at nacac.org. Then check out Ohio’s ultimate adoption guide at jfs.ohio. gov, which lists both public and private adoption and foster care programs throughout the state.

 

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Good Points

Don’t kid around when it comes to vaccinations. Adults need them too, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

HERE’S WHAT TO  GET

  • An annual flu shot. Sixty percent of people who wind up in the hospital from flu complications are 65 and older.
  • Td to Tdap – tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough). All adults should get the Tdap vaccine if they did not get it as a teen. If you did, then you need a Td (tetanus, diphtheria) booster shot every 10 years. Again, check with your doctor.
  • A shingles (Zoster) vaccine for everyone 60 and older. Younger? Ask your doctor if you should get the shot.
  • A pneumonia shot (pneumococcal vaccine) for folks 65 and up or for anyone younger with certain chronic conditions.

 

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Instead of Shopping, Try Giving

Thanksgiving Day shopping is losing a bit of its edge this year with major retailers — under pressure from traditionalists — shutting their doors on the holiday.

No worries, though. There’s still plenty of time to shop with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday keeping credit cards and shopping areas busy in the post-turkey frenzy.

Consider taking a break from the buying with Giving Tuesday (givingtuesday. org). The week after Thanksgiving is when most charities kick off their busiest time of the year. If charitable giving isn’t on your holiday list, consider adding it. Giving is a habit you won’t have to break.

 

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Giving, Getting and A (brief) Chicken Update

Do you remember making the shift from a gift-getter to a gift-giver?

It happened to me in my 20s — late by some standards, for sure. One Christmas Eve I realized I was more excited about the presents I was giving than the ones I was getting. It was a good feeling, this newfound generosity. All the sappy carols and sentimental cards suddenly made sense. Like the Grinch, my small heart grew three sizes that day.

The volunteers featured in this issue and on our cover are givers, and in Northeast Ohio we’ve got a lot of them. Unlike me, they didn’t require a holiday epiphany to jump-start their generosity. Instead, they saw a need and enthusiastically stepped forward to help, donating countless hours and a dizzying array of talent.

All of them have gotten something in return for their big-heartedness, and it’s got nothing to do with money or gifts. They’ve made new friends, sharpened skills and have grown in ways they never expected. Volunteers give, get and then give again and again. All of us benefit.

I hope you’ll like reading about some of these givers (and getters) in our story on page 30. Feel free to be inspired.

In keeping with our “Give” theme this issue, we’ve got plenty of stories about how, when and where to give.

If you like to give parties, check out our story on page 20, filled with fanciful yet frugal tips to celebrate the season. Nothing says the holidays like a low-key gathering with friends and family. We’ll help you get started.

Feel like traveling? Then give yourself a road trip. Our story on page 24 offers three delightful destinations to put you in the Christmas mood. Take in the lights, cross a few items off your gift list, and enjoy the scenery — all you need is a couple of tanks of gas and a sense of adventure.

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Radio Redux – Technology Keeps Us Listening

Welcome to Boom!, a look at this area’s popular culture and its lasting effect on our generation. I’m Mike Olszewski, and my wife, Janice, and I have been documenting this part of our history in a series of books aimed at preserving that part of our lives and bringing back plenty of memories.

I’m teaching college now, but before that I spent a long time in radio, most notably at WMMS when it was “The Buzzard.” People often ask me, “Whatever happened to radio?” Well, the programming is there and is growing, but the way it gets to us is changing rapidly.

RADIO DAYS

It wasn’t that long ago that radio was lifestyle. We lived and died with radio, but that was before a lot of other options such as cable TV, video games, computers and the internet. Ah, the internet. Video didn’t kill the radio star. Your laptop and cellphone might be to blame.

Sure, radio is still popular, but mostly for an aging generation.

The internet quickly changed the way we access information and music, and it’s not slowing down. Author Tim Murphy disagrees to a point in a recent article, “Millennials Love Radio. Wait, What?” Portability seems to be the advantage.

“Radio is mobile friendly for the ear bud generation, and it connects with those that want to be part of their community,” Murphy writes.

True, people listen primarily in their cars, and Wi-Fi is now being installed in some upper-end models.

NOW WHAT?

John Gorman has seen both sides of the coin. The well-respected programmer of WMMS and WMJI now heads oWOW Cleveland, a locally focused internet radio station.

A handful of huge corporations today control stations, and they paid big cash to get them. Investors want a return on their money, which has led to major cuts in staff, types of programming promotion and competition.

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Ask the Orthopedist – ER or Office?

QUESTION: “When a muscle or joint problem gets really painful, do I have to go to the ER, or do urgent care centers provide orthopedic care?”

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ANSWER: When pain becomes unmanageable, many believe they need to go to the emergency room. But the ER is primarily designed to serve life-
threatening emergencies. An urgent care center may be able to help you, but you will likely be seen by a generalist — not an orthopedic specialist. In both cases, you will walk out with a referral to have a second appointment with a specialist.

A facility such as GO Ortho is a good option. This office is staffed by orthopedic specialists but accepts walk-ins and same-day appointments. This enables patients to get in with a specialist to take care of their pain much sooner than typical orthopedic offices, which might not have an open appointment for weeks.

A GO Ortho visit is charged as a regular orthopedic office visit and not as an ER/emergency level visit that may come with a high cost to the patient.

GO Ortho is an independent practice housed at Hillcrest Hospital and cares for a wide range of orthopedic conditions from acute pain resulting from breaks or sprains to chronically painful conditions. Because you are seeing an orthopedic specialist, conditions can be quickly and more accurately diagnosed as well as treated properly. GO Ortho staff are trained to provide sophisticated treatments, advanced orthopedic imaging and outfit patients in the latest in slings, braces, casting and other support devices.

While we do advocate going to the ER when you are faced with a severe medical problem, most orthopedic pains and conditions are not life-threatening and are best treated by an orthopedic specialist.

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