Beware of New Phone Scams and Robocalls
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Newsletter December 2019 FSTN News #FSTNGivesBack At Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin, we recognize the importance of giving back to our community. That is why we established Community 1st. This all-encompassing charitable program is focused on safety, education, and aiding organizations committed to improving the wellbeing of others. To learn more about Community 1st, visit www.facebook.com/FleschnerLaw ______________________________________________________________________ A Year of Challenge, A Year of Discovery 2019 was a year of personal growth for me. In December 2018, it was a hectic time for my family. My family was met with a few health challenges that significantly impacted our lives. Several doctors suggested our family eat an anti-inflammatory diet — no dairy, gluten, soy, corn, refined sugar, dye, or peanuts. We took a deep breath and dove in. The change took a lot of our time. Getting a quick bite to eat at a restaurant was not an option. We planned for every trip away from home to make sure we had meals and snacks for each day. We spent every weekend researching recipes, finding proper substitutes for ingredients, and prepping food for the week. Nearly everything had to be made from scratch. In the beginning, it felt like we were drowning, and any little thing that did not go as planned sent us spinning. I’m embarrassed to say there was a lot of complaining, throwing our arms up, and saying, “Why us?!” Thankfully, we had moments of clarity when we knew there had to be a better way. Our mantra became “Take one day at a time.” However, I began to feel lost. I was so concerned with our food plan, our health issues, keeping track of the medication schedule, and trying to give my children the love they needed that I forgot about me! Somewhere along the way, I developed an unwritten goal: Fight hard for myself. I decided to not be guilty. In order to be the best mom I can be, I must also be my best self, which means respecting and giving time to the things that bring me joy. I want my children to see me do what I love because I want to teach them to do the things they love, even when it is not easy. Joy is contagious, and I wanted to be sprinkling joy all over my family. I started out by making a list of activities I enjoy. Guess how much time I spent doing those things? None. A few items on the list included spending one-on-one time with my husband, reading fiction books and stories of inspiration, playing the piano, running, and yoga. Because time was limited, I did not make a goal to read one book each month or run three times a week. Instead, I made a rule: When the feeling hits me, do it. Doing an activity, I loved just one time was enough to push me to do it again and again. One book I read called “She’s Still There” shared the idea that “beautiful creations take time.” I found this idea comforting, and it encouraged me to stay committed to the process. I also learned from my most difficult runs in the summer that our greatest improvements are achieved by pushing through barriers. A year later, I am joyful, and I feel more balanced. Over the past year, I read 10 incredible books. I also made time to run and do yoga. I play the piano while my boys dance around in the living room to my music, and my oldest son has now taken a liking to the piano. The joy of playing the piano was contagious. My husband and I had a weeklong, restful getaway, and the more date nights we have, the more smiles you see on our faces. Through all the food prepping, cooking, and baking to meet our dietary criteria, we have become quite the chefs. We can make a mean chocolate cake with frosting and creamy homemade gelato. We eat delicious, healthy food, and our bodies thank us for sticking to the plan and not giving up. Most of all, I am proud that we have learned to “respond” instead of “react” to challenges. We complain less and experience more gratitude and patience. Instead of living in difficult moments as if they’ll last forever, we know it is only temporary. Life moves in waves of ups and downs. When we are “down,” we know we will soon be “up,” and that is encouraging. During this holiday season, I’m looking forward to doing more of the things I love, like watching Christmas movies, riding the Polar Express, driving in the cold with the family to look at Christmas lights, drinking hot cocoa, and simply just being with the people I love most. Heading into the new year, I challenge you to honor yourself and do something you really love. That one simple step may lead you to experience personal growth that lasts the whole year. Happy holidays! ______________________________________________________________________ FSTN in the Community Salvation Army Bell Ringing For the past several years, our employees have been volunteering to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. This is something we really enjoy doing and plan to continue. We volunteer 28 employees to take shifts at our local Walmart throughout an entire workday. Some of them dress up, sing to music, or hand out candy to try and brighten each shopper’s day. In fact, we’ve been known to raise over $1,000 during one of our volunteer days! If you every get a chance to volunteer for the Salvation Army during the holidays, we strongly suggest it. It is very rewarding to give back and know you are doing something good for others. ______________________________________________________________________ FSTN Attorney sworn in with the US Supreme Court Congratulations to Attorney Caleb Fleschner, who was in Washington DC this month to be sworn in with the U.S. Supreme Court. In doing this, Caleb will be able to practice law or argue a case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. ______________________________________________________________________ Employee of the Month Congratulations to our November Employee of the Month, Vikkie Russell!!! Vikkie has been with the law firm for seven and a half years. She is the Accounting Manager and she also handles some aspects of Human Resources. Vikkie is an integral part of the firm, as some of her main tasks include paying the bills, submitting payroll, and keeping track of all the “ins and outs,” or as Ted would have said, “Counting the beans.” When we asked Vikkie about her favorite part about her job, she said this, “I am geeky, so I love all the numbers. Also, I love the people I work with.” People who voted for Vikkie said this, “Vikkie has done an AMAZING job in Accounting since Crystal left and has caught on quite well! She is a great employee!!” Here are a few fun questions she answered: 1. What’s the strangest talent you have? Not strange, but I love crafting! 2. Do you have any strange phobias? No, not really, well maybe fear of crickets. 3. If given a chance, who would you like to be for a day? A judge. 4. If you were stuck on an island, what three things would you bring? Coffee, music and peanut butter. 5. Do you have a favorite quote? Do unto others as you would have done unto you! 6. What tv show/movie are you ashamed to admit you love? Not ashamed, but I love The Masked Singer! Rottweiler is going to win this one! 7. Imagine you could step in a teleport for a day and go to any place and time in history. Where and when would you travel to? Any Christmas Eve from when I was a child and we were all gathered at my grandparent’s house. Those are my favorite memories. ______________________________________________________________________ Beware of New Phone Scams and Robocalls Did You Receive a Strange Phone Call from Social Security? Phone scams are everywhere right now, and chances are, they’ve called you too. It doesn’t matter what time of day, what area code they are calling from, or some may even show up in your caller ID as someone you know! I think it is safe to say that most everyone has encountered these issues, and it seems to have increased within the past couple years. Phone scams have been around since landlines existed, but with all the smartphone technology and number of people who own smartphones, the scammers have more opportunity to call and trick you than ever. Many people would like to assume that only the elderly is affected by these phone scammers, but anyone can fall victim to them. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission released an annual data summary of consumer complaints from 2017, and 40% of Americans in their 20’s reported fraud that caused them to lose money, while 18% of fraud victims aged 70 or older said they’d lost money to the scam. Telephone scammers try to steal your money or personal information. The scams may come through phone calls from live people, robocalls, or text messages. Some callers may offer you money or support, try to sell you something, or even threaten you with jail or lawsuits if you don’t pay them. Here are a few of the most popular phone scams we’ve seen recently: Social Security is not trying to take your benefits You might receive a call from someone claiming to be from Social Security or another agency.