26 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 11, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com business Employment Matters – How to Be Social Media Savvy Social media allows people to create, share and exchange information, ideas, and pictures in virtual communities and networks. I recently spoke with Anne Kleinman, a social media strategist and owner of Ad Infi nitum, to discuss the benefi ts of using social media to connect with customers. What is the most important thing for business owners to know about social media? Using social media to promote and drive traffi c to your website is critical to your organization’s growth. It is important to know your audience, fi nd them and connect with them on the correct social media platform. Knowing how your customers typically use social media will enable you to focus on the best platforms. Can you give the readers an example? If you own a restaurant you are trying to attract people who make buying decisions on a daily or weekly basis. You can capture their attention by posting weekly specials and sharing pictures of enticing food on Instagram and Facebook. On the other hand, if you are looking for an experienced accountant to join your team, you will get better results by looking for common connections and referrals on LinkedIn. How can social media help job seekers? Job seekers must constantly be promoting their personal brand and fi nding ways to make connections with people who can help them fi nd and build relationships with future employers. They must have a professional presence on LinkedIn, but should also have access to Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook to research potential employers. What do you consider the most important thing to focus on when using social media? Use the medium to build and maintain relationships. If you have limited resources and limited time make sure your Google Plus profi le is complete and accurate for search results, then focus on posting on Linked In, Facebook, Instagram and/or Pinterest. Pay attention to your mobile presence, since up to 90% of users will fi nd you on a mobile device. Make it easy for your referral base to fi nd you and refer you to others. As social media evolves, it will become increasingly important to use it effectively as a marketing tool, communication vehicle and connector of friends, colleagues and customers. Refl ect on how you can use social media to your best advantage to enhance your professional image or business presence. Mindy Stern, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, ACC is a trusted HR advisor, career coach, author, speaker and president of AIM Resource Group Inc. Visit the website at www.aimresourcegroup.com or call 718- 217-1074 if you would like to improve your Linked In presence! Do you want your questions answered in this column? Send requests to: www. askmindynow.com The Elder Law Minute TM CHOOSE YOUR FIDUCIARY WISELY BY RONALD A. FATOULLAH, ESQ. AND ELIZABETH FORSPAN, ESQ. When we create or revise our estate plans, we are faced with some very important decisions. The selection of the appropriate person to serve as one’s fi duciary is a choice which can have signifi cant implications. A fi duciary can take various forms: in your Last Will and Testament, your fi duciary is called the Executor. Your executor is responsible for administering your estate and “wrapping up” your affairs after you die. He or she will be charged with distributing your assets as directed in your will and will also be the one to pay off your fi nal debts once he or she has been qualifi ed to serve by the relevant Surrogate’s Court. Depending on the type and size of an estate, an executor’s job can be quite time-consuming and laden with responsibility. You should give a great deal of thought as to whom you think will best serve the interests of your estate (and your benefi ciaries) before you make this important nomination. Perhaps one of the most important appointments you can make during your lifetime is that of the Agent under your Power of Attorney. Your agent may be tasked with the responsibility of entering into a myriad of fi nancial transactions on your behalf; thus you will want to appoint someone who has a good handle on fi nancial issues to serve in this role. If you decide to entrust your agent with gift-giving abilities, you will execute a statutory gifts rider along with the power of attorney. For obvious reasons, your choice of agent must be someone whom you trust to make the right decisions on your behalf. Your power of attorney will generally take effect as soon as you and your agent have signed the document. If you have concerns about your agent having the ability to act on your behalf immediately, consider executing a “springing” power of attorney, which will only take effect upon a physician declaring you to be incapacitated. Please also keep in mind that your agent’s authority to perform tasks on your behalf will cease upon your death. Another very important agent appointment that you should make as soon as possible is the Agent under the Health Care Proxy, who is tasked with making health care and medical decisions on your behalf should you become incapacitated. Contrary to what many people think, your agent will not only be asked to act at the end of your life. For instance, if you are undergoing surgery with anesthesia and are temporarily unable to make important medical decisions for yourself, your agent might be asked to do so. Needless to say, you should entrust this power to someone who you absolutely believe will have your best interests at heart. You do not necessarily need to appoint someone with medical training; however, you should consider choosing someone with good judgment whom you know will consult with the appropriate medical advisors. A Trustee is the individual you appoint to manage assets that you have transferred to a trust. There are various kinds of trusts (a robust discussion of which is beyond the scope of this article) and there are times when you may serve as your own trustee. However, when you transfer assets to a trust (perhaps for estate tax or Medicaid planning purposes) and you cannot serve as the trustee, it is important to choose someone who understands your values and will act accordingly. Your trustee will be responsible for performing tasks such as managing the assets in the trust, making investment decisions and accounting to the trust benefi ciaries. The trustee has an important fi duciary duty/ responsibility not only to you, the grantor/settlor, but also to your ultimate benefi ciaries. This job should only be entrusted to an individual who you believe has the ability to understand these complex issues and to act accordingly. It is also important to consider that there are very real legal requirements that apply to an executor or trustee appointment, including citizenship and/or residency requirements. You should discuss your chosen fi duciary’s particular situation with your attorney prior to fi nalizing your estate plan. Before selecting an individual to serve in the capacity of a fi duciary, you must consider how he or she will handle the position and responsibility. Will she act on your behalf in the same way you would act if you were making the decisions yourself? Will he manage your assets in a prudent and responsible way? Will she wrap up your affairs in a way that will keep your benefi ciaries satisfi ed and feeling as though they have been treated fairly? These are all important qualities that we should look for in a fi duciary. Ronald A. Fatoullah, Esq. is the principal of Ronald Fatoullah & Associates, a law fi rm that concentrates in elder law, estate planning, Medicaid planning, guardianships, estate administration, trusts, wills, and real estate. Elizabeth Forspan, Esq. is the managing attorney of the fi rm. The law fi rm can be reached at 718-261-1700, 516-466-4422, or toll free at 1-877-ELDER-LAW or 1-877-ESTATES. Mr. Fatoullah is also the co-founder of JR Wealth Advisors, LLC. The wealth management fi rm can be reached at 516-466-3300 or 800-353-3775. ELDER LAW RONALD FATOULLAH ESQ, CELA*
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