In a few days, the world will pause to celebrate women. On Tuesday, March 8, we will link arms with women around the globe to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
More than just a cliché of “you’ve come a long way, baby,” the day is part of a broader movement to celebrate the varied contributions of women to society. In the United States, the observance is part of Women’s History Month. Why an entire month dedicated to recognizing women? A visit to the official National Women’s History Project (NWHP), reveals that the observance arose out of a void. According to the NWHP site, “As recently as the 1970’s, women’s history was virtually an unknown topic in the K-12 curriculum or in general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration for 1978.”

The festivities centered around March 8th, which had already been declared International Women’s Day.

The week-long observance eventually morphed in celebrations that lasted the whole month of March until finally in 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in perpetuity. Since that time, a special Presidential Proclamation is issued every year which honors the extraordinary achievements of American women.

Despite all the strides women have made both here in the U.S. and around the world, there is still much ground to be gained. In fact, according to the International Women’s Day site progress towards gender parity has slowed in many places. The World Economic Forum predicted in 2015 that it would take until 2133 to achieve global gender parity. THAT’S 117 YEARS!

Why does it matter? We’d like to think that that it matters for many good reasons. Ultimately, gender issues should be rooted in the intrinsic worth and value of every individual. But, if that’s not enough to convince us, perhaps the bottom line will. The facts show that gender parity is linked to economic prosperity. It’s an economic imperative! Women’s advancement and leadership are central to business performance and economic prosperity. Numerous global studies on the impact of women in leadership reveal that profitability, ROI and innovation all increase when women are counted among senior leadership.

According to the movement for gender parity, there are three accelerators, working independently and together, that can change the trajectory of women’s advancement. They are as follows:

• Illuminate the path to leadership by making career opportunities more visible to women;

• Speed up culture change with progressive corporate policy, such as paternity leave and flexible working; and

• Build supportive environments and work to eliminate conscious and unconscious bias.

By marking an entire month and specifically one day, we celebrate the achievements of women while shining a light on the gender parity that still exists worldwide. Truth be told, celebrating the successes of women is especially near and dear to our hearts here at The Orlando Law Group. Our growing firm started with the vision of one woman and initially developed as an all-female legal team. While we have added men to the team over the years, we’re proud of our roots! Will you join us in pausing to highlight the women among us this month?

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” G.K. Chesterton

For most of us Thanksgiving conjures up all sorts emotions. For many of us, it’s a holiday – a little pause from the daily grind. The kids are off school. The banks are closed and the mail takes a break. Many offices and stores are even closed. Maybe for you it means a day of watching football games or the Macy’s day parade. It probably means gathering with family or friends to eat a great meal together. It might even mean reflecting on our great nation’s history and good fortune.

But, did you know that the idea of giving thanks is even bigger than all of that? The practice of gratitude actually makes for greater physical and psychological health. Recent studies are actually proving that gratitude is more than just the polite thing to do or a holiday to be celebrated once a year; in fact, the science is showing that gratitude is actually good for us all the time.

So, what do we mean when we talk about giving thanks? For what? To whom? The leading expert on gratitude is Dr. Robert Emmons. He’s been studying its effects for more than 10 years. He says that an attitude of gratitude begins by affirming that the world is full of good things, gifts, and benefits we’ve received. He clarifies that it’s not so much appreciating our own positive traits, but it involves what he calls a “humble dependence” on others. Which makes sense because, when you think about it, a lot of what we’re grateful is by the hand of others.

So what can an attitude of gratitude actually do for us? Some researchers list as many as 30 things. We’ll just whet your appetite with five.

1. Increased well-being. Taking just five minutes a day to journal your gratitude can increase your long-term well-being by more than 10 percent. According to some researchers, that’s the same impact as doubling your income!
2. A stress buster. It’s no secret that stress is pretty bad for us. It’s linked to several leading causes of death, including heart disease and cancer. It claims responsibility for up to 90 percent of all doctor visits. According to Emmons, gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress. Speaking of stress, writing thank you notes has been shown to ease stress, reduce depressive symptoms, and encourage people to be more mindful of what makes them happy.
3. A better personality. Daily discussion of gratitude results in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, energy, and sleep duration and quality.
4. A healthier heart. Researchers at the University of Connecticut found that gratitude can even curb heart attacks. Studying people who had experienced one heart attack, the researchers found that those patients who saw benefits and gains from their heart attack, such as becoming more appreciative of life, experienced a lower risk of having another heart attack.
5. Stronger relationships. Other studies have examined how gratitude can improve relationships. Where gratitude abounds, marriages are healthier and employees are happier and harder working.

Gratitude takes practice like any other skill. Thanksgiving Day is a good time to start, but if you want to reap all the benefits, we’d encourage you to keep practicing after that.
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*Have we got you curious? For more information about the science of gratitude, you can visit your local library and check out Emmons’ book, Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier.

Estate planning increasingly includes some form of charitable giving. During the last three decades, wealth ballooned in the United States, but affluent clients tended to increase their charitable transfers more than their family inheritances. According to John Havens of the Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy: “Reports from the IRS indicate that charitable giving increases at every level from the lowest level estate to the highest level.” He also notes: “When an estate’s value exceeds $20 million, the percentage going to charity virtually doubles and the percentage given to heirs goes down.”

A few statistics (with their sources) will highlight the depth of charitable involvement and its impact on estate planning:

• 65% of American households give to charity.
• Americans gave $298.3 billion to charities in 2011, a 3.9% increase over 2010.
• 98% of high net worth households give to charity.
• In 2010 there were 161,873 donor-advised funds that held $30 billion.

Not only are charitable transfers increasing, but also wealthier Americans are getting more involved in philanthropy themselves. According to a 2003 study, 83% of affluent Americans did volunteer work. The increased involvement of affluent Americans in charitable work also seems to be increasing their lifetime charitable gifting. Affluent Americans also are encouraging their heirs to become involved in charitable work.

These wealthy taxpayers are not just giving to charity. They are making sure that the gifts are handled in ways they approve. As a consequence of the scandals in numerous charities and the increasing “hands-on” management style of many donors, clients increasingly want to retain in themselves and/or their family the future direction of charitable transfers. Clients want to provide for charitable transfers that will leave a legacy for society and a legacy that will impact their heirs.

The common bond between today’s donor and the 20th century philanthropists is the desire to transmit family values and social responsibility to successive generations. This dual goal has resulted in not only a dramatic growth in charitable donations but also the development of “retained control” charitable-giving approaches.

Safety Tips for Motorists

• All motorists need to be especially alert and cautious when driving on Halloween because of the high number of pedestrians walking the streets.
• Watch for children darting out from between parked cars.
• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs.
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully.
• At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing.
• Never use your cell phone while driving.
• Discourage teens from driving on Halloween. There are too many hazards and distractions for inexperienced drivers.

Trick-or-Treating

All children under the age of 12 should be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Before trick-or-treating, parents should:

• Instruct your children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and avoid trick-or-treating alone.
• Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home.
• Teach your children to never enter a stranger’s home.
• Agree on a specific time for your children to come home.
• Give your children flashlights with fresh batteries to help them see and for others to see them.
• Make sure your child or a responsible adult with them carries a cell phone for quick communication.
• Review all appropriate pedestrian and traffic safety rules with your children.
• Look both ways before crossing the street and use established crosswalks whenever possible.
• Walk, do not run, from house to house.
• Do not cross yards and lawns where unseen objects or the uneven terrain can present tripping hazards and never walk near lit candles or luminaries.
• Walk on sidewalks, not in the street. If there are no sidewalks, walk on the far edge of the road facing traffic.

Children will be anxious to stuff themselves with treats, but parents need to take these necessary precautions first:

• Insist that treats be brought home for inspection before anything is eaten, then examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before your children eat them.
• Give children an early meal before going out to prevent them from filling up on
• Halloween treats or eating anything before you can inspect it.
• Only let your children eat factory-wrapped treats. Avoid homemade treats unless you know the cook well.
• When in doubt, throw it out.

Everyone is looking forward to the long weekend, celebrating Our Nation’s Independence Day on July 4th. It’s a great time to spend time with friends and family, whether you’re headed to the beach or an outdoor cookout. Please remember these safety tips and have a great Fourth of July.

On the highway:

1. Buckle seat belts, observe speed limits.
2. Do not drink and drive.
3. Pay full attention to the road – don’t use a cell phone to call or text.

When grilling:

1. Always supervise a barbecue grill when in use.
2. Never grill indoors – not in the house, camper, tent, or any enclosed area.
3. Make sure everyone, including the pets, stays away from the grill.
4. Keep the grill out in the open, away from the house, the deck, tree branches, or anything that could catch fire.
5. Use the long-handled tools especially made for cooking on the grill to keep the chef safe.

When using fireworks:

1. Never give fireworks to small children, and always follow the instructions on the packaging.
2. Keep a supply of water close by as a precaution.
3. Make sure the person lighting fireworks always wears eye protection.
4. Light only one firework at a time and never attempt to relight “a dud.”
5. Never throw or point a firework toward people, animals, vehicles, structures or flammable materials.