part three: You Better Werk

WORDS : WHITNEY IRISH, VANESSA LYSTAD and TAMI NORGARD

holidays. Besides turkey and sociallydistanced family gatherings, this will also bring questions about their “future” from judgey aunties and other family members.

Kacey is asked by her grandfather, the owner of a successful local business, about some things he has seen her post on what he believes are called “The Facebook” and “Instantgram.” He is concerned these might affect her future job search.

There are no laws in North Dakota or Minnesota that expressly prohibit employers from searching prospective employees’ public social media pages when considering them for employment. Doing so, however, may reveal that an applicant belongs to a “protected class” (i.e., a class protected from employment discrimination).

One such protected class in North Dakota is participation in lawful activity off the employer’s premises during nonworking hours which is not in direct conflict with the essential business related interests of the employer. Participating in social media is certainly a “lawful activity.” However, pictures or posts on social media may relate to unlawful activity, such as drug use. Additionally, even if the content of social media is lawful, employers may find posts to be contrary to their essential business interests, such as posts that are highly offensive, hostile, or threatening in nature. In such cases, applicants may not have any protection if employers choose to not hire them based on this social media activity.

Minnesota does not have such a broad “lawful activity” protection, but does prohibit employers from refusing to hire an applicant because of their use or enjoyment of “lawful consumable products” (e.g., alcohol, tobacco). Again, applicants would not have any protection based on unlawful activity posted on social media and they may not have any protection if the employer would simply find their posts to be offensive and contrary to the employer’s business interests.

The lesson for Kacey is that if you post on social media and your page is public, beware. Your prospective employer may be watching.

Josh has a new girlfriend and a new job. Gathered around the Christmas tree, Girlfriend opens up a very lavish gift from Josh (who, of course, was trying to impress her and show off for his family). Josh’s mother and his busy-bodied auntie pull him aside to talk with him about his spending and finances.

One tension that develops with young adults and their parents relates to money management and financial freedom. Josh has managed to save some money from a part-time job, but his family does not want to see him waste it on weekends out or trying to impress a new girlfriend.

Likewise, Josh’s parents worked hard to save money into a 529 College Savings Plan to help ease the financial burden of college. Contributions to North Dakota 529 Plans allow for favorable tax deductions for contributors. The money invested grows tax-deferred and is never taxed if withdrawn to pay for educationrelated expenses.

Requiring students to manage their own 529 Plan can help teach money management. The view of what is affordable for rent and computers may be distinctly different if parents make withdrawals from the 529 Plan, versus the student paying for it and watching their 529

Plan balance get depleted. Of course, some periodic oversight is in order to make sure students stick to the rules and will not expose themselves to tax problems.

Young adults can get a head start to growing wealth and financial freedom by investing early. Why start investing in college? The earlier you start investing, the more time your money has to grow. If Josh started investing $200 per month, probably the amount of money he is spending on eating out and/or adult beverages (see our early article about underage drinking) his investment could grow to around $1 million by the time he was 62! There are great resources available for young adults regarding investing and financial management, like Dave Ramsey or Financial Gym.

The investment and financial opinions expressed in this article are from the personal research of the authors, and are intended as educational materials. It is very important to do your own research and analysis before making an investment, based on your own personal circumstances.

From The Vogel Family To Yours

Whitney Irish counsels clients in the areas of estate planning, oil and gas, probate, and trust administration. She works with clients in various stages of life — young professionals, families with young children, business owners and farmers planning for succession.

Vanessa Lystad practices exclusively in employment law, handling administrative complaints, providing advice for North Dakota and Minnesota employers, investigating workplace complaints, and representing employers in employment litigation.

Tami Norgard is one of the firm’s managing partners. Her law practice includes counseling clients in areas involving energy, natural resources and civil litigation, including environmental issues, oil and gas, electric cooperative, land use and water law counseling and litigation.

Over the last few years, Andrea, of Distinctions by Drea, has been a part of designing more and more custom walk-in showers. Many of our lives are fast paced and the allure of the spa tub, even relaxing as it may be, doesn’t always fit into the time constraints we have on a day-to-day basis. You shouldn’t have to wait for the perfect time to relax and wash the day away, or start the day off focused for that matter.

Beyond the beauty and relaxation that a walk-in shower offers, many clients love reclaiming the space that the once rarely used tub took up in their layouts. These areas allow more function to be added in the layout with the ability to move elements in the space more freely. Efficiency and safety, as we all age, are also positives when considering this type of home improvement.

For this article, we asked, Andrea (Drea), of Distinctions by Drea, to share two of her favorites from her past design work.