COMMUNITY EXPERT PROFILE - Financial Advisor
WHY I CHANGED CAREERS TO HELP A BROKEN INDUSTRY Dustin Smith, Black Swan Legacy Group While I was still a newly-wed, I started working with a financial advisor who had begun to mentor my wife in the financial services business. I'd assumed that the advice he’d given us was in our best interest. So much so, that I began to seek referrals for him amongst my friends and acquaintances. In the process of seeking referrals for my wife and her mentor, I realized how unknowledgeable I was about the way the various investment options really worked. The more I learned, the more apparent it became that my wife's mentor had been looking out for his own best interests above those of his clients! I was so upset; I decided that something just had to be done about all the crooks out there taking advantage of people, in the name of "helping" them. After venting my frustration to all who would listen, I had the impression that I was
the one to do something about it, which was nonsensical because I knew so little at the time. After resisting for a couple months, I ultimately complied with my promptings, changed my career direction, and sought mentors who could teach me how to give the best advice. I began giving “second opinions” on the advice which people were getting from their existing advisors, and quickly made a name for myself amongst their friends and families as an advisor who actually listened and who always put their best interests ahead of my own. The more proficient I became at finding the best solutions available for my clients, the more they could see I was actually protecting them from the conflicts of interest which the industry thrives upon. That’s how Black Swan Legacy Group began. My passion is to actually help my clients fulfill their own best interests, period.
Dustin Smith
HOME PROJECTS
Winterizing Your Home’s Plumbing by Mike Healey
Resident submission
The onset of winter’s cold temperatures can catch homeowners unaware in regards to their plumbing. Here are two common problems which plumbers in Spanish Fork have observed.
Concerning Garden Hoses: It's easy to leave the garden hose connected to the spigot too late into the season. All it takes are a few sudden temperature drops overnight and the water freezes, causing the hose, your interior pipes and/or the spigot to burst or crack. This is not usually noticed until spring, when the ice thaws into a flooded basement. Be sure to disconnect and drain all your hoses, and turn off the shut-off valve inside your home (if you have one) prior to freezing temperatures settling into the valley. (Unless, of course, you prefer to gamble with baptizing your basement in the spring).
Concerning the Plumbing Below the Kitchen Window: For kitchen sinks placed against an exterior wall of the home, the piping can be adversely affected during cold spells. Insulation can only do so much. Every now and then, winter gives us a prolonged deep dive into particularly frigid temperatures. When daytime temperatures linger around 10 degrees, and night temperatures drop
below zero, pipes within exterior kitchen walls may not be adequately buffered from outdoor temperatures to prevent freezing. In these instances, it is not a bad idea to open up all your kitchen cupboards before retiring for the night. This allows room-temperature air to come in contact with the walls (and therefore the piping) behind the cupboards. This buffers the extremity of a temperature drop within exterior walls and
thus helps prevent the pipes from freezing. In addition to this, gently turn the tap on and allow it to slowly drip throughout the night. Flowing water is less likely to freeze than sitting water. Taking these preventative measures can spare you the unpleasant possibility of finding yourself in your slippers one chilly morning without water for your anticipated cup of hot chocolate. November 2021 |
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