OCTOBER 2008

www.wlnnews.com

Empowering From Our President - Pat Kolodziej

Women
To empower women to
succeed in business personally
and professionally through
networking and education
while building key relationships
and having fun!
September’s Photo Collage
Inside This Issue
It’s That Time of Year Again!
The kids are back in school, the leaves will provide the
are changing and Halloween is just most opportunity
around the corner. Where does the for candy. Then,
time go? It seems as though Labor Day of course, comes
weekend hits and Tuesday comes with afterwards when
cooler weather. I personally love this the bags of candy
time of year. It’s sweatshirt weather! are dumped out
Are you ready for some football? Yes, and scanned for the
we now have football to watch too. favorites!

Page 2 We’ve talked about change before – it’s My kids love getting their hands messy
To Will or Not Isn’t the
always a good thing. Just look at the by carving a giant pumpkin – the hubby
Question By Lisa Miller, trees while you drive down a long stretch loves the seeds! This is a great way to
Page 3 of road. It’s beautiful! Or are you too bond with family and friends. So as you
busy thinking of the laundry list of things carve your pumpkin, eat lots of candy
September Meeting - Who
Attended Page 3 you need to do (including laundry) that and watch your favorite football team
you are too busy to notice. (Go Bears!) on T.V., remember to enjoy
Welcome New Members! and live for the moment. Snow will be
Page 3 I have to stop and tell myself to slow
down and relax. Pretty soon the holidays here before you know it!
Member Spotlight
Lisa Davidson, will be upon us and we will not have the Happy Fall WLN!
Northwestern Mutual time to enjoy the beauty outside. Fall
Financial Network Page 5 seems to come and go too quickly lately
– according to some, it’s global warming. “Eye of newt, and toe
Business Spotlight
Bobbi Allen Page 5 Whatever the reason, the snow will come of frog, Wool of bat,
Dates to Remember
soon enough so be sure to enjoy the pile
of leaves with your kids or the football
and tongue of dog,
Page 5
games with friends or a cup of hot Adder’s fork, and
Meet the Board/
Ambassadors Page 4
chocolate by yourself. blind-worm’s sting,
Again, this is my favorite time of year Lizard’s leg, and owlet’s
for all of these reasons. I also enjoy
Monthly Meetings Halloween – yes, of course, there’s
wing, For a charm of
2nd Wednesday of each month candy. You all know me too well. But powerful trouble,
Hennessy’s OnQ Steak & I love following the kids as they dress Like a hell-broth boil
Seafood, up and run around the neighbors’ homes
and bubble.”
2300 Bushwood Dr, Elgin, IL 60124 and say “Trick or Treat”. Remember
those days when life was simple? The William Shakespeare
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM most difficult decision was what to be
$35.00 (includes dinner)
this Halloween followed by which street Happy Halloween!
 Phot
o Collage
September’s “Friends are like bras:
close to your heart and
there for support.”

!
Don’t miss out on
the networking,
training and fun!
Plan on making
the next meeting.
We’ll see
you there!
To Will or Not Isn’t the Question
By Lisa Miller, Paralegal
Independent Associate for Pre-Paid Legal Services
Financial Planners consistently espouse the
need for a Last Will and Testament, and
yet few Americans take the time to create a
Will, or revise it after changes in their life.
Use change it after changes – maybe use
alter for the first “change” instead?
To test your understanding of the
consequences of dying without a will, take
this short quiz:
1. If you pass away without a Will, the
State could decide who will raise your
children? Yes or No
2. If you pass away without a Will, the
State could decide who inherits your
home and other assets? Yes or No?
3. If you were divorced and pass away
without an updated Will, your former
spouse could end up with your estate,
even if you got married later to
someone else? Yes or No?
4. Do you need to change your will if you
move from one state to another? Yes
or No?
If you answered YES to all of these
questions stop reading now otherwise, this
article is for you!
Statutes (laws) regarding estates will
mandate who will raise your children if
September Meeting - Who
Attended
Congratulations to the following
members who made a commitment to
their businesses, and themselves, by
attending the September WLN Networking
Meeting!
Anne Ward Creative Core
Bobbi Allen Home Instead
Cheryl Gilliland G&I Dental Co
Doreen Langereis Cruise Planners
Gwynne Knutson Fine Graphic Design
Jackie Prehn T.R.I.M. Designs, Inc.
Joyce Edwards Point Flow Acupuncture
Judy Nepil-Shaw Mary Kay
Karen Robins
Kathy Glink CAbi
Kathy Senn Birong It Makes Cents
Bookkeeping
Kathy Smith Flooring America
Katie Haslow Arbonne
Lauren Perrine Panache Interiors
Linda Gaska Organizational Consultant
you die. If you are married the spouse
normally will receive custody of the
children. But Grandparents or other
relatives may petition the Court for legal
guardianship. Without a valid Will, your
voice is silent in the proceedings.
On the other hand, perhaps you want your
children to live with your parents, but your
Will doesn’t provide this information to
the Court so the Judge follows common
practice, leaving the minor children with
your spouse. Either way, your wishes may
not be carried out if you have no Will.
In addition, suppose you and your spouse
are killed in a car accident -- who will
raise your children and get your estate?
Family could end up in a dispute over both
the children, and the estate. This point is
brilliantly portrayed in the movie “Raising
Helen” when a woman dies and leaves
custody of her children to her free-spirited
younger sister, rather than the “soccer-
mom” older sister.
It is important that you protect all of
your assets that you have worked hard to
accumulate. Do you want everything to
go to your Spouse? Children? Parents?
Single people often believe they do not
Lisa Davidson Northwestern Mutual
Lisa Lagenbach AromaLisa
Lisa Murphy Panache Interiors
Laurie Huspen Valuable Resources
Martina Mathisen My Custom Installer
Mary Dickson Aflac
Megan Miller Signature Flooring
Natasha Corda Nick’s Pizza & Pub
Paula Ramos DataPros Bookkeeping
Service, LLC
Robin Braga Sterling Silver Jewelry
Shannon Bednowicz PartyLite Gifts
Sheri Miranda Optimal Health Modalities
Siree Sandberg Bakakos SSB Financial
Services, Inc.
Sue Jaeger Flooring America/Sue Designs 2
Terri Williams Nick’s Pizza & Pub
To be included in future newsletter
recognition, please make sure your
business card is deposited in the canister
when you check in.
need a Will but that is not true.
There are laws for what happens if you die
intestate (without a will) and it means your
assets will distributed as the legislature
guesses most people would want their
assets distributed. In some cases assets
will go to the State Treasury because no
next of kin can be found.
Who will get your business assets and
future income if you pass away? If you do
not have a business partner, do you want
your business to shut down or continue to
operate?
In some states, if you do not update your
will, your EX-Spouse may get your assets,
and custody of your children from that
marriage. In addition, if your intention is
to have your children acquire your assets,
and not allow the assets to go to a new
spouse, that must be in your will too.
Each state has their own laws regarding
how to distribute your assets and provide
for your children. You need to make sure
your estate planning covers all the bases.
After you pass away, you will not be able
to tell the Court what your wishes were…
so please make a game plan now to get a
will drafted by the end of this year.
Next month I will provide the different
alternatives to creating a will so you
can make a decision based on your
circumstances.
Welcome New
Members!
Bobbi Allen Home Instead
Joyce Edwards
Point Flow Acupuncture
Katie Haslow Arbonne
Kathy Senn Birong
It Make Cents
Lisa Langenbach AromaLisa
Mary Dickson Aflac
Paula Ramos
DataPros Bookkeeping
Sheri Miranda
Optimal Health Modalities
Terri Williams Nicks Pizza
 Spotlight
“Success means

Member having the courage,

the determination,
and the will to
become the person
you believe you
were meant to be.”
 George Sheehan

Lisa Davidson, Associate Financial Representative wtih the Kratochvil Group,

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Tell us a little about your background
and your current business. What
makes you successful?
When I was 29 our family suffered the
loss of my husband and I had to learn
the hard way how valuable planning
for the unexpected is. Luckily for us
we had some foresight and had life
insurance in place. It was never in
my plans to raise a family and take
care of a home on my own. I learned
firsthand how a tragedy can turn your
“plans” for the future upside down. I
use this experience to help guide my
clients in making tough decisions on
what they may want to have happen
to their families if they did not make
it home one day. Really getting to
know my client and their desires helps
me to make the best recommendations
for their particular situation. Building
lifetime relationships is the key to my
success.
How did you get involved in WLN?
Any success stories?
I found WLN in a McHenry County
Women Magazine and joined online
before my first meeting. I had never
been to a networking group meeting
before and WLN made me feel right
at home the first meeting. I have
developed some great friendships
over the years and my confidence in
speaking and networking has greatly
improved due to the warm women of
the WLN. I owe WLN for my current
position with Northwestern Mutual.
I met Cheryl Red at a meeting and
I made a career change by the next
meeting.
Who is your perfect client?
My perfect client is someone who
worries about their family or business
and wants to protect their future.
Everyone needs life insurance. It can
be a confusing decision and all I want
to do is help someone make the right
decision for themselves.
What keeps you ahead of your
competition?
Attention to my clients desires for
the future coupled with “top of the
line” products makes me number one.
Northwestern Mutual over its 150 years
has made an impressive reputation
in the industry and is known for its
strength and integrity.
Working with Northwestern Mutual is a
choice I am proud of and I never doubt
that they will do the “right thing” when
the time comes for one of my clients to
make a claim.
Who is your perfect power partner?
Power partners can be people doing
business with families: Doctors,
Lawyers, Dentists, Accountants.
What tip can you give to a business
looking for your services?
Make sure you research your insurance.
They are not all created equal. Cheaper
is not always going to save you money.
When you need to make a claim you
want to make sure the company will be
around and be able to pay. Make sure
you are with a highly rated company.
Northwestern Mutual has the highest
ratings by Moody’s, AM Best, Fitch,
Standard & Poor’s. We are also rated
by Fortune magazine by our peers for
the last 24 years as the “Most Admired”
company.

The WLN is looking for Look For The Lesson

Ambassadors! Have you had a recent setback? Look for the lesson. Setbacks serve. They bring
Get more from your with them lessons about you, about life, about relationships. When a setback
erupts in your path, do not dowse the flames without first examining its lesson.
membership by getting
Learning the lessons that your setbacks deliver to you is one of the ways you build
involved and volunteering! your resilience. Prepare yourself for the next surprise by learning something from
Contact Lisa Davidson this one—look for the lesson.
at (815) 444-3779 Courtesy of Caterina Rando, MA, MCC, Keynote speaker, success coach.
for more details. Contact Caterina at (415)668-4535 or cat@directsalescoaching.com
Board Members Dates To Remember
President Pat Kolodziej
PK Tax Services October Meeting: October 8th
Day Phone (847) 858-5074 Hennessy’s OnQ, 5:30 - 7:30 PM, $35.00
Email patk@pktaxservices.com
Progressive Dinner

November Meeting: November 12th

President Elect Lisa Davidson Hennessy’s OnQ, 5:30 - 7:30 PM, $35.00
Northwest Mutual
Day Phone (815) 444-3779 Speaker: Marcy Piekos, “Victims of Language”
Email lisa.davidson@nmfn.com
December Meeting: December 10th
Hennessy’s OnQ, 5:30 - 7:30 PM, $35.00
VP Programs Lisa Miller
Pre-Paid Legal
Speaker: Senator Pam Althoff
Aflac Insurance
Day Phone (224) 623-4891
Email l.a.miller@sbcglobal.net

VP Events Doreen Langereis

Day Phone
Cruise Planners
(847) 847-8555 Business Spotlight
Email planyourescape@comcast.net

VP Marketing Jackie Prehn

T.R.I.M. Designs, Inc.
Day Phone (847) 289-8007
Email jackie@trimdesignsinc.com

VP Admin. Siree Sandberg Bakokos

SSB Financial
Day Phone (847) 519-1142
Email siree@ssbfinancial.com

VP Finance Anne Ward

Creative Core
Day Phone (847) 854-1111
Email anne@creativecore.com

VP Membership Robin Braga
Independent Rep. for a
national jewelry company
specializing in sterling silver
jewelry
Day Phone (312) 259-8032
Email rbraga1@hotmail.com
Ambassadors
Membership:
Visitor Welcoming: Norine Wiebmer
Events: Kathy Glink, Deirdre Reishus and Lisa Krupp
Programs:
Marketing: Kris Freeman
Are you interested in becoming an Ambassador? If so, please contact
Lisa Davidson at (815) 444-3779.

Newsletter designed by
Jackie Prehn, T.R.I.M. Designs, Inc.
Women’s Leadership Network
847.289.8007 • info@trimdesignsinc.com
www.trimdesignsinc.com
www.WLNNews.com