Glitz N Glam Fashion Boutique Opens on Market Street

Jewelry, handbags, handmade items and all things girly are available at the new fashion boutique Glitz N Glam, a shop owned by Jennifer Schmidt which opened in March on Market Street.

Schmidt plans to expand her business by partnering with April Clark-Buntion of Tomboys, Tutu's and Oohh so Cutes, which produces hand-made products like bloomer sets, tutus, hair bows and custom shirts.

Glitz N Glam will also promote the new tutus aside from other products like handbags, purses, jewelry and hair bows at the annual Moonlight Madness Shopping Event on Thursday, July 18 and Jour De Fete in August.

"Promoting tutus will be a great addition," Schmidt said, "considering there are not many stores nearby that offer those."

Glitz N Glam also is starting to carry Pink Zebra products, which involve a variety of baking items, home fragrances and lotions.

"I think bringing in a variety of home fragrances and candles will really do great for the business," she said, "it will include the local women of all different ages."

In conjunction with upcoming promotions, Schmidt also strives to help the community by participating and creating different fundraisers, including Socks 4 Surgery and breast cancer awareness.

Socks 4 Surgery is a charity that donates socks to infants undergoing surgery. Schmidt accepts donations of socks in exchange for store credit. Each customer who donates a pair of socks, they will receive a $1 store credit.

The store offers shirts, hats tuts and more that breast cancer awareness slogans and sayings.

"This is a great opportunity to help Glitz N Glam become more well-known while also helping someone in need and making a difference." Schmidt said of the charitable efforts

Glitz N Glam has a Facebook page that contains more information on Pink Zebra, as well as fan contests, games and questionnaires.

By participating, there are numerous discounts and promotions.

Flieg's Equipment Marks 50 Years In Business

Flieg’s Equipment recently celebrated 50 years in business, although the actual anniversary date is kind of a mystery.

“There isn’t an exact date of when the business began,” Dave Flieg said, “but it was started by my two older brothers, Herb Flieg and Don Flieg as Allis Chalmers equipment dealers.”

Flieg’s is a family owned business that sells a variety of lawn care products, tractors and farming equipment from several different companies.

Flieg’s Equipment has grown from servicing one equipment dealer to eight different equipment dealers including companies like Case IH, Hustler Turf Equipment, Lawn and Garden, Vermeer and Cub Cadet.

Flieg’s Equipment has also grown through expanding their customer radius.

“We cover Ste Genevieve County, Perry County, Jefferson County, St. Francis County and Washington County that makes up roughly an 80 mile radius.” Flieg Said.

Every March, Flieg’s Equipment honors its customers with an appreciation open house celebration with food, drinks and equipment displays. With this year’s celebration as part of the 50^th anniversary, a large crowd attended the event.

“We cleaned our whole shop out and set up for 250 people,” Flieg said, “but there ended up being over 350 people attend.”

He said the party was a great way to show their customers how much they truly appreciated them because without them, the business would not be where it is today.

“In the next 50 years, we would like to keep business as it is,” Flieg said. “We have flourished within the last 25 years because of the right mix of equipment and good personnel, but I am looking forward to handing it over to my daughter, Clarissa Naeger.” Flieg said.

With a large number of Fliegs in the family, Dave Flieg said it will be exciting to watch the third generation become more involved with the business and continue the tradition.

Flieg has learned that loyalty and building personal relationships is important when it comes to customer service.

“Everybody says that keeping your customers is easier and better than finding new customers,” he said. “The No. 1 thing in keeping a business going is to provide good customer service and treat people the way you want to be treated.”

Opinion: To Gap Year or Not to Gap Year?

As college graduation has caught some completely prepared and others completely off guard, one option all grads would be smart to consider is the Gap Year.

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You know that feeling you recently enjoyed when you finished your last test, submitted your last paper, or applied finishing touches on your last project?

Well, enjoy it for as long as you can because now the hard part begins: What to do after graduation.

There are some students who want to apply their degrees and go straight to work, while others aspire to broaden their education with post-graduate studies.

But others decide to take a year off from school, which is known as the gap year.

There are several things to endeavor when taking a year off, but they are only beneficial if the time is used wisely.

Several doors can be opened with opportunity during this year away from school, books, late library nights and insufficient funds.

The gap year gives students a chance to explore the real world entirely outside of a classroom, taking advantage of opportunities to gain real-world experiences.

For example, finding your identity through gaining knowledge on culture, simplifying your goals as far as a career, and giving you the ability to add more to your resume.

Who knows, there is a possibility that you may gain some experience in the career world, and change your mind entirely as far as what area you would like to earn a master’s degree.

Might I add, the gap year is exactly how it sounds -- gap year. Which means, you, as a college graduate, can become involved in several different things that you may not have had time for when attending a four-year university.

“They [students] can return to school with a clear understanding of the opportunity it represents to become an expert in an area the student is truly passionate about and committed to,” Tricia Taorminaj, CEO of a gap year program called Thinking Beyond Borders, said during an interview published in the Huffington Post.

There are several resources that help provide opportunities to utilize a gap year. By seeking and receiving a full-time job position, it would be a good way to fund an abroad program, or pay off student loans.

Furthermore, there are several gap year programs in which graduates have the opportunity to travel abroad, participate in volunteer work and gain real life experiences.

According to the university Career Opportunities program, there are several different options to consider when deciding which path to take after completing an undergraduate degree.

By exploring these options, the graduate can focus on individual strengths.

Another positive outcome when choosing to take a gap year is receiving a job that negotiates tuition costs.

There are several corporations that assist in paying their employees to earn post-graduate degrees. The IRS 11 publication mentions that through written consensus, expenses like tuition, books, supplies and equipment can all be funded through your employer.

Why would employers help you pay for college?

Well, it not only benefits you, but also the company. The website, citytowninfo.com, states: “Some [employers] see opportunity to expand their organization's intellectual and organizational capacity … or [they are] purely after increased employee retention.”

Also, it is more common than not for employers to receive a tax write-off by assisting employees with tuition costs.

Ultimately, it is often cheaper for employers to hire you and pay for higher education than it is to hire an individual who already has a graduate degree due to the fact that they require a higher starting salary for completing a higher form of education.

I recommend considering the gap year because it can be extremely beneficial in several ways.

However, utilizing the time in a beneficial way is the key ingredient for the recipe of success.

If graduation has snuck up on you, it may be reasonable to explore your options rather than head straight to another year of college.

By taking this time off, you can reflect on your accomplishments and strengths to broaden the path to success.

Garden Walks Manages to Get Good Weekend Weather

A weekend filled with flowers, vendors and trolley rides turned out to be a great success for all the plant-lovers in the Ste Genevieve community.

The Annual Garden Walk took place May 18 and 19 and sponsored by the Ste Genevieve County Master Gardeners and the University of Missouri Extension.

 

“Considering the rain out last year, the weather is just right for a great walk through the gardens and great happy makes happy visitors.” Donald Naeger, president of the Master Gardeners said.

The Garden walk offered an opportunity for people to visit 17 gardens, including one newcomer to the event-the Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital’s Oncology Garden at the Alan P. Lyss Center for Cancer Care-and two that returned after a hiatus-Les Fleurs de Gabouri and Hugheys; Hideaway.

The gardens and plant sales consisted of a variety of annuals, perennials and vegetables shared from the participants’ own gardens.

There were also several vendors selling anything from goat milk lotion, honey, plants and pure honey, hand-crafted soaps.

In conjunction with the Garden Walk was the bird house contest, which consisted of 22 entries and awards to nine contestants.

Luke Ritter won first place for his birdhouse while Riley Wolk, Tommy Otle and Chris Loida were the runners up for second place. Dalton Kertz, Hannah Viox, Duncan Basshawn, Blake Pennell and Jack Staab also earned ribbons.

Horse drawn trolley rides, made possible by the Lions Club, were offered on Saturday. The trolley rides traveled through the historic downtown.

Ellie Douglass, the gardener at the Felix Valle State Historic Site, enjoyed sharing samples of lemon verbena cake and mint tea while explaining her history of participating in the garden walk.

“I have been participating in the garden walk every year since it has started and I plan to continue the years to come.” Douglass said.

In addition to tending a beautiful garden, she utilized her plants in different recipes, such as lavender verbena cake with lavender florets, a Persian yogurt soup with dried rose pedals and mint tea.

Ruby O’Driscoll of Ste. Genevieve happily celebrated when her name was drawn for a $50 attendance prize.

Making Sure Your Mortgage Company Is The Best

If you live in the St. Louis area, your mortgage company should be providing you with the best customer service and the most updated information on your rights and responsibilities as a homeowner. If your mortgage company is not providing you with outstanding service, consider switching to a company that cares about you, your financial health and the investment you have made in your property. You might be wondering how to know whether you are working with the best lender in St. Louis. If you are not sure, measure your own mortgage lender against what you could be getting with the leader in residential mortgages. 

Consider your mortgage company costs. Whether you have purchased a home for under $100,000 or over a million, your mortgage should be affordable. Your mortgage company should be able to work within your budget, whether it is modest or extravagant. Take a look at your interest rate and do some math. You want to make sure it is competitive with what is being offered in the current real estate market. Consider your refinancing options and check to see if you have a prepayment penalty. If you still have an adjustable rate mortgage, you might want to consider getting a new loan. Perhaps you are looking for a mortgage as a first time home buyer. If so, make sure your mortgage company is offering you a good rate and excellent closing costs. Otherwise, you should check out the exceptional offers provided here.

Almost as important as costs is customer service. When you have a question or need some information, you want your mortgage company to respond immediately and accurately. When your phone calls go unanswered and you cannot get in touch with a mortgage representative by email, you could be doing better. The best mortgage company in St. Louis will be available whenever you need help. Whether you have a question about your loan, you need a few extra days to make a payment one month, or you are thinking about buying a new home or refinancing a loan, customer service representative and qualified lenders are always ready and willing to help you. You can count on polite, professional and helpful service. Expect the very best in customer service when you work with lenders here.

Company reputation is important as well. You should consider whether your mortgage company is respected in your local community and within the lending industry. This company prides itself on having many happy customers and satisfied clients. Many of the people we work with are more than happy to recommend their lender to friends, family members and colleagues who are looking for mortgage help. When your mortgage company is in high demand, you know you are in good hands. Be sure to check the company's online reputation. You can find reviews and testimonials, and find out what kind of information is available through the Better Business Bureau. Look for membership in national professional organizations as well as recognitions and awards.

If your mortgage company is not measuring up to this one, consider making a change. It is never too late to begin getting funding and mortgage advice from the best mortgage company in St. Louis. Whether you need a new mortgage, want to refinance your existing loans, do a reverse mortgage or simply need some excellent information on how to manage the current housing market, you can find it here. The standards are higher, which makes the work product even better than what you get with other companies. You deserve to have your mortgage company looking out for you. Your home is the largest investment you will likely make; your mortgage company should help you protect it.

Baby Boomer Benefits!

There is a new government program for those who are 62 and older that will change your life forever. I am not sure if you are currently making a mortgage payment, but did you know that it is possible to be payment free while also obtaining monthly income?

This is called the reverse mortgage.FHA came up with the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) that allows senior homeowners to transform a portion of their home equity in to cash.

The homeowner can receive up to 65% in home equity!

Instead, the homeowner can use this money towards vacationing, unexpected medical bills, supplement social security and so much more.

The only thing the homeowner needs to be concerned with are bills such as property tax, utilities and insurance premiums.

Your family can also become involved! by complying with a reverse mortgage, it is known to leave your house to your heirs and then they can decide whether or not to refinance the house, or sell it at appraised value.

You may be wondering how this differs from a second mortgage or a traditional home equity mortgage. Well, the great thing about HECM is that the money does not need to be repaid!

The only reason it would need to be repaid is if the homeowner decided to move locations, or fail to meet the obligations of the mortgage.

What many people do not know is that those interested in purchasing a primary residence can use HECM if you (as the homeowner) can provide cash for the difference between HECM proceeds and closing costs. However, once that is done, your new, primary residence will be yours with no monthly payment.

Another thing to consider when exploring HECM, is that there is no requirement regarding an FHA loan. This can work for any house regardless of the loan type, it is just provided through FHA.

So, how much does the monthly payments work? There are four different options. One option is to choose to receive your equity portion in a lump sum which means the homeowner can receive all money up front during the time of closing.

Another option would be to have monthly payments sent to you, or obtain a payment on specific and selected months. This is all up to you as far as which payment you would feel as more convenient to you.

By participating in this beneficial program, seniors can enjoy living their life without feeling burdened with a monthly mortgage payment.

So i encourage you to take interest in this great opportunity. There is a chance for seniors 62+ to enjoy life the way they should by going on trips they have always wanted, participating in events with children and grandchildren and anything else one would enjoy!

If you are interested in this amazing opportunity or have any questions, call Susan Wright at Wright Financial Inc. (636) 931-2121

Also visit our website: wrighthomeloan.com and be sure to like our Facebook page so that we can hear your feedback and reviews while also helping you remain updated with rates and other mortgage needs!

Relief of the HARP Loan

Since April 2007, more than 2.2 million borrowers have obtained a refinance to their mortgage loan. Said  Evan Nemeroff in an article on HARP loans in the Origination News magazine.

First of all, what is a HARP loan? Well, Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) was introduced by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), it has been around for quite some time.

The purpose of a HARP loan is to make refinancing, with extremely low rates, accessible to more homeowners. These government affiliated changes are meant to ease the opportunity.

By participating in HARP, there are extremely low rates. Wright Financial will strive to help homeowners refinance in to a better and more stable mortgage regardless of how far the value of the home has fallen below the payments owed.

Second question: Who qualifies? The eligible property types include a Fannie Mae or a Freddie Mac homeowner. This could also include anyone from a primary residence, second home or investment properties. HARP is also eligible for 1-4units, condominiums, manufactured homes or planned unit developments

Some great features include no loan-to-value limitation, no credit score requirement, no occupancy limitations and no appraisal if waived. Further, there are no limits on the number of homes owned and no worries if the home has been listed for sale.

The next question I am assuming you have, is how does this benefit me? For starters, there is a reduced monthly principal and investment payments while also allowing the homeowner to switch from an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) to a fixed rate.

Secondly, a minimum home value is NOT required. Wright Financial can refinance regardless of how far you may be "underwater."Another great benefit is the fact that mortgage insurance is not required if you (the homeowner) do not already have it on your existing loan.

The good news? There is a possibility of being eligible even if you have been in any of these situations: You owe more than your house is worth, you missed a mortgage payment some months ago, your credit is not what it once was, or you want to shorten the term of your mortgage. There are several other ways to become eligible.

If interested or any of these qualifications and situations involve you, call Wright Financial and a representative will gladly share with you the several other benefits involving a HARP loan.

http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/origination/