The ElderCounsel team recently traveled to New Orleans for a staff retreat along with its sister companies, WealthCounsel and The Advisors Forum.  The first day was spent helping 4 different families rebuild their homes that were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.  As you’ll see from many of the pictures, we wielded paintbrushes, sanders, buzz saws,

Looking our "best"

Where we spent our day

rags, brooms…whatever we could get our hands on to help out.  And we certainly did not win any beauty contests while we did it!

Thought New Orleans and surrounding parishes were back on their feet?  In the debriefing at the end of our work day, we learned that it will take 16 years at the current rate to get the homes rebuilt for everyone who wants to return home.

The organization we volunteered for was called The St. Bernard Project, named for the St. Bernard parish, one hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina.  The St. Bernard Project has been received a number of national awards, including recognition by President Obama.  You can learn more at www.stbernardproject.org.

Having the ability to help others in need was something we will all cherish.  Many of us were meeting face-to-face for the first time (all three companies are virtual companies with most employees working from home) so the opportunity to work together for a common good was truly a blessing for us.  It made us stronger as a company, and as individuals.

Valerie L. Peterson

Executive Director, ElderCounsel, LLC

Valerie is the Executive Director of ElderCounsel, LLC , an organization that provides document drafting software, education and support to elder law and special needs attorneys across the United States.  Valerie is a frequent lecturer on elder law and Veterans Benefits.

ElderCounsel is off to Orlando, Florida next week to exhibit at the 45th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning.   We will be revealing a new banner at the show, along with our sister companies, WealthCounsel and The Advisors Forum.  Please stop by our booths to say hi, and tell us what you think of our new look.  We will also be hosting a hospitality suite each night and would love to have you stop by!

Valerie Peterson

Valerie is the Executive Director of ElderCounsel, LLC.

We all know (or should know) the positive effect a handwritten or verbal “thank you” has on the recipient.  In this day of email, texting and Facebook, the positive effects of a handwritten thank you on the recipient are even greater.  Yet, many are still not taking the time to pick up the phone and say thank you, or, better yet, write a personal thank you note.

What many may not realize is the positive effect saying (or writing) “thank you” has on the sender.  It not only establishes a bond with the recipient, it creates an “attitude of gratitude” within the person giving thanks, says Karen Huck, Chair, Fine Arts and Communication, Central Oregon Community College in a recent issue of U Magazine.  This “attitude of gratitude” is good for our mental health, adds Huck.

This “attitude of gratitude” is something worth trying.   To help you get started, check out this link:  http://www.pure-inspirational-thoughts.com/thank-you-quotations.html.

One final thought:

“Gratitude is the best attitude. There is not a more pleasing exercise of the mind than gratitude. It is accompanied with such an inward satisfaction that the duty is sufficiently rewarded by the performance.”

Joseph Adisson

Thank you for reading this post!  Have a great day!

Valerie L. Peterson, Esq.

Valerie is the Executive Director of  ElderCounsel, LLC, an organization providing document drafting software, education and support to elder law and special needs attorneys across the United States.

During a recent team building retreat, the staff at ElderCounsel participated as a team in “The Amazing Race.”  We were sent out into the streats of South Beach to solve puzzles, frantically search for clues, and gather numerous treasure hunt items all while trying not to become dehydrated, or worse, struck by a car while gazing up at road signs and buildings! 

While we were not the winners, we did learn some valuable lessons about the strengths of each of our team members and how to best utilize those strengths, the ability of each of us to take a leadership role when necessary, and how to divide and conquer yet still communicate effectively with each other.  (We also learned we are very poor guessers when we did not know an answer!)

These lessons are pertinent to all of us, whether we are working with a staff of 1 or a staff of 100.  Be sure to consider these questions in your own business:  Are you aware of your strengths and those of your team?  Are you utilizing those strengths and communicating effectively with everyone on your team?  Hopefully the answer is “yes” but if not, consider an afternoon running around your city playing “The Amazing Race.”