SPRING

SPRING is HERE

The seasons are changing and summer is just around the corner. We have been blessed with such great weather lately in New York, it reminds me of sunny Southern California. With a few weeks left in the semester, it is crunch time for college students. Spring semester finals are tough because I know summer is so close. The best advice I can give is changing up your studying environment and get moving. If the weather permits, get outside and get some Vitamin D while you study for your finals. Also, do not forget to give yourself some breaks. I am so happy I am able to get outside for a jog in between studying and classes. Whatever your stress reliever may be, take some time for yourself, it can actually help your performance in the classroom.

If you are extremely lucky, maybe you’ll get a little motivational support from one of your favorite visitors. I was lucky enough to have my mom and aunt come visit me in Brooklyn. They got to do all the fun touristy things while I was busy, but I was fortunate to spend some free time with them. One highlight of their trip was seeing the entire city at the top of the World Trade Center. They highly recommend it!

 

The BEST Season

Spring represents lots of changes for people and cultures. For me it is the start of my favorite season…softball and baseball season. As an injured player I have taken a new humbling role this season. I have learned a lot about the sport and mental toughness through the challenges I have had to face this season.  I am a die hard Padres fan and I can’t wait to go back to San Diego to watch them this season. My parents got to go to opening weekend at Petco Park with some friends and clients of theirs. Although I wish I could have gone, my parents did not leave me out. I get to represent with some Padres socks in New York. While supporting San Diego here, I also get to support the family business. My team was given socks to help support Farmers Insurance in Brooklyn. A little piece of home was brought to the softball girls in Brooklyn, New York.

RESTURANT Review : The Local Tap House

 

The Local Tap House

308 S Coast Hwy Oceanside, CA

760-547-1469

http://localtaphouse.com

“LTH & Kitchen isn’t about us, it’s about you.  When deciding to build LTH & Kitchen, it seemed like a no brainer.  Build a restaurant & bar that is built for the people, in a town where the community is our priority.  Don’t specialize in one thing, specialize in great.  Great food, great service, great cocktails, and of course, great beer.  Work hard, and never stop evolving. That is who we are!!!  We want to be your place. A place to celebrate, relax, or have your spirits lifted. It isn’t about who we are. It is about who you are.  Thank you for making us part of the Oceanside culture.”

 

If you are from the San Diego area, you may have heard about LTH. It is a great environment to have brunch, lunch, dinner, and, or drinks! They have seating outside and inside that has a fun vibe. They have a wide range menu from breakfast foods to desserts and treats. They also serve 32 craft beers and ciders right from San Diego. It is a great place on highway 101 to bike to after a long day at the beach or the perfect start to a Sunday afternoon. A great relaxing meal or drink in this perfect weather. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

History of St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day began because of a sixteen year old boy who was kidnapped from Britain and brought to Ireland to become a slave. The Saint who went to Ireland to help the young man adopted the Catholic name Patrick.

St. Patrick died on March 17^th during 461 AD.  We celebrate St. Patrick every March 17^th. Because the day falls between lent and Easter, back in the old days, people were allowed to celebrate the holiday with a pint or two of beer on this day.  Today's young and old celebrate with two, three, four and so on of beers and spirits.  

When many Irish people migrated to places like the United States and Canada we adopted different ways to celebrate the holiday filled with beer, the color green, and corn beef with cabbage.

Green Recipes

If you are feeling festive today, here are some simple green meals!  As always, I encourage you to mix it up and stay clean and green.  Equal size protein, about your fist size with a vegetable.  Reserve your carbohydrates for after your work out or in the morning to burn it off.  

Green Smoothie

Needed:

½-Banana

½ C- Strawberries

½ C- Blueberries

1 C- Milk/ Greek Yogurt

1 C- Spinach/ Kale

Try to substitute your milk with Almond Milk, non fat milk, water, or soy milk.  I enjoy adding ice and.  Blend all ingredients together to a consistency of your liking and enjoy!

Green Salad

Needed:

4-6oz- Cut Grilled Chicken

1 Handful Almonds

1oz- Goat Cheese

1 Sliced Pear

1 Handful Dried Cranberries

1 Plate of Lettuce

Choose your lettuce, cook your chicken, and throw on the toppings!  Food prep is one of the most difficult task to clean eating, but positive prep work goes a long way in order not to eat randomly.  

College Talk: St. Fratty’s Day

If you are in college you’ve probably heard about the lovely fictional holiday “St. Fratty’s Day.” For those parents, grand parents, aunts and uncles out there, this is a holiday celebrated around St. Patrick’s Day weekend. To sum it up, it is pretty much huge parties where everyone wears green and has a shamrock painted somewhere on their body. There have been some crazy stories about these parties so here are some tips to help you stay safe. Share them with your kids, grand kids, nieces and nephews.

Never leave your drink unattended.

Have a leprechaun (friend) with you at all times.

Don’t go for the green punch.

Just because you may be Irish, doesn’t mean you have to drown yourself in beers.

Ubers work.

These may be typical party guidelines but a little refresher never hurts. Stay safe, smart, and have fun!

Go Green Challenge

I challenge you to go green this month. Whether it be to start recycling, cut five minutes from your shower, or start using a re-useable water bottle! Tag a picture with all your Green Ideas @FarmersInsurance on Facebook to help spread the word. 

Farmers Financial Fast Fact, by Glenn P Domingo, LUTCF, CSP

What is an Annuity and how can it help in retirement ?

An annuity is an insurance product that pays out income, and can be used as part of a retirement strategy. Annuities are a popular choice for investors who want to receive a steady income stream in retirement.

Here's how an annuity works: you make an investment in the annuity, and it then makes payments to you on a future date or series of dates. The income you receive from an annuity can be doled out monthly, quarterly, annually or even in a lump sum payment.

The size of your payments are determined by a variety of factors, including the length of your payment period.

You can opt to receive payments for the rest of your life, or for a set number of years. How much you receive depends on whether you opt for a guaranteed payout (fixed annuity) or a payout stream determined by the performance of your annuity's underlying investments (variable annuity).

While annuities can be useful retirement planning tools, they can also be a lousy investment choice for certain people because of their notoriously high expenses. Financial planners and insurance salesmen will frequently try to steer seniors or other people in various stages toward retirement into annuities. Anyone who considers an annuity should research it thoroughly first, before deciding whether it's an appropriate investment for someone in their situation. ( cnn money. com )

Thanks again for your eyes and ears and internet time to read our family blog.  It has been a long winter for me and I am looking forward to Spring.  Winter has been a season of reflection and healing.  I am still dealing with my Nerve and Neck injury and will keep you posted on the treatment and rehabilitation.  Looking forward to our next blog in April.  Remember to ask my dad about funding your IRA before April 17th.  Take care and have a wonderful Easter. 

Kindly, your Blogger on the East Coast, Amanda :))

February Farmers Frenzy

Ah! Valentine's Day, the day for romance and devotion.

History of Valentine's Day 

 Valentine's Day has evolved over the years. It was started when St. Valentine was sent to prison for marrying people while it was banned because they believed soldiers did better work when they were single. The Christian Church chose February 14th to celebrate in honor of him. In the 1300's Valentine's Day became a day of recognition for love and romance. In the 17th century, Great Britain began writing Valentines cards and now it is one of the most celebrated holidays of the year.

Valentine's Day Fun Facts

Did you know 1 billion cards are sent on Valentine's Day?

Did you know 220 million flower banquets are purchased?

Did you know 6 million people get engaged on February 14th? 

In fact, my parents just celebrated their 22nd Wedding Anniversary on the 5th of February. I guess it is the month of love! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad, thanks for continuously loving each other and loving all of us. We appreciate all you guys do for us.  

February Farmers Open 

 "Bingoz Bravados Storm the Tourney with Custom Socks"

What a fantastic day at this years 2016 Farmers Insurance Open.  I was so excited to have my clients and friends join me this year again.  Some of the usual suspects and a couple of newbies.   We usually meet at my home early in the morning for custom ordered breakfast burritos, a Tasty Breakfast Beverage and great fellowship.  Its nice to have our Agency Producer and Office Manager, Jenifer Domingo drop us off right in the front of the Tournament.  Upon arriving, we spectate the putting practice with our favorite golfers.  I mention to the fellas to meet me for lunch at the 17th so we pair up and walk the beautiful Torrey Pines North Course.

This year I hung out at the 17th Par Three hole.  It was awesome watching all the great golfers try to whole in one the par 3.  Me, Bobby Baby and the Nedster had a great front row seat as we watched the towering shots drop from the sky on the elevated tee.




Another new item this year for our guest and clients are custom Farmers Insurance Socks.  They were a hit.  I have over 80 pairs still if any agents want to purchase them at cost.  If you are my client and want a pair all you need to do is ask.  They were the buzz at the 17th Green for lunch for many of the spectators and the agents.  I was walking to the Grey Goose tent and ran into our CEO, Jeff Dailey.  Chili and I showed him our socks and I promised him a pair.  I was so stoked.

 After lunch and watching more golf, our group of Bravados head to the Grey Goose tent for a final beverage.  We get picked up by our Jenifer Shuttle and head into the Village in Carlsbad for happy hour and dinner.

Thanks to all of my guest for joining me this year.  Thank you to Jenifer for the safe and sane ride and thank you Farmers Insurance for allowing me an opportunity to be a proud Agency Owner and Sponsor of the Farmers Insurance Open.  I will continue great tradition as long as the PGA allows Farmers Insurance to continue being a proud Sponsor.  Best of luck to the man, Ricky Fowler during this years PGA Season.

Team Captain of Bingoz Bradvados, Glenn  









We appreciate you listening and reading and look forward to producing our next blog before St. Patrick's Day.  Until then, your blogger from the East Coast and Social Media Director, Amanda !!

New Year(ning)

FRESH START

Happy New Year! Thinking what has changed over the past year is crazy. And thinking what you can accomplish in a year is even crazier. Here is to a fresh start. A new 365 days to make positive changes in your life. Celebrate 2015 and reflect on all that has happened, the good and the bad. Cheers to 2016! May this year bring you peace, love, and joy. My main focus during 2016 is mental toughness.

2016

For those of you who do not know, I got injured in my first collegiate softball game this year. I collided with another player and ended up having a concussion and nerve damage in my neck. Prior to this injury I was super into fitness and extremely disciplined with my workouts. It has been a real challenge not being able to play softball or workout for three months now. However, while this injury lingers on I have learned a lot about myself and I am slowly learning how to be mentally tough.
Mental toughness will produce discipline.   I hope you will join me on my journey in 2016.

Here are 16 ways I like to relieve stress in 2016:

1.   Journal positively
2.   Exercise
3.   Belt my favorite song
4.   Read motivating quotes, "Don't Hesitate to Hydrate"
5.   Practice a sport
6.   Drink tea
7.   Color/Draw
8.   Write/Read goals
9.   Meditate
10. Walk along the beach
11. Have a phone call with a close family member or friend
12. Pray
13. Stay off social media
14. Walk my dog
15. Clean my room
16. Smile/Laugh

Try out a couple of these things when you are feeling stressed. When you have a lot on your plate for a day it is even more important to squeeze in something that helps alleviate the stressful feelings.


You don't always need a "New Year's Resolution." The new year is jump start to regain focus. Resolutions don't always have to be about losing a certain amount of weight or cutting out something completely. They can be simple things in moderation that make a big difference.

Restaurant Review

Board and Brew - Carlsbad Village
‪760-434-4466‬

Local sandwich shop, Board and Brew. It is a perfect place to get a perfect amount of food for a decent price. They have a wide variety of sandwiches, wraps, and salads. They even have lettuce wrap options otherwise known as protein style for gluten free lovers like me. Craft beer is also offered. It is in the perfect location, just a block from the beach. Our local location in Carlsbad Village offers happy hour 3-6 pm.

Enjoy a Turkey and Avocado Sandwich on whole grain.  I suggest having their special sauce on the side.  My dad likes the sandwich with an glass of Stone Indian Pale Ale.  Check em out on Google.

Farmers Financial Fast Fact, by Glenn P Domingo, LUTCF, CSP

Best Ways to Save For Retirement Without an IRA or 401(k)

By Investopedia | August 25, 2015

Read more: Best Ways to Save For Retirement Without an IRA or 401(k) | 

Hey my friends at Investopedia are a great resource for Financial Fitness.  Use their link to learn more about the concept of saving.  All the best in 2016.  Remember that putting aside each month for retirement adds up.  The younger you start, the more powerful compounding interest becomes.  If you invest each month in the stock market, the concept is called dollar cost averaging and will be discussed next month. 

Thanks for listening to my dad and me, until next time, 

Amanda "Kiki Domingo

NYC: Stuck in a Holidaze

An East Coast Christmas Holiday

Christmas time in New York is a totally different ball game. Lines at any store are atrocious in the city as it is, so just imagine during Christmas time. However, the vibe and spirit is all worth it. The city doesn't have track homes that are all lit up but it does have all the streets lit and trees wrapped with lights. The big Rockefeller Tree is lit with hundreds of people in line to go ice skating. Everyone walks around at lightning speed with shopping bags in both hands, wearing their best winter get up. Being in New York until Christmas Eve, I get to experience both coasts this Christmas. It is the perfect time to spend with family and friends and set goals for the upcoming year.

Tips For Holiday Parties

 I know it can be tough going out all the time for the holidays, everyone seems to want to have people over for drinks, delicious, yet unhealthy meals, and desserts. My biggest tip: limit your drinks. Weather it be alcoholic, fruity, or soda, that is where the most empty calories are coming from. Try to eat something small, like a side salad before you go so you aren't snacking the entire time before the real meal comes. Don't deprive yourself, just choose moderation.  We are what we eat.

Holiday Traffic

Luckily, I do not have to drive in New York. Traffic is miserable for those who do, but we also have one of the most efficient ways of transportation. The subway. It took me some getting used to, growing up my entire life never using public transit, and now I take the subway daily. In California, traffic is a different story. No matter where you go, you're going to hit traffic driving up or down the coast. Give yourself extra time, use the restroom at stops even if you don't have to, and have a playlist ready for the drive. Please drive safe and DO NOT drink and drive.

What to Wear

It's time to rock the ugly Christmas Sweater! Christmas time is fun to dress up in all glitz and glam. If you are going out for a night it never hurts to add a little sparkle. Wether it be a skirt or blouse pair it with a neutral colored pant or top, some red heels and lips and you are ready for any holiday party. For the men, a nice button down or sweater paired with dress pants or dark jeans will do just fine for any party in mind.

Farmers Financial Fast Fact, by Glenn P Domingo, LUTCF, CSP

Roth IRA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Roth IRA (Individual Retirement Arrangement) is a retirement plan under US law that is generally not taxed, provided certain conditions are met. Thetax law of the United States allows a tax reduction on a limited amount of saving for retirement. The Roth IRA's principal difference from most other tax advantaged retirement plans is that, rather than granting a tax break for money placed into the plan, the tax break is granted on the money withdrawn from the plan during retirement.

A Roth IRA can be an individual retirement account containing investments in securities, usually common stocks and bonds, often through mutual funds(although other investments, including derivatives, notes, certificates of deposit, and real estate are possible). A Roth IRA can also be an individual retirement annuity, which is an annuity contract or an endowment contract purchased from a life insurance company. As with all IRAs, the Internal Revenue Service mandates specific eligibility and filing status requirements. A Roth IRA's main advantages are its tax structure and the additional flexibility that this tax structure provides. Also, there are fewer restrictions on the investments that can be made in the plan than many other tax advantaged plans, and this adds somewhat to the popularity, though the investment options available depend on the trustee (or the place where the plan is established).

The total contributions allowed per year to all IRAs is the lesser of one's taxable compensation (which is not the same as adjusted gross income) and the limit amounts as seen below (this total may be split up between any number of traditional and Roth IRAs. In the case of a married couple, each spouse may contribute the amount listed):

	Age 49 and Below	Age 50 and Above
1998–2001	$2,000	$2,000
2002–2004	$3,000	$3,500
2005	$4,000	$4,500
2006–2007	$4,000	$5,000
2008–2012	$5,000	$6,000
2013–2015[1]	$5,500	$6,500

Hope everyone enjoys their holiday season! I can't wait to go home and enjoy it with my family and friends. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years from the Domingo Farmers Insurance family!

XOXO,

Amanda