 | IN THIS
ISSUE |
|
|
|
Find out Why More than 250 Family Offices Rely on Advent.
Growing your business while controlling costs has never been easier.
Advent® Portfolio Exchange, with industry leading reporting and
built-in CRM, now includes performance measurement and attribution to
give you deeper insight into results. View
the demo and read a case study.
|
|
FEATURE STORY
|
More Windows Desktop Tips and Tricks
It’s the simple things that can make
(work) life so much more enjoyable
By Donald H. Kelley and Brenda A. Kelley*
Even the smartest people often don’t know the basics of their
computer operating systems. Some useful Windows Tips and Tricks for
managing a desktop are in the October 2007 Trust & Estates Technology
Review. But now Vista is everywhere. And there’s always more to
learn. So let’s quickly go over some more tips and tricks for Windows
XP, Vista and the Mac—particularly for working (as so many of us do)
with a portable.
Resize the Cursor
The mouse cursor is an indispensable part of the work done with a
computer. Everything is more efficient and enjoyable if the cursor
appearance is clear, distinct and comfortable.
In XP: Click on "Start," "Control Panel," "Printers and Other
Hardware" and then on "Mouse." In the "Mouse" dialog box, click on the
tab “Pointers.” Under “Scheme,” you can select large or extra
large cursor configurations. You also can select what works best for
you from a variety of other pointer schemes.
In Vista: With your cursor anywhere on the desktop, click on the
right mouse button and on the menu that appears, click on
“Personalize.” Then click on “Mouse Pointers.” Click on the
tab “Pointers” and at the “Scheme” drop down menu, select
“Windows Aero (large)” or “Windows Aero (extra large).”
In the Mac: Go to “Systems Preferences” and click on
“Universal Access,” then click on “Mouse and Trackpad.” The size
of the cursor can be adjusted with the last slider on the bottom.
Resize Desktop Fonts
If you know how to resize the text that appears on your portable’s
desktop you can quit squinting at the screen and throw that magnifying
glass away.
In XP: Place your cursor anywhere on the desktop and click on
the right mouse button. The dialog box “Display Properties” will
appear. Click on the tab “Appearance” and note the “Font size”
pick list at the bottom. There, you can select normal, large or extra
large fonts. This selection will affect the Windows default fonts that
appear with the desktop icons the Taskbar and other areas.
In Vista: With your cursor anywhere on the desktop, click on the
right mouse button and click on “Personalize” on the menu that
appears. Then click on “Adjust font size” on the left side list.
The DPI Scaling box will appear. Select “Larger size” or, if you
want even larger fonts, click on “Custom DPI.”
In the Mac: Click on your desktop, then go to the View menu and
click on “Show View Options.” There is a slider to adjust icon
sizes and a drop down list of font sizes.
(Article continues below ad.)
Back to Top ^
How can you increase your chances of an IRS
audit?
The audit rate for an estate tax return is nearly 8X that
for a personal 1040 income tax return. The average recommended
additional tax for an audited estate tax return is $248,657.00! In fact,
the IRS examined almost 10% more estates in 2007 than 2008. Click here to
learn more.
|
(Article continues here.)
Wireless Network
Do you feel self conscious about entering Starbucks or Panera with your
portable because you aren’t sure how to grab on to a WiFi network?
Like opening a safe it’s easy, if you know the combination.
In XP: Click on “Start,” “Control Panel,” “Network”
and then “Internet Connections.” Look for a network graphic that
says “Wireless Network Connection”—right click on it and click on
“Enable” in the menu that appears. You will need a key or password
for a secured network.
In Vista: In the system tray at the lower right corner of your
desktop is an icon that looks like a computer screen. Right click on
this icon. A box pops up that includes the line “Connect to a
network”—click on it. Another box will pop up listing all the
wireless networks within range of your computer and noting whether they
are secured or unsecured. You will need a key for a secured network.
With an unsecured network, all you have to do is move your cursor to
highlight it, then click on the box “Connect.” A box will appear
asking you whether you want to save this connection. Click on
“Close.” You are now connected to the network and your connection to
the Internet is enabled. You also can click on the round Windows flag
at the lower left corner, click on “Network,” on “Click to
connect,” then on “Connect to network” to open the box listing all
wireless networks within range.
In the Mac: First make sure that the Airport is turned on. In
the upper right corner of the screen by the clock and the battery life
icon is an upside down triangle. Click there and you will get a drop
down list. Click “Turn Airport ON.” If you have previously
activated this for a wireless connection at work or home, it is already
on. Once the Airport is on, it is always looking for a connection.
Consequently, if you are in the vicinity of a network, a dialog box will
come up when you boot or wake up your computer, asking if you would like
to join it. If the network is password-protected you will need the
password; if it’s not, you can simply join.
Changing Your Desktop Background
While not critical to the work you do, it is nice to have some variety
in the appearance of the desktop background you look at so much of the
time. Perhaps you’d like a restful color—or a lovely new picture of
loved ones.
In XP: Place your cursor anywhere on the desktop and click on
the right mouse button. A dialog box “Display Properties” will
appear. Click on the tab “Desktop” and chose any picture from the
“Background list.” You also can click on “Browse” to view any
picture files you have in the “My Pictures” directory (or browse to
any other directory). You may select any jpg or bmp file as your
desktop background.
In Vista: With your cursor anywhere on the desktop, click on the
right mouse button, then on the menu that appears, click on
“Personalize.” On the dialog box that then appears, click on
“Desktop Background” and browse to the directory that contains the
graphic file you want to use.
In the Mac: Go to System Preferences and click on “Desktop”
and “Screensaver.” On the left side of the window is a list of
folders. The first few folders are full of Mac freebie images. Click
on one of these, then on your choice. The bottom of these folders is a
folder called “Choose Folder.” Click there to navigate to a folder
that has an image you’ve saved on your machine. Below the gray line
is a list of Albums in iPhoto. These contain any images you have
imported using Iphoto. Click on any of these folders to choose one of
these images.
(Article continues below ad.)
Back to Top ^
|
The Westside of Manhattan is the final frontier in real
estate development in New York City. This conference brings together
many of the leaders in the real estate, finance and governmental
communities in an open forum that promises to be a terrific half-day of
insights, conversation and industry-wide networking. To learn more,
click here.
|
(Article continues here)
Get to Your Desktop—Quick!
You have a bunch of files open and need to get back to your desktop to
open another, find something in “Control Panel” or any number of
things. You can go through the work of minimizing all your open files
one by one—or simplify the process.
In XP: Hit the “Windows” key and "M" at the same time from
whatever program you are working on.
In Vista: Press the "Tab" key while holding down the "Alt" key.
Vista includes a desktop icon in the “Alt-Tab” box, as well as the
icons for open programs and files.
In the Mac: Go to “System Preferences,” click on
“Dashboard and Expose.” Here you can assign actions like seeing the
desktop to the corners of the screen as well as to the "F" keys in the
top row of the keyboard—or instead assign them to the shift, option,
control or command keys. In addition to taking you to the desktop, you
can choose to see all the windows you have open at once, and to see all
the windows you have open in the current application.
Mousing Around
Ditching the touch plate and using an external mouse can greatly enhance
your efficiency with a portable.
A good example of the small, convenient wireless mice now available is
the
Microsoft Notebook Optical Mouse 3000. It has a receiver that plugs
into any USB port to broadcast to the mouse and can be removed and
stored in the underside of the mouse for transporting.
The Kensington
PocketMouse Wireless Mini is also an inexpensive product for either
the PC or the Mac.
For a mouse with more features for the PC check out the Microsoft
Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 or the
Microsoft Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 with special
features for PowerPoint presentations.
If you want to get fancy for the Mac (assuming your Mac is
Bluetooth-enabled) take a look at the more expensive Apple
wireless Mighty Mouse.
Bottom Line
When using computers, little things mean a lot. We hope that one or more
of these tips is something you didn’t already know and that they will
help increase the comfort and efficiency of your daily computer use.
Trusts & Estates magazine is pleased to present the monthly
Technology Review by Donald H. Kelley — a respected connoisseur of
the software and Internet resources wealth management advisors use to
further their practices.
Kelley is a lawyer living in Highlands Ranch, Colo. and is of counsel to
the law firm of Kelley, Scritsmier & Byrne, P.C. of North Platte, Neb.
He is the co-author of the Intuitive Estate Planner Software,
(Thomson-West 2004). He has served on the governing boards of the
American Bar Association Real Property Probate and Trust Section and the
American College of Tax Counsel. He is a past regent and past chair of
the Committee on Technology in the Practice of the American College of
Trust and Estate Counsel.
Trusts & Estates has asked Kelley to provide his unvarnished opinions
on the tech resources available in the practice today. His columns are
edited for readability only. Send feedback and suggestions for articles
directly to him at dhkelley@qwestoffice.net.
*Brenda Kelley is a freelance photographer and digital coach. She
lives in Santa Fe, N.M., where she teaches Photoshop, as well as the
Mac, to people who are learning to shoot, adjust and print their
photos.
Back to Top ^
|
Now Available: Becoming A
Rainmaker, the new book from Matt
Oechsli of the Oechsli Institute
Only a very few financial professionals who target the affluent are
bringing
in 10 or more new affluent relationships each year. This book shares
the
Mindset, Activities and Skills of the Rainmakers who consistently
achieve
this level of success.
To order, click
here.
|
|
|
|
