Do you know what your birthstone means??Attorney Edrie Pfeiffer: My birthstone is Opal. According to legend, opals fell to the earth from heaven in a flash of lightening. The gift of an Opal symbolizes confidence and faithfulness and can be used to ward off nightmares. An Opal symbolizes hope, loyalty, happiness, innocence and purity. I received my first opals when I was a teenager and my favorite aunt gave me a pair of opal earrings that I still have some 40 years later. The second birthstone for October is Tourmaline. I wear two rings every day, one is my wedding ring set, the other is my college ring. My college ring has a Tourmaline stone set in it. This ring has been on my right hand for over 35 years at this point.

Colleen: Since I was born in New Mexico, I love that my birthstone is turquoise, which is honored by the Native Americans there. This “truth stone” was worn by Apache for protection in battle. Today, the belief is that if the stone you are wearing is cracked, it has fought off something that would have otherwise harmed you. The stone darkens with age because of its ability to absorb different oils. Like the turquoise, I deepen with age as I’m always on a path of continuous learning to increase my knowledge and expertise to absorb as much wisdom as I possibly can!

Patty: My birthstone is blue topaz. This stone is known for its calming and balancing properties, providing the wearer with the ability to make practical decisions and strength to make change. This stone is a good representation of my personality. I am cool, calm and collected and tend to be very rational in my day-to-day life. Since topaz is also believed to bring great success and fortune, I may need to start wearing it more often! “Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health.” -Dalai Lama

Shelley: As a January baby, I get to rock the garnet. As a girly girl growing up, I was always disappointed that my birthstone was a deep blood red and not a pretty pink or lavender color. Now that I’m older, I’m proud to don the stone that’s responsible for regeneration, vitality and order. This stone is known to provide a protective energy that brings order to chaos, releasing bad karma and an overall protection in life. If your yin and yang need balancing, put a garnet under your pillow!

Blake: My birthstone is the Emerald. It has always been my dream to find one in the wild one day (wishful thinking I know!) but they are valuable because of their rarity. I have always liked the emerald because the green color of the stone represents life, nature, healing and rebirth. Life can be tough sometimes just like winter can be cold, but spring is just around the corner. In spring plants will grow fresh leaves and flowers and just like the changing in seasons so too we can experience a “rebirth” or a healing from the harsh winter. For me, the Lord healed me and gave me a new life and a daughter even though the world said it was not possible. For that I am forever thankful and will always remember that when I think of the green color in my birthstone.

HAMPTON ROADS LEGAL SERVICESPutting you in charge of your life through bankruptcy & divorce

Monthly Newsletter August 2015

Continued on page 2

Inside…

Page 2You Can Increase Your Income Page 2Meet Barbara Giampapa Our New Administrative Assistant

Page 3Turn Your Items Into

Did you know that August’s birthstone is the Peridot? This awesome stone may not be as familiar to you as a diamond or a crystal, but it’s actually the national gem of Egypt, known as “the healer’s stone”. Not only does it host magical medicinal powers and protect the wearer against nightmares, but it’s supposed to bring them prosperity, power and influence!

By the time you receive this newsletter, Blake’s internship will be over and he will be back in school at Regent. Blake was an awesome lawyer in the making this summer and we wish him well in his second year of law school!

2 • Hampton Roads Legal Services (757) 340-3100 • HamptonRoadsLegal.com

You can increase your income.Last month I discussed ways that you can lower your living expenses to meet a shortfall in your budget. This month I will cover some ways that you can increase your income if you need to earn more money to meet your living expenses.

Of course the best way to increase your income is to make yourself more marketable for a better paying job. You may

need to go get more training or education to sharpen your skills. We have several community colleges that offer many different job training classes. There are also schools that operate through on-line learning sessions for virtually any career field that you might want to go into. However, be careful that you carefully research the school and the career field that you are training for. While there are many

reputable schools that will help you with job placement, there are also many schools that will make all sorts of promises that cannot be kept. You also need to know what the prospects are for employment in the career path you are following. I have seen individuals who took out large student loans to train for a career in a field that will not pay them more than they are already making.

Another way that you can increase your income it to find another source of income. This may mean taking on a second job working part-time. Before I went to law school, I worked as the manager of a day care. One of the companies that I worked for cut my hours to part-time. To make ends meet, I took a second job working as a cashier. Even though I had two college degrees at that point, I was not too proud to take a low paying job to make ends meet. There are many part-time jobs that you can get that will allow you to work full-time at another job. Even if you are not able to work outside the home, you may be able to earn money at home. For example, if you are a stay at home parent, you can provide child care for a working parent.

Turn a hobby into a money maker. I have a friend who is a talented seamstress. She has launched an on-line business selling custom

made pillows. While she still works full-time, she sews in the evenings and weekends and then sells her creations through an on-line store. This provides her with a nice supplemental income. I have a nephew who buys items at yard sales and thrift stores fixes them up and then sells them on line. He has built up a nice income from this side business.

The key to increasing your income it to create a plan and then implement it. Determine ways that you can either improve your market value to get a higher wage or ways that you can earn money in your spare time or through a hobby. There are hundreds of opportunities out there. Remember Microsoft started out in a garage.

Continued from front pageDo you know what your birthstone means??

Meet Barbara Giampapa, our new Administrative Assistant!

Barbara started with us in early August as our new Administrative Assistant. She will be answering phones, scheduling appointments, greeting clients and so much more!

Barbara is a former retail manager and sales specialist who has worked for big-box retail businesses as well as small boutiques for over 7 years. She is a Greenville, South Carolina native and lived in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia for 3 years before moving to Virginia Beach to be with her husband, Sam, when he was stationed here.

She graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in Apparel Design and Business. She got her first taste of the business bug by working for her dad’s start-up industrial cleaning company. From there, she continued her business track by interning for a family-owned retail boutique, and went on to work for Belk department stores immediately out of college.

Barbara decided to change careers to give herself a more rounded business experience, and also to go back to her roots of working for a smaller company with room to grow. Having more time to spend with her husband, family, and dog Cali is an added bonus! She has a fitness gene, and enjoys running and weight-lifting in her free time. Her other hobbies include cooking, fashion styling (can’t let that degree go to waste!), and being involved in Navy spouse groups.

Barbara will likely be the person you reach the next time you call our office so be sure to say hello! We are excited to have her on board.

HamptonRoadsLegal.com • (757) 340-3100 Hampton Roads Legal Services • 3

Turn Your Items Into Cash!

Need fast cash? Chances are, you may have hidden gems at home that you

didn’t even realize! Estate sales are driven by 4 d’s...downsizing, death, divorce and debt. Whether you are looking for some extra money or you need to downsize or declutter, items in your home can be sold by securing a reputable estate liquidation service professional. There are many services that will provide the peace of mind you need to make the process smooth and less stressful.

You will find that many items you donate or throw away are sellable! Meet with an estate sale specialist before calling someone to pick up unwanted items such as clothing, magazines etc. These items can usually all be sold.

What types of items can be sold in an estate sale? Furniture, clothing, jewelry, appliances, silver, linens, china, art, antiques, other collectibles/valuables, and even cars and boats! Every sale is unique!

How much money can I make from these items? You may be surprised at the value of those silver spoons just sitting in your kitchen drawer, or how much you can get for those beautiful pieces of jewelry just sitting in your jewelry box that you know you’ll never wear again. Most estate sales result in thou-sands of dollars in your pocket.

How does the process work? A great starting point is to purchase colored post it notes. One color for you and other colors given to family members to mark/distinguish items you are considering and pieces they might like to have. Once these items have been moved, the remainder of the extra items in your home can be sold by securing a reputable estate liquidation service professional. These service professionals take what could be a stressful process and streamline it to make the selling much smoother.

When you meet with an estate liquidation specialist, ask important questions such as...‚

• How will they establish prices for your items? • How are prices reduced over the term of the state sale? • How many days will they need to stage your items to sell them?

References are available upon request and you can usually find a local company through your realtor or estate attorney. Have questions about these services? We would love to help! For more information contact Feathered Nest Estate Liquidation at (757) 469-7775 and find our more information on our website at www.featherednestsales.com

One of the nicest parts of our practice is when someone sends a friend or relative to us. Be

sure that to tell people you refer to us to give us your name so we can recognize and reward you. We would like to recognize the following individuals who have recently referred new

clients to us.

Hampton Roads Legal Services located in Virginia Beach assists clients with Debt Relief, Bankruptcy, Family Law, and Estate Planning matters. We serve clients throughout Hampton Roads including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and surrounding areas. This firm is not a public legal aid agency.

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PAIDNORFOLK, VA

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Hampton Roads Legal Services372 S. Independence Blvd., Suite 109Virginia Beach, VA 23452(757) 340-3100

This Firm is Not a Public Legal Aid Agency

This firm is a debt relief agency. We assist people through bankruptcy.

In This Issue…• Do You Know What Your Birthstone Means?• You Can Increase Your Income• Meet Our New Administrative Assistant• Turn Your Items Into Cash

Office Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00-5:00•Office is closed every Monday from 12:00-2:00 for team meeting & lunch•

Just a friendly reminder that Attorney Pfeiffer and our paralegals do not take walk in appointments or unscheduled phone calls. If you need to speak to someone about your case, please call (757) 340-3100 or email info@hamptonroadslegal.com and we can schedule a time for you to call us. This allows us to concentrate on your case without interruptions.

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please call (757) 340-3100 or email info@hamptonroadslegal.com.

Brian & Donvolne E., Norfolk

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