Enjoy “Barrels of Fun” at the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival June 1-3, 2012. This exhilarating Southern California Wine Country event lifts spirits and people, with plenty of tasty sensations, hot air balloon flights at dawn, evening picnicking beneath the towering colorful orbs as they illuminate during the balloon glow, top entertainment in concert, and an acclaimed freestyle motocross (FMX) show with gravity-defying stunts.

The Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival kicks off Summer 2012 as it has for the past 29 years, with more than 20 Temecula Valley wineries, over 40 hot air balloons in a dawn launch, hundreds of booths featuring arts and crafts, exhibits and souvenirs, plus concerts on two different stages. A three-day showcase of the Temecula Valley Wine Country's greatest assets, the festival greets 40,000 guests annually. Held at the Lake Skinner Recreation Area and surrounded by the Shipley Preserve, the Festival’s park setting provides natural vistas whether flying aboard a hot air balloon, or planted on terra firma and sipping a glass of premium wine.

by Mike Ohrberg, Director of Restores

Summer is coming and so is the heat! Save energy and money on your gas and electric bills by weatherizing your home. To weatherize a home means to prepare it to withstand temperature changes and extreme conditions from outside. Since the energy used in the average house can cause about twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as the average car, small changes at home can add up to big energy savings.

Windows - Caulk or weatherstrip your windows to keep the hot air out. For those comfortable summer nights, install window screens. This way, windows can be left open without fear of bug invasion.

Doors - Propping a door open during the summer let's in excellent cool breezes (as long as the A/C isn't on). Add a screen door to keep air moving and critters out.

Their motto is “We Can Because We Care!” And now industry leaders in the world of heating and air conditioning are backing up WC Heating & Air Conditioning Inc.’s claim. The years of experience and dedication to their customers have earned the Murrieta company nationwide recognition. In fact, WC Heating & Air Conditioning has received not one, but several major awards this month.

For the first time ever Lennox Industries, a leader in home heating and cooling products, presented “2011 Partner of The Year” awards. Only five companies across the nation received this award and WC Heating & Air Conditioning was one of them. It was also 1 of only 40 companies in the country to win Lennox’s “Circle of Excellence” award, an honor bestowed upon dealers who demonstrate sales success, leadership excellence and outstanding customer service.

by Kelly Williams

MIT concluded that “the most successful organization is an agile organization that can form teams quickly to address changes in business conditions.” Today’s workplace culture prefers collaboration and networking to the closed off cubicle. Sensitivity to consistent company image has also led many businesses to desire a branded workplace and in turn has also lead to a higher demand for the “look” of a collaborative office. In many companies today it is a competitive struggle to hire the right people as everyone is looking so what you have to offer and the package it is housed in are important factors to consider as well.

Collaborative office environments are used for a variety of functions:

• Brainstorming
• Training and Teaching
• Competitive energy
• Focus Project Teams
• Seminars & Webinars
• Creativity stimulus

by Gene Wunderlich

In response to the ongoing depression in our country’s housing market, the federal government has proposed yet another one-size-fits-all band-aid solution to a highly localized problem. As with most of the knee-jerk proposals they have attempted during the past 4 years, this program will not resolve the underlying issue and, in some cases, will make it substantially worse. I’m talking about the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) ‘REO Initiative’ pilot program destined for implementation in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties.

What the program proposes to do is effect a ‘bulk sale’ of REO (bank-owned) properties in select areas in order to ‘remove this overburden of inventory’ from the housing market and convert it to rental units for 5 years. Currently they are designated in Riverside County – more than 2,500 REO units.

Here’s the problem with that. Contrary to what the government tells us we are experiencing, we actually have a significant shortage of housing units for sale to begin with. There are areas of the country where this program might be effective in accomplishing what the government claims to want to fix, but our area is not one of them.

by Jana Swenson

In the investment arena, the concepts of risk and reward are inexorably linked; the greater the amount risk that an investor is willing to assume, the greater the potential for a higher return. Since different types of risk can impact the potential reward of different types of investments, it is important to understand how this may impact the investments in your portfolio and plan accordingly based on your own personal level of risk tolerance.

There is some degree of risk inherent in any investment.

California community bank Rabobank, N.A. ranked highest in customer satisfaction among retail banks in California for the second consecutive year, according to a study by J.D. Power and Associates. Rabobank, N.A. received the highest ranking customer satisfaction score of 803, which was 64 points above the industry average of 739 in California.

“We’re on a lifelong journey with our customers and earning the top spot in California for the second straight year shows us that we’re on the right path,” said Keith Goff, Rabobank regional president.  “When you receive an award like this, you can either rest on your laurels or work hard to receive it again.  We’ve worked hard and our customers appreciate our effort.”

The annual study explores retail banking customers’ satisfaction with their primary financial institution based on six factors:  account activities, account information, facility, fees, problem resolution and product offerings.

Life can be uncertain, especially in regard to managing your personal financial affairs. Some investors find themselves overwhelmed with information and conflicting advice. Others don’t have the time or interest to manage their personal assets and liabilities with discipline.

Take, for example, planning for retirement, your children’s or grandchildren’s education, and other major financial goals in your life. How much is enough? As you answer this question, you generally should consider a reasonable rate of compounded growth, as well as principal erosion through taxes and inflation and the possible impact of ongoing market changes. But few people have the knowledge or the time to do this on their own.

by Lorie Schulenberg

When considering your business financing options, you might wonder which is best– a loan or a line of credit. Both can help you meet your financing goals, such as upgrading equipment, raising working capital, financing inventory, or expanding your business. But each have different features and benefits.

With a loan, you borrow a specific amount of money at one time and make regular payments on a set schedule. That means a loan can be a good choice for raising permanent working capital or purchasing equipment.

A business line of credit, on the other hand, resembles a home equity line of credit. Once the line is approved, you can draw funds as needed as long as the line remains open. Your credit availability is continually replenished as you repay balances. That means a line of credit offers flexibility for financing receivables and inventories.