January 2022

EDITOR’S LETTER

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January is the month of beginnings. And what better way to kick-start the new year than with start-ups and entrepreneurs and those who help them — financial advisers and lawyers.

No ‘bundts’ about it

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In November, Andreea and Florentina Enica opened the first Nothing Bundt Cakes in Westchester County, trading their tennis rackets for spatulas to recapture the warm memories of their grandmother’s cakes in their native Romania.

A prince of propane – and pages

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Eight years ago, Joe Armentano hired a ghostwriter to tell the story of his family business, Paraco Gas. Unhappy with the result, he rewrote the book – “A Helluva Ride,” now out in paper – himself.

Head and shoulders above the rest

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Luciana Adornetto is the owner of LA Beauty Bar in Katonah. The salon, which has been located there since August 2019, has been featured on Instagram and celebrated for its balayage and custom color and highlights on the Best of Balayage, and Masters of Balayage accounts.

Not just for the uber-wealthy

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“I grew up in a middle-class family and my dad was very hard-working,” says Barry P. Mitchell Jr., founder and managing director of Next Level Private in Harrison. “He never really made a lot of money – we didn’t realize we didn’t have any money, but we had a great upbringing – and he just never got great financial advice, because he didn’t have enough money. So, we’ve decided to forego a minimum to work with successful regular people who need help.”

Planning for rough financial waters

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With inflation rising, growth sinking and the Trump tax cuts due to sunset in three years, it’s more important than ever to chart a long, diversified financial course, say Ben Soccodato and Chris Kampitsis of The SKG Team at Barnum Financial Group.

Ensuring your biz survives you

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“Regardless of your level of wealth, you should have an estate plan,” says Bridget J. Crawford, who teaches federal income taxation; estate and gift taxation; and wills, trusts and estates at Pace University in White Plains, where she is the university distinguished professor of law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. If you own a business, or are thinking of starting one, she adds, that includes a plan of succession.

Security in style

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What makes Robert Siegel Architects – which has a new storefront office in Katonah – different is its accessible yet secure designs for the U.S. and foreign governments.

Financing eldercare

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Looking for those golden years to be truly golden? WAG’s new eldercare columnist — Abbe Udochi, CEO and care manager of Concierge Healthcare Consulting in New Rochelle – says you need a plan and then some.

Super Tuscan vintages at bargain prices

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Wine columnist Doug Paulding writes: “Find a well-stocked store like The Wine Connection in Pound Ridge, Total Wines in Norwalk or Zachy’s in Scarsdale that offers case discounts, and you can be essentially savoring a $250 bottle (of Super Tuscan wine) for $50 or $60.”

A better way to breakfast

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The goal of high-protein, low-sugar, grain- and gluten-free Three Wishes Cereal is to become a classic staple among American breakfast foods, says Margaret Wishingrad, co-founder of the multimillion company.

A publisher without vanity

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“There are so many vanity publishers out there, and people that will simply take a book because the author has the money to do it,” says Emerald Lake Books co-owner Tara R. Alemany. “They don’t really assess the quality of the book or how it’s going to affect the author if that particular book goes out in its current condition. For us, a lot of it is about the ethics behind this and about having a very high sense of integrity.”