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Being Present is the Greatest Present of All
Father knows best, but sometimes the demands on his time can throw confusion into his priorities. He needs to balance all of the responsibilities at work, at home, at church and any other opportunities he is juggling. Can he really do it all without sacrificing his family and his faith? With so many obligations and distractions pressing and clouding our vision, remembering what matters most can serve as a compass when our way seems unclear. [...]
Holiday Greeting – Getting to Know Your Dad
You’re probably familiar with ‘20 Questions.’ It’s a classic long-distance-car-trip game that encourages creativity and deductive reasoning. On this Father’s Day, try playing a version that can help you learn a lot more about your family and better understand your dad. Here are 10 questions, from Greater Good, to help get you started:1 1. What do you remember about the houses you lived in/the cars you drove as a young person? Which one did you [...]
Supersize Me: Here’s a Way to Fatten Up Your Retirement Savings
Wouldn’t it be something if you could plump up your retirement savings as easily as you can put on a few pounds eating fast food? Here’s one way to do it: Open a health savings account (HSA). It offers a triple tax advantage and you can contribute the maximum every year.1 Here’s the catch: Not everyone can do this. HSAs are like side dishes. They are only available to people enrolled in their employers’ [...]
Holiday Greeting – What Do You Know About Memorial Day?
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have given their lives in the service of our country. See what you know about Memorial Day by answering a few questions from an AARP quiz.1 1. Memorial Day was created to honor soldiers who gave their lives during: a. The Revolutionary War b. The War of 1812 c. The Civil War d. World War I 2. Which major sporting event takes place each [...]
Lessons from the Past
"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." ~ George Santayana It has often been said that when we study the past, we don't repeat mistakes in the future. But the past can instruct us both positively and negatively. We can either grow so accustomed to the culture laden with mistakes that like the old definition of insanity, we can't help repeating them, or we can evaluate and consider past decisions [...]
Holiday Greeting – The Joys and Doubts of Motherhood
Changing diapers, arranging play dates, driving car pools, calming squabbling siblings, attending musicals and sporting events, chaperoning proms, coaching teams, helping with college applications…moms have a lot of responsibilities. They also tend to be fairly critical about their performance as parents. A 2015 survey from Pew Research found millennial mothers are the most confident group in regards to parenting performance. Here are the numbers:1 All moms: 51 percent say they are doing a very [...]
It’s Time to Talk About Aging
We are all, inexorably, marching toward old age. By 2030, 72 million Americans will be age 65 or older.1 The good news is longevity has been improving, and people are remaining healthy and vibrant at older ages. The bad news is cultural perceptions of ‘old’ people have not kept pace. A 2016 analysis by the World Health Organization found ageism was abundant and many people were completely unaware of their biases toward older people.2 Psychology Today warned, “The [...]
Spring into a New Financial Chapter
Spring is in the air . . . a new season brimming with new life. If only a new season could mean a fresh start financially. It can. Different seasons of our lives bring different financial challenges, but these challenges do not have to define our financial outlook. Much like a good spring cleaning can refresh our house, looking through our finances and doing some "spring cleaning" of our finances can refresh our financial outlook. [...]
LifeStyle Newsletter – Name a Device – Any Device – That You Can’t Live Without
Some people may name a medical device or implant, such as a hearing aid, an artificial joint, or a pacemaker. Others may say they couldn't live without their electric bikes, GPS devices, tablets, or food processors. A surprisingly small percentage of older Americans are likely to put their smartphones at the top of the list because just over one-half of folks who are 50 and older own smartphones. When it comes to smartphones, older [...]
Beware of Schemes During Tax Season
It’s tax season! Every year, around this time, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) publishes its dirty dozen – a list of scams criminals use to try and ferret out personal information and/or steal money.1 For example, if you received an email from a top executive in your company or organization requesting data from IRS form W2 for the 2016 tax year, what would you do?2 The right answer is: Don’t respond. Disguising an email to [...]
Is a Tax Return a Nest Egg?
It’s coming up to that time of year again – where we are all inundated with paperwork and calculating the taxes we owe. While a dread of the taxes owed haunts some, others cannot wait to spend their tax return. Viewing the return as a windfall, we can tend to forget that better tax planning might have kept more money in our pockets all year long. Money that is taken from our budget and [...]
Holiday Greeting – Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day
It has been said everyone in America is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you have Irish ancestry or merely enjoy a good celebration, test your knowledge of the old country by taking this quiz. 1. What is Gaeltacht?1 a. A region of Ireland in which Irish is spoken b. A magical harp that belonged to the priest Dagda c. A type of Irish brown bread d. None of the above 2. Which of [...]
