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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 [...]
Medicare Premiums and Copayments
More than one-half of working Americans know little or nothing about Medicare costs.1 Not knowing can be expensive. On average, people who haven’t yet retired estimate they’ll spend approximately $50,000 on health care after retirement, according to a 2014 survey.1 In reality, studies suggest it will cost almost five times that amount – even when retirees have Medicare coverage.1, 2 What you need to know about Medicare For retirees, health insurance coverage under Medicare typically starts [...]
The Root of Financial Harmony in Your Home
All this talk about love in February can be quickly shut down when finances go awry. Couples can be blindsided by the sudden creep of credit card or other sdebt that suddenly affects their feelings for their partner. But finances need not divide us from those we love. With cleverly woven strategies and planning, finances can actually promote affection and respect for one another. Attitude. Our attitude towards finances was often formed in our background, subconsciously. [...]
Holiday Greeting – Valentine’s Day: Why Chocolates?
The celebration of Valentine’s Day is attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote a poem about love and St. Valentine in the 1300s. Although this poem did not mention chocolate, the tasty treats have since become a Valentine’s Day tradition.1 Drinking chocolate was popular across Europe in the 1600s. Its association with St. Valentine’s Day occurred in the mid-1800s when an entrepreneur found an ingenious way to use leftover cocoa butter from his company’s production of [...]
Online Security: Avoiding Account Vulnerability
How many times did you login to a digital account today? It probably was more than once. Some people access digital sites via computer or tablet, but many others rely on their phones. Deloitte recently reported the essentials of life have expanded and now encompass air, water, food, and smartphones:1 “The time it takes for us to pick up our phones in the morning continues to shrink: More than 40 percent of consumers check their phones [...]
Top Tools for Budgeting Wisely in 2017
We made it through 2016, though there might still be some lingering bills from Christmas. What can we take away from 2016 and apply to our financial goals in 2017? Sometimes we just want to look ahead, but looking in the rearview mirror over our financial landscape, we can avoid being “blind-sided” by mistakes from the past that we did not take the time to examine and learn from. In the digital age we [...]
Holiday Greeting – The Nobel Peace Prize of 1964
In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize. He accepted the award and took the opportunity to articulate his hope the civil rights movement would be successful, as well as his hope for all mankind:1 “…I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle; to a movement which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence [...]
LifeStyle Newsletter – Retirement Can Be a Bed of Roses…
…And, it may have some thorns. There’s something you should know about retirement. It’s not as easy as everyone makes it seem. Remember what life was like when you tied the knot? How about once you had children? Or, when you accepted a new job? Did things change when your nest was empty? If you’re like most people, you’ve faced some challenges at each stop along life’s journey. Retirement is no different. A 2012 [...]
Holiday Greeting – New Year’s Day
Holiday Greeting - The Way You Eat in 2017 What can we expect in the New Year? If international food consultancy Baum + Whiteman is correct, we may find ourselves embracing new food trends including:1 • Restaurants without seats. We may see an upsurge in commercial kitchens staffed by professional chefs that offer delivery only, making restaurant-quality meals available in your home. Home cooks may also deliver. • Seats without restaurants. The sharing economy may expand [...]
