Thursday, April 30, 2009
Happiness
"I am more and more convinced that our happiness or our unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of those events themselves."--Wilhelm von Humboldt
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Money For Your Old Electronics and Gadgets
Looking for a way to get rid of old computers, monitors, cell phones, digital cameras etc.? Help keep things green, (maybe even earn some extra money!) and recycle at Gazelle.com or MyBoneYard.com
It's Fun to Know: What Are the Odds?
No longer content with the odds (tens of millions to one) of winning the lottery, more and more Americans are buying fewer lottery tickets. Sales of lotto games and scratch-offs are down 5 percent in California, 7 percent in Florida, and 10 percent in Indiana.
Industry watchers contend that spending on the lottery has fallen due to the recession, along with dips in other types of discretionary spending. But the states aren't sitting back and taking it. They are actively recruiting new vendors and extending discounts to customers, including buy-one / get-one-free coupons.
(Source: USA Today)
Industry watchers contend that spending on the lottery has fallen due to the recession, along with dips in other types of discretionary spending. But the states aren't sitting back and taking it. They are actively recruiting new vendors and extending discounts to customers, including buy-one / get-one-free coupons.
(Source: USA Today)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Dare to believe.......
“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside themselves was superior to circumstance.” Bruce Barton (1886–1967) American advertising executive, U.S. congressman
Click here to download in PDF format.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Excellence Can Be Attained.....
“EXCELLENCE can be attained if you - CARE more than others think is wise - RISK more than others think is safe - DREAM more than others think is practical - and EXPECT more than others think is possible”. --Claude T. Bissell
Monday, April 13, 2009
Upsidedown in Your Mortgage? Think Outside the Box
Before the economy went South, "house-swapping" was an ideal way to vacation inexpensively and/or learn more about a different geographical location. Nowadays, people who must move, but are carrying an upside-down mortgage, may have another option besides short-selling and/or foreclosure.
Yes, it does involve extra research. True, you may not get your "dream home", but when compared against foreclosure, swapping houses could be a viable option.
A few sites to help you get started: Online House Trading, Domuswap and Go Swap.
Don't forget to check Craig's List too. Look under "housing" in the area you are interested in and go to the section labeled "house swap."
Necessity is the mother of invention!
Think outside the box!
Yes, it does involve extra research. True, you may not get your "dream home", but when compared against foreclosure, swapping houses could be a viable option.
A few sites to help you get started: Online House Trading, Domuswap and Go Swap.
Don't forget to check Craig's List too. Look under "housing" in the area you are interested in and go to the section labeled "house swap."
Necessity is the mother of invention!
Think outside the box!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Just Eat The Cake! Secrets of Aging Gracefully.....with Humor
Laverne Bardy-Pollak
I 've been retired from the corporate world for nearly 15 years. As I nudge toward 70, my new job is twofold -- to squeeze in the countless activities and opportunities that present themselves daily... and to figure out why this thing called aging has such a bad reputation.
Although some of the changes that come with growing older are unwelcome, aging brings a tremendous appreciation for the good days and all they contain. Being lucky enough to have a sense of humor helps, too. What savvy seniors know...
AN OBJECTIVE EYE
One welcome facet of life that only the passage of years can supply is perspective. The over-50 set is more likely to accept bad news philosophically than young 'uns. Strengthened forbearance against the hard winds of life is a major achievement.
Aging lets us see ourselves objectively and stop comparing ourselves to others. As our values have matured, what once mattered greatly may now seem trivial.
Example: I recently prepared dessert for dinner guests from a store-bought cake mix -- something I wouldn't have dared as a young wife, believing only gourmet fare would do. I hastily frosted the cake before it cooled, causing it to fall apart.
Thirty years ago, if my cake had crumbled, I would have cried in despair, trashed the thing and rushed to the bakery in a panic. This time, I scooped the tasty mess onto each plate, then passed the empty cake mix box around the table to help my guests identify what they were eating. Dessert and entertainment in one!
IRONY SMOOTHES OUT THE WRINKLES
At our age, we grasp the evanescence of youth and beauty, the upswings and downswings of luck -- in short, reality. Having lived through tough times and watched friends and relations do the same (or worse), we know that we can survive almost anything.
We develop an amused gaze in later life. Example...
My mother was physically and spiritually beautiful. Even in her 60s, heads turned when she walked by. She laughed sardonically as she noted that the heads she turned now were 60 to 90 years old.
At the beach, my mother would say, looking at a distant woman with a lovely figure, "Enjoy your looks and energy now, honey, because they'll be gone before you know it." Then we laughed -- she ruefully, I with superficial understanding. Boy, do I get it now.
STAYING OFF THE SUBJECT
As young adults, my friends and I spent our get-togethers chatting about our children and husbands. A few decades later, the main topic had become our aches, pains and hip replacement surgery. Boring!
Solution: Now, we allow designated whining time at the start of each gathering -- then proceed to more elevated topics. Favorite topic: The lifelong interests that we finally have time to pursue. Sally leads a choral group in her senior housing complex. I have become a published writer.
Until retirement, our dreams were on hold. Now we live our dreams.
PERILS OF FREEDOM
Thrilled to pursue long-postponed goals, dizzy from choosing among countless activities, retirees can become giddy with liberty. With work pressures and child rearing behind us, we're free, free, free to live some version of the life we always dreamed about. We're like kids in a candy shop. We want more than what's good for us.
I wish I had a hot fudge sundae for every invitation to which I said yes but (an inner voice told me) to which I should have said no. I've had a hard time accepting that I can't do everything the way I used to.
Monkey wrench: We're still coming to terms with our age-related limitations, running in circles until we fall down. My friend Adrienne remarked, "Who says retirement is a time to sit back and relax? It's more like re-tiring -- getting tired again."
As energy wanes, I keep hoping that mine will sustain me through the endless parade of barbecues, parties and trips I have every intention of attending. I'll try not to push myself too hard. Instead, I'll make a point of enjoying every minute of what I can do.
JUST SAY NO
Many retirees wear themselves out attempting to keep up with children and grandchildren scattered here and there. Efforts to see them all, especially when kids have divorced and remarried, can quadruple the number of households to visit, holidays to organize and cards and gifts to buy and mail.
To have the time of our lives without letting it kill us, we must pick and choose. Some solutions...
Plan downtime. On your planning calendar, write FREE on the days before and after trips and other high-energy activities.
Relinquish your reign as Designated Host/Hostess of All Events and Holidays. Tell your grown children that you're retired -- and tired. Help plan the menu and guest list. Cook or bake family favorites... and then cart them to someone else's house.
Use leisure time efficiently. Occasionally, dine with groups of friends instead of one on one.
ALWAYS NEW BEGINNINGS
Aging needn't be the end. Often it is the beginning.
Example: I always wanted to be a motivational speaker, but fear held me back. Recently an opportunity to speak on the excitement of aging presented itself. Although I worried that I had made a terrible mistake, I pushed myself to do it.
To my amazement, my talk was well received and I loved every moment of the experience. Do it again? You bet I will.
Bottom Line/Retirement interviewed Laverne Bardy-Pollak, author of the humor column "Laverne's View" for 50 Plus Monthly, a regional New Jersey newspaper, and a columnist for the nationally syndicated Senior Wire news service. Her essays, articles and poems have appeared in many magazines and anthologies. A resident of Newton, New Jersey, she has compiled a book of her columns and is writing a novel .
I 've been retired from the corporate world for nearly 15 years. As I nudge toward 70, my new job is twofold -- to squeeze in the countless activities and opportunities that present themselves daily... and to figure out why this thing called aging has such a bad reputation.
Although some of the changes that come with growing older are unwelcome, aging brings a tremendous appreciation for the good days and all they contain. Being lucky enough to have a sense of humor helps, too. What savvy seniors know...
AN OBJECTIVE EYE
One welcome facet of life that only the passage of years can supply is perspective. The over-50 set is more likely to accept bad news philosophically than young 'uns. Strengthened forbearance against the hard winds of life is a major achievement.
Aging lets us see ourselves objectively and stop comparing ourselves to others. As our values have matured, what once mattered greatly may now seem trivial.
Example: I recently prepared dessert for dinner guests from a store-bought cake mix -- something I wouldn't have dared as a young wife, believing only gourmet fare would do. I hastily frosted the cake before it cooled, causing it to fall apart.
Thirty years ago, if my cake had crumbled, I would have cried in despair, trashed the thing and rushed to the bakery in a panic. This time, I scooped the tasty mess onto each plate, then passed the empty cake mix box around the table to help my guests identify what they were eating. Dessert and entertainment in one!
IRONY SMOOTHES OUT THE WRINKLES
At our age, we grasp the evanescence of youth and beauty, the upswings and downswings of luck -- in short, reality. Having lived through tough times and watched friends and relations do the same (or worse), we know that we can survive almost anything.
We develop an amused gaze in later life. Example...
My mother was physically and spiritually beautiful. Even in her 60s, heads turned when she walked by. She laughed sardonically as she noted that the heads she turned now were 60 to 90 years old.
At the beach, my mother would say, looking at a distant woman with a lovely figure, "Enjoy your looks and energy now, honey, because they'll be gone before you know it." Then we laughed -- she ruefully, I with superficial understanding. Boy, do I get it now.
STAYING OFF THE SUBJECT
As young adults, my friends and I spent our get-togethers chatting about our children and husbands. A few decades later, the main topic had become our aches, pains and hip replacement surgery. Boring!
Solution: Now, we allow designated whining time at the start of each gathering -- then proceed to more elevated topics. Favorite topic: The lifelong interests that we finally have time to pursue. Sally leads a choral group in her senior housing complex. I have become a published writer.
Until retirement, our dreams were on hold. Now we live our dreams.
PERILS OF FREEDOM
Thrilled to pursue long-postponed goals, dizzy from choosing among countless activities, retirees can become giddy with liberty. With work pressures and child rearing behind us, we're free, free, free to live some version of the life we always dreamed about. We're like kids in a candy shop. We want more than what's good for us.
I wish I had a hot fudge sundae for every invitation to which I said yes but (an inner voice told me) to which I should have said no. I've had a hard time accepting that I can't do everything the way I used to.
Monkey wrench: We're still coming to terms with our age-related limitations, running in circles until we fall down. My friend Adrienne remarked, "Who says retirement is a time to sit back and relax? It's more like re-tiring -- getting tired again."
As energy wanes, I keep hoping that mine will sustain me through the endless parade of barbecues, parties and trips I have every intention of attending. I'll try not to push myself too hard. Instead, I'll make a point of enjoying every minute of what I can do.
JUST SAY NO
Many retirees wear themselves out attempting to keep up with children and grandchildren scattered here and there. Efforts to see them all, especially when kids have divorced and remarried, can quadruple the number of households to visit, holidays to organize and cards and gifts to buy and mail.
To have the time of our lives without letting it kill us, we must pick and choose. Some solutions...
Plan downtime. On your planning calendar, write FREE on the days before and after trips and other high-energy activities.
Relinquish your reign as Designated Host/Hostess of All Events and Holidays. Tell your grown children that you're retired -- and tired. Help plan the menu and guest list. Cook or bake family favorites... and then cart them to someone else's house.
Use leisure time efficiently. Occasionally, dine with groups of friends instead of one on one.
ALWAYS NEW BEGINNINGS
Aging needn't be the end. Often it is the beginning.
Example: I always wanted to be a motivational speaker, but fear held me back. Recently an opportunity to speak on the excitement of aging presented itself. Although I worried that I had made a terrible mistake, I pushed myself to do it.
To my amazement, my talk was well received and I loved every moment of the experience. Do it again? You bet I will.
Bottom Line/Retirement interviewed Laverne Bardy-Pollak, author of the humor column "Laverne's View" for 50 Plus Monthly, a regional New Jersey newspaper, and a columnist for the nationally syndicated Senior Wire news service. Her essays, articles and poems have appeared in many magazines and anthologies. A resident of Newton, New Jersey, she has compiled a book of her columns and is writing a novel .
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Use Your Mood to Improve the World
Good health can be both the cause and consequence of being happy. That's why two pioneering scientists wanted to see if they could actually measure how happiness works in groups. What they discovered took everyone by happy surprise -- the happiness of others, even those you don't know, has a direct influence on your happiness.
The coauthor of this novel study on happiness, James Fowler, PhD, told me how the research was done. First his team combed through the records of 5,000 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, many of whom had identified one another as spouses, friends or neighbors. His team established a happiness baseline for these participants by checking their periodic answers to questions regarding their happiness over the past 20 years (1983 to 2003). Then they used a sophisticated statistical analysis tool to create a map of social connections among the initial 5,000 and other participants within the Framingham study. It showed how one person's happiness rippled like a network, creating a cascade of happiness that increased the likelihood of others being happy too.
They discovered that there were various degrees of influence depending on the degree of social connection and that it was quite predictable. For example, within your social network, the happiness of someone with whom you have frequent and regular personal contact, called an immediate social contact (for instance, your spouse or closest nearby friend), increases the likelihood of your happiness by an average of 15%. The happiness of a second-degree contact (for instance, your closest friend's spouse) increases your chances for happiness by 10%, while the happiness of a third-degree contact (your closest friend's friend's friend) increases it by 6%. In other words, your happiness is directly influenced by strangers.
MORE SPECIFIC LEARNINGS FROM THE HAPPINESS STUDY
- Proximity is key. The closer your happy friends and family live to you, the greater the probability that their happiness will affect you. For example, the happiness of your next door neighbor is more influential than the happiness of a neighbor who lives down the street.
- More social connections adds to your happiness. The bigger your social network of nearby happy friends and family, the greater the likelihood of your happiness.
- Unhappy people cluster together in unhappy networks. As the saying goes, misery loves company.
- Whether or not you were happy in the past and whether your social contacts are happy are more important predictors of happiness than your income, gender or education.
- Happiness is more powerful than unhappiness. The happiness of a friend increases the probability of your happiness by 9%... while his unhappiness decreases the chances of your happiness by only 7%.
- It's not fleeting. The impact of another's happiness on your happiness lasts about a year, on average, before fading.
HAPPINESS 2.0: ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS
Dr. Fowler and his coauthor Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH, are now looking at the question of whether happiness spreads the same way via the Internet, specifically using the Facebook network. They assumed that those who posted smiling pictures of themselves with smiling friends were happy. Since Facebook automatically tags or uploads your photos to those registered as your "friends," they were able to trace the paths of these happy pictures. They found that smiling friends had photos of other smiling friends and so on and so on. (People who didn't smile in their photos, didn't have photos with friends who smiled, who in turn also didn't have photos of smiling friends.) Again -- happiness begets happiness and the same goes for unhappiness. Next they'll study how contagious online happiness turns out to be.
REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE
Dr. Fowler himself has been moved by his findings. "I think our study shows that the best thing we can do for ourselves is to connect to friends and family," says Dr. Fowler. "I have been personally affected by the study -- I have now seen the evidence that my happiness potentially ripples out and touches the lives of dozens or even hundreds of other people. In this very challenging time, creating a ripple of happiness can result in a tidal wave of change."
Source(s):
James H. Fowler, PhD, professor of political science, University of California-San Diego.
 |
Is Your Tax Return Asking for an Audit?
by Barbara Weltman, Esq.
An IRS audit. It's what taxpayers most dread as they prepare their returns and what 1.3 million of them faced last year -- up 5% from the year before.
As the White House and Congress look for more ways to shrink the federal budget deficit, your chances of being audited are likely to grow, especially if your income tops $100,000.
Although there are no foolproof methods to avoid an audit -- and many returns are chosen randomly -- there are certain red flags that draw the attention of IRS computers and auditors.
Here are mistakes that could cause your return to stand out and suggestions on how to avoid an audit...
Omitting or underreporting income. Employers and financial institutions sometimes report income incorrectly to taxpayers and the IRS on W-2 forms (for employees) and 1099 forms (for independent contractors).
Safest: If you receive an incorrect W-2 or 1099, don't just substitute a different figure on your tax return. Get the mistake corrected by the source, and ask for a new W-2 or 1099.
Failing to fill out an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) schedule. This year, more than 3.5 million individuals are expected to owe this tricky tax, which kicks in when deductions push the regular tax below a certain minimum amount. Taxpayers who live in "high tax" states, such as New York and New Jersey, are particularly vulnerable, because state and local income tax and sales tax are not deductible for AMT purposes
Safest: Use the IRS 2006 AMT assistant, an online calculator at www.irs.gov (put "AMT Assistant" in the search window), to determine whether the AMT applies to you.
Messing up the math or leaving blanks. IRS computers easily detect math errors and omissions.
Safest: Print out your calculations so that you can double-check them. Review all lines, as well as blanks, to make sure that you didn't leave out required information or put it in the wrong place. That includes the signature lines -- remember that both spouses must sign a joint return.
Better yet: File electronically. It cuts down on math errors -- E-filed returns have an accuracy rate of more than 99%, compared with 80% for paper returns, because the program checks the math.
Claiming too many deductions and/or credits. The IRS is on the lookout for excessive deductions and credits.
Example: In January, the IRS said that some taxpayers are asking for too much in refunds for certain taxes they paid in the past on long-distance phone bills. Those taxes have been ruled illegal, and the government is offering to refund to each taxpayer a "standard" phone tax amount of $30 to $60, depending on the number of exemptions claimed on the tax return, without requiring any proof. For higher amounts, proof of what was paid in phone taxes is required. IRS commissioner Mark W. Everson said that "people requesting an inflated amount will likely see their refund frozen, may have their entire tax return audited and even face criminal prosecution where warranted."
If you request more than the standard phone tax refund, be sure to have on hand the phone bills that prove what you claim.
Safest: In general, don't claim deductions that far exceed what tax preparers say is reasonable for your income bracket, or if you do, attach an explanation. Attach copies of bills for unusually high medical expenses. Have proper documentation for donations to charity. For used clothing and household items, take pictures of the items to show that they were in good used condition or better.
Guidelines: There are no "standard" deduction amounts. Based on IRS statistics for 2004, taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes (AGIs) of $50,000 to $100,000 itemized an average of $2,663 in charitable contributions and $6,125 in medical costs. Those with AGIs of $100,000 to $200,000 itemized an average of $4,130 for charity and $9,811 for medical costs.
Claiming losses on hobbies. Deductions for a fun activity, such as coin collecting, may be rejected if the activity results in losses that don't make commercial sense year after year.
Safest: Don't claim deductions for hobby expenses unless you are prepared to show that you are engaged in the activity for profit.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Barbara Weltman, Esq., an attorney in Millwood, New York, author of J.K. Lasser's 1001 Deductions and Tax Breaks 2009 (Wiley). She is publisher of the free monthly online newsletter Big Ideas for Small Business. www.barbaraweltman.com.
An IRS audit. It's what taxpayers most dread as they prepare their returns and what 1.3 million of them faced last year -- up 5% from the year before.
As the White House and Congress look for more ways to shrink the federal budget deficit, your chances of being audited are likely to grow, especially if your income tops $100,000.
Although there are no foolproof methods to avoid an audit -- and many returns are chosen randomly -- there are certain red flags that draw the attention of IRS computers and auditors.
Here are mistakes that could cause your return to stand out and suggestions on how to avoid an audit...
Omitting or underreporting income. Employers and financial institutions sometimes report income incorrectly to taxpayers and the IRS on W-2 forms (for employees) and 1099 forms (for independent contractors).
Safest: If you receive an incorrect W-2 or 1099, don't just substitute a different figure on your tax return. Get the mistake corrected by the source, and ask for a new W-2 or 1099.
Failing to fill out an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) schedule. This year, more than 3.5 million individuals are expected to owe this tricky tax, which kicks in when deductions push the regular tax below a certain minimum amount. Taxpayers who live in "high tax" states, such as New York and New Jersey, are particularly vulnerable, because state and local income tax and sales tax are not deductible for AMT purposes
Safest: Use the IRS 2006 AMT assistant, an online calculator at www.irs.gov (put "AMT Assistant" in the search window), to determine whether the AMT applies to you.
Messing up the math or leaving blanks. IRS computers easily detect math errors and omissions.
Safest: Print out your calculations so that you can double-check them. Review all lines, as well as blanks, to make sure that you didn't leave out required information or put it in the wrong place. That includes the signature lines -- remember that both spouses must sign a joint return.
Better yet: File electronically. It cuts down on math errors -- E-filed returns have an accuracy rate of more than 99%, compared with 80% for paper returns, because the program checks the math.
Claiming too many deductions and/or credits. The IRS is on the lookout for excessive deductions and credits.
Example: In January, the IRS said that some taxpayers are asking for too much in refunds for certain taxes they paid in the past on long-distance phone bills. Those taxes have been ruled illegal, and the government is offering to refund to each taxpayer a "standard" phone tax amount of $30 to $60, depending on the number of exemptions claimed on the tax return, without requiring any proof. For higher amounts, proof of what was paid in phone taxes is required. IRS commissioner Mark W. Everson said that "people requesting an inflated amount will likely see their refund frozen, may have their entire tax return audited and even face criminal prosecution where warranted."
If you request more than the standard phone tax refund, be sure to have on hand the phone bills that prove what you claim.
Safest: In general, don't claim deductions that far exceed what tax preparers say is reasonable for your income bracket, or if you do, attach an explanation. Attach copies of bills for unusually high medical expenses. Have proper documentation for donations to charity. For used clothing and household items, take pictures of the items to show that they were in good used condition or better.
Guidelines: There are no "standard" deduction amounts. Based on IRS statistics for 2004, taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes (AGIs) of $50,000 to $100,000 itemized an average of $2,663 in charitable contributions and $6,125 in medical costs. Those with AGIs of $100,000 to $200,000 itemized an average of $4,130 for charity and $9,811 for medical costs.
Claiming losses on hobbies. Deductions for a fun activity, such as coin collecting, may be rejected if the activity results in losses that don't make commercial sense year after year.
Safest: Don't claim deductions for hobby expenses unless you are prepared to show that you are engaged in the activity for profit.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Barbara Weltman, Esq., an attorney in Millwood, New York, author of J.K. Lasser's 1001 Deductions and Tax Breaks 2009 (Wiley). She is publisher of the free monthly online newsletter Big Ideas for Small Business. www.barbaraweltman.com.
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