10 Books That Will Absolutely Blow Your Mind - WhytoRead Books There are books that change your entire mindset and shift your perception into a hole new paradigm. These books inspire you to read more and to pursue more enlightenment. Exactly what WhytoRead is all about. The books on this list will do just that. 10 Mind Blowing Books 1. The most intriguing part of this book is the true story of a man who fakes insanity to get off on an assault charge, but ends up spending many years locked up in a mental health facility. He tries to prove his sanity, but no one believes him. 2. An excerpt from the book should tell you why this book is mind blowing: In the beginning, God created the earth, and he looked upon it in his cosmic loneliness. And God said, “Let Us make living creatures out of mud, so the mud can see what We have done.” “Everything must have a purpose?” “Certainly,” said man. “Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this,” said God. And He went away. 3. (Featured in 9 Thought Provoking Books Everyone Should Read) 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Knitting together a financial plan for your life I’m an unapologetic knitter. And The Wealth Builder. I promise there’s a connection. With knitting, everything is built on two basic stitches. Financial planning is the same way. For some people, knitting or financial planning come naturally. Here’s what to know before you pick up knitting or start to get your finances in order. A simple way to start: Stash cash in a high-yielding CD savings account. 1. When I first started knitting, I thought I’d never learn to knit in two different colors of yarn. Learning about some financial decisions may be overwhelming at first, but fight the urge to give up. 2. Using four needles to knit something three-dimensional (like a hat) seems beyond complicated, but you’re really still using the same old two needles at a time. Similarly, even though the methods seem complicated, we budding super savers and successful investors practice nearly the same strategies as beginners. 3. You’re not going to knit a complicated sweater right off the bat. 2 red flags
Personal Finance: Deficits, debt and ceilings explained Last week, the U.S. government breached the federal debt ceiling, the statutory limit on the amount of borrowing allowed the U.S. Treasury to finance previously authorized financial commitments of the Congress and the President. Without legislative action to raise the cap, America will eventually be unable to pay all of its bills and will in effect default on some of its bonds. This would, of course, be catastrophic for families and the economy, and inevitably the ceiling will be increased. Christopher Hopkins Photo by Contributed Photo /Times Free Press. Understanding the terms in play and putting the fiscal position of the United States in perspective may help to follow the debate in the days ahead. The official scorekeeper is the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan agency responsible for forecasting revenue and expenses over the next 10 years. A deficit is simply a shortfall. We have experienced budget deficits every year since 1970, with the notable exception of 1998 to 2001.
Is Whole Foods Junk Food? - Stocks to Watch By Johanna Bennett Is Whole Foods (WFM) a victim of its own success? The Austin, Texas-based supermarket chain is famed for helping spread the organic food craze throughout the land. But at UBS, analyst Michael Lasser initiated coverage on the stock earlier today by telling investors to sell the shares. Jack Otter, For Barron’s Why? At a recent $29.57, the shares fell 1.1% in recent market action. It’s a scenario that Barron’s warned investors about for years. Granted, that price-to-earnings ratio hardly looks cheap. That valuation was one of several reasons that Barron’s Vito Racannelli favored the stock back in September. Others share his optimism. To be sure, recent news hasn’t been good, and forecasts for the current fiscal year are dismal. Whole Foods has promised investors it will not cut prices. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Food Banks Are Not the Solution to Food Poverty This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. With ten million tons of food going to waste in the U.K. every year, it is often suggested that leftovers should be distributed to food charities to help tackle food poverty. It sounds like a win-win solution—reduce waste and feed hungry people? But a review of the use of surplus food to feed those in need by the Food Research Collaboration group suggests this is not the case. Not only does recycling food waste from places like supermarkets and cafés not address the roots of food poverty, it is incredibly undignified to give people leftovers. Try Newsweek for only $1.25 per week A key danger of charity food aid is the de-politicization of hunger. A second major issue with food distributed through charities is that it can’t provide a consistently wholesome and healthy diet, as they are dependent on donations from individuals, and surplus from supermarkets and other food manufacturers. Government failure
Let’s get cooking | LLUH News Live It: In the Kitchen is the latest online cooking show to hit the World Wide Web. The Schools of Public Health and Allied Health Professions at Loma Linda University are taking a fun, interactive and healthy approach to cooking with a new online cooking show “Live It: In the Kitchen.” The show inspires healthy, wholesome home cooking and demonstrates quick and easy meals that the whole family can enjoy. “People tend to turn to meals that are quick, and easy to prepare, but ultimately low in nutritional value,” said Chef Cory Gheen from Loma Linda University School of Allied Health Professions department of nutrition and dietetics. “‘Live It: in the Kitchen’ aims to show that great tasting food can be good for your body and easy to prepare.” The series of 14 short episodes has made its debut on liveitlomalinda.org, and every Tuesday an episode will be featured on the Loma Linda University Health Facebook page. The show and recipes will also be available in Spanish.
Oregon Food Bank Worried Immigrants Not Seeking Food Assistance | KLCC Oregon food pantries have seen a decline in attendance in recent months. The Oregon Food Bank is worried fear among immigrant and refugee communities may be keeping families from seeking the food assistance they need. Jen Turner with the Food Bank says they don’t disclose recipient information or collect data on immigrant or citizenship status. However, people may still avoid visiting pantries because of their official atmosphere. “A lot of times places that ask for a signature, self-declaration that you meet a certain income requirement, many of our partners ask to see proof of residence – they can often feel like official or governmental places,” says Turner. Oregon Food Pantry suspects ICE activity in the Portland and Eugene areas may be fueling fears.
montereyherald Q I will turn 70½ years old this year. I was told that if I keep working, I can wait to take my required minimum distribution from my IRA until I eventually retire. Is that really true? A Many people get confused by the rules for required minimum distributions (RMDs). Let me see if I can help clarify a few things. First, the IRS requires that you begin taking minimum distributions from traditional IRAs and IRA-based plans like SEPs in the year you reach 70½ years of age. The rules are a little different for employer-sponsored plans like 401(k), 403(b) or 457(b) plans. This difference in rules gives rise to an interesting tax strategy. Q I understand that the deadline to take my first RMD isn’t until April 1 of next year. A The deadline to take your first RMD is April 1 of the year following the year you turn 70½. Depending on the amount of other income you have, taking both RMDs in one year can have tax consequences even if your IRA is fairly small. Advertisement Steven C.
How Does Financial Planning Work? | WJLA Financial planning confuses a lot of people. Faced with an array of decisions, most people don’t know what to do. Which investments will you select from your employer’s retirement plan? Which type of mortgage is best? Few of us have any training in investments, economics, insurance, taxes or law. However, you’re still faced with decisions about these things. The answer: simply approach the topic of financial planning exactly as you do the field of medicine. All you need to do is focus on your symptoms: Where does it hurt? You should see a financial advisor even if nothing is bothering you. On the same basis, visit a financial planner and let him or her poke around, too, even if you think everything is fine financially. The planner will ask you questions about your income, expenses, assets and debts. Your answers will enable your financial planner to determine what tests he or she needs to conduct before he or she can offer recommendations to you. And the best part?