Wednesday, January 2, 2013
If your New Year’s resolution is to get your finances in order, these guidelines will help you get started.
In this economy—and especially during this time of year—many of us are facing our very own fiscal cliff. While we may not be able to raise revenue as easily as the federal government can, these five steps may help you reach solvency and put savings in the bank, financial planners say. Once you’re free of debt and ready to grow your savings, you can look to financial services companies for investment advice, including banks, insurers and brokers. Good luck!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
What lessons can the Occupy Wall Street movement teach our youngsters?
I like money. I like spending it. I like saving it. I like it in my bank, and I like it in my hands. I like it on a boat, I like it in my coat. You get the idea. According to news reports and the folks occupying Wall Street and other places, I am a have-not, a 99-percenter, and it seems like I’m never going to be part of this 1 percent that is controlling most of the nation's wealth. That’s OK. As long as my family and I have the basics and maybe a few extras thrown in for fun, we will be just fine, but I want my children to do more, be more and have more than me. We want our children to be successful; we want them to grow up and get good jobs, and according to one of my earlier columns about young millionaires, it seems a few of us wouldn…
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Do your children view graphic images on the news?
Wars, battles, combat, conflicts, skirmishes, strikes. Whatever you want to call it, people have been fighting for years. Regardless of your stance on war (What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again!), they happen. They happen in far-flung places that some of us (me) can’t pronounce, find on a map or spell. And speaking of things I can’t spell, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, or is it Kadafi, or maybe Qaddafi, or possibly Gadhafi, was recently captured and killed by a group of rebels who filmed the whole thing. This video footage was made public and replayed multiple times on television and the Internet. In non-human related news, a group of exotic animals was put to death earlier this month in Ohio because the owner …
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Can competing in pageants give young girls a leg up in a competitive world?
Beauty pageant contestants go through a lot. They have to practice with pageant coaches for hours a day. They have to buy gowns that can cost hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. They have to get teeth bleachings, manicures, pedicures and eyebrow waxing. One contestant I saw in a documentary went to a chiropractor for an alignment to improve her posture. The day of the pageant, the contestant must sit still for hours to get her hair and makeup just right. But the prizes make it all worth it, what with cash, cars, trips, and princess canopy beds. You read that right. The pageant contestants I’m referring to are the little stars of Toddlers and Tiaras, a reality show about young children who compete in beauty pageants, and the …
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The superstar's pregnancy announcement might just strike the right chord with impressionable young women.
I love award shows. I like to see what the stars are wearing, I like to see who wins what award, and when it’s a music-award show, there are performances by some of the world’s most famous artists. There’s also the possibility of some craziness happening during an awards show, such as Kanye West interrupting an acceptance speech or an overly excited Melissa Leo swearing in her Academy Award acceptance speech. Sunday night, the Video Music Awards aired on MTV and there was no shortage of crazy. Lady Gaga opened the show as a man (loved it). Katy Perry spent much of the evening with a yellow cube on top of her head, and Justin Bieber made a remark using the words "snake" and "Johnson" together that made adults everywhere squirm. For me, the …
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
How can you help a friend heal from the most tragic of losses?
One of my former co-workers lost a child this week. Out of respect for the family I won't go into details of what happened. But the death of this teenager seems to have been a tragic accident. This is the second co-worker at my job who has lost a child; another former colleague lost a grown son. Another co-worker at a previous position lost a very young child. His mother’s strength is evident in the way she has carried on, works with children and has a smile on her face every time I run into her. Losing a child seems to go against the natural order of things. Whether our children are young or we’ve raised them to be adults, we expect them to outlive us. In the news, we see children dying in all sorts of ways: through car accidents, …
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Patch contributor and lifeguard Isaac Saul offers up advice or staying safe while keeping cool.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Isaac Saul
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Sunday, June 19, 2011
As the season's temperatures continue to rise, many people are flocking to summer's favorite destination: the swimming pool. Whether you're splashing around in your backyard or jumping in a public pool, here are a few tips for keeping safe in the water. Isaac Saul is a Patch contributor and certified lifeguard.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
So how do you feel today? Patch contributor Robert Isenberg says a walk through Robin Hill Park just might do the trick.
Yes, New Year's Eve is one of the happiest nights of the year. We eat, drink, gather with old friends and turn over new leafs. This is one night when everyone – even new parents and middle school guidance counselors – tends to permit themselves a bit of some boozy fun. But once the champagne is popped and "Auld Lange Syne" is sung, January 1 can quickly spiral downward. You wake up, and your head throbs. Your mouth is dry as a bone. The room still spins. You have a hangover. And it's horrible. Here are some favorite ways to cure (or at least reduce) a New Year's hangover. With a few precautions and counter-measures, you'll start 2011 feeling fresh and new. Or at least a little less ragged. Drink Water Beforehand The best way to cure a …
Friday, December 31, 2010
Keep your New Year's Eve bash economical with tips from Patch contributor Shannon Peluso.
New Year's Eve is here and the excitement about the night's festivities is bubbling. But if you want to party like its 2011, but would prefer not to spend $2,011 there are many things you can do to keep the night fun, exciting and inexpensive. Most prefer to be with their loved one when the ball drops at midnight. What better way to spend the new year than at home, on the couch, with just a few of your closest friends? Host a small intimate get together with your closest friends or family members. House parties are often expensive when the guest list becomes large. Ask each couple or individual to bring their favorite wine, liquor, beer or dish. You'll provide mixers and a few snacks. If your home is decorated for the holidays already, …
Laura
7:08 pm on Sunday, October 2, 2011
God Bless you, Nia and Miriam. Losing a child is the absolute worst thing that can happen to a parent. Perhaps the second worst thing is when friends act as though that child never existed. Tough as it is to know what to say, please acknowledge the existence of the child...whether it is an infant that the parents never saw or an elderly child of a still living parent. Please read Elephant in the … more ›