Safely Save for Your Childs University Studies Using An Education IRA!
March 30, 2007
This investment retirement account (IRA) is useful to you as an investor to understand because it may be a good way for you to save for your kid’s education AND save on taxes. These plans are now called Coverdell Education Savings Accounts in honor of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell. Individuals can make annual contributions of up to $2,000 per child into an account that’s exclusively for helping to pay higher education costs. The money contributed to a Coverdell account doesn’t count against the $3,000 ($3,500 if 50 and older) annual total individuals may contribute to their combined personal individual IRAs.
The earnings and withdrawals from a Coverdell account are tax-free, but you can’t deduct the contributions from your income tax because the account is for the benefit of the child, not the contributor. This is great for parents who are good savers and investors who want to make an annual tax-saving contribution that they can invest in the stock market toward the education of a studious and responsible child. In addition, if your child received a Coverdell ESA distribution, you now can also claim Hope Scholarship or Lifetime Learning credits. Just make sure you don’t use Coverdell money to pay for the same expenses you use to claim an education credit.
The beneficiary (your child) of the education IRA must withdraw the funds by age 30 if they don’t go to college and pay taxes and penalties on it. However, the account can be transferred to a sibling or the beneficiary’s child if they don’t pursue a higher academic degree or use it all.
Once you have the account open you can use the stock market to help finance your child’s education selling the stock at a high price after you have bought it at a low price using techniques such as I teach.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D., a.k.a. "The Wallet Doctor", is a successful futures trader, real estate investor, and stock investor. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in finance from the University of South Carolina. His 1998 articles in Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities were prophetic in predicting an impending stock market crash. He has helped many people become profitable investors by teaching them to look out over many years to spot stocks that are low and primed for rise in the new bull market. His second article met with approval by Dr. Bob Shiller of Yale University. Dr. Shiller is the economist that Alan Greenspan most highly regards who coined the term "Irrational Exuberance." In 1998 he shouted to the world to "get out" of the stock market but now he is shouting to everyone that it is time to "get in!" The Wallet Doctor is not only sought after for investment advice and coaching in stock investing but also in futures trading and real estate investing.
Visit Dr. Brown’s site at http://www.BonanzaBase.com or sign up for his investment tips at http://www.WalletDoctor.com
Turn Boring Reading Glasses Into Fun With Color, Shape And Design!
March 30, 2007
There is no use fighting the fact that at some point everyone needs reading glasses. There is no reason to tie yourself to a boring pair. Have fun with funky colors, crazy shapes and rhinestone embellishments. Show off your free spirit with the wide variety of reading glasses that stray from normal neutral colors and rounded shapes.
Color is a place to start when jazzing up your reading glasses. Why choose dull black, brown or gray when colors like fuchsia and bright green are available? Reading glasses come in any color imaginable. Choose one that screams ‘I am a fun person!’. Besides single colored frames there are options such as hand painted designs. A popular design is a floral pattern, but almost anything can be added with hand painting. Find someone who specializes in painting glasses and tell them what you want for your reading glasses. Getting creative with the color is one of the ways to add more pizzazz to your reading glasses.
The shape of the frames is another option to turn your reading glasses from boring to fun. Most people see glasses as either round or oval shaped, but that is not the case. In fact cat eye shaped frames are very popular swooping up at the temples giving your face a visual lift. There are also squared or angled shaped frames. Not all frame shapes work on all faces. Try out different shapes to find one that suits you.
For those really fun at heart people, rhinestones may be the answer. Rhinestone readers can be bought in all shapes, sizes and colors. Rhinestones are a great way to add flash and fun to reading glasses.
While some people may love just one of these fun ideas, others may try all three. Be creative. The glasses are for reading, and you can have fun with them too.
Steve Cogger co founder of http://www.readinstyle.com a online reading glasses boutique is also a licensed optician treating presbyopic patients on a daily basis. Visit http://www.readinstyle.com today for your free report, “7 Key ?’s to Answer Before Ever Buying Reading Glasses Online!”
Essential Oils Slow The Signs of Time From Your Skin
March 30, 2007
I enjoy pretty scents, don’t you? I love working with fragrance so much that I make my own scented lotions, facial scrubs, massage oils, room sprays and more, using essential oils and the proper unscented carrier. My tastes have always run to the sweet floral aromas of jasmine, ylang ylang, rose, lavender, neroli and combining them with the citrus tones of orange, bergamot, lemongrass, lemon, lime and grapefruit. Add a touch of sandalwood and you’ve got a blend of fragrance that will melt any stress and take you to a tropical island all in one whiff.
Essential oils aren’t just pretty smells. These concentrated oils are magic in a little bottle. It has been scientifically proven that oils will either be stimulating or relaxing and they will have that effect on your body. Have you ever taken a good whiff of pure peppermint oil? There is nothing relaxing about it. Your senses are immediately awakened and your eyes open wider. It’s refreshing and bright. That is how all of the scents work their magic; one way or the other. Since there are so many therapeutic benefits to using these oils, I love experimenting with them for dry skin. I am definitely getting older and my skin is getting dryer so something needs to be done, and quickly. I am a blue eyed blond so my skin is also sun damaged and needs to be cared for. I combine 2-3 drops of rose, geranium, palmarosa and lavender essential oils with plain an unscented carrier oil such as sweet almond, apricot kernel, avocado, coconut, grapeseed, or rose hip seed oils. I use this mixture lightly as a moisturizer at night. When I want to exfoliate my skin, I make a mask of honey, clay, cornstarch, and 1 egg yolk combined with a few drops of rose, lavender and sandalwood. I put it on my skin for 15 minutes and rinse off with cool water. Rose has been known to help aid in healing damaged skin from radiation and lavender has been used to helping skin recover from burns. These are only a few of the therapeutic uses for essential oils.
Your face doesn’t have to be the only thing that benefits from these delightful oils. Consider massage lotions or oils for use after exercising, sports or de-stressing. You can even give your pets or your baby a massage using oils specifically for them. Make sure you find out more information before using essential oils on children or while pregnant.
Since summer is fun in the sun time, don’t make the skin suffer by overdoing it in the sun. Sunburn is painful and over time it can really damage your skin. If you have suffered a small sunburn on your body, you might consider using lavender or tea tree oils neat from the bottle on the burn. If your body is pretty much crispy fried, you might consider using an unscented lotion with a few drops of lavender, chamomile or tea tree and gently dab it on the burned area. Later, use calendula oil with a few drops of rose or chamomile, neroli or lavender to help the burn to heal.
If making your own concoctions sounds too difficult, just take a few drops of your favorite scent and put it in your bath water. Make sure it is one of the relaxing oils if you are taking a bath before you go to bed. For relaxation use: lavender, clary sage, marjoram sweet, rose otto, neroli, palmarosa, patchouli, rose, vanilla, ylang ylang, vetiver, jasmine, bergamot or any of the camomiles. If you want to wake up before you go to work, use one of the stimulating scents: basil, cypress, juniper berry, lemon, lemongrass, myrrh, orange, peppermint, rosemary, tea tree, geranium, ginger, fennel, grapefruit, lime, thyme. If you want to fall asleep to your favorite scent, put a few drops on a cloth and place it by your pillow. Don’t put it on the pillowcase itself because it might stain. Lavender is especially good for sleeping. If you choose to try scents for relaxing or for stimulation, make sure you buy the real deal. Read labels carefully because many companies have tried to get on the alternative, natural bandwagon and list their products as "all Natural" when they really aren’t. Make sure the essential oils you are buying are 100% pure extract of the plant. Synthetic products have little to no effect on your senses and you won’t achieve the desired results.
Aging is inevitable, but a healthy lifestyle combined with some fragrances can help you slow the signs of time from your skin.
Beverly Marshall is a successful freelance writer, certified Aromatherapist and Feng Shui consultant. Her many articles offer guidance, suggestions and common sense ideas to change your life. If you are interested in products and information regarding alternative medicine, vitamins, osteoporosis, menopause, essential oils, insomnia, anti aging, dry skin and more; her many articles can be found at http://www.alternative-medicine-4u.com.
Mommy…Daddy…Is There Really A Santa Claus?
March 30, 2007
Is there really a Santa Claus? Any parent who hasn’t been faced with this question most likely will at some point. But how do you answer this? No one wants to crush a child’s dreams of Santa and holiday magic.
Some kids, like me, are crushed at school when they hear from a classmate that they found all their presents under their parents’ bed, thus, proving there really is no Santa. Then, reasoning sets in, which is about the time they begin to wonder why they have been told this fairy tale all this time as it was the truth.
So, is there truly a Santa Claus? Well, if you are in this position you will probably be glad to hear that the only true answer to this question is…yes, absolutely.
The name “Santa Claus” came from the Dutch “Sinter Klass” pronunciation of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was a Christian priest, who later became a bishop. He was a wealthy person, and traveled the country helping others, giving gifts of money and other presents. St. Nicholas chose to remain hidden while giving these gifts, so the children were told to go to sleep quickly or he would not come!
One famous story is about a poor man who had no money to give to his three daughters on their wedding day. St. Nicholas dropped bags of gold into the stockings which the girls had left to dry by the fire. Ever since, children have hung up stockings on Christmas Eve hoping that they will be filled with gifts by Christmas morning.
According to the Catholics, a saint is one who lived such a holy life that, after dying and going to heaven, is still able to help people on earth.
In the 1500’s people in England stopped worshipping St. Nicholas and favored another gift giving figure Father Christmas.
Now, no matter what your religious preference is or if you even believe in Saints, doesn’t change that St. Nicholas represents a selfless act of giving. Rather it be material gifts, money where needed or the often most valuable gift of a little of your time, it’s about the act of helping someone else for no other reason then just because they need it.
As St. Nicholas had figured out as a young man, we truly, as adults, begin to understand Santa Claus when we realize that the best gift of all is not on the receiving end, but being the one giving. And being rich doesn’t always mean having a lot of money. Often, especially these days, taking the time to spend with someone, inviting them over for dinner or even putting food on their table, can make all the difference.
But how do we explain this to a child? Well, we do it in stages. They first have to learn how much receiving a gift meant to them to understand how much it means to others. And Santa Claus, well he is a perception of a truly magical holiday spirit presented to them in a way with which they can associate at this point in their lives.
So, how do we, as parents, answer this question in a way our young children will understand? You, as a parent, should decide when it’s time to come clean. You can meter this by deciding when you feel they will understand that Santa Claus really does exist in all of us and he often means something different to each person they’ll meet. A child grasping this is a big step towards learning what the holidays are truly all about.
© Mark Bulleit - All rights reserved.
http://www.GreetingsFromSanta.com
About The Author
Mark Bulleit is the developer/co-founder of the popular GreetingsFromSanta.com offering personal letters from Santa. Light up your child’s face like never before this holiday season at http://www.greetingsfromsanta.com
Teach Your Children - Without Them Knowing They Are Learning!
March 30, 2007
The great thing about children is they absorb knowledge like a sponge. The downside to this is that they are typically wise to the fact that they don’t want to sit down and be taught, fortunately as parents we can think of ways around that! Here are some great ideas of ways to promote learning with your children.
Read with your child, or better yet, take turns reading to each other. One-on-one reading is less common at schools and your child will benefit from having the extra practice time. Try to keep the books at the same reading level as your child is at, or one step below. The goal is to make it a pleasurable and relaxing experience and in doing so there is a greater chance that they will read as a hobby and not just when it is required. If your child does not like reading novels, read magazines or even comic books. The content isn’t as important as them developing the skills to be able to read fluently.
Have your children write letters to friends and family. The other option is have your child find a pen pal to encourage writing, there are places online that you can find other child that want to correspond and have their basic hobbies and such listed so you can pick one that is well matched with your child. Have your child write letters to family members about new things that are happening with them, the first day of school for example and add a picture of their first day. Send them off, and yes with a real stamp! It’s a great way for you child to build up their vocabulary, writing and spelling skills.
Have a family night and play board games that encourage spelling. Scrabble, Upwards or Boggle are some great examples. There are also versions of these games and many more like them for younger children.
These are just a few ideas for how to create a learning environment for your children. The great part about learning is it never ends, no matter how old or young you are there is always something new out there to explore.
For more information on school you can go to First Day at School
B. Ellis
First Day at School
Solar Cooling - Air Conditioning From the Sun
March 30, 2007
Solar Cooling - Air Conditioning From the Sun
by: Hans Dekker
At first glance, solar cooling looks like an oxymoron. However, the same energy that can provide heat in the wintertime can also provide cooling during the summer.
Several passive cooling systems have been developed and tested. At their simplest, they rely on a coolant that absorbs and dissipates heat from the house. This could be a pool of water on the rooftop which absorbs seat from the inside of the house as it evaporates on exposure to the sun.
More sophisticated passive solar cooling systems have a solar collector which is shaded during the daytime. A storage medium collects heat during the day and dissipates it at night by exposing the solar collector to the cool night air.
Since the solar collector must be shaded, a retractable awning or overhang extension can be installed. Since the system can be reversed in the winter months, it is important that the solar collector can be exposed to sunshine if needed.
Solar panels can also be used to operate traditional air conditioners. As it happens, the periods of intense heat correspond to the periods of peak electricity production from photovoltaic cells. As long as you have solar panels which generate sufficient to electricity, you can operate air conditioners at no cost.
Solar cooling that does not take advantage of high technology is another possibility. The Romans used a system of running water to cool down exterior walls of their houses. The heat of the sun causes the water to evaporate and dissipate the heat within the house. This kind of system can be used on walls or on rooftops.
Heating and cooling are two of the biggest expenses for most households. Using solar energy to reduce this expense makes sense financially as well as ecologically. The less dependent we are on fossil fuels for heating and cooling the cleaner the environment will be.
