by Rupe | Oct 5, 2016 | Money Matters
The most common mistakes that people make begin well before retirement and they all fall into 1 of 2 categories. The first is simply not having a plan or thinking “I’ll get to it later,” and the second is having a flawed plan.As a Certified Financial Planner for Personal Capital, I see too many people who focus on their present financial situation or the few years that lie just ahead. They don’t “look out” to what seems like the far horizon of retirement.
Source: Look Out! Retirement Mistakes are Easy to Make | Daily Capital
My Source: Another good article from Personal Capital. I have been watching PC for sometime. I personally use Betterment, but the information put out by PC is applicable regardless of who you trust to help you with your investment planning.
by Rupe | Oct 5, 2016 | Money Matters
At every career stage, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the excitement of new money and forget about re-evaluating your retirement plan.
As we start, grow, and end our careers, our focus shifts toward different goals. Unfortunately, during many career stages, retirement planning isn’t on the forefront of our list. As someone who has botched the early stage of my career, I can tell you how important a solid retirement plan can truly be
Source: Retirement Lessons Learned From Botching Savings Early In My Career
My Comment: Really good insights into what are some of the things to watch out for. You have to take your future seriously and start planning early.
by Rupe | Oct 4, 2016 | Health-Wellness-Sex
IQ is largely fixed, but intelligence depends on context and approach.
Give a person an IQ test in elementary school and again when he or she is a senior citizen and science suggests the score will remain largely unchanged. Which means, like it or not, our sheer mental horsepower is largely fixed.
Source: 5 Mental Habits That Will Make You Much Smarter, According to an MIT Neuroscientist
My Comments: Pretty interesting stuff…
by Rupe | Oct 4, 2016 | Money Matters, Social-Race Issues, World Affairs
We’ve known for a while that black Americans aren’t making economic progress. A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, shows that the black-white wage gap is now the widest it has been since 1979. What’s more interesting, though, is how inequality has been increasing, and for whom.
Source: Why black workers who do everything right still get left behind
My Comments: Really interesting study – will have to look more deeply at this.
by Rupe | Sep 23, 2016 | Inspiration
This star is ending its life by casting off its outer layers of gas, which formed a cocoon around the star’s remaining core.
This image, taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows the colorful “last hurrah” of a star like our sun. The star is ending its life by casting off its outer layers of gas, which formed a cocoon around the star’s remaining core. Ultraviolet light from the dying star makes the material glow. The burned-out star, called a white dwarf, is the white dot in the center. Our sun will eventually burn out and shroud itself with stellar debris, but not for another 5 billion years.
Source: Hubble Views a Colorful Demise of a Sun-like Star | NASA
My Comment: Simply Awesome!
by Rupe | Sep 22, 2016 | Mentoring
These traits separate the successful students from the not-so-successful ones.
The first year of college is a tough transition, and for many students, a disillusioning one.
A study conducted last fall at the University of Toronto found that incoming students arrived with unreasonably optimistic expectations. On average, students predicted they would earn grade-point averages of 3.6. Those dreams were swiftly punctured. By the end of the year, the average freshman had only a 2.3.
Source: Why students who do well in high school bomb in college
My Comments: If I am being honest, I think my son exhibits a bit of both, with a slight bias to the divers. I chalk this up to entering college a bit young and immature. Hopefully, he can develop some grit.
by Rupe | Aug 25, 2016 | Military-Political
Republicans and Democrats of 2016 have neither intelligible boundaries nor enforceable norms. As a result, renegade political behavior pays.
It’s 2020, four years from now. The campaign is under way to succeed the president, who is retiring after a single wretched term. Voters are angrier than ever—at politicians, at compromisers, at the establishment. Congress and the White House seem incapable of working together on anything, even when their interests align…
Source: How American Politics Became So Ineffective – The Atlantic
My Comments: Really good piece that dissects the American political machinery and why we are where we are.
by Rupe | Aug 23, 2016 | Social-Race Issues
As a white mother of two black children, three white children, who all have a white father, I have something to say.
Racism exists. It is real and tangible. And it is everywhere, all the time.
When I brought my boys home they were the cutest, sweetest babies ever. Wherever we went, people greeted us with charm and enthusiasm. Well, not all people and not everywhere. But, to me, they were the “wacko” exceptions. I thought to myself, “Get over it.”
Source: “The Cloak I Was Offering Them Was Identification …
My Comments: First person accounts are usually pretty deep. I found this quite moving.
by Rupe | Aug 10, 2016 | Fitness
So many runners hit a plateau fairly early on in training — we get stuck around the four- or five-mile mark for our longer runs and just never seem to more »
Think about how fun it would be to hit the trails for two hours — just you, your heartbeat and nature — on the weekend. Or maybe you dream of running a marathon. If you have a goal in mind, a training plan is highly advisable when it comes to adding mileage to your week, but if you’re just looking to add a few more miles to your weekly total for fun or to see how long you can go, there are a few simple tricks to going long when you’ve never gone long before. Here we present six of them. The keyword to keep in mind? Slowly.
Source: 6 Tips on How to Run Long (When You’ve Never Run Long)
My Comments: Really good piece of advice.
by Rupe | Jul 19, 2016 | Deep Thoughts, Reflections, Social-Race Issues, what the...?
Jimmie Williams joins demonstrators in a protest outside of City Hall calling on Mayor Rahm Emanuel to resign on December 11, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. A recently released video of the shooting of Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke has sparked protests and calls for Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez to resign for allegedly trying to cover up the circumstances surrounding the shooting.SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES
I was a grad student at the UCLA film school, getting my MFA in screenwriting, when a consumer-trends company asked me to work for them. Why did they want me? Well, they advised major corporations on how to best situate their products for the African-American consumer market, and in order to do that effectively, the company needed people who understood African-American values and behavior and could turn those factors into macro trends. In essence, my job was to predict the things black people did today to hint at future behavior and, from that info, identify the strategies companies should use to reach black people.
Source: Black America Is Leaving While Staying Put
My Comments: Well written – captures the sentiments of the majority of black folks. We’ve got to start tending our own gardens – there is no sustenance in hope, no love in fear and the hot rage and meanness of racism knows no bounds. We are way too beautiful for this shit!
by Rupe | Jul 13, 2016 | Money Matters
The stock market just hit another record high. Yet only half of Americans actually own any stock. Real estate prices are ebbing closer to their previous bubble peak. Yet the homeownership rate is down. The unemployment rate is down dramatically but we have over 94 million Americans not in
Source: With a recovery like this, who needs a recession: 62 percent of Americans don’t even have $1000 in savings.
My Comments: I have been a bank teller so this hit very close to home. The inequities grows, something must give.
by Rupe | Jul 11, 2016 | Money Matters
The Great Recession is over. The economy is back on its feet. That’s the popular narrative Americans see and hear every day, but the impact of the financial crisis is still being felt across the country, especially by women of color. A new report (pdf) highlights how “pinklining,” a term most people have probably never heard, is hurting women and especially women of color.
Source: Pinklining: The Financial Threat More Women of Color Are Facing
My Comments: The struggle of black and brown folks. We need to take collective responsibility for more of these issues within our communities.
by Rupe | Jul 10, 2016 | Mad Musings, what the...?
Schools should be held to higher standards than students. If schools irresponsibly impose discipline practices, then those rules (or leaders) should be expelled. However, when it comes to discipline, we give students the cane and schools a slap on the wrist.
Source: Stop Punishing Black Children Just Because They’re Black
Comments: The punishment of black and brown people start early. The devaluing of our lives starts from the earliest ages. This narrative will change – by the hook or the crook.
by Rupe | Jul 10, 2016 | Mad Musings
It’s a terrible waste of taxpayer money.
Since 1990, state and local spending on prisons and jails has risen more than three times faster than spending on schools, according to a new Department of Education report released Thursday.
Source: The states that spend more money on prisoners than…
My Comments: Embarrassingly nasty statistics. I live in Florida and don’t want my F’king money spent on locking up my brothers and sisters.
by Rupe | Jun 28, 2016 | Inspiration, Mentoring
Why playing with algebraic and calculus concepts—rather than doing arithmetic drills—may be a better way to introduce children to math
The familiar, hierarchical sequence of math instruction starts with counting, followed by addition and subtraction, then multiplication and division. The computational set expands to include bigger and bigger numbers, and at some point, fractions enter the picture, too. Then in early adolescence, students are introduced to patterns of numbers and letters, in the entirely new subject of algebra. A minority of students then wend their way through geometry, trigonometry and, finally, calculus, which is considered the pinnacle of high-school-level math.
Source: 5-Year-Olds Can Learn Calculus – The Atlantic
My Comments: Really think this is a pretty interesting and exciting approach.
by Rupe | Jun 25, 2016 | Mentoring, Reflections
Two very different relationships that overlap in complicated ways.
Like coloring books or meals composed entirely of vegetables, befriending one’s parents is something that, by early adulthood, seems to take on a new sheen of coolness. If you’re a millennial on any form of social media, you’ve probably seen the evidence: heartfelt posts popping up on birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s and Father’s Days, declaring that the poster’s parents aren’t just the best parents, but also their best friends. We’re a generation raised on Gilmore Girls, and it shows.
Source: Can Parents Really Be Friends With Their Kids? — Science of Us
My Comments: Really interesting take on the topic.
by Rupe | Jun 24, 2016 | Social-Race Issues
Abigail Fisher and Edward Blum walk outside the Supreme Court in 2012 (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)
The Supreme Court has upheld the University of Texas’s consideration of race in admissions. The case had been brought by Abigail Fisher, who argued she had been denied admission because of her race.
Source: What Abigail Fisher’s Affirmative Action Case Was Really About
My Comments: Excellent piece by Nikole Hannah-Jones of ProPublica on the decision from the Supreme Court.
by Rupe | Jun 10, 2016 | Money Matters
My Comments: Interview with Christine Benz by Jeremy Glaser. Really great advice as always from Morningstar.
by Rupe | Jun 5, 2016 | what the...?
There are neighborhoods in Baltimore in which the life expectancy is 19 years less than other neighborhoods in the same city. Residents of the Downtown/Seaton Hill neighborhood have a life expectancy lower than 229 other nations, exceeded only by Yemen. According to the Washington Post, 15 neighborhoods in Baltimore have a lower life expectancy than North Korea.
Source: The most racist areas in the United States
My Comments: It is so tiring to read these reports. But just as tiring as it is, it is just as necessary. Get over it already would be easy if the shit stopped, but it hasn’t and as long as it continues – the fight against it will continue and the words will be said and printed.
by Rupe | Jun 3, 2016 | Deep Thoughts
Five small steps to help you plan for life’s surprises. #PromotedPost
The Washington Post dives into a theory originally put forth by Paul Janet in 1897: We perceive the first years of our lives to be much longer than the years that come later because our point of reference for time is smaller when we’re younger.
When you’ve only lived four years, one year is a big chunk of time — it’s 1/4 of your life!
Source: Time waits for no one. How can you plan for the life you want to live?
My Comments: Absolutely loved this piece; will fold it into my life plan!
by Rupe | May 25, 2016 | Fitness, Health-Wellness-Sex
So you’re finally ready to lose weight. Now the question is: How? WebMD has answers for you.
The standard advice — to eat less and move more — isn’t so helpful when it comes to the “how.” You probably know you need to cut calories, but how many? Are you better off getting those calories from low-fat or low-carb foods? And what’s going on with your metabolism, your personal energy-burning furnace? Is it programmed to keep you overweight? Is there any way to fan the flames so you can dream of one day eating a piece of pie without gaining a pound?
Source: Mysteries of Weight Loss
My Comments: Probably one of the best reports I have seen on weight loss. Well done WebMD.
by Rupe | May 24, 2016 | what the...?
It’s irresistible, enticing and addicting. And, it’s available 24-hours a day all over the world to billions of people. Facebook beckons to users seemingly with a two-prong approach – both the pressure and pleasure to post.We share stories, photos, triumphs and tragedies. It is ingrained into our daily lives so deeply that studies show people check Facebook, on average, 14 times a day.
Source: Spying Secrets: Is Facebook eavesdropping on your phone conversations?
My Comments: WoW! I did not know this. Thanks WFLA…
by Rupe | May 23, 2016 | Money Matters
We love credit cards as much as we hate paying bills. As a nation we have an addiction to instant gratification. In the not so distant past, Americans actually had to save money before making a purchase. Seeing that many Americans have nothing in their pockets except lint and cell phones with
Source: Putting it on plastic again – Record number of credit …
My Comments: Interesting…
by Rupe | May 20, 2016 | Fitness
When you’re doing a plank, 60 seconds can feel like an eternity. Now, imagine doing a plank for eight hours. This was exactly the life of Mao Weidong, a cop in China who held the plank for exactly eight hours, one minute, and one second. It was
Source: Cop Sets World Record For Planking
My Comments: Dude’s isn’t even grimacing; he’s got to be on something. From now on, I can’t start complaining of my arms or abs burning after a minute of planking.
by Rupe | May 17, 2016 | what the...?
Money pressures lead many to scrimp on textbooks, meals and other expenses.
To reach the Ivy League after growing up poor seems like hitting the jackpot. Students get a world-class education from schools that promise to meet full financial needs without making them take out loans. But the reality of a full ride isn’t always what they had dreamed it would be.
Source: For the poor in the Ivy League, a full ride isn’t always what …
My Comments: Really troubling. No one should go hungry at these rich schools.
by Rupe | May 13, 2016 | what the...?
Has unemployment gone up or down in the Obama era? There’s an objective truth, which Republican voters choose not to believe.
“It’s a fact that unemployment has gone down and the stock market has gone up during the Obama administration,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “But GOP voters treat these things more as issues of opinion than issues of fact.”
Source: The persistence of the reality gap matters | MSNBC
My Comments: This sh** is just too irksome. Call it cognitive dissonance or whatever, but it is clear, the reason one group of the electorate would choose to believe bullshit is because they are full of it. The fact is – it really does not matter though, we will have a chance to court disaster again. It wasn’t too long ago the same bitter f**** were running away from the previous administration, fretting that the country faced an existential threat brought on by principles of scarcity, racism and xenophobia espoused then and also now, by so called republicans/ conservatives. Nothing about these folks are republican or conservative. Stripped of these cloak, what we see are a bunch of xenophobes upon whose ignorance the political class is playing this whole game.
No matter, let’s go back to the principles of the previous administration, let’s replay those ideas (still being served up by the current “so called” conservative political class); principles that had us on the brink of a catastrophe; let’s go ahead and drive this Bi*** into the ditch. Maybe it is about time we turn this bus over, maybe only then we can all rise from the bottom together…bring it on.
by Rupe | May 10, 2016 | Fitness
The Gauntlet Plank Workout includes 11 planks that strengthen the core muscles. With many variations, this workout builds runner-specific stability.
That’s actually a simple question: the answer is no way! There are far better ab exercises than a simple sit-up, which can exacerbate back problems and only focuses on one small area of the abdominals.
And while you’ll develop tremendous ab strength by doing heavy squats, dead lifts, and other traditional weightlifting exercises, not all of us can throw around heavy iron at the gym.
Source: Level Up Your Plank Workout: 11 New Planks That Build Core Strength
My Comments: Will work this into my regiment.
by Rupe | May 10, 2016 | Fitness
Getting to your ideal “race weight” can be tricky. You want to lose weight to get faster, run (or ride) more efficiently and — let’s be honest — look great in your shorts. But dropping weight as an athlete is more complicated than just cutting a few calories here and there. You want to shed fat while maintaining muscle, staying fast and recovering well from workouts, as you potentially slash calories. So what’s an athlete to do?
In researching and writing “Fuel Your Ride,” a comprehensive guide to cycling nutrition with a hefty section on weight loss, I found out the secrets that pros and experts use for dropping weight while maintaining fitness. Here are a few of my favorite findings:
Source: 7 Strategies to Slim Down Before a Race – MapMyRun Blog
by Rupe | May 10, 2016 | Money Matters
Contractor fraud and home repair scams are all too commonplace. No matter how many reviews you’ve read online, follow these rules to avoid being ripped off.
Imagine: You’re having lunch and a contractor knocks on your door. He has extra driveway sealant left over from a job around the corner and offers it to you at a discount. Your driveway could use a refresh, so you agree. He “seals” your driveway, and then one rainfall later, it washes away. Clearly, that wasn’t leftover sealant, and you just spent hundreds of dollars on what was essentially watered-down black paint.
Source: How To Spot A Home Repair Scam And Contractor Fraud…
My Comments: Good article.
by Rupe | May 7, 2016 | Social-Race Issues
The groups that are most likely to get divorced in America
There’s this persistent myth in America that about half of all marriages end in divorce.
In fact, the figures are significantly lower, as new graphics by Nathan Yau of Flowing Datademonstrate.
As Claire Cain Miller wrote at the Upshot, the divorce rate peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s and has been declining since then. In fact, if current marriage and divorce rate continues, only about one-third of American marriages will end in divorce, the Upshot’s Justin Wolfers has calculated.
Source: Who gets divorced in America, in 7 charts…
My Comments: Pretty interesting data. Good to see that folks are sticking it out. Interesting how the data between white and blacks were present in such a muted tone.
