There’s nothing better than watching sport. The excitement when you can hear the crowd roar is immense, and the anticipation that your team might win is too much to bear sometimes! But most people don’t know they can take the experience to the next level by placing a pre-game or in-play wager.
With money on the outcome, every play has significance. However, problems may arise if you aren’t usually a gambling person and don’t know the strategies that give you the best opportunities to win. Thankfully, we do, which is why we’ve outlined our top four tips for finding the best baseball odds.
Capitalize on Welcome Offers
The great thing about being new to baseball gambling is that you’ll be eligible for the welcome offers at a variety of sports betting companies. Now, it’s worth pointing out that this doesn’t give you an edge. The odds are the same and the sides can easily lose. But of course, if you don’t win, you won’t forfeit your own hard-earned money.
At least with a welcome package under your belt, you will receive added value, regardless of the form it takes. It may be a free bet up to the same amount you deposited into your account. It may be cashback. It may be a 100% deposit match with healthy maximum and minimum limit thresholds. Either way, it’s the bookmakers that stand the bet, not you. This is partly why the US industry generated revenues of $1.55 billion in 2020.
Don’t Dismiss the Favorites
After a while, you’ll notice that teams such as the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox always have short odds. If you listen to some people, you may believe that they are overpriced, which means it’s not worth taking the risk. After all, they do lose, so what’s the point if the returns aren’t favorable?
There is a flip side to the argument. It states that selecting the top franchises will more often than not lead to profits. Sure, they are small compared to when the lesser sides win baseball matches, but they win more often than the majority of franchises in Major League Baseball. People who are patient and wait until the end of the season often find they are in pocket and that’s the most important thing.
Use Cryptocurrencies Where Possible
Opting for cryptocurrencies over fiat currencies won’t appeal at first because you may have heard a lot of negative things about cryptos. In reality, they are fantastic options for players who want to bet on sportsbooks, including baseball, for several reasons.
Firstly, they are secure and almost impossible to trace, so your online presence will be anonymous. Secondly, gambling onbaseball with cryptocurrency betting services negate the expensive exchange rates that occur when you change Bitcoin or Litecoin for US dollars, euros, or pounds sterling. Finally, the value of the most reputable coins is holding steady, meaning you can potentially withdraw very valuable assets.
Focus on Divisional Matchups
Teams from around the MLB play each other relatively regularly. Still, the divisional rivals face off the most, and it’s an important caveat to remember. Why? It’s because the stats suggest the underdogs are less likely to lose.
According to research, all underdogs in divisional games since 2005 have lost 72.1 units compared to 645.7 units for franchises outside the division. So, it makes sense to either back favorites when they play outside of their division, or underdogs when they play in their division.
Hopefully, these tips help you to enjoy baseball a little bit more!
Farm fresh meals at Second Harvest Food Bank in Irvine
FOX 11's Bob DeCastro takes us to Orange County.
Here are the farm-fresh recipes that were featured on Good Day LA with Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County on March 31.
Veggie Omelet
Ingredients
· 3 large eggs
· Broccolini
· Red bell pepper, chopped
· ¼ cup Cheddar cheese, grated
· Salt and pepper
· ¼ teaspoon unsalted butter
Instructions
1. Cut the cherry tomatoes, red pepper and spinach leaves.
2. Melt the butter in the frying pan.
3. Beat the eggs with a fork and season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the mixture to the pan and spread it out evenly. When it starts to firm up, but still has a bit of raw on top, add grated cheese and also the cherry tomatoes, spinach, and red pepper.
5. Using a spatula, ease the edges and quickly turn it over onto the other side.
6. The other side will cook a lot quicker, it only needs about 1-2 minutes.
7. When it is done, place a large plate on top of the pan and flip the omelette as fast as you can.
8. Serve immediately.
Extra Vegetable Fried Rice
Ingredients
· 1 ½ teaspoons + 2 tablespoons avocado oil
· 2 eggs, whisked together
· 1 small white onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
· 2 medium carrots, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
· 2 cups additional veggies, cut into very small pieces for quick cooking (cabbage, celery)
· ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
· 1 tablespoon grated or finely minced fresh ginger
· 2 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
· Pinch of red pepper flakes
· 2 cups cooked brown rice
· 1 cup greens (optional), such as spinach, baby kale or tatsoi
· 3 green onions, chopped
· Aminos
· 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
· Chili-garlic sauce or sriracha, for serving
Instructions
1. This recipe comes together quickly. Before you get started, make sure that all of your ingredients are prepped and within an arm’s reach from the stove. Also have an empty bowl nearby for holding the cooked eggs and veggies. I’m suggesting that you start over medium-high heat, but if at any point you catch a whiff of oil or food burning, reduce the heat to medium.
2. Warm a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until a few drops of water evaporate within a couple of seconds. Immediately add 1 ½ teaspoons of oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Add the scrambled eggs and swirl the pan so they cover the bottom. Cook until they are just lightly set, flipping or stirring along the way. Transfer the eggs to a bowl and wipe out the pan with a heat-proof spatula.
3. Return the pan to heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Add the remaining veggies and salt. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally (don’t stir too often, or the veggies won’t have a chance to turn golden on the edges), until the veggies are cooked through and turning golden, about 3 to 5 more minutes. In the meantime, use the edge of your spatula or a spoon to break up the scrambled eggs into smaller pieces.
5. Use a big spatula or spoon to transfer the contents of the pan to the bowl with the cooked eggs. Return the pan to heat and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and mix it all together. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is hot and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Add the greens (if using) and green onions, and stir to combine. Add the cooked veggies and eggs and stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the tamari and sesame oil. Taste, and add a little more tamari if you’d like more soy flavor (don’t overdo it or it will drown out the other flavors) or salt, if the dish needs an extra boost of overall flavor.
7. Divide into bowls and serve immediately. I usually serve mine with chili-garlic sauce or sriracha on the side. Leftovers store well in the refrigerator, covered, for 3 to 4 days (if you used purple cabbage, it might stain your scrambled eggs a funny blue color, but it’s fine to eat).
Who doesn’t love a bowl of warm chili on a cold day? Whether it’s at a potluck or après-ski, chili is a fall and winter favorite. According to data from Statista, 126 million people report having eaten prepared chili in 2021 (and that’s not counting any homemade chili).
Another go-to chili ingredient: chile peppers, which previous research suggests may help support metabolism and vascular health, thanks to its chemical capsaicin. Chile peppers also have a naturally spicy flavor and reduce the need for salt in your bowl. (Speaking of salt, opt for low- or no-sodium canned beans, and be sure to rinse them to keep this ingredient healthy for your ticker!)
That said, some chili ingredients don’t make the grade when it comes to nutrition. Ground beef and sausage, for instance, are both high in unhealthy saturated fats, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) notes, and these can increase “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and heart disease risk and stroke when eaten in excess, per MedlinePlus.
The good news is that with a few, simple swaps, you can make a delicious pot of chili that’s good for you, too! Try one of these seven recipes to warm you up. Or better yet, try them all.
Weird West comes from a new studio, WolfEye, but several of its members are famous for having created and worked on such immersive sim juggernauts as Dishonored and Prey while they were at Arkane. Weird West's isometric camera may give you a new outlook on the genre, but in many ways, this is the follow-up fans have been waiting for. Ripe for experimenting with its many interlocking systems, Weird West is also prime "how to" material. In this introductory guide, we'll help you get going with some key tips that should keep you alive in the weirdest of all westerns.
You can find some upgrade stations and services around the world, not just in Grackle
Early on in your first adventure as Jane, you'll head into the bustling town of Grackle. It's loaded with shops and services, but many of the important merchants and upgrade stations you need can be found around the world too. Sometimes this will be in areas that are friendly, like a wandering band of salespeople offering new health items and weapons. Other times, you may have to sneak into a hostile area to "borrow" their tanning station to craft new vests (armor), but just understand that when your pockets are full of loot or you need to upgrade your revolver, the sometimes far-off town of Grackle is not your only option.
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Prioritize buying a horse early to reduce travel times (and dodge some threats)
One thing you should get early in Grackle, however, is your own horse. Traveling across the open world happens on a map screen, and though this only takes a few seconds for you, it takes several hours--if not days--for the anti-heroes as whom you'll play. That may leave you vulnerable to roaming bandits, packs of wolves, shrieking wraiths, or any other such horrors. Buying a horse from the stable in Grackle means all traveling is much faster and reduces the likelihood of you running into a random event. Not all random events are bad, but normally you can elect to evade the bad ones, and a horse makes that easier.
While you can steal a horse whenever you see one, this behaves more like a rental. The horse will flee once you arrive at your next destination, leaving you high and dry. Buying your own horse means always having a quick and safer way to travel.
Be thankful for friends, beware of vendettas
The world of Weird West is impressively reactive. One of the ways the game's cause and effect system reveals itself is in the allies and enemies you make along the way. Save a stranger from certain death? They may become your Friend For Life and arrive in the middle of some future showdown to save your hide.
On the flipside, killing a gang leader may cause one of their cronies to swear vengeance. They'll try to flee the scene of your bloodbath, and if they're able to get away, they'll lie in wait, springing on you at some unknown time in the future, perhaps when you can least afford to be jumped like that. While killing a gang leader first can be helpful--some gang members will flee and not plot their revenge--always understand the risk. Some people hold a serious grudge.
Your tools won't last forever
Weapons can be upgraded, but you need not worry about them degrading. Shovels, skinning tools, and pickaxes, however, break after enough use. You'll need shovels for digging up treasure (or the bodies holding it), skinning tools to skin hunted animals, and pickaxes to mine rare gems that you can sell to ore buyers in major towns. These are important to have at all times for these reasons, but try to either have an extra or, if you can't spare a slot, look around your area for extras, ideally before your tools break down. NPCs are liable to leave these tools hanging out in mines, graveyards, or anywhere else about town.
Retrieve your arrows after you shoot them
For those seeking a silent attack, the bow is a great choice. But ammo is always limited in Weird West, which means picking your shots is important. Whether or not you hit your target, you can retrieve your arrows--assuming you can find them. Though it can be tricky to track down your arrows after a shootout, once an area is clear, that's a great time to dig for rare loot anyway, so you may as well spend a moment trying to find your arrows too.
Buy a deposit box at the Grackle bank to unlock extra inventory slots
You'll start the game with 48 inventory slots, and there's plenty of certified "junk" you'll want to pick up to sell to stores, not to mention all the food to carry, weapons to holster, and passive ability cards to find and hold onto. These things all share your one inventory, so to conserve space, buy a safety deposit box at the bank in Grackle. For $150--or about the price of one completed bounty--you'll unlock an extra 32 slots. This is more like a personal cache that stays in town, so you can't access these items while you're on the road, but it's great for stashing ores or other valuables for which you have plans but don't need quite yet.
Am I late for the debate on item degradation in games?
Towns shut down at night, so wait until morning to shop... or use the five-finger discount
When the sun goes down, shopkeepers will head to bed. That means your shopping spree will have to wait a few in-game hours. You can loiter (pass time), sleep (pass time and regain Action Points), or, if you're not worried about your character's moral compass going busted, you can use the quiet and cover of darkness to check out each store's terrific sale prices--100% off all inventory. Yes, stealing is an option, and made easier at night when no one is around to watch you do it. Note, though, you'll often need a specific key, which you can usually find in the daytime while the shop is open. Also note that your companions have their own moral compass to follow, and your ne'er-do-well goings-on may upset your pals.
Enemies usually won't see you above ground level--unless they're up there too
Level design reigns supreme in an immersive sim, and that's true in Weird West like it is in all worthwhile games of this nature. When standing above enemies, like on a roof, they won't see or hear you. You can use this to set traps, jump on them and knock them out, or sneak past them--choices are plentiful. Just be aware that enemies at or above your level--say, on a rooftop patio across the yard--are liable to spot you if you're within their vision range. You can track all of this data on the mini-map. If an NPC has no vision cone, they're on a different level from you. If they do have a vision cone, stay out of it!
Bounties are the fastest way to make money
The early game demands a lot of money from you, and you won't easily amass the necessary funds by selling leftover spoons and forks. The fastest way to deepen your pockets is to complete bounties (orange missions in the mission log). The bounty board repopulates every few in-game days, and each bounty tends to go for $100-150--sometimes more. Since your eventual horse costs around $300, the deposit box sets you back $150, and an early mission requires you to hand over $300, the cost of early progress can seem steep. But by taking out a few early bounties, you'll have all that settled with money leftover.
Side quests can be found all over
If your bounty board is ever exhausted and you're between main story missions due to one prerequisite or another, you can enhance your wallet and figurative moral compass even more with the game's many side quests. Visit secondary locations, stop on the road when you're given the choice, and talk to everyone you come across. You never know when someone needs help freeing their husband from jail--or just freeing their coat from a closet.
Completing bounties are the best way to fatten your wallet early and often.
This isn't your basic twin-stick shooter, so get creative
As mentioned, this is an immersive sim, not a shooter. Though guns-blazing is always an option, the game is likely going to be more enjoyable if you solve problems using your head as much as your rifle or boot knife. Shoot out lamps to spread grassfires, kick corrosive oil barrels onto unsuspecting enemies, persuade enemies to fight by your side, or find new ways to overcome obstacles that maybe no one else has thought of. Once I laid a trap for a bounty, then went exploring for loot, only to be alerted that my target had died off-screen, well down the street. None of the game's several protagonists resembles Agent 47 in body, but he is with them all in spirit.
Use save scumming often
Not sure what a particular action will result in? Thinking of trying some risky rescue maneuver to free a friend from harm? Want to see what happens if you just straight up kill the sheriff? With Weird West's welcoming quick save feature and several save slots, you are free to experiment as much as you'd like. When things go sour, just revert to an old save. Save scumming is an encouraged part of the game. The game's systems are a well-oiled machine, but they're still susceptible to having a wrench thrown in and causing chaos. Throw that proverbial wrench, see how it goes, then fix things by reverting to a moment more under control.
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Junior forward Ben Meyers of the University of Minnesota was named one of three finalists for the 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, the Hobey Baker Award Committee announced today (Thursday, March 31). Meyer joins junior forward Bobby Brink from Denver and senior goaltender Dryden McKay from Minnesota State in the Hobey Hat Trick.
The three finalists were selected from the initial list of top ten candidates that included Michigan teammates Matty Beniers and Luke Hughes. Criteria for the award includes: displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game; strength of character on and off the ice; sportsmanship and scholastic achievements. The 42nd annual announcement will be televised live on the NHL Network at 6 p.m. ET and streamed at hobeybaker.com on Friday, April 8.
A native of Delano, Minn., Meyers is the second Gopher Hockey player to be named a Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist after Jordan Leopold in 2002 (the first year the final three candidates was announced) – Leopold went on to win the honor before leading the Gophers to a national championship that season and is Minnesota's most recent Hobey Baker Award winner after Neal Broten (1981), Robb Stauber (1988) and Brian Bonin (1996).
Meyers was named the 2021-22 Big Ten Player of the Year and a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection after leading Minnesota to the Big Ten regular-season championship (Minnesota's fifth in the nine-year history of the Big Ten Conference) and an NCAA tournament appearance for the second-straight year.
The U.S. Olympian has led the Gophers back to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time since 2014 after winning the NCAA Worcester Regional last weekend. Minnesota's captain led the regional with four points (one goal, three assists) and scored the overtime winner against defending national champion UMass on Friday to earn a spot on the All-Regional Team.
Meyers leads Minnesota with 17 goals and 41 points (both career highs for the junior) in 33 games as the first Gopher to post 40 or more points in a season since All-Americans Rem Pitlick (45) and Tyler Sheehy (41) in 2018-19. In 101 games with Minnesota, Meyers has tallied 95 points (39 goals, 56 assists). Meyers has found the scoresheet in 24 of 33 games this season including 13 multi-point games.
A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (earning the honor every year he has been eligible), Meyers holds a 3.54 cumulative grade point average while majoring in entrepreneurial management in the Carlson School of Management.
America is in the grips of a severe housing shortage. Tens of millions of people are newly in the market for a home or apartment thanks to the pandemic rescue packages and the strong labor market. At the same time, however, the country is badly short of housing inventory thanks to the decade-long collapse in residential investment after the housing bubble popped. Meanwhile, there is booming demand for larger places to make room for home offices, given that most white-collar jobs seem to be settling into a new normal of at least part-time working from home.
It all means that at the end of last year, average rents were rising at about 10 percent per year, and average home prices were shooting up almost twice that fast. That in turn is exacerbating the crisis of homelessness across the country—not to mention the rate of inflation. What is to be done?
One answer is social housing. Four years ago, I co-authored a paper with Saoirse Gowan for the People’s Policy Project making the case for this idea, and I thought it would be a good time to check in around the country to see if it’s caught on anywhere. (Peter Dreier wrote a similar article for the Prospect at around the same time.) Somewhat to my surprise, the answer is yes—and not just in blue states.
But before I get to that, what are we talking about? Social housing is just government-owned housing—but unlike American-style public housing, it’s available to people of all incomes instead of just the low-income. Such projects have been around for over a century in Europe, and have several big advantages. First, social housing is self-financing. For instance, a typical setup would be a project composed of one-third heavily subsidized units, one-third moderately subsidized, and one-third market rate. The income from the market rate units (and the medium units in more expensive markets) is then used to cover maintenance and operating expenses. A project therefore wouldn’t need continual state subsidies, which play into toxic welfare stereotypes. Moreover, those subsidies may be cut off at any time—witness the gigantic maintenance backlog in existing public-housing units, recently estimated at about $80 billion, after the federal government slashed funding.
More importantly, the economics of social housing mean that it could be built at needed scale. It’s this that has especially attracted Sean Parker, a city council member in Nashville, of all places. In his city, home prices roughly doubled between 2009 and 2019, he says, and the “pandemic boom brought in even more out-of-state buyers who are outbidding locals, making cash offers, and waiving contingencies.” And whereas home subsidies are expensive and add to rent pressure, “social housing captures the rents and rolls them back into the program. The public property portfolio grows. Residents get decent, stable housing they can count on long-term. It’s a win-win.” He hasn’t gotten enough support from the council or the mayor to actually start, alas.
Indeed, governments wouldn’t even need to appropriate much (or any) money for the initial construction, because they could float a bond against future rental incomes. Montgomery County, Maryland, has actually done this on a modest scale. It’s taken a small grant program from the state government, providing about $3 million a year, used that to back a bond, and then built hundreds of cross-subsidized units—a huge number given the tiny initial capital. As housing writer Paul Williams notes, “one of the first projects [the county] will be building with this model is 268-units of a new passivhaus certified development adjacent to a bus rapid transit line.” (Passivhaus is an ultra-efficient energy standard for buildings’ energy usage.)
That leads to a second advantage: By reducing housing costs, social housing delivers supply to all segments of the market simultaneously. The housing shortage in many American cities is so severe that even families with comfortably upper-middle-class incomes often struggle to afford rent or a mortgage payment. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates that even before the pandemic, in the New York City-Jersey City area about 49 percent of renters were cost-burdened (meaning they pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent), and 27 percent were severely cost-burdened (or paying more than half their income).
These extreme housing costs mean an ever larger portion of a city’s economic product goes into the pockets of landlords or bankers who do little to earn it, and who tend to save rather than spend as they are much richer than average. Low rents and home prices, by contrast, yield more disposable income for ordinary folks whose spending creates businesses and jobs locally.
The broad constituency that would be helped by social housing is especially attractive in California, which has perhaps the worst housing crisis in the country. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area, for instance, 54 percent of renters were cost-burdened in 2019, and 30 percent are severely burdened. It’s the central reason why California Assemblymember Alex Lee recently introduced a social-housing bill along the lines noted above, which has attracted wide interest. The bill “has acquired support from California’s biggest public-sector union, the renters’ council, the nurses, and the construction workers unions who are major strongholds in the legislature along with other housing groups,” says Darrell Owens, a policy analyst for California YIMBY, a housing think tank that advocates for more construction.
Another benefit for social housing is that it creates socioeconomic integration. Rather than poverty being warehoused in slums or run-down public-housing projects, social housing mixes people of all incomes together. That avoids not only gentrification, where rising home prices push out existing residents, but also concentrated poverty, which is associated with all kinds of social ills.
Social integration is a big motivation behind a Seattle effort to get social housing through a ballot initiative. This week a group called House Our Neighbors filed to get such a measure on the ballot this year, and started collecting signatures. In a statement, they said that without it, “rent continues to rise, more of our neighbors are pushed into homelessness, Black and Brown communities are displaced and low-wage workers are pushed out of the city.”
A final benefit worth mentioning is that social housing stabilizes the construction sector. America is experiencing a substantial boom in housing construction right now, but as noted, it’s coming after an entire decade of severe underinvestment. It will take years to catch up on the backlog of needed inventory, and construction spending is not going nearly as far as it might have because the construction industry has only barely recovered from its massive collapse after the housing bubble, and the red-hot market has bid up the price of materials like lumber. If we had been building social-housing units for the last decade, there would be a great deal more inventory, it would have come at a much cheaper cost, and it would have reduced the severity of the Great Recession substantially.
So far, of course, social-housing projects are very small compared to the vast size of the United States, and the idea faces steep uphill battles even in liberal California. But given how many very serious problems can be solved through social housing, it’s easy to imagine it spreading quite rapidly.
Montgomery County proves that the idea can work, and Parker estimates that he has between three and five potential allies on his city council. “Nashville can move heaven and earth to build a new NFL stadium or support a corporate relocation. We can build housing, too,” he says.
People planning to retire in the near future, those already retired and some transitioning to the post-work life have greater concerns about their investments than ever before.
Geopolitical events, the surge in inflation and the expected increases in interest rates understandably are causing people to worry about where their money is going and whether it will grow sufficiently to meet their retirement needs. But they shouldn’t let outside forces they can’t control overwhelm their ability to prioritize, adjust and invest wisely.
Here are six tips that can subtract anxiety and add more certainty to your investment strategy when you are nearing or in retirement:
1. Don’t give in to knee-jerk reactions
Turn off the mainstream media financial news programs and random Google searches. They are meant to stoke fear because fear gets viewers and readers. If you listen long enough or read lots of negative financial news, there’s a greater chance that you’ll end up making an ill-advised, poorly timed decision about your investments. Instead, let the curiosity that media sparks lead you to search out personalized advice.
2. Differentiate your money between short-term and long-term
People tend to treat all of their money the same. The financial industry sets it up that way in how it trains advisers. For example, some advisers will tell people that if they have $1 million, they can withdraw a certain percentage of that money every year and be fine. But that approach leads retirees to think that it’s all one pot of money that works just the same, regardless of what type of account they have used for their savings and how the account is invested.
This creates an incomplete picture because, in reality, they will use some money in the short term and some in the long term. For starters, simply by separating the money into those two time frames can help craft a smarter investment and income-distribution strategy.
3. Shore up your income streams
The transition from work to retirement is understandably uncomfortable. Before retirement, you got a steady paycheck from work, but in retirement, you want your money to do the paycheck work so you can go play. Shoring up retirement income streams gives retirees the comfort of knowing they have a certain amount coming in every month and every quarter. That security can change their whole emotional outlook in retirement. It can be the key to having more confidence to do the things they want to do.
It could be helpful to think differently about a retirement income stream. Instead of thinking about it as a percentage of withdrawal from accounts, consider dedicating resources over different periods of time.
For instance, you could have a segment of assets for use in the near term that are not dependent on the stock market, such as cash-like instruments that work similar to a CD, money market fund, or bond. Stock volatility gets discussed about every night on the news and can lead retirees to emotionally respond to their investments and income in line with the ups and downs. If you have income streams separate from the stock market, you are not beholden to market whipsaws.
4. Invest in quality companies for the long term
Because of inflation, longevity, expenses and all the things you want to do in retirement, your money needs to grow over the long term. An enjoyable retirement depends largely on realizing steady growth from investments; therefore, retirees should be invested in some amount of equities.
Investing in quality companies can build investor confidence in retirement because the investor knows what they own. Time has shown that the valid and sustainable investment approach can be to focus on businesses with a sustainable competitive advantage, solid management, fair value for the price and a long-proven track record of navigating economic cycles.
5. Focus on being tax-efficient
Which asset “bucket” you draw money from and the potential tax implications of when you take it to meet retirement income needs should be factored in to your overall retirement plan. Being tax-efficient could make a big difference in your usable dollars. In fact, how much money you’re able to use after taxes could matter more in retirement than how much money you have or how much it grows.
To be tax-efficient, you need to have your money thoughtfully divided into three different buckets:
The tax-free bucket (including Roth accounts and life insurance), which doesn’t get taxed at all when withdrawn.
The tax-deferred bucket (IRAs and 401(k) accounts, etc.), which get taxed at your ordinary income tax rates.
Taxable buckets (brokerage accounts), where the gains get taxed at capital gains tax rates.
You should consider investing differently in each of those buckets based on the tax implications of the accounts and strategize when to pull money from each of them so you can maximize for tax-efficient withdrawals.
6. Let integrated planning help you make sound decisions
A solid investment strategy is about more than what is in your portfolio and its percentage return; it must be integrated into your overall income, investing and tax retirement plan. This is where the additional value of an adviser can be realized. Most advisers don't do integrated planning and, therefore, tend to miss opportunities to maximize income withdrawals, investing efficiency and tax minimization.
The tendency of advisers is to sell a product and simply gather assets to manage a portfolio, leading many to conclude that a portfolio balance or investment prospectus is a plan. The characterization of a product, whether it’s life insurance, annuities, a mutual fund or individual stock holdings, collectively does not constitute a plan. An integrated plan looks at five essential dimensions of retirement design: income, investing, taxes, protection and legacy. It’s one thing to just talk about planning and a completely another thing to have integrated planning that weaves all the pieces together.
When the paycheck from work is gone, your portfolio needs to take over the work for you in retirement. It’s worth it to review your investments at regular intervals to make sure you are taking advantage of the income, investing and tax opportunities that might be available to you.
This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.
Co-founder, Wealth With No Regrets
Barry H. Spencer is a Registered Investment Adviser and co-creator of Wealth With No Regrets® (www.wealthwithnoregrets.com). He has appeared on national and regional programs as a financial educator, author, speaker and specialist in estate strategies and charitable giving.
The appearances in Kiplinger were obtained through a PR program. The columnist received assistance from a public relations firm in preparing this piece for submission to Kiplinger.com. Kiplinger was not compensated in any way.
DES MOINES, Iowa — A Republican lawmaker told Iowans not to be fooled by a “legislative trick” that allows legislators to appear to be against eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines but does not pin down their true position.
“That was a legislative trick to cloak the actual thinkings and positions of legislators and to obfuscate that from the view of the people,” Shipley said.
Shipley’s comments came toward the end of more than two hours of speeches from landowners, environmentalists and legislators who are against the use of eminent domain to obtain right-of-way for pipeline projects developed by private companies.
Shipley said he would like to see a roll-call vote on the issue and said the 10-month moratorium that was passed does not provide adequate protection for landowners.
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Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton, offered the amendment to an appropriations bill, House File 2565 .
There are three carbon capture pipelines in the works in Iowa. Summit Carbon Solutions is the only company that has filed for a permit with the Iowa Utilities Board.
Summit has plans for a pipeline that would capture carbon from ethanol plants in Iowa and four other states and transport the liquid carbon dioxide to North Dakota, where it would be stored underground.
Iowa Sen. Jeff Taylor, whose district is in northwest Iowa, said the delay on hearings until February 2023 does little for landowners in the path of the pipeline. With the next legislative session not starting until mid-January, “that will give us two weeks — two weeks to solve the problem. That’s not going to happen.”
Some speakers noted that moratorium would delay the issue past mid-term elections for some legislators and that the Iowa Utilities Board was unlikely to take significant action on Summit’s permit before February anyway.
Taylor, who previously offered a bill that would strip eminent domain authority from the Iowa Utilities Board, said the moratorium should be pushed back to the end of the session.
“I would like some kind of protections, at the very least, against harassment for landowners,” Taylor said.
That drew applause from the crowd, who also heard complaints from landowners about pipeline company surveyors being on their property without seeking permission. There were also concerns about safety involving the hazardous liquid carbon dioxide.
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The crowd did include representatives of labor unions who are supportive of the jobs the project would provide.
The Summit Carbon Solutions website says there would be 681 miles of pipeline in Iowa as part of the 2,000 mile, $4.5 billion project that includes four other states — Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Summit says the project will benefit the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and will help the ethanol industry and ag economy thrive.
In response to a request for comment on the legislative action, Summit issued this statement: “Since late last year, Summit Carbon Solutions has worked closely with Iowa landowners to create a mutually beneficial partnership. Summit has signed easements on more than 100 miles of the proposed route in Iowa. Additionally, we are currently finalizing agreements that include an additional 70 miles of the proposed route in the state. We continue to focus on securing voluntary easements to … move the project forward as scheduled.”
Summit would like to begin construction in 2023 and be operational in 2024.
Summit Carbon Solutions is an offshoot of Summit Agricultural Group, led by Bruce Rastetter, a significant donor to Republican candidates in Iowa. But speakers noted the Republican Party platform includes a stance against the right of eminent domain for private corporations.
Dan Tronchetti, a farmer from Green County, said the pipeline will hurt property values for property developers and farmers.
Tronchetti cited Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Her speech noted the Iowa state motto: “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain." And this line from her speech: “You shouldn’t have to wake up and worry about the next thing your government is going to do to you, your business or your children.”
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Then Tronchetti said: “I wake up every morning. Usually my first thought is, ‘How can I convince the IUB that this hazardous liquid CO2 pipeline is a mistake for the citizens of Iowa.’”
Let’s talk shallots! This member of the allium family is fairly interchangeable with all kinds of onions, but because of its milder flavor, it can, perhaps, be more versatile.
Think of shallots as bold onion’s more subtle cousin. If you want oniony flavor without the bite in salads and vinaigrettes, minced or thinly sliced raw shallots can step in. They deliver sweetness to sauces as well as slow-cooked or braised foods.
Below, you’ll find excellent recipes featuring shallots as toppings or add-ins, as well as dishes where shallots are prominently featured. Not seeing the right one for you? Search for “shallots” in our Recipe Finder.
Shallots Roasted With Sugar and Vinegar, pictured above. This recipe brings out all the humble shallot’s sweetness but then contrasts it with vinegar. Better yet, this is a great way to preserve shallots longer, as they have a shorter shelf life than other onions.
Slow-Roasted Whole Lemons. Why should you roast a whole lemon? Because doing so brings forth a type of rich, deep sweetness you can’t get from them raw. Why do you throw in a shallot? To help pull savory flavor forward.
Longer days and warmer weather have us thinking about heading outside, whether it’s for entertaining family and friends or simply relaxing and getting lost in our thoughts. Instagram is also full of images of enviable outdoor living spaces worthy of imitating. But what if you don’t know a fern from a fig tree?
If you want a nice backyard but feel intimidated by the idea of spending a lot of time, money and energy to get it, take heart. Even people who aren’t good with plants and landscaping can have an outdoor space that’s fit for entertaining. There are two main elements to creating a comfortable, low-maintenance yard: durable hardscaping that will stand up to the elements, and plants that don’t require much watering, pruning or skill to keep them looking good.
Without getting too in the weeds, here’s some basic guidance for designing an outdoor area that doesn’t require much upkeep — or money.
Affordable hardscaping
The first step is to establish the area where you’ll be doing your outdoor living.
“Figure out how you want to use your outdoor space,” says Tamara Belt, owner and landscape designer at Hawthorne Garden Design in D.C. “Are you sitting and having drinks? Is it a place where you cook and eat? Do you want a firepit? How many ‘rooms’ do you want?”
For city dwellers with a small backyard, a centered patio surrounded by a plant border is a classic layout. Suburban homeowners with a larger yard should think about zones: where to entertain, where to relax, where to have a grassy area for children. In this scenario, a patio off to the side will make the yard look bigger and give children more space to play.
Mulch is one of the most affordable hardscaping materials. For a simple outdoor gathering area, Belt recommends having a small firepit with a circular mulch pad surrounded by a stone perimeter to help delineate the space.
You can also DIY a patio with budget-friendly materials such as concrete pavers and pea gravel. Lay heavy-duty landscaping fabric before you put down pea gravel to prevent the tiny stones from sinking into the mud. Then nestle steppingstones among the rocks. If loose pebbles are a concern, an adhesive can be applied to keep them from scattering. Poured concrete pavers cut in shapes that mimic real stone are less expensive than natural materials such as Pennsylvania flagstone.
A more permanent option is a stone patio set in sand rather than wet concrete. It’s more expensive than pavers, pea gravel or a mulch pad, but it will stand the test of time. “It flexes with the ground, and you can repair it,” says Hugh Perry, a landscape designer and horticulturist with Meadows Farms in the D.C. area. Materials can include masonry, such as brick, flagstone, travertine or granite, and even porcelain tile.
While planning, consider how hardscaping will hold up year-round with precipitation. “Think about what it’s like when you have to shovel or there is ice,” Belt says. “A gravel pathway is great, but after a big snow, you can’t shovel that.”
Plants for all seasons
Once your hardscaping is in place, look for low-maintenance plants that don’t need much pruning and that do well with the hot summers and heavy rainfalls in the Mid-Atlantic.
Before buying, research plant size, as well as the rate and direction the plant will grow as it matures, to understand how much upkeep it requires. “You want to think about how this thing is moving through time,” says Perry, who recommends selecting plants that need to be trimmed once a year.
Remember that, in this case, it’s best to keep everything fairly simple and to focus on a few types of plantings. With more plant variety comes more work. “When people get into plants, they are a kid in a candy store,” Perry says. “They are buying too many varieties, and then they are just collecting plants.”
A large cluster of one type of plant will grow together and help suppress weeds. This also creates a more dramatic look. “You get the cherry blossom effect,” Perry says. “It’s high-impact.” This less-is-more approach is the foundation for a well-composed garden.
To keep your yard looking good year-round, plan for four seasons of interest. Belt recommends dividing your plantings, so one-quarter will be in their prime each season. For example, a small yard with 12 plants would have three plants each dedicated to spring, summer, fall and winter.
Around one-third of plantings should be structural plants, such as evergreens, Belt says. “These are the bones of the garden that will be present year-round and give it shape.” From there, you can layer plants with varying heights and textures for contrast. “Otherwise, you may end up with a bunch of plants lined up like books,” she says.
Flowers are only present for a short time, so don’t be wooed by big blooms at the nursery. Instead, take note of a plant’s shape and foliage. Spring and summer plants have great blossoms and fragrance, but for colder months it’s best to focus on colorful leaves, sculptural stems and berries.
As you plan, be aware of the differences between native, nonnative and invasive species. When it comes to plants, a certain amount of aggressiveness is good, because this keeps the weeds at bay. But beware of invasive plants in the region, such as purple loosestrife, autumn olive, Norway maple, tree of heaven and kudzu vines. They grow quickly, disrupting the local ecosystem by pushing out native species. Although many nonnative plants are not invasive and are beneficial for erosion control and water filtration, they don’t provide food for local pollinators and birds like their native counterparts do.
“Being native doesn’t mean it’s a more beautiful or a better plant, but we caution strongly against invasive plants,” Perry says.
Belt recommends the following plants for a low-maintenance, four-season outdoor space in the Mid-Atlantic:
RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Grocery prices continue to rise, but there are some ways you can lower that bill at checkout.
Extreme Coupons Reno, a Facebook group dedicated to helping people in Reno save money, shared a few tips.
Join or sign up for loyalty programs. Many stores in our area have them. They’ll send coupons your way and let you know about items on sale..
Stock up on things that make sense. For example, a grocery store may have a deal where you can get a discount by buying multiple items.. These are great opportunities to buy things on sale that are going to last awhile.
Keep an eye out for coupons. You can get them from loyalty programs., but you can also find them online, in-store, and on manufacturer websites..
Team up. Shopping at places like Costco or Sam’s Club means you can buy a lot of things for less.. Go shopping with friends and family and split the bill..
Look into rebate apps. These apps can get you cash back after showing proof you’ve bought some items. The group recommended apps called “E-Bates, Ibotta, and Checkout 51.
Keep an eye on social media. That includes Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also join money saving groups like Extreme Coupons Reno.
"What do you need to get work done?" Ask that question of any highly organized person, and they'll invariably say, "I need a tidy space." Keeping a neat and clean physical workspace is important to helping us focus and work productively. Our environment influences our behavior, mood, and state of mind. Research shows that being in a good mood boosts our ability to complete tasks with greater accuracy and not to give up on difficult tasks too quickly. So, if you want to feel ready to tackle the day, start with a neat desk.
If you aren't organized by nature, it can be really hard to keep a neat desk, especially if you work from home—or study at home—and don't have much separation between your time off and your productive time. The good news is that it doesn't take much in terms of money or effort to tidy up your workspace. Most of the suggestions below are either low-cost or free if you have a few items to reuse or upcycle. You don't have to spend money on fancy organizers or a new desk. If you have a shoebox that's in fair shape and other household items, you can make your desk a little bit tidier. Anything you might need to buy can be easily found online, at an office supply store, or at a hardware store for a couple of bucks.
1. Digitize Ruthlessly
The number one way to keep a desk clean and clear is to prevent clutter from piling up in the first place. So what piles up on your desk or table? For many people, it's paper. Going paperless isn't as tough as it sounds. When you get a piece of paper, scan it, and make a digital copy immediately—or at least within a week of receiving it—and then file, shred, or recycle it. A few of the best mobile scanning apps are free, so you can turn paper into digital documents with your phone.
Organizing the scanned documents is another process. An easy way to start is to put newly scanned items into a folder either labeled "Inbox" or by date, such as "Year" or "YearMonth." For example, 202204 corresponds to April 2022. If you put scanned documents into an Inbox folder, the idea is you'll deal with them another day. If you put them into a folder labeled with a date, the idea is you'll be able to look for documents that you need based on when you received them or when they were roughly relevant.
2. Use Velcro to Mount Items Not in Use
We picked up this tip from prototype designer Zack Freedman: He put one piece of a strip of Velcro on the back of his Bluetooth keyboard and the other strip on the side of his desk. That way, when he needs to use his soldering iron, the electronics are neatly out of the way. Even if you aren't melting metal, you can still use this trick for a keyboard and other small items. Be sure to put the soft side of the Velcro on the device or item so that it doesn't scratch up your desk when it's attached. And don't use this trick on varnished desks, as it could ruin the finish.
3. Keep a Microfiber Cloth on Hand (Preferably a Big One)
A microfiber cloth is a must-have item on any computer work desk. Use it to remove smudges from your monitor, webcam, phone, and glasses. At the end of the day, drape it over your keyboard or monitor to protect it from dust.
4. Bundle Wires and Cables With Velcro One-Wraps
Musicians, who know all too well the pain of keeping wires and cables organized, swear by Velcro One-Wraps. I do, too. These little multipurpose wonders cost a few dollars for a five-pack in various colors or all black. Use them to keep charging cables bundled neatly or to rein in excess cord length dangling behind your computer. You can buy extra-long cord wraps and secure wires to the leg of a desk to keep them from dangling. One-Wraps make your workspace tidy quickly. In a pinch, rubber bands can be a good substitute, although they degrade after about a year.
5. Upcycle Containers to Store Odds and Ends
You know those tins, decorative boxes, and packaging you keep because you think they’ll be useful someday? Today's the day. Upcycle boxes and containers to store odds and ends such as paper clips, charging cables, or whatever accumulates on your desk. Stackable containers make it even tidier. For larger items, try a shoebox or tissue box with the top cut off. Add a pop of color and design by covering your boxes in gift wrap or self-stick wallpaper.
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6. Label Folders, Chargers, and Other Items
Organized people love label makers. When you label things around your desk, office, and home, it's easier to find what you need quickly, as well as to put it in its place. Label folders or sections of an accordion binder to keep all the papers you can't recycle or shred, such as birth certificates, titles, deeds, and wills. Label chargers, and never argue again about whose phone charger is the one with the frayed end. A good home-use label maker costs as much as you want to spend. For example, the Epson LabelWorks LW-PX300 (which got top marks in our testing) costs $89, but perfectly good models that are smaller or slightly older from companies such as HP and Dynamo cost about $25. You could also buy a sheet of adhesive labels (about $12 to $15 for 100 sheets) and run them through your printer or write on them by hand.
7. Hang or Guide Wires With Command Hooks
Wall hooks and coaxial cable clips keep cords organized by guiding them along baseboards, behind furniture, and up walls. They work wonders not only for desks but also for home entertainment systems. Command brand hooks are great because they have a sticky backing that peels off easily when you pull down on the tab to remove them. Coaxial cable clips work just as well, if not better, but you have to hammer into your walls and furniture to secure them.
8. Use Drawers, Cabinets, and Bookshelves
It always surprises me when the top of someone's desk is a disaster, and yet they have an empty drawer inside that very same desk. People tend to leave stuff on their desks when they can't or don't want to throw it away, or when they are procrastinating dealing with it. If you want a neat desk, however, you have to find a place for miscellaneous items. And the best space could be right under your nose. If your desk has cabinets or drawers, are they full? Could you take everything from your desk, place it into shoeboxes or folders and slide it all into your desk drawers or cabinets? If you have a bookshelf nearby, it might have some free space, too. Make use of all the spaces you already have!
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If you have dreams of becoming a millionaire, you shouldn't overlook the Roth IRA (individual retirement account). The contribution limits may be small compared to other accounts, but your investments can take your portfolio to the next level.
The Roth IRA allows you to contribute post-tax money toward your retirement goals now so you can unwrap tax-free rewards during retirement. It's a sweet deal if you expect your tax bill to skyrocket in the future. If you're ready to make the most of your account, don't skip these three tips.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Start as early as possible
You can jump-start your retirement savings early if you have a Roth IRA. There are no age restrictions to contribute to a Roth IRA. However, you must have earned income if you want to contribute to the account. This makes it easy for an adult to open a custodial Roth IRA for a child as soon as they start making money.
The benefits of a Roth IRA can be sweeter if you start early. Here's how fast you can achieve $1 million using these assumptions:
Age: 11
Annual contribution: $6,000
Investment rate of return: 8%
By the time you turn 46, you can have around $1.03 million in your account. However, early-withdrawal penalties will apply to the earnings in the account if you take money out before you reach 59 1/2.
If you missed out on early contributions to a Roth IRA, you still have time to pump up your portfolio. Let's say you start contributing to the account when you turn 30 and earn a higher rate of return.
Age: 30
Annual contribution: $6,000
Investment rate of return: 10%
At age 61, you can have over $1 million in your account and you'll be able to withdraw every penny 100% tax-free.
The goal is to give yourself as much time as possible to reach your financial goals. The earlier you start, the easier it is to reach your million-dollar jackpot.
2. Don't forgo contributions
If you qualify to make direct contributions to a Roth IRA, take full advantage of this opportunity now. You won't be able to make direct contributions to a Roth IRA after your income shoots past the limit.
For 2022, you can contribute up to $6,000 to a Roth IRA if you're under 50. The IRS allows you to contribute an extra $1,000 after you turn 50.
Although maxing out your retirement account will give you more money to invest, it's not mandatory. Review your finances and determine what makes sense for you. The last thing you want to worry about is withdrawing from your account because you are not able to fund your short-term goals. But if you're in good financial shape, it doesn't hurt to take your contributions to the next level.
The key here is to take actions that can put you in a better financial position later and provide you with more options.
3. Invest your Roth IRA contributions wisely
If you want to get closer to a $1 million nest egg, you can't allow your contributions to relax in your account. You have to put your money to work by investing in high-quality assets that align with your goals and risk tolerance.
Here are some investment options you may have access to in your Roth IRA:
Although it's tempting to stick to one investment type and call it a day, it's important to diversify your portfolio. You don't want to depend on a few assets to help you reach your million-dollar treasure. The investments you choose for your Roth IRA can allow you to supercharge your portfolio and accumulate the profits and income you seek.
Don't let your Roth IRA go to waste
If a Roth IRA fits into your life plan, don't ignore it any longer. It can be key to funding your dream lifestyle in retirement without having to worry about taxes. Start as early as you can and let the power of compounding support you on your journey to a million-dollar Roth IRA. Even if you missed making contributions in your early years, you can still maximize your Roth IRA and unlock tax-free earnings during retirement.
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