The Planning Process - Phase II

Estate Planning Phase II... Checklist

Most individuals do not put estate planning or budgeting in writing. In a previous article on the planning process we discussed putting things in writing and updating as the need arises. Phase II you will need to complete is the estate planning checklist. Put this information in a separate book for your records.

You need to have a current will or trust, establish your living wills, make provisions for executor/executrix of your estate, assign a guardian for your children (in the event of simultaneous deaths), name all beneficiaries, and assign any successor trustees (like a bank trust department). Wills, which only become effective after death, and trusts should be reviewed every three to five years. You can find all of this outlined in my book in a fill in the blanks format, and complete with explanations .

Furthermore, a will does not provide for incapacitation (the ability to make short-or long-term decisions for yourself); it becomes court appointed in which case the court makes financial decisions on your behalf. Your IRA or 401K beneficiary designation can and will override your will or trust, so make sure you have spelled out what you want. In addition you need proper health and investment proxies, and power of attorney for you and your spouse (each of you has one) to provide direction for and control of your financial decisions. You will also need the following:

o Safekeeping for children's and your and your spouse's original birth certificates o Life insurance for estate taxes and living expenses for surviving spouse o A copy of your trust or will with all proper insurance policy numbers, brokerage accounts, bank accounts, annuities, and any other investments deemed important-and a video of your wishes to leave no doubt of your intentions-with your attorney or executor o Life insurance on children (to guarantee insurability) o Long-term health care provisions, durable power of attorney for health and investment directives o Adequate homeowner's insurance o Mortgage insurance o Umbrella policy (for additional liability coverage) o Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds (if you own certificates, put them in street name with a brokerage firm) o Disability insurance (find out how much it covers and for how long) o Long-term care policies o IRA or other qualified plans-proper beneficiaries (spouse, trusts, and so on) o Out-of-state property (find out probate rules and whether it's in trust) o Annuities, investments o Safe-deposit box with copies of social security numbers and birth certificates o Business succession plan, key-man insurance, buy-sell agreements (determine who takes over in the event of your death) o Current budget (review annually) o Current retirement budget (review annually) o A filing system that identifies all categories such as auto, insurance, expenses, credit cards, investments, receipts, and any other pertinent information

Any kind of success comes from understanding what you are doing, good organizational skills (this can be taught), and putting things in writing. Of course you must actually complete your plan then follow through with monitoring and updating your plan and goals at least once per year.

Best of luck,

Frank J. Eberhart

Cooking With Sage

Who Knew Cooking With Sage Could Be So Healthy?

It must be some ancient secret of grandmothers everywhere. Cooking with sage not only enhances the flavor of a traditional thanksgiving dinner of turkey and stuffing, but it has some amazing health benefits. Pretty sneaky, Grandma! And, it's not just turkey and stuffing. Cooking with sage can actually bring out the flavors of nearly all meats and citrus dishes. We're not the first to discover this, of course. Sage actually has a pretty colorful history, not just in epicurean circles either.

Where Does it Come From

There are several varieties of sage that are actually indigenous to different parts of the world. When cooking with sage though, there are usually to varieties that most people refer to: Winter Sage and Summer Sage. Most experts agree these spawned from the Mediterranean region, as the Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians all have history with the medicinal value of the herb. There is one particular variety, native to Central America, that your grandmother is probably less likely to use (unless she's really hip and open-minded), and that's a hallucinogenic breed. It's usually used for spiritual practices, and not so much for cooking.

Healing Benefits

Sage has one of the longest histories of any medicinal or culinary herb out there. One of the main reasons the Romans started eating it with meat was for the herb's ability to break down fats and help with digestion. It is also credited with enhancing memory and brain speed, if ingested. It's also been discovered that cooking with sage can reduce the effects of menopause, relax the nervous system, ease arthritis, and bring down fevers. Topically, the herb can be used to slow or stop bleeding and clean flesh wounds.

Three More Health Benefits of Sage

o Can be used as a gargle to help cure sore throats and cough

o Used to cure kidney infections

o Can be effective against nervous headaches

Different Ways to Enjoy Sage

Sage is a delicious herb that can be used to enhance virtually any meal. While cooking with sage is a great way to enjoy it, the French are credited with also creating a sage tea that has been enjoyed all over the world. In fact, the Chinese coveted the tea so much, they used to trade four bags of Chinese tea for just one bag of the French sage tea.

Recipes to Try Today

As mentioned before, cooking with sage is epitomized with Sage Stuffing. Take a look at this internet favorite and feel free to get creative with it. This will make 8-10 servings and will only take about an hour to prepare-3 ½ hours total preparation time.

Sage Stuffing

Ingredients:

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup turkey giblet stock

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 turkey liver or 3 chicken livers, trimmed and finely chopped

1 cup unsalted butter

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 cups coarsely crumbled buttermilk corn bread

8 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Spread all bread crumbs in 2 shallow baking pans and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven until dry, Cool crumbs in pans on racks, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in parsley, sage, salt, and pepper.

Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat. Add onions and liver and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened. Add celery and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with crumbs and toss well. Add eggs, stock, and cream and toss it again.

Transfer stuffing to a buttered 2 1/2- to 3-quart shallow baking dish. Bake, covered, in middle of oven for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until browned, about 30 minutes more.

Quick Sage Rub

Ready to be the hit of the party? Next time you cook any kind of meat, try this quick and easy rub that will enhance the flavor of any meal and make it seem as though you had been slaving away for hours.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of salt

1 tablespoon of dried sage

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

(that's it!)

Combine the three ingredients and rub them on the meat of your choice. Cook to taste.

Sage is one those herbs that you would gladly eat even if it didn't have the huge range of health benefits that it does. Incorporating it into your diet will please your taste buds, as well as your immune system.

Death From Alcohol Abuse - Not a Pretty Way to Die

I have watched people I love struggle with alcohol abuse. The help offered seemed so useless. Go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and get a grip seemed to be the only advice. I attended meetings and as a registered marriage and family therapist did more than I ever thought possible to help.

So many doctors and health professionals think AA is the single treatment option. It is definitely not the only way. It is also not a very effective way to treat alcohol abuse. AA's success rate is approximately 3 percent. (Brown, Treatment Doesn't Work, 1991).

The premise of Alcoholics Anonymous involves blaming the victim and relinquishing power. It also has a spiritual component that many people dislike. It is repetitive, the meetings can become addictive and guilt inducing.

Melanie Solomon has written AA - Not the Only Way; Your One Stop Resource Guide to 12-Step Alternatives with many options that are available listed and explained. Her clear writing style and explanation of the different approaches is a great assistance in knowing which option might best suit any given situation. It is also a comprehensive directory of licensed professionals and treatment programs throughout the US and internationally that offer solutions beyond just the traditional AA 12-step approach.

I wish this book had been available when I was struggling to help. Apparently 4 percent of the people who attend AA meetings never return after their first time. After all the effort to get one's self or loved one to attend, that is a shocking figure. How very sad!

Melanie proclaims she is in no way affiliated with any of the treatment programs, philosophies, methods, etc. and she makes no claim to their success. She couldn't possibly. There are so many. She does however offer self-help options and gives contact information for the resources she lists. She happily accepts new resources to add to her list.

If 95 percent of people never return to AA after the first year and most people are unaware of other resources, enough of the problems are not getting solved. The word needs to spread far and wide so people know that there are many options to help deal with addictions.

Brian injury due to Wernicke's Syndrome/Korsakoff's Syndrome is a brain disorder resulting in the loss of short term memory and is associated with heavy drinking over a long time period. Because other brain functioning can remain intact this loss of ability to make reasonable decisions because facts cannot be stored can result in inappropriate treatment decisions. I believe many street people are living in appalling conditions because they sound reasonable in short conversations but in fact are making up stories to cover what they cannot recall. Their ability to take care of themselves is poor but caregivers and doctors are fooled by their ability to cover their problems with confabulations. A confabulation is a fantasy that has replaced reality and may be based partly on fact or be a complete creation of the imagination.

The loss of self respect, hope and belief in a positive future are part of the problem. AA tries to convince them they are hopeless, can never fully recover and will always be an alcoholic. I know this makes the guilt and desire to escape more intense for many.

Help can be more effective when the individual feels empowered by the ability to make their own choices and knowing there are choices is the first step. Accepting that the person is suffering and that they really do believe their lies because they cannot remember their truth, is also a compassionate part of helping. Confronting and humiliating isn't the answer. Protecting, engaging and offering options is much more likely to assist in a way that prevents the inevitability of self destruction.

Take the first step and buy and share AA - Not the Only Way; Your One Stop Resource Guide to 12-Step Alternatives by Melanie Solomon. http://www.aanottheonlyway.com.

The Association for Addiction Professionals, is the largest membership organization serving addiction counsellors, educators and other addiction-focused health care professionals in the US. They specialize in addiction prevention, treatment and education. NAADAC is now selling Melanie's book on their site. http://naadac.org/.

If you prefer a self-help guide, buy My Way Out by Roberta Jewell http://www.mywayout.org.

Your Not-To-Do List

Picture yourself entering a supermarket, with a to-do-list. In a mechanical way you hit the rows and grab the items that are on the list. On your way out you think quickly whether you have left something out, but you can think of anything...

Organizing is often about things that need to be done. It is about planning, setting priorities and an instrument like a to-do-list is a way to achieve this. The to-do-list reminds you of your priorities, it is a silent secretary showing you the way to your next appointment. A to-do-list has a positive focus. You drag important items to this list because they enable to achieve your goal.

So far so good. But there is more, for example when you ask the question; "why do I need such a list, could I do without? And what would I need instead? Apparently there are other items - not on the to-do-list - which distracts you and make that you do not achieve your goal.

Amongst these Not-to-Do items are those nasty habits that lead you nowhere. Perhaps you remember an issue or two that you would write on such a list if there was one. The thing I would put on the list - and check once I arrive at the supermarket - is to take it easy. Think about the meal to prepare and what you need. And above all, what do I tend to forget again and again.

First of all it does train-my-brain and secondly I become more confident. Confident that whatever I'm planning or preparing, I will deliver for the simple reason that I'm concentrated on the job. I no longer need the to-do-list, just a simple note to remind me to focus on no to rush, or to ... whatever is on the not-to-do list.

© 2007 Hans Bool

Points Based UK Immigration System - Tier Two

Tier two of the new points based UK immigration system is known as Tier Two Skilled Workers. This tier is being brought in to replace the current UK work permit. Tier two allows migrants who have a job offer to come into the UK to fill in gaps within the labour force.

The tier two of the new UK immigration system is designed for medium and highly skilled workers who are hoping to immigrate to the UK. Unlike tier one of the new points based system, tier two requires applicants to have a confirmed offer of employment within a British company. It is also an employer led process, just as the work permit process was. This means that the company who is sponsoring you will apply for your work permit on your behalf; however in order for your application to be a success you will be assessed against a points test, which holds a 50-point minimum pass mark. All applicants who are applying under tier two will be required to meet this score in order to qualify.

The way in which these 50 points are scored is through areas such as your qualifications, which will gain you a maximum of 15 points, your previous earnings, which will gain you a maximum of 20 points, maintenance support of yourself and others, which will gain you a maximum of 10 points and finally your English language skills, which will give you a maximum of 10 points. It should however be noted that 50 points is what you need to gain if the position is on an occupational shortage list; if however your position isn't on an occupational shortage list you only need 30 points to gain your sponsorship.

The new tier two will replace a number of existing immigration categories; if you would have applied under any of the following previously you will now have to apply under tier two:

o Work permit employment

o Ministers of religion

o Airport-based operational ground staff

o Overseas qualified nurse or midwife

o Sabbatical posts

o Seafarers

o Named researchers

o Training and Work Experience Scheme (TWES)

o Jewish agency employees

o Overseas representatives (news media)

As it is the duty of your potential employer to sort out your work permit, it is the responsibility of your employer to ensure that you are eligible and suitable to fill the position that is being advertised and the company that your employer is a representative of may be subjected to immigration compliance checks to ensure that the workplace is suitable for a potential migrant worker.

Just like tier one of the new immigration system, tier two offers migrants the long term possibility of permanent residency in the UK. Although the actual tier two is not a permanent residency visa, candidates living and working in the UK for the minimum residency requirement of five years may be able to apply for Indefinite Leave to remain in the UK (ILR). Another option is that candidates may choose to undergo British Naturalisation as a UK citizen.

Alternative Energy Resources - The Benefits of Using Solar Power

Solar energy has been something mankind has been working towards almost since the beginning of mankind. Even before electricity, many took heed to the power of the sun and knew it could potentially be used in the future to help us. We've always known that the sun exerts enough energy to completely cover all of our electrical needs, we just haven't known how we could possibly convert that energy into power for our homes. In the past century we were able to develop solar panels, though the first ones were very inefficient. We've continued to make progress since then, and in the past few years we've gotten to the point where all consumers like me and you can benefit from solar energy.

So what are the benefits of solar power? I could go on forever with this, but I'll try to keep it to the main points. First of all, solar power is completely environmentally safe. We're not creating more of a carbon footprint and destroying the planet for future generations with solar energy, but making it a better place for everyone. Second, financially it can be the smartest move you've ever made! The money you save every month from not paying ever increasing rates to the power company will add up FAST. Many people realize that not paying the power company anymore would be a great relief and save a lot of money, but they assume it's not possible because solar panel systems costs so much. I thought this at first, til I found a way around problem.

After doing much research on solar panels and solar energy in general, I found that these companies selling the solar panel systems are jacking the prices WAY up! Solar panels are actually very cheap to build, yet these companies charge thousands just for a couple of panels! It's ridiculous! So I continued to research and found that not only are the parts cheap and easily accessible online, but the actual job of building the solar panel isn't that hard.

You would assume that you need some sort of technical expertise to build a solar panel, especially if you've never done it before or ever done anything electrical before. That's simply not true though. The process is pretty simple, you just have to be willing to put in a little bit of work to save thousands of the retail cost of other panels, as well as save money from not having to pay the electric company. The key is finding a good set of instructions to show you everything you need to know. I personally prefer a select few video instructional sets because they add much more detail and are much easier to follow. Some of the more reputable video sets allow you to purchase them digitally, so you don't have to wait for anything to arrive in the mail, you simply buy them and download the videos right away!

If you're really interested in going solar and helping our planet (as well as your pockets), then you should invest some time into building your own. It'll help future generations to come and you'll never look back!