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Meeting Invitation
Meeting Invitation


    Nichole Schack nlschack
    Follow me as I explain a different way to view the mundane of everyday life. Sometimes it's better to take a good look around you and discover the beauty that is right infront of you.

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    Millie Zemlak Millie_Zemlak
    (NewsUSA) - How much will I need for my kid's college education? And how the heck will I pay for it?

    With the cost of a four-year degree rising nearly eight times faster than wages since the 1980s, those two questions are enough to give today's parents a serious case of night sweats. You can argue about the reasons for the disconnect -Administrative costs? Fancy amenities? - but you know there's a problem when a writer at Education Week is incensed.

    "Madness," she decried.

    Which is all the more reason to mark May 29 down on your calendar.

    Otherwise known as National 529 College Savings Plan Day -Get it? 5/29? - it's the perfect time to consider setting up one those tax-advantaged 529 plans, as they're called, to help sock money away to cover tuition, books and other education-related expenses at most accredited two - and four-year colleges, universities and vocational-technical schools.

    "It's a way of keeping your son or daughter from being saddled with too much debt when it's time to jump start their careers," explained Melissa Ridolfi, vice president of retirement and college products at Fidelity Investments. "Plus, any investment earnings compound on a tax-deferred basis, and qualified withdrawals are entirely free from federal and state income taxes."

    And now to the big question: How much?

    Two factors are mainly at play:

    * Public vs. private schools. The cost difference can be about as mind-boggling as "Avengers: Endgame's" record $357.1 million opening weekend domestic haul: an average of $21,370 a year at the former, according to the College Board's latest figures, as opposed to $48,510 at the latter.

    * The percentage of the bill you plan to foot. If you were counting on scholarships and other grants to pick up all or most of the tab, you should probably rethink that unless your kid is either a bona fide child prodigy or football star. Sallie Mae's "How America Pays for College" 2018 report found that both categories combined paid for just 28 percent of college costs.

    One guess where 47 percent of the costs came from. That's right, "family income and savings," with another 24 percent covered by borrowing.

    In other words, as Ridolfi said, "any way you look at it, the family is on the hook to pay the lion's share of college expenses." Which probably helps explain why a recent Fidelity study found that parents are increasingly starting to save before their child even reaches the age of two.

    To see where you stand, try using what Fidelity calls "the college savings 2K rule of thumb." Simply multiply your child's current age by $2,000 to figure whether your savings to date are generally on track to handle approximately 50 percent of the College Board's $21,370-a-year average cost of attending a four-year public college.

    Or, especially if you want a more customized estimate - one that lets you play around with percentages and switch back and forth between public and private schools - the firm's free online college savings calculator takes the angst out of doing the math yourself.

    Fidelity provides 12 savings ideas to help reach your own goal, and offers a choice of two different investment strategies in the 529 savings plans it manages - including an age-based portfolio of funds that automatically becomes more conservative as the beneficiary nears college age.

    Hopefully, armed with all that info, you'll be sleeping better at night.

    Ref: Family - in Blogs
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    Millie Zemlak Millie_Zemlak
    (NewsUSA) - Americans may read thrillers and watch adventure movies, but their days aren't exactly fueled by pure adrenaline. They work, drive the kids to soccer practice, eat dinner, watch HBO -- but those with a handheld GPS can satisfy their thirst for adventure through modern day treasure hunts, or geocaching.

    Geocaching is a global treasure-hunting game. Someone hides an item, uses a GPS to determine its coordinates, and then posts the information online. Geocache-seekers then use their own GPS units to track down the geocache, usually a box or a small item and a logbook.

    The game sounds deceptively simple. While geocachers know the items' coordinates, reaching them might require a workout -- some locations require hiking and climbing, for example. Also, GPS units only take geocachers within 10 to 15 feet of the geocache, which is hidden to avoid accidental discovery by "Muggles" -; those uninitiated in the ways of geocaching.

    Geocaching.com, the largest Web site for geocachers to announce new geocaches and log their successes, lists over 1,000,000 geocaches in over 200 countries.

    The game has become so popular that GPS manufacturers are starting to design handheld GPS units specifically for geocaching. For example, the Magellan eXplorist GC (www.magellangps.com) includes a seamless connection to geocaching.com, a sunlight-readable color screen and a simple user interface to make geocaching a breeze. The unit is waterproof and comes pre-loaded with the coordinates of the most popular geocaches in the world. The GPS chipset promises 3-meter accuracy.

    Of course, the eXplorist GC also comes with standard outdoor features, including waypoint creation, a worldwide basemap, active tracking and a trip odometer.

    When geocachers find a geocache, they write their name in the logbook or exchange one of the items in the cache for one of equal value. Then they put the cache back in its original location, so other treasure-seekers can enjoy the thrill of the chase and, perhaps, discover a place previously unknown to them.

    For more information about the eXplorist GC, visit www.magellangps.com/eXploristGC/.

    Ref: Hiking - in Blogs
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    Rebecca Ebert Rebecca_Ebert


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    Shauna Castorena whiskeychickofficial
    I’m doing it. I am finally calling out something that bothers the **** out of me in country music, and that is Dump Truck Country Marketing. Why is it that one of the best songwriters in modern country music, Miss Lainey Wilson, has to market on the strength and size of her ample posterior instead of just getting credit for the music that she makes? Why is it Priscilla Block had to immediately be the first to pick on herself through songs like “Thick Thighs Save Lives” in order to be taken seriously on any stage?

    These women are unfortunately forced to pick on themselves or accept the image they’re being sold as for the very reason that society might discourage them from gaining any kind of celebrity, and that is their ample rears. Their voluminous posteriors seem to be the focus of all their press releases, of all their news coverage, and quite honestly, I’m sick of it. Now, I’m a fan of a nice, round rear, but I don’t understand what that has to do with the music you make other than if you fall on your ***, it might not hurt as much. When are we going to stop marketing bodies and start marketing music again? I’m all for body positivity, but this is a pain in MY ***.

    The sexualization and objectification of women in the music industry have been an ongoing issue for years. Despite the industry’s progress towards body positivity and female empowerment, there are still remnants of antiquated marketing tactics that prioritize the physical appearance of female artists over their musical abilities.
    Read the rest at CountryMusicNewsBlog
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    Vanessa Leannon Vanessa_Leannon


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    Aric Feeney Aric_Feeney


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    Goutam Roy goutam5710


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    Millie Zemlak Millie_Zemlak
    (NewsUSA) - It's no surprise that parents today seek books that will delight, engage, and educate their children. However, some parents are seeing gaps in the available options of topics they want to share with their children. To combat this, there is a growing trend of parents who have taken matters into their own hands and turned to self-publishing to fill these holes themselves.

    Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) from Amazon is one self-publishing option that offers editorial freedom and ease of use for busy parents looking to create something that meets their kids' needs.

    KDP success stories include Handeep Dhoot (who writes as "Dr. Dhoot"), a mom with a Ph.D. in chemistry who wanted to introduce her young daughter to STEM topics.

    Dr. Dhoot has self-published the growing Tinker Toddler series of STEM books aimed at young children, including Machine Learning for Babies & Toddlers.

    "Becoming a parent helped me realize the urgency for introducing scientific topics, like STEM, to kids while their brains are still developing. KDP allowed me to self-publish books that portray these ideas in an accurate and digestible way for kids, including my own daughter."

    Gabi Garcia, a long-time school counselor and mom, turned to self-publishing when she saw a lack of books for Spanish-speaking and bilingual children about how to understand their emotions and feelings.

    "It's so important to engage with children early to discuss mindfulness. Self-publishing on KDP empowered me to take all that I'd learned and seen as a school counselor and make it accessible to more children, in both English and Spanish."

    She has published several books on these topics through KDP, including Listening to My Body, published in both English and Spanish. She now writes full-time on mindfulness and social awareness topics for children, parents, and educators.

    Brendan Kelso struggled with dyslexia as a child, but found learning and performing dramatic monologues helpful. He enjoyed Shakespeare, but, like many young readers, found the text hard to understand.

    After a career in engineering, he became a stay-at-home dad and came up with an idea to write versions of Shakespeare's plays that were more accessible to kids. His loveof theater and writing led him to self-publish several works through KDP, starting with Shakespeare's Hamlet for Kids.

    "I have the freedom to spend more time with my family, while pursuing my passion on my own terms with KDP."

    These parents have been able to create the books they couldn't find for kids and found financial success - and sometimes a whole new career - in the process.

    For those parents who are toying with self-publishing, but still have questions, consider this:

    * KDP lets authors set their own prices and retain all rights to their work.

    * As an author, you can publish your book in minutes, and these books are available to a worldwide audience through Kindle online stores in 24-48 hours.

    * You can publish Kindle eBooks and paperbacks in multiple languages.

    Visit kdp.amazon.com for more information about Kindle Direct Publishing.

    Ref: Encouraging - in Blogs
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