The latest from your experts.
By Nutrition Diva |
Is canned fish considered a "whole food"?
There’s a lot of talk these days about eating more whole foods and fewer processed foods. But is canned tuna considered a whole food? How about soymilk or peanut butter? Just how far do we really need to take this principle? (And lest you think I’m tilting at windmills, I get a lot of questions about whether foods like these should be considered “processed” or not.) Continue reading ‘Processed Foods: How Much is Too Much?’
by Money Girl |
Reader Shaz wants to know:
What is a mortgage interest deduction and am I required to include it on my tax return?
ANSWER: The mortgage interest deduction is a tax benefit that’s offered to encourage homeownership.
No taxpayer is required to claim a tax deduction or credit that they’re entitled to.
However, when a benefit can reduce your tax bill and save you money, it’s certainly wise to take it!
The mortgage interest deduction is one of the best money-saving tax breaks out there.
The interest you pay on a mortgage or a home equity line of credit (HELOC) for your primary residence or a second home can be deducted from your income when the following 2 conditions are met:
by Modern Manners Guy |
We’ve all spotted coffee house squatters who set up camp at a table for hours on end, with a laptop, book, or e-reader, while nursing endless cups of coffee. In the 1990s we were introduced to – and fell in love with – the notion of sitting in a coffee house for hours with friends or with coworkers. Then somewhere along the line, people entered coffee houses and never left.
So before you sit down for a cup of Joe with every form of technology you own, check out my top 3 Quick and Dirty Tips for proper coffee house squatting etiquette:
Is this a proper coffee house squatter? (GettyImages.com, Cultura)
Tip #1 – The In-Flight Luggage Rule
If you’re going to squat at a coffee house, and you bring so many items that an airline would have to charge you a baggage fee, then you know you have to reevaluate your logistics. I love meeting at coffee houses to do work with others and just catch up, but I don’t pack like I’m a walking Best Buy. When you plan to sit down at a coffee house for longer than it takes to drink your beverage, stick to what you can bring in a backpack or messenger bag. If you need more, you shouldn’t be meeting at a coffee house in the first place.
by Math Dude |
If you’ve been following along with the past few Math Dude articles, you’ll know that we’ve been right in the middle of a pretty big story. It’s a story complete with secret agents, last minute efforts to defuse a bomb, and—wait for it—of course, math. Well, actually, what we’ve been talking about hasn’t really been about math per se, but rather about numbers. Or more specifically, how to memorize them.
(Photo via woody1778a/Flickr)
As we learned in the first part of this series, the first step in using what’s called the “Major System” is turning the number you want to memorize into a series of consonants. As we learned in the second part of this series, you next need to add as many vowels and perhaps the letters “w,” “h,” or “y” to these consonants to make memorable words. And as we learned in the final part of this series, the last step is to turn these memorable words into memorable pictures in your mind so that you never forget them. Continue reading ‘How to Memorize Numbers, Part 3′
by The Dog Trainer |
Lately, I’ve had clients suggest to me that their dogs might have post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the New York Times, Dr. Walter F. Burghardt Jr., the chief of the Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base, considers it a legitimate diagnosis. I’m not a veterinarian, but…I’m skeptical.
Fear is suffering, whatever label we give it. (via Jakob Montrasio/Flickr)
To be absolutely clear, anyone who works with behaviorally troubled animals knows that they suffer from fears and phobias, sometimes crippling ones. Those fears often develop in undersocialized animals, but they can also be brought on or exacerbated by frightening events.
Maybe animals even suffer more from their fears than humans do, because the human ability to reason and to fashion narrative can help us cope with trauma and other stresses.
by Modern Manners Guy |
“When you gotta go, you gotta go” but sometimes having to use a public bathroom can be a frightening experience. No matter how nice the establishment is, improper restroom etiquette abounds. Public, office, and even restaurant restrooms sometimes look like a testing facility for toxic waste. So before you enter any bathroom other than your own, bring plenty of hand sanitizer, don’t touch the door handle with your bare hands, and check out my top 3 Quick and Dirty Tips for proper restroom etiquette:
Warning: Bad restroom etiquette is everywhere! (via GettyImages, Alexander Walter)
Tip #1 – Eyes Forward Soldier!
When you find yourself victim to someone trying to stare or talk at you while using the urinal or toilet, just keep your eyes on the road and don’t veer off. Usually the offender will catch on that you are not taking your eyes off the wall and follow suit. And if they don’t pick up on your subtle cues, just tune them out or minimize the conversation with a “Mhmm…” or, “Yup…”
by Money Girl |
Podcast listener Joseph F. asks:
I recently got a promotion and now have about $800 to spare each month. I’m already contributing 2% to my 401(k) at work. Where should I put my extra money if I know nothing about investing?
ANSWER: Here’s a checklist to help you know exactly what to do when you have excess cash:
If your workplace retirement plan offers a match, it’s critical that you contribute enough to max it out.
For instance, if your employer matches 50% of the contributions you make up to 6% of your salary, always contribute 6%. That way you don’t leave any free money on the table.
Contributing less than the full match is like turning down a raise from your boss!
By Nutrition Diva |
Should oatmeal only be added to boiling water?
Q. It’s been decades since I’ve read Frances Moore Lappe’s Diet for a Small Planet, but I remember that when cooking oatmeal, one should pour the oats into boiling water so slowly as to keep the boil. Is it still a valid approach?
A. Some of the well-meaning advice in this 1971 classic has since been relegated to the dust-bin of history. For example, it was Lappe who first popularized the notion that vegetarians need to combine complementary protein sources like beans and rice in order to get “complete” proteins. Continue reading ‘Oatmeal Recipes: Boiling Vs. Cold Water’
by Math Dude |
Wouldn’t it be great if you could easily memorize your license plate number, your new phone number, or just about any other number as soon as you see or hear it? And how about all those credit card and bank account numbers you keep having to look up to enter into web forms? I know that might sound too good to be true, but it’s not. In fact, it’s exactly what we’ve been learning to do in the last few Math Dude articles.
(Photo via woody1778a/Flickr)
As we learned in the first part of this series, the first step in using what’s called the “Major System” is turning the number you want to memorize into a series of consonants. And, as we learned in the second part of this series, all you then have to do is add as many vowels and perhaps some of the letters “w,” “h,” or “y” to these consonants to make memorable words. Continue reading ‘How to Memorize Numbers, Part 2′
by The Dog Trainer |
You sometimes hear people say “My dog just knew” – meaning their dog never liked Mr. So-and-So, and sure enough Mr. So-and-So turned out to be a bigamist or an armed robber. Can dogs reliably tell who’s a bad actor?
Eek! Criminals! Or are they? (Photos: Wikimedia Commons)
Probably not. If Zippy is an all-around friendly dog, then surely some of the people he’s been friendly toward, or at least polite to, are not so nice. He got it right with Mr. So-and-So, but it doesn’t follow that he has a reliable special awareness of who is and isn’t to be trusted.
On the other hand, what if Zippy isn’t usually friendly to other people?
