Everyone believes in a good cause. Especially now, when individuals and
organizations are struggling in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus
pandemic. People want to support causes they care about, whether through
volunteering, donating goods or services, or making a financial
contribution.The ability to make a financial contribution to a cause
that matters to you will likely vary throughout your lifetime. As a
younger person starting out, your financial resources may be more
limited or spread across areas including home purchase, student loans,
starting a business, or starting a family.The financial planning
profession recognizes that people want to support organizations that are
meaningful to them without compromising other financial goals, such as
repaying debt or planning for retirement.The CFP Board, a non-profit
organization dedicated to supporting professional standards in personal
financial planning, can help individuals assess their financial
positions and plan for how much they can budget for charitable giving."A
CFP professional can help you clarify your financial objectives and
determine which charitable giving options are best suited to help you
meet your goals," says Marguerita Cheng, CFP®, a CFP Board
Ambassador.Some factors to consider in your planning include putting
your personal situation first. Don’t shortchange your regular monthly
expenses for housing, loans, or other essentials, then consider giving
money to charity.Other tips to make the most of charitable giving:-
Maximize your money. Some employers match charitable contributions.
Also, writing a check directly to a charity lets you deduct the full
amount vs. paying to attend a fundraising event. Do your research and
find out what percentage of donations directly support the
organization’s mission.- Stick to your plan. It’s easy to blow a budget
for charitable giving, especially during difficult times when everyone
is asking for help. Set priorities, choose your favorite organizations,
and send your money there, rather than spreading your funds thin. Also
consider whether monthly or yearly contributions make sense depending on
the consistency of your income.- Think outside the checkbook. You don’t
have to give from your regular salary to make an impact. If you have an
interest or skill that you can use as a side business, donate those
profits. Sell time at a vacation home when you aren’t using it and
donate that money.Visit letsmakeaplan.org
for more information about the CFB Board and for tips and advice on how
to make charitable giving part of your financial planning strategy
This year’s holiday season is not what anyone expected, with cancelled
sports events and abbreviated seasons. However, there are still reasons
to celebrate, and a stunning desktop replica of a favorite stadium will
bring some much-needed joy to sports fans, whether or not they attended a
game in person this year.
Many sports stadiums, both old and new, are works of architectural
elegance. The exquisite replicas from Westbrook Sports Classics present
these iconic structures from a new perspective that lets fans enjoy the
beauty of their favorite ballparks at home on a desk, table, or
bookshelf.
The stadium reproductions measure approximately 7 by 7 inches, weigh
approximately 10-12 pounds, and come with a protective acrylic case. The
models are designed and created by John Kimball Westbrook, an
award-winning artist whose background includes both architecture and
commercial art. Mr. Westbrook also spent time in Washington, DC, on a
scholarship to study with Italian stone carvers during the completion of
the National Cathedral, where he developed his passion for sculpture.
“Over the past 30 years, I have worked with different fine art mediums,
including carving marble, granite, various semi-precious stones,
bronze, wood, ivory, silversmithing, drawing and painting,” Mr.
Westbrook explains on his website.
The limited-edition ballparks are cast in a bronze composite and
mounted on a natural black marble base. Mr. Westbrook creates each mold
by hand over a period of approximately two months. Fans will appreciate
the attention to details such as handpainted seats and the use of tiny
crystals inserted into light poles that refract light to give the
appearance of the stadium at night.
The Westbrook Sports collection to date features 17 Major League
Baseball stadiums, historic and current, including Fenway Park, home of
the Boston Red Sox; Candlestick Park, the former home of the San
Francisco Giants; the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field; and both old and new
versions of Yankee Stadium. All Major League Baseball trademark
copyrights are used with the permission of Major League Baseball. Mr.
Westbrook plans to expand the collection to National Football League
stadiums, NCAA college stadiums, and British football (soccer) stadiums
as well.
For more information and to view photos of stadium models,
The ‘father’ of fantasy sports league management has teamed up with the
renowned American economist and "The End of Money" author to create what
could become the hottest and largest addition of the multi-billion
dollar Daily Fantasy Sports industry.Fantasy Commodities™ games involve
forecasting changes in relative prices among commodities — including
base metals such as aluminum and copper; precious metals such as gold,
silver and platinum; energy products such as crude oil, gasoline, and
natural gas; and agricultural products such as wheat, corn, coffee, pork
bellies, etc.It should be a lot of fun and quite profitable for those
who become skilled players from all over the world and can remain under a
salary cap while earning points based on the actual performances of the
commodities in their real-world daily trading.The games founders are
considering possible partnerships with New York-based FanDuel, and the
Boston-based DraftKings in order to expedite the launch of their
patent-pending Fantasy Commodities™ contest to the millions of
millennials and other looking to test their daily "draft" skills outside
sports.Patrick Hughes is known as the father of modern fantasy sports
for co-creating Miller Franchise Football, which featured a beer
distributor sell-in video hosted by the legendary John Madden. He then
co-created Fox Fantasy Football, which led to the creation and licensing
of several of the leading league management fantasy sports sites
featured on ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo!, USA Today and others. Hughes
eventually sold his business to a unit of News Corporation and his games
have been displayed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio,
and in Super Bowl cities.Richard Rahn is a former Chief Economist of the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, former board member of the Cayman Islands
Monetary Authority, and a member of the team that years ago developed
the first successful petroleum futures contract for the New York
Mercantile Exchange and wrote "The End of Money and the Struggle for
Financial Privacy. "Also on the www.fantasycommodities.com
team is international trade attorney and "Barter in the World Economy"
author, Bart Fisher.Fantasy sports is a multi-billion-dollar industry
that has run into some headwinds because of COVID-19 shutdowns and the
limited number of suitable sports, and countries with enough teams and
leagues to support fantasy sports betting. Despite the difficulties, the
big dogs such as FanDuel and DraftKings see a bright future, which is
the reason that Yahoo! and now Facebook have indicated they may enter
the field of Daily Fantasy Sports.Fantasy Commodities™ games will
require only low entry fees, limiting the risk relative to current
commodities futures trading and stock trading. There are at least a
couple of dozen globally traded commodities with a "one-world-price,"
which have sufficient liquidity to make the creation of a large variety
of these games viable and should broaden the player market to more than
180 countries.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is reshaping and challenging the field
of education, particularly early childhood education, where the benefits
of in-person school are well understood but simply not an option for
many children for at least the remainder of the current school year.Kids
‘R’ Kids Learning Academies, a leading national childcare provider,
recognized the need for more options for early childhood education for
children unable to attend preschool in person, and responded by creating
the Kids ‘R’ Kids Online Learning Academy.The Kids ‘R’ Kids Online
Academy is an online learning platform designed to engage early learners
in a structured, curriculum-based platform that allows for teacher and
peer interaction. It helps preschoolers practice developmentally
appropriate key concepts in topics including literacy, math, science,
and social studies while having fun and refining physical and
social/emotional skills as well.The Online Academy includes live,
interactive 30-minute classes Monday through Friday, hosted by a
certified teacher. The activities are based on the exclusive,
research-based Kids ‘R’ Kids curriculum, and children are able to ask
questions, play games, and participate in arts and crafts.Children are
online together, so teachers can get to know them and call on them to
respond and participate. However, there is no camera or video access on
the child’s side for safety and privacy.Parents and their preschoolers
report high levels of satisfaction with the program, as one mom in Texas
says on behalf of her son, "we have felt very guilty about keeping him
at home even though we know this is all just temporary. When we heard
about the ability to give him 30 minutes of education a day, plus the
ABC Mouse account to complement the curriculum, we did not think twice.
Not only is this bringing intellectual enrichment to his daily routine
but also great STEAM activities that I would just not have come up with
on my own," she posted on the Online Learning website."This is obviously
not the same as getting to physically interact with other children of
the same age, but it is a really close second place," she adds.In
addition, the Kids ‘R’ Kids blog serves as another resource for parent
tips, STEAM activities, and other information about school readiness.The
Online Academy is available to preschoolers in any geographic location,
and the child does not need to be enrolled in a Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning
Academy to participate.Visit krkonlineacademy.com for more information about online learning to keep preschoolers engaged and on track for school readiness.
The holiday season looks different in many ways this year, and chances
are finding the perfect gift for your loved one is even more
challenging. Shoppers are looking to minimize the amount of time they
spend in crowded stores during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and online
shopping has its perils, too, with concerns about timely delivery or
wondering whether what you see online is what you get.Instead, think
outside the box and consider a gift that will have a lifelong impact,
the gift of education, by opening or contributing to a tax-advantaged
529 education savings plan for a loved one.Invest529 is a national
program for families in any state. It’s offered by Virginia529, the
largest 529 in the United States, and assists students of any
age."Education is a gift you might never think to give, but it’s one
that will continue to give in ways you might not have considered,"
explains Mary Morris, CEO of Virginia529."Open a 529 savings plan or
contribute to an account that your loved one already has. It will
communicate the importance of lifelong learning, saving and preparing
for the future," she says. The contribution need not be large, she adds.
"Any monetary denomination will be beneficial because it will grow
tax-free over time, and you can continue to contribute for milestones,
birthdays and future holidays," Morris emphasizes.The creation of a 529
plan has benefits for the giver as well as the recipient. Some key
advantages of the plans include:- Practicality: Contributing to a 529
plan is simple. You can contribute any amount that fits your budget and
watch it grow tax-free over time.- Versatility: Money from 529 plans can
be used for public and private universities, schools nationwide and
overseas, graduate programs, vocational schools, private or religious
K-12 schools, apprenticeships, and even student loan repayment.-
Flexibility: Funds from a 529 plan can be transferred to a family member
of any age without penalty or saved for graduate school if plans change
or the student gets a scholarship. Alternatively, the funds can always
be withdrawn, with only the earnings on your investment being taxed.-
Simplicity: Anyone at any age can open a 529 account at any time, and
making a contribution is quick and easy, with options for contributions
online, through a gift card, or by mail.For more information about
giving the gift of education
This holiday season, Chick-fil-A wants to inspire people to be a source of hope through a new animated short film and a digital experience to help people connect and share words of encouragement.In the film, the main character of Chick-fil-A’s 2019 animated holiday film, Sam, returns to help restore the missing spark in her town by discovering hope within herself. The driving message of the film is that we can all make a difference in the lives around us by being a source of encouragement to each other.To accompany the film, Chick-fil-A is inviting people to send a digital note with a custom message of hope, gratitude and kindness to friends and family this holiday season. There is no cost, and messages are sent through text or email."This year has been a tough one for a lot of people and has carried challenges and heartaches we never could have anticipated," said Ashley Callahan, Chick-fil-A senior marketing director. "It’s also been a year of hopeful moments, where many have shined brightly, extending acts of kindness and generosity — many of which we’ve experienced firsthand through the actions of our guests, Team Members and others throughout our communities. Those small acts of kindness are the inspiration behind this year’s holiday film and digital experience."In a year of uncertainty, small acts of encouragement, even virtual ones, can make a big difference. In a recent Chick-fil-A survey*, 83 percent of respondents said small acts of kindness are encouraging and 76 percent say they want to be a source of encouragement to others.A small act can spark a lot of hope. With so many friends and families spending time apart this season, this is one way anyone can spark a little hope and encouragement, even miles apart.To watch the animated short film and send a message of hope and encouragement, visit chick-fil-a.com/sparkhope. *Survey commissioned by Chick-fil-A, Inc. and conducted by Morning Consult.
Sponsored Content – Perfecting a resume and nailing the job interview can be daunting in normal times. With many companies conducting business remotely, this often extends to interviews. Here are some tips to help shore up your resume and nail those remote job interviews:Resumes should be concise. The first thing you should do is look carefully at the job posting you are applying for. Look for any specifics that they are looking for in an applicant, and use the same wording they do in your resume, if it is applicable. You do not need to have paragraphs explaining every little detail about previous jobs and duties. Stick to the high-level details that seem important and make sure it is readable. Highlight your main job responsibilities, if you received any recognition, and impressive metrics that you may have achieved.Put the most important information near the top of the resume.Use a professional, easy-to- read font like Arial or Times New Roman in size 10 – 12. If you are having trouble thinking about what to focus on or how to design your resume, do a search for example resumes relevant to the industry you are applying in. Those may help you think of something in your history that you may not have considered including before.So you’ve got your resume primed and ready to go. Now you have an interview, but it’s remote. One of the most important things about a remote interview is being able to get to it. Find out which video chat service your potential employer is using and familiarize yourself with it before the interview. Just as with an in-person interview, how you present yourself is of great importance. Make sure you have a clean, orderly, quiet backdrop and that you dress appropriately for the interview.You want to give the impression that you are ready to work remotely if necessary, or if not necessary, that you are taking the interview just as seriously. Make sure you close everything on your computer except the program you are using for the interview. This will prevent notifications from going off and help you remain focused on the interviewer.When it comes to resume writing and interviewing, practice makes perfect. Family Credit Management is committed to helping however they can.For a free, no-obligation, resume review and even a mock remote interview with an HR professional, you can send an email to resumereview@familycredit.org.
