| Lisa Kirchner Extension Dietetics Intern, Department of Food and Nutrition and Ester Maddux, Ph.D., CFP Financial Management Specialist, Department of Housing and Consumer Economics and Don Bower, DPA, CFCS Associate Professor and Human Development Specialist, Department of Child and Family Development |
Vol 2 No. 3 |
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Your Resources
Choosing Financial Professionals When making financial decisions, you may wish to seek professional guidance. A financial planner can help you:
2. if you need a plan to meet specific goals 4. if you need to buy financial products. 5. if you need your investments managed on an ongoing basis. When choosing a financial adviser, try to interview at least three people. The following questions can help you find the right adviser for you.
2. Are you registered or licensed? Some designations, licenses, or registrations that you might find are: 4. How do you stay current? 5. What type of clients do you typically advise and what income bracket are they in? How much experience do you have working with clients whose income and circumstances are similar to mine? 6. My most urgent concern is _______. How might you handle that? 7. How long have you and your company been in business? 8. How do you get paid? The typical methods of compensation are:
-commission only (32%) -combination fee/commission (42%) -salary (banks, credit unions, etc.) (6%) -salary and commission (3%) 10. What continuing services will I receive after the initial plan and what will they cost? 11. Are there other people in your office who would be working on my plan? Are there other people or resources you might consult? 12. If you don't sell financial products, can you recommend specific investments and insurance policies and help me obtain them at a good price? 13. If you sell insurance and investments, from what companies? Will you tell me your commission on each product you recommend?
Your Relationships Offering Comfort During Times of Grief Dealing with loss is a normal but often painful part of life. When we think about it, the things that are important to us can be lost or broken. The relationships that are important will eventually end, or at least change. As much as we try to avoid the sadness and grieving that usually come with loss, sooner or later a loss does occur. We all experience different kinds of losses throughout life. Children feel loss when a pet dies. Teens grieve over broken romances. Older people miss being able to drive a car. For most of us, the most serious loss we ever experience is the death of a loved one. How each of us feels grief and expresses that grief depends somewhat on our culture. For example, in some areas, death is accompanied by solemn religious ceremonies and whispered condolences. In other places, grief is displayed by much crying, wailing, and even fainting. In still other cultures, death is celebrated as a happy passage to the next life. People who have studied various ways of expressing grief have found specific ways to help a grief-stricken friend. If you have experienced a loss yourself, you probably remember comments or actions by your friends that were especially comforting. You may also remember some that, while well-meaning, were more hurtful than helpful! What can you do to provide comfort and solace to a friend in grief, and help them adjust in healthy ways? For most grieving persons, your just being there is very helpful. "Being there" usually mens spending time with the grieving friend. Lots of discussion may not be necessary - it is your presence and support that are comforting. If you cannot be with your friend directly, contact her/him by phone or mail to share your support. Always watch for cues that your support is appropriate and welcomed. Here are some other ideas to consider as you support a grief-stricken friend:
Your Health Calcium Still Important You still need calcium in your diet even though your bones have stopped growing. Eating foods with calcium can help slow the loss of calcium from your bones. This can help prevent the condition know as osteoporosis. With osteoporosis, your bones become weak and brittle and are more likely to fracture or break. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium for those aged 25 and up is 800 mg. What foods can you eat to get enough calcium? Dairy foods are undoubtedly the best sources of calcium. The calcium from dairy foods is easier to absorb than the calcium from other foods. An economical way of adding calcium to your diet is by using nonfat dry milk in your cooking. For example, if you are cooking cornbread, you might add nonfat dry milk to the mix (1 Tablespoon of nonfat dry milk = 50 mg calcium). The following table shows you some foods and their calcium contents:
Exercise is also important to bone health. The kind of exercise that puts muscle weight on your bones has been shown to be the most helpful against osteoporosis. Walking, aerobic dance, and tennis are examples of weight-bearing exercises. Before you begin an exercise program, consult your doctor. Another way to decrease your risk of osteoporosis is to stop smoking. Women who are near or past their menopause should also consider estrogen replacement therapy to decrease their risk of osteoporosis. Ask your doctor about estrogen replacement therapy. Here is a recipe for Macaroni and Cheese to help you get more calcium (one serving contains 276 mg calcium) yet keep the fat low:
Macaroni and Cheese - Lower Fat
1. Prepare macaroni according to package directions. Drain.
The University of Georgia and Ft. Valley State College, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and counties of the state cooperating. The Cooperative Extension Service offers educational programs, assistance and materials to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability. For large print, taped or braille editions of this publication, contact the author. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Organization Committed to a Diverse Work Force DP-CFR-061 June 1994 Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Gale A. Buchanan, Dean and Director
Reprinted with permission from the University of Georgia.
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In addition to calcium, vitamin D is an important nutrient for bone
health. Vitamin D can be found in most fluid milk. Vitamin D is also made
in your skin when you are outside in the sun. Taking Vitamin D in pill form
is usually not necessary (especially here in Georgia), unless you rarely go
outside. Consuming large amounts of Vitamin D can be harmful, so ask your
doctor or dietitian before taking supplements.