loc8 tea break mument may 2015

1November 2013 | www.loc8.ae

Tea Break

May 2015 Issue | www.loc8.ae

Recognising how hard people work, LOC8 wants to provide some business free, easy reading for that all important Tea-Break moment. We hope you enjoy this production

and find it interesting.


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Health Watch .............................

Safety Monitor ......................................

Workplace Workshop ......................................

Numbers in the News ........................................

Science Lab ...........................................

Creativity ............................................

Success & Personal Growth ..........................................

Anecdotes ..................................................

Manager’s Mentor ..................................................

Family Matters ....................................................

Grins & Giggles .........................................

Money Matters ......................................................

Odds & Ends ......................................................

Quotes ......................................................

Table of Contents


Get smart with your exercise routineIn spring, many of us start putting our exercise routines into high gear. So here are some tips on exercising more safely and effectively • Stretch. Stretching helps loosen muscles and prevent aches the next day.• Go easy on the weights. Start gradually and work your way up. To tone, stick with 3- to 5-pound weights and more repetition. To build muscle faster, choose slightly heavier weights and fewer reps.• Warm up. Especially before aerobics. Warm muscles mean less chance of injury during your workout. Five minutes of brisk walking is enough.• Cool down. Let your heart ease back to a normal rate after a workout so you don’t overtax it. Gradually slow down your heart rate to 120 beats per minute or less.• Drink enough water. If you feel thirsty, you’ve already dehydrated your body. Drink water before exercising and after.

Pay attention to your mental healthPhysical health is important, but good mental health is crucial to your overall well-being. You don’t necessarily need medication or psychotherapy to find peace and satisfaction in your life. Just follow this simple, commonsense advice:• Exercise. Aerobic exercise keeps your heart and muscles in good shape, and a vigorous program of walking outside can go a long way toward strengthening both your body and self-esteem. Nature walks and gardening can improve your spirits, and may be as effective as medication in fighting anxiety and depression.• Eat right. Your brain, like your body, needs the right combination of nutrients to remain healthy and active. Follow a healthy diet rich with fruits, vegetables, beans, and cereals, and eat meats and high-sugar foods in moderation.• Sleep. You need sleep to rest your mind as well as your body. Keep a regular schedule, and get at least seven or eight hours every night. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and sugar at night, and stay away from TV and the computer right before going to bed.• Take up a hobby. Get involved in something that takes your mind off work and chores. Choose something active—volunteer work, costuming, a book club, or some other activity that will get you moving and encourage contact with others who share your interests.

Looking for a diet? Check these winners Lots of us want to lose weight. So what’s the best diet to follow if you need to shed some unwanted pounds? U.S. News & World Report has ranked the best overall diets for 2015. If you’re serious about getting healthy, check out the top five:• DASH Diet. Aimed at alleviating high blood pressure (DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), this plan also helps prevent and control diabetes.• TLC Diet. Created by the National Institutes of Health, the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet takes a do-it-yourself approach to promoting cardiovascular health.• Mayo Clinic Diet. This diet focuses on healthy eating as a lifelong habit more than losing weight, but it’s considered an effective approach to good nutrition.• Mediterranean Diet. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish are emphasized in this diet, which is patterned after the eating habits of the nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea.• Weight Watchers. Targeting both short-term and long-term weight loss, the Weight Watchers Points Plus plan assigns every food a points value, based on such factors as protein, carbohydrates, and fat, and recommends denser food choices that fill you up longer.

Health Watch


Managers: Resist these safety errors at workAn unsafe workplace is low in motivation and morale. For a healthy, accident-free workplace, avoid these common mistakes:

• Overreacting to accidents. Many organizations don’t pay attention to safety until a serious accident happens. Then they rush to implement a safety plan with lots of hype and hoopla. Don’t wait for accidents to remind you of the need for safe work practices. Review your safety procedures on a regular basis, and make safety messages a consistent part of your communications to employees.

• Blaming people. When organizations make scapegoats out of injured employees (“He was careless”), they’re making excuses. You need to address the underlying problems that cause injuries and accidents. If workers really are careless, find out why. Perhaps they haven’t had enough training; perhaps their supervisors don’t take safety seriously. Attack the root cause instead of assigning blame.

• Placing too much emphasis on numbers. Relying on statistical goals to measure safety can be dangerous. Workers may feel encouraged to cover up accidents or problem situations. Instead, reward workers for pointing out potential trouble spots before accidents happen.

• Focusing on injuries. Many injuries are preceded by one or two near misses. If you target only injuries, you’re missing the opportunity to prevent them by targeting potential problems. Encourage employees to report close calls and accidents waiting to happen.

Protect yourself and others from risk of electrical injuryElectrical accidents in the workplace may not be common, but they’ve been responsible for injuries to more than 300,000 employees over the last decade, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International. Stay safe when working with electricity by keeping these three guidelines in mind:

• Build awareness throughout your organization. If you’re a manager, educate employees on the dangers of electrical injury. If you’re an employee, learn everything you can about how to work safely with the tools you have.

• Assess the hazards in your workplace. Focus on areas like electrical systems, equipment maintenance, training, and work habits. Make sure you understand your employer’s guidelines for turning tools on and off safely, reporting problems, and troubleshooting equipment failures.

• Learn and follow correct procedures. If your employer provides documentation for safe handling of electrical tools, read it and stick to it, and urge your co-workers to do the same. Make sure managers are living up to their responsibility to keep you safe (discouraging employees from taking shortcuts that increase their risk of shock, for example).

Safety Monitor


Quick tips for career development Career development doesn’t always require you to get an MBA or attend a series of lengthy training seminars. Try these quick and simple strategies for learning what you need to get ahead:

• Network inside your organization. Ask someone from another department to explain his or her job to you. This will increase your overall knowledge of how your organization and business work.

• Go to lunch with your boss. Don’t talk about yourself—ask questions about how he or she sets priorities, solves problems, and handles the pressures of the job.

• Build a portfolio of your achievements. Highlight your successful projects and key accomplishments. This can be a useful tool for enhancing your career prospects.

Stay focused on your long-term career pathNo matter how much you enjoy your work, you may wonder what another profession would be like. But you should be careful not to wind up wandering off your desired career path. Before pulling up stakes, be sure you:

• Know what you want. Your manager has offered you a promotion. Before you jump at the chance, though, consider whether the promotion is in line with your long-term career goals. If not, find the courage to be honest with your boss and to act in your own best interest, even if others disapprove.

• Listen to your instincts. We all have an inner voice that tries to get our attention when something’s not quite right. But we frequently silence our inner voice by focusing on what we think we should feel: “It’s not what I want, but if I pass up this opportunity, I may not get another,” or “I’m not comfortable here, but I can adapt.” Pay attention to your feelings before making big decisions about your career.

Going places in your career? Explore the possibilitiesCareer advancement starts with a self-audit. To determine where you stand in comparison with your peers, and where you need to improve, try these tactics:

• Research your job. Spend some time learning as much as you can about your profession. What are you worth in the job market? What skills and experience do people in similar positions have?

• Join professional associations. Find out what organizations people in your profession belong to. Join them, go to meetings, and get involved. Networking will help you find out what others know and what they’ve accomplished so you can plan your progress. Identify leaders in your field so you can contact them for advice.

• Look inside your organization. Find out what skills your organization expects from employees in the jobs you want to reach for. Talk to people holding those positions about how they got there, what they wished they’d learned ahead of time, and what you can expect when you get the job. Sign up for seminars that point to trends and new ideas.

• Get feedback. Talk to people in your profession about where you are and what you need to learn. Ask colleagues what your major strengths are, and where you need to improve or grow. Always look toward the big picture—how does a particular skill or competency add value to your organization as well as to your own career goals?

Workplace Workshop


Tired at work? Join the clubFatigue in the workplace can be a serious issue. A survey commissioned by energy-drink maker Red Bull and jobs site Glassdoor found that 48 percent of the U.S. workforce is distracted by weariness on the job.

Sixty-six percent confessed to mistakes at work due to fatigue, 21 percent said they’ve missed meetings, 16 percent have blown a deadline, and 41 percent have forgotten items at home needed on the job.

As much as they may need more sleep, most workers aren’t taking exhaustion lying down. Ninety-three percent of survey respondents indicated they take some action to regain their drive, with 66 percent depending on coffee, and others depending on energy drinks (parents 33 percent, nonparents 21 percent).

Millennials not in the home marketThe American Dream may include owning your own home, but lots of millennials aren’t in the market. According to data from the Demand Institute, only one in four own a house, and another survey by EliteDaily and Millennial Branding found that 59 percent of them would rather rent than own, and only one in four said they’re likely or certain to buy a house in the next five years.

Among their reasons, six in 10 millennials don’t think they can afford to buy a home; many don’t want to feel tied down to one location; and many get married and have children later in life than earlier generations.

Citizens vs. scientists: A look at the gap Americans are generally supportive of science, with 79 percent saying that it’s made life easier for most people. But a Pew Research Center study that compared U.S. citizens with members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science found some interesting discrepancies in attitudes. Here’s how some issues compare:

• Genetically modified foods. Are they safe to eat? Yes, say 88 percent of scientists; no, according to 37 percent of U.S. adults.• Animal testing. Acceptable to 89 percent of scientists; no way, say 47 percent of citizens.• Climate change. It’s mostly the result of human activity, 87 percent of scientists say, but only 50 percent of U.S. citizens agree.• Offshore oil drilling. Fifty-two percent of scientists are on board with this; 32 percent of nonscientists are opposed.

Numbers in the News


Red barns and dying stars : A riddle solvedDriving across the country, you’ve probably noticed that almost every barn you see is painted red. The reason isn’t just that farmers like that color, but because of what happens when a star dies.

Farmers traditionally have chosen red paint because it’s the cheapest color. The color comes from a compound of iron and oxygen called Fe2O3, which sucks up yellow, green, and blue light, creating red ochre. The reason it’s cheap is because the compound is very common in the universe. It’s the result of fusion as a star slowly dies.

As a star shrinks, pressure and temperature rise, creating a long series of reactions that produce heavier and heavier elements. At some point, the star becomes too heavy and falls apart. The element that makes it self-destruct is iron, which then spreads throughout space, eventually ending up on planets, in paint, and on barns.

Oldest unchanged organisms discoveredAll life evolves and changes, right? Not so fast. Researchers led by a UCLA scientist have recently discovered a microorganism from the bottom of the sea that hasn’t changed in over 2 billion years.

The sulfur bacteria were found preserved in rocks from the Western Duck Formation in western Australia. Scientists analyzed the fossil organisms and compared them to similar material taken from the coast of South America in 2007, and found the two specimens to be essentially identical.

The research team was quick to note that none of this casts any doubt on the theory of evolution, but in fact supports it. The environment where the modern bacteria were found hasn’t changed in 3 billion years, giving the organisms no reason to adapt to new surroundings.

Skull links humans and NeanderthalsA 55,000-year-old human skull has shed new light on human development, according to the Sci-News website. The skull, discovered in Israel’s Manot Cave, belonged to an anatomically modern human who lived in the region at the same time as Neanderthals, suggesting that modern humans and Neanderthals coexisted some 10,000 years earlier than scientists previously thought, and may have interbred. The Manot humans may in turn be closely related to the humans who eventually migrated to Europe between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago.

Science Lab


Creativity

Nurture imagination in young peopleChildren are naturally creative, and most parents want to keep that spirit alive in them as they grow. Guide them toward a lifetime of imagination and creativity with these ideas:

• Share stories. Tell youngsters about people who have used their imagination to improve the world. Inventors like Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs, and storytellers like Dr. Seuss and J.K. Rowling, can be role models for young people with talent.

• Start a journal. Encourage your children to keep a journal of their ideas and daydreams. As they look over their words and drawings in the future, they may be inspired to start working on bringing some of their concepts to life.

• Help them collaborate. Suggest that young people find like-minded peers who share their enthusiasms. They can exchange ideas, work together, and have fun exercising their imaginations as part of a team—which is how most creative ideas come to life.

In search of ideas? Look forward and backNew ideas don’t spring from nowhere. When you’re searching for a fresh concept at work, try taking a look in two directions—the past and the future:

• What could have been. Choose one of your organization’s most significant successes—or failures. Maybe a new product surpassed expectations, for example, or an important customer got away. Investigate what happened. Your goal isn’t to assess blame or credit (presumably, that’s already been done) but to look for what you could have done differently. Was a particular benefit an unexpected hit? Did you overlook one of the customer’s key concerns? Then delve into how you can apply what you’ve discovered.

• What could be. The future is always a good topic for exploration. For example, ask your employees or co-workers to imagine themselves at their most enthusiastic and productive. What would their jobs look like in terms of facilities, training, daily tasks, and so on? Then consider how you can apply what you’ve discovered.

Try Google’s innovation strategyGoogle is known for its innovation, having grown from a simple search engine to an Internet behemoth. How does it spur and support creativity throughout its workforce? Here’s the strategy as laid out on the Think With Google website:

• Establish a clear mission. The entire organization should know what you’re working toward, and why it’s important.

• Start small. You may have huge ambitions, but set realistic goals to begin. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and commit to hard work in order to accomplish anything worthwhile.

• Strive for progress, not perfection. You’ll make mistakes. When an idea doesn’t work out, study what happened and then move on.

• Cast a wide net. Don’t limit yourself to your own organization or industry when seeking out ideas for new products or procedures. Look everywhere and keep an open mind.

• Share information. Creativity and innovation won’t flourish in a vacuum. Get your ideas out into the open for others to look at, and encourage co-workers to share their ideas with each other.


Success & Personal Growth

Dig into—and defeat—your fear of successSuccess is difficult enough to achieve without letting self-created obstacles get in the way. For many people, fear is one such barrier—a crippling one that prevents us from accomplishing everything we want to do, no matter how strong our skills are. What are we so afraid of?

• Change. You might fear that success will affect your personality and change you into someone different. Or that you’ll have to play a new role, or perhaps conform to someone else’s rules of behavior. In order to succeed, you need to develop a strong sense of your own identity in order to stay in control of your life.

• Compromise. We’ve all heard of people selling out in order to get what they want, exchanging their principles for money or fame—or being seen that way. Adjusting your goals isn’t dishonest, though. Remember that you won’t be able to please everyone. Be willing to adapt to circumstances instead of clinging stubbornly to an approach that won’t work for you.

• Responsibility. Once you’ve reached a certain level of success, people will expect you to maintain the energy needed to get there. You may have to give up some personal freedom in order to avoid slipping back. Make sure you really want to live up on the peak. If not, find a new goal that you can be more comfortable with.

• Attention. Once you’re successful, more people will know who you are than before. Some will resent you. Others will try to be your friend for their own purposes. You may lose a degree of privacy. Again, you need to decide what exactly you want from the success you’re seeking, and set your sights accordingly.

• Worthiness. Do you feel that you really deserve the success you seek? If not, you’ll sabotage yourself before you get there. Build up your confidence. Surround yourself with supportive people, learn to ignore those who tear you down, and remind yourself that everyone has a right to be successful and happy—even you.

Put your attitude to workCareer success is an ongoing journey, not a destination. You’ve got to show up every day and concentrate consistently on the activities that lead to achievement. You can keep moving forward from goal to goal by practicing three fundamental strategies:

• Focus on the bright side. Emphasize what you genuinely enjoy about your job and the people you work with, and express your gratification as much as you can.

• Turn negatives into positives. Don’t obsess over obstacles and setbacks. Treat failures as an opportunity to spot mistakes and move forward.

• Move quickly. Don’t waste time when you’ve got a problem to solve or an idea to put into action. A rapid response gets attention and builds excitement.

Look for your best opportunity to thriveSuccess depends on finding opportunity. You can’t wait for opportunities to come along—you’ve got to actively seek them out. Whatever your career goals, target your next step by considering these factors:

• Job market. Does a labor shortage exist in your industry, or a related one? You may be able to take advantage of employers’ needs for qualified and reliable experts.

• Growth. Are organizations expanding in your field? Find out what they’re investing in and how you can contribute.

• Technology. Have new tools become available? If you can educate yourself on the latest tech, you may be in a position to help organizations put cutting-edge tech to work.


Anecdotes

Not the end of the worldIn 1833, Abraham Lincoln witnessed a meteor shower that rained shooting stars from the sky. At the time, people throughout North America were sure that the meteors signaled the end of the world. The young Lincoln used the memory to bring home a point decades later.

During a meeting with a large delegation of bank presidents during the darkest days of the Civil War, one of the bank presidents asked Lincoln if his confidence in the survival of the Union was waning even a little bit.

Lincoln answered: “When I was a young man in Illinois, I boarded for a time with a deacon of the Presbyterian church. One night I was roused from my sleep by a rap at the door and I heard the deacon’s voice exclaiming, ‘Arise, Abraham, the day of judgment has come.’ I sprang from my bed and rushed to the window and saw the stars falling in great showers.

“But looking back … I saw all the grand old constellations with which I was so well acquainted, fixed and true in their places. Gentlemen, the world did not come to an end then, nor will the Union now.”

Good ideas and small packagesBenjamin and Betty Eisenstadt ran a cafeteria across the street from the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II. There were enough workers to keep them serving 24 hours a day. But then the war ended and business nearly ground to a halt.

One day Betty started thinking about how messy sugar bowls could be. What if, she thought, each serving of sugar came in its own tidy little bag?

So Benjamin and Betty got out a machine they had for making tea bags and started bagging sugar. They pitched their idea to a local sugar manufacturer. Unfortunately, they did such a good job of selling the concept that the manufacturer started bagging the sugar himself.

But the Eisenstadts didn’t let another setback get them down. They started bagging soy sauce and ketchup until someone suggested using their packets to market a sugar substitute—and Sweet’N Low was born.


Manager’s Mentor

Look beyond the résumé when interviewingInterviewing a job candidate should be more than an exploration of the person’s résumé and work history. You should search for clues to how well the candidate will fit into your organization’s culture as well as how productive he or she might be in the future. Here’s what to consider:

• Self-confidence. Look for people who appear sure of themselves: They answer your questions directly and honestly, without hesitation or evasion. Don’t take too much for granted, though—you won’t really be able to assess a candidate’s confidence level until you’ve watched him or her on the job for a while.

• Speaking style. Listen to how candidates express themselves. Do they speak clearly? Do they avoid slang and jargon? Ask a few probing questions to make sure they really know what they’re talking about—“Could you explain that in a little more detail, please?”

• Alertness. Do they pay attention to your questions? Pick up on their surroundings? Remember names? The questions they ask should tell you what they’ve noticed about your workplace, and in what detail.

• Maturity. Don’t think about the candidate’s chronological age, but his or her poise and patience. You want people who don’t become rattled or defensive easily, and people with a high degree of self-knowledge.

• Sense of humor. You’re not trying to hire a comedian, but you do want people who can see the humor in everyday situations and who don’t take minor setbacks too seriously. Be wary of candidates who tell jokes at the expense of other people—or who don’t respond to humor at all.

• Willingness to take feedback. How does the candidate respond when you comment on his or her experience? The answer will tell you a lot about how comfortable he or she is with receiving feedback. Smart, emotionally mature candidates won’t become defensive or try to justify themselves when you offer your opinion.

Overcome these common team issuesBuilding a successful team takes time and effort. You can’t eliminate every obstacle, but you can anticipate some of the common barriers to team effectiveness. Watch out for these threats:

• Goal fixation. Clear goals are vital, but obsessing over the end result can blind team members to the importance of process. If they adopt an “ends justify the means” mindset, members may start to undercut each other, or form cliques, without considering the impact on the team as a whole. Goals are good of course, but concentrate on developing guidelines and work processes that will support the whole team’s efforts.

• Power struggles. Teams need firm direction. But when one member becomes too dominant, turbulence can erupt. This self-styled leader may expect to make all the decisions; other team members may resent his or her attempts to tell them what to do. Successful teams sometimes rotate the leadership role so no one feels left out.

• Lack of involvement. Any number of factors can cause team members to withdraw, stop contributing, or simply leave the team. Pay attention to team members who seem to avoid speaking up, don’t listen to others, or fail to take their tasks seriously. Remind the team that everyone’s efforts are required.

• Stereotyping. We sometimes make snap judgments about the people we work with, based on gender, race, appearance, or some other trait. Don’t jump to conclusions: The guy from IT may want to get more involved in people issues; assigning him to technology-related tasks could alienate him. Get to know everyone on the team so you can deploy talents in ways that work for all of you.


Family Matters

Working at home? Manage your childrenGetting extra work done at night or on the weekend can seem like an impossible task when your kids are underfoot. Here are some tips to make it easier:

• Pay attention to your child first. You won’t have a chance to get anything done until you’ve met kids’ needs and given them plenty of time and attention.

• Settle children into an activity. This activity could be sleeping, putting a puzzle together, building with blocks, or reading a book.

• Use the right approach. Tell your kid, “We both have work to do.” This will help him or her feel more grown up. Bring home some extra office supplies (paper, markers, stapler, glue, empty folders) and encourage him or her to play “office” while you work.

• Let children help you work. If they’re old enough, assigning them a simple task like opening mail or stuffing envelopes will help them feel useful and appreciated.

• Bring home something special. If you have a family policy of not renting movies on weeknights, bringing home a children’s video will seem very special.

• Hire a babysitter. Consider hiring a caregiver for the evening, if you have very important work that absolutely has to be finished tonight.

Adults: Make time to playPlay isn’t just for children. You may not be picking sides for dodge ball or jumping rope at recess, but as an adult, you need some playtime to relieve stress, keep your mind sharp, and stay physically fit. Try these simple ideas for putting play into your life:

• Play games. Host a regular night or weekend with family and friends. Play cards, board games, and interactive games like charades or Dungeons & Dragons.

• Go out with co-workers. Join in after-work activities with others in your organization. You don’t always have to go to the bar; suggest bowling or a game of miniature golf.

• Get a pet. Playing with a dog or cat can be relaxing and fun.

• Find playful friends. Expand your network to include some positive-minded people who like to try new things.

• Take up a hobby. Get involved in something that will exercise your mind and body—magic, square dancing, amateur theater, etc. You’ll meet new people while you put more play into your life.

Keep kids active at camp this summerSummer is near. If you don’t want your children to spend their whole vacation watching TV and playing video games, sending them to camp can keep them active and engaged in learning. You can find camps for almost everything from math and science to horseback riding and football, as well as those specializing in kids with disabilities.

Start by involving your children in the decision. Ask them to suggest what they would like to do best and present as many options as possible. Negotiate on what will make the best camp experience.

Keep the different types of camps in mind:

• Resident camp. Kids stay for periods of time, from five days to eight weeks. They sleep overnight and participate in a variety of supervised activities.


Grins & Giggles

Closing statementA man was on trial for murdering his wife, who had vanished on a camping trip. Witnesses testified that they’d fought all the time. The husband had taken out a large insurance policy on his wife in the weeks before her disappearance, and his story had changed several times under police questioning.

The defense attorney took a gamble. During his closing statement, he told the jury, “Ladies and gentlemen, not only is my client innocent, but in just a moment that door will open and his wife will walk into this courtroom alive and well!”

The jurors looked at the door, but no one came in.

The lawyer continued, “You can see that just now, I introduced an element of doubt into your minds. That means you have no choice but to find the defendant not guilty.”

Several hours later, the jury returned its verdict: Guilty.

Outside the courtroom, the lawyer ran into one juror. “How could you vote to convict him? I saw you turn to the door to look for his wife just like everybody else.”

“Not everybody,” the juror said. “What do you mean?” “Your client didn’t look.”

Playing a roleA gorilla at the zoo died of old age one day. Because gorillas were so popular, the zoo staff decided to hire an actor to dress up in a realistic costume and play the part of the gorilla until they could locate a replacement.

The gorilla cage was right next to the lion, and a small gap in the bars allowed the actor to crawl into the lion’s cage and swing high above him. This enraged the lion but delighted the customers, so the actor made it a regular part of his routine.

Everything went fine for a few days. Then one day the actor lost his grip and fell down at the lion’s feet. The beast roared, and the actor screamed in terror.

Then the lion leaned over and opened its jaws wide. “Quiet!” a voice demanded. “Do you want to get us both fired?”

Lucky guy?Two men sat next to each other at the bar. One looked extremely depressed—almost on the verge of tears. The other one looked over and said, “Hey, what’s the matter? You look like you just lost your best friend.”

The first man sipped his drink. “I’ll tell you. It started three weeks ago when one of my uncles died and left me $20,000.”

“Wow! So what’s the problem? Taxes?”

“There’s more. Two weeks ago, this cousin I never heard of died, and I was his closest relative, so the lawyer said I’d inherited $95,000, all tax free.”

“So why is that bad?”

“Then last week a grandfather I haven’t spoken to in 10 years passed away, and he left me almost half a million dollars!”

The first man looked incredulous. “So what’s your problem?”

“This week—nothing!”


Gas savings translate to more savingWith gasoline prices down, Americans have a little extra money in their pockets. According to the CBS News website, it adds up to about $1,000 per household over the past year. And what are most people doing with it—buying lottery tickets, splurging on a new big-screen TV, or spending it elsewhere?

No, actually a lot of us are saving it. A survey by Visa found that half of U.S. consumers are putting their extra dollars away, spurring a rise in the savings rate from 4.3 percent to 4.9 percent at the end of last year. Experts suggest this behavior may be prompted by still-fresh memories of the 2008 recession.

Be prepared for a financial crisis with a rainy day fundPersonal finance gurus usually recommend creating an emergency fund in case of a layoff, an injury, or some other event that interrupts your paycheck. Your safety net should cover at least six to eight months’ worth of living expenses. Here’s how to calculate how much you need to save:

• Gather spending data. Collect all your financial records for the past year, including bank and credit card statements, ATM receipts, and canceled checks.

• Look month by month. On paper or a spreadsheet, create a chart with the months of the year at the top. Down one side list all your fixed expenses: mortgage or rent, insurance policies, car payments, utilities, medical expenses, etc. Then add other major spending categories such as food, entertainment, etc.

• Fill in the numbers. Using the financial documents you’ve collected, record the amount you spent in each category during each month. Total the expenses for each month and write it at the bottom of the column. Add all these monthly totals.

• Determine an average. Divide the total by 12. These are your average monthly expenses.

• Add a cushion. Multiply the monthly average by 8. This is how much you should have for a comfortable safety net.

Money Matters


Quotes:

The greatest wealth is health. —Virgil

I reckon being ill as one of the great pleasures of life, provided one is not too ill and is not obliged to work till one is better.

—Samuel Butler

No man should put their life in someone else’s hands unless they have covered their own safety from all angles. —Akshay Kumar

Carelessness doesn’t bounce; it shatters. —Terri Guillemets

Enjoy your sweat because hard work doesn’t guarantee success, but without it you don’t have a chance. —Alex Rodriguez

Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work. —Horace

We are mere operatives, empirics, and egotists, until we learn to think in letters instead of figures. —Oliver Wendell Holmes

If an angel were to tell us about his philosophy, I believe many of his statements might well sound like “2 x 2 = 13.”

—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Science is not only a disciple of reason but, also, one of romance and passion. —Stephen Hawking

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. —Carl Sagan

Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere. —Albert Einstein

Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. —Oscar Wilde

Most of the time you will fail, but you will also occasionally succeed. Those occasional successes make all the hard work and sacrifice worthwhile. —Dean Kamen

The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.

—Joel Brown

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

—Carl Bard

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. —George Bernard Shaw

The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.

—John Buchan

Leadership isn’t about power for the sake of power—not true leadership. Instead it deals with modeling behavior you want others to have, and with responsibility for being certain the people you lead are treated equitably, and with respect.

—Laura Weakley

Our mothers always remain the strangest, craziest people we’ve ever met. —Marguerite Duras

You count the hours you could have spent with your mother, it’s a lifetime in itself. —Mitch Albom

Mirth is God’s medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it. —Henry Ward Beecher

The most wasted of all days is that in which we have not laughed. —Sébastien-Roch Nicolas Chamfort

Wealth isn’t always measured in dollar signs. We each have time, talent and creativity, all of which can be powerful forces for positive change. Share your blessings in whatever form they come and to whatever level you have been blessed.

—Jon M. Huntsman Sr.

Money is seen as a great evil. But I’ve never seen a pile of cash stab someone. —Jarod Kintz

War is what happens when language fails. —Margaret Atwood

loc8 tea break mument may 2015

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