Author Archives: Edward Brownlee

Things Happy Retirees Do

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Happy retirees often cultivate daily habits that contribute to their overall well-being and satisfaction.

Here are some common practices:

1. Start with a Morning Ritual: Many retirees begin their day with a calming routine, such as enjoying a cup of coffee, meditating, or taking a morning walk. They choose to be happy and grateful.  This sets a positive tone for the day.

2. Embrace Routine and Spontaneity: While having a daily routine provides structure, happy retirees also leave room for spontaneous activities. This balance keeps life exciting and fulfilling.

3. Stay Connected with Loved Ones: Maintaining strong social connections is crucial. Regular interactions with family and friends help prevent loneliness and enhance emotional well-being.

4. Keep Learning and Growing: Engaging in lifelong learning, whether through hobbies, new skills, or formal education, keeps the mind sharp and provides a sense of accomplishment.

5. Stay Physically Active: Regular physical activity, such as walking, gardening, or yoga, is essential for maintaining health and vitality. Physical activity should include aerobic exercise, strength training, improving balance and stretching.

6. Practice Gratitude: Many happy retirees make it a habit to count their blessings daily and be grateful for all that they have. This practice of gratitude can significantly boost happiness and contentment. No matter how great or miserable your day, there is always a reason to be grateful.

7. Volunteer or Give Back: Contributing to the community through volunteering or other forms of giving back provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

These habits and activities help create a balanced, joyful, and meaningful retirement.

9 Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Yoga

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Practicing yoga regularly can help you feel better from head to toe, since yoga offers physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages. And, if you’re going through an illness, recovering from surgery or living with a chronic condition, yoga can become an integral part of your treatment and potentially hasten healing. 

Yoga can support the healing process and help the person experience symptoms with more centeredness and less distress.

1. Yoga improves strength, balance and flexibility.

Slow movements and deep breathing increase blood flow and warm up muscles, while holding a pose can build strength.

Try it: Tree Pose
Balance on one foot, while holding the other foot to your calf or above the knee (but never on the knee) at a right angle. Try to focus on one spot in front of you, while you balance for one minute. 

2. Yoga helps with back pain relief.

Yoga is as good as basic stretching for easing pain and improving mobility in people with lower back pain. The American College of Physicians recommends yoga as a first-line treatment for chronic low back pain.

Try it: Cat-Cow Pose
Get on all fours, placing your palms underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. First, inhale, as you let your stomach drop down toward the floor. Then, exhale, as you draw your navel toward your spine, arching your spine like a cat stretching.

3. Yoga can ease arthritis symptoms.

Gentle yoga has been shown to ease some of the discomfort of tender, swollen joints for people with arthritis, according to a Johns Hopkins review of 11 recent studies.

4. Yoga benefits heart health.

Regular yoga practice may reduce levels of stress and body-wide inflammation, contributing to healthier hearts. Several of the factors contributing to heart disease, including high blood pressure and excess weight, can also be addressed through yoga.

Try it: Downward Dog Pose
Get on all fours, then tuck your toes under and bring your sitting bones up, so that you make a triangle shape. Keep a slight bend in your knees, while lengthening your spine and tailbone.

5. Yoga relaxes you, to help you sleep better.

Research shows that a consistent bedtime yoga routine can help you get in the right mindset and prepare your body to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Try It: Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose
Sit with your left side against a wall, then gently turn right and lift your legs up to rest against the wall, keeping your back on the floor and your sitting bones close to the wall. You can remain in this position for 5 to 15 minutes. 

6. Yoga can mean more energy and brighter moods.

You may feel increased mental and physical energy, a boost in alertness and enthusiasm, and fewer negative feelings after getting into a routine of practicing yoga.

7. Yoga helps you manage stress.

According to the National Institutes of Health, scientific evidence shows that yoga supports stress management, mental health, mindfulness, healthy eating, weight loss and quality sleep.

Try It: Corpse Pose (Savasana) 
Lie down with your limbs gently stretched out, away from the body, with your palms facing up. Try to clear your mind while breathing deeply. You can hold this pose for 5 to 15 minutes.

8. Yoga connects you with a supportive community.

Participating in yoga classes can ease loneliness and provide an environment for group healing and support. Even during one-on-one sessions loneliness is reduced as one is acknowledged as a unique individual, being listened to and participating in the creation of a personalized yoga plan.

9. Yoga promotes better self-care.

Scientific Research on Yoga Benefits

The U.S. military, the National Institutes of Health and other large organizations are listening to — and incorporating — scientific validation of yoga’s value in health care.

Numerous studies show yoga’s benefits in arthritis, osteopenia, balance issues, oncology, women’s health, chronic pain and other specialties.

Source:  https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-benefits-of-yoga

Financial Tools

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Common financial tools for saving, investing and building wealth:

Tools for saving

  • Savings AccountHow it works: Offered through a bank, a savings account is a safe place to keep your money and may pay a small amount of interest. It’s a good place to put money that you could need to access quickly.What it’s for: Growing short- to mid-term savings, building an emergency fund
  • High-Yield Savings AccountHow it works: Typically offered through an online bank, these savings accounts work exactly like the one above except that they pay a higher rate of interest on your money. The only drawback is that these banks may not have a physical location that you can easily get to.What it’s for: Growing short- to mid-term savings, building an emergency fund
  • Money Market Bank AccountHow it works: These work like a checking account but often also pay a small amount of interest. This is a good place to put money that you can’t afford to lose and may need to access quickly.What it’s for: Everyday expenses, growing short- to mid-term savings, building an emergency fund
  • Certificate of Deposit (CD)How it works: A bank or credit union pays a pre-determined amount of interest over a set time span, such as six months or a year. There is usually a penalty for early withdrawal. CDsare a safe place to keep money that you can’t lose but that you won’t need immediately.What it’s for: Growing short- to mid-term savings

Tools for long-term investing

  • 401(k)How it works: This is a type of tax-advantaged retirement account that’s offered through employers. You can use a 401(k) to invest in a range of financial products like stocks, bonds or funds. Money goes in without being taxed and grows tax-deferred, but you will owe taxes when you withdraw funds in retirement. A 403(b) or 457 account operates in a similar way. While there are some options to access funds in these accounts, in general, if you take money out prior to age 59½, you will owe a penalty on top of taxes.What it’s for: Saving for retirement
  • Roth 401(k)How it works: A Roth 401(k) is the same as a 401(k) except that the taxes work a little differently. With a Roth 401(k), contributions are taxed. But then the money is usually never taxed again.What it’s for: Saving for retirement
  • Individual Retirement Account (IRA)How it works: An IRA works in a similar manner to a 401(k) in that contributions are tax deductible and funds grow without being taxed, but you will owe tax when you withdraw funds in retirement. Unlike a 401(k), which is offered through an employer, anyone can open an IRA. As with a 401(k), there may be a penalty if you withdraw funds prior to age 59½.What it’s for: Saving for retirement
  • Roth IRAHow it works: A Roth IRA is the same as an IRA except that the money you contribute is taxed. It’s then usually never taxed again. With a Roth IRA, you’ll be able to access contributions should you need them prior to age 59½. (You would owe taxes and a penalty if you withdraw earnings.)What it’s for: Saving for retirement
  • 529 PlanHow it works: A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged way to save for education expenses. You may get a tax break when you contribute money, and you’ll usually never owe tax on money taken out of a 529 plan as long as it’s used for qualified education expenses.What it’s for: Saving for education
  • StockHow it works: Investing in stock is common. Stock is a partial ownership stake in a company. When you own stock, you may share in the company’s profits, and the price of the stock may go up if the value of the company increases over time. Conversely, if the value of the company falls, your stock may lose value. The values of stocks that trade on the open market tend to fluctuate frequently.What it’s for: Long-term goals
  • BondHow it works: A bond is a loan that you make to a government or company. In exchange for the loan, you get interest payments (known as coupons) for a set period. When that time is over, you receive the amount invested back in full. Bonds can be a less risky way to grow money over the long term. However, they may not grow as much as stocks. Bonds are also not without risk entirely. It’s possible that a company or government could default, failing to make payments.What it’s for: Mid- to long-term goals
  • Mutual FundHow it works: When you buy into a mutual fund, your money is allocated to a basket of investments. Mutual funds can be set up in different ways with different investment objectives. Some may attempt to follow market indexes, while others may invest for growth. You can put money into mutual funds that invest in international or domestic companies. Mutual funds allow you to diversify your investments with a single purchase.What it’s for: Mid- to long-term goals, saving for retirement, saving for college
  • Index FundHow it works: An index fund is also a basket of investments; however, these are designed to mirror a specific index, such as the S&P 500. What it’s for: Long-term goals, saving for retirement, saving for college
  • Exchange-traded Fund (ETF)How it works: An ETF is like a mutual fund or an index fund but with one key difference. With a mutual or index fund, you can only buy and sell once per day at the fund’s closing price for the day. With an ETF, the price moves during the day, and you can buy and sell throughout the day like you can with stocks or bonds.What it’s for: Long-term goals, saving for retirement, saving for college
  • AnnuityHow it works: An income annuity allows you to create steady, guaranteed income in retirement.1  While some people use a portion of their savings to purchase an income annuity when they retire, others purchase annuities many years before they retire.What it’s for: Retirement

The list above is certainly not exhaustive. As you can see, though, different types of accounts work better for different goals. And they can complement each other. For instance, when you get to retirement, it can be beneficial to have a mix of Roth and traditional accounts. This can allow you to strategically withdraw money in a way that minimizes taxes.

Source:  https://www.northwesternmutual.com/life-and-money/4-steps-to-building-a-solid-financial-foundation/

Financial Plan

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The first step to creating a financial plan is to sit down and think about what you really want—your financial goals—both now and in the future.

The best financial plans include:

An emergency fund. Life happens! An emergency fund means you won’t have to worry about how to pay for that leaky roof, new transmission or any other problems that will inevitably creep up when you least expect it.

A plan to manage debt. Debt is a reality for many folks. But if it’s not managed carefully, it can be a drag on your ability to meet your financial goals over time.

Ways to protect your finances. While an emergency fund helps cover short-term expenses when something goes wrong, insurance protects you and your family financially against big risks, like losing the ability to work or the death of a loved one.

A plan to grow your money. Investments like stocks and bonds can help grow your money over time for long-term goals like buying a home, paying for college or saving for retirement. A financial plan will make use of tax-advantaged accounts whenever possible to stretch your dollars even further.

An estate plan. Whether you’re young and starting out or already in retirement, an estate plan is an important part of making sure your wishes are carried out after you’re gone.

A retirement plan. When you get to retirement, a retirement plan will help you tap all the options in your financial plan to reliably generate the income you’ll need to support your lifestyle. These options could include your investments, life insurance and annuities, which pay guaranteed income.

While some plans may focus more on one area than another based on your situation, all these components work together. For instance, having an emergency fund helps you avoid taking on more debt or withdrawing from your investments if you lose your job.

Source:  https://www.northwesternmutual.com/life-and-money/what-is-a-financial-plan/?

Benefits of Dark Chocolate and It’s Impact on Stem Cells

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Dark chocolate containing 80 percent cacao or higher is packed with nutrients that can strengthen your body’s defense systems and positively affect your overall health.

With the help of over 750,000 stem cells, your body regenerates itself each and every day, states Dr. William Li.

Dark chocolate can mobilize your stem cells to carry out their job to the fullest. At the University of California, San Francisco, researchers found that participants who received a chocolate drink made with cocoa twice a day for thirty days had twice as many stem cells in their circulation as their control group.

President Biden’s Final Days

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Presidents always have gatekeepers. In Biden’s case, the walls around him were higher and the controls greater as aides managed the limitations of the oldest president in American history.

Top advisers frequently acted as go-betweens, and public interactions became more scripted.

The administration denied Biden has declined and said advisers were working under his direction.

Interactions with senior Democratic lawmakers and some cabinet members—including Defense’s Lloyd Austin and Treasury’s Janet Yellen—were infrequent or grew less frequent. Some legislative leaders had a hard time getting the president’s ear at key moments.

“The Biden White House was more insulated than most. I spoke with Barack Obama on a number of occasions when he was president and I wasn’t even chairman of the committee,” said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, who sought to talk to Biden ahead of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan but couldn’t get him on the phone.

To adapt the White House around the needs of a diminished leader, aides told visitors to keep meetings focused. Staff often repeated instructions to him, such as where to enter or exit a stage.

“They body him to such a high degree,” a person who witnessed it said, adding that the “hand holding” is unlike anything other recent presidents have had.

Press aides who compiled packages of news clips for Biden were told by senior staff to exclude negative stories about the president. The president wasn’t talking to his own pollsters as surveys showed him trailing in the 2024 race.

If the president was having an off day, meetings could be scrapped altogether. On one such occasion, in the spring of 2021, a national security official explained to another aide why a meeting needed to be rescheduled.

“He has good days and bad days, and today was a bad day so we’re going to address this tomorrow,” the former aide recalled the official saying.

Read more: https://trib.al/4GeEtNV

How Fusion Energy Works

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Fusion energy is produced by fusing two light atomic nuclei, typically isotopes of hydrogen like deuterium and tritium, to form a heavier nucleus. This process releases a tremendous amount of energy, similar to the reactions that power the sun and other stars. The key steps involved are:

  1. Heating the Fuel: The hydrogen isotopes are heated to extremely high temperatures (millions of degrees Celsius) to form a plasma, a hot, charged state of matter.
  2. Confining the Plasma: The plasma must be confined long enough for the nuclei to collide and fuse. This is typically done using powerful magnetic fields in devices like tokamaks or stellarators.
  3. Energy Release: When the nuclei fuse, they release energy in the form of heat, which can be used to generate electricity.

Potential Benefits of Fusion Energy

  1. Abundant Fuel Supply: The primary fuels for fusion, deuterium and tritium, are abundant and can be extracted from water and lithium.
  2. Clean Energy: Fusion produces no greenhouse gases or long-lived radioactive waste, making it a much cleaner alternative to fossil fuels and traditional nuclear power.
  3. Safety: Fusion reactions are inherently safe. Unlike fission reactors, fusion does not involve chain reactions, so there is no risk of a runaway reaction or meltdown.
  4. High Energy Output: Fusion has the potential to produce significantly more energy than current energy sources, making it a powerful solution for meeting future energy demands.

Cultivate the Habit of Gratitude

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Gratitude is more than saying “thank you” when someone gives you something, states Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD.

Gratitude, in Kushner’s view, is a mindset and a way of looking at the world so that you recognize the things in your life as gifts you might just as easily not have been given. It encourages you to see the “givens” in your life – your looks, your talents, your family – as gifts, and even if you might have wished for a fancier or more expensive gift, it is selfish not to express appreciation for the gifts you have, states Kushner in an interview.

“When the psalmist, a man who has known the “valley of the shadow,” writes “my cup runneth over,” he is saying that he has learned to be grateful for what he has rather than lamenting what he may have lost or missed out on,” says Rabbi Kushner.

Dark Chocolate can Improve Insulin Sensitivity

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Cocoa is loaded with compounds called polyphenols that have been shown to help our bodies fend off inflammation, lower blood pressure and maybe even improve our moods.

Now, a new study finds people who have a habit of eating a little dark chocolate — about an ounce per day — have a 21% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, compared to people who don’t consume it.

There’s long been evidence that the compounds found in cocoa can contribute to heart health. For instance, a study published in the journal Heart, found chocolate lovers had a lower risk of strokes and other types of cardiovascular disease.

Scientists have homed in on bioactive plant compounds found in cocoa beans, called flavanols, which have been shown to prompt production of nitric oxide in the body. This gas can cause blood vessels to open up or dilate, and multiple studies have shown dark chocolate consumption is linked to a modest reduction in blood pressure.

Research, going back 20 years, has also shown that dark chocolate can help improve insulin sensitivity in healthy people. Insulin sensitivity is a gauge of how well a person’s cells are responding to insulin, which is a hormone that regulates blood sugar.

Dark chocolate typically contains higher levels of cocoa, compared to milk chocolate. And researchers are interested in learning more about specific types of flavanols found in cocoa, including epicatechins which are known for their antioxidant properties.

Source:  https://health.wusf.usf.edu/npr-health/2024-12-05/how-sweet-a-daily-dose-of-dark-chocolate-may-cut-your-risk-of-diabetes

Gratitude: Spreading Your Wings

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“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight.
And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you’re going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.”~ Dr Maya Angelou

In that space of not having all the answers, you will discover something extraordinary: the freedom to let go and trust the process.

It is only when you are suspended in mid-air, without a clear destination, that you can summon the courage to spread your wings.

In that unfolding, you begin to soar—not because you know where you’ll land, but because you’ve found the strength to rise.

The beauty lies in the flight itself, in trusting that the winds, coupled with God’s goodness, grace and mercy, will guide you to where you need to be.

It is in that surrender to the unknown and living in faith that you truly begin to live, carried by faith in the journey rather than the certainty of the outcome.