Mother s Day History. Proper Financial Planning: Critical for Women. May Lifestyle & Financial Newsletter. Inside this issue:

Transcription

1 Lifestyle & Financial Newsletter May 2013 The first North American Mother s Day was conceptualized with Julia Ward Howe s Mother s Day Proclamation in Despite having penned The Battle Hymn of the Republic twelve years earlier, Howe had become so distraught by the death and carnage of the Civil War that she called on Mother s to come together and protest what she saw as the futility of their Sons killing the Sons of other Mothers. At one point Howe even proposed converting July 4th into Mother s Day, in order to dedicate the nation s anniversary to peace. Eventually, however, June 2nd was designated for the celebration. Proper Financial Planning: Critical for Women In 1873 women s groups in 18 North American cities observed this new Mother s holiday. Howe initially funded many of these celebrations, but most of them died out once she stopped footing the bill. The city of Boston, however, would continue celebrating Howe s holiday for 10 more years. Despite the decided failure of her holiday, Howe had nevertheless planted the seed that would blossom into what we know as Mother s Day today. (continued on pg 3) A key goal of investing for retirement is making sure you save enough to make your money last throughout your lifetime. On this score, women may need to save more than men. The current life expectancy of a female at birth is almost 81 years, compared with 75 years for a male. 1 Although six years may not appear significant, many people in this age group incur expenses for health care and other items while living off of Social Security and personal assets. Keep in mind that life expectancy statistics are averages and many people live much longer. It is not unusual for an individual's retirement to last 20 or 30 years or more. There is also the issue of the length of a person's career and how much time an individual has to build retirement assets. Many women take time off for care giving responsibilities, and during these years they may not add to their retirement portfolio. 1Source: Center for Disease Control, National Center for Health (Continued on page 4 ) Inside this issue: Page Number (s) 1,3,5 Proper Financial Planning: Critical for Women 1,4 Office News 2 Regular Exercise Linked to Success in Life 2,4 Recipes Ala Harris 3 Harris Wealth Management 4160 Washington Road Suite 1 McMurray, PA Phone: our staff: edward.harris@lpl.com jamie.blayney@lpl.com sara.kersnick@lpl.com Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. The opinions expressed in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine what may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor. 1

2 Office News Ed recently attended an invitation only investment conference in Philadelphia. Approximately 300 attendees heard a wide variety of topics presented by top industry authorities. Topics included the U.S. economy, income generation in retirement, global asset allocation and financial concerns in retirement. On a lighter note, Lee Corso from ESPN spoke at dinner with his topic Winning with Integrity. Saving the best for last, the closing speaker was Washington D.C. insider, Andy Friedman. Andy is a long time attorney in D.C. and one of the most sought after speakers on all things political. His incites into Washington issues was both informative and frightening. Ed loves any opportunity to learn from such conferences. Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. -Author Unknown I have retired over 200 times, so you only have to retire once! Edward J. Harris, CPA Regular Exercise Linked to Success in Life It should be no surprise to hear that exercise is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. With the help of a balanced diet, exercise can help you achieve personal fitness goals, whether you want to lose those extra pounds before swimsuit season or get the six-pack abs you ve always wanted. But, the list of positive benefits doesn t stop with physical fitness. Regular exercise can also provide psychological benefits such as: Improved mood Higher self-esteem Enhanced brain function Reduced mental fatigue Diminished anxiety These are all very good reasons to stop reading this article and head to the gym. If they are not motivation enough, then consider this: regular exercise has been linked to higher salaries. According to a study published in the Journal of Labor Research, employees who exercise regularly (at least three hours each week) earn nine percent more, on average, than employees who don t. 1 1 Journal of Labor Research, The Effect of Exercise on Earnings, 2012, vol. 33, issue 2, pages (continued on pg 4) 2

3 (continued from pg 1) A West Virginia women s group led by Anna Reeves Jarvis began to celebrate an adaptation of Howe s holiday. In order to re-unite families and neighbors that had been divided between the Union and Confederate sides of the Civil War, the group held a Mother s Friendship Day. After Anna Reeves Jarvis died, her daughter Anna M. Jarvis campaigned for the creation of an official Mother s Day in remembrance of her mother and in honor of peace. In 1908, Anna petitioned the superintendent of the church where her Mother had spent over 20 years teaching Sunday School. Her request was honored, and on May 10, 1908, the first official Mother's Day celebration took place at Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia and a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The West Virginia event drew a congregation of 407 and Anna Jarvis arranged for white carnations her Mother s favorite flower to adorn the patrons. Two carnations were given to every Mother in attendance. Today, white carnations are used to honor deceased Mothers, while pink or red carnations pay tribute to Mothers who are still alive. In 1908 a U.S. Senator from Nebraska, Elmer Burkett, proposed making Mother's Day a national holiday at the request of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). The proposal was defeated, but by 1909 forty-six states were holding Mother's Day services as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. (continued on pg 5) RECIPE ALA HARRIS Almond French Toast -Allrecipes.com DIRECTIONS: INGREDIENTS: 1 cup slivered almonds 3 eggs 1 cup milk 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 12 thick slices French bread 3 tablespoons canola oil 3 tablespoons butter confectioners sugar for dusting 1. Place almonds in a small saucepan over low heat. Tossing frequently until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, flour, salt, baking powder, almond extract and vanilla extract. Soak bread slices in the mixture until saturated. Place slices in a shallow pan. Refrigerate slices approximately 1 hour. 3. Heat canola oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. One at a time, press one side of soaked bread slices in the almonds to coat. Fry bread slices on both sides until golden brown. Dust with confectioner s sugar before serving. 3

4 Proper Financial Planning: Critical for Women (continued from pg 1) In addition, time off from work may affect Social Security benefits because those who are not working do not earn credits that are used to determine retirement benefits. Also, parents, children, and other loved ones often have financial needs, and both women and men may provide help for family members, which may divert funds from retirement savings. Estimating How Much You'll Need Of course, every woman's life is unique and many women capitalize on the benefits available to them, including participating in an employersponsored retirement plan or funding an IRA, to build the assets needed for their later years. It's important not to underestimate how much you may need or the importance of ongoing contributions to retirement accounts to build assets over time. Although there are no guarantees, the longer you stay invested, the more likely that your contributions may benefit from compounding, when investment gains are reinvested and potentially earn even more over time. (continued on pg 5) Regular Exercise Linked to Success in Life (continued from pg 2) Previous studies tried to confirm the relationship between exercise and income, but proved merely that regular exercise was correlated to a higher salary. Vasilios Kosteas of Cleveland State University used propensityscore matching to compare employees with similar work ethics and backgrounds (health history, education, experience, etc.). When exercise was the only independent variable, Kosteas found that people who exercise regularly earned nine percent more, on average, than those who didn t exercise. The study also found that employees who didn t have a history of healthy behavior saw an increase in productivity after starting a regular exercise routine, and they often got a raise. Of course, as with many things, individual results will vary. Regardless, one thing is for certain. Exercise has been linked to many positive effects on the human body and mind, so do yourself a favor and start working out regularly. If it doesn t show in your paycheck, it may provide benefits in the form of lower healthcare bills and increased longevity. So get out there and exercise! The above material was prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance. 4

5 (continued from pg 3) Anna Jarvis quit working and devoted herself full time to the creation of Mother's Day, endlessly petitioning state governments, business leaders, women groups, churches and other institutions and organizations. She finally convinced the World's Sunday School Association to back her, a key influence over state legislators and congress. In 1912 West Virginia became the first state to officially recognize Mother's Day, and in 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed it into national observance, declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. The holiday flourished in the United States. Flowers, especially white carnations, became a very popular part of the celebration. One business journal, Florists Review, went so far as to print, This was a holiday that could be exploited. But the budding commercialization of Mother's Day greatly disturbed Jarvis, who vociferously opposed what she perceived as a misuse of the holiday. In 1923 Jarvis sued to stop a Mother s Day event. In the 1930's she was arrested for disturbing the peace at the American War Mothers group: She was protesting their sale of flowers. Jarvis also petitioned against a postage stamp featuring her Mother with a vase of white carnations and the word Mother s Day. Jarvis was able to have the words Mother s Day removed... but the flowers remained. In 1938, Time Magazine ran an article about Jarvis's fight to copyright Mother's Day, but by then it was already too late to change the commercial trend. Anna Jarvis died in 1948, blind, poor and childless. Jarvis would never know that it was, ironically, The Florist's Exchange that had anonymously paid for her care. By the time of Anna M. Jarvis s death, over 40 countries observed the Mother s Day. Today that number exceeds 70. Proper Financial Planning Critical for Women (continued from pg 4) Your financial advisor can help you calculate how much you are likely to need for your later years. Be sure to consider how you will pay for health care expenses not covered by Medicare or other medical insurance. When considering sources of retirement income, log on to or review your annual statement to estimate your retirement benefit from Social Security. If you find that your retirement assets are coming up short, delaying retirement or saving more while you continue to work may be helpful strategies. Because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by Financial Communications or its sources, neither Financial Communications nor its sources guarantees the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or availability of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. In no event shall Financial Communications be liable for any indirect, special or consequential damages in connection with subscriber's or others' use of the content McGraw-Hill Financial Communications. All rights reserved. Like Us On Facebook: Follow Us On Connect With Us On LinkedIn: We re on the web: 5