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Make sure you have disability insurance

February 21, 2012 By

submitted by Michael Garry, CFP®, JD/MBA, Yardley Wealth Management, LLC

Disability insurance is probably the most overlooked of all of the necessary insurances. People generally either have it at work or they don’t have it. Few buy it on their own because it costs a lot of money and most people don’t become disabled.

I got a letter from one of our doctors earlier this month that put its importance in focus for me. He has health issues and it has forced him to sell his practice. He is my age, lives in the area, and has a family. The letter explained the situation and asked us to go to the doctor who bought his practice.

Even if he had disability insurance, their lives just got a whole lot harder. If he didn’t have it, they could be facing a really rough road. What would you do if you could no longer earn a living? Would you be okay? Would your family?

Generally you are limited to purchasing 60% to 66 2/3% of your gross income. That is so that you don’t make more money by being disabled than you would by working. As you can imagine, that might give some people the wrong incentive.

Group policies are generally cheaper than individual policies, so if you can get one at work, that’s probably your best option. If that isn’t an option, maybe you can try to get it through an affinity group of some sort.

As an example, I have a policy through a plan that covers a group of financial planners to which I belong. If you or anyone else is dependent on your income, and you don’t have enough assets to retire, please check into your disability insurance coverage.

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Filed Under: Business Notebook, Yardley Voice Columnists Tagged With: , , ,

Integrity vs. apathy

November 30, 2011 By

submitted by Dr. Susan Burger, Riverside Chiropractic & Vitality Center

Recently a woman in my office said, “Dr. B., I don’t know what I’m going to do about the election next year. Democrat, Republican…I don’t trust any of them anymore!” Later that same day a man said, “You know, this is the first time in my life that I am not voting in the local elections – it just doesn’t seem to matter.”

It is sad when the hopelessness of apathy sets in. We don’t know who to vote for that can “fix” things. Do we just give up?

It is time that we take responsibility and not look to anyone else to solve our problems, including those in government. Systems are crashing around us, built on a house of cards, a lack of integrity. There is a need for connection, a sense of requited humanity that has been lost.

We can start in our own families, schools, and communities. Things could get worse before they get better, and a positive result of that can be that we rise to the occasion and find ways to help each other more, work together to meet the challenges that come our way.

In the show “Survivor,” I was annoyed when the participants talked about friendships and teammates…but when it really came down to it, would turn on anyone to win in the end. Is this really winning?

In reality, it is the team that works together, looks out for each other and creates a synergy and system of support that wins. Rather than win-lose being the norm, we can recreate the win-wins.

It is time for US to STAND UP! In our own lives and do what is right, from the heart. We are all in this together.

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Filed Under: Morrisville Times Columnists, Yardley Voice Columnists Tagged With: , , , ,

With apologies to Clement Moore…

November 30, 2011 By

submitted by Mark Bortman, Exact Solar, mark@exactsolar.com

 

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through our place,

My solar energy systems kept a smile on my face.

 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

But, for me, St. Nicholas had already been there.

 

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

The environment protected for their lives ahead.

 

For ma in her ’kerchief, and I in PJ’s

Get gifts from the sun, on all sunny days.

 

To fight rising prices that cause such a clatter

We’ve taken these steps so our budget won’t shatter.

  [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Going Green, Yardley Voice Columnists Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Neurofeedback defeats depression

November 30, 2011 By

submitted by Dr. Maria DiDonato, D.Ed. Psychologist, Achievement & Wellness Center, www.achievewell.net

Her eyes were downcast and her posture slumped slightly in the chair. That is what Pearl (not her real name) looked like as I approached her in the lobby. She had dropped out of college because of the emotional drain, and was working in construction. She was a pretty girl with strong muscles. She didn’t like how she was feeling with her latest round of antidepressant, and hoped for something else.

After a diagnostic workup, Pearl began treatment with neurofeedback. She began to smile more, feel happier and was more cheerful around her family. Self-critical thoughts were decreasing and her appetite improved.  It was delightful to see her smile as she spoke.

Depression, a major health problem affecting one-in-10 adults, has high consequences on work, family and social life. Effectiveness of antidepressant treatment is reportedly as low as 30%. Depression is characterized by several types of variations in the brainwave patterns mainly in the frontal lobes. Neurofeedback rewards the more positive brainwaves, and by a system of positive feedback, gives the brain cues about what to change.

During treatment, Pearl was able to produce more of the desirable brainwaves, and over time substantially improve her overall mood. Mood, behavior and thoughts were part of specific brainwave activity that improved with neurofeedback training, and Pearl completed her treatment. After a two-year follow up she reported she was doing fine.

Neurofeedback is brainwave training and offers an effective treatment for many conditions including ADHD, conduct problems, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and autism.  Substantial evidence indicates a significant relationship between brainwave abnormalities and a variety of disorders of behavior, emotion, thinking, learning and development.

Ongoing research clinically and at the university level provides consistent evidence for neurofeedback as an intervention.   

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One thousand essential possessions

November 1, 2011 By

submitted by Thomas G. Wells, Green re-modeler and energy efficiency expert,  tom@tgw-construction.com              

Let’s say I want to get rid of most of my possessions and get down to the essential 1000 objects which I just can’t live without. I have been threatening this for a couple of years, especially since we are empty nesters now and really need to downsize anyway. I have even made some tentative moves in the 1000 direction – some old computers and sneakers got recycled, I shredded piles of seven-year-old documents, and a couple of business suits which must have been owned by someone else – ‘cause was I ever that thin (?) – were deposited in the bins by Acme market. It actually feels good to think that I might someday even consider getting rid of something else – someday – maybe. No really, I am serious about this – it is just so hard. 

What brought the “1000 objects” idea into my head was a conversation I had with my mom who is determined to live in her home until she dies. More than six years ago I tried to convince her and Dad (now deceased) to move into a retirement/assisted living situation.  “Unthinkable,” was their persistent reply. “I want to live as long as I can and die in bed,” was my father’s statement – which actually came true shortly before his 94th birthday. Mom wants the same for herself. One reason to stay at home according to Mom is “how can I go through all of my belongings?”

[Read more...]

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Fifty-two easy low- or no-cost ways to save energy

November 1, 2011 By

submitted by Mark Bortman, Exact Solar, mark@exactsolar.com

While we all have many things to be thankful for, higher energy prices are not one of them. In case you hadn’t noticed, PECO’s electric rates just went up 6% last month. That means your electric bill is more than 20% higher than this time last year. Those of you with oil heat, it may cost more than $1000 to fill your tank to start the winter.

Although it may seem that high utility bills are as unavoidable as death and taxes, it does not have to be that way. There are many simple, no-cost or low-cost things you can do to save energy and, in the process, save money. Many people have in their minds that saving energy means not being comfortable or living the way you are accustomed to. Again, it does not have to be that way.

In the course of my business, I have the opportunity to visit many homes and businesses and look at the way they use energy. Being an installer of solar energy systems, I would love it if everyone had a solar water heater or solar electric system installed. But, I realize that shade issues, roof orientation and financial considerations (although solar systems cost less and pay for themselves faster than many people realize) rule this out for some people. On the other hand, there are many straightforward steps people can take to increase their energy efficiency.

If there are simple, low-cost things to do, the only reasons I can come up with why people don’t do them is that either they don’t know about them or that they don’t think they are worthwhile. In an effort to spread the word about these inexpensive or free things that can be done, I am starting a blog, “52 Easy Low Cost or No Cost Ways to Save Energy.”

The address for the blog is www.exactsolar.com/blog.

I’ll have an entry each week. Hopefully, armed with these tips and spurred by the rise in PECO and oil costs, people will feel empowered to take action. High utility bills can be avoided!

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Filed Under: Going Green, Yardley Voice Columnists Tagged With: , , , , ,

Conquering autism, one child at a time

November 1, 2011 By

submitted by Dr. Maria DiDonato, D.Ed. Psychologist, Achievement & Wellness Center

Ray (not his real name) was a very cute little guy, but his behavior was a challenge. Screaming, argumentativeness, spontaneous agitation, anger, stubbornness, impulsivity and resistance to redirection, were commonplace. There was no consoling him when screaming over extended times, soothing him when upset, or redirecting him when off track. He was alone in his own world and always unpredictable.

His early years were exhausting with behaviorists, therapists, speech and occupational therapy, and only the beginning of a long road for this kindergartner. Nothing was producing lasting changes in his chaotic life. Ray’s parents were frustrated, voicing serious concern for their child’s future. Could he ever behave like other children or have hopes for a normal future?

They heard about neurofeedback and decided to try it. Gradually, Ray became less volatile, less resistant, less agitated and less unreachable. Brief conversations with him and behavioral expectations were beginning, and slowly he was becoming reachable. He screamed less, appeared happier, smiled more, talked more and became more pleasant to be around. Life was beginning to look more normal for Ray and his future more promising. How could this be? 

After a careful diagnostic program, a treatment plan was determined. Ray’s twice weekly neurofeedback program rewarded his brain for more appropriate brain waves in order to normalize his behaviors. The initial focus was to calm his emotionality, hypersensitivity and over reactivity. Secondly, the focus was on improving the communication between parts of the brain that corresponds to better information processing. 

For Ray, treatment meant playing brain wave video games. For his parents, it was life changing. There is a long hoped for air of peace and tranquility in the home and success in school. Soon to be discharged. The difference now? Ray is a happy and cute little guy.  

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Filed Under: Yardley Voice Columnists Tagged With: , , ,

Does parental response affect a child’s behaviors?

October 4, 2011 By

submitted by Dr. Maria DiDonato, D.Ed. Psychologist, Achievement & Wellness Center

Many times children’s behavior is attention seeking. Parental response may unwittingly reinforce bad or inappropriate behaviors.

Behavior that is rewarded is often repeated. Behavioral rewards, or re-inforcers, are of two types, positive and negative. When either re-inforcer occurs, the brain tends to repeat the behaviors. Either positive or negative re-inforcers can cause the child to repeat the behaviors.

For example, spanking for a child’s inappropriate behavior may cause the child to repeat the behavior. Why?

Actually, the child has received attention, albeit negative (spanking), for that behavior. On the other hand, if a child’s behavior is ignored, or another child is behaving appropriately, the parent may give a positive re-inforcer to the other child saying, “I like the way Suzie is ….(specific behavior).”

Ignoring inappropriate behavior decreases the chance of it being repeated. Later, the parent should be attentive and positively re-inforce any positive behavior observed in the previously misbehaving child.

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A conversation with our Congressman

August 2, 2011 By

submitted by Thomas G. Wells, Green re-modeler and energy efficiency  expert,  tom@tgw-construction.com

Recently I was invited by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) to meet with our Bucks County Congressman, Mike Fitzpatrick.  There were nine of us seated around a conference table at Fitzpatrick’s office in Newtown.  Along with Fitzpatrick, his Chief of Staff and his District Office Manager were there, as well as a professional lobbyist from NARI’s national office.

Besides myself there were three other remodelers from the Delaware Valley, one of whom is the current NARI National president, and Patrick Kennedy from Superior WoodCraft in Doylestown.  It was clear that all of us were taking the opportunity very seriously.  It is not often that one gets to speak directly to one’s congressman.

Fitzpatrick gave each of the five remodelers an opportunity to describe their business.  NARI’s lobbyist then set the stage for why we were all gathered.  The first topic we discussed was the EPA enforcement of the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rules, aka Lead law.  Fitzpatrick listened attentively, asking questions to understand the reason for our lobbying effort.

The second topic was about “25c.”  This refers to the initiative to reinstate the $1500 tax credit for energy efficiency, which was in force during 2009 and 2010.   Starting in 2011 Congress gutted the tax credits, reducing them to $200 in some cases.

[Read more...]

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Solar water heaters make sense and save cents

August 2, 2011 By

submitted by Mark Bortman, Exact Solar, mark@exactsolar.com

When you think of sunny places, Germany, Austria, China and Japan don’t usually come to mind.  But these countries with climates similar to ours are way ahead of us at taking advantage of the energy from the sun.  They are global leaders in installing solar water heaters.  Almost every new house gets one and many older houses are retrofitted.  What do they know that we don’t?

In the United States, solar water heating is not as well known as the other type of solar panels that generate electricity.  Solar water heaters, however, are very efficient at taking the sun’s energy and converting it to something useful – hot water for showers, dish washing and even space heating.  There are various types of solar water heaters, but the basic operation is the same.  The collectors are placed in a sunny area, usually on a roof, and they get hot – just like a garden hose that has been sitting in the sun.  A heat-transfer fluid gets pumped through the collectors and brings the heat energy to a storage tank.  The water in the storage tank receives the sun’s energy from the fluid through a heat exchanger.  On sunny days, the temperature of the water in the solar tanks can easily rise above 140 degrees.  Moreover, solar water heaters always have a back-up heating system in place, for those times when it hasn’t been sunny.  In many cases, the back-up is your existing water heater.

Solar water heaters have withstood the test of time – they have been available for over 100 years.  More importantly, demand for them is increasing as PECO rates and oil prices rise.  The addition of a rebate from the state Sunshine Program and a federal tax credit reduce the cost of a system by an incredible 65%.  Many people don’t realize it, but water heating typically accounts for 15-25% of your overall utility bill.

With a relatively small upfront investment, you can reduce your utility bill and help the environment.  There are additional, easy steps you can take to reduce the amount of energy used to heat your water.  These are as simple as making sure your dishwasher is full before running it and turning down the thermostat on your water heater or more involved such as installing low-flow shower heads or heat traps.  Other measures include insulating your water heater and hot water pipes and fixing leaky faucets.

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Filed Under: Going Green, Yardley Voice Columnists Tagged With: , ,
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