Vol. 17 No. 7Copyright 2017 In Touch Today www.intouchtoday.com

When To Think About a Home Equity Loan—and When You Shouldn’tIf you have substantial equity in your home, it can be a great resource for financing large purchases. But it all comes down to using credit wisely—there are some circumstances when a home equity loan doesn’t make sense. While it’s best to consult a lending professional for the best advice about home equity loans, there are a few rules of thumb:

● If interest rates are expected to remain low, a home equity line of credit is inexpensive cash. The most important thing to consider is whether that cash is an investment that will yield even more money. Are you paying for night classes to advance your career? That could be a great use of your home’s equity for future gain if you have an expectation of higher income.

● A home equity loan is a good way to finance a new business—just make sure you’re getting the best professional advice and that you have a reasonable business plan.

● Home equity loans can be very desirable vehicles to finance a young person’s college, as the rates are often better than the interest on education loans offered by private lenders. However, it’s important to ensure that you’re on sound financial footing before

taking out the loan, because it’s not completely risk-free.

● If you have unexpected high medical bills or another emergency, it might be good to consider a home equity loan, especially if the alternative is using credit cards, which come with much higher interest rates.

● Paying off high-interest credit cards or other loans might be a good use of a home equity line of credit, since the interest rates can be more favorable—as long as you’re financially responsible. It can be tempting to continue overspending on credit cards, compounding the debt problem you sought to alleviate.

You should never use a home equity line of credit to finance vacations or other unnecessary purchases. The easy credit of the mid-2000s led many homeowners to risk foreclosure by spending home equity cash for extravagant purchases, and thousands lost their houses following the market crash of 2007. Good credit sense is important—a fact reinforced by the tighter terms banks now offer home equity borrowers. Once again, if you have any questions about home equity loans, consult a professional credit advisor or mortgage professional.

Copyright 2017 In Touch Today www.intouchtoday.com

Nutritional supplements have become increasingly popular as consumers seek ways to enhance their health, including

alternatives to traditional medicine. And a growing number of clinical studies have verified medical benefits of many of these OTC remedies. The problem is that a profusion of companies has emerged, and many are reportedly making false claims about their products—or worse, selling products containing none of the advertised ingredients.

That’s the charge made in 2015 by the New York State Attorney General’s office, which demanded that four major national retailers—Walmart, Walgreens, Target and GNC—remove many store brand herbal supplements from shelves after finding the pills were made with fraudulent and even hazardous ingredients. The products in question are among the most popular herbal nutritional supplements, including ginseng, St. John’s wort, echinacea and valerian root. The AG’s office determined that many completely lacked the ingredients listed on the label, and instead contained cheap fillers like powdered rice and wheat. But they also found bizarre ingredients like asparagus and the leaves of common house plants.

Such unlisted and fraudulent ingredients are serious health hazards for people with food allergies and conditions like celiac disease. But these deceptive practices victimize all consumers interested in improving their health. Because nutritional supplements are not regulated as drugs by the FDA, counterfeit products are a pervasive problem for consumers. Overseas companies can quickly package fraudulent ingredients and sell their inventory through sites like Amazon. And such a massive failure of quality control will be difficult to remedy.

Consumers are advised to look for USP certification and NSF labels, both of which certify that a product is what it claims to be. Additionally, they are advised to be wary of products packaged in China and Mexico. Finally, Consumerlab.com is a good source of information, conducting its own independent testing.

Google’s answer to Apple’s Siri, the somewhat impersonally named Google Assistant, used to reside on pure Android installations like Pixel phones and in the cross-platform messaging app Allo. Now, a more powerful version is available as its own app for iOS and Android.

If you’re an iPhone user, Siri will still be the most convenient voice interface—she’s baked into the phone’s OS, whereas Google Assistant is an app, restricted from direct hardware access like any other app. You can activate Siri by saying “Hey, Siri” if your phone is nearby, but you have to launch Google Assistant to use it. Saying, “OK, Google, text my mom,” will prompt Google Assistant to launch Messages, where you’ll have to confirm and send your text; Siri can quickly and instantly send text messages for you. Similarly, Siri can directly call a contact; Google Assistant will launch the phone app, where you’ll manually confirm the call.

But that’s the bad news. The really good news is that within the app, Assistant leverages the huge Google ecosystem in powerful, useful and fun ways. Assistant will transcribe spoken email messages and switch over to the

Gmail app; it can launch playlists or videos through YouTube; it can search the web or answer direct questions instantly—try asking Google Assistant how many acres in a hectare, or (more usefully for cooks) how many tablespoons in a half-cup.

The app includes a “Your Stuff” tab that offers reminders, your Google Calendar

agenda, and a shopping list. Shortcuts include options like

“Show me pictures of my family last year,” which will

open related photos in the Google Photos app.

Google’s voice recognition software seems to be faster and more accurate than Siri’s,

but contextual queries—such as follow-up questions

to previous responses—mostly stump both agents. While

iPhone users won’t find Assistant as accessible or powerful as Siri, anyone engaged with Google’s ecosystem will find something to love about the new app.

Another Digital Assistant Makes Its DebutScience Backs Up Many Nutritional Supplement Claims—But Buyers Beware

Did you know that the average American man’s backpack or briefcase contains about $700 in personal electronics equipment? The value of the average woman’s purse clocks in at around $720. It’s pretty well understood by thieves around the world that snatching an American’s bag can mean a quick payday, so it’s important to keep your personal items secure when you travel. Here are a few tips:

● Keep your money, credit cards, passport and any important USB drives in a money belt worn under your clothing.

● Keep valuables like computer bags and camera equipment with you at all times.

● Buy a sling purse made to wear across your body from shoulder to hip or around your waist so it can’t be snatched.

● Keep your bags with you—don’t stow them during rail trips or let cab drivers put them in the trunk.

● Staying in a hostel or other low-budget accommodations? You are definitely going to need a padlock to secure belongings in lockers.

● Make two printed copies of your passport, drivers license, visa, travel insurance, health information, credit cards, itinerary, lodging confirmations, car rental reservations and vaccination certificates. Leave one copy with a friend.

Tips For Securing Your Valuables While Traveling

Be sure to schedule regular eye appointments with your optometrist. Even if you aren’t experiencing any problems with your vision, a comprehensive eye exam can detect even the smallest changes in your eye health, and even other health related issues such as glaucoma and diabetes, before there are any other symptoms. Protect your eyes. When outside, protect your eyes with sunglasses with 100% AVA and AVB protection. Wear protective eyewear when playing sports and working with hazardous or airborne materials at work or home. Maintain a balanced diet. By incorporating foods that are rich in protective nutrients and antioxidants, you can help maintain good eye health. Eat a healthy diet that includes leafy greens, dark pigmented fruits such as blueberries and cherries, salmon, eggs, nuts, beans and other non meat protein sources. Stop Smoking. Smoking can contribute to a higher chance of developing cataracts, macular degeneration, and optic nerve damage. If you have tried to quit before, keep trying. The more times you try to quit, the more likely you are to succeed. Take a break to help eye strain. If you use computers or other digital devices for extended periods of time on a regular basis, you could experience dry eyes, blurry vision, and headaches. Every 20 minutes, rest your eyes by looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Our eyes provide us with one of our most treasured senses. Follow these easy tips to ensure you are taking care of your eyes properly.

Easy Ways to Plan Your

Meals

Everyone is busy these days, and many times meals result in last minute trips to the store, or a stop at the nearest fast food chain. By taking just a little time each week, you can set yourself up for success.

Find out how many meals you need to make per week, based on everyone’s schedule, after school commitments, activities, and travel plans. Also take into consideration how much time you’ll have each day. If your week is jam packed with extra obligations, now is not the best time to try making Beef Wellington from scratch.

Create a master list of tried and true go to recipes. Armed with a list of meals that are well received by your family or ones you know will make good leftovers will help keep your time in the kitchen more productive with less headaches. It will also make keeping your pantry well stocked easier, instead of searching for an infrequently used bottle or jar of something you don’t use.

But don’t forget to try something new! Try adding in one or two new recipes per week, and you may find a new favorite to add to your weekly rotation.

When you’re ready to make your shopping list, keep an eye on your grocery store circulars and take sales into account when planning your meals. Also, look for ingredients that you can use in a few recipes through the week. Broccoli can be used in a stir fry one night, steamed for a side dish another night, and eaten raw a third night.

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Vol. 17 No.7

Peach Salsa

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

2. Sauté onion, jalapeno, ginger until onion is soft

3. Stir in the rest of the ingredients gently and cook about 5 minutes

4. Serve warm or at room temperature, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days

Directions

Ingredients1 large sweet onion, diced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced ¼ cup white sugar 2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

6 large firm peaches, peeled and chopped ¼ cup lemon OR lime juice ½ teaspoon salt2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Prep Time: 20 minutes l Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: About 4 cups

Copyright 2017 In Touch Today www.intouchtoday.com

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Copyright 2017 In Touch Today www.intouchtoday.com

Automate Your Financial Life and Save MoneyEmployees who work for companies already enjoy a partly automated financial life—taxes and retirement savings contributions are automatically deducted from their paychecks; often, pay is deposited directly into a checking account. But once it’s there, most people deal manually with bills, checks and payments instead of taking advantage of the bank’s automation features.There are a lot of advantages to automating your financial life, but the biggest one is psychological—it’s easier to save money when you don’t have to think about it. And it’s also a great first step toward building a sustainable budget.

Paying Yourself First

● If you don’t have an emergency fund, you should begin saving one by setting up an automatic transfer of $50 to $100 from your checking account once a month.● Already have a 401(K)? Set up a Roth IRA and automatically deposit 5 percent of your after-tax earnings once per month.● Save 5 percent of your monthly income toward big purchases—think vacations or a down payment for a house.

Paying Down Debt

● Set up automatic payments for all of your credit cards. Not only is this more convenient, but you’ll never miss a payment through forgetfulness again. Try to make payments greater than the minimum. ● Set up automatic mortgage payments through your lender’s website.● Any other loans? Car, home equity, student loans? Set up auto payments. Your credit rating will thank you.

Taking Care of Business

● Most utilities have auto-pay services, or you can use your bank’s website to set up any fixed recurring monthly payments.● Paying rent by check? Your bank can probably send your landlord a paper check by mail each month on a date you choose. This goes for any other bills you pay by check on a monthly basis.