The Riviera Apartment Homes

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Teach Your Kids How to Manage Their Money

Within the last decade or so, real-time banking has revolutionized access to funds and bank account information. You can deposit your paycheck, then immediately purchase groceries, and log into your bank account from your smart phone in the parking lot to see how much money you have remaining.

This is an efficient and customer-friendly way to bank. And, for those of us who grew up in an age of check registers and no online access to information, it is a revolutionary concept with virtually no downside. But, what about our children?

It’s never too early

With all of these technological advances, it is easy to overlook the “basics” of a bank account and financial literacy. So, it is never too early to start teaching your child about successful money management. Below are a few tips to get you started:

1. Integrate money management lessons into your daily conversations with your child.

2. Be proactive about finding free resources and activities to further your child’s financial education. There are many fabulous materials available online, including this Money Management for Kids Web site sponsored by PBS. As a parent of two young children, I just recently started using these resources with my oldest daughter, and I’ve found them to be quite helpful in explaining financial topics.

3. Teach your child the difference between a need and a want. Spendster.org has some great materials for this, including this helpful Needs vs. Wants Worksheet.

4. Consider giving your child an allowance.

Make the amount age appropriate (not excessive).
Be consistent (think of the regularity of a paycheck).
Set a required percentage or amount to contribute to savings.
Help your child create age-appropriate savings goals.
Allow the discretionary portion of the allowance to be spent entirely at the child’s discretion (within reason). This teaches children that successful money management adds to the independence that they so desperately crave. Example: Give your 6-year old a $5 per week allowance. Allow 50% to be spent entirely at his/ her discretion and require the other 50% to be saved for a short or medium-term goal (i.e. shoes that are too expensive for the family budget, your local annual fair or amusement park excursion, etc.).

5. When your child is ready, teach him/her to track incoming funds and outgoing funds – even when it is cash-based.

6. Be proactive rather than reactive to expected expenses as your child matures.

Work with your child to budget for known expenses—lunch, snacks, gas, clothes, activities, etc.
Make their allowance sufficient to cover these expenses or create a special fund for them.
Resist the urge to respond to emergency requests for money (unless it is a true emergency).

7. When your child is ready, introduce them to your banker and help them open two bank accounts (with you jointly) to use for their discretionary funds and savings funds.

Teach them to use a check register.
Order at least a few checks and create opportunities for them to use them. While electronic payment methods are becoming the norm, there are still instances when a check is needed.
Have the bank set up your child with an online banking login and (if applicable) access to mobile banking. With today’s technology, there’s little excuse for your child to gauge their financial solvency by whether or not their debit card works when trying to make a purchase.

Technology and the advent of real-time banking have definitely made personal financial management much more convenient. However, convenience is rarely a good substitute for a solid foundational understanding of financial principles.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Ingredients in Packaged Foods to WATCH OUT For - Take This List on your Next Trip to the Store; You Might be Surprised!

Here is a list of the top most dangerous food additives on the market:

These are deemed most disgusting ingredients that manifacturers add to foods that cause serious health problems (such as Cancer!) and are just outright GROSS!

Castoreum – This has got to be the nastiest additive on the the market. Food scientists are using the castor anal sacs of female beavers to flavor your food. Castoreum usually adds a raspberry or vanilla flavor. You will never see it in the ingredient list. It usually falls under “natural flavors” or “natural vanilla flavor.”

Cochineal Extract - Another gross additive comes from the shells of female cochineal insects. They eat red cactus berries and it concentrates the color on their bodies. The bugs are trapped and shaken until they are killed. This retains the color of their bodies. Then they shells are dried in the sun. Once you mix the dried shells with water, you can make a red dye.

TBHQ - This is an additive used to retain freshness, and extend the shelf life of processed foods like crackers, chips and even cooking spray. It is also a chemical found in butane! TBHQ has been known to cause nausea and vomiting. Long term uses of TBHQ have been shown to cause cancerous tumors in laboratory animals.

Propylene Glycol - This is used as a preservative. It is especially used in ice cream to keep them from getting freezer burned. It is also very common in boxed cake mixes. What you should know is that propylene glycol is also found in anti-freeze.

Cellulose - Cellulose is basically “wood pulp.” It can come from many plants, but the most popular form used by the food industry, comes from wood pulp. Food scientists use this as a calorie reducer. Humans cannot digest it, so it contains no caloric value. It also acts as a cheap filler, adding bulk to processed foods.

Shellac - This additive is how conventional apples and tomatoes get that unnatural shine. Personally, I think they look freakish and always go for the ugly organic apples. Shellac comes from the kerria lacca insect. This insect has a sticky excretion that it uses to stick to the trees it lives on in Thailand. Food makers use this to provide shine to all kinds of foods like apples, tomatoes and jellybeans.

L-cysteine - This one made me choke on my breakfast. I had no idea. Evidently, food scientists are using duck feathers to soften dough that is used in processed foods. It is most commonly seen in commercial breads, cookies and bagels. This could be a real problem for vegans who are unaware.

If this isn’t a reason to limit processed foods, I don’t know what is. Seems like most processed foods these days are more like science experiments.

Propylene glycol:
This food additive, E1520, is used in a variety of foods as well as many other industrial uses. It is used as a moisturiser in toothpaste, hair care products, cosmetics, as an ingredient in smoke machines, in photographic solvents and as an anti-freeze ingredient in water and engine coolant systems. When mixed with water it has a lower freezing point and is very similar to its sister compound ethylene glycol, an industrial antifreeze, only less toxic. In fact some softer scoop ice creams use propylene glycol as an added ingredient to prevent the product from becoming too solid. So the next time you try to be 'healthy' by eating a lower fat ice cream, just remember the anti-freeze your consuming that is 'oh so tasty' too!

Methylparaben:
The food additive (E218) has been used in many foods as a preservative for over 50 years as a result of its potent anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Whilst methylparaben is said not to have any toxic accumulation effects on the the human body, some sources suggest it may increase the risk of breast cancer, allergic reactions and increased oestrogenic activity. The slightly disturbing origin of methylparaben is that it is a potent pheromone present in the vaginal secretions of some female dogs to attract a mate during the appropriate phase of their menstrual cycle. So when you are sipping on a glass of wine, a soft drink or fruit juice made from concentrate and your pet dog starts on your leg, its probably the E218 in the drink driving him insane!

sodium bisulfite
In the 1980s, sodium bisulfite was banned from use on raw fruits and vegetables in the United States following the deaths of 13 people who unknowingly consumed produce treated with excessive amounts of the substance. One active ingredient in the compound is CHLORINE.

Sodium benzoate chokes out your body’s nutrients at the DNA cellular level by depriving mitochondria cells of oxygen, sometimes completely shutting them down. Just as humans need oxygen to breathe, cells need oxygen to function properly and to fight off infection, including cancer.“ In even more harmful news, If sodium benzoate is combined with vitamin C, it can cause a chemical reaction that causes benzene to be formed. Benzene is a known carcinogen also the active ingredient in gasoline.

BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene): this common additive used to prevent oxidation in a wide variety of foods and cosmetics is listed by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) in 2005 as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” on the basis of experimental findings in animals. It is also used in jet fuels, rubber petroleum products, transformer oil and embalming fluid. As if this were not enough, the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) warns that BHT should not be allowed to enter the environment, can cause liver damage, and is harmful to aquatic organisms.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): Loaded with “unbound” fructose and glucose molecules, studies have shown that the reactive carbonyl molecules can cause tissue damage that may lead to obesity, diabetes, and also heart disease. So much for this “Strong Heart Antioxidants” cereal recipe! HFCS is made from genetically modified corn and processed with genetically modified enzymes. To make matters worse, studies have recently revealed that nearly half of tested samples of HFCS contained mercury.

Yellow #5: Almost all colorants approved for use in food are derived from coal tar and may contain up tp 10ppm of lead and arsenic. Also, and not surprisingly, most coal tar colors could potentially cause cancer.

Soybean oil: More than half of all soybeans crops grown in the US are genetically-modified (GMO) representing a meteoric rise since 1996, when only 7% were GMO soybeans. Genetically modified crops not only pose environmental dangers. There is a growing concern (and mounting scientific evidence) that genetic engineering of food plant seeds may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health.

Propylene glycol alginate (E405): this food thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier is derived from alginic acid esterified and combined with propylene glycol. Bear in mind that even though propylene glycol is used as a food additive, it has many industrial uses including automotive antifreezes and airport runway de-icers.

Polysorbate 60: short for polyoxyethylene-(20)- sorbitan monostearate this emulsifier is widely used in the food industry. Made of made of corn, palm oil and petroleum, this gooey mix can’t spoil, so it often replaces dairy products in baked goods and other liquid products.

Enriched flour: these pretzels are made with enriched flour. But don’t let the attractive description mislead you: like most highly processed foods, enriched flour is devoid of nutrients and more often than not it is also bleached. Since the wheat germ and bran are removed from this type of flour, the body treats it as a refined starch.

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Monday, August 19, 2013

Back to School Tips from The Riviera Apartment Homes in China Spring, Waco, Texas. #Baylor, #McLennan #TSTC

The long, lazy days of summer are rapidly disappearing. It’s nearly time to set that alarm clock about a half hour earlier. The light and breezy summer traffic patterns are coming to an end, and soon you’ll be dealing with more cars on the road, school zones, and school buses. And if you have a child heading off to school this year, your mornings will be a whirlwind of breakfast dishes, homework papers, permission slips, lost sneakers, and backpacks.

Luckily, there are things you can start doing now to make the transition from summer to school easier – especially if your child is going to school for the first time or will be starting a new school this year.

Check out this back-to-school resource. Get information on immunizations and other health requirements your child will need (and schedule that check-up now to take care of any issues before school begins), find out if your state offers a tax-free holiday and get the dates, learn about school bus safety and child nutrition programs, learn about financial assistance, and even get healthy sack lunch tips.

Go to the school website and get the dates for the meet-and-greet event so your child can see his or her new classroom and meet the teacher. Walk around the school and find the cafeteria, the restrooms, the office, and the clinic so your child will feel more comfortable on his first day of school.

Arrange a play date with one or two of the kids in your child’s class. Already having a friend when he heads off to school for the first time will make him feel more comfortable.

If your child will be walking to school, make a couple of practice trips with him so he’ll be familiar with the route. Talk to your child about the rules you expect him or her to follow – especially safety rules. If possible, walk with him or her the first morning and introduce your child to the crossing guard.

If your child will be taking the bus, drive the route with your child and check out the stops to help your child get familiar with the area. Be sure to write your child’s bus number down and place it prominently in a place he or she won’t lose it (such as in the front of his notebook).

Start your early-morning routine a week early. Getting your child up and used to having breakfast at this new time will make the actual school mornings that much easier – and it will help your child fall asleep easier if he will have an earlier bedtime once school begins.

Exercise your child’s brain! Get them excited about school through educational games and activities.

Go back-to-school shopping! Depending on the grade, you’ll probably need paper, crayons, glue, scissors, pencils, folders, and markers. Get the back-to-school supply list from the teacher, find it on the school website, or look for the printouts stacked in kiosks inside the discount stores. Be sure to get some back-to-school outfits, new shoes, a backpack, and a lunchbox.

Get involved! Join the PTA, volunteer in the classroom, be a room parent – being visible helps in so many ways. You’ll stay in-the-know as to what is happening at the school and you’ll be able to address any issues your child may encounter right away. Teachers and other parents will know who you are and will feel more comfortable approaching you. You’ll know who your child is talking about when he tells you about his day. And, best of all, it will ease your child’s fears and help you stay connected.

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