What do you think the future holds for the upcoming year and beyond? This is a question I have been asked dozens of times over the last several weeks. After giving it considerable time and thought, I have come up with the following beliefs. These are along the same lines of thought of almost everyone I have talked to, including a number of heavyweights within the financial world.
My beliefs are as follows:
A. A small, cash-ready account equal to at least one month's income in case of emergencies. Three month's worth of funds is recommended.
B. The purchase of a home. If not presently owned, you should plan for one. Long before you retire, you and your family should have at least one home to live in at the time of retirement, and it must be homesteaded. California law provides up to approximately $100,000 of "untouchable" equity from creditors at present. This amount automatically goes up from time to time.
C. A formal investment portfolio, which is diversified to include common growth stocks, mutual funds and tax-free bonds. Of these, companies related to plastics, pharmaceuticals, research, housing, the Internet, communications and services should be on everyone's list. It is also possible to select your own mix of investments and thus create your own mutual fund portfolio.
D. A valid living trust is an absolute necessity. A valid will is also needed to round out one's estate.
There are well-qualified financial planners who specialize in the above mentioned areas. I suggest you consult with your local bank or credit union and ask which financial planners they would recommend. These institutions often have one or more persons employed within their facilities just for this purpose. In this way, the financial institution has already pre-screened the planner's validity and can recommend them.
Structured water (H3O2) can be considered a fourth state of water between liquid and solid. It has the hexagonal structure of ice; however, missing a critical bond, it behaves more like a gel than a solid, but retains some of its crystalline structure.
In the past five years of my clinical practice, I have seen an astonishing upsurge in the chronic use of proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) medications for the gastrointestinal issue diagnosed by allopathic medicine as GERD. It is not uncommon to encounter patients taking these prescriptions for five-plus years.
Working with chronically ill patients entails acknowledging the reality that not all patients will survive their diagnosis. Chinese medicine and acupuncture play a crucial role in palliative and end-of-life care, addressing medication and disease side effects, alleviating pain associated with death, reducing anxiety and stress, and helping patients find peace during the dying process.
