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More than 40 million Americans own an Individual Retirement Account, unfortunately many owners aren't aware of the plan's most basic rules.
Continue Reading Below
According to The Investment Company Institute (ICI), the "traditional" IRA, which is made up of tax-deductible contributions, is the most popular with one-third of all households include at least one person who has a plan. Roth IRAs, which are funded with after-tax contributions, can be found in 17% of U.S. households.
Despite IRAs widespread acceptance and the fact that they have been around for 40 years, most of us are largely unaware of the most basic rules about what you can and cannot do with an IRA...and mistakes can be surprisingly costly.
The Hunt for 1/8%
CPA and IRA expert Barry Picker in Brooklyn, N.Y., says ones of the most common errors IRA owners make involves frequently rolling over an IRA from one custodian to another. The low-interest rate environment we're in now (and for the foreseeable future) encourages this behavior as IRA owners shop for whatever provider will pay a fraction of a percent more. Picker talks of clients who check the newspaper each morning in a search to find where they can get a (slightly) better return on their money.
"When their CD comes due, they go to their bank and say, 'The bank down the block is paying more. Give me my money.'" They take the IRA proceeds, walk down the street and invest them in a six-month CD inside a new IRA at Bank No.2. Then, says Picker, "Six months later they take the money out and move it again. You can't do that!"
The (Costly) 12 Month Rule
The rules that govern Individual Retirement Accounts can be found in IRS Publication 590, Page 23 states:
Generally, if you make a tax-free rollover of any part of a distribution from a traditional IRA, you cannot, within a 1-year period, make a tax-free rollover of any later distribution from that same IRA. You also cannot make a tax-free rollover of any amount distributed, within the same one-year period, from the IRA into which you make the tax-free rollover.
Note that the rollover limit is specifically 12-months and is not based on a calendar year. In addition, the IRA that the assets are coming out of as well as the IRA that the assets are going into must abide by this, i.e. no additional rollovers into or out of either one for 12 months. The only exceptions that get you off the hook involve the financial institution being insolvent or taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
"If you do a second rollover within 12 months, your IRA is toast," warns Picker. "It's immediately taxable."
It gets worse.
If you don't correct your mistake by withdrawing the illegal rollover, you have made what is called an "excess contribution." Not only will you owe income tax on the amount, it is subject to a 6% penalty for as long as it remains in the account.
The Solution? Hands Off!
There is a simple way around this entire issue: instead of cashing out your IRA account and taking possession of the assets- cash, stocks, bonds, etc.- you can move them via what's called a "trustee-to-trustee transfer." In this case, you never take possession of the assets. They are moved (electronically) from the original custodian to the new one.
The Rollover That Doesn't Exist
You know the old saying that "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing"? The individual who wrote this must have had IRAs in mind. Not only are some of the rules confusing, they apply differently depending upon what type of IRA you're talking about.
"Rollover" is just one example. As previously described, this involves the IRA owner withdrawing the assets from the account and personally delivering them to the custodian of a new IRA.
Can you pick out the most important word in the previous paragraph? Hint: it's in the second sentence.
Answer: "owner." Only the registered owner of an IRA can legally roll the assets over to a new custodian.
Why is this a big deal? Because if you have inherited and IRA, you are never considered the "owner." It will always be titled in the name of the dead person who left it to you. Legally, you are the beneficiary of the IRA. "There is no rollover provision for an inherited IRA!" emphasizes Picker. "The only way to move the account is with a trustee-to-trustee transfer where you never get your grubby hands on the cash." (Or mutual funds, or stocks or whatever else the account is invested in.)
Though Picker says he has heard of "situations where people put assets from an inherited IRA into their own account and no one ever finds out," there are many cases where the IRS has taken beneficiaries to court- and won.
As of the end of June, there was $5.1 trillion in IRA accounts. With that amount of money in motion as baby boomers increasingly move into retirement, inherit IRAs from their parents and pass IRAs to their heirs, the government is paying attention. According to Picker, "There has been talk in the past few months that the IRS is going to step up surveillance of IRAs. There is no statute of limitations. Even if an event occurred ten years ago, they can penalize you."
When it comes to IRAs, the worst thing you can do is assume- that either: a) you know what a term means, or that b) just because a process works a certain way in some circumstances, it applies to all of them.
Get professional advice.
Ms. Buckner is a Retirement and Financial Planning Specialist and an instructor in Franklin Templeton Investments' global Academy. The views expressed in this article are only those of Ms. Buckner or the individual commentator identified therein, and are not necessarily the views of Franklin Templeton Investments, which has not reviewed, and is not responsible for, the content.
If you have a question for Gail Buckner and the Your $ Matters column, send them to: firstname.lastname@example.com, along with your name and phone number.


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Earth and Sky
- A Clouds and Rain Story
- Letto da: Paul Morey
- Durata: 10 ore e 29 min
- Versione integrale
- Data di pubblicazione: 28 09 2012
- Lingua: Inglese
- Editore: Dreamspinner Press
Sintesi dell'editore
A Clouds and Rain Story
Hunter Krause knows better than anyone that running a ranch is hard work. Wranglers are hard to find, and even with Hunter's foreman and entire extended family on hand, the busy ranch is constantly short-handed. So when horses go missing, Hunter's brother-in-law hires a man Hunter would never have considered: Grant Jarreau, a man Hunter can't forgive for leaving Hunter's best friend Gable after an incapacitating accident.
Grant quickly fits in, befriending Hunter's sister and making himself invaluable. Despite Hunter's misgivings, he can't quite control his body's reactions to Grant, and he isn't sure what to do about it. Then Grant saves Hunter's young nephew from drowning and one thankful kiss opens doors Hunter never knew existed.
While Hunter and Grant tentatively move toward a relationship, the family's in an uproar, the ranch is struggling, they can't figure out what happened to the horses, and to top it all off, Grant is hiding something. Can Hunter learn to trust Grant, or will the turmoil already tearing up his family claim another victim?
Altri titoli dello stesso
Cosa ne pensano gli iscritti
- Amazon Customer
- 20 12 2012
Great Follow up to Clouds and Rain!
It's rare that I actually take the time to write up a review, but I thought posting something would be more useful than the one currently taking up space by some poor sod who doesn't seem to be very pleased with anything he listens to, or is incapable of actually reading a blurb before purchasing.
Just in case anyone else lacks reading comprehension, this is a romance between two men. A GAY romance. On a ranch. It's a gay romance between ranchers.
And it's good. I really like the Clouds and Rain series, really liked Clouds and Rain, and I wondered about Grant and Hunter at the end of that book. Earth and Sky does a great job of telling their story. The drama kept me interested, and the sex scenes were hot. It's rare that I actually enjoy stories with "gay for you" characters, but I really did enjoy Hunter's exploration of his sexuality, and how it gifted him with so much more than what he expected.
Paul Morey is seriously putting it down for Dreamspinner Press with the glut of books he's been narrating, and I actually enjoy his work, though I did notice that Hunter lost the accent he had in Clouds and Rain, so that threw me off for a second in this book. Whatever DP is paying this man, it's well worth it. Keep him.
13 su 13 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
- Elaine
- 16 09 2013
Several narrating errors
NARRATION: poor editing! There were at least 3 repeated sentences and an entire paragraph missing. Then there were words replaced by a different one or left out completely though you'd have to be reading along with the ebook as you listen to catch it. I've learnt to do this after I realized many audiobooks contain missing sentences and paragraphs. Unfortunately, most listeners are driving or doing mundane chores and don't have the luxury of listening and checking the print book simultaneously.
THE STORY: Started off well but degenerated into horrific absurdity. This is one of those soap opera-type books that have everything, including the kitchen sink. I lost the courage to finish the last couple of chapters in case the kitchen sink claimed to be pregnant, too. The most entertaining bit from this sorry mess was when the two cowboys made out in the outdoors and prayed the poor horse with one guy's cum.
This is a cowboy romance, btw.
1 su 1 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
- Riva
- 09 01 2014
Just OK
Nice cowboy romance with a lot of children involved for some reason, all out of wedlock. That was weird, but I guess it worked with the story. The main story is about Hunter and Grant. I did not like Grant in the previous installment of this series, but the author managed to rehabilitate him and show that not everything was as it seemed in the previous book. The couple gets together fairly early on, so most of the book is about them dealing with various life situations (i.e. - all the kids which pop up through various mothers) and trust issues which arise. It felt sort of forced, but it is was OK. Paul Morey is always a favorite with me and he does a great job.
- Paul Luthi
- 02 06 2013
A GREAT follow up to Clouds and Rain
This is basically a follow up to Zahra Owens' Clouds and Rain. It is told from the perspective of the other people in that book. It is a great listen and really makes you soften your opinion of many characters in the other book. I recommend you read the other one first though.
- moon/delights
- 29 01 2013
I loved this follow up story, it have everything you could want in a good story. All the drama you could imagine and then some and action all my goodness just a good story. I definitely have become a reader of "Zahra Owens". GOOD JOB
1 su 2 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
- Richard
- 16 12 2012
Don't Need GAY Literature
Would you try another book from Zahra Owens and/or Paul Morey?
If I had known this book was couched around gay "ranchers", I'd never have bought it. I'll NEVER buy another Zahra Owens book and I want this book returned
Has Earth and Sky turned you off from other books in this genre?
How did the narrator detract from the book?
I didn't listen to enough of the book to form an opinion of the performance.
Any additional comments?
I wish there was a method of identifying Gay books prior to purchase.
0 su 27 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione

subset: commoncrawl


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July 12, 2016
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text:
Chantelle Winnie's legacy is larger than I've been able to measure; within hours of seeing her for the first time, I had to re-interpret her as a Gunmetal and Pearl Pink android. Her vitiligo is possibly the most symmetrical case that's widely known, and made the transition to fembot that much easier; with highlights around her mouth and eyes- the natural viewing cycle of facial features. In addition to her incredible facial structure, her spots take "unmistakable" to a new level.
Hit the jump to see the uncolored sketch, and to jump to my Behance page for a process breakdown.


text: Date Bally dating girls, single women seeking men online at free dating site in Bally! Meet a woman in Bally from thousands of girls and dating women seeking men in Bally looking for love, friendship, chat and serious relationship. Join Now Free and Meet Bally girls at online dating website QuackQuack!


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Stamps Store is the official retailer of the Calgary Stampeders! We offer a variety of jerseys, headwear, tshirts, fleece, ladies' clothing, kids' wear, infants' gear and novelty items. Visit us in store on the east side of McMahon Stadium.
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text:
Heliotherapy - light therapy
In Greek mythology, Helios was the god of the Sun, the charioteer who drove the Sun across the sky each day. Hippocrates was a great advocate of the Sun's healing properties. Although heliotherapy traditionally refers to treatments that use natural sunlight, the term is also applied to artificial sources of ultraviolet, visible or infrared light radiation.
From the late 1800s, heliotherapy - sometimes called phototherapy - became a key part of certain treatment regimes for tuberculosis, notably tuberculosis of the bones, joints and skin, as prolonged exposure to sunlight can kill the bacteria which cause the disease. Infected children who were sent out to special homes and hospital retreats were encouraged to spend as much time outdoors as possible. These children had often come from dark and dingy city slums and exposing their skin to sunshine raised their levels of vitamin D, which also helped them fight the bacteria.
As sunlight is not available at all times, artificial alternatives were developed that could mimic the Sun's beneficial effects. The Finsen lamp, invented by Faeroese physician Niels Ryberg Finsen, is perhaps the best-known example. An ultraviolet lamp, it allowed flexible treatment in all seasons and its rays could be concentrated onto the most affected parts of a patient's body. Its greatest success was in the treatment of lupus - tuberculosis of the skin - for which Finsen was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1903.
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Intel® Quad-core is one of the most powerful CPU in the world LGA775 Intel® Core™2 Extreme/Core™2 Quad/Core™2 Duo Processor Ready The motherboard supports DDR2 memory that features data transfer rates of 1200/1066/800/667 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest operation system, 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The dual-channel DDR2 architecture doubles the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system performance, eliminating bottlenecks with peak bandwidths of up to 19.2GB/s. Graphics Technology ATI CrossFireX Technology ATI´s CrossFireX boosts image quality along with rendering speed, eliminating the need to scale down screen resolutions to get the high image quality you want. CrossFire ignites with the higher antialiasing, anisotropic filtering, shading, and texture settings you desire. 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"By the campground we caught a big bull and a few small one on a hoper fly fishing..." Ings Creek
"Population of large fish, both walleye and Pike, as well as burbot and whitefish. Most fishermen use spoons when targeting pike and walleye which brings moderate success..." Keho Lake
"My buddy Barry and I were planning to go icefishing at this lake as I have never seen nor heard of this lake and I have lived in Calgary for 50 years now. We called the..." Silver Lake
"In 2010 my boys and I have pulled out 3 Rainbow's and around 60 Brook Trout from the Willow, at the first bridge, west of the Chain Lakes. All fish were caught on on..." Willow Creek
Tips, tactics, gear reviews for everything from bass and bluegills to stripers and bluefish - if it's fishing related, we cover it.
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text:
I dread reunions.
Why, oh, why do people even want reunions? My own Chinese New Year reunion dinners are, at best, a page out of a script for the Jerry Springer Show that was rejected and sent to Oprah at a specified lunar movement every year. And these are the people I live with; what of people I haven't seen in years? What would I say? What would they say?
I've been reunited with a select bunch of guys from my high school years, and we've been having somewhat regular beer sessions, but to this very day I'm confident in saying we still feel a slight tinge of trepidation whenever one of us calls for a meet-up. The fact is, a lot of years have passed in between, and none of us know enough about what's happened and what's changed in each other's lives to hold a truly meaningful conversation that would last 15 minutes, much less 4 hours (the time it takes for some of us to finish 2 pints).
And then recently, I've had the opportunity to catch up with some more of my sordid past (some of whom I've actually dated, others I tried to date, and then some I didn't even want to hold hands with). Between them and me stands more than a decade of lost years, during which a large truckload of them got married, had children, carved out high-flying careers (literally) for themselves, moved away to another continent or generally wasted their lives being jackasses who would never amount to much (namely, me).
The past few months of bantering to and fro actually spurred the idea of a reunion that, if all goes according to my reluctance, will be happening in 2 weeks' time. I've come up with all the excuses I could come up with, from "Nine Inch Nails is coming, I can't go that day" to "I'm going on a church mission to Southern Thailand" (I'm a Buddhist, by the way) to "I got cancer, aw shoot, chemo appointment's that very night".
But what am I really afraid of?
There's them to me; in those lost years, I've never really thought of these people. Sure, they're in my Facebook friends list, but who really talks to every single one of the people you add on your friends list? And the sudden interest in seeing my newly gained weight, hearing about my newly started family, asking about my newly established career, laughing at my newly grown hair… it just wierds me out.
And then there's me to them; it's been more than a decade. I don't know how you've been getting along, where your life stands right now, what you've gone through to get where you are today. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing I really know about you is your name (and only because it's on Facebook). If I were to start a conversation, how do I know I'm about to say something offensive (I've met people who get offended from even a simple trigger, such as "fat" or "religion" or "Amy Winehouse")? How do I know you didn't like me back when we were in school in the first place but never said anything because you're not confrontational by nature? How do I know I'm not just gonna freeze up, pick a seat on the corner next to a huge plant and silently count the hairs on the back of the hand I use to hold my bourbon coke until it's time to go?
The fear is further amplified when even before we meet, incidents are already happening (thanks to Facebook, Twitter and Web 2.0, the marvel of the new millennium). Some are shy; no matter how you poke and prod, you never see them comment on anything; it's almost like you're being ignored. And then there are those that are not shy; they are so comfortable with their friendships (even though it's been more than a decade since you've seen each other and are now practically strangers) that thoughts and assumptions come flying at you like bullets over No Man's Land in Afghanistan. Albeit in jest, through separate private conversations with each other, I've already been described as a narcissist, a gay perv and a potentially unfit father-in-law (don't ask where that came from, I'm WTFing it myself) in just over the past 3 days (wow, it really does feel like high school again).
Yes, I have a mentality towards reunions that compares with much accuracy to that kid who says he sees dead people (for the first hour-and-a-half of the movie anyway). I also acknowledge that because of this exact same mentality, I have no friends (according to my mother). I can hear you saying now, "Get off your fucking high horse, you gay, narcissistic excuse of a father-in-law, step out of your cocoon and get a life." And you're right. Something needs to change. The principles guiding my life which I have upheld and guarded in the last 10 years are fundamentally flawed. I've written all of 830 words so far in dedication to my ire of reunions, blocking my own path with assumptions that ultimately remove any sign of redemption through the use of one simple philosophy: try.
I'm going to a reunion.


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Using Fan-Funding Techniques to Help Direct a DTF Marketing and Sales Campaign
One of the online sales techniques I've been advocating in my online courses at Berklee is for artists to create different physical and digital products and make them available on their own site at tiered price points. The idea is that you can offer something for all of your fans – the hard core fans might be interested in something from you that is a little more personalized and rare, and newer fans might be able to get something from you that wont break the bank. All the while you have the ability to offer something that cannot be purchased at traditional retail, which makes the experience of purchasing off of your site more rewarding for your fans. Here's an example from the Yim Yames site:
Determining what you offer – and at what price point – is an art that takes into account a number of factors. For example, if the goal of your campaign is to expose your music to as many folks as possible, you'll want to price some of your items lower and take a lower margin per unit. You'll also want to take into account what unique items your specific psychographic would respond to the best. If you've determined that one of the psychographic traits your community shares with you is a love for vegetarian food, you might want to create a downloadable PDF vegetarian cookbook for your fans as a value add (similar to what Jonsi and Alex did for their fans).
Another important factor in creating an effective product and pricing plan is to use data to determine what options might create the best result for you; which brings me to the point of my post.
John Grubber turned me onto a fantastic post written a few weeks ago by Craig Mod, describing how he and Ashley Rawlings used the fundraising website Kickstarter to self publish a book by generating $24,000 in 30 days. The entire post is well worth reading, and although Craig and Ashley's goal was to generate funding for their book, I think there's a lot of similarities between his execution on Kickstarter and the execution of a successful music-focused DTF sales campaign on your own site.
Once Craig and Ashley had determined the overall goal of their campaign – to sell enough books to generate a return substantial enough to further expand their existing or similar publishing endeavors – their next step was to figure out what their strategy would be for the pledge tier offerings. WIth Kickstarter, people pledge a pre-determined amount of money towards a project on a tiered basis, and get something tangible in return, once the project is funded. Kickstarter's tiered pledge functionality is not dissimilar to what a musician would offer for sale on their own site to their fans.
What was really interesting to me about what Craig and Ashley did for their book project was that they looked at the top 30 grossing Kickstarter campaign to determine the most successful tiers of pledges. This provided Craig with data that he could use, in his words, to "look for a balance between number of pledges and overall percentage contribution of funds." Take a look at his graph below:
Chris' analysis of this data is spot in, and I'd like to quote his thoughts from his blog, here:
"This data is, of course, hardly perfect (for example, not every project I looked at used the same tiers). But it's good enough to give us a sense of what price ranges people are comfortable with.
The $50 tier dominates, bringing in almost 25% of all earning. Surprisingly, $100 is a not too distant second at 16%. $25 brings in a healthy chunk too, but the overwhelming conclusion from this data is that people don't mind paying $50 or more for a project they love.
It's also worth contemplating going well beyond $100 into the $250 and $500 tiers: they scored relatively high pledging rates compared to other expensive tiers.
The lower tiers — less than $25 — are so statistically insignificant (barely bringing in a combined 5% of all pledges) that I recommend avoiding them. Of course this depends on your project — perhaps there's a very good reason for a $5 tier. More importantly, this data shows that people like paying $25.
Having too many tiers is very likely to put off supporters. I've seen projects with dozens of tiers. Please don't do this. People want to give you money. Don't place them in a paradox of choice scenario! Keep it simple. I'd say that anything more than five realistic tiers is too many."
The overall results that Craig outlines above are generally similar for musicians who offer a range of products at tiered pricing levels on their own site. While I do think that offerings of less than $25 do make sense for most musicians, Craig's overall idea of not providing too many low cost items make sense. For example, I've spoken to a number of my students and other artists that are interested in offering $1.00 singles off of their site. While this is possible to do, providing a lower revenue option like that tends to incentivize potential curious fans downward, as opposed to incentivizing folks to purchase a higher priced option.
Based on the data that Craig obtained from past Kickstarter campaigns, he created the following pledge tiers:
Lastly, Craig and Ashley engaged in a wonderful online promotional campaign that focused on their permission based social medial digital touchpoints, as well as key design blogs and magazine sites that were completely in target with their psychographic and demographic. They focused their messaging campaign using Twitter and Facebook (their messaging was relevant and minimal, too), as well as their own mailing list.
Craig and Ashley had build up an extensive mailing list of design and art world over the past 6 years, which they leveraged nicely. Take a look at the timing of their targeted email campaigns, and the results:
Example of the artwork that was used for the email:
Perhaps most impressive was Craig's outreach strategy to the blogs that he felt were a laser shot target for what he was doing with this project, and his method of communication to them. He was not focused on quantity of external outreach – he was more interested in the quality of the blogs he did focus on. Again, this is fundamental marketing strategy that all artists could use to their benefit. Again, in Craig's words:
"I'm writing to blogs that I've been reading for years, so for me, referencing older posts of theirs and personalizing these emails is trivial, and fun. Whatever you do, don't send scattershot emails to media outlets. Be thoughtful. The goal is to appeal to editors and public voices of communities that may have an interest in your work, not spam every big-name blog. A single post from the right blog is 1000% more useful than ten posts from high-traffic but off-topic blogs. You want engaged users, not just eyeballs!"
Here's his PR results on the project:
While we're not talking apples to apples between what Craig and Ashley did with their book campaign and an online DTF music campaign, many of the best practices that Craig and Ashely employed in this campaign, from the data analysis they used, to their communication techniques are exactly what independent musicians should be focused on when they engage in online direct to fan sales and marketing campaigns.
Mike King (@atomzooey) is the Director of Marketing at Berklee College of Music's online school, Berkleemusic.com. He is also the author and instructor of three online music business courses at Berkleemusic, including Online Music Marketing with Topspin. His book, Music Marketing: Press, Promotion, Distribution, and Retail came out on Berklee Press last fall.


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Great Gatherings: Glamorous Dinner Party—With a Purpose
Event Planner Rachel Hollis hosts a dinner for "Fashion's Night Out"
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No coaxing needed. Just say "fashion," and women will show up at an event in droves. To support less-fortunate women who are seeking employment, event planner Rachel Hollis organized her own "Fashion's Night Out" dinner and invited guests to jettison old garments from their wardrobes and bring them to the occasion for donation.
"Clothes are something we all have and something we may take for granted," explains Hollis. "Every woman knows that a pretty blouse or stylish shoes can make you feel invincible. What a great feeling to share with someone else!"
Click here for the full menu and recipes.
Photography: Karyn Millet
Food photography: Peter Krumhardt
Setting the Table
Fuchsia-rimmed porcelain plates trimmed in opulent gold infuse settings with vibrant color in a refined and quiet manner. But just as a little black dress is the foundation for a range of accessories, the dinnerware flips a trendy attitude with sassy accoutrements. Service plates—often used to express a formal, proper presentation—are anything but buttoned-up on this oval runway; their animal-print patterns are more likely to be found on a pair of swanky stilettos. Instead of matching the plates, tangerine-colored linen napkins make a sporty contrast and nod to the color-block craze that is au currant in the world of apparel. And just as silver and gold stylishly mix in jewelry, Hollis combines hammered stainless flatware and hip gold-metallic placemats made of a natural material.
"Lacque de Chine" salad and dinner plates and "L'Animal" service plates are from Haviland (800/793-7160). "Leopardo" hammered stainless flatware is from Ricci. "Linear" placemats are from Dransfield & Ross.
Healthful & Delicious
A menu of Buratta with Prosciutto and Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes Salad; Roasted Game Hens with Fall Succotash; and Champagne-Poached Apples is satisfying for a group of health-conscious women.
Gathering Space
"This gathering is a win-win for everyone," says Hollis. "Including handwritten notes of encouragement with the items you donate gives the event even more purpose and meaning. Any opportunity to empower and celebrate other women is always in style."
Orchid Bliss
Silver-plated, trophy-style containers filled with Phalaenopsis orchids match the dinnerware, but make their own colorful statement. Flowers by R. Jack Balthazar.
Soft & Sublime
Give stylish guests something with which to pamper themselves and their closets. These opulent satin sachets and powder poufs are from Shelley Kyle and make a chic presentation.
Material Matters
Sew fabric swatches into invitation envelopes like this one made of "Feline" in Dove from the Eileen Kathryn Boyd collection for Duralee.
Stylish Sangría
Fall fruits and a hint of molasses give this sangría gorgeous color and smoky back notes. "Excess" crystal wine glasses and champagne flutes in clear, red, and amethyst are from Saint-Louis Crystal through Hermés (212/835-6448).
Name It!
Let the table setting wear jewelry, too. Attach old pairs of clip-on earrings to a placecard for a dazzling holder. Calligraphy on placecards and invitations is by Bernard Maisner.
Rachel Hollis
Event planner Rachel Hollis organized "Fashion's Night Out" to benefit fashionistas seeking employment. "This gathering is a win-win for everyone," she says.
Menu & Shopping List
The menu for this event ensures that color and taste complement whatever dishes you choose—it's simple and beautiful, courtesy of Camden Drive caterers. Los Angeles-based caterer Camden Drive specializes in exquisite food, vintage cocktails, classic technique, and innovative presentation.
Buratta with Prosciutto and Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes
Roasted Game Hens with Fall Succotash
Shopping List
Check your pantry for these necessary items before shopping:
- Sugar (need a scant 2/3 cup)
- Olive oil (need about 2/3 cup)
- Red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- Kosher salt (need 1/2 cup + 3/4 teaspoon)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Black peppercorns (need 1 teaspoon)
- Ground cinnamon
- Bay leaves (need 4)
- Vanilla beans (need 1)
- Fresh figs, plums, and apricots (enough to equal 2 cups cut, about eight pieces total)
- 1 small orange
- 1 lemon
- 4 small Gala or Fuji apples (4 to 5 ounces each)
- 1 pound Campari tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes ripened on the vine
- 12 ounces fresh lima beans (or frozen if unavailable)
- 12 ounces fresh English peas (or frozen if unavailable)
- 1 large red sweet pepper
- 1 small red onion
- 2 ears sweet corn
- 1 large bunch basil leaves
- 1 bunch Italian (flat leaf) parsley (enough for 1 cup + 1 tablespoon)
- 1 bunch fresh dillweed
- 1 bunch fresh chives
- 1 bunch fresh tarragon
- Mild molasses
- 1 (750-ml) bottle sparkling apple cider
Baking aisle
- Scented honey, such as lavender or sage
- Pink peppercorns (for garnish, optional)
Meat counter
- 2 (1-1/2 pound) Cornish hens
- 1 (5- to 6-ounce) container Greek yogurt (need 1/4 cup)
Cheese counter
- 10 ounces mozzarella cheese
- Prosciutto di Parma (need 2 ounces)
- 1 (750-milliliter) bottle Beaujolais-Village or Pinot Noir
- 1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry rosé champagne
Roasted Game Hens with Fall Succotash
Brining keeps these game hens moist when they are roasted. Use this brine for any roasted chicken.
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 bunch Italian (flat leaf) parsley
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 6 cups ice water
• 2 (1-1/2 pound) Cornish game hens (thawed, if frozen)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Fall Succotash (recipe follows)
The brine: In Dutch oven combine 2 cups water and parsley. Squeeze juice from lemon halves into pan; add lemon halves. Add 1/2 cup salt, sugar, bay leaves, and whole peppercorns. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve salt and sugar. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, five minutes. Remove from heat; let steep 30 minutes. Add 6 cups ice water; stir. If brine is not colder than room temperature, refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Brine can be made a day in advance. Place game hens in very large self-sealing plastic bag set in deep pot or dish. Add chilled brine and seal. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
Remove game hens from brine; discard brine. With paper towels, blot game hens completely dry inside and out. Set game hens, breast-side up, on rack in 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Lightly season game hens inside and out with additional kosher salt and pepper. Drizzle game hens with olive oil on all sides. Let game hens stand 30 minutes to come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 400°F; set rack to upper third of oven. Roast game hens, uncovered 45 minutes or until juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a knife (170°F). If game hens are not golden brown at this point, remove from oven and set oven to broil. Broil game hens 3 minutes or until skins are golden brown, being careful not to let them burn. Loosely cover game hens with foil; let rest 10 minutes. Cut hens in half down middle of each breastbone.
To serve, place 1 cup Fall Succotash (recipe follows) in center of serving plate. Place one half-game hen on top of succotash; garnish with fresh basil leaves. Makes 4 servings.
Fall Succotash
This colorful succotash makes a great side dish for any dinner. Double the recipe for a larger gathering.
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh dillweed
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh tarragon (optional)
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen lima beans
• 1-1/2 cups shelled fresh English peas or frozen peas
• 2 ears fresh sweet corn, cut from cob (1 cup) or frozen whole-kernel corn
• 1 large red sweet pepper, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
• 1 small red onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
In small bowl combine basil, dillweed, chives, and tarragon; set aside. In another small bowl combine 4 tablespoons olive oil and red wine vinegar. Whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
If using fresh lima beans and/or peas, cook in small amount of boiling salted water 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. If using frozen lima beans and/or peas, cook according to package directions.
In large skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add corn, sweet pepper, and red onion to skillet. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in lima beans and peas; heat through. Stir in herb mixture and vinaigrette. Makes 4 servings.
Buratta with Prosciutto and Heirloom Tomatoes
This salad is a variation of the popular summer Caprese salad. The roasted tomatoes give the salad a distinct autumn flavor. The name Caprese comes from the island of Capri, the fashionable European meeting place of the cognizetti in the 1960s, a wry nod towards this dinner's theme.
• 1 pound Campari tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes ripened on vine
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 ounces fresh mozzarella or burata cheese,* thinly sliced
• 2 ounces very thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place tomatoes in medium bowl; drizzle with enough olive oil to coat. Transfer tomatoes to foil-lined 15x10x1-baking pan; sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast, uncovered, 45 to 60 minutes or until softened but not mushy.
Cool tomatoes about 20 minutes. On four salad plates arrange cheese, tomatoes, prosciutto, and basil leaves. Drizzle with additional oil; sprinkle with pepper. Makes 4 servings.
*If using burata, chill the cheese well before slicing.
Champagne-Poached Apples
• 1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry rosé champagne
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 4 small Gala or Fuji apples (4 to 5 ounces each)
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• Scented honey, such as lavender or sage
• Ground cinnamon
• Whole pink peppercorns, lightly crushed, optional
In large saucepan combine champagne, sugar, and vanilla bean; champagne will foam up. Core, halve, and peel apples. Place apple halves in champagne mixture. Bring mixture just to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 to 15 minutes or until apples are just tender. With slotted spoon remove apples from saucepan; set aside. Remove vanilla bean; discard. Bring remaining champagne mixture to boil. Boil gently, uncovered, about 25 minutes or until reduced to 3/4 cup.
To serve, ladle champagne sauce onto dessert plate, arrange apples on top. Dollop with Greek yogurt; drizzle apples and yogurt with scented honey. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and crushed peppercorns. Makes 4 servings.
Autumn Sangría
Molasses adds a hint of smokiness to this sangria full of autumn fruits. If unable to get fresh fruits, dried fruits may be substituted.
• 2 cups fresh fruit such as figs, plums, and apricots, pitted and sliced
• 1 tablespoon mild molasses
• 1-2/3 cups light red wine, such as Beaujolais Villages or Pinot Noir
• 1-2/3 cups sparkling apple cider, chilled
• 1 small orange, sliced
In pitcher container combine fruits and molasses; stir until well combined. Slowly pour in red wine. Cover; chill 2 to 24 hours. To serve, add sparkling cider and orange. Stir gently with spoon. Fill glasses with ice and ladle in sangría. Makes 4 servings.
Tip: Fruits may be halved, quartered or sliced. Remove pits if using fresh fruit.


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Hi. I'm Samantha.
Hello, late in writing coursework ? Don't worry I know who can help you !Trusted Academic Service
Hello, late in writing coursework ? Don't worry I know who can help you !Trusted Academic Service
For young brains to retain information, they need to apply it. Information learned by rote memorization will not enter the sturdy long-term neural networks in the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) unless students have the opportunity to actively recognize relationships to their prior knowledge and/or apply new learning to new situations.
Here are some teaching strategies to help build executive function in your students.
When you provide students with opportunities to apply learning -- especially through authentic, personally meaningful activities -- and then provide formative assessments and feedback throughout a unit, facts move from rote memory to become part of the memory bank.
These opportunities activate the isolated small neural networks of facts or procedures, which then undergo the cellular changes of neuroplasticity that link them into larger neural circuits of related information. These extensive neural circuits integrate new information when they are a) simultaneously activated and b) when they recognize patterns in common.
The expanding of related categories of information (Piaget's schema) through executive function activities will consolidate learning into networks. These networks can be activated when students are prompted to use new learning to solve problems or create new products. This is the transfer process that further promotes network activation with the resulting neuroplasticity to construct long-term memory. Without these opportunities for strengthening, any memories learned by rote are simply pruned away from disuse after the test.
Students need to be explicitly taught and given opportunities to practice using executive functions such as how to learn, study, organize, prioritize, review, and actively participate in class. Activities that can support executive function network development include comparing and contrasting, giving new examples of a concept, spiraled curriculum, group collaboration, open-ended discussions. Additionally, executive function is developed when students summarize and symbolize new learning into new formats, such as through the arts or writing across the curriculum. (See The Brain-Based Benefits of Writing for Math and Science Learning .)
Authentic, student-centered activities, projects, and discussions will give students the opportunity to do the following:
This type of student-prompted information and skill seeking strengthens students' attitude about the value of learning. When motivated to solve problems that are personally meaningful, students apply effort, collaborate successfully, ask questions, revise hypotheses, redo work, and seek the foundational knowledge you need them to learn. And they do this because they want to know what you have to teach.
When students acquire desired facts, skills, or procedures to achieve authentic, valued goals, the information has a template (neural circuit) to which it can link. Foundational knowledge is not isolated. Learning is consolidated into related patterns, connected in neural networks of long-term conceptual memory, and available for retrieval and transfer to solve future problems and investigate new ideas.
In planning instruction, consider how and when you will model these higher thinking skills and provide opportunities for students to activate their developing executive function networks throughout the learning process.
This executive function, when developed, promotes a student's ability to monitor the accuracy of his or her work, and to analyze the validity of information heard or read. Techniques such as estimation with feedback and adjustment, editing and revising one's own written work using rubric guidance, or evaluating websites using criteria to separate fact from opinion are examples of promoting the development of networks for judgment.
This executive function helps students to separate low relevance details from the main ideas of a text or topic of study. Prioritizing is the executive function that guides students when they plan an essay, select information to include in notes, and evaluate word problems in math for the relevant data. Prioritizing also promotes one's ability to combine separate facts into a broader concept with recognition of degrees of relevance and relatedness.
Prioritizing networks will be activated as you guide students to organize, plan ahead, keep records of their most successful strategies, and use this information to make the most efficient use of their time.
Until students fully develop these pre-frontal cortex (PFC) executive functions, they are limited in their capacity to set and stick to realistic and manageable goals. As they develop these executive functions, they need guidance to recognize their incremental progress they make as they apply effort towards their larger goals. This is part of the "video game model" described in my previous blog, How to Plan Instruction Using the Video Game Model.
Plan activities where students can relate what they know from past experiences to their current learning and tie it to the larger concept. When you provide learning experiences by which students can apply new learning to multiple applications, you promote the neural construction of larger conceptual networks that make the new information a valued tool and part of long-term memory. An example would be the use of the rules of magnetism and geographic facts to discover how to use a compass.
Taking the time to plan learning contexts that are personally desirable often means going beyond the curriculum provided in textbooks. This is a hefty burden when you are also under the mandate of teaching a body of information that exceeds the time needed for adequate activation of prior knowledge and mental manipulation. When you plan for and teach with mental manipulation for executive function in mind, your students will come to recognize their own changing attitudes and achievements. When students begin to experience and comment on these insights, consider sharing the processes you used to create the instruction that they respond to positively. Describe your mental manipulation, challenges, and the executive functions you used to create something new as you found the authentic active learning opportunities that activated the students' interest, perseverance, and higher levels of thinking.
These are teachable moments to promote student metacognition, where they can recognize their abilities to extend their horizons and focus beyond simply getting by with satisfactory grades. Help them make the connection that they can build their executive function of long-term goal-directed behavior when they choose to review and revise their work, even when it has been completed, rather than to be satisfied with "getting it done." Your input helps students see the link between taking responsibility for class participation, proactive collaboration, and setting high self-standards for all classwork and homework such that they can say, "I did all I could to do my best."
As the caretaker of your students' brains during the years of rapid prefrontal cortex development, you should consider how you can activate and guide the development of your students' greatest resources -- strong executive functions. The opportunities you provide for mental manipulations using these critical neural networks are precious gifts. These tools will empower them to achieve their highest potentials and greatest satisfaction as they inherit the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
Planning instruction and teaching units that activate executive function processing takes teacher and student time -- and it's time that's already severely taxed. However, that time is regained because the learning in these units is successfully retained in long-term memory and re-teaching time is vastly reduced.
The first ones to notice the brain changes of learning that is mentally manipulated through executive functions may be your students. Beyond the increased engagement they experience through active learning, they will find it takes less time to review for tests beyond the unit test, such as a final exam. You'll find that students, who previously didn't have the growth mindset needed to stay with challenging lessons when understanding was not instantaneous, now persevere. But the "payoff" will be especially powerful when their teachers ask you the next year, "What did you do. The students from your class actually remember what they learned last year."
Now think what this means in terms of time. If you didn't have to re-teach "last year's material" you'd be getting all those weeks of time at the beginning of each unit. Thus the a school that promotes instruction for the activation that is needed for development of strong tracts of executive function and long-term memory will build better brains for its students. These brains will retain learning in sustained, transferable, and retrievable long-term memory. Instead of the re-teaching previously required before new instruction can start, there will be weeks of "found time."
In the professional learning communities I observe when I travel throughout the country I see dedicated professionals who chose to become educators because of their dedication to making a difference for all students. Teachers are drawn to their career choices for admirable reasons. (We know it is not for the big bucks or having the work day "end at 3.") Creativity, imagination, perseverance, and motivation endure in the educators I meet, even in these times of teacher blame and over-packed curriculum.
It is critical that we prepare today's students with the executive function skill sets they will need for success in the globalized, information explosive, and ever-expanding technologically progressive 21st century. Just as certain is the continued accountability by educators to teach the over-packed curriculum in the existing standards.
Please take care of yourselves. Take the time to acknowledge any progress toward your goals. What I'm advocating regarding more activation of students' executive function networks may not provide you with immediate evidence of the changes you are promoting in their brains -- although it is highly likely you'll find behavior "management" problems decrease as engagement increases. You'll have to use your executive function of resisting immediate gratification (such as eight hours of sleep or a weekend without prep work) to persevere on the long-term goal of setting in motion the birth of dendrites and synapses to give your students the best chance of achieving their highest potentials of professional, social, and emotional joy, and success in the years to come.
Teach more effectively by learning how students receive and apply information.
Graduate Student/Substitute Teacher from upstate New York
I have always tried to put meaning into everything students are learning in order to stimulate some interest and encourage them to invest themselves into each lesson. I am always waiting for students to ask questions I asked about my education through college such as, "Why are we learning this?" or "When will I use this in real life anyways?" If I do not ask myself the same questions I too will be viewing lessons I teach as having no actual value. I agree there needs to be as much critical thinking as possible, especially in this day and age with everything being electronic and dependence being formed upon such devices. The more students look into why something is rather than only what is will help them develop critical thinking beyond the classroom.
High School Special Education Teacher from Baltimore, Maryland
As a Special Education teacher, I see many students with learning disabilities who have formal assessments completed that show they have weaknesses in executive functioning. Honestly, if all students were tested, probably a majority of them would have similar results! At the high school level, I am often frustrated when students do not have these skills (thinking to myself, "Who was their elementary/middle school teacher?" but knowing it wasn't the teachers' fault). I think the key component, which was highlighted here, is for students to apply their learning so that they internalize the skill. Teachers should always be prepared with an answer to the student's "why?" questions. Additionally, a student's application really should be something that is relevant to their immediate lives, as they often have a difficult time of thinking about the importance of the future or abstract concepts.
I am looking forward to exploring/utilizing the TregoEd tool with my students - thank you for sharing, Sandra!
Middle School Dance Teacher from Bermuda/Graduate Student
During the past few weeks, I've been stressing about what I need to do to help more of my students remember what I teach them. We have so much fun in class, and they are well engaged at the time, but when they return two days later, it is like they are clean, blank canvases. It has been baffling, until now. Reading this blog truly gave me a sense of relief that I'm not such a failure, and it refueled my desire and determination to keep striving for my students' success in learning. I will surely try the strategies. Thanks so much!
I work as a school coach for an alternative education program called Diploma Plus. Typically, our students are over-aged, under-credited, and experience extreme poverty. Our program promotes competency learning through performance based learning systems. As a coach, I struggle with changing the classroom teacher's deep rooted belief that all of the above are reasons why our students "can't get it." I have been following your blog on Edutopia and believe your tips on how to develop executive function are what our teachers need to understand and implement in order for our youth to become engaged with learning. Thank you for your work. I look forward to digging more deeply into your materials. Nancy Cruse School Coach Diploma Plus, Inc.
These are great suggestions that educators and students alike would find beneficial if applied in every classroom. I am an Educational Therapist with the National Institute for Learning Development (NILD) as well as a former classroom teacher. I can attest to the effectiveness of these teaching strategies. It is important that teachers know the brain and how it works to aid them to be the most effective in their students' education and lives. I especially appreciate the emphasis Dr. Willis puts on modeling higher thinking skills. Some students learn those skills more quickly than others. Those with learning disabilities have a much harder time learning them, so modeling and providing many opportunities to practice these skills is essential.
Learning how the brain works and how memory is strengthened is fascinating and of great importance. I encourage educators - and parents, to learn more about how the brain works. With this valuable knowledge they will have better understanding and more tools to help them teach and communicate with their students and children.
This article moved me. I wish we could get this information to all teachers because every student of every learning style would be helped. Does anyone have a recommendation of a wonderful educator that works with teens in NYC, using this approach? I need this sort of assistance for my child. I hope someone can help!
I would be very interested if anyone has ever heard or known of having a project-based language course that will target executive functioning and social skills and use these as the learning targets and outcomes of the course?
In place of a pull-out this will be used as a push-in for special education students in the high school setting. So this course is for special education students who need these skills.
I look forward to helping my students build their executive functions. Students need to see real-life applications for what they are learning and many opportunities to practice the skills they learn. These three strategies will be a helpful guide for me as I facilitate their learning. As they progress in understanding how their brain works, they will be enabled to take a more active role in their education.
I have learned to listen to Dr. Willis's advice ever since I had the honor to interview her at the 21st Century Learning International Conference in Hong Kong. Her insights into the teen brain, the importance of scaffolding, and the blessing of hearing that she, too, is challenged by a teenager all helped me move forward. If you want to see the interview, it is at: http://21clradioepisode-1-neurologist-and-educator-dr-judy-willis/
Thank you so much for writing this article. This information is very important for all teachers to be aware of. One detail that really spoke to me, an elementary teacher pursuing special education, is the focus on building student self-awareness through different components. This is an area that can be addressed easily in the general education classroom for all students through simple modifications ( Jimenez, 2016).
Thank you again for sharing! I will be passing this on to other general education and special education staff!
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The Pacific Ocean can be truly mesmerizing to watch during its winter furies. The thrashing waves, foaming whitecaps and the howling wind – it is an exciting and epic show. Storm watching at Cannon Beach is a great way to spend a blustery day in the winter.
Storm watchers gather along the Northwest coast once the air becomes chilly and nights get long, wanting to witness water's relentless assaults on terra firma. Some prefer to watch the crashing waves from a toasty-warm ocean view B&B room or grab a spot at a coastal restaurant that offers window seating for storm watching. Others venture outdoors to get a first hand feel for this amazing weather experience.The Tillamook Lighthouse is a quick 20 minute drive from our B&B
To help make it easier for you, we are offering a Winter Storm Watching Special starting on Nov. 1. Make sure to check back to see the details!
Words of Wisdom: Storm watching is a spectator sport. Always stay a safe distance away from the ocean. Do not climb or hike on wet slippery rocks. We recommend warm beverages and a cozy room with large windows.
We have several luxury rooms at our Cannon Beach bed and breakfast with outstanding ocean views that would provide a beautiful setting for watching nature's fury and power.
Advantages to Visiting the Oregon Coast at Winter
- Fewer people
- Lower prices for lodging
- You are likely to see a spectacular winter storm
- Less traffic on the roads
- Two for one specials
After a storm is the best time to find treasure on the beach. Beachcombing for agates, shells, petrified wood, and glass floats is lots of fun. Your chance of finding a glass float now is better than ever since coastal communities began "seeding" the beaches with them.


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Taylorsville Elementary School recently released its third nine weeks honor roll. Students are listted by class:
Principal's Honor Roll
All "A":
Ms. Buynak: Madison Goodlett, Caden Little, Allie Roberts and Hunter Wethington.
Ms. Catlett: Evan Barker, McKenzie Bell, Pandora Booth, Madison Crisp, Aaliyah Ebertshauser, Joshua Hall and Ashlyn Propheter.
Ms Tanner: Hunter Chesser, Dylan Jarrell, Joshua Richards, Abigail Shouse, Aja Shufeldt and Hayleigh Whittington.
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