Managing Stress

Managing Stress
Sleep Your Way To Success!You've probably heard the saying from Ben Franklin that, "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Of course this is great advice, but did you know that there are some important scientific reasons why? Check out what Ingo Logé  a clinical nutritionist and lifestyle educator who specializes in the creation of individual lifestyle and nutritional programs has to say.


These days, too little sleep and too much stress are common problems for many of us.
Early to Bed:
When you stay up past 2:00 am, be it partying, working the night shift or getting up to care for infants, you'll start displaying nervous system fatigue. This often shows up as headaches, muscle twitching in the face and around one or both eyes. Additionally, anyone that misses the optimal sleep cycle, even if they sleep later into the morning, will not get the same degree of restoration as if they had gone to bed by 10:00 pm because the repair cycles are driven by solar, lunar and terrestrial forces, which really don't care about what shift you work or late night TV! When this continues, even for a few days, this is when the caffeine/sugar cycle can really sink its claws into you.

Here are some tips to help you get to bed by 10:00 pm so you don't miss your body's natural repair cycles:

• Get up with the sun. I recommend rising at 6:00 am in the beginning because that way you will naturally be fatigued by the time 10:00 pm rolls around. Early rising is better for the body than late-night activity if you need to get more work or studies done.
• Dim the lights in the house about 2 hours before bedtime. If possible, use natural bees wax candles. Typical electrical lighting is very stimulating to the part of the brain that is both light and time sensitive. Remember, electric lights appeared very recently in our evolutionary history. They trick your brain into thinking that the sun is coming up at midnight and your body into releasing stress hormones to prepare you for another day's work! That really disrupts sleep patterns.
• Try using some essential oils. Oil of lavender is great in bath water or mixed with some cream and massaged into the front of the neck, stomach, along the spine and in the groin region as well as on the feet. Mountain Rose Herbs makes great oils, and they have a special blend called Sleep Ease Oil which, when rubbed behind the knees, works well for aiding your sleep.
• If you can tolerate milk, warm organic milk helps release the neurotransmitter tryptophan, which often makes people drowsy. You'll know if you cannot digest dairy products well or are lactose intolerant if you suffer from bloating, abdominal cramps, nausea, gas and diarrhea within 30 minutes of eating a dairy product. You may also wake up with a stuffy nose and excess sleep in your eyes after eating dairy as well.
• Try unplugging all electrical devices in your room for a few nights. The electromagnetic pollution from electrical devices keeps a lot of people from sleeping well.
• Leave your window partially open at night so that you can keep fresh air in the room and don't let the room get too warm either. People typically sleep best when there is fresh air in the room and it's about 60-65 degrees. If it's too warm, you will sweat and feel stuffy and that's a form of stress to the body. Again, out come the stress hormones and goodbye deep sleep.
• There are some excellent music selections that will help you sleep these days, too. I find nature sounds helpful. Most music stores have a section of music to help people relax and sleep. Keep the volume low enough that it's not disruptive. In my experience, the right music can work like a charm!
• Shower or bathe before bed. Coming to bed clean and fresh has a relaxing effect
• Make sure the windows are well covered. Even the smallest amount of light can wake some people up. This is one of the most common causes of premature awakening. Streetlights, flashes of light from cars driving by, and the sun rising in the morning can all put an end to a lovely sleep in a flash.

Tax Tips for 2009

Good News about Last Year's Taxes
April 15th is less than six weeks away and we all know what that means. If you've yet to visit your accountant or tax preparer, there are some new tax laws, as well as a few old ones you need to know about. But, don't worry. All of the information we're going to share falls under the category of "good news".

Back again for his yearly tax-time advice is Trevor Rice, a certified public accountant and shareholder with Stern, Kory, Sreden and Morgan, AAC in Stevenson Ranch, California. Considering that Rice's appointment book is filling up quickly, we thought it would be a good idea to get him talking about some of the more favorable changes regarding our taxes from last year.

For Individuals
"With a lot of people struggling and finding themselves in survival mode," Rice says, "Our government is responding with help in the form of new tax laws."

According to Rice, the biggest benefit in terms of tax relief is extended to those who are losing their homes to either foreclosure or short sale. He says in the past, the amount forgiven by the lender could have been considered taxable income. Under the current law, up to $2,000,000 of cancelled debt can be excluded from being taxed.

Rice warns there are some provisions to the law. For starters, it ONLY applies to your principal residence. It also ONLY applies to the debt incurred from either buying the house, or from making upgrades and repairs. In other words, drawing from your equity line to pay off a credit card may still be taxed. Rice went on to say if you are deemed insolvent (the value of your total assets is less than your debt), you might be able to exclude ALL of the cancelled debt.

With this and every other tax law we'll talk about, Rice asks you to check your state laws, and consult with your CPA or tax preparer. While they will apply to your federal income taxes, they are not guaranteed to apply to your state taxes.

The next great tax break is for first-time home buyers, as they are eligible to receive an $8,000 refundable tax credit. Before we go any further we should make it clear that anything labeled a "tax credit" is a dollar for dollar reduction of your tax. Anything labeled a "deduction" is something that reduces your tax based on your income tax bracket.

You should also be made aware the term "first-time home buyer" is defined as anyone who has not owned a principal residence in the last three years. However, the provisions for using this credit on your 2009 taxes include entering into a purchase contract no later than April 30, 2010 and closing the transaction by June 30, 2010. It only applies to homes up to $800,000 in cost, and if you are a high-earner you may not qualify.

Along the same lines for homeowners in 2009 is an existing home buyer tax credit. This is a $6,500 credit for anyone owning a home as a primary residence, five out of the last eight years, but is looking to buy a new home. The same deadline dates for first-time home buyers apply to this credit as well. High-earners may also not qualify.

There's some good news, Rice says, for anyone who made energy-efficient improvements to their home in 2009. A $1,500 tax credit (30% of the first $5,000 spent) is available. Some examples would include the installation of energy-efficient windows or doors, insulation, a new furnace, or water heater. In the case of solar energy upgrades, the credit is thirty percent of the total cost, with no limit!

For anyone who has a child in his or her first four years of college, there is a new $2,500 credit. Also new is that forty percent of this credit is refundable. In other words, if the $2,500 credit exceeds the amount of your tax, forty percent of the difference can be refunded. There are a few exceptions to this credit, so make sure you check with your accountant.

For Businesses
"There are a few changes for business taxes this year," says Rice, "But the biggest are for businesses suffering losses." According to our expert, a business that shows a loss in 2009 has the ability to carry that loss as far back as 5 years and recoup taxes paid in any one of those years. The one provision, he says, speaks specifically to that 5th year, when you can only recoup up to 50 percent of the taxes paid. The trick he claims is for your accountant to look for the best year to apply that deduction.

Bonus depreciation is another law that businesses can use to their advantage. This law allows you to deduct fifty percent of the cost of new equipment purchased in 2009. One of the benefits to this deduction is that you can still use it even if your business suffered losses last year. Rice says that this law has been in existence, but it was supposed to expire in 2008. Thanks to our lawmakers, it has been extended to 2009.

Another law that has been extended from 2008 to 2009 is commonly known as "Section 179 Depreciation". This provides business owners the ability to deduct up to $250,000 of new equipment in one year. Prior to 2008, the amount was limited to $125,000.

Rice closed out our discussion by telling us there are many new tax laws, so involving a CPA in the process of filing your taxes is highly important. Equally as important, he says, is to inform your CPA anytime you have something of major importance going on in your life. This would include buying or selling a home, getting married (or divorced), and having a child. Rice says events like these will always affect your taxes in some way. The key is early intervention, as it allows for the most strategic planning.

Existing Home Sales Drop Again In January But Stay On The Trendline

The winter months have not been kind to home sales.

After plunging 17 percent in December, Existing Home Sales fell by an additional 7 percent in January, according to the National Association of Realtors®. An "existing home" is a home resold by a previous owner (i.e. not new construction).

In looking at the annualized, adjusted Existing Home Sales data, we find:

1. Sales volume is at its lowest levels since June 2009
   
2. Sales volume fell below its 12-month rolling average
   
3. Home supplies are at a 5-month high

These are similar findings to the New Home Sales data issued by the government last week.  That report put new home sales at a 40-year low and showed new homes supplies higher by an entire month.

But don't think housing rebound has halted! Home sales are cyclical and there are outside forces on today's market.

For one, the market is still feeling the after-effects of the original First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. Sales spiked in the months leading up to the original November 2009 expiration date. A pull-back is natural and expected.

Looking at the long-term trend, Existing Home Sales volume appears right in line.

Furthermore, weather across much of the U.S. was awful in January. That, too, can impede home sales as homes are neither shown nor negotiated when weather is majorly inclement.

Anecdotal evidence is showing sales activity higher through February and into March. And, although it's unlikely we'll see a spike through April like we did last November, buy-side demand for homes should remain strong. The good news of the sagging sales reports is that today's buyers may find home prices are lower and sellers are more willing to negotiate.

Favorite Thing

Many of you know, I am just returning from a vacation in Hawaii.  What was my favorite thing?  Here it is!  I am the one in the back with my feet dangling and I am driving the glider.  What an amazing thing to do.  Loved it!  Can't wait to go up again.

Cool Tools : Color This! Shows How Paints And Colors Will Make A Room Look Good

Visualizing a home in different colors can take a good eye and strong imagination -- especially when you're house-hunting and the home's effects are of someone else.

Yet, we wonder:

• What would the bedroom look like in blue?
  
• How would the kitchen look in yellow?
  
• What if the foyer wall was accented in red?

At the Better Homes and Gardens website, you can answer those questions and see the results for yourself.  Using the Color This! tool, website visitors can mix-and-match swatch colors, then apply them to a room's walls, floors, trim, cabinets and accessories.

Don't just get a mental picture of a room -- get an actual picture.

The Better Homes and Gardens site requires a basic, non-intrusive site registration to use the Color This! product suite.  It's also available for home exteriors and window treatments, too.

PODS now available through ERA

PODS storage industry is now a member of the ERA Preferred Alliance program, providing cost-effective solutions to moving and storage concerns for sellers. PODS has partnered with ERA, to offer services and special discounts to customers of ERA who need to move or de-clutter their house for sale. The PODS portable containers can be placed in a homeowner’s driveway during the de-cluttering or moving process, and then stored in a PODS Storage Center for as long as needed or moved to the homeowner’s new residence.

PODS is one of the most uncomplicated and flexible solutions in the moving and storage industry. It could be the answer to some of your concerns.

As The Supply Of New Homes Grows, So Does The Opportunity For A "Good Deal"

The housing recovery showed particular weakness in the New Homes Sales category last month -- good news for homebuyers around the country.

A "new home" is a home for which there's no previous owner.

New Home Sales fell 11 percent from the month prior and posted the fewest units sold in a month since 1963 -- the year the government first started tracking New Home Sales data.

Right now, there are roughly 234,000 new homes for sale nationwide and, at the current sales pace, it would take 9.1 months to sell them all. This is nearly 2 months longer than at October 2009's pace.

The reasons for the spike in supply are varied:

• The original home buyer tax credit expired in November
  
• Weather conditions were awful in most of the country in January
  
• Weak employment and consumer confidence continue to hinder big ticket sales

Now, these might be less-than-optimal developments for the economy as a whole, but for buyers of new homes, it's a welcome turn of events. Home prices are based on supply and demand, after all.

As a result, this season's home buyers may be treated to "free" upgrades from home builders, plus seller concessions and lower sales prices overall.

It's all a matter of timing, of course.  New Home Sales reports on a 1-month lag so it's not necessarily reflective of the current, post-Super Bowl home buying season.  And from market to market, sales activity varies.

That said, mortgage rates remain low, home prices are steady, and the federal tax credit gives two more months to go under contract. It's a favorable time to buy a new home.