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THE
DECEMBER 2021
Curious About Crypto? 2 Ways to Enter the Crypto Market — Without Buying Crypto Directly
My clients often ask me my opinion on new investment opportunities available to them, such as cryptocurrency, and I’m not the only one experiencing a rise in crypto curiosity. In fact, over 81% of financial advisors have received questions about crypto in 2020, which is up 76% from 2019, according to a survey conducted by Bitwise Asset Management and ETF trends. Unfortunately, the custodian I use to manage my clients’ money does not yet allow me to hold cryptocurrency for my clients. Thus, I cannot buy crypto directly for my clients — that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of crypto in other ways, however, and let me explain why. I believe crypto is here to stay, at least for a long, long time. Why? Well, cryptocurrency is not managed by any single government. That might lead you to believe it’s unsafe, but it’s surprisingly safe due to its unique system of “checks and balances,” i.e., the blockchain technology.
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You might hear that crypto is gaining popularity because it overcomes the pitfalls of regular banking, and that’s true in a few ways. As you can imagine, hosting people’s money is a lot of work for a banker. As a human being, you might be tempted to charge high transaction fees and request extra time to move money around. Automated blockchain technology allows you to keep transaction fees very low and make every transaction near instantaneous. There are some significant risks with trading cryptocurrency directly. While crypto has outperformed the market by any metric you want to pick, it’s also volatile. Also, you cannot do chargebacks (so don’t send crypto to anyone you don’t know!). Fortunately, there are great ways to benefit from the cryptocurrency market without buying various currencies directly. One way that’s drawn a lot of media attention is a cryptocurrency ETF, which is an EFT that specializes in businesses that trade in cryptocurrencies. Another way might be to buy into a company that went public about 1–2 months ago called Coinbase (COIN). They’re a popular cryptocurrency trading site that buys and sells many kinds of cryptocurrencies. Buying individual stocks involves risk so please do your own research to know if Coinbase makes sense for you.
Imagine you’re the “bank” during a game of family Monopoly. To prevent sneaky grandma from using her typical underhanded tactics of shortchanging you, the bank, you might write a list of every single money transaction ever made during the game. The list can be seen publicly and cannot be changed or edited once an entry is made, and every 10 minutes, you check your list to ensure everyone’s money is in the correct places for the correct amount. Blockchain technology works just like your Monopoly transaction list, except the money is exchanged like digital files, and no human operates the list. Also, even if a hacker got into one database, hundreds of databases keep track of the same virtual currency ledger to correct any mistakes.
As 2021 comes to a close, cryptocurrency may be something to consider as an addition to a diversified portfolio. It might seem strange and new that a digital file could be worth so much money, but the past decade has shown that cryptocurrencies just might sustain themselves long into the future.
Have a very happy holiday season, everyone.
-Dan Casey
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MERRY AND BRIGHT Cut the Stress From
Decorating the Christmas Tree
Decorating your Christmas tree should be fun, but the process often turns into anything but. Between finding decorations, untangling lights, and trying to get the tree picture-perfect, the happy event can quickly become stressful. Even if you love decorating the tree, you can likely make the experience (and the end product) even better. Here are the most common sources of frustration and how to fix them with minimal fuss.
Get on the right track by setting yourself up for success. Instead of shoving your lights in a box or bag at the end of the season, wrap them around the outside of the box or around a clothing hanger instead. Getting your lights hung properly around the tree can be a pain, too. This year, try hanging them vertically on your tree, from base to top and back again, until the tree is covered. It’s easier to do and helps camouflage the cord.
Beaded Garland
Bare Spots
Beaded garland always looks so much better in the store than it does on your own tree. No matter how much you
Whether your tree is natural or artificial, you need to fluff the branches. However, as important as this step is, you don’t need to spend more than 10 minutes on it because let’s face it: There are some bare spots no amount of fluffing will fix. Luckily, tinsel garland hides a wide variety of flaws and might be the easiest solution. If you don’t care for tinsel, tying large gift bows to the tree is festive and covers a lot of space. You can also buy fake twigs that have berries, look like real tree branches, or are covered in glitter. Stick them in the bare spots to fill out your tree, then save them for the next year.
fiddle with it, it just doesn’t lay right or have the even, dramatic swoops you see in display windows. The true problem is probably that you’ve been hanging your beaded garland incorrectly. You may think there can’t be too many ways to drape beads over branches, but draping itself is the entirely wrong approach. Instead of simply wrapping the beads
around the tree and hoping they fall into place, you should attach ornament hooks to the garland along the string. Use the hooks to gracefully hang your garland from the branches and
Lights
marvel at the simplicity.
If you use an artificial Christmas tree, we strongly recommend buying one that is pre-lit. If your holiday just doesn’t feel complete without a real tree in the house, hanging the lights can be one of the most frustrating parts of the tree-decorating process.
When your Christmas tree goes up this year, these tips should make the experience faster, easier, and more joyful. You can now use all that time you would have spent wrapping garland to wrap presents instead.
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RUDOLPH, YOU’LL GO DOWN IN HISTORY BEHIND THE EVERGREEN CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
film using stop-motion techniques that were highly advanced for the time. GE invested the modern equivalent of $4.5 million into the production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and the special first aired in 1964. Those who are familiar with the film know that it ends with Rudolph enlisting Santa to save the Misfit Toys from earlier in the movie — but it didn’t originally. The version that aired in 1964 concludes with Rudolph
You know Dasher and Dancer, and you definitely know Rudolph. Everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer was first born as a 1939 short story, but he truly shot to fame when his tale was adapted into a song by Gene Autry in 1949. Rivaling even the song’s fame is the Rankin/Bass stop-motion special that airs like clockwork every year around Christmas. Generations have now grown up with Rudolph, so it may be surprising to learn that his journey to the small screen started as a General Electric promotion. The company had a running television special on NBC called the “GE Fantasy Hour,” which they used to market their products directly to viewers. The better the story they told, the more viewers they got — and the more toasters they could sell. The script introduced crucial new characters like Hermey the elf, Yukon Cornelius the prospector, and of course, Bumble the abominable snowman. GE hired innovative Japanese animators to create the
leading Santa’s sleigh but forgetting all about his homeless friends. The backlash was swift, and viewers wrote in to express displeasure at the heartless resolution. GE decided the special had to be corrected and played again with the proper ending in 1965. And so, a tradition of annual airings was born. Today, “Rudolph” is the longest-running Christmas special in history, and our favorite misfit deer shows no signs of slowing down after 57 years. The movie has transformed into a marketing bonanza, with new Christmas decorations, figurines, and toys being produced each year. Though it’s somewhat shocking to our modern sensibilities to see Santa bullying his reindeer employees and their children, fond childhood memories mean that parents continue to pass the special down to their kids. Even as we recognize its flaws, the dazzling animation and famous songs
continue to bring joy and Christmas spirit to households around the country. Just as sure as Santa comes every year, so does Rudolph.
HAVE A LAUGH
DIY Holiday Eggnog
Inspired by TastesBetterFromScratch.com
Ingredients
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6 egg yolks
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1/2 tsp nutmeg
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1/2 cup sugar
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1 pinch salt
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1 cup heavy whipping cream
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1/4 tsp vanilla extract
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2 cups milk
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Cinnamon and whipped cream, for garnish
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy. Set aside. 2. In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cream, milk, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a simmer. 3. Add a spoonful of the milk mixture to the egg mixture. Whisk vigorously and repeat, one spoonful at a time. 4. When most of the milk is whisked in, add the egg mixture to the saucepan.
5. Whisk until the liquid thickens slightly or reaches 160 F. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. 6. Pour the eggnog into a glass container and cover. Refrigerate. 7. When the eggnog has thickened, pour it into glasses, garnish, and enjoy!
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INSIDE This Issue The Crypto Market: How It Works and How to Get Started Make Decorating Your Christmas Tree Less Stressful
How Rudolph Became a TV Institution
DIY Holiday Eggnog
Facial Massage for Beginners
THE BENEFITS OF FACIAL MASSAGES
And How to Perform One at Home Our faces are filled with muscles that we use every day to talk, eat, express our emotions, and more. It makes sense that these facial muscles could benefit from some relaxation and loosening up. Getting a facial massage may seem silly the first time you try it, but this practice has some surprising benefits.
massaging agent, such as a gentle facial oil, serum, or moisturizer.
Know the rules. When giving yourself a facial massage, there are a few no-nos. First of all, you should never massage over a breakout because bacteria can spread on your skin quickly. When massaging, ensure you are moving your skin but not stretching it. Lastly, always work against gravity and rub your skin upward, never downward. Get down to business. There are countless ways to massage your face. You can try rubbing your middle and ring fingers in circular motions, dragging and pressing your knuckles into your face, gently pinching your skin between two fingers, or tapping your fingers in “piano key” type motions. You can also try a face roller or a flat gua sha tool. As long as you’re not leaving marks on your face, experiment and see what feels good. With these tips, you can be on your way to a more relaxed and healthy face. Give facial massage a try today — the only thing you have to lose is stress.
Facial massage is common in many skin care routines throughout the world but not used by most Americans. In addition to reducing stress, facial massage can make your skin look better by improving elasticity, relaxing wrinkles, preventing acne, and stimulating collagen production. It can also help with sinus and jaw pain.
So, how can you get these benefits without hiring a professional? We have some tips.
Prepare your skin. Before beginning your massage, make sure to wash your face and remove any makeup. You don’t want to rub dirt or debris into your skin. Next, choose a
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