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www.bobnortonconsulting.com 877-799-3736 info@bobnortonconsulting.com JULY 2018 NORTON NEWSLETTER EASE OF MIND • AVAILABILITY • FLEXIBILITY • INDIVIDUAL APPROACH • EXPERIENCE • TAX SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™
FROM THE DESK OF Bob
Have you ever seen the movie entitled “The Money Pit” with Tom Hanks? That’s how I’m feeling as I write this in the first week of June. Penny and I closed on a new house in early May, with the hopes of moving into it by the beginning of June. Our plan was to do some cosmetic updates on the new house so that we can move in and then rent out our old house. Well, just like in the movie, every time we begin to work on something, we find something else that we should fix first. And we’re finding that all the “little” things add up fast .
ADULTING101 6 L ife S kills to T each Y our K id B efore T hey M ove O ut
The day is finally here. After 18 (or so) years, your child has reached adulthood; they’re ready to spread their wings and leave the nest. Whether your kid is going to college across the country or moving into their first apartment across town, this can be a bittersweet time for families. While parents are often proud to see their children entering the “real”world on their own, it can be nerve-wracking at the same time. As parents, we constantly worry that we haven’t done enough to prepare our children for adulthood. Doesn’t it sometimes feel like we’re still learning ourselves? If you’re worried about your kid not being self-sufficient, here are the most important life skills to teach them before they leave home.
Fortunately, the new house is not as bad as depicted in the movie!
As an entrepreneur, I want things done yesterday. However, contractors and suppliers have lead times for getting the material ordered and the work done. Penny likes to paint, so she’s been repainting the interior walls. We have the electrician, plumber, and flooring scheduled. Now, it looks like we’ll move in by July 1.
COOKWITHOUT A BOX
You may not want your child living on ramen noodles and boxed macaroni and cheese for the first year after they move out. Cooking can seem intimidating at first, but let your kid know they don’t have to be a French chef to prepare decent meals for themselves. In addition to learning how to read a recipe and handle a stove, you also want to make sure your child is practicing basic kitchen safety. Find a safety checklist at thespruceeats.com/top-kitchen- safety-tips-481834 .
CHANGE A TIRE
Everyone gets a flat tire at some point. When your child inevitably ends up stranded on the highway, you don’t want to hope the guy who stops to help them really is a good Samaritan. Changing a tire is a basic life skill that can be a lifesaver in an emergency. Make sure your kid has the necessary tools in their car at all times, and ensure that they know how to put on the
-Bob Norton
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spare. Bonus : Double-check that your kid also knows how to safely jump-start their car.
create a disaster preparedness kit, where to find information during an emergency, and what to do once they’re safe. The Red Cross has advice for dealing with almost any sort of emergency at redcross.org/get-help/ how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of- emergencies . Even if your kid is already doing their own laundry, are they taking the time to sort their clothes, or do they just throw everything in all at once? Teach your kids the simple tricks that really help in the long run. Separating laundry by color and fabric types helps clothes last longer, washing jeans and graphic T-shirts inside-out can keep the colors and prints from fading, and using toomuch detergent or fabric softener is bad for both clothes and the washingmachine. Be sure to add advice on irons, stain removal, and dry- cleaning while you’re at it. LAUNDRY
step in becoming fully independent. Everyone needs to know how to monitor their accounts, track expenses, control their spending, and save money. You don’t want to get a panicked phone call three months down the road when your kid realizes they’ve accidentally spent their rent money. You can find tips on creating a budget at nerdwallet.com/blog/finance/ how-to-build-a-budget . Let’s be honest here: Unless you happen to be an accountant, the best thing any of us can teach our kids about taxes is how to find a good accountant to get them done early. Parents never stop worrying about their kids, and that’s okay. But you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself if you never got around to teaching your kid how to change a tire or balance their budget before they left home. Let your kids know that if they need you, you’ll always be there to teach them something new— or at least send them a link to a helpful tutorial on YouTube. TAXES
NATURAL DISASTER SAFETY
In an emergency, kids look to their parents for guidance. But does your kid know what to do if they’re on their own during an emergency? Getting caught in a dangerous, unpredictable natural disaster can be terrifying, so make sure your child knows how to keep themselves safe in that situation. Teach them how to
MANAGE A BUDGET
This is a skill even grown adults have trouble mastering. Managing a budget is a crucial
LIES YOU’VE BEEN TOLD Fiction That Holds Too Much Weight
YOU USE ONLY 10 PERCENT OF YOUR BRAIN
Fallacies are fed to us on a daily basis, and some are more believable than others. Here are a few popular misconceptions.
CRACKING YOUR KNUCKLES WILL CAUSE ARTHRITIS
Your brain is constantly in use. Every single action you perform, including digestion, coughing, speaking, thinking, and breathing, are all carried out by processes in the brain. There are levels of consciousness that cause parts of your brain to be less active than others, but there isn’t one singular area that ceases to work for any long period of time.
Studies show that there aren’t any dangers to cracking your knuckles, besides annoying someone with the noise. For a long time, many speculated that the cause of the cracking or popping noise was either the resetting of joints and tendons or the formation of fluid that lubricates the joints. Dr. Donald Unger was the first person to conduct an experiment with the hypothesis that cracking your knuckles doesn’t lead to arthritis. He cracked only the knuckles in his left hand for over 50 years. Later in life, both hands were arthritis-free.
THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA IS VISIBLE FROM SPACE
While the size of the Great Wall is truly spectacular, that doesn’t mean it can be seen from outer space. It’s not at all visible from the moon, and even from low orbit, it’s difficult to spot the wall with an unaided eye. According to NASA, the theory was first shaken by Yang Liwei, a Chinese astronaut, who said he was unable to see the Great Wall from space. Later, a camera with a 180 mm lens and a 400 mm lens captured the wall from a low orbit.
YOU EAT SPIDERS WHILE YOU SLEEP
You may have heard this chilling myth before, but it’s simply not true. Spiders are very sensitive to vibrations — they won’t willingly approach a breathing or snoring human. It isn’t in our eight-legged friends’ nature to crawl into a person’s mouth.
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WHERE ESSENTIAL OILS COME FROM Sourcing the Sweet-Smelling Stuff
Lavender essential oil is harvested from sheaves of lavandula angustifolia , that purple herb you see all over gardens across the United States. There are lavender farms all over the world, from California to Japan to Brazil, but the biggest world producer of lavender is, interestingly, Bulgaria. Tea Tree oil comes from the leaves of melaleuca alternifolia , commonly known as narrow-leaved paperbark, a short, bushy tree that produces white, fluffy flowers in the spring. The trees are endemic to Australia, but today are usually farmed in New South Wales or Queensland.
Call it a pseudoscientific fad or a medical revolution; either way, essential oils are more popular today than they have ever been. Though research on the efficacy of lavender, ginger, and the dozens of other sweet-smelling oils is conflicting at best, people are using them at an astonishing rate. In fact, according to Stratistics MRC, essential oils were a $5.91 billion industry in 2016 and are expected to reach $12.85 billion by 2023. Whether you’re an essential oil acolyte or you fly into a rage at the faintest hint of bergamot, your mind is probably already made up about aromatherapy. The question remains, though: Where does all this delicious-smelling stuff come from? Most essential oils are derived from a process called steam distillation . Soon after harvest, the plants are placed on a mesh inside a sealed still, into which steam is injected. As the steam rises and envelops the plant, it breaks it down and lifts its constituent components up through a tube and into a condenser. The condenser cools the resulting vapor and collects it in liquid form at the bottom. Since essential oils do not mix with water, they float on the surface, where they’re siphoned off, bottled, and shipped off to a distributor. There are other methods, such as expression (aka cold pressing), but because steam distillation is so easy to do, most essential oils you see on the shelf will have gone through this process.
Bergamot is distilled from the peels of lime-green bergamot oranges, or
citrus bergamia . Most of it comes from coastal areas around the Ionian Sea. Whatever you do with it, use it sparingly on your skin — it can amplify skin damage from the sun!
Take a Break!
BLUE CHEESE BUFFALO DOGS AND CELERY SLAW
Ingredients
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1 package of your favorite hot dogs
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1 bottle Frank’s RedHot sauce
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4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
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1 package hot dog buns
For Celery Slaw: •
4 celery stalks, very thinly sliced
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1 teaspoon olive oil
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Celery salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
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1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
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2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
1. For slaw, toss all ingredients together and season with celery salt and pepper. 2. Grill hot dogs and toast buns. 3. Assemble hot dogs, douse with hot sauce, and top with celery slaw. 4. Top with blue cheese, add another splash of hot sauce if you’re feeling extra spicy, and serve.
INDEPENDENCE DAY BARBECUE FREEDOM AMERICA
WASHINGTON REVOLUTION PARADE FIREWORKS
COLONIAL JULY USA CONGRESS
Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit
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THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Bob PAGE 1 Can Your Kid Change a Tire? PAGE 1 Common Misconceptions PAGE 2 Where Do Essential Oils Come From? PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Blue Cheese Buffalo Dogs and Celery Slaw PAGE 3 Take Your S’mores to the Next Level PAGE 4 You’re just three ingredients away from the perfect summertime treat: chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows. The s’more is a fan favorite on camping trips and at backyard bonfires alike. Though they say you can’t improve perfection, we’ve found a few creative twists on the classic treat that will make your summer a little sweeter. A campfire snack fit for a king — of rock ’n’ roll, that is. This s’more pays homage to Elvis Presley’s love of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Swap out the chocolate bar for a peanut butter cup candy and add a few slices of fresh banana between the graham cracker and marshmallow. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can even add some bacon. THE ELVIS
CAN I HAVE S’MORE? Creative Twists on the Campfire Classic
marshmallow, and creamy chocolate turn a simple jar into a great dessert! Learn how to make the perfect s’mores on the go at family.disney.com/recipe/smores-in-a-jar.
STRAWBERRY S’MORE-CAKE
If you really want to wow your guests at the next bonfire, try your hand at this creative take on the summertime classic. Gooey s’mores meet fresh strawberry shortcake in a dessert that’s as delicious as it is original. Find the whole recipe, including tips on making the perfect shortcake, at aspicyperspective.com/ smores-strawberry-shortcake-recipe .
S’MORES MILKSHAKE
Too hot for a campfire? Cool down with a s’mores milkshake! The trick is to lightly toast the marshmallows in the oven so they mix well with the other ingredients in the blender. Get the recipe at spoonfulofflavor. com/2013/08/30/smores-milkshake to enjoy this sweet treat even in the heat of summer. It’s the simple recipe that opens the door for creative interpretations of the classic s’more. Be adventurous this summer and see what great new s’mores you can create!
S’MOREO
A simple but memorable twist on the campfire classic. Grab a box of Oreo cookies, pull a cookie apart, and use that in place of your graham cracker. The cream filling will pair nicely with the chocolate and toasted marshmallow .
S’MORES IN A JAR
Here are s’mores you can enjoy all year long. Layers of crushed graham cracker, melted
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