PHM-Wellness-Newsletter-Winter-19-EMAIL

Financial Wellness Relieving Tax Prep Stress Tax season can be highly stressful, time-consuming and complicated, and for some, can contribute to increased stress and even higher blood pressure! To help combat the stress of filing your taxes, plan ahead and get organized to make the experience more manageable. Here are some tips to help you get ready for tax day:

SpiceSpotlight How Turmeric Lowers Blood Pressure Turmeric, the spice that gives curr y powder its yellow color, can flavor food while lowering blood pressure. While its effec- tiveness varies with each indi- vidual, turmeric has been used safely in Chinese medicine for many centuries. Turmeric (Curcuma longa) con- tains curcumin, an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory chemical that helps to lower blood cholesterol and dilate ar teries by blocking ca l c i um t r anspor t . Cur cumi n protects blood cells from damage and bolster s nitric oxide pro- duction at the blood vessels, enabl i ng re l axed , smoot her blood flow. Additionally, turmeric lowers systolic blood pressure. Turmeric comes in many forms. Adults should take 400 to 600 mg of standardized powder or tablets three times a day or 30 to 90 drops of liquid extracts daily. Exper ts recommend 1.5 to 3 grams per day of dried cut root or dried powdered root. Mixing curcumin with fish, coconut, or extra virgin olive oil increases absorption as much a s seven t imes . You can use t urmer i c as a salt substitute to reduce sodium intake or add 10-30 drops of liquid turmeric two or three times a day to juice, smoothies, milk and teas.

professional. According to a 2017 survey, 32 percent of Americans hired a professional tax preparer while 35 percent used commercial tax software when they had filed taxes the previous year. • Straightforward tax situations may enable you to do your own taxes, but complicated situations may require a professional. If you own a business, you cer tainly need a tax preparer, but it can also be complicated if you changed your marital situation, bought or sold a house, changed jobs or had a baby. Once your taxes are filed, you can relax and stop worrying about missing the deadline. Keep the tax documents in your organizer and hold onto them for 3 years. Doing so will make filing next year’s taxes so much easier.

• Gather paperwork throughout the year and organize it in advance.That includes such items as W-2 or 1099 forms, earnings statements, bank statements, mortgage statements, investment information and debt related information. • Review deductible expenses throughout the year.These expenses might be childcare costs, medical costs, home improvements, major purchases, contributions to retirement accounts and charitable contributions, or they could be business expenses. • Record all of these items on spreadsheets to make it easier to track them. Maintain the paper receipts needed for attaching to IRS forms in files. • Decide whether to use a tax software package or a tax

FRESH AIR winter

Fresh Air is a periodical wellness publication sent to all participants of the Pinnacle Health Management wellness program, published by: 15525 Sand Canyon Avenue Irvine, CA 92618

If you have any questions regarding your wellness program, please contact us at: E M A I L WellnessProgram@PinnacleTPA.com

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