8 Broadcaster Press How to Determine if Items can be Composted August 2, 2016 www.broadcasteronline.com How to Get and Keep Your Finances in Order In 2015, analysts with the Government Accountability Office found that the average American between the ages of 55 and 64 had accrued roughly $104,000 in retirement savings, a shockingly low figure that would make it very difficult for men and women nearing retirement to maintain their quality of life into their golden years. Things don’t look much better north of the border, where the 2015 Global Investor Pulse Survey from the asset management firm BlackRock found that the average Canadian in the same age group had amassed an average of just $125,000. While many people fear retiring with small nest eggs, that fear has apparently not been enough to inspire men and women to commit to saving more money for their golden years. But retirement saving is essential, especially since life expectancies are rising. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, global life expectancies at birth are expected to rise to 76 years by the mid-21st century. That’s a far cry from the mid-20th century, when global life expectancy from birth was roughly 48 years. Longer life expectancies mean men and women will have to find ways to make their money last throughout their retirement. The earlier adults figure out how to keep their finances in order, the more money they will have when the time comes to retire. The following are a handful of strategies men and women can employ to rein in their finances in the hopes of saving more for retirement. • Review your finances at least once per month. Hectic schedules or fear of the financial unknown make it easy for adults to ignore their finances for long stretches of time. But adults should review their financial situation at least once per month, examining how they are spending their money and if there are any ways to cut costs and redirect dollars going out into their retirement accounts. Redirecting as little as $100 per month into a retirement account can add up to a substantial amount of money over time. • Pay monthly bills immediately. Many adults receive monthly bills for utilities, rent/mortgage, phone, and television/Internet. If you have the money in your account, pay these bills the moment you receive them. Doing so is a great way to avoid overspending on other items, such as dining out or shopping trips, and then finding yourself scrambling to pay bills come their due dates. Once all the monthly bills have been paid and you have deposited money into your savings/retirement accounts, then you can spend any leftover money on nights out on the town or new clothes if you feel the need. • Buy only what you can afford. It sounds simple, but many adults would have far more in their retirement accounts if they simply avoided buying items they cannot afford. According to a 2015 Harris Poll conducted on behalf of NerdWallet, the average credit card debt per indebted American household in 2015 was $15,762.07. Adults who want to get their finances in order and start saving more for retirement should put the plastic away and only make purchases with cash or debit cards that take money directly out of their bank accounts once the card is swiped. • Downsize. Downsizing is another way to free up more money for retirement savings. Empty nesters can save money by downsizing to a smaller home or even an apartment. Drivers who no longer need room for the whole family can downsize from SUVs or minivans to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Adults also may be able to downsize their entertainment, switching from costly cable packages to basic plans or cutting the cord entirely and subscribing to more affordable streaming services. Getting a grip on spending can help adults save more for retirement and ensure their golden years are not compromised by lack of funds. How to Make Relocation Go Smoothly Compost is an eco-friendly way to grow a healthy and flourishing garden bed or landscape. Full of nutrients and rich organic materials, compost is often called “black gold” by gardeners for the many benefits it provides. One of the main advantages to compost, apart from the way it boosts plant growth and health, is that it is relatively low cost to produce. Compost is created by food scraps and other materials that are left to break down naturally. Backyard composting speeds up the natural process of decomposition. In optimal conditions, organic matter can decompose more quickly. According to the University of Illinois Extension, microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes account for most of the decomposition that takes place in a compost pile. However, insects also can do their part to create compost. Such insects are referred to as physical composters because they break down materials by chewing, grinding and digesting them into smaller pieces. Bacteria create an oxidation process that heats up the compost pile and aids in its decomposition. Homeowners can create their own compost piles with just a few items. Some of the staples of composting include foods that normally would be discarded. Vegetable peels, fruit rinds, eggshells, coffee grounds, and the like can be put into a compost pile. Meats and poultry should not be placed in a compost pile because of the threat of harmful pathogens and bacteria. Other items that are not food-related also can be added to compost piles. It may be challenging to determine which ones are applicable. These products are usually considered safe: • paper plates with no coating • products made from bagasse, a fibrous matter that remains after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are crushed • cardboard boxes • paper towels • wax paper • wax-covered paper cups • products certified as compostable by BPI • certified bio-plastics Anything that is coated in plastic that is not a bio-plastic must go into the trash or be reused in another way. Composting is a cost-effective, viable way to reduce trash and produce a beneficial product for gardening and landscaping. Let The Broadcaster and Plain Talk Make Cash For You! People relocate for various reasons. Many relocate for professional opportunities, while others relocate to pursue their educations. And while some may relocate to enjoy a lower cost of living, others may find themselves relocating to satisfy their sense of adventure. Regardless of why a person is relocating, doing so without preparing for the move can make the transition that much more difficult. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 19 percent of the 35.9 million people one year and over who moved between 2012 and 2013 did so for a job-related reason. Relocating to a new city for a job is different than moving from one home to another within the same community. Relocating to a new city can be a life-changing event that requires planning and maybe even a little luck to make it work. • Examine your finances. Moving is expensive, and it can be even more expensive when moving to an entirely new city. If you are moving to pursue career opportunities but don’t yet have a job offer in hand, examine your finances and work out a worst-case scenario in the event that your job hunt takes longer than you hoped for. Unless you have a benefactor who can help you pay your bills and avoid debt while you look for a job, make sure you have several months’ worth of living expenses saved up before moving. • Research the job market. Certain cities have more opportunities for people in certain fields than others, so make sure the city you plan to relocate to is a place where you will have ample opportunities in your chosen line of work. Otherwise you might find yourself settling for a career you don’t like or relocating again to a job market more accommodating to someone in your field. • Research the real estate market. Before hitting the road and heading for your new home, research the real estate market in that area. Try to find out the average rental price via online forums or even online newspaper classified sections. Find out if people tend to live with roommates or go it alone in the city you’re relocating to. If you are moving to a city where you know very few people or no one at all, consider becoming someone’s roommate. The right roommate can provide an instant social network and help you learn the ropes of your adopted home. If you plan to live alone and rent, recognize that many land- lords will require a guarantor before renting to tenants with no income. • Don’t be shy. Unless you are moving to a place where you already have a built-in social network, you should expect to encounter some loneliness upon arriving in your new location. Resolve to make the most of all your new home has to offer by joining a social organization, connecting with your univer- Ice Cream Truck History On a sweltering day, few things bring relief as immediately as a favorite frozen treat. The United States leads the world in ice cream consumption, with an average of 26 liters per person consumed per year. Ice cream has been around for quite some time, and it is believed ancient Greeks ate a crude form of the dessert as early as the 5th century B.C. While ice cream parlors, dessert shops and supermarket freezers are popular places to sample favorite flavors, ice cream also can be purchased from ice cream trucks. The tinkling of the ice cream truck music box and the sight of that dessert haven on wheels is enough to send any child (and many adults) into sensory overload. Some of the early precursors to the modern day ice cream truck were ice TODD’S ELECTRIC SERVICE and ice cream sandwich carts that gained popularity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Confectioner and visionary Harry Burt was instrumental in developing the ice cream truck. Burt invented ice cream novelties that could be enjoyed on a stick, including the Good Humor bar. Burt wanted an easy way to deliver the treat into the hands of hungry kids, so he commissioned refrigerator trucks and hired drivers who looked pristine and safe to deliver the treats to neighborhood children. To entice the youngsters outside, the drivers rang a bell so kids would investigate the noise. Eventually the bell and standard routes helped families know when to expect the ice cream man. Early ice cream trucks may have sold prepackaged treats, but they eventually broadened their offerings. Some turned into mobile ice cream shops, offering soft-serve or hard ice cream in everything from sundaes to cones to shakes. Many ice cream truck businesses are independentlyowned seasonal businesses. 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