The Good Life Report 10/9/19

Slow Cooker Ziti

[8 servings]

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1½ tsp. garlic, minced 
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 28-oz. can tomatoes, diced
• 2½ cups pasta sauce
• 2½ cups water or chicken broth
• 4 cups ziti pasta
• 1¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Cook the meat in a skillet with the garlic, salt, and pepper.
    
2. Add the cooked meat, basil, parsley, oregano, tomatoes, and pasta sauce to a 4-quart or larger slow cooker and stir.
    
3. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
    
4. At the end of the cook, turn the slow cooker to high and add the pasta. Stir to combine, and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the pasta is soft.
    
5. Sprinkle with cheese and cook for another 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. 

Recipe adapted from The Recipe Rebel[1]

Be On The Lookout For Tax Deduction Carryovers

• When you have a net operating loss
   
• When your total expense for a permitted deduction exceeds the amount you're allowed to deduct in a given year
   
• When a credit you qualify for exceeds the amount of tax you owe in a year
   
• Adoption tax credits
   
• Foreign tax credits
   
• Credits for energy efficiency

Backyard Chipping Drills

Take advantage of the last few weeks of great weather outside before winter comes, and practice your chipping right in the backyard. You don't need to go to the country club to practice this important shot. 

One of our favorite drills helps you eliminate the "flick" many golfers do when chipping. All you need to set up is about 10 balls and a chipping mat, if you have one (if not, doing the drill on the grass works as well). Simply set up your shot as you normally would, with your front grip (left arm for right-handed golfers, right arm for left-handed golfers) nice and low on the club. Then, you are going to use a pendulum motion to hit the ball and keep your arm completely straight throughout the whole swing, including the follow through. This "tick-tock" motion will teach you not to keep your wrist completely straight. Don't focus on getting rid of the ball; just focus on that motion. 


Tip adapted from The Lady Golf Teacher[3]

Know Your Numbers

According to The American Heart Association, adults should know their key health numbers, including total cholesterol, HDL (good cholesterol), blood pressure, blood sugar, and body mass index. These core data points can help health care providers determine whether an individual is at risk for cardiovascular disease, a heart attack, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other concerns. 

If you're not sure what your "numbers" are, schedule a visit with your doctor to monitor them and understand why each is important. Here's a quick definition of each metric:

• Cholesterol - Cholesterol is a lipoprotein found in our body's tissues and plays a role in forming and maintaining cell membranes. There is "good" cholesterol, which our body needs, and "bad" cholesterol, which puts us at a higher risk for heart disease.
   
• Body Mass Index - Your BMI is calculated by your height and weight and can help measure if you are underweight, a healthy weight, or overweight.
   
• Blood pressure - Blood pressure refers to the amount of force the heart must use to pump blood throughout the body. It is measured by the resulting pressure exerted onto blood vessel walls, during work and at rest.
   
• Blood sugar - Blood sugar measures the concentration of glucose in the blood. 

Tips adapted from The American Heart Association[4]

Repurpose Your Furniture To Save Money and Natural Resources

The change of season is the perfect time to spruce up your home. Whip out all the fall decorations, and get ready for a new look! These tips will help you repurpose your furniture for a refreshed style. Instead of buying new pieces, take full advantage of the ones you already own!

The first go-to when repurposing furniture is to add a fresh coat of paint. Merely painting a piece can do wonders to make it look clean, modern, and frankly, give it a whole new life. In addition to painting, you can also change out the hardware on dressers and drawers to really make a piece stand out. 

Another great tip when repurposing furniture is to add some contact paper or texture to a piece. You can buy contact paper at your local craft store and use it to spruce up cabinets, as an accent to a bookcase or dresser, or just to give a colorful, new look to anything in your home. Similarly, wallpaper is really easy to install and can completely transform a room for fall. 

For another way to live green, we at stein financial group have shred bins available for you in our downtown office. You can be sure your old documents are secure and recycled. drop them off during your next appointment which you can schedule here: https://bookwithsfg.timetap.com/


Tip adapted from My Repurposed Life[13]

These are the views of Platinum Advisor Strategies, LLC, and not necessarily those of the named representative, Broker dealer or Investment Advisor, and should not be construed as investment advice. Neither the named representative nor the named Broker dealer or Investment Advisor gives tax or legal advice. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please consult your financial advisor for further information.

By clicking on these links, you will leave our server, as the links are located on another server. We have not independently verified the information available through this link. The link is provided to you as a matter of interest. Please click on the links below to leave and proceed to the selected site. 

[1] www.thereciperebel.com/slow-cooker-baked-ziti/ 

[2] www.creditkarma.com/tax/i/tax-carry-forward/ 

[3] www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0XpUKBf35w 

[4] www.heart.org/en/know-your-risk/know-your-numbers 

[5] www.myrepurposedlife.com/250-repurposed-projects/