The Good Life Report 2/19/20

Pesto Perfecto Sauce

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1½ cups pinenuts
• 4 peeled cloves garlic
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan 
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Add basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese to food processor. Blend thoroughly.
2. Add oil slowly as you pulse the food processor
3. Add salt and pepper.
4. Great on pasta or as a pizza sauce. Use wherever you might use marinara or alfredo sauce.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com[1]

Be On Alert For IRS Scams

This tax season, the IRS expects an uptick in tax-related scams. In most cases, IRS "phishing" scams are bogus phone calls and emails that claim to come from the IRS. Fraudsters use fake refunds or threats of a tax bill or audit to convince recipients to give up their personal and financial information. They then use it to steal a victim's money or identity. The IRS has the following tips:

• Fraudsters may know a lot about you when they call and may be able to spoof your caller ID to show that they are calling from an official number. Don't be fooled.
• If you don't answer the phone, they may leave an urgent callback request.
• If you receive a call that you think might be from the IRS, take down the agent's information and call them back at the official IRS hotline: 1-800-829-1040.

Remember, the IRS will never:

• Call you without mailing an official notice first.
• Demand that you immediately pay your taxes over the phone.
• Take a debit or credit card number over the phone.
• Threaten to call law enforcement or immigration services to arrest you for failure to pay.

* This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax advice. We suggest that you discuss your specific tax issues with a qualified tax professional.

Tip adapted from IRS.gov[2]

Reading the Grain on a Green

What is one of the subtlest factors that can affect a putt? The grain on a putting green - in other words, the direction in which the grass grows. Grain can influence how a putt starts, proceeds, and ends. Three factors determine grain: the direction of the sunset, the direction of the prevailing wind, and the direction in which water drains off the putting surface. Putts hit against the grain roll a little slower and may finish a little shorter.

The kind of grass used also plays a part. Putting greens, with rare exceptions, are grown with bermuda grass or bent grass. Bermuda is common in the South, Hawaii, and other relatively warm areas. Bent grass is common in the West and the North. Bermuda has a bumpier surface than bent, with more pronounced grain. To quickly find out the grain on a green, look at the rim of the cup. The edge that shows a slight browning of grass is the direction the grain goes.

Tip adapted from Hawaii.com[3]

Falling In Love With Yourself

February is a month that many associate with love. Romance, in particular. The rise of self-care over the past decade has brought attention to the concept of loving oneself - the basic philosophy behind it being that if we love and take care of ourselves, with intention, the happier and healthier we'll be, and all the people in our lives will benefit, including our romantic partners.

Loving ourselves isn't always easy. And it doesn't mean always being overly indulgent, but rather making choices that help support our overall well-being. For some people, that may look like taking time to relax if they have a lot of stress in their lives. For others, it can be making a to-do list to organize and accomplish tasks if they tend toward procrastination. Being more self-aware and cheering ourselves on more if we're often overly harsh or being more introspective and searching for ways to improve if we are myopic to our own shortcomings. All these things and many more not mentioned are intentional actions we can take to be our best selves.

This February, take some time to reflect on the ones you love. Just make sure you don't forget about the one you should love the most.

Tip adapted from PsychCentral[4]

Upcoming Special Event? Rent or Borrow

Finding eco-friendly clothing is difficult, especially when most clothing isn't designed to last for more than a year. This is especially true for special occasion items that you can only expect to wear one time before it collects dust in your closet.

Instead of buying a suit or dress you'll only wear once, rent or borrow. There are many online companies that will let you rent high-end fashion items for a fraction of their cost. Have friends that are the same size? Get together and go shopping in each other's closets.

For items like wedding dresses, there are several online and retail second-hand shops that specialize in dresses for your big day.

Tip adapted from RealSimple.com[5]

[1] www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23134/pesto-sauce/

 

[2] www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts

 

[3] www.hawaii.com/discover/hawaii-golf-tips/

 

[4] psychcentral.com/blog/learn-to-love-yourself-first/

 

[5] www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/clothing/cleaning-out-my-closet

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.

 

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