Sunday, May 12, 2013
- Health: Change one daily habit for big results. Replace a doughnut with an English muffin and save 350 calories a day. Cut out a 20 oz. soda and you’ll save 250 to 275 empty calories.
- Wealth: Invest wisely. Avoid complex investments, be broadly diversified, invest regular amounts at regular time intervals (e.g., $50 per pay period), and don’t try to time the market.
Monday, May 13, 2013
- Health: Calories count and so does regular physical activity. About 45 minutes of brisk (4 mph) walking burns 244 calories.
- Wealth: Use coupons to save money. If it costs $2 to buy a Sunday newspaper that saves $20, it’s worth it. In addition, free coupons can be obtained online at http://www.coupons.com and similar websites.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
- Health: Find out the number of calories in the foods that you eat. Check the serving size and the number of calories per serving. Many people underestimate calorie counts, which leads to poor food choices.
- Wealth: Be patient to save money at the supermarket. Food prices have cycles. That frozen entrée that costs $3.29 this week could be 5 for $10 next week.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
- Health: Believe you can make positive health changes. The best way to predict your future is to create it.
- Wealth: Save $1, $2, $5, or $10 a day, plus pocket change, in a jar. Deposit the money regularly into a savings account to earn interest.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
- Health: Make progress every day. Connect health goals with small daily steps that can help achieve them.
- Wealth: Consider investing for retirement tax-deferred with pre-tax dollars (money that is not taxed before investing). Another option is to invest after-tax dollars (money that has been taxed) in a Roth IRA.
Friday, May 17, 2013
- Health: Learn more about health (and financial) topics. Make a conscious effort to learn something new every day. One quick source of information is credentialed health experts who post messages on Twitter.
- Wealth: Pay off high-interest debt to earn a high return equal to the APR on your debt balance (e.g., an 18% APR credit card). No other “investment” can guarantee an 18% return risk-free and tax-free.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
- Health: Find available “time chunks” for physical activity. There are 1,440 minutes per day. This translates into 144 ten-minute time chunks or 48 half-hour (30-minute) time chunks.
- Wealth: Consider funding a Roth and/or traditional IRA to save for retirement. The maximum deposit in 2013 is $5,500 per person and $1,000 more ($6,500 total) if a taxpayer is age 50 or older by year-end.