Poll: THIS is America’s Favorite Halloween Candy

Written by adminOctober 31, 2019
Life Style

Today is Halloween, so what candy is going to be consumed more than others? According to a new Monmouth University poll, it’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. The survey asked 1,161 adults about what they like to eat and buy on Halloween. It wasn’t a massive majority, as it was only 36% who voted this way. The next highest was Snickers at 18% and M&Ms at 11%.

Other candies were much less at only 6% of the combined vote. This goes to show how much people love Reese’s on Halloween. They do usually have the most creative ads when the holiday starts rolling around. That seems to be the major indicator of how many people buy their candy this time of year.

Other candies that were also voted include Skittles, Starbursts, Hershey bars, and Tootsie roll pops. It’s interesting to note that certain candies did better in different regions. For example, Starbursts are the most popular Halloween candies in Michigan. Snickers is the most popular in the Southwest.

You might not believe it, but even candy corn made the list! “Candy corn even making the list may surprise some people, but it is one of the top-selling Halloween candies in the country,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.”We don’t know if it’s one of the top-eaten candies, but it does have a fan base. And candy corn makes great fake teeth to creep out your parents with,” he said.

Halloween Night

Considering today is Halloween, millions of kids and teens are expected to be trick-or-treating. It’s important to remember to use the utmost safety when driving around. Kids in costumes may not be properly lit-up with reflective surfaces to help drivers see them. More kids are hit by cars and killed on Halloween night than the average pedestrian rate.

Also, it’s important for parents to keep an eye out for their kids. Check all the candy they bring home. Discard anything not sealed in a protective individual wrapper.

Read More

House Votes Today on Whether to Open Impeachment Inquiry on President Trump

Written by adminOctober 31, 2019
Politics

While many of us are enjoying the Halloween holiday, there’s something spooky developing in Washington. The Democrat-held House of Representatives is holding debates and eventually a floor vote on impeachment. They’re trying to determine if President Trump withheld foreign aid to force a foreign country to dig up dirt on his political rival.


For several weeks, the House has been interviewing witnesses. Yet, they never officially opened an impeachment inquiry. It’s a significant move both for those investigating and the president himself. If an impeachment inquiry is open, it allows the president and his legal team the opportunity for due process. Mainly, he gets to face his accuser and have subpoena power themselves.

The Democrats might hate Trump, but this isn’t a simple move. It’s fraught with walking tight ropes and careful negotiation about the next move. The last time an impeachment took place, the political party that did voted to impeach lost their power. The Democrats remember this all too well. When President Clinton was impeached by the House, he got to stay in office and the republicans who impeached eventually lost their seat majority.

Of course, we’re also heading quickly into the 2020 political season. This might just be smoke and mirrors to keep pressure on the president. These types of headlines have been frequent and have stolen his thunder as of late. The Democrats might just continue their investigation up until the election to keep the pressure on Trump.

The Impeachment Process

This is really the first step in determining whether the House will formally vote on impeachment. The inquiry is really a long investigation. Both sides will get their opportunities to question witnesses. Already the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees have been doing that already. That’s mainly just to see if there’s enough evidence to open the inquiry. This doesn’t mean impeachment is a forgone conclusion.

Even though it’s Democrat-held, the House may not have enough votes to recommend impeachment. Many of the Democrats are in Trump-won states and districts. These Democrats try to lean as far center right as they can to appease their base while remaining a Democrat. Others fear what might happen if articles of impeachment are recommended.

Even still, the Senate would then have to choose to convict or acquit the president. It’s why President Clinton got to stay in office despite being impeached by the House. The Senate has never voted to remove a president from office. Considering that the Senate has a strong Republican majority, it’s even less likely.

It appears as if this inquiry will go on the next few months and the Democrats will decide to hold their impeachment vote by Christmas.

Read More

4 Strategies for Breaking Out of Living from Paycheck-to-Paycheck

Written by adminOctober 30, 2019
Life Style

Living paycheck to paycheck is extremely difficult, yet many Americans know no other life. Even the smallest problem can throw your entire life into loop. According to a survey from Schwab, 59% of Americans live this way and it’s extremely stressful. This article will take a look at several ways in which you can break the cycle and help gain some financial independence.

Strategy #1: Put Together a Paycheck Budget

Sadly, a lot of Americans don’t even take the time to budget their finances. In reality, if this sounds all too real for you, then you should know how extremely difficult it’s going to be to be financially responsible if you don’t budget. You’ll have no idea what’s coming in or what’s going out. This forces a lot of people into a big-time jam.

You need to know exactly what your spending money on. You sit down at the table and write it all out. Gather all your bills and financial statements. Then, start putting everything into categories. Set yourself a budget for what you’re going to spend. Look at how much money you spend on groceries and determine exactly how much you’re going to spend every month.

Strategy #2: Start Cutting Some Expenses

The only way you’re going to become financially independent is by living below your means. We don’t like to do this. This is why we don’t mind maxing out our credit card. We often want things that we can afford but still try to find a way to pay for, even if that means using credit. This is how we rack up thousands of dollars in debt and get behind on her bills.

When you put your budget together, look for things you can cut. You notice that your family doesn’t watch as much TV anymore? Cut the cable and go to Hulu and Netflix. Can you sell a car and still live comfortably? That’s less money that you have to spend on insurance and gas every month. Take public transportation if you have to until you get settled.

Strategy #3: Have an Emergency Fund

Once you start looking for things to cut and realize you pay for a lot of things you don’t really need or use, you start stashing away that cash into your savings account. There will definitely come a day when you’ll need some emergency money. Not because the next greatest thing is about to come out, but because a legitimate emergency will arise.

When emergencies happen, this is when a lot of people go into bankruptcy. They simply can’t afford the additional medical bills or car repair. What if you lose your job? You have to be prepared for when the situations occur. The best advice is to save up at least six months’ worth of living expenses in the event you lose your job in the time to find a new one.

Strategy #4: Improve Your Income Situation

If you’re having a difficult time socking away money, maybe it’s time to get a second job or side hustle for a little while. You still need to find ways to cut your spending, getting a second job to bring in an additional source of income will go a long way in gaining more financial independence. This can also help you pay off any debts that you have.

Paying off your debt as soon as possible is a great way to solve your problem. There is often interest tacked on to anything you buy with credit. That means you can spend many thousands of dollars extra on a loan or hundreds of dollars a year paying interest on credit cards. Make the smart choice and pay off those debts so you can be free of desperately waiting for your paycheck.

Read More

3 Ways to Build Up Your Emergency Savings Quickly

Written by adminOctober 30, 2019
Saving

Emergencies can happen to anyone and they can happen without warning. You never know what day you’re going to wake up and be fully immersed in a situation beyond your control. You don’t know if there’ll be a natural disaster later in the day or if you’ll get into a car accident. Life is unpredictable and we don’t like to talk about it.

It’s usually these unplanned expenses that can turn into maxing out your credit cards or they need to take out a loan to pay for it. For example, if you needed to take your dog to the vet and had an $800 vet bill, that’s a major unplanned expense. You’re more likely to put that on your credit card and without paying it off immediately, you get charged with interest.

While the safest route is to save as much as six months’ worth of income in the event of an emergency, even having $1000 is a great way to protect yourself. You never know when you’ll need that extra thousand dollars. According to recent surveys, most Americans don’t even have $400 to their name something bad happens.

Let’s take a look at several ways in which you can build up your emergency savings quickly:

1) Sell Some Stuff for Your Emergency Fund!

Outside of saving the money you earn, the best way to make up for emergency cash is to sell stuff that you have that you don’t use. You can easily find a few hundred dollars’ worth of stuff in your attic, garage, storage shed, or basement. Maybe you have a bunch of close or your kids have a lot of toys that they’ve outgrown. Have a garage sale and put 100% of the proceeds into your savings account. There’s also Craigslist and the Facebook marketplace. Whichever option you choose, it’s good to get rid of some stuff and declutter your life.

2) Fast from Spending

Cutting your spending doesn’t have to be a tragedy. There are certainly plenty of things that you spend your money on that you don’t really need. Can you cut back on getting Starbucks for a few months? Can you cut down your cable package if you’re not really using it so much? Don’t be afraid to sit down with your budget and look through everything you’re spending your money on. There has to be something in there that you can cut and put that money into your savings.

3) Open a Bank Account

There are a lot of banks that will pay you to open up a bank account. They might offer $300 or so for opening an account with them. Maybe you want to keep your savings account separate from your main bank account. It would be a good way to get a good jump on your saving.

Read More

How Schools are Using Technology to Prepare Kids for the Tech Jobs of the Future

Written by adminOctober 30, 2019
Technology

As technology continues to expand, we see its influence everywhere. It’s making our lives easier and its even translating to how teachers reach their students. We may remember the classroom as a room full of desks and a chalkboard, but that image is quickly evolving. Digital technology is quickly taking over where education on how to use the latest technology is taking root.

Schools exist to educate our kids and to prepare them for the real world. Of course, parents are the main educators in that role. But schools are on the front lines by providing proper curriculums and all the opportunities that come with it. That’s why libraries full of books are being converted into computer labs.

As a result of this shift, the amount of money schools are spending on educational technology is growing dramatically. In the next five years, schools are expected to expand their technology budgets by $341 billion. This doubles what they are spending currently. It’s certainly a lesson in preparing for the future, but things are growing so rapidly. We don’t even know what the future might look like.

“We’re asking young people what they want to be when they grow up, when maybe more than half of the job’s tasks and industries they may work in have not been invented yet,” says Heather McGowan, a future work strategist who helps to prepare people and organizations for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Technology Jobs Not Available Yet

The World Economic Forum released a study that found as many as 65% of the current children entering primary school will later take jobs that currently don’t exist. We see how technology is revolutionizing our lives, but it’s shifting how we work. More robots are taking over manufacturing jobs, but someone has to build and maintain the robots.

Because the entire world is shifting, so should our educational demands. Schools are having to focus more on looking at what each individual child wants to learn. Just simply passing on knowledge won’t be as big of a part of schooling.

“The foundational knowledge of the future is your own ability to learn and adapt, because if you don’t your career will come to a screeching halt after a couple of years,” she says.

One such teaching toy is a robot called Cubetto. Cubetto is made of wood and is the beginning step in teaching kids how robots work. They insert blocks into a connected base that have instructions on them. They can see how they are simply programming the robot to move based on the blocks they insert. It’s primitive compared to what they’ll need to learn later, but is a good first step.

Teaching them Younger

Children as young as three are using this robot to learn how to think critically and even how to code. “It’s a skill that you can apply to anything: you basically learn to think in a very logical and rational manner,” says Filippo Yacob, founder and CEO of Primo, the toy maker that developed Cubetto. “For us, it’s about making children future proof,” he adds.

“The danger is, if you don’t get these things right, that children are really being hampered in their learning and it’s undermining their efforts to progress academically,” says professor Peter Barrett who led the study.

Read More

New Survey Reveals Americans Not as Prepared for Retirement as They Should Be

Written by adminOctober 29, 2019
Saving

The way Americans think about retirement has shifted.

For whatever reason, we’re less invested and concerned than we used to be. It was a priority to make sure we take care of ourselves and our future. Today’s generations don’t seem to care as much.

According to a new survey by Edward Jones, less than half of us contribute to a 401(k). When they asked those who have a 401(k) if they knew how much the monthly fees were, half of them had no idea there were any fees.

Ameritrade asked in a related survey if they knew how much they were paying for Netflix and other streaming services, and 96% said they did.

37% wrongly assumed they didn’t have to pay fees on their 401(k).

Surveys also found that only 37% are contributing to their retirement accounts and 18% through a health savings account.

These numbers are astonishing. It would appear as if Americans view retirement as a goal they should tap into later in life, but it’s not something they need to be concerned about right now. It reveals a real lack in financial concern.

Throwing in the Retirement Towel

If we take a good look at the last 15 years or so, the market has been virtually dead money. There’s a reason why a lot of baby boomers now plan to work until 60-65. They might’ve had a plan to retire at 45, but the market didn’t permit them and now they’re behind on their savings.

With all the rumors that social security might be dead in the future, regardless of how much we put into it, and the shaky evolution of the market, it’s scaring people away from investing. With health care costs shooting through the roof, the volatile housing market, and stocks that change with the weather, it’s making retirement investment into a crap shoot.

As Gen-Xers head ever closer to retirement age, they’re either not as concerned about retirement or see they have very few options that is guaranteed to last through their golden years.

According to experts, the best plan of action is to diversify their savings. Don’t put all your eggs into one basket and risking losing it when the market sours. There are recession-proof stocks, commodities, and other investments.

Either way, working well past retirement age is never ideal. We can only hope at this new optimism in our economic recovery continues. It allows each generation to have renewed faith in saving for the future.

Read More

How Much Would It Cost for a Ticket into Space?

Written by adminOctober 29, 2019
Entertainment

As SpaceX continues to improve their rockets and technology, becoming a private astronaut is becoming more of a reality. It’s not just Elon Musk and SpaceX. There’s also Richard Brandon and several other companies working to make it happen. Rather than just astronauts going into space, individual citizens want to as well. This may indeed be a precursor to colonies on the moon and even Mars.

At some point in the near future, you will be able to purchase a ticket into space. Of course, it’s not going to be cheap. This may only be something the rich get to experience. Eventually, technology may make it so such trips are more cost effective. It might require they pack as many paying customers onto a rocket as possible.

Still, the science behind it is fascinating. Something we would’ve never fathomed 50-100 years ago is finally within our grasp. Going where no man has gone before may one day be full of people living, traveling, and enjoying each other’s company. Instead of Disney, a trip to space may be what some families get to experience.

This idea is becoming so popular that even NASA is looking to jump in. For the right bidders, they want to take private astronauts to the Space Station for a short duration flight. They will be working with SpaceX and Boeing to make it happen. Of course, the cost will not be pretty. We’re looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions.

Obstacles of Going into Space

Let’s be honest here. The way the earth’s atmosphere and gravity work make it extremely different to leave the planet. We’re in an enclosed system. Overcoming our gravity alone to push a rocket into space requires a lot of fuel and propulsion. It costs NASA around $3,000 per kilogram of cargo.

The cost to launch typical cargo into space for NASA is about $3,000 per kilogram, and that doesn’t recover most of the space agency’s costs,” said Stephanie Schierholz. “From that, one can certainly infer that it is expensive to launch anything to space from Earth is largely a result of the ‘gravity well’ of Earth. Our gravity and the atmosphere that protects the planet also makes it challenging to leave it.”

Virgin Galactic is currently projecting a single space-flight ticket will cost around $250,000 per individual. The costs may climb higher as we get to the point of the first launch. There are a lot of other issues and prices to be worked out. The prices may also get cheaper as new technologies are developed.

NASA has different pricing. For a single day stay on the International Space Station, it will cost about $35,000 per day. That’s just for the stay. To get to the ISS would cost $52 million. That’s a large chunk of change. Just for access to the toilet, you’re looking at $11,250 per day, per person. Food and air would cost $22,500. $50 per gig of data if you want to use the internet.

Read More

The Democrat Plan to Raise the National Sales Tax to 42%

Written by adminOctober 29, 2019
Taxes

Regardless of what side you’re on, Democrat, Republican, or somewhere in the middle, there’s one truth we’ve seen during this campaign season. That truth is that the Democrats plan on spending A LOT of money. They don’t seem really good at really talking about the issues. They just promise to throw a ton of money at it.

And when they’re asked about who will pay for said program, they all say the same thing, “the rich will be taxes their fair share!” Most of them promise to wipe out the $1.53 trillion student loan debt and make college free. That’s massively expensive. Again, their response is, “tax the rich!” But then we get to healthcare.

Most of the Democrat candidates support some type of Medicare-for-All plan. It’s a bold plan they believe Americans deserve. We all deserve great healthcare, but what is the cost of providing it 100% free for all citizens? Well, we’ve already published a story on that. In case you missed it, here’s the dish. Warren’s plan alone would cost an ADDITIONAL $3 trillion in tax revenue. That’s the amount of tax revenue the government currently brings in, so you’d have to double it.

So, someone needs to say it. Are we fine bankrupting thousands of businesses? If not, then we’re saying we would have to double the federal tax rate. You could accuse this writer (and many economists) of sticking up for the rich, but the math simply doesn’t add up. You could tax every single earner who makes more than $408,000 per year 100% and STILL fall well short.

What New Democrat Taxes Would Do

So, obviously, demanding the rich to pay their fair share would not work. You would be stealing way more than what is fair. Not only would such a tax bankrupt businesses and whole industries, it would force companies to leave the country. If they couldn’t leave, they would ultimately shut down and stop working. Who would work if you taxed them so much? Who would want to do business in America at that point?

This is exactly why Warren nor Sanders have any answers for how to pay for their promises. They refuse to admit that new taxes would have to be placed on the middle and lower classes. Of course, they then say the increased taxes would offset not having to pay for health insurance. That’s not a fair trade off either, nor is it a good explanation.

In order to raise $3 trillion to pay for Medicare-for-All, the national sales tax would have to be raised to 42%. If that happens, you won’t be bringing in the revenue you hoped. Why? Because it would utterly destroy consumer spending and the U.S. economy. It would create a 42% inflation of prices, impacting everyone.

If you don’t like this option, we could cut government spending by 80% to focus on healthcare. Even our annual defense budget couldn’t touch it. We could keep borrowing the money and quadruple the deficit. We could add a 25% income surtax on everyone. Either way you look at it, there’s absolutely NO WAY Medicare-for-All would work. It’s time to stop falling for the free stuff they throw out to win votes and demand more answers.

Read More

4 Ways Paying Off Debt Can Improve Your Peace of Mind

Written by adminOctober 28, 2019
Credit & Debt

One of the biggest struggles Americans have is paying back their debt. Even while the economy is soaring, and unemployment is at record lows, debt continues to pile up. It seems as if we find more reasons to keep getting more debt and less reasons to actually pay back. Yet, the good times never last and there will be a time when most Americans regret of the debt they’ve accumulated.

Collectively, Americans all around $13.2 trillion in personal debt. This combines all types of debt including credit card debt, mortgage debt, student loans, auto loans, and personal loans. Were always eager to buy the next big thing, but we scarcely consider the impact paying and trust will have down the road. Especially if the economy slows down or work dries up.

The worst thing about debt is the stress that puts on so many people. Student loan debt alone is forcing young Americans to put off making major life decisions. New studies have revealed that millennials are waiting longer to get married, by home, or start a business. They’re waiting longer than any other previous generation.

Having a lot of debt causes a lot of major problems. They can be difficult to keep up with the payments. When that happens, usually collectors come calling in a have many tricks and tactics to use to get you to pay up. Not to mention how much unpaid debt can destroy your credit score and make life even more difficult for you.

Let’s look at several ways removing debt from your life can ease your stress:

1) No More Debt Collectors Calling

Nothing can strike more fear in a person that a call from a debt collector. As stated previously, they have many tricks and tools up their sleeves to help entice you to pay up. They don’t care about what you’re going through or any situation you might be in. The truth is, they’ll continue bugging you until you do pay them what you owe.

This can be very stressful, but the only way to get them off your back is by being current. Once the debt is paid off, it is officially yours! You won’t have to worry any longer about whether you will lose what you’ve been working hard to pay off. Pay off your debts as soon as you can and life will get easier. Remember the feeling of being hounded and make better decisions.

2) You’ll Have More Money

There’s already so much we have to pay for. Most Americans can’t even afford to pay for their healthcare or insurance. You never know when your car insurance is going to go up, you might need a little emergency money. When it be good to finally have a little extra disposable income? When you pay off certain debts, you finally own what you are paying off. That means no more money is escaping out of your purse or wallet. You can finally see or have a little extra spending money if you’re spending is already covered.

3) You Will Finally Repair Your Credit Score

Repairing your credit score takes time. It may be really low right now, but have to stay that way. Don’t let it get worse by acquiring more and more debt. And as you begin to pay off your debt and the total amount you owed starts going down, that’s when your credit score starts to inch back up. When you finally pay off the debt in full, you’ll be seen in a better light in the event you need to take out credit again.

4) You Can Finally Plan for the Future

Here’s a difficult fact: most Americans are ill-prepared for retirement. We spoke previously about how it’s forcing people to put off making major decisions. One of those major decisions is the ability to afford saving for retirement. Having more money provides you with many more options. The more you save, the more you can plan a good vacation, for retirement, or even decide to start a business. Maybe you want to invest in the stock market. Whatever it is you want to do, the list that you have, the better off you’ll be.

Read More

Another of Trump’s Student Loan Officials Quits, Calls for Reform

Written by adminOctober 28, 2019
Politics

Earlier in the year, we reported on the student loan watchdog quitting from his post. He felt that the federal government wasn’t doing enough to help people. In fact, the Trump administration seems to be doing whatever it can to prevent struggling people from receiving help. Of course, it’s a matter of politics. The president believes that the taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to face the brunt of the $1.56 trillion they accumulated.

Yet, on the Democratic side, nearly every candidate has embraced offering some type of student loan forgiveness. They aren’t the only ones who see there’s a problem. One of Trump’s own appointed officials recently resigned in frustration. A. Wayne Johnson, a republican, was brought on as a financial services executive. He was appointed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

When Johnson resigned, he said something needs to be done. He called for wiping out at least the first $50,000 of student loan debt. By doing this, it would tremendously spur on economic growth. Around $900 billion worth of this type of debt would evaporate, freeing millions of Americans from its burden. They would then use that money on better things, stimulating the economy.

“As a banker, you recognize problematic situations and you deal with it through write-offs,” Johnson, who formerly worked at financial companies including First Data Corp. and Visa Inc., said in an interview. “From an economic standpoint, it is absolutely the right thing to do.”

The Student Loan Crisis

While Johnson is a registered Republican, he is joining sides with presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren on this issue. They’re calling for complete student loan forgiveness. There’s a growing movement around this debate. There’s a large and growing number of Americans who feel the cost of a college education isn’t worth the boost in earnings by obtaining a degree.

Johnson feels as if republicans are also going to join the fray. He agrees with the numbers that says a 1% tax on employers’ earnings would get the job done. While many don’t want a new tax, it would be much better than what’s happening right now. There’s a growing student loan default rate, meaning the government isn’t getting what it’s owed.

“Like millions of Americans, every day he woke up owing more than the day before,” Johnson said. “That’s when I said, ‘This is nuts.’” It’s unknown as of yet what will happen. Will 44 million Americans with student loan debt vote Democrat just to get out from under the debt? Will there be a fight in the House or Senate over forgiveness? We can only wait and see.

Read More