How should you invest your money? Should you contribute to your company’s 401k, put the money in a Roth IRA, or just buy mutual funds? Can you expect to receive any money from Social Security when you retire? How much of your retirement money will the IRS take in taxes? These are the important questions Rick Rodgers expertly answers in “The New Three-Legged Stool” with clear explanations, followed by practical, concise instructions to make the most with the money you have. This tax-efficient approach to retirement planning is one that readers will refer to again and again.

“The New Three-Legged Stool” refers to the three types of investments you should have, and balance properly to support your retirement. These three investments are Tax-Deferred Savings, After-Tax Savings, and Tax-Free Savings. Rodgers takes the reader through an explanation of why each of these types of savings is important, how to invest in it, and how to withdraw the money to achieve the maximum benefit at the time of retirement. Tax-Deferred Savings include company 401(k) plans and IRAs (including SEP and SIMPLE plans). After-Tax Savings include mutual funds, bank and brokerage accounts, and investment real estate-anything that isn’t technically a retirement account. Tax-Free Savings are Roth IRA’s and Roth 401(k)s that have no immediate tax benefits. Rodgers devotes considerable time to explaining the benefits and disadvantages of these investments, and why a healthy balance must be achieved among all three.

One of greatest strengths in “The New Three-Legged Stool” is the examples it offers in the form of various retirees’ stories. The book opens with “The Un-Funniest Story Ever Told” about a successful businessman with an estate worth over $4.4 million. Because the man never consulted a retirement planner or made an effort to do estate planning, when he passed away, his children ended up paying 85.8% of their father’s retirement account in taxes! Many more examples of retirees’ experiences are illustrated in the book, often comparing two people’s strategies to see which ends up being more beneficial.

Besides telling readers how to manage their money according to the current IRS tax laws, Rodgers provides an explanation of how the IRS functions, why it tries to get as much money as possible, based on the U.S. Government’s failure to handle its money properly, and the origins of Social Security, as well as the approaching crisis that by 2017 more money will be withdrawn than is annually contributed to Social Security.

Rodgers closes with advice on finding a good retirement advisor and how to do estate planning, including writing a will or setting up a trust to protect your hard-earned money so you will have enough for the remainder of your life and money left over for your heirs. Several useful charts accompany the discussions, illustrating how much money a person will need to live on, depending on current income, age of retirement, expected longevity, and when a person chooses or is required to draw income from various retirement accounts, including Social Security.

Rick Rodgers has produced a much-needed, well-organized, friendly to read, and refreshingly short book (202 pages) that will give readers much to think about and plan for, and which they will return to time and time again. I hope Rodgers will update the book as time goes by so it is current and future readers can equally benefit from it as tax laws change.

Rick Rodgers is well qualified to provide advice on tax-efficient retirement planning. He is an industry veteran of twenty-five years, has published numerous articles on investing in such publications as Wealth Manager, been a guest on TV and radio shows, and been quoted in “Investment News” and “Smart Money” magazine. In 1996, he founded Rodgers & Associates “to help families create and conserve their wealth in preparation for worry-free and dignified retirements.” For more information about Rick Rodgers and “The New Three-Legged Stool,” or to contact him for personal investment assistance, visit http://www.TheNewThreeLeggedStool.com

So often, eBook writers and marketers forget that the Introduction to the eBook is often available for viewing by the online reader who is interested in purchasing the book. It should therefore be used as not only an “introduction” but also a marketing message to the buyer. Over the years I’ve helped many authors prepare their Forewords, Introductions, Prefaces, and Author’s Bio pages. I’ve also helped eBook authors edit their eBooks and helped them put together and award-winning title and a compelling table of contents. It matters.

Okay so, let’s talk about how to write an introduction. For my example, I will use an eBook about addiction, dependency, and substance abuse. This sample is best suited for a self-help or nonfiction eBook. Read this Introduction below and see if you are able to see how this page can help you sell more eBooks online.

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Introduction

Over the last many years, we’ve had a tough time with the opioid/fentanyl crisis in the United States. Of course, as our history shows – Americans have always had issues with addiction and dependency. We’ve dealt with opium, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.

None of the current crisis exacerbated by the 2020 Coronavirus shutdown surprises dependency professionals and addiction experts. After all, when people lose their jobs or become stressed out substance abuse skyrockets.

It’s amazing how much time we spend in school studying various subjects, yet something as serious as addiction in our society gets little mention unless one is majoring in social services, psychology, or looking to pursue a career in healthcare.

After doing research writing for a few residential dependency treatment facilities, I quickly realized that there is so much more to know about the subject. I found that much of what I thought I knew was only partially correct and that there was so much more to the story.

I thought back to my high school and college days and all the friends I had and how their paths went off track due to substance abuse, addiction, and alcoholism. A few recovered from their poor choices of partying and carrying on, but many did not. We’ve all had friends like this, perhaps we understood their pain, perhaps not.

Addiction is a serious business, it’s not as easy to quit as we might believe. Alcohol, drugs, and chemicals we intake can re-wire our brains making quitting extremely difficult and even health-damaging.

I wrote this eBook for anyone who is having a problem with addiction or has a close friend or relative that suffers from dependency. It’s also a good starter for anyone in the healthcare industry or thinking of working in the dependency treatment field.

This eBook would serve parents, teachers, employers, and others who are concerned about this growing issue. You see, addiction and dependency affects everyone and every family in some way, as it affects people we know and love, do business with, or rely upon. It’s important to understand the signs, the causes, and know what to do about it to help our friends and family members.

I want to thank you for purchasing this eBook. I enjoyed the 100s of hours of study and research I put into learning about substance abuse and dependency for our Online Think Tank. It occurred to me that others might also find this information valuable. Thus, I condensed the topic into bite-sized, thoroughly researched, and foot-noted articles. Next, I compiled them into an eBook format and added this eBook to my collection of authored works.

If you are someone who loves to learn new things, I invite you to check out the other eBooks I’ve written on a variety of esoteric topics to further feed your brain with pertinent information helping you to better understand the human endeavor in all its intricacies. Thank you again for your confidence and trust in purchasing this eBook.

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Now then, try writing one yourself. Just make up a topic and work to make the introduction inviting and conversational. Read it out loud. Does it sound like you are talking to someone? If it does, and if it sounds compelling and sincere. You’ve done well. Please consider this.

Most of us are aware of the financial consequences and burdens that may befall a family if an income-earner in the family suffers an accident or a serious illness. Hence, we tend to believe in the need to insure the adults in the family more readily. It is also a fact that it is easier or more possible to imagine the adults in the family getting hurt. Picturing a child getting hurt or accepting the possibility of that happening is more painful and therefore, avoided.

Accidents

However, as adults, we do have the responsibility to face difficult facts and make the right decisions. I am not asking you to picture the worst happening to any child. I am asking you to accept the fact that kids will be kids. They are most active and often indulge in play that could possibly hurt them. All it takes is a fall and a resulting broken wrist to burn a hole in your pocket. These are unforeseen expenditures and with rising living costs, such expenditures have the ability to take its toll on us.

Common Medical Conditions

There are also certain medical conditions that are more common among the younger generations. For one eczema and asthma had been on the rise. Getting your kid insured from a young age before these conditions show up will help make sure that you can cope with the medical bills and therefore, be able to provide necessary medical attention for your child.

Serious Illnesses

Lastly, it is a sad truth that there are always families out there who find themselves in the very unfortunate situation of finding out that their kids are in more serious medical conditions. At such moments, the last thing anyone wants is to be thinking about medical bills. It is more important to be there for the kid and not to have to sort out finances.

Not Only When There’s A Hereditary Medical Condition To Be Afraid Of

It is wise, therefore, to obtain health insurance for your kid. It is not something to be done only when you have a hereditary medical condition and you are afraid you may have passed it to your kid. There are affordable child insurance plans in the market and with good research you should be able to find one with a good coverage as well. Otherwise, you may also consider adding on your child as a rider to your own health insurance. All it will do is to raise your premium a little.

A website with a blend of professional and user-friendly features is a powerful tool utilized for Internet marketing. As you launch a website the message has to be appropriate for a mass audience, so the website has to be designed by people who know marketing as well as website design. The entire process of website designing includes creativity and technical expertise. Color choice should also be thoughtful, making sure the color combination reflects your business idea. You want your website to be easy to administer, so your web designer may use database templates which make changes easy to do. In this way elements can be modified without re-designing the whole page. If the website is appealing, if it loads fast, if it has user-friendly features and includes fresh content it will certainly draw relevant traffic and this will result in a rise in company revenue.

Most customers find a website by using a search engine. If your aim is to get visibility on leading search engines, your designer must make sure the website is optimized for search engines. In the process of website designing, HTML is the common language used for coding. Whether you are heading toward building a brand new website or redesigning an old website make sure you approach adept professionals. You are not only selling products or services but also marketing it, hence a professional touch will include all the elements that make your website professional.

Using graphics is also a great way to make your website attractive. Graphics should compliment the content and should convey the message of the business. As soon as the visitor takes a glance at the web page, they should have an idea about the purpose of the website. Being a business owner you should have a clear idea about your business requirements. With the right kind of creative website design you can draw targeted customers instantly.

At times you may prefer animation or you may like the look of a series of buttons. You can think of many designs, it all depends on your imagination. While looking at website design companies, explore their previous works. Taking a look at their previous design and logos can give you an idea of their creativity. Make sure your website is designed as search engine optimization (SEO) friendly. Today’s online world is quite challenging, therefore, considering SO-friendly site would be a smart idea.

Hire professionals with in-house, experienced designers. These let you have a perfect design for your business. Visitors can surely witness the difference created by adept web designers. So, if you are serious about maintaining your brand image in an effective way, consider all the above tips and make your web design the best it can be for your business.

Moving can be a trouble-free job, if you plan well. Planning includes – searching the most excellent moving services, packing your goods, etc. It may be little frustrating for any one if you have to do all the packing by yourself.

Moving inside a city is not as much of hectic as moving to another city. As a consequence, if you are moving to a new locality within a city, the first thing you need to do is to contact good local movers. They provide the facilities of moving and transferring the goods locally.

Always look out for those who have good name in the business. It will be the best step that you check their past history of working. You can call-up other customers or can discuss with your friends and family members for the references of the movers. Never sign-up any local service providers on the basis of the low rates offer by them for the move.

It may also include the low ball quotes, which may cause extra payment to you when the moving is done. You should check and read the insurance and safety documents of the movers. The local service providers may charge you with little extra sum, but they will make sure that you get the best service and you goods are shifted properly.

You can also search the best movers, in case you are shifting locally. Self movers are the best moving service givers. But check the rates offered by them. Inquire the rates from different movers. This will give you the best knowledge about their rates and the facilities provided by them. You can check the internet and other newspaper articles for the references. To find the first- class self movers, always check the online directories. These directories contain the names, address, the rates, method of making the payment and other important information about these movers.

Final decisions have to be taken by you. Be wise and select those local movers who facilitate best services at a good price and will help you in making a tension- free moving along with your family.

Often you will hear wise men speak of God as energy and not an actual being. Recently one stated to me that God was pure energy and that is why it is so hard for the human mind to understand. In fact a human brain is small and humans do not even use it all and therefore could not expect to understand these ideas.

The wise man stated; “Again when I speak of god I do not place any religious qualifications on a ultimate elder energy, only that it is ultimate, immaculate and indefinable by present human thought. Humans are made in the image of god with intelligence”

Actually you did, as your comments are contradictory; you see on one hand you say humans are weak minded, do not use all their brains and cannot understand god. Then you give them this backhanded compliment, which they surely do not deserve. Well most of what we call humans do not deserve such a comment; although a small percentage walking around as homo sapiens (carbon based bipeds) do.

If one wishes to worship something such as energy, the sun, or other forces that just are, they are free to do so and indeed it would not be new to recent human history or even ancient writings to worship such as a god, with you caveat; “Provided such a being does indeed exist” And of course provided if it did that you adopt this entity as you god. Consider all this in 2006.

If you have your own business, you know how tough it is to keep it afloat. Ever felt like you needed to do more? Or you’re missing on something? We’ve tallied down some handy tips from the big guys who used these in making their success stories.

Communication

Communication is important in every aspect in life and business is definitely no exception. You’ll find yourself being yelled at by customers or having a petty fight with your co-workers or employees and the key to everything is to have a sit-down or phone call and just talk it out to find a way of solving the problem. Never solve problems through emails or text messages. Call your customer up and find a way to solve the issue by communication.

If It’s Not Written, It’s Not Done

Documentation is important and this can’t be stressed enough. Contracts are very essential in any business. If you’re making a deal with a client, it’s not actually a “done deal” if it’s just agreed upon through a handshake; take the time to clarify terms with the client and have a lawyer create a contract which can be modified by either of the parties involved. Contracts will also be needed for your employees, vendors or services that you render to clients.

The Customer Is Always Right

Although it may sound like a cliché, business owners must live by this rule. When your business is at fault, admit it and work out a way to fix things. Sometimes customers just need to hear an apology and that you’re man enough to take responsibility even if it hurts you (and your wallet.) Your customers need some TLC and it’s great to give a lot of it.

Cut The Ties

Never ever hire someone you can’t fire. More often than not, hiring someone important to you will just end badly. Keep your business apart from your personal life to avoid problems (or divorce papers.)

Trusting Your Instincts

There’s a saying that goes, “When in doubt, throw it out!” Always trust your gut. When something doesn’t feel right, it’s usually a way of telling you that it’s something you shouldn’t go for.

Create A System and Stick To It

Always have a clear system to keep everything organized. A secret to a great business is consistency; have routine tasks and standard operations and stick to it.

Competition? Who Cares?

Do not waste your time on the competition. Some people dwell too much on the other team when they should be working on their own. Instead, use that time to work on your business to be better and stronger for your beloved customers. Remember: Happy customer = happy business.

You never lose. This is probably the best lesson that you should always remember. In business, there is no win or lose. You only win or learn. If you fail, learn from it, work on it and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Time is precious and we shouldn’t waste it thinking about our losses or dubbing our failures as mistakes.

Many proclaim that it is a good thing that we actually have a wide range of products available in the market today. But once you step inside the store and feel a tyranny of choice, you will realize that having more options actually just complicates things. Take buying a particular shampoo for example. With dozens of brands to choose from, how would you know you are getting your money’s worth?

While having a number of choices has its advantages, when it comes to shopping for household products it can become a little tricky. Usually, having too options will lead to confusion. Confusion then leads to poor judgment, and after that you can expect the worse.

Fortunately there is one way to avoid getting confused, and that is to become a wise spender. A wise spender rarely runs out of options but she always arrives at a good decision. This type of spender is someone who is willing to take the risks, but has all the consequences in mind as well. Most importantly, a smart spender saves a lot from her purchases because she knows a good deal when she sees one.

But among the qualities of a wise spender, there are two particular characteristics that separate a wise spender from the rest of the mortal consumers. These are:

The patience to do product research. Product research may sound too scholarly, but it can be as simple as checking the labels of a product before buying it. A smart spender knows how to read between the lines of ingredients. Once she finds her shampoo brand containing SLS or formaldehyde, she wastes no time and buys a sulfate free shampoo brand instead.

The openness to try alternatives. A wise spender is no rigid on her decisions and is willing to explore her options. In home improvements for instance, a wise spender is not afraid to have a flat roof construction done to replace her traditional sloped roof. A flat roof is less expensive than a sloped one, but it works just as great.

The resolve to do it yourself. Spending money on convenience items as well as the services of other people can add up quickly. Wise spending takes this into account, doing as many tasks themselves. For example, instead of eating fast food all the time, someone can learn simply but healthy cooking techniques like how to cook green beans on the stove. The savings from this can be significant.

System Registry is a central hierarchical database used by Windows operating systems for recording information. It is necessary for the programs and hardware devices. After installing a program, driver or any application, a registry is created. But after changing the version of a program or incorrect removal of a program there are registers left behind that are not used by the operating system. These registers accumulate and slow down the operating system.Installations and un-installations of programs also could cause damage in the system registry. In the re-installation could appear a problem with the old records. So if you want a computer with maximum performance, you should regularly clean your system registry.

Wise Registry Cleaner is a program aimed quickly, safely and effectively to clean and optimize system registry. It has pleasant and great editing interface. The algorithm of the program that detects irregular and unnecessary records differs from other registry cleaners algorithms in that it is divided into two registers: safe and unsafe – that can cause damage to the smooth operation. This is a huge advantage. The program also has extremely small size. It does not exceed the megabyte. But the most important is that Wise Registry Cleaner is free of charge.

Installation of the program is simple to perfection and the time you need to do this is no more than a minute or two. To start the installation and to work with the program you must have administrative privileges because it works with registry and limited accounts can’t make changes to the operating system.

After installation, the creators have made some final adjustments and recommendations. This is a window with their recommendation of Wise Disk Cleaner, which they say would be appropriate to use before Wise Registry Cleaner. This is just a recommendation and it is not mandatory. And even you do not use Wise Disk Cleaner before you will not have problems with this cleaner software.

The program is claimed to be maximum compact, so that the components are not too many. Wise Registry Cleaner has no superfluous option as most of its opponents, which makes it unique.

Mainly this cleaning software consists of five menus: Operation (the components are Scan, Backup, Restore, Exit), Edit (with components All, None, Invert, Safe, Fix, Undo Fix), View (Tools bar, Categories box, Details box, Status Bar), Options (this is where you can set the program settings – Styles and Languages), Help (Quick Start Guide, How can I help, Download Latest Version, Bug And Suggestion, Contact Us, About us). If you need security and reliability at an affordable price, then Wise Registry Cleaner is right program for you.

When I lived in the North End of Boston, in the nineteen eighties and nineties, I hung around a neighborhood bar from time to time, called The Corner Café. It was located on Prince Street near the corner of Salem Street. And it was indeed a neighborhood place. The owner, Richie Longo, was a neighborhood kid who grew up on Prince Street and duly attended Saint Leonard’s School–as his first generation Italian-American parents had–along with all the other neighborhood kids.

The regular patrons at the time, were neighborhood people too; all of whom seemed to have nicknames. (although, the nicknames were useful for identification purposes). There was Joe the Lawyer, who wasn’t a lawyer at all, but worked as an insurance investigator. Then there was John the Lawyer, who was a stockbroker, and John the Lawyer, who really was a lawyer with an office across the street. And I was always confused about Mary the Nurse, whose nickname seemed unnecessary; she was indeed a nurse, but she was the only regular named Mary.

Then there were the rest of the regulars: mostly young men ,who fancied themselves to be wise guys. Their conversations were peppered with phrases like ‘fuggeddaboudit,’ and ‘ba-da-bing!’ And they often talked about ‘needing to see this guy,’ or ‘having to take care of that thing.’ But despite the fact that they revered Robert DiNiro, and may have harbored dreams of being known by a nickname like “extreme unction,” the most serious crime any of them may ever have committed was betting on the Red Sox late in September.

When these local heros weren’t talking about ‘this guy,’ or ‘that thing,’ though, the conversation tended to stray toward food; often, toward Chicken Scarpariello. This was a hot dish–literally, and figuratively–during my years in Boston. And the folks often debated the qualities of one preparation over another. The talk often centered around the merits of Cantina d’Italia’s recipe, that included sausage, over Felicia’s, that didn’t. Sausage or not, though, Chicken Scarpariello is the kind of dish that would please any wise guy because it encourages eating with a fork in one hand an a torn-off piece of crusty bread in the other; the latter, used for sopping up the sauce, and for punctuating various exclamations of ‘fuggeddaboudit,’ or ‘ba-da-bing.’

The short version of the history of Chicken Scarpariello, ‘shoemaker’s-style’, is that it was named for the humble fellow who cobbled together the ingredients for the dish from his meager pantry. How it became a wise guy favorite is more obscure, and very likely lost to history. But I suggest that when you serve Chicken Scarpariello at home, the dinner table conversation will become animated and rise a decibel or two above normal. And will you and your fellow diners enjoy it? Fuggeddaboudit.

Skip’s Chicken Scarpariello

Chicken, Shoemaker’s-Style

Excerpted from my second cookbook, “Almost Italian.”

Ingredients:

2 ½ — 3 Lb. Frying chicken cut into 8 pieces

4 Tbs. Olive oil

4 Cloves garlic, peeled, and sliced thinly

1 Cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Verdicchio are popular choices)

6 – 8 hot cherry peppers, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped

1 14 oz. Can chicken broth (preferably low sodium)

4 Tbs. Flat-leaf Italian parsley

2 Tbs. Unsalted butter

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Six Links sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1 in. chunks (optional)

4 Tbs. Flat-leaf Italian parsley

Preparation:

Season the chicken pieces on all sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, then add the olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, being careful not to let the garlic burn.

Add the chicken pieces to the sauté pan without crowding. Do this step in batches if necessary. Cook the chicken pieces, turning occasionally, until they’re golden brown all over; about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and reserve on a plate, covering them with aluminum foil.

Raise the heat to high, and add the wine. Boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen any bits of chicken that may have caramelized on the bottom of the pan, for about 2 minutes. Add the cherry peppers, chicken broth, parsley, and butter. Allow the mixture to return to the boil, then stir in the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.

Lower the heat to the simmer, return the chicken to the pan, and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. For a real wise guy presentation, add the sausage at this point too.

To Serve

Remove the chicken (and optional sausage) pieces to a platter, cover with the sauce and garnish with the parsley. Serve with plenty of Italian bread for sopping up the sauce.

Serves four