Doing the Math Behind Leveraged and Inverse ETFs

Leveraged and inverse ETFs have become increasingly popular, particularly as hedging vehicles. Investors should beware of the potential perils of holding leveraged or inverse Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) over long periods of time.

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Beginning Stain Glass

My mother has created stain glass pieces for many decades. I would occasionally help her with designs or cutting glass but never completed a piece on my own. Over the years she has accumulated many scraps of brightly colored glass. I have no idea where the inspiration came from but I decided I wanted to do a stain glass Bozo the Clown using some of those scrapes. My girlfriend Sharon Strong loves clowns and if it was a success I knew she would enjoy the piece. It took many trips to Yakima to complete the piece in Mom’s stain glass studio. I learned a great deal and although my techniques were less than perfect, from a distance it didn’t look that bad.

My next inspiration was a wonderful sunset my husband and I witness when we visited his brother in Molson, Washington. I replicated a section of the sunset in the same mosaic style. The fun think about stain glass is as the light changes the work takes on a completely different look, much like a real sunset.

Now I am hooked on creating more pieces so we spent the summer converting a storage area at the back of our house into a small stain glass studio. We hope to have it done this week. I don’t know where the next inspiration will come from but once I start sorting the bright colored glass pieces hopefully a masterpiece will emerge.

Should You Worry about Your Parent's Forgetfulness?

Have you noticed that your parents repeat the same old stories? Do you worry that they are forgetting to take their medication? Some changes with memory are normal with age but many adult children wonder if they should be more worried about their parents' forgetfulness. Professional Alliance member, and Geriatric Care Manager, Lisa Mayfield has compiled a list of red flags that may indicate that something more than normal memory loss is going on.

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Single vs. Multi: Do multiple asset classes help smooth out your ride?

Investing in a single asset class is risky when you consider no one asset class consistently outperforms on a regular basis. Don't play the guessing game with your financial future.

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Are you the Average Seattle Coffee Drinker?

If you are a Seattlite, odds are you spend almost twice as much on designer coffee than residents of the next highest consuming city. Based on mint.com's analysis, Seattle users spent on average $674 on coffee in 2009. Las Vegas came in second averaging $391 per person for a cup of designer coffee.

Source: Journal of Financial Planning - August 2010

RockCandy Favorite Recipes: Veal Stuffed Kohlrabi

The old world sure knew how to cook. This dish was a favorite dish in Hungary in the 60’s. Kohlrabies are one of our favorite vegetables both peeled and sliced raw with ranch dressing or salt or cooked into the delightful old recipe that follows. The hard part is finding fresh kohlrabi; we have it easy because Candy’s mom, Fran Sweesy, grows them for us in her garden in Yakima.

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