Sometimes creative people and money don't mix. I asked my buddy, financial expert and author, Peter Tanous to give us a Money Tip of the Day. Not surprisingly, it is about gold.
To be properly diversified, portfolios should have some allocation to Gold since the metal acts differently compared to other market influences. Gold is at an all time high so best to average in. That is, decide how much you want (5% to10% of the portfolio may be appropriate) and buy over a period of several months just in case there is a pullback in the short term.
An investment in gold will protect against political uncertainties, inflation, and higher demand form India and China. There are two ways to buy gold cheaply: one is through the ETF symbol GLD which is a pure investment in Gold, and also in another ETF symbol GDX which is an investment in a basket of gold mining stocks. Buy both.
I am a nut for non-fiction, and I was intrigued by Vicki Oransky Wittenstein's new book, Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths. Astronomy has always been an interest of mine, and I was delighted with Vicki's book and am thrilled that she agreed to give me an interview.
What inspired you to write Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths?
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the possibility of life on other worlds. As a young girl, I went camping in the national parks across the country. At night, I would gaze at the stars and wonder if there were weird aliens or intelligent life out there. In 1995, when the first extrasolar planets were detected (planets that orbit stars beyond our Sun), I devoured the news.
Nothing is better than having a book sent for review from a publicity department, opening the envelope and finding that it's written by a respected buddy. Trick or Treat, Old Armadillo is a new Halloween book written by the wonderful Larry Dane Brimmer, with luscious illustrations by Dominic Catalano.
Larry brings back Old Armadillo, who is all alone on Halloween night reading a book. Outside, the critters arrive dressed as a princess, a pirate and a vampire. Old Armadillo listens to the sounds and becomes more and more frightened.
I have known Valerie Hobbs for many years. I have enjoyed her wonderful stories and her marvelous master classes. I also produced a book trailer for her last novel, The Best Last Days of Summer. I cornered Val at the SCBWI Summer Conference and asked her to give us a Writing Tip of the Day.
I had been waiting to see this book for years, and it didn't disappoint. Candace Ryan spins a darling tale of a house and furniture that come alive, and Nathan Hale's terrific illustrations make the story complete.
Jeremy is a typical kid, but when his homework is destroyed, his teacher, Mrs. Nuddles, is not happy about the excuse he uses. It seems Jeremy's furniture has been eating many of his school projects. Finally Mrs. Nuddles has had enough and schedules a home visit. She is shocked to discover that Jeremy isn't making things up--he lives in a gorvilla and all his furniture is alive!
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