Author Archives: admin

Should You Wear a Mask | Mayo Clinic

Posted on by

Should you wear a face mask to protect yourself from the virus, even if you’re not sick?

In a video posted by Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist, states CDC current recommendation:

“The current recommendations regarding masks are that if you yourself are sick with fever and cough, you can wear a surgical mask to prevent transmission to other people. If you are healthy, there is not thought to be any additional benefit to wearing a mask yourself because the mask is not airtight and does not necessarily prevent breathing in of these viral particles, which are very tiny,” says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist.

If you are going to a clinic or hospital to be seen by a health care provider because of concerns of cough or fever, Dr. Rajapakse recommends wearing a face mask to avoid transmitting possible infection or virus to other patients and medical staff. Face masks also are recommended for health care workers and people who are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).

“Most people who do not work in a health care setting have not received training on how to put on and take off the masks properly. Doing this incorrectly can actually increase your risk of infection. Also, people who are wearing masks tend to touch their face more than those who are not, which can paradoxically result in an increased risk of infection as well,” says Dr. Rajapakse.

She says instead of wearing masks, people need to:

  • Wash their hands frequently using soap and water for 20 seconds or an alcohol-based hand rub.
  • Avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Practice cough etiquette. Cough into a flexed elbow or tissue, discard the tissue in the trash, and wash hands.
  • Stay home from school, work and public places if feeling unwell.

  1. Nipunie Rajapakse, M.D./Infectious Diseases/Mayo Clinic
  2. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-when-should-you-wear-a-face-mask/

Coronavirus 2020 Outbreak: Latest Updates | By WebMD News Staff

Posted on by

Updated Mar 29 at 4:41 PM

Facts and Faith, not Fear

The United States leads the world in cases of “confirmed” COVID-19 infections.

We stress “confirmed” cases since it is difficult to believe the accuracy and reliability of the number of cases of actual COVID-19 infections within China. We do not know if China’s reported number of cases of confirmed COVID-19 infections stands lower than the U.S. because there were less tests performed or due to obfuscation. We will probably never know for sure.

WebMD provides the latest updates on cases, government response, travel restrictions, and more here.

Coronavirus cases in U.S.

“Just a little bit of separation can stop a fire from spreading”  – CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield

The first coronavirus case in the U.S. was confirmed back on January 20 when a 35-year-old man went to an urgent care clinic in Snohomish County, Washington. He’d recently returned from visiting Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus was first noticed.

Since the first reported case, the virus has spread to all 50 states. The worst-hit state is New York, with more than 40,000 cases and 500 deaths. Other states with high case numbers include New Jersey, Washington, and California.

The first coronavirus death in the United States occurred in late February in Washington state. Since then, about 1,500 people have died in the United States. The only states not reporting deaths are Hawaii, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing “extensive community transmission” of COVID-19 in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut late Saturday urged residents to refrain from non-essential travel for 14 days effective immediately. The advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries such as trucking, public health professionals, financial services and food supply.

Worldwide Coronavirus Cases

According to Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 701,525 cases and 33,174 deaths worldwide. More than 145,000 people have also recovered.

As of early Sunday afternoon, the U.S. has the most cases followed by Italy’s 97,689, and China’s 81,439:

  • United States: 131,366
  • Italy: 97,689
  • China: 81,439
  • Spain: 78,799
  • Germany: 60,887
  • Iran: 38,309
  • France: 37,611
  • United Kingdom: 19,522
  • Switzerland: 14,795
  • Netherlands: 10,923
  • Belgium: 10,836
  • South Korea: 9,583

The top five in COVID-9 deaths are:

  • Italy: 10,779
  • Spain: 6,606
  • China: 3,300
  • Iran: 2,640
  • United States: 2,328
  • France: 2,314

Rapid-Result Coronavirus Test

The FDA has authorized a coronavirus test that the manufacturer says can tell if someone is infected with the virus within 5 minutes.

The test is meant to be used in places like a doctor’s office, emergency room, or urgent care center. The test will provide results through a platform currently used by many of those locations for tests like flu and strep, instead of sending the throat or nasal swab to a lab for analysis.

The FDA’s emergency use authorization (EUA), does not mean that the FDA has approved the test, but that it is allowing its use because of the coronavirus outbreak.

To read more of the update, go to:

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200124/coronavirus-2020-outbreak-latest-updates

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/31/china-coronavirus-case-numbers-cant-be-compared-to-elsewhere-economist.html?__source=facebook%7Cmain

Sources:

  1. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/china-concealed-extent-of-virus-outbreak-u-s-intelligence-says
  2. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
  3. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

* The respiratory infection, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), is closely related to SARS and MERS.

Dr. Anthony Fauci with Trevor Noah

Posted on by

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was the guest on the latest quarantine edition of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, offering his insights on what makes COVID-19 so insidious.

He had particularly pointed advice for younger people about the spread of the virus: “Even though you are young, you are not absolutely invulnerable,” Fauci said. “So, you have a responsibility, not only to protect yourself but you almost have a societal, moral responsibility to protect other people.”

Travelzoo: 20 Amazing Places You Can Visit Without Leaving Home

Posted on by

Travelzoo, a travel publisher, provide these 20 absolutely stunning virtual travel experiences you can have without leaving your home. These places belong on any traveler’s bucket list — some of the world’s finest museums, natural wonders and architecture; they’re among the most enduring reasons we get up and go. And they’ve been captured here in digital forms that retain their magic while making them infinitely more accessible.

If this is the first time you’ve been to some of these places, you’ll find some of earth’s most impressive treasures: natural wonders; works of art; architectural miracles and much more. They belong on any traveler’s bucket list.

They hope you’ll find joy exploring them from afar.  Go to virtual tour:  Travelzoo: 20 Amazing Places you can visit without leaving home

Make Money in Stocks | Forbes

Posted on by

Everyone can grow life-changing wealth and have strong investment results over the long term.

Investing in stocks is one of the most important financial skills you need to master. History has shown that the earlier you start and the longer you stay invested in the market the better your investments will be. On average, stocks have given an annualized return of around 10%. At that rate, your investments would double every 7.2 years.

Let’s say you start with $10,000. After a 40 year career, that turns into at least $320K from doubling 5 times. That’s from a single $10,000 investment.

And, it is important to understand that you can’t accumulate wealth off just your salary. Savings and bonds won’t do it either, the return isn’t high enough to make an impact during your lifetime.

But, you should not invest in stocks in a vacuum. It is important to develop a financial road map to help you invest to meet a goal, whether this means sending the kids to college, retire well, buy a house, get that BMW or some marvelous combination thereof.

When you have a financial plan, you have a road map to guide your investing to help you reach your financial goals. The important thing is that you keep your investments on track in order to reach your financial goals. 

Nick Murray may have said it best when he said,

“All financial success comes from acting on a plan. A lot of financial failures come from reacting to the market.”

Whether in real estate, stocks or even owning a business, you will never be able to achieve financial freedom without investing in assets and benefiting from the magic of compounding interest.

Few people will be able to save enough for a secure retirement without investing.

To read more: https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/make-money-in-stocks/

Sources:

  1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrae/2020/03/10/4-investor-mistakes/#129fd4df15bb
  2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrae/2020/03/22/is-now-the-time-to-buy-stocks/#3fca8a8d1829

Bear Market Strategy

Posted on by

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, founder of Berkshire Hathaway, provided sage advice for sustaining wealth and sanity during a bear market in his 2016 letter to shareholders by conveying to “stay in the market and buy at a bargain”. Furthermore, Buffett wrote:

“During such scary periods, you should never forget two things: First, widespread fear is your friend as an investor, because it serves up bargain purchases. Second, personal fear is your enemy.” Warren Buffett

In other words, investors with a long-term perspective, a declining market can be a buying opportunity. Consider buying ownership shares of businesses with superior balance sheets and robust free cash flow when the market has them on sale.

Bear Markets

A bear market is Wall Street’s term for an index like the S&P 500, the Dow Jones industrials, or even an individual stock, that has fallen 20 percent or more from a from the peak. On average, bear markets last 14 months in the period since World War II. The S&P 500 index has fallen an average of 33 percent during bear markets in that time. The biggest decline since 1945 occurred in the 2007-2009 bear market.

One thing every investor needs to know about bear markets is that they always seem like the world is ending when you are in the middle of one. Time and time again, when recessions and bear markets occurred, the same thing always happened, they end.

Additionally, the U.S. has gone through many challenges in the past such as the September 11, 2001 (9/11) attack, and we will get through this current pandemic virus challenge as well. By keeping a positive outlook and focusing on the things you can control, we will get through this together.

Stocks Help Build Wealth

When you are looking to build wealth over your lifetime, the more time you have to invest in the stock market, the better your chances of building life-changing wealth.

If you set aside money every month and invested those funds into a diversified portfolio over your working career, you would have benefited from stellar returns on your investments in the stock markets during the last 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years.

Try investing a fixed dollar amount on a regular basis into equities. This practice will ensure that you are purchasing when markets are going down as well as going up. This practice is known as dollar cost averaging. Dollar cost averaging will ensure that you realize a better average cost over time.

This too shall pass

This period of uncertainty and challenge will soon pass and life will eventually return to normal. Businesses, places of worship and schools will begin to reopen, and governmental restrictions will be lifted. In the meantime, Americans must remain positive during periods of fear and uncertainty, help others where they can and display fortitude during this unusual period. We all must rely on one another, and we will get through this together.

References:

  1. https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/2016ar/2016ar.pdf, pg 6
  2. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/goldman-sachs-analyzed-bear-markets-back-to-1835-and-heres-the-bad-news-and-the-good-about-the-current-slump-2020-03-11
  3. https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/T047-C032-S014-financial-keys-to-help-weather-coronavirus-crisis.html

Black Swan Events

Posted on by

An financial or investment plan established during less volatile times should not be abandoned in the midst of a market downturn caused by a “black swan” event.

The Black Swan is a conceptual framework for thinking about potential risks that were both highly destructive and low probability. Author, investor and mathematician Nassim Nicholas Taleb, in his 2007 book about unpredictable events, “The Black Swan”, defines:

  • It is an outlier, as it lies outside the realm of regular expectations, because nothing in the past can convincingly point to its possibility.
  • It carries an extreme ‘impact.’
  • Human nature makes us concoct explanations for its occurrence after the fact, making it explainable and predictable.

Pandemic

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented challenge for Americans and continues to be a central focus around the world.  It has had material implications for the economy, fiscal and monetary policy, and global financial markets.

The impact on equity markets thus far has been notable, with the U.S. equity market exhibiting unprecedented volatility than in recent years. These reduced valuations and market swings can present challenges for investors who are investing with
purpose, like those saving for retirement. However, this kind of volatility should not be unexpected.Market downturns are simply part of the saving, investing and accumulating wealth experience. During any 20-year period, the stock market typically will suffer at least three (considered a drop of 10%) and at least one bear market (a drop of 20%).

Stay the course

It is important to stick with an investment strategy to avoid volatility during these downturns.  In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, an estimated 10% of investors liquidated their entire accounts, with 20% switching to less risky assets. These individuals, unfortunately, mistimed the market rebound and subsequent robust economic recovery. As a result, they were left worse off than if they had maintained a long-term view and stayed the course.

When You Have a Long-Term Strategy | Beyond Your Hammock

Posted on by

“If you ever hear yourself or anyone you care about starting to express the belief that a problem is permanent, it’s time to immediately shake that person loose. No matter what happens in your life, you’ve got to be able to believe, ‘This, too, shall pass,’ and that if you keep persisting, you’ll find a way.”  Tony Robbins

Most people make short-term and limited decisions without considering how these choices impact things to the right when you’re only looking left. Here’s how to solve that problem.

If we could compare life to walking through a forest, we could say that you pass a lot of trees along the way. And most people tend to obsess over the nearest tree.

It’s just human nature: you focus on the tree nearest to you and you lose sight of that entire forest that is your life.  We must understand that proper planning, deliberation, and insight allows you to step back, see more, and better understand where you are now in relation to where you want to go.

The decisions you make right now should be in the context of everything that’s happening now and the future. You need to understand that the way in which you use your money and the choices you make impact you life now and down the road.

Looking at the forest means taking a step back and understanding how everything is interconnected — and how to make decisions around that.

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” Those who think they can achieve financial freedom can actually do it.

Source  https://beyondyourhammock.com/34/

Chart shows the coronavirus spreading slowly in tropical countries

Posted on by

Living in a warmer environment doesn’t mean you can’t catch coronavirus. But it sure seems to help.

High Temperature and High Humidity Reduce the Transmission of COVID-19 according to a paper that investigates how air temperature and humidity influence the transmission of COVID-19.

Analysts at Jefferies plotted coronavirus cases in temperate climates — everything north of latitude 23 degrees and south of 23 degrees — and compared them with countries in the tropical and subtropical areas. The brokerage excluded China, where the virus first emerged, from the analysis.

High temperature and high relative humidity significantly appear to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, respectively, even after controlling for population density and GDP per capita of cities.

Chart shows, there’s a big difference.

This result is consistent with the fact that the high temperature and high humidity significantly reduce the transmission of influenza. It indicates that the arrival of summer and rainy season in the northern hemisphere can effectively reduce the transmission of the COVID-19.

Source:

  1. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3551767&mod=article_inline

COVID-19 Response: No one should face financial hardship | Consumer Reports

Posted on by

A letter from Consumer Reports:

The United States is still in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, but Consumer Reports is already seeing deep economic impacts as people stay home and businesses close. 

Congress is working on legislation right now to address this crisis, but together we have to make sure our government’s response puts people — not corporations — first. It’s critical that our leaders protect public health and keep Americans financially safe.

Help Consumer Reports in this effort by signing our petition to Congress and the White House: No one should face financial hardship due to the coronavirus emergency!

Consumer Reports is working with lawmakers right now to ensure that all coronavirus-related legislation includes our core principles of fairness, safety and transparency for consumers. As government works to address the urgent problems facing our healthcare system and our economy, it must also focus on people and the hardships they are experiencing. We are calling on Congress to: 

  • Protect consumers from fraudulent and deceptive products, scams, price gouging, and predatory and abusive practices related to the outbreak.
  • Prevent surprise medical bills, including for COVID-19 treatment. No one should be penalized for getting needed care.
  • Provide people undergoing financial hardship temporary waivers for rent, mortgage, car, student loan and other debt payments during the crisis (without extra fees or interest), and a manageable path back to repayment.
  • Prohibit utilities and internet providers from cutting off service or charging late fees until a period of time after the emergency ends.
  • Stop credit agencies from reporting negative information during the crisis so consumers’ credit scores aren’t impacted.

Sign Consumer Reports petition to make sure the government response ensures that everyone — businesses and individuals — are protected from financial hardship during this crisis.

Help Consumer Reports show Congress that consumers want legislation that protects the public health and keeps Americans financially safe. Please add your name, then forward this email and share the petition on your social networks so we have a strong show of support. 

Thank you!

Anna Laitin
Consumer Reports

Sign the petition: COVID-19 Response: No one should face financial hardship