Stress-Free Holidays for Busy People

What do holidays have to do with productivity? Glad you asked! Consider physical exercise for a moment: Science has long understood that you don't build muscle during the workout, muscle builds during rest–that's why working out too long or too often is counterproductive to fitness. When it comes to work, the same principle holds true: Attempting to sustain 24/7 productivity leads to fatigue, lowered immunity to illness, lack of ideas (or just plain bad ones), and time-wasting. The holidays present an opportunity to set work aside, but they can also be stressful in their own way. So here are a few ideas that can help you get more from your holiday breaks: Focus on your Top Three. Think of three things you love about the holidays, write them down, and forget everything else. Be it lighting the Hanukkah menorah, cuddling under the mistletoe, decorating your Christmas tree, listening to holiday music, or just driving around the neighborhood to see the pretty lights–your focused intention matters when it comes to enjoying experiences. Sock your smartphone. Remember the days when phones were tethered to the base unit and you couldn't check your Facebook newsfeed? Aside from risking technology addiction, turning off your phone and putting it out of reach will help refocus attention on visiting with family and friends and, believe it or not, increase the fun! Take me for a walk. Bundle up and trundle out for a walk, by yourself or with the whole group! A change in scenery can alleviate that "cabin fever" feeling you get with extra people in the house. Plus, a little exercise clears your head and fills your body with those delightful endorphins, making you feel great! Don't get SAD. Sometimes, lack of enjoyment during the holiday season stems from physiological reactions to reduced daylight during winter months. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is caused by a lack of light coming through the eyes. It is easily relieved, however, by gradually increasing your exposure to natural and full spectrum light sources. Try spending 15-30 minutes a day in sunlight, and replace overhead fluorescent light bulbs with "full spectrum" bulbs. Give a little bit. The last few years haven't been easy for many people. Donating your time or talent to make the holidays special for someone in need is one of the few gifts you can give to someone else and yourself at the same time. I hope you enjoy a wonderful holiday season ahead with your friends and family. I know that I certainly have much to be thankful for, including many wonderful colleagues, clients and friends like you.

Inside Lending Newsletter

QUOTE OF THE WEEK... "After all is said and done, more is said than done." --Aesop, Greek story teller INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE... Plenty was being said last week about Existing Homes Sales, down 3.2% for October. The talk among some analysts was that the drop indicates a slowdown in the housing recovery. But October sales appear to have been somewhat affected by the government shutdown (remember that?), with closings delayed because the IRS couldn't verify income. Even with that, October posted the fifth highest level for any month since late 2009, when the home buyer tax credit was about to go away. In fact, October sales came in at a 5.12 million annual rate, up 6% from a year ago. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) feels a lack of inventory is holding down sales, However, the median existing home price is up 12.8% over a year ago, which should bring more sellers into the market. Rising prices also make buyers more willing to commit than when they feared values could keep dropping. Plus, the National Association of Home Builders confidence index held at 54 in November, near its highest levels in eight years, which should boost the new home supply. For the week ending November 15, mortgage applications for purchase loans jumped 6%. BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK..."Touch it once" is a time-tested time management strategy. Act on an item the moment you touch it, instead of going back to it again and again before actually completing it. >> Review of Last Week SWEET 16... In spite of all the talk about stock market bubbles, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 16,000 for the first time ever. This Sweet 16 party was joined by the S&P 500 celebrating its record close above 1800, as it nailed its seventh straight weekly gain. Many investors maintain these increases are not a price bubble. They point to real value tied to better than expected Q3 corporate earnings, improvements in the major economies of the U.S., China, and Europe, and the understanding that although the Fed may taper its bond buying, it won't raise interest rates any time soon. Wall Street's optimistic view of our economic future was supported by Retail Sales, UP 0.4% in October, as the consumer clearly wasn't spooked by the federal government's partial shutdown. Business Inventories, UP at a faster-than-predicted 0.6% rate, showed companies seemed as confident as their customers. Yes, Existing Home Sales dipped in October and the Philly Fed showed manufacturing in that region grew less than forecast. But CPI inflation stayed under control and weekly Unemployment Claims saw their largest drop in nearly three months! The week ended with the Dow up 0.6%, to 16065; the S&P 500 up 0.4%, to 1805; and the Nasdaq up 0.1%, to 3992. Bonds were pressured after minutes from the October 30 meeting hinted the Fed could begin tapering its bond buying soon. The FNMA 3.5% bond we watch ended the week down .10, to $101.06. National average fixed mortgage rates fell in Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey for the week ending November 21. This was attributed to low overall inflation rates and weaker manufacturing growth. Remember, mortgage rates can be extremely volatile, so check with your mortgage professional for up to the minute information. DID YOU KNOW?... The NAR reported the median time on market for all homes sold in October was 54 days -- and 36% were on the market less than a month! The median time for all homes sold in October 2012 was 71 days. >> This Week’s Forecast HOME BUILDING AND PENDING SALES UP, CONSUMERS KEEP SMILING... There's a lot to learn in just three days. We get a two-month view of home building, as October's Housing Starts and Building Permits come in with September's, unreported during the government shutdown. Economists expect gains for these, as well as for October Pending Home Sales. Consumer Confidence and Michigan Consumer Sentiment are forecast up in November. The stock and bond markets are closed on Thanksgiving and close early on Black Friday. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

7 Steps to Becoming a Better Blog Writer

A good blog can be an effective way to deepen customer relationships and attract new prospects who find your post while searching for a topic that interests them. SEO experts tell us a blog may also move you up in search engine results. But in our busy professional lives, maintaining a blog can seem like a tall order. Here are 7 steps you can take to make the task easier. 1. Commit to blogging. Add a blog page to your website or create a branded blogsite using resources like WordPress.com, Blogger.com, or Wix.com. These sites also offer a range of templates and options to fit your business, but you may want to hire a professional to customize them. 2. Schedule time to think and write. Schedule specific time periods to work on your blog. This frees you up to think of a topic, research it, formulate your point of view on it, and then write a post about it. Schedule at least 2–3 of these time periods a week, although daily is best. Oh, and pick a place where you like to write! 3. Keep an idea notebook. Carry this with you always. Jot down thoughts and daily life experiences. Brainstorm about yourself. Write down your 5 key areas of expertise. Come up with 10 more areas that complement those key ones. Describe your target audience by their needs and interests. What expertise of yours would they find most useful? Check out sources on the web for generating blog topics. 4. Choose a topic and outline it. Research topics on search engines and industry sites, then pick one you'd like to explore. Write a snappy keyword title, and then do an outline with 3–5 bullet points that take you from beginning to middle to end. Study blog posts you like and outline how their content flows. 5. Write the post. Flesh out your outline with more about the topic, peppered with your point of view, knowledge, and personal experiences. Focus on what you want your audience to take away from the post. Make sure it answers the promise in the title. Use the content to feature your expertise. 6. Add engaging hooks. Readers can get hooked on a variety of elements you put into a post. Experts say that insightful quotes, fascinating statistics, photos, drawings, and charts can increase opens and engagement by 65%. Look for opportunities to add videos, podcast links, infographics and to offer case studies, fact sheets, or white papers you have. These all add value and keep readers involved. 7. Publish and promote it. Publish your post to your blog; then be sure to link to it on all the communication channels you use. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, podcasts, emails, and videos are all great ways to promote your latest blog post. Then Google yourself to see how it's all working. With blogs, the important thing is to keep posting. People are always searching for fresh content they can share. If you have something of value to say and something useful to offer, folks will find you. Use your blog to inform, educate, and inspire people and you will sell them too. Here's to your continued success, as you keep putting together your best year ever.... Enjoy a great month!

Inside Lending Newsletter - Market Update

QUOTE OF THE WEEK... "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." --Edith Wharton, American writer INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE... This week we'll have to be the candle that spreads light on the housing recovery, as the September Pending Home Sales Index didn't shine too brightly. This measure of contracts signed on existing homes fell 5.6% from August to September, suggesting a dip in closings for that type of property during Q4. The September drop was put to a lower level of consumer confidence, plus higher mortgage rates and home prices, although home price gains also reassure buyers that they're making an appreciating investment. But please note. Those slightly higher mortgage rates were still near historical lows and have since receded. In addition, 2013 should be a solid year for home sales overall, with the National Association of Realtors (NAR) predicting total existing home sales 10% higher than in 2012. The NAR also expects this year's 11% to 11.5% price gain to be followed by a 5% to 6% increase for 2014. The S&P/Cash Shiller 20-City Composite index of home prices showed a 12.8% annual gain in August, its biggest since February 2006. BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK... You always want to hit all the points you've worked into your pitch. But if the other person starts tuning you out, change the conversation to his or her needs. It gets you closer to the sale and leaves a good impression. Review of Last Week MIXED BAG... Inspired by decent manufacturing data and corporate earnings, investors sent the Dow and S&P 500 upward for the fourth week in a row, but the tech-heavy Nasdaq dipped, ending its two week winning streak. The Fed met and although they didn't begin to taper their bond buying program, their policy statement was read as a bit hawkish, indicating tapering could start sooner. This was because they deleted the reference to "tightening financial conditions" from their September statement and did not cite any negative economic impact from the partial government shutdown. That was corroborated by Friday's ISM Manufacturing index, which was up for October. Popular opinion during the federal shutdown was that manufacturing would suffer. So much for popular opinion. September Industrial Production enjoyed the biggest monthly gain since February, hitting its highest level since March 2008. Inflation stayed under control, the wholesale Producer Price Index (PPI) down a tad and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) up just a bit for September. Unfortunately, September Retail Sales dipped a little and Pending Home Sales a lot. The week ended with the Dow up 0.3%, to 15616; the S&P 500 up 0.1%, to 1762; but the Nasdaq slid 0.5%, to 3922. The Fed policy statement wasn't as dovish as some had expected, sparking a wave of bond selling. The FNMA 3.5% bond we watch ended the week down .21, at $102.01. For the week ending October 31, national average mortgage rates dropped again in Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Their chief economist noted that coming out of the Fed meeting, "there was no policy change, which should help sustain low mortgage rates in the near future." Remember, mortgage rates can be extremely volatile, so check with your mortgage professional for up to the minute information. DID YOU KNOW?... The Fed's statements are called hawkish when they favor increasing interest rates and tapering bond buying, dovish when they favor maintaining low interest rates and current bond buying levels. This Week’s Forecast GDP AND JOB GROWTH TEPID, BUT INFLATION IN CHECK... The first, or "Advanced" estimate of GDP for Q3 is expected to show the economy growing even more slowly, dipping down below 2%. Friday we get the October Employment Report and job growth won't be very hot either, just 100,000 new Nonfarm Payrolls forecast for the month and the Unemployment Rate back up to 7.3%. At least inflation is predicted to stay under control, Core PCE Prices remaining within Fed guidelines.

2 types of energy tax credits to take by year end - PLUS 6 things to cover in your Fall cleanup

In February, the federal tax credit was reinstated for energy efficient home improvements made in 2012 and 2013. A tax credit is a direct reduction of taxes due. It can be better than a tax deduction that only reduces taxable income. The energy tax credit now has a $500 lifetime cap for qualified energy efficient upgrades to your existing principal residence, but the deadline is December 31. New homes and rentals do not qualify. You'll find all the details on: http://www.energystar.gov/taxcredits. The highlights: 1. Tax credits for 10% of the cost. You may claim a tax credit of 10% of the cost of certain energy-saving upgrades. These include qualified insulation, windows, roofs, and doors, with a $200 limit for all doors. 2. Tax credits for the full cost. You can claim tax credits for the full cost of specified types of "qualified residential property," but only up to certain caps. For example: advanced main air circulating fan – $50 natural gas, propane, or oil furnace or hot water boiler with annual fuel utilization rate of 95 or greater – $150 electric heat pump water heater with minimum 2.0 energy factor – $300 electric heat pump or central air conditioner that achieves the highest efficiency tier of the Consortium for Energy Efficiency – $300 each natural gas, propane, or oil water heater that has either a minimum energy factor of 0.82 or a minimum thermal efficiency of 90% – $300 biomass stove that uses "plant-derived fuel available on a renewable or recurring basis" (see site for details) – $300 You'll need to file IRS Form 5695 with your tax return and have the Manufacturer's Certification Statement that the item meets the efficiency requirements on the energystar.gov website. That site also lists a few alternative energy items (such as solar panels) that qualify for tax credits after December 31. Please consult a tax professional before making any purchases you think will qualify for a tax credit. 6 KEY FALL CLEANUP AREAS 1. Lawn. Mow until the first frost, keeping the length above 2.5". Rake leaves that smother and kill grass. Rake up excess grass clippings using an iron rake or thatch rake. Check with a garden pro whether to aerate and fertilize. 2. Garden. Ask a local expert which plants to fertilize before the first frost. For example, you won't want to fertilize roses because it discourages winter growth and makes them vulnerable to extreme weather. 3. New plantings. For a nice spring bloom, plant bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. Day lilies and dahlias are also good for fall planting. To fill bare spots in your lawn, plant cool-season grasses such as perennial rye, bluegrass, and fescue. 4. Deck or patio. Sweep off leaves and debris. Cover patio furniture or remove and store if you have space. Wipe each piece with damp cloths and dry with towels. Remove or cover your grill and store it if possible. Remove mildew on decks with a solution of 3 quarts of water to 1 quart oxygen bleach and 1/4 cup of ammonia-free liquid dishwasher detergent. Put this in a garden sprayer and apply liberally. Let it set for 10 to 15 minutes. 5. Gutters. After most of the leaves have fallen, clean out and repair your gutters. Clogged and leaky gutters can flood the basement and cause other water damage to your home when snow melts. 6. Hoses and Mowers. Disconnect garden hoses and store inside. Turn off water supply at shutoff valve inside the house and open the outdoor spigot to drain it. Drain the gas from your lawn mower and sharpen or replace blades on garden tools. If you're thinking about buying a home in today's market, here's some great advice from CNN Money. Click here to view. When you're ready, we can answer any questions about financing. We can also help with refinancing your existing home or funding home improvements. Please call or email us any time. We're always here for you.... Have a great day! P.S.: In the recovering housing market, mortgage rates are volatile, but remain at historically attractive levels. When buying or refinancing, it's smart to start the process early. Please call or email us to explore the appealing options available now.