Veteran Teacher Shares Tips for Motivating Them to Tackle
the Hard Stuff

By now, it has become apparent to academics, administrators, parents and teachers that, in general, boys are underperforming in school, says Edmond J. Dixon, Ph.D, a veteran educator and international expert who offers enhanced teaching techniques for boys.

And it may get worse, he says.

It will take some creativity to teach some elements of Common Core, the educational initiative set to be implemented throughout most of the United States, in a way that's conducive to how most boys best learn, Dixon says.

Common Core has been criticized by educators and other experts as demanding standards that are static, arbitrary and generally antithetical to creativity and innovation. Yet initial results in Kentucky, the first state to use the program, have been positive. The state's graduation rate increased 6 percent from 2010 to 2013, and the percentage of college-ready students increased 20 percent.

"Any parent or teacher who wants a boy to be successful with Common Core must understand two crucial ideas: motivated engagement and discretionary effort," says Dixon, who has more than three decades experience as a teacher, is a parent of boys, and is the author of "Helping Boys Learn: Six Secrets for Your Son's Success in School," (HelpingBoysLearn.com), which features tailored editions for parents and teachers.

Because the new curriculum is designed to improve critical thinking, which requires a deep understanding of the material, boys must be both motivated and deeply engaged to learn, he says. That's what it will take for them to independently put in the necessary hard work involved in learning - discretionary effort - without nagging, he says.

"Only by doing this will they be able to meet the new learning requirements; we are already seeing the negative consequences of not doing this with boys, and I fear it will just get worse," says Dixon, adding that his approach inspires a boy's motivated engagement.

He offers two real-life examples that reveal volumes about how the male brain works:

• Boys need a worthy challenge: Both NBA greats, who have long since been great friends, are eager to talk about their former rival. Both say that they simply would not have had the same legendary career without the rivalry; it made them better. When Johnson left the NBA, Bird said he just wasn't as interested in the game.

The male brain responds to a challenge it deem worthy. A student, who daydreams during algebra class and appears lazy, may also pour attention and effort into mastering a skateboarding trick. Constructing a challenge for the male student will do wonders to engage his learning.

•   Boys crave legitimacy. Think about all the colleges in the United States; now imagine trying to craft an NFL playoff-style system that fairly selects the No.1 college football team. Does it seem impossible? Aren't there too many teams?

The NCAA has been trying to figure out a system for establishing a legitimate No. 1 team for decades, and it's finally going to implement one next season. Whether or not it'll work, the effort put into such an endeavor has been considerable. Why so much time and energy for a game?

Because the male brain craves legitimacy; boys will only agree that something is meaningful or valuable if there is a valid process for establishing that value. In the classroom, helping boys understand why and how learning a concept, skill or calculation has value for them will go a long way toward motivating them to learn.

About Dr. Edmond J. Dixon

A pioneer in the field of cognitive-kinesthetics for learning, Edmond J. Dixon, Ph.D., is a human development specialist with more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, administrator, writer, researcher - and parent of boys. He is the founder of the KEEN Differentiated Learning Group, an organization dedicated to helping struggling learners, and the creator of KEEN 5X, a series of strategies for classroom engagement and learning that were have been used with more than 50,000 students and teachers. His previous books, "KEEN For Learning" and "Literacy Through Drama," have been used by educators to improve classroom learning. A dynamic and popular presenter, he has spoken throughout North America on education and human development topics. .

Whether It's the Lottery or an Inheritance, a Payout Over Time Beats
Taking the Money & Running, Expert Says

If current trends continue, 2014 will be the year of mega lottery jackpots and generous (if not millionaire-making) inheritances, says Ted Bernstein, (www.lifeinsuranceconcepts.com), a longtime life insurance consumer advocate.

Five of the top six biggest lottery jackpots in the United States occurred in 2013 - from  No. 2, the $648 million Mega Millions jackpot before Christmas,to No. 6, a $399.4 million Powerball pot.

Talk about striking it rich!

Odds are slightly better that you'll claim a nice inheritance, whether it's an estate or life insurance benefits, Bernstein says.

"American retirees plan to leave their beneficiaries some of the biggest estates in the world," he says, citing a recent HSBC survey, the Future of Retirement Report. "A fifth of those polled will leave legacies of more than $390,000."

Most who strike it richin the lottery - 98 percent, according to some experts - opt for a lump-sum cash payout versus guaranteed checks over 30 years, Bernstein says.

"Those who receive life insurance benefits almost always opt for the big cash up front, too," he says. "But in both cases, you're almost always better off financially if you choose the payout over the lump sum."

Here's why:

• An estimated 70 percent of people who experience a sudden financial windfall are broke within a few years. That's according to the non-profit National Endowment for Financial Education, Bernstein says. "First, you have the unexpected emotions that go along with suddenly having more money than you ever expected," he says. "People react in unpredictable ways - and that leads to a lot of bad decision-making.

"Second, people want control of the money, even if they have zero experience managing large finances. That's a recipe for disaster!"

Having a guaranteed check from a life insurance company provides valuable safeguards, he says.

• Generally, you'll get more money if it's paid to you over time. "If lottery and life insurance benefits are paid over time or by installment, they will pay more as the money is allowed time to grow," Bernstein says.

For a $400 million win, you'd get only $223.6 million if you took the lump sum option. You'll get the full $400 million only if you choose deferred payments, he says.

If you own a life insurance policy, you can now opt to purchase a policy that instructs the insurance company to pay the proceeds over time, and your beneficiaries may get more because of guaranteed interest, he says.

"Since the insurance company knows it will have more time to pay, you can either choose to pay a lower premium or get up to 50 percent more in face value for the same premium."

• The tax hit - lump sum versus checks over time. In most cases, for a huge lottery jackpot, you can expect to pay the highest federal income tax rate, which is 39.6 percent in 2014 after the first $450,000 or so for a married couple filing jointly.

"On the $400 million jackpot, you'll have a net $135.1 million after federal income taxes," Bernstein says. "If you take the win in checks over 30 years, you'll have $242.9 million after federal taxes."

With life insurance benefits, there are some caveats, but generally you won't pay taxes on the lump sum. "If you take the benefit over time, you won't pay tax on the life insurance portion, but you will on the excess interest. You still come out ahead because you'll have more money over time!" he says.

Almost any way you slice it, if you have a choice of taking your windfall in a lump sum versus deferred payment, you're safer and potentially better off opting for the latter, Bernstein says.

"If the payments are spread over time, you don't have to worry that it won't be there 20 years from now," he says. "It's not like the stock market - the payments are guaranteed."

About Ted Bernstein

Ted Bernstein is a third-generation life insurance specialist with decades of speaking out and advocating for changes on behalf of consumers. He was the first to introduce life insurance without commissions, or "no-load" life insurance, in the mid-1980s and developed the Installment Life Option in response to concerns expressed by his clients. Bernstein is a nationally recognized expert in alternative distribution strategies and life insurance product development. In the late 1980s, he launched the first fee-based Life Insurance Policy Audit and Review service for Trust companies and life insurance fiduciaries.  He is a member of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting.

Financial Planner: Another 2008-style Economic Disaster
Could Happen Again, Suggests New Kind of Diversity

While the world is still feeling the long ripples of the economic meltdown that began six years ago, our economic institutions remain "too big to fail" - at least in the minds of  millions of retired Americans and those soon to join their ranks, says veteran financial advisor Curt Whipple.

"That's what we see when we review their retirement portfolios," says Whipple, a Certified Wealth Strategist, Certified Estate Planner and CEO of C. Curtis Financial Group. He recently published "Retiree Lifeline! How to Get Government Out of Your Pocket," (ccurtisfinancial.com), a retirement planning guide.

"I see it all the time: a new client comes in with what they believe to be a 'diverse' portfolio. While it may be diverse in terms of Wall Street holdings, a solid retirement plan also requires diversity outside of a system that's 'too big to fail,' which could fail yet again."

When Wall Street falls, it shouldn't mean that Main Street must as well. Whipple outlines the three kinds of money retirees should have available for enjoying the golden years with peace of mind.

• Red money ... can be defined as that which is tied to Wall Street, by far the most popular kind of investment, including stocks, bonds and mutual funds. "I've been looking at the accounts of new clients for nearly three decades, and on average, 92 percent of their retirement plan is based in these investments," he says. "That's risky, especially as you get closer to retirement age or once you retire. You don't want 92 percent of your retirement premised on that kind of potential volatility."

• Blue money ... is often referred to as "alternative investments," which typically include Real Estate Trusts (REITS), equipment leasing programs, precious metals such as gold and silver, high grade rare coins and collectibles. "This 'color' of money has been an important portion of the pie for success in my clients' investments; they were essentially unaffected by our recent economic collapse because they were so well diversified." This is a highly advantageous part of a portfolio because it historically creates good income with a low correlation to the stock market.

• Green money ... is accounts that come with a guarantee of some sort. They are either backed by the FDIC, the Legal Reserve System, which is supported by the insurance industry, or insurance companies themselves. "Not all wealth is created equally, and this is the safest kind of money you can have in your retirement plan," he says. Green money includes investments in one's portfolio that have guarantees to not lose one's principal and, sometimes, one's earnings.

"Investment in Wall Street should be much lower for those who are either retired or are about to be retired," Whipple says. "Depending on a person's age, a good investment portfolio could include about 36 percent red money, 32 percent blue money and 32 percent green money."

About Curt Whipple, CWS, CEP

Curt Whipple, Certified Wealth Strategist (CWS) and Certified Estate Planner (CEP), is Chief Managing Partner at the C. Curtis Financial Group, which he formed in 1986. Since then, Curtis Financial Group has counseled and advised individuals and corporations on their financial goals and decisions. Whipple is a nationally recognized speaker.

New Study Finds We're Suffering a National Friendship Crisis

 

Most Americans (75 percent!) are not satisfied with their friendships; 63 percent lack confidence in even their closest friends; and almost half of us would choose to have deeper friendships rather than more friends.

Those are the findings of a new study, The State of Friendship in America 2013, by Lifeboat Friends at Their Best and Sea Change Strategies and Edge Research.

"Strong, trusting friendships are crucial to our sense of peace, happiness and well-being," says Dawna Hetzler, a speaker, women's mentor (and mentoree), and author of the new book, "Walls of a Warrior: Conquering the Fears of Our Hearts" (www.DawnaHetzler.com).

"But many of us, women in particular, build so many walls around our hearts to protect ourselves, we can never open ourselves to all the possible relationships we could have. Or, we do allow some people in, but we keep them at arm's length."

Strong friendships do make us happier, according to the new study. Forty-nine percent of people with seven or more close friends strongly agreed that they feel happy most of the time, while only 24 percent of people with just one good friend, and 19 percent with no friends, could say the same.

"You have to know and trust a person before you allow them into your heart, because when you open yourself up, you become vulnerable," says Hetzler. "We all build walls to protect ourselves from hurt, fear, rejection, disapproval and other painful emotions, and that's natural. Some walls are healthy. But the invisible walls we're often not even aware of prevent us from experiencing the honest, real relationships that can benefit us in so many ways."

Hetzler shares some of what she learned working with Jericho Girls, the women's group she founded that focuses on dismantling unhealthy walls:

• First, identify the walls you have. We build walls in response to many things - real and perceived threats, fears, conditioning, rejection, Hetzler says. Many of us put up walls to hide our weaknesses; if you have trouble asking for help, this may be you! Jericho Girls members learned that acknowledging and being honest about their weaknesses allowed them to grow stronger. And that asking for help from friends offers those friends the gratification of giving. Making a list of your walls and understanding why they're there is a good place to start the process.

• If the wall is unhealthy, identify the steps necessary to dismantle it. Sometimes we erect walls to protect ourselves from ourselves, Hetzler notes. "One of my walls revolved around being needed too much," she says. "I tend to take on a lot, then exhaust myself getting it all done." She realized she built a wall to prevent people from seeing that she really cannot do it all, and she pushed away those she feared might demand too much of her time and energy. She dealt with that wall by setting limits with herself and others. "I say no when I need to, which allows me to build friendships instead of pushing people away."

• Arm yourself with words of inspiration. Powerful words help when we need positive reinforcement or reassurance when the way ahead looks scary. Hetzler has found that calling upon a quotation that she believes in provides both. "Write down the quotes, Bible verses or other inspiration that have great meaning for you," she says. Each day, read one, reflect upon the meaning, pray or meditate, and contemplate the message it holds for you. "These words will stick with you, and you'll have them to call upon when you need them," she says.

Creating deeper, honest friendships begins with opening our hearts to others, Hetzler says.

"When you begin taking down the walls, you'll find you're more at peace with yourself," she says. "And that allows you to develop the wonderful relationships that come from trust and sharing."

About Dawna Hetzler: Dawna Hetzler owns a real estate firm and is an author and speaker focusing on women's connection groups and retreats. She's also a Bible study teacher and speaker for Stonecroft Ministries. She wrote "Walls of Warriors" based on her experiences with Jericho Girls - a group of women who meets to discuss the walls they build around their hearts that inhibit relationships with others.