Too often when we hear the word 'house' we only think of a physical building and its rooms. But what if we began to think of Earth as our house - with various rooms - what would we need to do to make this 'house' a true 'home?'  The Catholic Sisters for a Healthy Earth have prepared a reflection booklet on the various rooms of a house, placing each room and its activities into the broader context of our Earth-home. The booklet is available as a free download at www.ClintonFranciscans.com/earth.html.

The word ecology has its roots in the Greek words "oikos" meaning house or household and "logos" meaning to gather, count, recount, say, speak. Ecology is understood as the legend or logic of the dwelling place. In its essence it is the story of where we live.  This story of the house instructs us and informs our actions in managing this household we call Earth.

"We are excited to make this publication available in time for Earth Day on April 22^nd," says the group's coordinator, Joy Peterson, PBVM.  "Our intention is to take a new look at how everything we do, no matter where we are, is interconnected and tied to the well-being of all living things."  The booklet includes suggestions of simple actions for families to take in order to live more sustainably and walk more gently on Earth.

Catholic Sisters for a Healthy Earth is made up of representatives from congregations of women religious from the upper Mississippi Valley in eastern Iowa and southwestern Wisconsin including: Congregation of the Humility of Mary, Davenport, IA; School Sisters of Notre Dame, Central Pacific Province, St. Louis, MO; Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, Sinsinawa, WI; Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dubuque, IA; Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, IA; Sisters of St. Francis, Dubuque, IA and the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dubuque, IA.  The mission of the group states: "Respecting the interdependence of creation, we will promote eco-literacy and influence a just relationship with the environment.

Forget the 'Likes' - How to Market Effectively
Using Today's Facebook

3 Ways to Benefit from Paid Ads & Boosted Posts

It seems nothing changes faster than the big social media platforms -- Facebook, Twitter, Google+. No sooner do marketers figure out how to best promote a product or business than they change the rules!

That's been especially true for Facebook, which had to find new ways to make money after going public two years ago. Twitter has also been making changes since its IPO in November, but most of them - including a visual redesign, tagging people and uploading multiple photos - are geared toward user friendliness. Even Google+, owned by Google, which went public way back in 2004, is constantly tweaking.

But the tweaks bringing the most squeals of protest are those being made by Facebook. Basically, it has taken away users' ability to reach - for free - all or even most of the people they've worked so hard to attract to their pages.

So, do brands and businesses just abandon the platform and the audience there?

"No - they just have to change how you use Facebook," says Jonathan Sellers, a social media strategist at EMSI Public Relations, (www.emsincorporated.com).

"In the past, the goal was to get as many people to 'like' your page - or to 'friend' you if you were using a personal page for marketing purposes," he says. "Forget likes. Now, Facebook makes you pay to get people to like your page by charging you to promote your posts, and then it makes you pay again to get your posts in front of them. That seriously devalues the like!"

Only 5 to 10 percent of people following your business or brand pages - sometimes even less! - will see what you have to share if you don't pay for extra visibility via a "boosted post," he says.

"So the focus should shift from working to get people following your page to getting your content to your market."

Facebook's inexpensive ads and "boosted posts" actually offer some great benefits, he notes. Here are three he says we should be taking advantage of:

•  Flexibility. Facebook allows you to create ads and boost posts for any number of reasons.  For example, you can create content designed to drive people to your website; get them to engage with you; to sign up for an event; or even track visitors.

•  Targeting. Did you know that when you create an ad on Facebook, you can choose the specific types of people you want to see the ad?  Targeting on Facebook goes far beyond the traditional demographics of age, sex and location. You can target people based on their interests. Are you a sports bar owner in Miami who wants to attract Chicago Bears fans to watch the games at your place every week? Facebook makes it super easy for you to reach people who live in your ZIP code, who are over 21 and who love the Bears.

•  Reporting. Facebook offers very detailed reporting so you can rest assured that you will see exactly where your ad dollars are going.  There is a slight learning curve to figure out the best ways to utilize the data, but it's there for you.

"This experience should be a lesson to all of us that we cannot become too dependent on any single platform," Sellers says.

"They're all going to continuously evolve to find the best mix of optimal user experience and profit."

About Jonathan Sellers

Jonathan Sellers is a social media strategist at EMSI Public Relations, a social media marketing and national pay-for-performance PR firm. A graduate of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Sellers specializes in online content marketing strategies, driving engagement through blogging best practices and use of multiple media formats including video, photos and graphics. He has managed online marketing initiatives for companies in a variety of industries, including health care and advertising.

To encourage new and/or increased donations from the Quad City community to support and ensure the continued operation of the Humility of Mary Shelter, Inc. the Congregation of the Humility of Mary has established a goal of raising $250,000 before April 30, 2014. As a challenge and inspiration, the CHM sisters will match dollar for dollar the first $100,000 raised by the Quad City community. This financial support is vital in order to continue to provide emergency shelter 24 hours a day / 7 days a week / 365 days a year for homeless adult men and women. Thank you to all those who have already donated and we ask those of you who have not to please consider it.

Individuals and groups can send their contributions to Humility of Mary Shelter, Inc., Attn: Sister Johanna, 1016 West 5th Street, Davenport, IA 52802. Online donations can be made by visiting the shelter website at www.humilityofmaryshelter.com.

Humility of Mary Shelter, Inc. provides emergency shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing programs that offer opportunities for men and women experiencing homelessness to become emotionally, mentally, and physically more stable. The shelter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has proudly served the Quad City community since 2008.

Nearly Half of Us Believe We Overpay,
Says Veteran Investment Advisor

Whether you've filed for an extension on your taxes this year, or have waited until the last minute to complete paperwork, or want a better strategy for the future, chances are you could be doing a better job throughout the year to save on income taxes, says seasoned investment advisor Paul Taylor, a member of the National Ethics Bureau.

Forty-nine percent of Americans think they personally pay more than their fair share in taxes, according to 2013 Rasmussen reports.

"Come tax time, many of the other half could be doing more to legally and strategically save money," says Taylor, an architect-turned-founder and owner of Capital Advisory Group & Tax Planners of Lake Norman and Capital Investment Advisors, Inc, (www.CapitalAdvGroup.com).

He cites mistakes that many taxpayers are liable to make now and in future years.

• Not knowing which tax deductions are available. Tax reform measures are enacted frequently by Congress, which makes it hard for U.S. taxpayers to know which deductions are currently available for maximizing savings. One of the most overlooked deductions is state and local sales taxes. Taxpayers may be able to take deductions for student-loan interest, out-of-pocket charitable contributions, moving expenses to take a first job, the child care tax credit, new points on home refinancing, health insurance premiums, home mortgage interest, tax-preparation services and contributions to a traditional IRA.

• Misunderstanding deduction value for medical expenses. The Affordable Care Act has altered the guidelines for tax-deductible medical expenses. Effective Jan. 1, 2013, the new policy increased the threshold for the itemized deduction for unreimbursed medical expenses from 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income to 10 percent of adjusted gross income for regular tax purposes. The increase is waived for individuals age 65 and older for tax years 2013 through 2016.

• Confusing when taxes must be paid on IRA and employer-sponsored retirement funds. Traditional IRAs and most employer-sponsored retirement plans are tax-deferred accounts, which mean they are typically funded with pre-tax or tax-deductible dollars. As a result, taxes are not payable until funds are withdrawn. Exceptions are the Roth IRA and the Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b). Roth accounts are funded with after-tax dollars. That's why qualified distributions - after age 59½ and the five-year holding requirement has been met - are free of federal income tax.

• Overlooking tax-advantaged investments. Tax-advantaged investments can include real estate partnerships, oil and gas partnerships and suitability, which refers to how appropriate an investment may or may not be to an investor. Two of the most common types of real estate partnerships, for example, are low-income housing and historic rehabilitation. The federal government grants tax credits to those who construct or rehabilitate low-income housing or who invest in the rehabilitation or preservation of historic structures.

• Uncertainty when accounting for gift taxes. The federal gift tax applies to gifts of property or money while the donor is living. The federal estate tax, on the other hand, applies to property conveyed to others, with the exception of a spouse, after a person's death. There are several exceptions to gift taxes, including gifts of tuition or medical expenses that you pay directly to a medical or educational institution for someone else, gifts to a spouse who is a U.S. citizen, gifts to a qualified charitable organization and gifts to a political organization.

About Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor is the founder and owner of Capital Advisory Group & Tax Planners of Lake Norman and Capital Investment Advisors, Inc. Taylor, a fully licensed investment advisor, has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and is committed to providing personalized service to those he serves. Since 2007, he has been a member of the National Ethics Bureau, which acknowledges individuals who prove they are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in their practices.