Archive for March, 2012
First Person: Am I Giving Enough to Charity?
Posted: March 15, 2012 at 7:06 am
I love reading personal finance articles on Yahoo! Finance. There are so many great stories on investing, budgeting, debt management, spending wisely, career development and so on. But it took filling out my 2011 Income Taxes to ask myself one of the most difficult personal finance questions a person can ask themselves: am I giving enough to charity?
In my mind, the five pillars of personal finance are income, spending, saving, investing and giving. Sadly, it seems as though giving is almost completely forgotten about when it comes to learning about one's own finances. What is the point of working to become wealthy if you aren't going to give some of your riches to those less fortunate? After all, a person can only take so many vacations or own so many boats before possessions begin to feel hallow.
Now back to my original question. When filling out my incomes taxes this year, I realized that I gave just over 3% of my disposable income to my favorite charitable organizations in 2011.
Comparable to Most Americans
According to Giving USA, Americans gave approximately 2.2% of their disposable income to nonprofit organizations in 2008. That comes to roughly $229 billion that individuals across America donated to charity that year.
So in comparison to most Americans, I am a little above average on giving. Though to be sure, there are millions of Americans that give 5, 10, 15 or even 20% of their incomes away each year.
Lacking from a Religious Point of View
From a faith perspective, my giving is severely lacking.
For practicing Christians and Jews, the act of tithing 10% of what a person earns is mentioned several times in the Bible. The most notable example is in the book of Genesis, when Jacob promises to give a tenth of what he receives back to God.
Practicing Muslims take a similar, yet different approach to giving. In Islam, the Koran specifies that people are to give a contribution known as Zakat, which amounts to 2.5% of a person's net worth, each year.
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First Person: Am I Giving Enough to Charity?
Wedding Website Provider Cites Rise of Facebook, Pinterest as Catalyst Behind New Online Software
Posted: at 7:06 am
Personal wedding website and planning tools service WedShare.com has just released several new social media apps, with another series in development. They report that the increased integration with services like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest is becoming more in demand by today's tech-savvy couples.
San Jose, CA (PRWEB) March 14, 2012
According to WedShare, tech is the new white, and ditching the pen and paper is on the rise. Rising membership shows that every year, larger numbers of tech-savvy nearlyweds use point-and-click tools like those available at WedShare.com to create personal wedding websites: online showcases for their photos, maps and directions, gift registries, and more. But as social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest become ever more popular and ubiquitous, couples are also looking to carry over that social experience to their own personal sites. In 2011, more social media integration was the most common feature request that WedShare received.
"What the social media experience gives you is the ability to interact immediately with your friends and family, sharing your experiences with others and vice versa in new ways," says WedShare president and co-founder Jason Melendez. "It's the same thing engaged couples are doing with their wedding websites, so it's only natural to combine the two. What's interesting is how much things are changing, and how fast."
Melendez says that 17% of couples last year used social media in their wedding planning. Seven years prior, social media didn't even exist. That's right: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and the like were all yet to be seen. Google+ came about even more recently, and Pinterest--a site garnering a lot of buzz these days--is brand new. Melendez says that the advent of such social media services has completely changed how we interact with one another online, including when planning a wedding. Whether it's posting a Pinterest inspiration board alongside your reception location details, or integrating live video feeds and Facebook comments, the possibilities are growing every day, and it has caused WedShare to change how they develop their wedding website apps.
"Social media integration is increasing exponentially," Melendez says. "Last year we were integrated with just Twitter and YouTube. This year already we have apps for Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, multiple apps for Facebook, and an entire new series in the works. It lets couples personalize their wedding websites so much more. We're excited to see how things will play out moving forward."
For more information and to learn more about personal wedding websites, visit: WedShare.com.
Jason Melendez WedShare.com (408) 404-5225 Email Information
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Wedding Website Provider Cites Rise of Facebook, Pinterest as Catalyst Behind New Online Software
Pagasa head retiring for 'personal reasons'
Posted: at 7:05 am
The director of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Dr. Graciano Yumul, Jr., on Monday availed of early retirement after 28 years of public service.
Yumul, who was also the Undersecretary for Research and Development at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), retired for very private, personal reasons, according to DOST secretary Mario Montejo.
It is with deep regret that I accept the decision of Undersecretary Graciano Yumul, Jr. to seek optional retirement from government service due to personal reasons, Montejo said in a press conference.
There was no pressure from the government for him to resign. Even I was surprised by his decision.
Yumul submitted his resignation letter on March 11, effective immediately, according to PAGASA spokesperson Dr. Raymund Liboro.
He's a tough cookie and would not give in easily to pressure, Liboro told the Star, emphasizing that Yumuls reasons were personal.
A third government official reiterated the personal nature Yumuls decision.
It was Undersecretary Yumul who chose to optionally retire, Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda noted in a press briefing yesterday. There is no politics involved in his decision to retire early.
Yumul had been the DOST head of R&D since 2006. Yumul was appointed Pagasa director in 2010, following the sacking of head Priscillo Nilo, who the president berated for being way off mark in predicting the path of Typhoon Basyang.
Montejo appointed Dr. Amelia Guevara, a long-time associate of the DOST and the Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, to replace Yumul as officer-in-charge of DOST R&D.
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Pagasa head retiring for 'personal reasons'
Veterans Fitness Career College with Chris Paschane (6min) – Video
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Veterans Fitness Career College with Chris Paschane (6min) - Video
Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 1 – Video
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Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 1 - Video
Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 2 – Video
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Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 2 - Video
Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 3 – Video
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Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 3 - Video
Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 4 – Video
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Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 4 - Video
Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 5 – Video
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Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 5 - Video
Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 6 – Video
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Examining the Tuscaloosa April 2011 Tornado in ArcGIS Online, Part 6 - Video