Urban Views Weekly

www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com December 3, 2014 Urban Views Weekly 1

DEC. 3, 2014 Scholar of the Week - Jasmine Cousins

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The flurry of activity during the last weeks of December can make it difficult to pay attention to finances. If you want to save on your tax bill come April, now’s the time to make some critical moves.

If you have a tax advisor or financial planner, it’s wise to run these ideas by them first. Here are some suggestions to inves-tigate by year-end with follow-up in the new year:

1. Accelerate your deductions and defer your income. It makes the list every year because it works. To keep your 2014 tax bill low, try to defer bonuses, consulting income, or self-employment income until 2015 while taking as many deduc-tions as you legally can in 2014. Deductions may include pay-ing your January federal and state income taxes before Dec. 31, real estate taxes and interest payments.

2. Bunch non-urgent medical expenses this year or move them to 2015. If you have non-emergency medical proce-dures coming up, it’s a good idea to pack them into the same year so people under age 65 can exceed the 10 percent ad-justed gross income (AGI) minimum for medical expenses. For those over age 65, the AGI minimum is 7.5 percent.

3. Make last-minute withholding adjustments. If you’ve started making more money later in the year, make sure your withholding or estimated tax payments are adjusted before Dec. 31 so you don’t face underpayment penalties later.

4. Evaluate your traditional and Roth IRA holdings. Many people who expect their tax rate to go up in retirement con-vert traditional IRAs to Roth accounts in advance. Those who don’t do so keep their traditional accounts as-is. No matter

Smart Tax Moves To Consider Before New Year’s EveBy Jason Alderman

continued on page 10

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A rich, sweet wine is a great way to elevate an ordinary des-sert to a work of culinary art.

Unfortunately, as well-versed in eating desserts as we Ameri-cans are, we generally don’t have as much experience in picking dessert wines as our European counterparts.

That’s beginning to change, though, as more people look toward specialty wines to complement their end-of-meal sweets.

Here are some basics to know.

MATCH THE FLAVORThe first rule of thumb is that the dessert wine should be slight-ly sweeter than the dessert itself. Otherwise, the sweetness of the dessert could emphasize any bitter tones in the wine when they’re combined on the tongue.

The second rule is the wine’s intensity should match the dessert itself.

For example, a light, delicate, fruity pastry could easily be overpowered by an intense red wine. You would want to pick a very delicate, fruity white wine to match the lightness of the dessert.

Likewise, the strong flavor of a dark chocolate cake would re-quire an equally strong-flavored wine to balance it out. It would be too easy for the wine’s taste to get lost in the chocolate oth-erwise.

EXPERIMENTIf you’re new to dessert wines, the best way to decide what to serve when entertaining is to experiment ahead of time.

You can pick two or three of your favorite, sweet specialty wines to start with. You may be able to find them at a nearby grocery store, but you’ll generally find a better selection of dessert wines from boutiques.

Whether served in a glass to be paired with a sweet treat, or used in the dessert preparation itself, you can try out different recipes and combinations to find fun, exotic combinations.

And remember, the most elegant desserts aren’t necessarily the most elaborate ones. Simple ideas like biscotti cookies served with a sweet, delicate wine, or drizzling some of your favorite vintage on top of ice cream and raspberries, can be an easy way to end a memorable meal.

Choosing a dessert wine

Have you ever bought a supposedly spectacular, highly recom-mended wine that didn’t quite live up to your expectations? If so, the problem might not lie with the wine itself, but with how it was being served.

How you deliver a wine matters almost as much as the variety of wine you pick. From the temperature to the glassware, the spe-cifics of how the wine gets to your mouth can make a noticeable difference.

TEMPERATUREWhile you should always take steps to store your wine at the cor-rect temperature — especially if it will be stored for a long period of time — sometimes wine has to be chilled or warmed up before serving.

To chill wine, a quick and easy way is to place it in a bucket of ice and cold water. How long you leave it in the ice will depend on the type of wine. Champagne, which should be served quite cold, may take 30 minutes in the ice, compared with just five or 10 minutes for a warmer red wine.

While the right temperature to serve a wine is at some level a purely personal preference, here are some general guidelines for the service temperature:

Light white, rosé, sparkling: 40° to 50° F

Full-bodied white, light red: 50° to 60° F

Full-bodied red, port: 60° to 65° F

GLASSWAREDifferent types of wine are also best served in specific types of glassware.

RED WINE: Glasses for serving red wine typically have wide, deep bowls so that plenty of oxygen contacts the wine. This emphasizes the scents and helps to bring out the subtle flavors in reds.

WHITE WINE: White wine glasses typically look similar to the red-wine glassware, except with smaller bowls and a smaller opening at the top. Because white wine doesn’t usually age for as many years as red, it doesn’t develop the same complexity of flavor and hence doesn’t need as much oxygen contact.

CHAMPAGNE: Long, thin glasses called Champagne flutes are ideal for sparkling wines. The tall, narrow shape directs the tiny bubbles

all the way up the side of the glass, extending their life and intensifying the aroma that is fun-neled to the top of the glass.

SHERRY: Because sherry has such an intensely sweet flavor, special glasses with a smaller ca-pacity are often used to serve it. Other dessert wines are popularly served in sherry glasses, too.

Tips for serving wine

Photo: shalamov / yaymicro.com

Photo: phovoir / yaymicro.com


VIEWPOINTS

“For years now, I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’” wrote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Letters from a Birmingham Jail, 1963. King articulated the resent-ment felt as he continued in his letter, “when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of ‘no-bodiness’— then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.”

The personhood of Black people in this country, and a lack of value given to their basic human-ity, is what Dr. King is referencing when he speaks of fighting a degenerating sense of nobodiness. Given the rash of recent police shootings, encounters with law enforcement involving unarmed Black males as young as 12 years of age, and the lack of any charges filed or even any “appear-ance” of impartiality in the processes employed to investigate the officers involved, there is a degenerating sense of nobodiness within the Black community that is difficult to reconcile. What is trending on Twitter is #BlackLivesMatter. But the question remains, Do they really?

To say that people were disappointed about the decision by the grand jury in Ferguson is clear. The fact that the grand jury decided that there was nothing at all that occurred in the shooting death of Michael Brown in early August that would cause them to bring an indictment, on any charge, against the police officer involved seemed a gross miscarriage of justice. Although not surprising, it was still extremely disheartening. Most people in the Black community could read the writing on the wall as clearly as they perceived the “set-up” and the “stacked deck” that the history of racial relations in America informs and the lines of division and inequity which contin-ue to define who we are as a nation. Unfortunately, there are still two separate systems of justice in America and the denial of that fact is as dangerous as the fact itself.

There is a campaign to equip all law enforcement across the country with body cameras so that their encounters with the citizens they are sworn to serve and protect are recorded. The premise being that the documenting video would be the evidence that could either exonerate or convict “rogue officers” in cases of use of deadly force. It sounds good, but when there is such blatant denial and disregard for the facts and statistics presently offered over sustained periods of time documenting the disparity and inequities present in policing, racial profiling, and the overall practice of the law and the judicial system where people of color are involved, there is little hope

that even documenting evidence offered by video recording will serve to effectively change the ideas and beliefs about Black people, and Black males in particular, that have been historically acculturated into the psyche of white America.

The only hope is that people of all races join together and collectively assert that #BlackLivesMat-ter. We must resolve that we cannot continue to ‘Wait’, because we are fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodiness’! We must align ourselves one with another in solidarity for the cause of hu-man rights for ALL people. Black lives matter as much as any other human life. The alternative of

degenerating hopelessness is NOT an option.

Hurry Up & WAIT!By Dr. T

Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Ph.D. [email protected]

Artistic Director and Founder of The Conciliation Project www.theconciliationproject.org and a Professor of Theatre at VCU

Up Next Week: Our better angels…”Tis the season”


CAPTURING IMAGESThe Aspiring Photographer Does your grandpa spend every family get-together with a cam-era around his neck? Is your sister constantly sending out e-mails full of great photos of her children?

This Christmas, give that amateur photographer in your life a gift they will put to great use as they snap away those lasting family memories. From extra gear to helpful accessories, the field of photography is an exciting one with many options for enhancing skills and furthering love of the art.

Extra StorageWhat’s worse than snapping some shots of a memorable mo-ment when the “out of storage space” message appears on your camera? Photographers of all skill sets are always in need of extra space for photos, which you can give them with a high-storage memory card.

For an extra touch, load up the memory card with special photo-graphs that your recipient can transfer to another device. This meaningful gift can serve as a great add-on to a new camera or as a perfect stocking stuffer.

Gift CardsIf you’re thinking of giving your photographer friend a gift card this Christmas, get creative, Put some money toward a photo book that they could fill with their best shots. An assortment of online portfolio-builders is on the market, and most are easy to use and result in a polished, professional finished product.

You can also give a gift card to the mobile application store of their choice. Both the Apple and Google app markets feature a wide array of photography-related apps for purchase. From con-venient editing tools to how-to guides, your recipient will surely find something of high value through the use of your card.

ENTERTAININGThe Hostess Does your shopping list include someone who loves to throw a great party? Odds are you have enjoyed many a meal and drink at their home. It’s time to give back.

Luckily, buying gifts for the perfect hostess is a rather pain-less process. They generally throw parties throughout the year, meaning you aren’t limited to only choosing gifts for specific seasons.

Think practical with a creative twist – just like your hostess does when throwing a great shindig.

Dinner Tableware Even the hostess with an overstocked cabinet of tableware could use more. Plates, glasses, serving spoons, or condiment contain-ers are great gifts that will add extra options for the perpetual party planner.

Stick with a specific design theme or color across all of the items, and you may see your items incorporated into the next big party. And it’s OK to go with a summer or springtime assortment in the dead of winter – your hostess-minded friend or family member is probably already setting her sights on the 2015 season.

CandleholdersA scented candle is a good gift, but a candleholder is a perfect one! Why? Because your idea of a great-smelling candle may not mesh with that of your hostess. Going with a decorative candle-holder will give your recipient free reign over what to fill it with, ensuring your gift gets put to good use.

Do a little scouting before settling on that holder, though. Check out your friend’s home décor and which candleholders are al-ready in use. Choose a set that would fit well in a specific nook or on a certain table.

Be sure to match your gift with the size, color and design theme appropriate for your hostess’ needs.

CHILDRENToddlersFor 2- to 3-year-olds, it is often quantity over quality when it comes to Christmas gifts. These are the years you don’t neces-sarily have to break the bank for your holiday spending. A puz-zle set with blocks or new toy instruments can be relatively in-expensive gifts that keep your toddler busy and entertained.

Consider your child’s walking stage when choosing a gift. If they are able to sit upright with no problem, then a collection of toy zoo animals may be the perfect gift. Toddlers who have discov-ered the art of walking will enjoy a drag-along toy animal or vehicle.

If you’re buying for another family, be sure to check with the parents first to avoid unwanted or duplicate toys.

Young Children Finding the perfect gift for children between the toddler and teenage years requires knowledge of what they’re interested in. This can be the most difficult age group to please. Generally, an outdoor activity of some type – water guns or yard games – can be a hit for those in this age group.

For the tweens in your life, a paid ticket to the science center or children’s museum in your closest city may fit the bill. For the more outdoorsy recipients, you can find exploration or nature kits that will put their natural curiosity to good use.

TeenagersHopefully the teenager in your life has discovered a hobby or sport about which they are passionate. Whether it is piano, foot-ball or model-making, there is a gift out there to match their creative skills.

If they’ve just started picking up a new endeavor, maybe profes-sional lessons or a digital how-to book may be the perfect gift to sharpen their skill set.

The teenage years are also about curiosity, so finding a coffee-table photo book on their favorite recording artist or history subject will help them learn more while also enjoying bright, vibrant photos.

CHARITYDonate ToysThink of someone who is homeless. What vision pops up in your mind? The type we see in the movies, bearded with a gravelly voice? What about a sweet young girl whose parents recently lost their jobs and home?

That is the face of many homeless people in the United States who will not have the luxury of receiving Christmas presents this year. That is, unless you step up.

Contact your local shelters to see if they have children among their populations and donate anything you can to help them, in-cluding food, toys and clothing.

Your Time Volunteer your time around the holidays at a local homeless shelter, and you will understand the true meaning of “It is bet-ter to give than receive.” Do you have an extra couple of hours during the weekends this December? Shelter staff need help in preparing meals and cleaning facilities.

Your voluntary contribution will cost you nothing financially, and you will gain a new appreciation for your home and life. Your time is one of the greatest gifts you can give a local shelter this holiday season.

PARENTINGThe Super-MomFor every diaper change or grocery list that goes unnoticed, the super-mom behind it deserves more than your standard Christ-mas gift.

She deserves to be pampered, treated, or blown away by this year’s gift – no pressure. Luckily, it usually doesn’t take much for the selfless moms in our lives to feel loved. A hug from a child or thank-you from a spouse will get the job done.

But this year, kick your gift-giving efforts up a notch by find-ing that perfect gift that rewards her daily efforts that keep the household running.

A ‘Me’ TripWhat is a better gift than some “me time?” Send your sweetie away for a day to the spa center and let her soak in the mas-sages, pedicures, and facials. A little pampering can easily wipe away the stress that comes with housework and children, help-ing rejuvenate and re-energize Mom.

If you think she’d enjoy a night away, choose a center that has lodging and put her up for a night. Doing so will ensure she gets a solid night’s sleep without the potential of being awakened by a crying baby or a midnight request from an older child.

Holiday Gift Guide


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CIVIC BEAT

As 2014 comes to an end, we find ourselves reflecting on our work and this column. They are both inter-twined: FUNdraising Good Times is one way we

help nonprofit organizations and institutions position them-selves for fundraising success. To the uninitiated, fundraising can appear either easy or hard. Confidence and fear typically drive these stances. What is needed is a healthy dose of both, and lots of planning. In our work locally and across the coun-try, we help organizations large and small build the prereq-uisites for fundraising success. We help bring together board members, executive directors, fundraising professionals, and volunteers for the purpose of honestly assessing where they are, what they need, and where they want to go.

That’s what we seek to accomplish with this column as well. We write to stimulate healthy conversation, to encourage volunteer leaders and nonprofit execu-tives to hold each other accountable, and to share some of the technical or how-to informa-tion specific to fundraising.

We began writing FUNdraising Good Times in October of 2005 when we lived in the San Francisco, CA Bay Area. We approached Vernon Whitmore and Eleanor Boswell Raine of

FUNdraising Good TimesYear End Reflections – Part One

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As we anticipate our 10th year writing this column we remain ever grateful to Vernon and Eleanor for our launch. We now reach readers across the country through 28 papers, two mag-azines, and our blog FUNdraisingGoodTimes.com. The issues that drove us to begin writing this column are those that sus-

tain us in all aspects of our work. We want to help nonprofit organizations and institutions bring their visions and missions to life. We want them to succeed. And we want them to be thoughtful stewards of the resources they have access to.

We encourage board members to increase their involvement, and we encourage nonprofit staff to invite board members into the fundraising process from the very beginning. Most importantly we encourage all nonprofit leaders to ask the hard questions: is our work mak-ing an impact? What if we invested in new technology or marketing? Do we need to do things differently, to innovate? Are we meeting a need? And critical to fundraising, where will the money come from?

You are our readers. We appreciate your work. We want you to succeed. Tell us what you want us to write about in 2015. We’ll get busy.

Copyright 2014 – Mel and Pearl Shaw

Mel and Pearl Shaw position nonprofits, colleges and universities for fundraising success. For help with your fundraising, visit www.saadandshaw.com or call (901) 522-8727.


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SCHOLAR OF THE WEEK

Scholar0of the Week™

Jasmine Cousinsof Richmond Community High School

It was when she was in the fifth grade and the school was having a reading fair when Jasmine Cous-ins first found Rick Riordan’s second book “Sea of Monsters.” She said because of Riordan’s books and his style of writing, he has become one of her favorite authors and has inspired her to continue reading. “The way that he wrote his books and how he ties in history with it, because I’m in love with history,” Jasmine said of why Riordan is such a big influence. “I just wanted to discover other books like his.” She said now she is always toting books around.

Riordan and other authors have inspired Jasmine so much she aspires to also be an accomplished author one day. In order to achieve her dream of becoming a writer, Jasmine hopes to go to college and double major in English and History. “I want my books to be an escape and a safe haven for other readers as books I have read have been for me,” Jasmine said. She said going to college will help her creativity and teach her how to better track her thoughts and write them down on paper. Her plan is to complete her first book soon after she graduates from college. Her top choices for col-lege are University of South Carolina or University of Richmond.

Jasmine said she has read so much to the point where she has characters living in her head that have been with her through her own struggles and triumphs. Slowly these characters are what helped her realize that she wanted to be an author. Jasmine said she previously kept her dream of becom-ing a writer to herself before telling her mother who encouraged her to write down her thoughts and work toward her goal of becoming an award winning author. She said her mother inspires her to succeed the most in life. “I feel like after everything she’s been through, she still went on without letting anybody stop her or drag her down and I’m going to do that too.”

Jasmine does not only keep her head in the books, but she also is involved in the community. With her mother, she goes to visit the elderly. With her church, she has fed the homeless and is a part of their hospitality committee. She also has volunteered in a hospital. Jasmine also is a member of numerous organizations including Partnership for Future, the Book Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Key Club, Sisters with an Intuition, Environmental Club, and is the Vice President of the National Honor Society.

Jasmine hopes to be an inspiration to people who also want to write books and wants to one day be the author of a book series that is so good it becomes a movie. She wants to write multiple series and said she wants to be accomplished like Meg Cabot, John Green, or John Grisham. She said she wants her readers to get excited when they hear there will be another Cousins’ book release like she does when she hears about Sarah Maas, C.C. Hunter, or Gail Carriger having a new book. Jasmine said she is interested in writing Young Adult books with fantasy or drama. “I’m not scared of being who I want to be and I’m not scared to take on a challenge,” Jasmine said. “If I tell somebody I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it.”

GPA: 4.26

College of Interest: University of South Carolina or University of Richmond

Favorite activity: Reading

Major Community Service: Visiting the elderly, fed homeless, on her church’s hospitality committee

Strong interests: History, listening to music

By Janeal Downs

how close you’re getting to retirement, it’s a good idea to take inventory of your IRA investments to make sure they’re accessible and to contact your tax advisor if you have questions about strategy.

5. Contribute as much to retirement accounts as pos-sible. Putting money away for retirement is always a good idea – for your tax bill and for your future. For tax year 2014, individual 401(k) (http://www.practicalmo-neyskills.com/401k) contribution limits are $17,500 and $5,500 for an IRA (not including catch-up contributions for taxpayers 50 or over). In 2015, those contribution limits will go up to $18,000 and $6,000 respectively.

6. Consider HSAs and FSAs. High-deductible insurance plans may offer a health savings account (HSA) option that allows you to deposit pretax dollars to pay for medical ex-penses high-deductible plans don’t cover. Flexible Spend-ing Accounts (http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/fsa) also allow pre-tax dollars to pay for dental care, vision checkups and glasses, and over-the-counter drugs.

7. Gather state and local sales tax receipts. If you item-ize your deductions, consider whether to deduct state and local sales taxes instead of state and local income taxes.

8. Consider a gift. Individuals can give up to $14,000 a year per beneficiary to as many people as they’d like dur-ing 2014 free of gift or estate tax. That amount goes up to $28,000 per beneficiary per year for spouses (both indi-vidual and spousal numbers will stay the same in 2015).

9. Make a last-minute charitable deduction. If you item-ize, you can deduct for charitable contributions – but do some homework first. GuideStar.org lists every IRS-regis-tered nonprofit organization, so you can do full research on the organization’s work and legitimacy as well as its tax status.

10. Take that home office deduction. If you use part of your home for business or if your office is an unattached structure, you may qualify for a home office deduction up to $1,500 a year.

11. Watch the news and keep your tax preparer’s num-ber handy. Congress may spend its final days arguing over a variety of expired tax breaks still pending. It’s important to keep an eye on tax news between now and New Year’s Day.

Bottom line: Use the end of the year to gather records and advice and make smart choices taxwise and otherwise.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney.


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SPORTS TEAM

TAX PREPARER

TRANSPORTATION/CAR RENTAL

WEBSITE DESIGN & COMPUTER REPAIR

WEBSITE DESIGN & COMPUTER REPAIR

WELLNESS

YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES


MADE MERRY

Order your platters & trays today

• ONLINE at MartinsFoods.com

• IN-STORE by visiting our Deli department

• PHONE by calling 1-877-265-9811

MartinsFoods.com

Urban Views Weekly

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