TOP DRAWER INK NEWSLETTER

 

Here's the latest issue of Top Drawer Ink, the newsletter written by author HL Carpenter that's chock full of humor and common sense information.

Share the fun! You may re-distribute Top Drawer Ink as long as the entire newsletter is left intact. Please respect our copyrights.

Top Drawer Ink is self-syndicated. Send reprint, licensing, syndication or other inquiries to editor -at- TopDrawerInkCorp.com.

***

October 6, 2007
Volume 5, Number 19
ISSN 1554-6330

In this issue:

1. Carpenter Country
2. Top Drawer Article
3. Top Drawer Tips
4. Top Drawer Satire

***

CARPENTER COUNTRY
What's Happening in Our Neck of the Human Experience

 

Hard to believe it’s already fall. Seems like only yesterday dogwoods were blooming and we were turning the clocks ahead an hour. Now here it is almost time to turn them back again.

But wait a minute. A check of the October page on the calendar shows Daylight Saving Time is missing!

Good grief...no end to Daylight Saving Time? That means dawn will be really late. We’ll have to get out of bed before daylight. Drive to work in the dark. Leave our kids standing at school bus stops illuminated only by star shine.

What a horrible scenario.

Fortunately, before a meltdown occurred, the short one fast-forwarded to November. And there in block letters was DST. Fall back hadn’t gone missing – it had just been moved ahead.

For those who occasionally suffer a senior moment (like the short one) an Energy Policy Act passed in 2005 extended DST by four weeks. More minutes of evening daylight were supposed to translate into less barrels of oil used. Plus later hours of daylight were thought to be good for public well-being since evening visibility was better.

Here in Carpenter Country we applaud public safety and energy conservation. However, when the alarm goes off in the morning we’d like to be greeted by the sun. Getting out of bed in the dark is a downer.

Then again extending DST to November 4th may be a good thing. It will certainly make opening the door to those Halloween ghosts, witches and goblins much less scary.

***

TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

Financial Help for Health Care
by
HL Carpenter

 

You detect a lump in your breast and want to have a mammogram, but you’re worried. Your employer offers no health insurance and you don’t earn enough to buy a private policy. How will you pay for treatment if the test comes back positive?

Read the entire article here

***

TOP DRAWER TIPS
Topics and Tidbits

 

Tip: Health insurance provided through your employer is typically a tax-free fringe benefit. If you’re self-employed, the premium for health insurance that you purchase through your business is a deductible expense. Unreimbursed health care expenses, including insurance premiums, are generally deductible only if you itemize.

Glossary Term: Health Savings Accounts (HSA). A savings plan combined with a high-deductible health insurance policy that has rules similar to an Individual Retirement Account. You can make tax deductible contributions to your HSA. The account earnings are not taxed and withdrawals for health care expenses are tax-free.

Financial Horoscope: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but it’s always a good time to take care of your physical and financial health. Keeping both in shape requires exercise, proper nutrients and lots of time and energy. Fortunately the rewards are worth the effort.

***

TOP DRAWER SATIRE

Experience No Longer the Best Teacher
by
HL Carpenter

 

Experience, Inc. may have to re-vamp its lesson plan.

The company, long considered the world’s best source of instructional material, is losing clout in the marketplace as competitors rush to exploit the demand for less costly methods of learning.

Read the rest here