Updates Blog

10Christmas.com has opened its doors. It’s a fun site that we think you’ll want to tell your friends about. You can receive a gift appropriate for your age group — and you can give up to eight gifts to people (and even animals) that you cherish.

They’re not physical gifts that we’ll deliver to your doorstep, but they are most useful gifts that you’ll enjoy receiving and will probably use over and over again. The eight gifts are divided into the categories of Senior male, Senior female, Adult or teen male, Adult or teen female, Junior male (6-12 yrs), Junior female (6-12), Dog and Cat.

Why would a consumer site like SmartConsumerTips.com do something like this? The goal of each of our gifts is to educate, entertain and empower all consumers — which really means all people.  It happens when people help out their friends and celebrate the good times!

An earlier post Virtual Stocking Nearing Completion describes some more interesting details.

~ Happiness ~“Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them.” — Leo Tolstoy “St. Francis in Ecstasy” by Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516) • Oil on panel, 1480-1485, Frick Collection, New York   Leo Tolstoy Count Leo Tolstoy (1828 – 1910) was a great Russian novelist who authored War and Peace. He urged non-violent resistance to oppression through works such as The Kingdom of God is Within You, influencing Mohandas Gandhi and Martin L. King Jr.

Here’s a very special topic for you this post:  we’ll try to answer the question “is there really a fountain of youth?!”  Longevity is part of that quest, and feeling vital and optimistic about life is even more important.

The closest that modern science has come to a modern-day “fountain of youth” may very well be the RealAge health-planning site!  It was founded by Dr. Michael F. Roizen, an often-featured speaker on public television who has written several bestsellers about health including YOU:  The Owner’s Manual.

His site at RealAge.com gives you a free step-by-step health plan that actually can help you live longer and feel younger if you heed its very well-researched health advice.  I’ve been using just parts of it for a few months now, and I can attest that it’s made me feel much, much better.  I experienced a wonderful improvement after one month, with more significant improvement each month since.  Here’s what the experts have been saying about it:

“Great solutions, simple solutions, something everybody can do.” — CNN

“An incredibly simple, research-based plan now proven to reverse the aging process…” — Women’s World Magazine

“It will absolutely, positively change how you look at your health… It will be one of the best investments of your time you will ever make.”
– Real Solutions Magazine

Here’s a list of Dr. Roizen’s top dozen tips.  The numbers aren’t meant to be exact, but they do generally fit the findings of scientific medical studies.

Top Twelve Tips:	RealAge Benefit:	How It Works:
1. Become a Lifelong Learner.	Up to 2.5 years	People who maintain a healthy intellectual curiosity throughout their lives have a RealAge as much as 2.5 years younger.
2. Fill Up on Fiber.	2.5 years	Dr. Roizen states that eating 25 grams of fiber per day makes your RealAge 2.5 years younger than those who get only 12 grams of fiber per day (men may need even more than 25 grams).
3. Wear Your Seatbelt.	Up to 3.4 years	Wear your seat belt and drive safely to safeguard against crippling injury or even death, making you up to 3.4 years younger.
4. Be Active.	5 years	Even minor exercise — two 20-minute walks per day — can make you nearly 5 years younger.
5. Laugh a Lot.	Up to 8 years	Laughter reduces stress, strengthens your immune system, and can make your effective RealAge as much as 8 years younger.
6. Take Your Vitamins.	6 years	Dr. Roizen recommends that you regularly take vitamin C (1200 mg/day), vitamin E (400 IU/day), calcium (1000-1200 mg/day), vitamin D (400-600 IU/day), folate (400 mcg/day), and vitamin B6 (6 mg/day).
7. Floss Your Teeth.	6.4 years	Flossing and brushing every day helps your oral health, in effect making you younger. Bad oral health is a frequent pathway for germs and viruses to attack you in other parts of your body.
8. Quit Smoking and Avoid Passive Smoke.	8 years	Quit smoking to become about 8 years younger. Avoid second-hand smoke as well.
9. Monitor Your Health.	Up to 12 years	People who proactively seek high-quality medical care and attentively manage chronic conditions can live up to 12 years longer than those who do not.
10. Know Your Blood Pressure.	Up to 25 years	Low blood pressure (~115/75 mm Hg) can make you as much as 25 years younger than if you have high blood pressure (higher than 160/90 mm Hg).
11. Reduce Stress.	Up to 32 years	High stress makes you vulnerable to heart attacks and strokes, effectively making you as much as 32 years older than your calendar age. If you have a strong social support network and adopt some stress-reduction strategies, Dr. Roizen says you can erase 30 of those years that can be taken away by stress!
12. Take the free RealAge Test.	26 years	By taking the RealAge Test, over your lifetime your RealAge will be as much as 26 years younger.  “That means that you will live younger every day, and live longer with as much health and energy as possible” says Dr. Roizen.

Back to the original question: is there a modern-day Fountain of Youth?  In my opinion, the answer is the same as it’s always been:  “you’re as young as you feel!”  The more you do what you love, the better you’ll feel and the longer you’ll live.

Dr. Roizen’s RealAge Makeover is a great tool to help you get there.  Click the button labeled “Take The RealAge Test” on their home page.  They’ll ask you to register with your email address and password (which they will keep private.)  Then you can sign in and get your own RealAge Makeover. It takes about 10 minutes to answer their health quiz and you’ll receive the results in your inbox in about an hour.

~ Persuasion ~“If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend.” — Abraham Lincoln “Global Agreement” by Gino Santa Maria • Saint Louis, Missouri, United States   Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865) served as President from 1861 until his assassination. He helped preserve the United States by defeating the Confederacy in the American Civil War. His Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 led to the end of slavery.

~ Sincerity ~“If words come out of the heart, they will enter the heart; but if they come from the tongue, they will not pass beyond the ears. (Al-Suhrawardi )” — Sufi Sayings “Key To Your Heart” by Chris Harvey • Ilford, Essex, United Kingdom   Sufi Sayings Sufi Muslim mystics and poets like Al-Suhrawardi, Rumi, and Hafiz focused on their hearts, with the aim of realizing the “Divine unity.” Sufis are often at odds with unpopular regimes like the Islamic Republic of Iran. Shown is a Persian prayer rug.

This week we’re starting a new ongoing feature that we expect will certainly provide great value to consumers. Each week we’ll pick the five best articles that various consumer-friendly web sites have published over the past week.

You’ll read only the articles that we believe will be the most helpful towards improving your health, safety and financial freedom. And for each article, we’ll explain the benefits it proposes so that you’ll know whether it’s worthwhile for you to go and read the article.

So you’re really getting “the best of the best.” And the summaries will be very useful too: Oftentimes, e-mail letters try to “tease” you into reading the article with attention-grabbing headlines and mysterious summaries; but read our summaries, and you’ll know whether you should go and read the article.

Here are this week’s Fab Five:

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Kid’s Nutrients to Grow On: The article explains five nutrients that kids need to promote their growth and development: calcium, protein, fiber, antioxidants and iron. It tells how much of each nutrient kids need, and which foods have them.

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How To Save $6,000 In 6 Areas:  For the average American family, if they spend smart in just 6 areas, it’s like getting an 18.8% raise from their employer:

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1. $65 monthly by getting cheaper car insurance.
2. $110 by optimizing its life insurance.
3. $200 through smart food shopping.
4. $35 in phone costs.
5. $25 in bank fees.
6. $65 by paying off credit card debt.

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Investing Mistakes Couples Make:  The article explains the following mistakes often made by couples:

1. Too many accounts
2. One spouse deals with advisers
3. Not putting enough aside
4. Too much money tied up in cash
5. One party isn’t getting a voice
6. Failing to diversify those investments
7. No shared goals
8. Skipping account maintenance
9. Commingling inherited assets
10. Investing without understanding
11. Don’t know how adviser earns money
12. Not collecting ‘free investments money’ at work

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8 Do’s And Don’ts For Fighting Foreclosure:  People facing a possible foreclosure actually have several options to choose form. They can:

1. Sell the property.
2. Work out a deal.
3. File Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
4. File Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
5. Short sale/deed in lieu of foreclosure.
6. Walk away from the house.

The two things not to do: Don’t sign over your property title to another company that claims to want to help you, and don’t take out a second high-interest mortgage.

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Why We Spend And What We Can Do About It:  Since the seventies, constraints on consumer spending have loosened. To mention just two examples, credit cards are easier to get and you can buy instantly online. That explains America’s massive increases in personal debt and even bankruptcies. The article suggests that we should resist the constant bombardment of ads calling on us to make impulsive purchases, and instead save our money for long-term benefits. If you’re interested in a real thought-provoker, read this article.

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~ Enlightenment ~“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.” — Lao Tzu “Uplifted Spirit” by Stephen Coburn • United States   Lao Tzu Lao Tzu was a philosopher of ancient China who wrote the Tao Te Ching, a natural philosophy of well-being through simple and authentic living. It was the foundation for a flowering of Taoist philosophy and religion.

The Book Of Time will show you the best timesavers we could glean from countless hours searching many books and articles about time management. When it’s done, it will save you more hours of drudgery than you ever thought possible! We’ll probably release it next week. For a good head start, try these tips from the Online Timesavers section of the Book Of Time:

1. Online Banking. You can pay many bills online. If a biller is trustworthy, it may be wise to have their bills automatically deducted from your bank account.

2. Shop Online. You’ll avoid crowds that way, or at least save time by researching purchases before heading out to buy them.

3. Arrange Deliveries. You can buy all kinds of foods and supplies online, and even subscribe to have them delivered at regular intervals. With web grocers like Peapod.com, you can set up a shopping list of the items you buy often, so from then on you can always place an order in just minutes. You’d probably still go out to buy produce yourself, but by ordering non-perishables online you’ll cut your shopping time to almost nothing. You can keep perishable food fresh longer by refrigerating or freezing it, which also keeps it nutritious longer.

4. The Post Office Is Online. You can buy stamps and arrange package pickups at usps.com. If you know how much a package weighs you can even print a shipping label online and tape it to the package.

5. Fix Computer Errors Faster. Before calling technical support, cut the time of repairs (and perhaps the cost too) by taking careful notes about the problem that’s happening before calling tech support. Write down any error messages that appear on your screen, and briefly note the steps you took that preceded the message.

6. Remembering Passwords. You can make a written list of passwords, but even better is a “form filler” program like the free Roboform for Windows. It remembers your passwords and lets you log in with one click. It can also fill in your name and address on many other web forms. The free version allows only 30 forms or passwords to be stored, or you can get the unlimited version for about $30. If you’re asked if you want to upgrade to a newer version for free, be aware that the newer version only stores 10 forms or passwords. The Roboform website asks you to register, but you do not have to do that. Download at: http://www.roboform.com/dist/AiRoboForm-5-7-6.exe (1.8 megabytes)

7. Use A Search Toolbar And Popup Blocker. With the free Google Toolbar you can do web searches without first having to go to Google.com. It also blocks most popups, and can automatically fill forms with your personal data at the click of a button. There are versions for both Firefox and Internet Explorer. Download it at: http://toolbar.google.com/ (1.02 megabytes)

8. Use A “Hotkey” Utility. The free HotLaunch program for Windows lets you define “hotkeys” that let you use a single keystroke to insert commonly used text into almost any Windows program, launch an application, take you instantly to a web page, open a commonly-used document, send email to a specified email address, and more. Download at: http://www.pssoftlab.com/pshl_info.phtml (0.740 megabytes)

~ Greatness ~“Those who intend on becoming great should love neither themselves or their own things, but only what is right, whether it happens to be done by themselves or others.” — Plato “Galileo Facing the Roman Inquistion” (Footnote: Galileo Galilei was called the “Father of Science” because of his discoveries in physics and astronomy. He was sentenced to house arrest for life in 1633 by the Catholic Inquisition because of his heretical belief that the earth revolved around the sun.) by Cristiano Banti (1857) • Public collection   Aristotle & Plato Aristotle [384 BCE – 322 BCE] was a student of Plato (428 BCE – 348 BCE). Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and scientist, was the tutor of Alexander the Great; the philosopher Plato was a disciple of the philosopher Socrates.

More progress on the Virtual Stocking project to report:  You can get and/or give something really special this holiday season. You can receive a gift appropriate for your age group — and give up to eight gifts to the people you cherish.

Plus, you’ll unlock a special bonus we like to call the “Gift of Giving.” You can give everybody two gifts in one this year, without putting something extra in the box!

What exactly are these gifts? Pesky lawyers tell us we shouldn’t make promises just yet… but we expect it could be as spectacular as the Seven Treasures.

We’re putting together a fun site called 10Christmas.com to make an entertaining presentation of it all. Hopefully it will be ready within a week. It will round up all the usual suspects for the holiday season (seniors, parents, teens, kids of both genders, and pets too.) Wanna read their minds? You can mouse-over their heads to see a “G-rated” thought-bubble… then click to dig deeper and see what they’re really thinking!