Garry F. Liday Corp July 2018

Garry F. Liday Corp July 2018

Call Us: (503) 620-3531 www.garryliday.com

JULY 2018

Garry F. Liday Corporation FINANCIAL COACH

RETIREMENT ASSET MANAGERS, INC. A Registered Investment Advisory Firm (RIA)

My First Work Experience PICKING MY WAY TO THE COUNTY FAIR

Many people’s memories of childhood summers are filled with responsibility- free days when the goal was simply to have as much fun as possible before school started back up again. To put it bluntly, that’s not my story. For as long as I can remember, summers were about having fun in addition to working. “Allowance” was not a word in my family’s vocabulary. If we wanted to have money for the summer, we had to earn it ourselves. You might think that I’m here to bemoan the fact that I didn’t have the experience of pure freedom that many youngsters feel during the summer, but it’s just the opposite. The work ethic I have today is the direct result of the values that were instilled in me from a very early age. And it wasn’t like working in the summers meant that there was never any time for fun. In fact, having to work made our leisure time all the sweeter. My dad had a favorite maxim about the value of hard work. “You can have anything you want,” he used to say, “as long as you don’t lie or steal to get it.” At the time, I partially saw it as an excuse for him to tell us to pay for our own stuff. Now, however, I realize that he was outlining a philosophy that’s served me well for decades. If you work hard and don’t cheat people, there’s no limit to what you can do. Dad wanted me to know that, and he wanted me to experience it for myself. My first summers spent working illustrated this concept perfectly. In the small town I grew up in, the county fair was the marquee event of the year. It drew folks from all of the surrounding areas, plus people who had moved away years prior. In a certain sense, it was like an annual town reunion. As a kid, I looked forward to the fair all year. I loved a game that was a combination of pinball and horse racing. If I recall correctly, you had to hit a target with a pinball to advance your horse. Whoever completed the course fastest won a prize.

them, they weren’t going to give us a single nickel to spend at the fair. If I wanted to play that game, I would have to come up with the money myself.

So for long stretches of summer, we picked blackberries. Wild blackberries grew everywhere in our area. They were so prevalent that many local residents thought of them as a scourge. To this day, when I see a blackberry branch on sale at a souvenir shop, I imagine my grandmother rolling over in her grave. But for my sister and I, they were a perfect way to make some pocket money. On countless summer days, we were dropped off at the blackberry fields in the morning and picked up in the early evening. Over the years, we developed tactics to increase our haul. For example, we’d lay two-by-twelves across the tops of bushes so that we could get to the big, juicy berries we couldn’t reach otherwise. My sister was older than me, so I relied on her to share some of her strategic tips. I like to think we were pretty good at it. We certainly made enough to buy our new school clothes and have fun at the fair. Precisely because we had to earn the money we spent at the fair, it made the fair itself feel even more special. Our fun wasn’t something that was handed to us; we had to work for it. I guess I learned at an early age that lemonade tastes better when you squeeze the lemons yourself. That’s a lesson more valuable than 10 tons of blackberries. – Garry Li day

In the eyes of my parents, these games were a form of gambling, something they were not fans of. While they didn’t ban my sister and I from playing

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How Meditation Helps You Maintain Brain Health IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN MINUTES

Meditation has often been touted by New Age gurus as a way to find inner peace and stillness. But what if meditating could reduce the effects of aging on your brain? According to research, taking a few minutes out of your day to meditate may improve cognitive function. As meditation’s popularity has spread, so have studies of the practice. The results of 100 studies examining the cognitive effects of meditation all show evidence of improvements in psychological and cognitive functions. Some of the results are intuitive, such as how meditation helps us deal with stress. But other results are incontrovertible, such as scans showing that meditation causes structural changes in the brain. For people facing age-related changes like memory loss, the results of these tests are especially relevant. The studies point to evidence that meditation can strengthen certain areas of the brain — the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala — that weaken as we age. THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX Your prefrontal cortex thins with age, which is associated with decreased cognitive function in your later years. However, meditation may reduce this age-related thinning. Dr. Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist specializing in

the effects of yoga and meditation on cognitive and behavioral function, reports that long-time meditators don’t show a decline in the thickness of the prefrontal cortex. THE HIPPOCAMPUS Your hippocampus helps you process and form new memories, and it’s very sensitive to stress. In fact, research shows that your hippocampus will shrink in response to stressful situations and chronic stress. The remedy? Meditation. Dr. Lazar’s study showed a positive correlation between meditation and a higher concentration of gray matter in the left hippocampus. THE AMYGDALA Often called the fear center of the brain, the amygdala is triggered by stressful situations. But unlike the hippocampus, which shrinks in response to stress, the amygdala has been shown to become denser. In one study, people who attended mindfulness meditation classes showed a smaller stress response in brain scans compared to those who did not attend the classes. Meditation may help to decrease the density of the amygdala and therefore increase your ability to handle stress.

HOW MUCH SUNSHINE IS TOO MUCH?

Keep Your Family Safe

your own? What’s the best way to step out of the sun for a few minutes? Wearing sunscreen and protective clothing are great ways to shield yourself from UV rays, but it’s important to avoid being in direct sunlight for long periods. Taking a break from the sun gives your body the time it needs to recuperate and helps prevent sunburn and heatstroke. COMMON MYTHS ABOUT SUN EXPOSURE Many people think that a tan is better than a sunburn, but the result of tanning is still sun damage. When your skin tone changes due to the sun, regardless of whether it tans or turns red, it’s a result of the epidermis reacting to damage caused by UV rays. Both are symptoms of harmed skin. While vitamin D is important, the sun does not contribute to its creation as much as you might think. Doris Day, a New York City dermatologist, explains that if your skin were to constantly produce vitamin D from being in the sun, it would reach toxic levels. Vitamin D is the only vitamin that your body can produce on its own, through a common form of cholesterol or 7-dehydrocholesterol. Spending time in the sun does help vitamin D form, but you need far less exposure than you think.

To many people, summer is all about heading outside to enjoy the weather. But getting too much sun can be dangerous. To have a fun-filled summer with your family this year, remember that it’s essential to protect yourself from harmful UV rays. COVER UP Covering your skin is one of the best ways to avoid skin damage. Wide- brimmed hats, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants or skirts can protect your skin from direct exposure to UV rays. While this tactic protects you from the sun, it offers poor defense against the heat. So, if you opt for cooler attire, it’s important to cover all exposed skin with a copious amount of sunscreen. Be sure to reapply every two hours for maximum skin protection. SPEND LESS TIME IN THE SUN If you’re planning to spend a significant amount of time in the sun, consider your environment. Will there be plenty of shade? Will you have to bring

Knowing how to protect yourself from UV rays is the first step to having a safe, fun-filled summer!

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Fiction That Holds Too Much Weight Fallacies are fed to us on a daily basis, and some are more believable than others. Here are a few popular misconceptions. CRACKING YOUR KNUCKLES WILL CAUSE ARTHRITIS Studies show that there aren’t any dangers to cracking your knuckles, besides annoying someone with the noise. For a long time, many speculated that the cause of the cracking or popping noise was either the resetting of joints and tendons or the formation of fluid that lubricates the joints. Dr. Donald Unger was the first person to conduct an experiment with the hypothesis that cracking your knuckles doesn’t lead to arthritis. He cracked only the knuckles in his left hand for over 50 years. Later in life, both hands were arthritis-free. YOU EAT SPIDERS WHILE YOU SLEEP You may have heard this chilling myth before, but it’s simply not true. Spiders are very sensitive to vibrations — they won’t willingly approach a breathing or snoring human. It isn’t in our eight-legged friends’ nature to crawl into a person’s mouth. YOU USE ONLY 10 PERCENT OF YOUR BRAIN Your brain is constantly in use. Every single action you perform, including digestion, coughing, speaking, thinking, and breathing, are all carried out by processes in the brain. There are levels of consciousness that cause parts of your brain to be less active than others, but there isn’t one singular area that ceases to work for any long period of time. THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA IS VISIBLE FROM SPACE While the size of the Great Wall is truly spectacular, that doesn’t mean it can be seen from outer space. It’s not at all visible from the moon, and even from low orbit, it’s difficult to spot the wall with an unaided eye. According to NASA, the theory was first shaken by Yang Liwei, a Chinese astronaut, who said he was unable to see the Great Wall from space. Later, a camera with a 180 mm lens and a 400 mm lens captured the wall from a low orbit. LIES YOU’VE BEEN TOLD

Of course, in addition to these benefits, there’s a good chance that five minutes of meditation each day will simply make you feel better. People who meditate report an increase in overall well-being. Why not give it a try?

BALSAMIC GLAZED PORK CHOPS

Inspired by paleoleap.com

This flavorful take on pork chops is the perfect

centerpiece for your meal. You can serve the chops alongside a simple salad, charred asparagus, or any other summer veggies you want.

INGREDIENTS

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1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

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4 boneless pork chops

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1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

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1 teaspoon fresh thyme

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3 tablespoons raw honey

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Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

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2 cloves garlic, minced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 400 F. 2. Generously season pork chops with salt and pepper. 3. In a saucepan, combine balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, red pepper flakes, and thyme. 4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently for 5–6 minutes. 5. On high heat in an oven-safe saute pan or skillet, sear the pork chops for 1–2 minutes on each side. 6. Brush chops with half of glaze and transfer to oven. 7. Roast 6–8 minutes. 8. Remove from oven and brush with another coat of glaze. Let cool 5–10 minutes and serve.

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Garry F. Liday Corp. Retirement Asset Managers, Inc. A Registered Investment Advisory Firm (RIA) 15405 SW 116th Ave., Suite 103A King City, OR 97224

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Inside This Issue Blackberries, Sweat, and the Value of Hard Work page 1 How Meditation Can Help the Aging Brain page 2 Battling the Summer Sun! page 2 Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops page 3 Common Misconceptions page 3 The History of Hot Dogs and Burgers page 4

THIS AMERICAN GRUB How Hot Dogs and Hamburgers Became National Treasures

If your plans for this Independence Day involve firing up the barbecue, you’ll probably be cooking two American classics: hot dogs and hamburgers. Come the Fourth of July, families will be grilling up burgers and dogs from sea to shining sea, but it wasn’t always this way. The story of how beef patties and sausages became culinary symbols of our nation will give you plenty of food for thought.

dogs had become so unquestionably American that Franklin Roosevelt famously served them to King George VI during his royal visit in 1939.

THE BURGER

Like the hot dog, the exact origin of the beef patty’s eventual “sandwiching” is lost to history. Once again, it was German immigrants who brought their recipes for “Hamburg steak” with them across the Atlantic, but reports vary as to who first sold the meat patty inside a bun.

THE HOT DOG

It was German immigrants who brought the “frankfurter” and the “wienerwurst” to American soil in the 1800s. There is much debate over who first decided to place one of these franks in a bun, but by the opening of the 20th century, hot dog stands had popped up all over the Eastern Seaboard. We do know the identity of the man who took the hot dog’s popularity to a national level: Nathan Handwerker. A Jewish immigrant from Poland, Nathan sliced buns for a hot dog stand on Coney Island. After scraping together enough money, he quit his job and opened a stand of his own, undercutting his former employer’s prices by half. Not only did Nathan’s hot dogs outsell the competition, the Great Depression made them the perfect food for a nation suddenly living on a tight budget. By the 1930s, hot

Multiple diners and fairgrounds across America claim to be the home of the first hamburger. All of these claims date to the turn of the 20th century, a time when our nation was faced with feeding a growing working class quickly and cheaply. By the 1950s, the burger had become a symbol of the American everyman. Both the hot dog and hamburger embody the history of our nation. Immigrant traditions merged with blue-collar needs to create two uniquely American foods. It’s fitting that we celebrate America’s birthday with the grub that has grown along with it.

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