If you’ve visited us at WEALTH magazine before or seen our editorial products online, you likely know that we are big advocates of including charitable donations in your investment plan.

Donating to effective charities can make a significant difference in the world around us and in the lives of those less fortunate. And giving some of your money to nonprofit causes allows your legacy to have an impact far beyond your own family.

But we’ve also stressed that donors should do their homework before deciding how to invest in charities. More…

Two new studies shed both a hopeful light and a cautionary one on brain-related capabilities of the elderly.

First, a study published in Child Development says that senior citizens can be as mentally agile as young adults. And although many seniors take longer to answer a question or offer a response, the main reason is usually that they are more concerned with accuracy than, say, young adults, who answer much faster on average. And accuracy, after all, is important.

This should be seen as good news for anyone concerned about age-related mental deterioration.

However, another study, this one published in the medical journal Neurology, says that about one in four seniors has suffered from a kind of stroke that can lead to memory problems. More…

As this story is posted, we are approaching the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. For much of our country, the winter holidays are a study in excess, with a strong emphasis on consumerism.

It’s certainly true that retail businesses make a big chunk of their money in the winter holiday season. And we are certainly rooting for a strong holiday season for retailers, because they make up about 70 percent of the U.S. economy.

But we don’t personally have to give in to the commercial aspects of these holidays — or any holiday, for that matter.

Many holidays have their roots in religious tradition. Christmas, Hanukkah and Easter certainly fall into that category. More…

For George A. Johnson, not one but two layoffs directed his passion for filmmaking into a promising career.

As a boy, rather than staging gunfights or battles of war with his action figures, Johnson positioned his plastic people as characters in productions of his imagination. Neighborhood friends became his audience as he cut his storytelling teeth.

Later, Johnson’s passion moved from live productions to films—albeit still on a small scale.

“I have had a passion for working in TV/film ever since I was about 5 years old More…

Charitable giving should be an important part of everyone’s wealth management and growth plan.

Why? Well there are tax advantages, of course. But more importantly, giving to charity empowers the giver. You get to make real change by using some of your profits to support organizations and ideas that you believe in. And nonprofit organizations often have the expertise and backing to accomplish things you cannot do well by yourself.

The United States is a generous nation. More…

This is living!

The Costa Rican national expression “Pura Vida!” denotes a philosophy encompassing the enjoyment of life, celebration of good fortune, and taking nothing for granted.

With this mantra in mind, former Arizona residents Bob and Jill Ruttenberg took their vision for an eco-rustic yoga shala to the beautiful Costa Rican countryside and created the Amatierra Retreat & Wellness Center.

“There is such a need for relaxing and rejuvenating in this stressful world we live in, says Bob. “We have designed Amatierra to awaken your transformative consciousness and breathe vitality into your soul.” More…

In our multitasking, go-go world, it seems hopelessly antiquated to consider how sleeping more or better can actually boost your productivity. But it’s a proven fact. Modern science only underscores how important a good night of sleep can be.

The body uses sleep to perform a number of critical functions. Injured cells are repaired. Food is digested and processed into energy. And the mind is given some down time that improves its performance during the day.

Here are some specific ways sleep helps you: More…

Because you are reading the WEALTH Magazine website, we assume you’re already taking steps to build and manage your wealth. You care about your finances, and you are intentional about investing, tracking and spending your money.

But today we’re asking you to take a step back. Obviously building wealth is important to you. But what else is important to you?

Take a moment and rate the importance of the following broad areas: More…

Most people “sleepwalk” through their lives. They fall in and out of love, hold down jobs, raise families, worry about the past, and dream about the future. But for all that activity, many are never truly awake. Despite the tremendous energy they exert trying to “get ahead,” they never actually engage more than a very small part of their brain. The rest of their mind lies dormant, waiting for a wake-up call that often never comes.

The primary reason they remain in this state of unconsciousness is that they have become separated from stillness. More…

If you have back problems because the muscles in your back are weak, what do you do? You strengthen those muscles with specific exercises until you generate the results you want.

If your “questioning muscles” are weak, what do you do? You exercise your questioning muscles until you reach your goal of greater consistency, better results and more confidence.

Instead of asking “why,” experiment by taking what the other person just said and  More…