• Firearm injuries
Victims of gunshot injuries fare best at trauma centers, but a third do not receive care in these centers, according to a new report. Trauma centers are equipped to make survival of gunshot injuries more likely, but an analysis of data from 900 hospitals in the United States revealed that nearly a third of patients with gunshot injuries were treated at community hospitals that are not trauma centers. The work, led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, underscores that emergency departments, whether in trauma centers or not, should offer interventions and resources to prevent such injuries from happening again. (EDITORS: Additional information)
• Housing market
With interest rates rising and high prices in the most coveted markets, the housing market is likely to be sluggish in 2019. The potential bright spots? New demand from millennials looking to buy their first home and affordable prices in the growing Southeast, said Susan M. Wachter and Benjamin Keys, real estate professors at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. (EDITORS: Additional information)
• Georgia O'Keeffe
The home and studio of the painter Georgia O’Keeffe in Abiquiú, N.M., are the subjects of a new comprehensive conservation assessment and interpretation. Located northwest of Santa Fe, the properties are designated National Historic Landmarks, owned and managed by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. “O’Keeffe was a Modernist whose work was deeply rooted in place,” said Pamela Hawkes of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, who is working on the project. “She was drawn to the ruins in Abiquiú, preserved fragments that remained and restored traditional adobe forms—while transforming the house inside and out to afford light, views, and her lifestyle.” (EDITORS: Additional information)
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Dear Dave,
I know you’re against financing purchases. However, is it okay to finance things like furniture at zero percent interest?
Detrick
Dear Detrick,
We just finished an extensive study of more than 10,000 millionaires. Not a single one of these folks said they became rich by borrowing money to buy things at zero percent interest. Since none of those millionaires gave credit for their wealth to zero percent interest financing, and since we know banks charge interest on loans, how is it you think these people are loaning money at “zero percent interest?”
Is it possible the pricing of the item has the interest rate built into it? I think the chances of that are pretty high. If not that, companies offering this kind of financing have very accurate and highly researched data that tells them the vast majority of people who take out zero-percent loans don’t pay off the loans in the specified period of time. Do you know what happens if you don’t live up to the terms of those contracts? It becomes a regular loan, and they back charge you for the interest.
So, on average you’re paying for it all. I don’t know why you’d want to play with snakes, Detrick. Snakes bite, and some of them can kill you. Avoid debt like the plague. It destroys your most powerful wealth-building tool—your income.
—Dave
(Explaining the envelopes)
Word count: 231
Dear Dave,
I’ve listened to you for a little while, but I was wondering about the envelope system you recommend. How does it work?
Danielle
Dear Danielle,
Don’t let the word “system” intimidate you. It’s just grandma’s old-fashioned, common sense way of budgeting money.
Back in the day, many people were paid in cash at their jobs. Then, they would take the money home and divide it up into different envelopes. The envelopes held cash for different categories in their budgets—food, clothes, rent, and other bills and such. When a particular envelope was empty they stopped buying that item, because the money budgeted for that category was gone. If you wanted a dress, but the clothing envelope was empty, you didn’t buy a dress that month.
It’s just a simple cash system that, combined with doing a written monthly budget, will help keep you from overspending!
—Dave
* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 15 million listeners each week on 600 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey.
