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الأحد، 4 فبراير 2018

LVH-Pocono nurses agree to three-year contract

Lehigh Valley Hospital- Pocono reached a three-year contract agreement Friday with the union that represents registered nurses there, according to a statement released by the union.The agreement, which covers wages, benefits and health care, was approved by the RN bargaining unit, represented by the health care union JNESO. The contract affects 400 full-time, part-time and per-diem registered nurses at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono.In the statement, Karen May, JNESO’s [...]

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New Study Reveals Best Retirement Strategy

America's strategies for retirement run the gamut, from meticulously planned to none at all. Hopefully, your plan is more detailed than lottery tickets and blind luck – but what's the best strategy for you? Is there even such a thing as a preferred retirement strategy?

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11 Smart Ways to Use the ‘Extra’ Money in Your Paycheck as Tax Cuts Take Effect

What kind of impact will the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act have on your finances? That depends on whom you ask.

According to the Tax Policy Center, those earning less than $48,600 per year will see a federal tax savings of no more than $380 annually; those earning from $48,601 to $86,100 will get $930; and those earning $86,101 to $149,400 will see $1,810 extra. For someone paid biweekly, that works out to about $26, $35, or $69 per paycheck.

Using estimates from a wide variety of professions, Business Insider suggested annual changes of about $300 to $1,200, based on the model of a single, childless taxpayer who owns a house worth three times more than his annual salary.

Know Where You Stand

Not everyone is a single, childless homeowner, obviously; each case is different. In fact, depending on your circumstances, your overall tax bill might actually go up – even if you see extra money in your take-home paycheck – due to other tax act changes.

That’s why chartered retirement plans specialist Michael Dinich suggests that consumers run their 2018 expected earnings through a tax estimator calculator to compare what they’ll likely owe with what’s currently being withheld.

Doing so lets them “start planning tax reduction maneuvers,” such as saving for retirement (more on that below) or putting money into a health savings account.

But suppose you are on track to keep that extra $29 to $69 per paycheck. One of the more powerful yet effortless ways to improve your financial situation is to avoid lifestyle inflation — that is, to resist the urge to spend more as you earn more money. This allows you to grow your wealth without really making any big sacrifices or changes to your existing lifestyle.

So rather than let this extra cash trickle away, apply it toward a short- or long-term financial goal before you get used to seeing it in your account. Here are some ways to put that money to work.

#1: Save for retirement.

If you have a workplace retirement plan, use the extra funds to bump up your contribution – especially if there’s an employer match. “That’s an immediate 100% return on your investment,” says Teresa Mears, who blogs at Living on the Cheap. Since this is “extra” money, you won’t miss it – but you’ll “be really glad to have the money when you retire.”

No retirement program at your job? Start an individual retirement account. Don’t put this off another day, warns certified financial planner Delia Fernandez, who too often sees people in their 40s and 50s who haven’t saved much (or anything) for the future.

“It’s got to happen. You have to make it a habit of saving for retirement, no question about it,” says Fernandez, who works with middle-class clients in Los Alamitos, Calif.

For tips on how to find additional funds in your budget, see “Saving Enough for Retirement When Money is Tight.”

#2: Pay down credit card debt.

Some people say you should save for retirement before paying down debt. But unless your cards are at a very low (or 0%) interest rate, take care of them first.

This saves you a lot of money in interest, and once the balances are paid off, it’ll mean increased monthly cash flow – which in turn means more bucks for retirement and other financial goals.

#3: Create or add to an emergency fund.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep on saying it: Having a dedicated fund to take care of life’s unpleasant surprises is essential. Some money pundits say you need three to six months’ worth of living expenses, but don’t think about that right now or you might never start. Instead, aim for saving $500 by the end of the year.

Or, maybe, in the next six months. That would be about $83 a month, or about $2.77 per day. Bank any tax-break funds that wind up in your paycheck, and also check out the “saving money” archives here at The Simple Dollar for help on finding that extra money.

#4: Put money into a college savings plan.

Your kid(s) may be able to graduate debt-free if you save for higher education now. Even if you can expect only a few hundred bucks extra in your paycheck, imagine how those dollars will grow over time. Putting an extra $35 every two weeks into your child’s 529 plan would mean an additional $23,628 in 15 years, assuming 7% growth.

#5: Accelerate auto loan payoff.

Anxious to get out from under? You should be: The sooner you get rid of the monthly car payment, the more cash flow will be available for longer-term goals. Apply your newfound funds to paying down more of the principal every month, without fail.

And while you’re at it, check out the possibility of refinancing the auto loan. Maybe you financed at the dealership last year because you didn’t know how to shop around. You could save hundreds or thousands by refinancing – and the extra payments you’ll be making will go toward a lower principal. Win-win.

#6: Investigate insurance.

Have you been living without renters insurance? That’s super-risky and the insurance itself is pretty cheap, so get yourself some quotes right now.

If you’re a homeowner, see if the policy you took out a few years ago is still enough to cover repair or replacement of not just the structure but your belongings.

Do you have term life insurance? This can be surprisingly affordable, especially if you’re young and reasonably healthy. Even if you don’t have a spouse and/or kids right now, who knows where you’ll be a couple of years down the road? Lock in a low rate for the next 20 or even 30 years.

#7: Put some money into your home.

Even if your tax-break money doesn’t amount to much, it will likely pay for some minor fixes like applying a protective sealant on a wood deck, installing a programmable thermostat, or changing over to low-flow faucets or showerheads. Even minor upgrades – a new shower curtain, a fresh coat of paint in the living room – can make a big difference in the way your home feels.

#8: Put some money into your car.

Looking at a scheduled maintenance checkup six months from now? Stash the extra cash in a dedicated fund, along with any other money you can set aside.

And if the maintenance is needed right now, borrow from savings and then put the extra money back in each week without fail. (Hint: Automate a transfer from each paycheck back into savings.)

Also on the topic of maintenance…

#9: Pay attention to your health.

If you’ve put off going to the doctor, the dentist, or the optometrist, make this the year you take care of business. Each paycheck, set aside the new money you’re getting to cover any co-pays, or borrow from savings and return it without fail. (Again: Automating is your friend. If you don’t see it, you won’t miss it.)

A number of ways to trim healthcare costs can be found in The Simple Dollar archives. For example, ask if you can get a discount for paying with cash instead of credit (I saved 5% on major dental work this way), and watch for discounts on dental and/or optometrist exams in the Val-Pak blue envelope, local shopper publications, and social buying sites like Groupon and Living Social.

#10: Build a deep pantry.

Resist the impulse to use the extra funds to take your spouse and kids out for pizza. Stock up instead on foods, paper products, cleaning supplies, and any other items your household uses most often. Bonus frugal points if you can get these items at a warehouse store, a discount grocery like Aldi or Fareway, or even just on sale.

Having lots of food on hand makes it easier to cook vs. getting takeout. In addition, the less often you go to the supermarket, the less likely you are to spring for items that aren’t on your shopping list but that looked/smelled so good.

#11: Buy a freezer.

You can get a small- or medium-sized freezer for $200 or less – maybe a lot less, if you luck into a deal on Craigslist or at an estate sale.

Having one lets you prep and freeze a bunch of future dinners, preserve homegrown fruits and vegetables (or local produce bought cheaply during the peak of the season), and stock up on irresistible grocery deals. Recently my partner and I took advantage of $1.97-per-pound ground beef, buying the limit of 15 pounds. Thanks to our freezer we have a lot of meatloaf, burger and chili makings safely stashed, and at an unheard-of-for-Alaska price.

The Bottom Line

Less than $30 may not sound like much. But it can make a big difference over time. Pretend that the tax act never happened – after all, you’ve been managing without it – and salt away those funds for future success.

Veteran personal finance writer Donna Freedman is the author of “Your Playbook for Tough Times: Living Large on Small Change, for the Short Term or the Long Haul” and “Your Playbook for Tough Times, Vol. 2: Needs AND Wants Edition.”

Related Articles:

The post 11 Smart Ways to Use the ‘Extra’ Money in Your Paycheck as Tax Cuts Take Effect appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Here’s One Inexpensive Way to Avoid Getting Sick (Hint: It Involves Soap)

Are you reading this article on your mobile phone? There are probably thousands of germs on its screen right now.

And you’re no better off using a computer to read this. Your keyboard and mouse are likely swarming with bacteria, too.

I’m not trying to gross you out, I swear.

I just want to remind you that flu season is particularly wretched this year, and the virus could be lurking on items we handle all day.

Besides being no fun, getting sick is really expensive, so it’s important to avoid accidentally picking up germs as you go about your day.

But germs don’t just hitch rides on phones and computers. They congregate on all kinds of places, including car keys, shopping cart handles and even bars of soap.

Catching the flu is awful, but even a common cold can knock you out for a few days; so for heaven’s sake, wash your hands.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, handwashing with soap:

Lowers respiratory illnesses in the general population 16 to 21%
Reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%
Reduces diarrheal illness in the general population by 31%

The CDC recommends washing your hands before eating; after using the bathroom, sneezing, coughing, blowing your nose or touching a sick person; and before and after preparing food or treating a wound.

Unfortunately, we can’t rely on everyone we meet to wash their hands well — or even at all.

A new survey by Bradley Corporation revealed “just two-thirds of respondents say they ‘always’ wash their hands after using a public restroom. Moreover, 38% report they ‘frequently’ see others leave a public restroom without washing.”

Ewwww.

When it comes to staying healthy, we need to take matters into our own hands, if you will.

The CDC recommends washing your hands with warm or cold running water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Rinse, then dry your hands with a clean paper towel or simply let them air dry.

If you don’t have access to soap and water, hand sanitizer will do in a pinch. “[B]ut sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs and might not remove harmful chemicals,” notes the CDC.

Useful Alternatives to Handshake Greetings

Now that I’ve told you there are people out there who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, you may be reluctant to shake hands with people when you greet them.

I don’t blame you.

In fact, 45% of Bradley survey respondents say they avoid shaking hands with people altogether.

Instead they wave hello, fist bump or air kiss.

Personally, I’m a fan of the elbow bump.

It may look silly but I can’t remember the last time I caught a bug by licking my elbow.

Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She can’t really lick her elbow.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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السبت، 3 فبراير 2018

LVH-Pocono nurses agree to three-year contract

Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono reached a three-year contract agreement Friday with the union that represents registered nurses there, according to a statement released by the union.The agreement, which covers wages, benefits and health care, was approved by the RN bargaining unit, represented by the health care union JNESO. The contract affects 400 full-time, part-time and per-diem registered nurses at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono.In the statement, Karen May, JNESO’s [...]

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What Happens If I Don't Pay Back My Debt? Different Debt Defaults, Different Results (But None of Them Are Good)

Do you ever feel like you are drowning in debt? Have you ever considered simply not paying your debts? What's the worst that can happen if you refused to pay them back?

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A family protects the farming tradition in Cherry Valley

The house sits by itself, back from the road, settled on a knob above Cherry Creek. Two hundred acres of farmland spread out to the west. Built with native stone by local masons and builders, the house re-uses timbers, siding and other wood salvaged from the farm’s old barn. Ridges rise on both sides, giving the house long east-west views of the valley. It seems a peaceful place.“Peaceful, yes,” says Anne Fetherman as she shows a visitor around. “But [...]

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Inspiration from Brad Stevens, Dolores O’Riordan, Steno Pads, and More

Once a month (or so), I share a dozen things that have inspired me to greater personal, professional, and financial success in my life. I hope they bring similar success to your life.

1. Jim Rohn on discipline and regret

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is the pain of discipline weighs ounces while the pain of regret weighs tons.” – Jim Rohn

Lately, my exercise routine has been far more regular than it has been since … I was in college, maybe? What changed?

For me, the shift was in asking myself a single question each day. I’d see exercise on my to-do list, and I’d ask myself: “This might not be fun, but what will my life be like if I don’t do this and don’t keep up my exercise routine? Do I want that life? How does the misery of that life compare to the misery of a little workout?”

Thinking about exercise in that way is doing wonders for pushing me toward doing it. I joined a local taekwondo class with my family and I think about those questions before every class. I think about it when I practice and train for it at home, too, as I’ve adopted some home bodyweight exercises and kicking drills that supplement the class.

Is the loss in quality of my life really worth the small cost of working out today?

You can put this in almost any context you like in which you’re trying to make a hard change in your life. Is the difficulty of this little choice right now worth the life I’d have if I don’t commit to this choice?

You can apply it to smoking. You can apply it to drinking. You can apply it to uncontrolled spending. You can apply it to studying.

It’s discipline, and it’s really powerful.

2. Lisa Feldman Barrett on how you aren’t at the mercy of your emotions because your brain creates them

From the description:

Can you look at someone’s face and know what they’re feeling? Does everyone experience happiness, sadness and anxiety the same way? What are emotions anyway? For the past 25 years, psychology professor Lisa Feldman Barrett has mapped facial expressions, scanned brains and analyzed hundreds of physiology studies to understand what emotions really are. She shares the results of her exhaustive research — and explains how we may have more control over our emotions than we think.

One big pattern I’ve noticed lately is that science is catching up to a lot of precepts that one finds in ancient philosophies like stoicism and Buddhism. Those philosophies, and the practices around them like self-reflection and meditation, are being shown to be helpful in improving a person’s mental and physical health.

When I watched this video, I couldn’t help but think about stoicism. Stoicism has been around for thousands of years. It’s the idea that it’s okay to feel emotions, but that you should observe them and reflect on them and not necessarily act on them, because acting on them is often a mistake in the moment (think about an angry person raging, or a person splurging on impulse).

For some people, that seems really hard, but it turns out that science is uncovering that our brains really are equipped to do those things if we just cultivate it a little. Being able to keep our mouths shut and our faces and bodies calm in an emotionally charged situation can be incredibly valuable and our bodies and minds already know how to do this.

3. Brad Stevens on little things

“When considering the consequences of not doing the little things, you realize there are no little things.” – Brad Stevens

The important factor isn’t whether something is a “big” thing or a “small” thing, but whether or not something actually matters or doesn’t matter to the thing you’re trying to achieve.

For example, tying your shoes before playing basketball is unquestionably a quick and seemingly minor task, but it actually matters to your ability to play, so it’s not a little thing at all.

Often, we keep practicing life routines that are filled with all kinds of pieces that don’t matter, both big and small, along with some that do matter, also big and small.

Our goal in living a successful life isn’t to “not sweat the small stuff,” but to toss out all of the big stuff and small stuff that actually doesn’t matter in terms of what we want from life, and then give respect and focus to the true things that remain, even if it’s something as simple as tying our shoes.

4. Brain.fm

Brain.fm is a service that provides procedurally generated ambient music that’s intended to amplify a person’s ability to focus, meditate, relax, or sleep by producing music at a rhythm and beat that’s in line with the brain waves that naturally occur in your brain when you focus, meditate, relax, or sleep.

I have been using Brain.fm quite a lot for focusing (while working or reading) and when meditating and I’ve found it makes a tremendous difference. I just turn it on for an hour or two when I sit down to write or to outline posts, or I turn it on for fifteen minutes while just concentrating on the breath, and I find it makes a tremendous difference in the quality of both experiences. I haven’t used it for relaxation (I like to listen to podcasts when relaxing) or sleep (I like silence) yet.

For me, I find that I have to play it fairly loudly for it to really start having a positive effect. Quiet playback seems to have very little positive effect, but if I feel like the room is nearly awash in the sound, it seems to flip some switch in my head.

I recommend giving it a serious shot. Brain.fm provides a nice trial package that you can use for free to see if it works for you. I’ve found that it works tremendously well for me.

5. Seneca on daily review

“I will keep constant watch over myself and – most usefully – will put each day up for review. For this is what makes us evil – that none of us looks back upon our own lives. We reflect upon only that which we are about to do. And yet our plans for the future descend from the past.” – Seneca, Moral Letters, 83.2

I am a strong, strong believer in self-reflection and daily review. I spend as much as ten hours a week in focused self-reflection and review of what I’ve been doing lately – no joke. I do a lot of journaling and consideration of where I am and what I’m doing in my life and it often provides a nice arrow toward where I want to go.

Such practices help you filter through all of the things you’re thinking about doing, all of the things you have done, where they overlap, and what that means for where you should be going. It really helps you to start filling in meaning in all of your future directions.

It’s a bit like wandering through a maze. Stopping and looking around, both forward and backward, will get you to the exit far faster than just running around and quickly making decisions at each turn.

6. Joan Blades and John Gable on your filter bubbles and how to free yourself from them

From the description:

Joan Blades and John Gable want you to make friends with people who vote differently than you do. A pair of political opposites, the two longtime pals know the value of engaging in honest conversations with people you don’t immediately agree with. Join them as they explain how to bridge the gaps in understanding between people on opposite sides of the political spectrum — and create opportunities for mutual listening and consideration (and, maybe, lasting friendships.)

While this video is talking specifically about political bubbles, I find that people use filter bubbles in almost every aspect of their life. We all choose what publications we read about anything and what channels we choose to watch.

Some of us filter out the news. Some of us filter out everything but the news.

Some of us filter out the political talk. Some of us filter out everything but the political talk.

Some of us filter out the sports. Some of us filter out everything but the sports.

It’s not an intentional thing, either; different people see different things and find that different details are worth focusing on and sharing, which may not create a complete picture of anything.

Every time we make a choice like that, we’re choosing to eliminate something that may inform and enrich us. There’s a real cost to that, one that’s paid in the form of making it more difficult to relate to some people.

The best solution I’ve found – and this video seems to concur with – is to have a large repertoire of things we read and watch and turn to different ones regularly. Get your news and commentary from several different places and know that the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Another approach I find useful is to simply have a strong general background on lots of things and don’t worry too much about the latest events. Having that approach means you can carry on meaningful conversations about almost anything and you can simply rely on questions to fill in the latest details, giving the other person in the conversation some opportunity for expertise (which everyone enjoys).

Another absolutely key principle – never attribute to maliciousness that which can be explained by simple human error. People aren’t perfect, and simple human mistakes are often blown up into some kind of malicious conspiracy. Don’t fall into that trap.

7. The humble steno pad

For the last month or so, I have a very simple routine that I follow when I first wake up in the morning. I get up, use the bathroom, drink a little water, do some stretching, pour myself a cup of black coffee, and then sit down with a steno pad for one simple purpose: I write down the three big things I want to achieve today.

Today, for example, my “big three” consist of achieving five “writing checkoffs” (a metric I use to keep my writing going forward at a regular pace), an hour worth of focused organization of my office, and some devoted time spent studying a book I’m struggling with. If I achieve those three things, then it’s a pretty good day.

One of the reasons I like this steno pad is that it’s big enough that I can sketch out ideas if I need to but it’s small enough to fit nicely alongside a book. It’s not perfectly portable, but it’s a very nice size for a lot of things.

I find it’s the best of all worlds for me for planning out my day and what I want to get done. It’s become a valuable part of my routine.

8. Herbert Simon on attention in the information age

“In an information rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else; a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious; it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” – Herbert Simon

Attention and focus are our most valuable commodities today. It is only through attention and focus that we actually achieve things and aren’t just swept aside in a flood of information and distraction and smartphone notifications.

The question really is what do we turn our attention and focus to? What are we doing with what attention and focus we have? Even more than that, are we so distracted by the flood of information that it becomes a struggle to even direct our attention and focus?

The people that keep succeeding and breaking new ground are the ones who have figured out how to focus through this flood of information. To me, this is one of the biggest challenges of modern life, and Herbert Simon figured it out many, many decades ago.

9. The Cranberries – Zombie (acoustic)

Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer of The Cranberries, passed away at an untimely early age in January. The music of The Cranberries was a big part of my life for several years and their music still sometimes echoes through the rooms of our home.

I listened to their albums No Need to Argue and Everyone Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? over and over during a particularly difficult period in my life, when I was really trying to figure out where the road of my life was headed.

There was something about her voice that grabbed me. She managed to mix toughness and vulnerability with a wonderful Irish accent.

I will miss her voice. It is a light that will never go out because it’s captured in recordings and in videos like the one above.

10. Warren Buffett on habit

“Chains of habit are too light to be felt, until they are too heavy to be broken.” – Warren Buffett

The path to a better life is in building chains of habit that reflect good behaviors and our best ideals, as well as in finding and breaking chains of habit that reflect us at our worst.

Of course, breaking the chains of bad habits is really, really hard. When you’ve adopted something as a routine and it’s ground into your life, even if that habit is really self-destructive, it can be so incredibly hard to break.

One of the most powerful things you can do in life is to never, ever start down the path of establishing a self-destructive routine. Never even open the door to it.

11. Heather Lanier on how “good” and “bad” are incomplete stories we tell

From the description:

Heather Lanier’s daughter Fiona has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a genetic condition that results in developmental delays — but that doesn’t make her tragic, angelic or any of the other stereotypes about kids like her. In this talk about the beautiful, complicated, joyful and hard journey of raising a rare girl, Lanier questions our assumptions about what makes a life “good” or “bad,” challenging us to stop fixating on solutions for whatever we deem not normal, and instead to take life as it comes.

When I was in school, children with developmental delays were usually entirely separated from the main population of the school. I understand the reasoning behind why that was done, but on the whole, I feel that the separation did a disservice to everyone involved.

Today, that type of boundary is much lower. In my children’s schools, there is much more interaction between all children of the same age, regardless of the developmental delays of some of the children. This is a net benefit for all of them, as it gives all students a broader understanding of the differences between us.

Part of the benefit, of course, is that teacher training in that regard is much better today than it was back then. Many teachers today know how to handle issues that will come up in such situations, whereas in the past, such ideas were never really covered at all in teacher training outside of very specific curriculums.

This video made me think deeply about those changes in education and helped me navigate some difficult conversations recently with my own children. Any video that has come to the forefront of my thinking that much in recent days deserves to be shared here.

12. John C. Maxwell on daily routine

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C. Maxwell

One of my big focuses of the year so far has been really hammering down a set of good daily habits and a better daily routine. I want a typical day to be one that ends up, at least in part, forging me into a better person than before.

That’s not easy. Changing habits is hard, especially when the change involves switching to something that, at first, seems more mentally or physically strenuous, even if that difference goes away over time.

Overall, I’m trying to develop an ordinary day to the point where I can easily repeat it but that over time it creates a better me, like flowing water smoothing out a pebble.

My goal for 2018 is to trust the process, something I’m going to write more about soon.

The post Inspiration from Brad Stevens, Dolores O’Riordan, Steno Pads, and More appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Cost of sinkholes, leaks at ES North adding up

BUSHKILL — Engineers have more bad news for taxpayers in the East Stroudsburg Area School District.A robotic camera inspection has found additional faults in the North campus’s stormwater system. Those, along with a significant number of leaks in the high school’s 18-year-old roof, have put more repairs on the district’s growing list of capital expenses.Sinkholes belowThe school board hired Master Locators in October to [...]

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Reserve a Romantic Table For Two and Still Make Rent this Valentine’s Day

الجمعة، 2 فبراير 2018

DIY Addicts, Pause HGTV and Check Out These Writing Gigs for The Spruce

If you love all things home related, like finding awesome recipes, picking out the perfect kitchen backsplash and tackling new DIY projects, then we’ve got some awesome work-from-home jobs for you.

The Spruce, a Dotdash brand, is a website totally devoted to giving its readers the best tips and inspiration on how to have the best home. Who doesn’t love some good anti-clutter tips, am I right?

The Spruce is looking for several freelance writers and photographers to contribute content to a wide variety of categories on its site, including home decor, food and pets.

Freelance contributors will be given article assignments and will have the opportunity to get a longer-term contract.

But if you don’t like writing or photography, no worries. You can check out our jobs page on Facebook — we’re always posting cool work-from-home opportunities.

Freelance Writing and Photography Positions at The Spruce

Pay: Per assignment, not specified

Pets Writer

As a pets content contributor for The Spruce, you would be responsible for creating list-style articles on general pet topics such as veterinary medicine, behavioral training and breed profiles.