Issue Date: September 18, 2005
How to find family-friendly cruises
Cruises are an ideal vacation choice for families -- a controlled environment that retains a sense of discovery and independence. Mom can read by the pool, Dad can practice his golf swing, and the kids can romp at day camp before everyone meets for lunch. With an all-inclusive price and extensive menus, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better value. To find a family-friendly ship, consider this checklist:
Size. Go for a ship that holds at least 900 passengers, with ample deck space and activities for all ages, including teens and small children.
Activities. Age-tiered supervised programs might be skipped if few kids are onboard. Ask about staff qualifications and kid-to-counselor ratio.
Age limits. Disney takes kids as young as 12 weeks; Princess Cruises' minimum age cutoff is 6 months for most trips.
Babysitters. Ask how babysitting is organized. If you have kids under 10, Disney ships give you a pager when you drop them off for child care.
Cabins. Look for cabins designed for families. On Disney ships, for example, many cabins come with bunk-style third and fourth berths, which pull out of the walls above the regular beds. And most bathrooms have two sinks, each with full privacy. If you have deeper pockets, consider a suite. Families with older kids or grandparents along might book separate cabins with connecting doors.
Among the most family-friendly ships: Celebrity Millennium, Crystal Symphony, Carnival Spirit, Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas and Disney Magic.
Everett Potter is an award-winning travel writer based in suburban New York.
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Help your survivors
When a loved one passes away, family members already distraught with grief often have another challenge: getting the deceased's financial matters in order. By answering a few questions and gathering important documents, you can avoid having your survivors digging through messy desk drawers and shoe boxes.
Financial adviser Mark Kaizerman, author of "Beneficiary Directory" (Just Write Now, $21.95), says you should consider these four questions: What documents will your beneficiaries need? How will they find them? Who'll have access? Who should advise beneficiaries? Then, gather the following:
Key documents
Burial instructions, cemetery deed, military discharge papers (for military honors)
Marriage certificate (original or official replacement, for access to defined benefit plans and Social Security benefits)
Declaration or coverage pages of all medical, dental, life, disability, long-term care, auto, liability and homeowner/renter insurance policies
List and copies of savings bonds, stock and bond certificates
Location and account numbers of bank and investment accounts
Location of safe deposit box and key
Copies of deeds and titles for homes and autos (or auto lease agreement)
Primary and contingent beneficiary designation forms for IRAs, retirement plans (401(k), 403(b), SEP, etc.), annuities, life insurance plans and other employer-provided benefits programs
Mortgage/loan information and refinancing discharge paperwork
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Get your pet a shrink
"Your pet wouldn't give up on you. You don't have to give up on your pet." So says the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), which was founded in 2003 by Lynn Hoover, a family therapist from Pittsburgh, to certify a new category of behavior experts: consultants for cats, dogs, parrots and horses.
"People often don't know their animals can be helped or where to turn for that help," Hoover says.
Before IAABC, the only certification for expertise dealing with behavioral issues were Ph.D. behaviorists (called "certified applied animal behaviorists") and board-certified veterinary behaviorists. These two groups add up to fewer than 75 individuals. Some vets can help clients deal with aberrant behavior -- like inappropriate scratching in cats or excessive screaming in parrots -- but most aren't interested or qualified. For an IAABC consultant near you, go to iaabc.org.
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B saves aging brains
Taking 800 micrograms of folic acid (a B vitamin) every day might help keep your brain from going into cognitive decline as you get older. That's the landmark finding of a Dutch study.
More than 800 people ages 50 to 70 who took an 800mcg folic acid pill daily for three years scored better on cognitive tests than those on a placebo. In fact, the folic acid users scored as well on memory tests as people five years younger. And they processed info as fast as people two years younger.
One explanation: In the study, folic acid lowered blood levels of homocysteine by 25%. High homocysteine is tied to increased risk of heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer's.
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