This month we tackle the topic of inflation, the elephant in the room in any discussion on what your money can do for you long term. What is inflation? It's an economics term that means you have to spend more to fill your gas tank, buy a gallon of milk, or get a haircut. In other words, it increases your cost of living. Enjoy a deep dive on this incredibly important topic with Ms. Katherine Vessenes, JD, CFP®, RFC, Founder and President of MD Financial Advisors.
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Implicit bias is defined as the unconscious “attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions”. [1] It occurs without conscious awareness, is not readily apparent to oneself, and may be at odds with one’s stated beliefs. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is one of the gold standards in measuring implicit bias. Tests of implicit bias can be taken for free through Project Implicit, a nonprofit organization and research group. [2] Overall, more than 70% of people who have taken the race attitude IAT have shown implicit preference for white Americans. One study found that physicians are no different: of more than 400,000 medical doctors that took the race attitude IAT, there was an overwhelming implicit preference for white Americans relative to Black Americans. [3] Women physicians were shown to have less implicit bias than men physicians, but only Black physicians showed no implicit race preference…
Read MoreContainment of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires the public to change behavior under social distancing mandates. Social media are important information dissemination platforms that can augment traditional channels communicating public health recommendations. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of COVID-19 public health messaging on Twitter when delivered by emergency physicians and containing personal narratives.
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A three-year-old otherwise healthy male presented with rash. The patient’s mother stated she noticed large, purple/red lesions on the patient’s lower extremities over the last week. They appeared to be itchy but not painful. The patient had URI symptoms a week and a half ago that had since resolved. For the last week he had not had any fever and has been behaving like his normal self. He intermittently stated “his belly hurt” but did not have any vomiting or diarrhea. Last bowel movement was the day prior and looked normal. The patient had no history of bleeding symptoms or family history of bleeding disorders. The patient was up to date on vaccinations. He had not taken or used any new medications, foods, lotions, detergents. Vitals were normal. Exam showed non-blanching lesions along the lower extremities without oral mucosal or genital involvement (Figure 1). There were no lesions on palms/soles. The upper and lower frenulums were intact without any signs of non-accidental trauma (NAT) on full body examination…
Read MoreThe old adage for Rhode Island’s ever shifting weather patterns goes, “if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes.” The same can be said about the tax code Presidential administration to Presidential administration. As the country has experienced another change in the breeze, expect the seas to shift measurably. Will you be ready for the wind shift? Our navigator, Ms. Katherine Vessenes, JD, CFP®, RFC, Founder and President of MD Financial Advisors, is back to talk about what may be coming and how to be ready.
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