Good Day Alabama for October 30, 2012

Here is what you saw on Good Day Alabama for October 30, 2012:

MONEY TUESDAY - Want to invest in retirement but don't have much money to put towards it? Financial Analyst Stewart Welch joined us with some advice. He recommends you open an account at Charles Schwab (http://www.schwab.com/) and invest through their Fundamental Index funds. This is an index oriented strategy that uses a unique quantitative methodology to choose stocks based on solid fundamentals rather than company size as is the case with most index funds. They offer equity funds in U.S. Large Cap; U.S. Small Cap; International Large cap; International Small Cap; and International Emerging Markets. Best of all, there are no transaction fees and a minimum initial investment of only $100. After that, the minimum is $1 so you can easily divide your $2,500 among these five choices. If you want to 'automate' your investment program, you might, for example, initially invest $100 in each of the five funds then automatically invest $200 divided up anyway you choose…all without any fees! Schwab also has a similar investment program using their own proprietary traditional index funds. For your bond allocation, consider Schwab's intermediate government bond fund, Schwab GNMA (SWGSX). For more information, visit www.welchgroup.com.

JEH JEH LIVE - The Moss Rock Festival this year is Saturday from 10am until 5pm and Sunday from 10am until 4pm. The Preserve in Hoover will be a regional focus for art, design & environmental lovers everywhere. The one-of-a-kind outdoor fall festival, which welcomed 15,000 visitors to The Preserve in Hoover, Alabama in 2010, will take place November 3rd and 4th. Come enjoy artists, eco-ideas partnerst featuring green living ideas, products, services and organizations, live music, engaging constructions and installations, a cake expo and tasting, wonderkid studios, wreaths re-imagined, hiking, 5K bike ride, geocaching, fuel-efficient car exhibitions, a café, and the great outdoors. Grab friends and family and get outside to explore nature at this premier eco-creative festival in Alabama. The festival is free. To participate in the Park & Ride services, visitors should park at Regions Park and ride one of the many free festival shuttles to the site.

DR. ASA ON IMMUNE BOOSTERS - Dr. Asa Andrew taught us about foods that you can eat that will boost your immune system. He says the top 5 ways to boost your immune system for this fall are to include eggs, fresh kale/spinach/broccoli, Astaxanthin and Vitamin D3, almonds, and apples into your diet daily. Dr. Asa Andrew is also known as America's Health and Lifestyle Coach. For more information, visit www.AskDrAsa.com.

ASK THE ANGLER - Reed Montgomery answered viewer questions about fishing. You can contact him with your questions at (205) 663-1504 or on his website fishingalabama.com - there you can find lake reports, fishing tips, upcoming events, and more.

UAB WRITING PROGRAM - Sharon Washington, Executive Director of the National Writing Project, joined us to talk about some new requirements and six reasons why writing is essential today. She says
1. This is the information age, and writing (in all its forms) is the way we participate in it. Indeed, writing is essential in the 21st century.
2. To succeed academically and complete college;
3. To prepare for jobs and perform well in the workplace both today and tomorrow;
4. To organize their thoughts;
5. To participate in a democratic society and make a difference in their communities; and
6. To better know themselves and to reach out to better understand others.

These days, students are entering college and the workforce ill-equipped to write on the level that is required. For that reason, Alabama is one of 44 states that has adopted new Common Core State Standards that require children begin to write at an earlier age (as young as third grade).
UAB's Red Mountain Writing Project has received a $20,000 professional development grant to work with Abrams Elementary School to teach students how to write opinion/argumentative pieces. This type of writing is one of three that has been identified in the state standards. There were approximately 200 hundred applicants nationally and only 14 recipients.

Tomorrow on Good Day Alabama, planning to collect lots of candy for Halloween? We talk with a dentist who will buy it back from you and we have pointers on how which of those candies to eat and which to avoid. Plus the dentist joins us with advice on how to take care of your teeth with all that sugar and to take your questions! Disney on Ice comes to town and we get the scoop on this year's special show! And we catch up with UAB's band for a bit announcement ... that and more tomorrow on Good Day Alabama!