Investor.gov

Do you know the difference between a 403(B) Plan and a 401(k) Plan?  Do you have any idea why you might want to participate in whichever one you qualify to join?  Do you know whether stocks, or bonds, or annuities, or mutual funds, or any number of other financial instruments are a good place for you to invest your hard-earned dollars?  If not, and if you'd like to know more about how to invest wisely, this site from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is here to help:

http://www.investor.gov/

With a grounding in the basics, some discipline, and a little luck, you may actually be able to retire some day.

National Poetry Month

Each April we do celebrate our poets, bless them all.  Here is a site where you can learn 'bout those who've heard the call.  From Whitman to Penn Warren to Natasha Trethewey, read about the poets who with words do have a way:

http://www.loc.gov/poetry/

FBI Explosives Unit

After yesterday's horrific bombings at the Boston Marathon, you may be wondering who is leading the investigation.  The FBI has a unit dedicated to investigating these sorts of events--the Explosives Unit of the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center:

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/terrorist-explosive-device-analytical-center-tedac/eu

On their site you can read about the techniques that their scientific and forensic experts will be using to analyze the evidence and, with luck, track down and arrest the responsible parties.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

If you'd like to honor Holocaust Remembrance Day by learning more about the Holocaust, the best place to go is the site of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum:

http://www.ushmm.org/

According to the site, "Chartered by a unanimous Act of Congress in 1980 and located adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, DC, the Museum strives to broaden public understanding of the history of the Holocaust through multifaceted programs..."  The Museum also serves as a potent reminder that no matter how unhappy we may be with our government at times, if it isn't openly looting our valuables and actively trying to kill us, it could be worse.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Here on World Autism Day, at the start of Autism Awareness Month, how aware are you about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)?  Family members of the 1 in every 88 children that has been diagnosed with ASD are certainly aware of the symptoms, but may not be familiar with all the treatments that can help autistic children develop important skills.  Even those who don't have a close relative with ASD could benefit by learning more, because folks with ASD are everywhere.  The page below from the CDC is an excellent place to start learning: 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html

As the aunt of a young man with ASD, I find it helpful to think of it this way--autism isn't really a bug in the software, it's a different operating system.