RANDOM GLEANINGS

While making the Fall 2022 issue of VESTED, we came across some interesting factoids too good not to share.

GIRL SCOUT PROMISE

When a Girl Scout makes the Girl Scout Promise, she must make the Girl Scout sign by raising three fingers of the right hand at shoulder height and holding the pinky with the thumb. The three fingers represent the three parts of the Girl Scout Promise: “to serve God and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.”

DO AMERICAN ADULTS HAVE A SENSE OF PURPOSE?

25%

of people said that they have a clear sense of purpose in life

40%

of people said they were neutral or don’t have a clear understanding

Source: The New York Times

AMERICA’S FIRST ROLLER-COASTER RIDE,

the Mauch Chunk Gravity Railway in eastern Pennsylvania, was originally designed to carry coal out of mountain mines across a nine-mile railway line. It started accepting thrill riders in 1874. One of its earliest fans was LaMarcus Adna Thompson, the father of modern American roller coasters.

IN 2024,

Volkswagen plans to release an updated version of the iconic 1960s VW Microbus: The ID.Buzz. And it’s electric.

QCD

If you decide to take a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from your individual retirement account, you aren’t allowed to accept any gifts or benefits in return. No coffee mugs. No golf balls. No chocolates. No wine.

WHAT CONSTITUTES A RECESSION?

You might have heard that two quarters of consecutive contraction of the gross domestic product (GDP) means that we are in a recession. The National Bureau of Economic Research uses a long list of indicators to say when each recession starts and ends. In fact, it doesn’t rely heavily on GDP, focusing on employment and domestic production instead. A few other signs include prolonged declines in real income, manufacturing, industrial product, and wholesale-to-retail sales.