A female client of The Caring Place walked past its newest amenity, the Meditation Garden, and yelled out to volunteers who were constructing it.

It looks good so far, she told them from the parking lot.

Youre gonna love it, replied Jessica Luth, the shelters president and CEO. Its more gorgeous than I ever imagined.

Volunteers from Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso create a Meditation Garden at The Caring Place shelter in Valparaiso on Monday, July 8.

Located on spacious property in a residential neighborhood of Valparaiso, the once-empty field is now a tranquil reprieve from the storm of emotional trauma for clients and their children.

The Caring Place serves people who have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as their dependents. It also operates the only 24-hour crisis line and emergency shelter in Porter County.

The Caring Place is a beautiful shelter and we have amazing resources for clients. But it is still communal living, Luth said. This Zen garden is going to be healing for our clients and their children.

Don Spears, a professor at Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso, helps create a Meditation Garden at The Caring Place shelter in Valparaiso on Monday, July 8.

The garden was conceived weeks ago but constructed Monday by students and staff from the Valparaiso campus of Ivy Tech Community College. They arrived at 8 a.m. and stayed through the day, digging and planting, putting together chairs, building a fire pit, and turning nothing special into something beautiful.

Last semester, students in the schools Human Development and Ecological Systems class conducted a literature review to show that exposure to nature is proven to have positive psychological outcomes for individuals who have experienced trauma.

Two studies were even conducted with the samples being residents at domestic violence shelters, said Donald Spears, a professor of human services and the programs chair. With this information, we decided to contact The Caring Place about providing them with a Meditation Garden for parents to enjoy and recharge.

Volunteers from Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso take a needed break while building a Meditation Garden at The Caring Place shelter in Valparaiso on Monday, July 8.

Spears and other volunteers tilled and toiled on a hot, humid day as clients continued to rebuild their lives inside the shelter, which has 12 rooms, 45 beds and countless blessings for clients.

This is a collaboration of several different groups and departments, said Dan Mohamed, a faculty member of design technology at Ivy Tech in Valparaiso.

He created and modified the layout of the garden in AutoCAD, computer-aided design software. He also showed up Monday morning to help guide the projects logistics. (Watch a video and view more photos at NWI.com.)

Rachael Bennett, a life coach at Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso, plants seeds of hope at a new Meditation Garden at The Caring Place shelter in Valparaiso on Monday, July 8.

I know that our clients will use this garden, Luth told Spears and Mohamed. Sometimes we have more kids than adults so it can be loud in there.

As sweat dripped through his green tie-dyed Ivy Life shirt, Spears explained, Theyre envisioning this garden as an escape. Thats what we have created here.

Many clients arrive here with very few possessions, only items of necessity when they fled their home. Some of them were referred to The Caring Place by social service agencies. Other clients found the shelter on the internet by secretly visiting its website.

A tab on the bottom of the website states, Click here to exit quickly, in case any visitors feel endangered by their abusers while researching their next step in life.

Volunteers from Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso put together a table while building a Meditation Garden at The Caring Place shelter in Valparaiso on Monday, July 8.

Many of our clients need to be here longer than 30 or 45 days to get back on their feet, Luth said. Most of them simply need a safe place just to breathe. When youre able to breathe a little easier, its also easier to plan for your future.

Only three other similar shelters are in operation in Northwest Indiana, Luth noted.

We work with all of them but there are still not enough beds for clients, she said. This garden allows our clients to be a part of nature and not be stuck in a room. Or they can come here to spend alone time with their children.

Funds for the project were donated by James Harper, stepson of former Porter County Superior Court Judge David Chidester, who died in March.

Judge Chidester was on our board and he loved this place, Luth said.

Later this month, a park bench in the Meditation Garden will be adorned with a special plaque of appreciation in his honor.

He left his mark here for sure, Luth said as volunteers worked near the bench.

Clients can immediately begin using this peaceful garden to unearth their emotional troubles. Jessica Bates, an intern at the shelter and one of the volunteers, aptly summed it up during a break in the project.

They can bury their old feelings of pain and begin growing new ones of hope, she said.

Chidester, who I greatly admired, discreetly donated luggage to the shelter so clients didnt have to use trash bags to haul around their sparse belongings.

Dignity was important to the judge. He did what he could to provide it to our clients, Luth said.

Clients can immediately begin using this peaceful garden to unearth their emotional troubles. Jessica Bates, an intern at the shelter and one of the volunteers, aptly summed it up during a break in the project.

They can bury their old feelings of pain and begin growing new ones of hope, she said.

Contact Jerry at Jerry.Davich@nwi.com. Find him on Facebook and other socials. Opinions are those of the writer.

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Davich: The Caring Place's new meditation garden blossoms overnight for troubled clients - The Times of Northwest Indiana

You can do a lot of things to help your community. Its just I do yoga," said 9-year-old Michael Thompson.

CEDAR HILL, Texas It is tough being a sibling, but the Thompson brothers manage it well.

Were Black boys and we meditate, said 9-year-old Michael Thompson.

For more than a year, Michael and his younger brothers, 7-year-old Jordan and 4-year-old Jalen, have been coming to their mothers yoga studio in Cedar Hill.

I wanted them to not only see what mom was doing and learn the practices so that they can learn how to regulate their emotions but for them to feel empowered as leaders and create something, said Helsa Thompson,The Aura House.

Me and my brothers help kids feel strong and happy through yoga, meditation, managing our emotions and using positive affirmations, said Michael.

It really focuses on making mindfulness accessible to underserved communities, said Helsa Thompson. I want to make sure that we are able to touch as many kids as possible because theyre dealing with so much right now like social media, the messages that theyre getting, unfortunately suicide rates, depression, anxiety. Those things are increasing, so the younger we can teach kids tools of how to deal with the stressors of just everyday life, its going to help with their mental health.

They use exercises such as their Coloring Calm coloring book and their Affirmation Alphabet. They also teach yoga to adults and other kids.

Each brother does his part, but Saturday, Michael will be stretching out on his own.

He will be recognized during the Kids Choice Awards, which is really awesome because I grew up watching Nickelodeon, said Helsa Thompson.

Michael will be honored for creating Black Boys Meditate. He received a bronze medal for his impact in the community. He's hoping to achieve the gold medal in September.

When I knew about it, I was like, How does a little group in the southwest area get to do stuff with Nickelodeon? said Michael.

The answer is by simply making an impact.

You can do a lot of things to help your community. Its just I do yoga, said Michael.

It is a skill that not only keeps them grounded but helps their community become mentally balanced.

Excerpt from:

Thompson brothers help kids achieve mindfulness through Black Boys Meditate - WFAA.com

Looking for good vibrations, brighter auras, in a dark time? Want to refocus from the demented verbiage of contemporary politics? Maybe youre ready for the City of Love Meditation Event on July 17.

Meditate Milwaukee is offering the free, one-hour online event, designed for first timers as well as seasoned meditators. Co-organizer Traci Schwartz says that the idea for the virtual session was inspired by the example of their real time event at the Riverside Theater on New Years Day, 2023. It was meditation with music, a celebration about reconnecting after Covid, she explained.By doing this virtually wed like to reach even more people than we had at the Riverside Theatre, she adds.

Likewise, the City of Love Meditation Event, scheduled for RNC week, is about communitygetting our energy to align, a chance to shift away from the feelings of negativity in our city. Organizers are hoping that the online session will draw participants from across the nation into a more thoughtful mode of thinking. In the City of Loves press release, co-organizer Kaita Bliffert stressed the importance of investing in ourselves in order to invest in each other. We see a real need for people to come together now to create a sense of compassion and understanding.

The City of Love Meditation Event will be live from 6-7 p.m., Wednesday July 17. To register, visit meditatemilwaukee.com.

David Luhrssen lectured at UWM and the MIAD. He is author of The Vietnam War on Film, Encyclopedia of Classic Rock, and Hammer of the Gods: Thule Society and the Birth of Nazism.

Jul. 11, 2024

8:12 a.m.

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Meditating During the RNC - Shepherd Express

Maybe a sense of calm comes with a walk in the woods surrounded by birdsong or during the quiet of your morning meditation or evening prayer. Maybe the rhythm of knitting or the earthy smell of gardening clears your head.

Science backs up what we know intuitively: Time we spend in nature or on calming practices or hobbies can benefit our mental and physical health. These activities rejuvenate us, right down to our bodys living building blocks: our cells.

A UC San Francisco-based team led byAlexandra Crosswell, PhD, andElissa Epel, PhD, has woven together their own research and studies by others in various fields to connect the experience of, say, painting or practicing yoga to shifts in the nervous system and, subsequently, within our cells. To make this transition, our bodies and minds require certain conditions. But once these are met, the result, they say, isdeep rest.

This truly restorative state one never described before confers benefits unattainable through routine rest and relaxation. In putting forward this concept, the team highlights the regenerative biological processes that protect us as we age.

Deep rest is something our bodies need and deserve, says Epel, a professor of psychiatry and vice chair of psychology. With it, we improve our chances for healthy longevity.

To understand the benefits of deep rest, we must confront its counterpoint: stress. Surveys by the American Psychological Association suggest Americans experience plenty of this stomach-churning state. Almost half of adults who responded to a 2023 survey agreed at least somewhat with the statement My stress makes going to work [or] school increasingly difficult.

Stress, though it can interfere with our ability to function, originated in physiological mechanisms to help us meet challenges whether escaping a pack of wolves or facing fallout from a major work mistake. Just like the fear of being eaten, the threat of losing your colleagues respect can put your body on high alert, triggering a cascade of responses.

Your nervous system hands over control of unconscious processes like breathing and digestion to its in-house crisis response coordinator: the sympathetic nervous system. This shift kicks off a series of energy-demanding changes that prime your body and mind for action. Your heart beats faster. Blood flow increases to your skeletal muscles, which tense up. Your production of hormones, such as cortisol and other energizing chemical messengers, surges. Your alertness intensifies.

Together, these and other shifts help ready you to fight or flee even if youre just anxiously awaiting a reply to your apologetic email while imagining dire scenarios.

A certain degree of stress is inevitable in life, Crosswell points out. After years of studying stress, it became clear to us that we have to stop trying to get rid of it, she says. Stressful events are often outside our control, and our bodies response to them is natural and helpful.

Too much stress, however, can cause harm. She and her colleagues argue that many Americans spend most of their waking hours in a moderately stressed-out state, driven by feelings of uncertainty about the future and lack of control. While no surprise to many of us, the idea the team explores that we experience continual stress represents a new direction in scientific thinking, which has traditionally considered relaxation the default human state.

Ideally, a stress-inducing crisis comes to a quick, clear ending. Maybe your apology at work is accepted, the mistake quickly forgotten. But problems in modern life often dont come to quick, complete conclusions. Your boss may repeatedly deny requests for remote work. You and a loved one may frequently argue. You may struggle financially for years. Under such circumstances, stress can attenuate to a more moderate level, but it doesnt stop.

While less taxing, residual stress still drains you. Maintaining an elevated heart rate or pumping out more cortisol than usual requires extra energy. This energy takes the form of molecules known as ATP, or adenosine triphosphate. Cellular organelles called mitochondria make ATP by using oxygen from the air we breathe to harvest energy from fats, proteins, and glucose derived from food we eat.

Mitochondria are the source of the vital force that brings a cell to life and ultimately gives us our conscious mind, our emotions, saysMartin Picard, PhD, director of the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group at Columbia University and one of Epel and Crosswells collaborators.

Everything we experience is powered by the energy flow inside our cells, he says, and that flow takes place in mitochondria.

While a single cell can contain hundreds of mitochondria, the organelles can generate only so much ATP for reasons that remain unclear. So when your body goes on alert, a cell diverts its limited ATP supply to carry out the urgent functions the stress response demands, such as contracting the heart or synthesizing hormones. This robs it of energy for more routine but necessary tasks.

Whats more, studies have linked diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders, with poor mitochondrial health. Picard suspects psychological stress has a similar effect, with mitochondria sustaining damage and becoming less productive when someone is under chronic strain.

Some prior studies and his own research with mothers caring for children on the autism spectrum, a source of chronic stress, support this idea. In a study led by Epel and described inBiological Psychiatry, Picard and others found that mitochondria in the mothers white blood cells had a reduced ability to transform energy into ATP. Cells face another potential consequence of damaged mitochondria: increased production of a potentially toxic byproduct of making ATP chemicals known as reactive oxygen species (ROS). If not neutralized, ROS can harm our cells.

The effects of chronic stress extend to our genetic material as well. At the tips of chromosomes, repeating segments of DNA form telomeres. With assistance from proteins, telomere caps protect the integrity of these packets of genetic code for as long as they can.

Each time a cell copies its genetic material so it can replicate, its telomeres lose a little DNA and shorten. Research started 20 years ago by Epel, with UCSF colleagues Nobel laureateElizabeth Blackburn, PhD, andJue Lin, PhD, shows that chronic psychological stress further shortens telomeres. This loss is a consequence of exposure to ROS, the release of hormones like cortisol, and inflammation. Molecular studies of cells substantiate this connection: By mimicking long-term exposure to the stress hormone cortisol, Picard has shown that cells respond by revving up their metabolisms, which shortens telomeres and hastens cell death.

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The power of deep rest - University of California

Carol Raleigh, Jim LaViolet, Shelly Vanness, Ann Murphy, Diane Widi and Anne Tennis participate in a tai chi event. Tai chi is a meditation exercise form of low-impact movements that originated in 13th-century China as a form of martial arts handed down from generation to generation. Eva Westein photo

Once an ancient form of martial arts, tai chi becomes local wellness activity

By Eva Westein

Contributing Writer

GREEN BAY On Wednesday mornings at Voyageur Park, members of the Brown County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) can be found under the shade of the trees practicing the slow, serene movements of tai chi while being serenaded by chirping birds and meditative music.

At the head of the group is Shelly Vanness, a retired occupational therapist who now volunteers her skills and passion for the practice of tai chi at the ADRC as a beginner-level instructor.

Vanness first had the opportunity to learn about tai chi back in 2000 when she received a mailing about tai chi training for therapists.

Initially, she had just set the mailing aside and forgot about it, but she picked it up again a few months later and decided to look into it.

She then took several workshops for about a year and a half.

After training at the Tai Chi Center of Madison, she eventually decided to teach it herself.

Vanness later got certified to teach tai chi and has voluntarily taught it to others for 22 years, eight of which have been at the ADRC.

I feel like it was a gift that I received in my life, so I like to share it with other people, she stated.

Tai chi is a meditation exercise form of low-impact movements that originated in 13th-century China as a form of martial arts handed down from generation to generation.

It is now practiced as an art form, meditation technique, or mind, body and spirit exercise that is becoming increasingly popular across the United States.

It is an especially convenient method of exercise because it can be practiced alone or in a group setting and does not require specialized equipment or clothing.

Tai chi can be practiced by anyone.

Many seniors are interested in it. It is very meditative and works on concentration and balance too, which is good for us all, says Jean Huxtable-Hamersky, a community member who has been taking Shellys tai chi class at the ADRC in downtown Green Bay for several months now.

Tai chi also boasts many other health benefits such as improved posture, body awareness, blood pressure control, flexibility, cardiovascular and respiratory function, pain relief, emotional wellness and more.

In fact, the National Institute of Health has introduced grants to be used by organizations such as the ADRC to create opportunities for community members to practice tai chi and other similar exercises in an effort to reduce balance-related falls in the elderly.

While the practice of tai chi is accessible to anyone, Shelly warns that it can be a long process.

Be very patient with yourself because it takes a good long while, I would say if youre really interested it takes about 9-12 months before you feel like you can really do one of the forms well, Vanness explained.

For beginners, she also recommends finding something online that you can follow along with at home, even if its just 15 minutes a day.

If you are interested in participating in a local in-person tai chi session, check out the following offerings: call 920-448-4300 for the Aging and Disability Resource Center in Green Bays sessions with Shelly on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m.; contact Eric Peters at 920-366-0899 for beginner, intermediate and advanced sessions held on Tuesdays from 9-10 a.m. at GBASO on 2351 Holmgren Way, Suite 102; and call the YWCA of Green Bay at 920-432-5581 for tai chi sessions in the water on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. and tai chi sessions in the classroom on Thursdays at 10 a.m.

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For the mind and body - The Press-Times

Scientists have found a way to achieve higher levels of concentration when practicing mindfulness through applying non-invasive ultrasound technology to the brain.

Derived from a significant practice in Hindu and Buddhist tradition, mindfulness is recognized by the American Psychological Association as a pathway to stress reduction, improved memory, and greater cognitive flexibility.

Using a technique called transcranial-focused ultrasound (TFUS), a form of low-intensity ultrasound technology, researchers at the University of Arizona were able to modify the brain's default mode network (DMN). The DMN is a network of interconnected brain regions that are particularly active during restful and introspective activities such as daydreaming.

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The impetus of the study came from the hypothesis that more people would engage in mindfulness if their brains were less distracted.

"The best part is you are using a minimal amount of energy to alter brain activity. You are just giving a gentle push to the brain with low-intensity ultrasound," said lead study author Brian Lord, a Cognition & Neural systems researcher, in a statement.

The experiment included 30 participants who received TFUS under supervision. Each person had their brain activity monitored and was interviewed about their mental state afterwards.

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Unlike other non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial electrical stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation, TFUS has the ability to penetrate beneath the cortexthe brain's outermost layerwith pinpoint precision.

In this case, the study targeted a region that contributes to high-level functions such as focus, emotional regulation and self-referential processing. Broadly speaking, it is active during anything that involves reflection or introspection.

Researchers employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor changes in brain activity. During functional scans, subjects were instructed to stare at a fixation cross and allow their thoughts to flow naturally. Scans were produced five minutes and 25 minutes after fMRI application.

Participants were also asked to report their feelings and experiences both before and after the TFUS treatment. Those who had received the real treatment reported an increase in state mindfulness as measured by the Toronto Mindfulness Scale, a questionnaire commonly used in research of this kind.

Stimulating the part of the brain used for activities such as daydreaming, recalling memories and envisioning the future using this method showed meaningful effects in DMN performance in just five minutes. It could make engagement in activities like meditation easier to do, without the mind straying into rumination.

Dysregulation in the DMN can lead to several mental issuesdepression, anxiety, and schizophrenia have all been linked to abnormal DMN activity. The results of this study show a promising pathway to ultrasound-focused treatment techniques to aid brain regulation. By demonstrating the potential of TFUS to alter brain networks, the SEMA Lab is innovating in order to connect our thoughts and feelings with a greater sense of ease and calm.

"We are the first to show that the default mode network can be directly targeted and noninvasively modulated," Lord said.

"Unlike neuroimaging techniques where you can only make correlations with brain activity, noninvasive stimulation tools like TFUS allow you to probe the brain and develop causal models. That's a really powerful thing for the whole field of neuroscience."

This study was published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

Is there a health problem that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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Mindfulness Improved by Firing Ultrasound Into the Brain - Newsweek

Dystopian Kurzweil: As Big Tech continues frantically pushing AI development and funding, many users have become concerned about the outcome and dangers of the latest AI advancements. However, one man is more than sold on AI's ability to bring humanity to its next evolutionary level.

Raymond Kurzweil is a well-known computer scientist, author, and artificial intelligence enthusiast. Over the years, he has promoted radical concepts such as transhumanism and technological singularity, where humanity and advanced technology merge to create an evolved hybrid species. Kurzweil's latest predictions on AI and the future of tech essentially double down on twenty-year-old predictions.

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Kurzweil introduced his latest book, "The Singularity Is Nearer," a sequel to his bestselling 2005 book, "The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology." Kurzweil predicted that AI would reach human-level intelligence by 2029, with the merging between computers and humans (the singularity) happening in 2045. Now that AI has become the most talked-about topic, he believes his predictions still hold.

Kurzweil believes that in five years, machine learning will possess the same abilities as the most skilled humans in almost every field. A few "top humans" capable of writing Oscar-level screenplays or conceptualizing deep new philosophical insights will still be able to beat AI, but everything will change when artificial general intelligence (AGI) finally surpasses humans at everything.

Bringing large language models (LLM) to the next level simply requires more computing power. Kurzweil noted that the computing paradigm we have today is "basically perfect," and it will just get better and better over time. The author doesn't believe that quantum computing will turn the world upside down. He says there are too many ways to continue improving modern chips, such as 3D and vertically stacked designs.

Kurzweil predicts that machine-learning engineers will eventually solve the issues caused by hallucinations, uncanny AI-generated images, and other AI anomalies with more advanced algorithms trained on more data. The singularity is still happening and will arrive once people start merging their brains with the cloud. Advancements in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are already occurring. These BCIs, eventually comprised of nanobots "noninvasively" entering the brain through capillaries, will enable humans to possess a combination of natural and cybernetic intelligence.

Kurzweil's imaginative nature as a book author and enthusiastic transhumanist is plain to see. Science still hasn't discovered an effective way to deliver drugs directly into the brain because human physiology doesn't work the way the futurist thinks. However, he remains confident that nanobots will make humans "a millionfold" more intelligent within the next twenty years.

Kurzweil concedes that AI will radically change society and create a global automated economy. People will lose jobs but will also adapt to new employment roles and opportunities advanced tech brings. A universal basic income will also ease the pain. He expects the first tangible transformative plans will emerge in the 2030s. The inevitable Singularity will enable humans to live forever or extend our living prospects indefinitely. Technology could even resurrect the dead through AI avatars and virtual reality.

Kurzweil says people are misdirecting their worries regarding AI.

"It is not going to be us versus AI: AI is going inside ourselves," he said. "It will allow us to create new things that weren't feasible before. It'll be a pretty fantastic future."

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Transhumanist author predicts artificial super-intelligence, immortality, and the Singularity by 2045 - TechSpot

Grant Cardone

Grant Cardone, private equity fund manager, real estate investor, author of The 10X Rule and creator of the 10X Profit Planner, recently argued that you should be checking your bank and investment accounts daily.

Grant Cardone: Heres Why I Predict the New Social Security Retirement Age Will Be 73

Learn More: 5 Subtly Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money

In an interview with podcast host Lewis Howes posted on Tik Tok, Cardone said that, for him, some non-negotiables when it comes to finances include that you should look at your money every day.

Experts such as Peter C. Earle, Senior Economist for the American Institute for Economic Research, also agree with this habit, stating that reviewing your personal financial circumstances daily can both be defensive and protective.

Daily checking of bank balances can serve to quickly identify unauthorized transactions or fraud, he said. Unusual activity is sometimes more immediately evident to account holders than to banks or the surveillance algorithms they utilize.

In addition, Earle said that by watching balances on a regular basis, accidental overdrafts can be remedied or prevented. But additionally, keeping an eye on spending habits can serve to keep within a budget, making sure that one-time and recurring charges are accurate and accounted for, he said.

Cardone also suggested that you should check your accounts daily because, he asserts, banks are a scam.

You get money, you work your a** off and then you give it to an institution and forget that its there, he told Howes. Wells Fargo is paying you nothing, Bank of America is paying you nothing. You send it to Chase, theyre not paying you anything.

This is something he has reiterated for many years. For instance, in a December 2023 Tik Tok video, Cardone said that he has been following this rule since he was 25 even when his account was in the red.

Yet, some experts have a different stance regarding the frequency of checking your accounts. Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP, and founder of Childfree Wealth, said that for most people, he recommends holding a weekly budget meeting and checking your spending then.

It is unlikely that checking your bank accounts daily is going to do much besides making you more nervous, he added.

When it comes to your investments, Zigmont recommends checking on them twice a year.

The market bounces daily and if you keep too close of an eye on things you may be tempted to make dramatic changes, which can hurt you, he said. Invest for the long term and dont react to the market.

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Grant Cardone: This Is Why You Should Be Checking Your Balance Every Day - Yahoo Finance

Grant Cardone

Grant Cardone, a private equity fund manager and real estate investor, believes that financial literacy is key for Americans to build wealth. Thats why Cardone has sent a proposal to the Trump campaign to implement a federal program, Financial Freedom for All, which would teach financial basics to all Americans.

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Learn More: 4 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money

I think Donald Trump would welcome this conversation to say, Lets educate Americans about how to do with their money what successful, wealthy people and investors do with their money,' Cardone told GOBankingRates.

In addition to making financial literacy more accessible, Cardone believes there are some other key policy changes that Trump would implement that would improve Americans finances.

Also see the economic health of every state when Trump was president.

Wealthy people know the best money secrets. Learn how to copy them.

Trump has spoken about wanting to lower taxes, which would not only mean more money in Americans pockets, but which also could have positive ripple effects.

He will lower taxes on all earners, and this means more money to spend and improve the GDP, Cardone said. He also would introduce or extend tax incentives, like accelerated depreciation for investments on major purchases, equipment, homes and businesses, which encourages investors to invest money, not take it off the board.

Find Out: Trump Wants To Eliminate Income Taxes Heres What That Would Mean for the Economy and Your Wallet

With lower taxes and more tax incentives, more businesses would be able to afford to hire more domestic employees.

Anytime you provide tax incentives, youre going to encourage investing, Cardone said. This is the love language of a businessperson: lower taxes and higher incentives for me to take risks.

High interest rates have made it more expensive for Americans to take out mortgages, car loans and other forms of debt. Cardone believes a Trump presidency would mean a long-awaited drop in interest rates.

Trump will hammer the Fed for lower rates, Cardone said. If he doesnt get his way, he will try to collapse the Fed and make it part of his executive office. I think it is not a bad idea that the president would control the interest rates of a country, because we cant be competitive right now. Japan has a mortgage rate of 2.5%. Ours is 7.5%.

If interest rates are brought down, that would make it more affordable for Americans to take out a mortgage and buy a home.

Story continues

Cardone said, Trump would put pressure on the Fed to reduce rates and get them competitive again so people could actually afford a mortgage, which would be under 4% or 4.5% for a mortgage to be competitive with a rent.

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Grant Cardone: 4 Reasons a Trump Win Would Improve Americans Finances - Yahoo Finance

AGRA: With Tuesdays usually being the Satsang day of Suraj Pal, also known as Sakar Narain Hari or Bhole Baba, police have intensified the vigil in certain districts of Aligarh and the Agra range, including Mainpuri and Kasganj, which have prominent ashrams of the self-styled godman. The religious congregation at Phoolrai village in Hathras, where 121 followers lost their lives in a stampede, was also held on a Tuesday.

In Mainpuri, about 200 followers of Bhole Baba moved towards the ashram in Bichwan town, where Baba is believed to have been staying for the past week. The police, who guard the palatial ashram, denied Babas presence inside and stopped the followers midway, who were coming for the Tuesday Satsang.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police (City) Rahul Mithas downplayed the situation, saying that a handful of followers visit the ashram every day, but the number has gone up on Tuesday.

These followers came in small groups, offered their prayers, and raised jaikara (praise slogans) outside the ashram in Bichwan, Mainpuri district. The sevadar at the ashram are not allowing entry to the followers, so they returned peacefully throughout, said Mithas. He denied any effort by police stationed around to keep away the followers.

Also Read | Hathras Stampede: SIT says organisers of 'Satsang' responsible for mishap

Sources present outside the ashram said that police had to place barricades to stop about 200 followers who gathered and were inclined to move towards the ashram for the satsang, organised every Tuesday. These followers said that it hardly matters to them if their godman was present in the ashram or not, but as a practice, they reached the ashram on Tuesday and return after bowing at the gate, a tradition they follow.

Despite the high probability of Bhole Babas presence at the Bichwan ashram, the police continue to deny it and justifying the presence of the force for the security of the followers inside the ashram in the aftermath of the stampede.

Although remaining closed for the last two decades, Babas house in the Kedar Nagar locality of Agra witnessed more followers, all women, on Tuesday. They , chanted jaikara, bowed at the closed gate of the house, and returned.

Vigil was also enhanced at the lavish ashram of Bhole Baba in Bahadur Nagar village within Patiali tehsil of Kasganj district, the native village of Suraj Pal who returned here after taking voluntary retirement from the UP Police in 1998 and began his transformational journey to becoming a preacher. Here also some of his followers gathered on Tuesday and returned after offering prayers.

Also Read | Hathras Baba was booked in Agra 24 years ago for making false claims

It may be recalled that Bhole Baba has been missing since July 2 after a stampede allegedly caused by a mad rush among his followers to take his charan raj (blessed soil), which left 121 people, mostly women, dead.

Exactly a week after the tragic stampede, earlier in the day on Tuesday, the SIT submitted its report, prepared by ADG Agra Zone Anupam Kulshrestha and Commissioner Aligarh Division Chetra V, to the chief minister in Lucknow. In initial action, six officials including the SDM, Tehsildar, CO, and the in-charge of Sikandra Rao police station were suspended today.

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Unfazed by stampede, Bhole Baba followers continue to visit ashrams for satsangs - Hindustan Times