Hello from the entire Alterra team! We’ve been working full speed from home offices since early March and are thankful for top notch cloud-based tools so that we can continue to serve you without interruptions. Our commitment to lifetime learning is also hard at work in this situation as we monitor updates through weekly web conferences and calls with leading economists, analysts and health officials. We’ve also compiled quite a few work from home and lifestyle tips. So, we’re using this page to provide resources to stay informed, productive and holistically healthy while staying home – we hope you find it helpful!
Health & Financial Updates
We’ve found these resources helpful, concise updates for current health and financial outlooks.
- CDC’s COVID-19 page – updated status for the US overall
- King 5’s COVID-19 page – updates for WA state and the Pacific Northwest
- City National Rochdale’s Insights – outlooks from top economic and market analysts
- Morningstar’s Insights – outlooks from top economic and market analysts
- A summary of the CARES Act and coronavirus-related tax deadline changes
- A summary of the PPP and EIDL plans for small businesses
Maximize Your Work-From-Home Productivity
Tips and tricks to make your remote work more productive and more enjoyable.
- 3 Pieces of Work from Home Advice from Google’s productivity expert
- 10 Zoom Tips You Might Not Know – Zoom’s blog tips for the ideal web conference
- 15 Office Design Tricks and how to apply them at home
- How to Design a Home Office That Inspires Productivity
Holistic Health for Body, Mind & Soul
Resources to take care of your whole self and get outside while staying inside.
Body
The connection between our physical and emotional wellness is incredible! Physical activity can do wonders for our mental health. Here are a few ideas for staying fit at home.
- Yoga for Uncertain Times from YouTube’s Yoga with Adriene channel
- 20 CrossFit Workouts You Can Do at Home from WOD Fever
- World-renowned choreographer Ryan Heffington provides a free hour of cardio dance on Instagram live 5 days a week.
- Run from Zombies using this app in case you struggle with motivation on that daily run.
- 9 Recipes to Make with the Food You Bought for Self-Quarantine from Boston Magazine
Mind
What to do when the mind is wanders off into worry and angst? Learn something new…and teach the kids, too!
- Solve the Rubik’s Cube using a classic method or this storytelling version for kids (but not just for kids).
- Learn 25 Must-Know French Phrases in 6 minutes.
- Free Online Courses from Ivy League Schools
- 300,000 books available for free download
- Amazon Global Audiobooks Open for Free
- A collection of documentaries from IDFA online Amsterdam International Documentary Festival
- NASA Online Audiovisual Library – I particularly liked An Astronaut’s Tips for Living in Close Quarters!
Soul
There’s nothing like beauty to perk up the soul, or quality time with loved ones to remind us of who we really are. Here are some fun ways to nurture the explorer, art-lover or cultured coloring-book-enthusiast in you and your loved ones.
- Virtual tours of 12 famous museums
- 33 national parks you can tour virtually
- Nightly live streaming performances from the Metropolitan Opera and the Seattle Symphony
- Host a Netflix party! Physical distance without social distance
- And, too many free coloring books to count from Crayola!
We hope these tips help you find opportunities to learn something new, fine-tune your work-from-home habits and stay positive as we all work together for the health of our families, friends and communities.
Josh Whelan
CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®
Partner, Financial Advisor
About the Author
Josh sees his profession as a calling, not just a career. His motive for pursing financial planning was very personal. While working on a degree in marriage and family counseling, Josh’s father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Josh decided then and there to change career paths to help his family prepare for an uncertain financial future. Financial planning became his path to serving others.
The “Alterra” name was coined by joining the Latin roots “alter”, the origin of the word “altruism” with “terra” meaning earth or land. This name reflects the company philosophy of “clients before profits” and providing firmly grounded advice.