Daily Archives: May 9, 2021

Make 2021 the Year You Finally open a Roth IRA, for the most tax free income in retirement.

The Roth IRA is one of the largest gifts ever bestowed upon the American taxpayers by congress. While many people ignore the Roth IRA, it has been around for more than 20 years. Even small contributions over time can grow into a substantial amount of tax-free income in retirement. Sadly, the Roth IRA is often ignored by high-income earners and the financial advisors who help them. Many earn too much money to contribute, or the lazy financial advisor just ignores the tax benefits because the contribution limits are too small to worry about for the ultra-high net worth client (so they think).

Roth IRA BASICS

ARoth IRAis a type of retirement savings account. However, unlike a Traditional IRA or 401(k), you will not receive a tax deduction when you make contributions, but your money will grow tax-free and can be withdrawn tax-free during retirement. (That's assuming you follow a few Roth IRA rules).The Roth IRA is also not subject to required minimum distributions which means your tax-free growth can compound even longer.

The younger you are the more valuable the ROTH IRA tax benefits can be.

Contribute to a Roth When You Can. Your Income May Limit or Eliminate Your Eligibility.

The good news for procrastinators is you can contribute to a Roth IRA when you are filing your taxes for the previous year. Your Roth IRA contribution deadline for 2020 is May 17th, 2021. The sooner your Roth IRA contribution is made, the further into the future, your potential investment earnings will be sheltered from taxation.The longer your tax savings compound, the bigger the tax planning benefit of a Roth IRA.

For 2020, if you are married and filing jointly, each spouse can make a full $6,000 Roth IRA contribution if they have an AGI (adjusted gross income) of less than $196,000. For singles, that number is a bit lower at $124,000. Contribution limits drop if you earn more than these amounts, and you can't contribute at all if you are lucky enough to earn more than $206,000 as a married couple and $139,000 as a single individual. Notice, there is a marriage penalty in play here. I'm just saying.

For 2021, Roth IRA income limits have increased slightly; if you are married and filing jointly, both you and your spouse can each make a full $6,000 Roth IRA contribution if you have an AGI (adjusted gross income) of less than $198,000. For singles, that number is a bit lower at $125,000. Contribution limits drop if you earn more than these amounts, and you can't contribute at all if you are lucky enough to earn more than $208,000 as a married couple and $140,000 as a single individual.

If your income is close to the threshold limits above, consider saving the $6,000 throughout the year into a regular investment account. Then, take those funds and put the maximum you are allowed into the Roth IRA when filing taxes. Most people find it is often easier to come up with money over a year's time versus scrapping together a large lump sum at tax time.

Like A Fine Napa Wine, Roth IRAs Get Better As You Age

There are two main ways a Roth IRA gets better as you age. First, there is an allowable catch-up contribution of $1,000, per year, for those who have reached 50 years oldbringing the total contribution to $7,000 per year. On the other hand, the longer you hold a Roth, the more valuable the tax-free growth may become.

For example, if you fully funded a Roth IRA for ten years (assuming a net 10% investment return), you would have accumulated around $95,000. Whereas, if you save $6,000, per year, for 20 years, you would have around $343,000.Going a bit further, if you started contributing to a Roth IRA at 22 and kept contributing until age seventy, you could have a mind-blowing $5,760,000 on just $288,000 of contributions. Don't forget all this money can be withdrawn tax-free. So, get started as early as you can; I started funding my Roth IRA shortly after graduating from college at age 22 and before I even had a real job lined up.

A Spousal Roth IRA can help you become a Roth IRA Millionaire faster and easier.Even when one spouse doesn't work, you may still be able to open a Spousal Roth IRA. Whether your husband or wife is a stay-at-home spouse or just between jobs, a spousal contribution will allow your household to contribute to the non-earning spouse. This, of course, assumes you qualify for contributions based on the income limits.

Married couples can also use the Spousal ROTH IRA

Ignore This Roth IRA Benefit:Easy Access to Money

For those of you who are just getting started investing for the future, tying up money until you retire (decades in the future) may scare the crap out of you. What happens if you have an emergency and you need money? Roth IRA owners can withdraw their contributions after they have been in the account for five years, for any reason, without paying taxes or penalties. I mention this as a nice, friendly kick in the butt to make sure you get started saving. There is no excuse not to invest for the future. I say to ignore this Roth IRA benefit because if you use this account as a piggy bank, you will likely never accumulate enough wealth to achieve financial independence, let alone maintain a basic standard of living in retirement. Bottom line you can touch your Roth IRA money, BUT DON'T.

To have full access to your "tax-free withdrawals," you need to fulfill the Roth IRA five-year rule. This rule means you can't withdraw your earnings, tax-free, for at least five years from the beginning of the tax year for which you made your first Roth IRA contribution. This applies even if you are older than 59 .

Of course, you can still pull out all your contributions at any time. If you've been saving for years and have a substantial Roth IRA, this rule shouldn't really cause much of an issue. On the other hand, if you are starting late, make sure to work with your CPA and fiduciary financial planner on a smart withdrawal strategy so you can potentially avoid unwanted taxation on your Roth IRA distributions.

Some taxpayer may get both a tax credit and tax free growth and withdrawal with a ROTH IRA ... [+] contribution in 2021.

The Roth IRA Double-Tax Benefit for Some Taxpayers

For once, there is a tax benefit exclusively for those in the lower income tax brackets. As I mentioned above, you don't get a tax deduction when you contribute to a Roth IRA, but you also don't have to pay taxes when you make withdrawals in retirement. (If you follow the simple Roth IRA rules.) If this isn't enough motivation, there is an extra tax bonus for low-income workers who are smart enough to make Roth IRA contributions. This bonus comes in the form of the saver's credit. If in 2021 you make less than $39,500, single, or $66,000 as a married couple, you can potentially receive a tax credit for 10-50% of your contributions to a Roth IRA. This credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction of your taxes owed. For those who don't owe taxes, you can receive the credit as a refund.

This is like getting paid by the government to save for retirement. Your money will grow tax-free, come out tax-free, and you get a tax credit for contributing.

Just as a reminder, if you were to contribute $6,000 to a Roth IRA from the age of 22 until the age of 70, you would have contributed $288,000. Assuming a 10% annual return, your Roth IRA could potentially be worth $5,761,000. Keep in mind; this money can be withdrawn tax-free. If this isn't motivation tostart a Roth IRAtoday, I don't know what is.

For those above the income limits to fund a Roth IRA, you may have the option to fund a Roth 401(k) at work, use the Rich Person Roth IRA, or perhaps consider the backdoor Roth IRA strategies.

There is no better day than today to get started on the road to financial independence. Reach out to afiduciary certified financial plannerwho can help you develop a plan to make sure you are on track for your various financial goals. Whether you are just starting in the workforce or eying retirement, there is always a way to improve your financial health.

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What You Need To Know In 2021 About The Roth IRA - Forbes

Norway's sovereign wealth fund has called for increased independence and diversity requirements to be included in revisions of Japan's corporate governance guidelines.

Norges Bank Investment Management, the in-house manager of the Government Pension Fund Global, Oslo, said in separate letters to Japan's Financial Services Authority and the Tokyo Stock Exchange that it invested $76.2 billion in 1,499 Japanese companies at the end of 2020. Executives running the fund, which had 11.03 trillion Norwegian kroner ($1.29 trillion) in assets as of March 31, were responding to consultations by Japan's FSA on changes to its guidelines for investor and company engagement and to the stock exchange's consultation on revisions to the country's corporate governance code.

"We regard the protection of minority shareholders through good corporate governance as necessary to safeguard and promote the fund's long-term financial interests," the letters said.

In the letter to the FSA, NBIM executives highlighted the importance of board independence, board composition, the nomination process and sustainability reporting as four issues for the fund and manager investing in the Japanese equities market.

It made a number of recommendations for each area of concern, although also noted a "gradual increase in independence levels on Japanese boards since the introduction of guidelines in 2018.

The FSA is recommending in its revised guidelines that companies listed on Japan's prime market that at least one-third of the board is composed of independent directors. However, NBIM said that, over time, it would encourage that a majority of the board be independent over time, to align with global best practices.

Diversity of competences and backgrounds was also high on NBIM's recommendation list, with a call for an "appropriate gender balance."

The letter also welcomed a recommendation on enhancing dialogue between shareholders and companies. "Over the last years, we have seen that Japanese companies are increasingly willing to engage with shareholders. We would welcome further engagement directly with independent directors, especially in companies where the chairperson is an executive," the letter said.

The second letter, to the Tokyo Stock Exchange, regarded a consultation on changes to Japan's corporate governance code, introduced in 2015.

As well as echoing calls for increased independence and diversity of board members, NBIM said the code could be made more effective by the introduction of reporting against its standards in English by all companies, to be published "well in advance of the annual shareholder meeting."

"This would enable us to consider the companies' own reporting when we make our voting decisions and engage with Japanese companies," the letter said.

Both letters were signed by Carine Smith Ihenacho, chief governance and compliance officer, and Peter Alexis Wegerich, senior economist.

Continue reading here:

Norway wealth fund calls on Japanese boards to boost diversity, independence - Pensions & Investments

Young Americans are constantly told that they need to contribute to a 401(k) plan, meet the employer match and if they dont have access to a 401(k), to start an individual retirement account and thats just the beginning.

In order to safeguard their future nest egg, savers must understand the very basics of investment, which includes picking the right stocks and bonds, knowing how to balance their fund options and remembering to monitor the plan every so often.

MarketWatch teamed up with Barrons Live to provide its readers and viewers with a three-part webinar series on retirement savings for people in their 20s through 40s. The series, called Getting ready for retirement: From Gen X to Gen Z, everything you need to know, includes conversations with guests well-versed in the personal finance landscape.

The first part of the series, held on April 21, went beyond the basics of retirement advice with Roger Ma, a certified financial planner and founder of advisory firm lifelaidout, and Jully-Alma Taveras, a personal finance blogger and coach at Investing Latina.

Americans know they need to open up a retirement account, or meet the employer match, but not everyone knows how to pick the right investments for their portfolios or move over an old retirement account if they tend to jump from job to job. Taveras and Ma answered questions, such as: What are the biggest mistakes Americans make in regards to their retirement savings? Should they be heavily invested in equities or bonds, and how does the current low-rate environment affect their retirement assets? When shouldnt someone set and forget their retirement portfolio? And how can they be sure the investment choices they made were sound choices?

The second part of the series, held on April 28, discussed alternative sources of income in retirement, such as annuities, home equity and Social Security. On May 5, the third and last session will discuss the future of retirement for younger generations and the meaning of and path to financial independence.

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Getting started: The do's and don'ts of retirement saving and investing - MarketWatch

Many people approaching traditional retirement age choose not to retire for a variety of reasons. Some are driven by a sense of purpose and community; others are pulled back by financial necessity.

One third of older adults in central Indiana have difficulty paying for basic needs, according to a new study from SAVI and IUPUI. Because of racial disparities in lifetime earnings, the magnitude of those effects look different across race.

Black workers in Indiana, who earn 79 cents on every dollar earned by white workers, end up receiving less through social security benefits at retirement age. As a result, the poverty rate among older Black Hoosiers is 10 times higher than the rate for white Hoosiers.

How and why do older adults have to decide between work and retirement, and what additional challenges do they face? WFYI business and economy reporter Pria Mahadevan spoke with Tauhric Brown, president and CEO of CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions, to learn more.

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Pria Mahadevan, WFYI: What drives people over 60 to come back into the workforce?

Tauhric Brown, CICOA: What we do know from the SAVI report is that our African American community, our Latinx communities are the two that appear to be disproportionately impacted from the earnings that one has throughout their career. And so what that does is, when they get to the end of their professional journey thinking it's time to retire, they find themselves in a position where they can't fully retire. They've got to keep some sense of income coming in, so that everything that they need to handle can be handled.

Mahadevan: And so is there anything about the nature of work that has changed in the last 40 or 50 years that you believe has contributed to this shift?

Brown: One of the things is, the old style of folks working 30, 40 years in one place -- those days are long gone, right? Company pensions and things that folks worked 20, 30 years to begin drawing down on have been changed quite a bit. And so, when people get to that point where they've got to decide, Do I get my prescription, which is really important for me to have, or do I eat? You never want folks having to make that kind of decision. But you and I both know that does happen.

Mahadevan: What are the policy issues behind that? Like, how did we end up in this place where an older adult may want to retire, but can't because they need to put food on their table or make sure they're getting their prescription?

Brown: Yeah, you know, what, I wish I had the answer to that at a policy level. When you get to that public policy, it's difficult to just say, flip this switch and do that. So my approach has always been, let's try and figure out on the ground, [in] neighborhoods, in the communities, community business organizations collaborating.

One of the things I talked about is computer literacy -- that's one area where we know at a certain point, maybe it's that 75 [years old] up, maybe it's 80 [years old] up, are not as tech savvy, perhaps, as some of those younger, older adults. And so that sparks an opportunity. What might we be able to do to help improve those skills to help develop those skills, so that if this 73, 74 year old man or woman says, I want to re-enter the workforce, gosh, they've got some great skills that they've developed to give them a shot at maybe securing something that's a little higher paying than what they might have thought they could get ahold of before.

Mahadevan: And I'm curious specifically for financial independence, and what early interventions to increase or better financial independence within the senior community might look like?

Brown: Yeah, and that's a wonderful point. My thing is -- if you can get to people sooner, right? So, I wish we could have met that 75 year old individual who's still working today, 35 years ago. There are many organizations in Central Indiana, whose missions are about the Latinx community, the African American community, and they are engaging that age spectrum. It literally is going to take an entire community of community business organizations to begin to transform what this SAVI report really shows and demonstrates for us.

Contact WFYI business and economy reporterPria Mahadevan at pmahadevan@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @priamaha.

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What Keeps Older Adults In The Workforce? - WFYI

Im 24, have been a licensed U.S. Soccer Federation official for 11 years, love sports and am openly gay. I hope one day to become a professional referee at the highest level.

I love being a soccer referee. It has given me the opportunity to grow as an individual and improve communication skills I will be able to carry with me throughout my lifetime. Starting at a young age also gave me a better sense of financial independence and the importance of saving money early.

At first, it was very intimidating officiating a game where there would be conflict and I was only 13 years old. I would have to interact with disgruntled parents, coaches, and even scarier, kids my age or older. It took a lot of on-field experience and mental toughness on my part.

While I was learning to grow as a young official, I was also learning to grow as a young person who was trying to become more comfortable with my sexuality.

Being gay and passionate about sports is something that was new to me, but I am here to continue breaking stereotypes. I am proud that I have been able to express my sexuality while being heavily involved with sports. Both play a huge role in my life and I am so grateful for where my experiences have brought me today.

I started playing soccer at a young age in my hometown of Orlando, Florida, through a church league. I moved up to northern Indiana in fourth grade where I continued playing soccer while also trying various other sports. My love was and continues to be soccer. I played goalkeeper not only because I was the tallest on the team, but mostly because it was my favorite position.

Growing up, I always loved taking charge and leading others and those qualities play a huge role in being a goalkeeper. Sports have always given me the chance to express myself and be passionate without the fear of what others will think of me.

While I loved playing the game, I quickly realized I had a lot of potential officiating soccer also. My brother had a game where the official didnt show up and I volunteered, as a 13-year-old, to fill in. Someone gave me the number to a referee assignor and I quickly got involved and started officiating more games. I stopped playing after I became licensed and got more heavily involved with the officiating world.

I am going into my 11th season as a licensed USSF official, but my journey to get where I am now wasnt the easiest.

While I am proud to call myself a Hoosier, I grew up around many who didnt believe it was OK to be gay. This is something I struggle with. I was hiding who I truly am and not able to feel comfortable enough to express my sexuality.

I started officiating during a time where I was trying to figure out who I was. I would officiate players who I thought were attractive, but I never thought anything of it. I just thought it was normal, but I didnt realize until later in my youth that I was gay. It took a while to accept.

I quickly realized that I had more people than not supporting me and loving me for me. Sexuality didnt change the way people thought of me. Officiating soccer has given me the opportunity to be independent, remain passionate, lead others and continue to participate in a sport that I love.

Through my involvement with soccer, I have found other outlets to officiate and also play sports such as softball, volleyball, basketball and futsal through my involvement with Indiana Universitys recreational sports program, which is where I attended for my undergrad and worked during my four years in Bloomington.

Sports have always been something that has played a huge role in my life whether its officiating, playing, watching in person or on television. This all stemmed from my early exposure to sports through playing and officiating soccer. I participated in the student sections from high school through college, bought season tickets and traveled hundreds of miles to big sporting events.

Sports have had a huge impact on my life. It is a part of my life where I have felt most comfortable expressing myself and this isnt limited to my sexuality. It truly is amazing to me to see where I started as a youth soccer player and how it has turned out as an adult who has officiated the game for more than a decade and is an avid sports follower.

I hope I can show others that it is OK to break the stereotypes and be who you want to be and express yourself in any way you see fit. Just be yourself and do what you love. That is something I learned quickly and I hope others lan follow this same path during their journey.

Alec Pena, 24, recently graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington in May 2020. He is in his 11th year as a licensed United States Soccer Federation official. He can be reached on Instagram (alecpena97) and loves talking to fellow members of the LGBTQ+ community about sport-related topics.

Story editor: Jim Buzinski

If you are an out LGBTQ person in sports and want to tell your story, email Jim (kandreeky@gmail.com)

Check out our archive of coming out stories.

If youre an LGBTQ person in sports looking to connect with others in the community, head over to GO! Space to meet and interact with other LGBTQ athletes, or to Equality Coaching Alliance to find other coaches, administrators and other non-athletes in sports.

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Young soccer referee has thrived while being openly gay - Outsports

Swiss finance is home to a burgeoning group of female bloggers. Ex-banker Carolina Newton introduces five of the key finfluencers every banker should be following.

Behind the banking scene, a fast-growing community ofSwiss-basedwomen are attempting a financialrevolution on social media. The discrepancy between the genders in terms of financial education was laid bare ina recent paper by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD.

The role of finance bloggers shouldn't be underestimated: they helpbanks and financial service providers to increase their customer basis andpointout what ismissing in the world of finance in order to cater to women.

That's why every banker (male or female) should know about the following five Swiss female finance bloggers, follow them, andprobably even learn from them:

Carolina Newton

1. Finelles.comInstagram @finellescom

ClaraCreitz is the founder of Finelles, a learning platform and community for female investors. She has been working in the financial industry for almost ten years in various roles for companies such as UBS, Julius Baer, PwC, and HDI. In 2018 she realized through a discussion with colleagues that despite working for a bank many of them men or women did not take care of their personal finances.

After conducting a survey of 120 women Clara found out: Most of the surveyed women were doing fine with budgeting and basic banking products, but they were completely clueless about investing. Furthermore, she found out that even though these women knew nothing about investing, they were indeed interested in learning about it. As a result, she founded Finelles in order to offer what these women were looking for.

2. Investlikeaysha.com Instagram @ayshavandepaer

Offers a free blog, e-mail course, book club, and a paid program invest at REST in English

Aysha van de Paerhas over a decade of professional experience in private equity and real estate investing with firms such as Aventicum Capital Management, Bowfonds Investment Management as well as EY andPwC. In early 2017, I lost my husband Karl in a road accident while expecting our second child,she says. The new financial reality that followed inspired me to share my personal story and knowledge about investing to help women achieve financial security over the long term.

Showing women how to compensate for the financial disadvantages they face and become confident investors became her mission. She offers several free resources to start learning aboutinvesting, including a free email course available on her blog, a book club on personal finance and investing with over 1,200 members, and a paid program Invest at REST.

3. Liebefinanzen.ch

Instagram @liebefinanzen.ch

Offers free content inGerman

Helga is an experienced travel bloggerand normally travels non-stop. The pandemic put hertravel lifestyle on an immediate hold, and shestarted to rethink her personal financial situation.Hercomprehension and knowledge ofthe stock market, ETFs, and investing in generalis entirely self-taught:she has neither a background in finance nor a college degree.

Her personal investment journey isavailablefor freeonliebefinanzen.ch: Myblog is addressed to stock market beginners.My goal isto reduce inhibitions and take away fears of contactwith the world of finance. I do not believe in tradingand speculation on the stock marketwhich is why I write about long-term investments and wealth creation,says Helga.Her goal is to retire at 50 and having the choice to work as much or as little asshe would like.

4. Loveandfinance.chInstagram @loveandfinance

Offersa free blog, paide-book, money mentoring, and more in English

Elsie'sblog is about how to start investing, her own wealth updates as well as about her financialfailures (such as never creating a prenuptial agreement). I've become inspired by others and hope tobean inspiration as well to those who have experienced similar setbacks in love and finance, explainsthe 30-something divorcee, who worked in finance for a long time. She never applied what she learnedon the job to her personal finance but decided to changethat in order to become financiallyindependent. In addition to her blog, she offers ane-bookwhich helps people get on the path offinancial independence with a particular focus on Europeansand Swiss.

5. Missfinance.chInstagram @missfinance.ch

Offers free content in German

Angela Mygind currently works as an executive assistantand spent severalyears in the tourism industrybefore that. I observedwhen talking tomyfemale friendsthat theywantedto take care oftheirfinances,buttheirlack of knowledgeprevented them from doing so.Aftermany books,blogs,articles, and Youtube videos,Irealized that investing is not as hard as it looked.

Finding the right information and ideas was the hardest part about her financial education journey, which is why shedecided to share her experience. Her blog offers free educational content about topics such as theSwiss pension system (Pillar 3a), stock market investments, ETFs, and the respective investmentplatform.

Carolina Newtonis the operating chief and a board member of Swissfintechladies, anetwork for women in the finance and tech industry. She believes income inequality can be more adequately addressed by a wider participation in financial markets. Educating women about investing is one aspect to solving the problem. Newton, who began her career as a forex broker, has more than ten years experience in banking and finance.

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The Female Finfluencers Bankers Need to Know - finews.com

W

hen Nancy Mitford was writing The Pursuit of Love, she was working as a bookshop assistant in Mayfair. She was so hard up that she would often walk for nearly an hour to work from her home in Maida Vale to save the bus fare. When the book was published in 1945, she made so much money that she boasted that I sat under a shower of gold.

This entrancing comic novel, which has been turned into a three-part BBC One mini-series starring Lily James and Emily Beecham, is a fictional account of the Radlett family, set between the two world wars. The book was inspired by her own dismal love life and a freakish, dysfunctional aristocratic upbringing she admitted was mad. The Mitfords make the Bluths of Arrested Development look like models of normality.

Born on 28 November 1904, Nancy was the eldest of the six Mitford sisters she was followed by Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah and had one brother, four years her junior, called Tom. Their mother, Sydney Bowles, imposed all sorts of arbitrary rules on her daughters. They were banned from eating pork, their nanny had to rinse them in cold water after their baths, no medicines of any kind were allowed, and they were educated by governesses in case the future debutants developed thick calves from playing hockey at school. I grew up as ignorant as an owl, Nancy once joked.

She nicknamed her volatile father, David Bertram Ogilvy Freeman-Mitford, the second Baron Redesdale, Old Subhuman, partly because of his habit of eating gelatinous, ruby red calf brains for breakfast. He is the model for The Pursuit of Loves Uncle Matthew played by Dominic West a quirky, bad-tempered, xenophobic bully. One of her fathers favourite games, which features in the novel, was called child hunt. Nancy and her sister Pamela would be designated the hare or the cold boot and given a head-start to flee across the fields near their Oxfordshire manor house, before he released the chasing bloodhounds. The dog that found a child first was rewarded by Redesdale with raw meat. Although it was supposedly a bit of fun, Nancy later wrote about her memories of four great hounds in full cry after two little girls.

Her father had fought a bloody First World War campaign. In The Pursuit of Love, Nancy describes how, over the chimney piece, hangs an entrenching tool, with which, in 1915, Uncle Matthew had whacked to death eight Germans one by one as they crawled out of a dug-out. When Matthew hears that a cosmopolitan neighbour is bringing friends to the Radletts ball, he spews out prejudice against fiendish foreigners. I wouldnt put it past him to bring some foreigners, I hear he sometimes has Frogs and even Wops to stay with him. I will not have my house filled with Wops.

Nancys father developed extreme right-wing opinions when she was a teenager, following financial problems brought on by a series of poor investments. In 1937, he joined the pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic organisation The Link. In real life, Redesdale passed on his hateful views to several of his daughters. Unity became a fervent Nazi groupie, declaring publicly that, I want everyone to know Im a Jew hater. She once etched a swastika into a window using a diamond ring. She ended up befriending Hitler, who used to stroke her hair and call her his Little Kind. On the day war was declared, Unity tried to shoot herself in a Munich park. She made a hash of it and was left with brain damage from the bullet lodged in her brain. She lived out her final years on the Scottish island of Inch, dying in 1948.

Hitler had been guest of honour at the wedding of Nancys sister Diana, when the socialite married the British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley, at the Berlin home of Joseph Goebbels, in October 1936. Nancy briefly flirted with right-wing views, praising Mosleys Black Shirts, before turning her back on extremism and on the beliefs of her two sisters. She mocked both in her 1935 novel Wigs on the Green and wrote a letter to a friend saying she wanted to invent a sham arm which can be screwed on & which makes a noise like Hitler making a speech to give to Unity and Diana.

Biographer Lisa Hilton, author of The Horror of Love: Nancy Mitford and Gaston Palewski in Paris and London, is convinced that Nancys experiences of working in a refugee camp during the Spanish Civil War, and later helping Jewish refugees in London during the Second World War, changed her outlook. She has been accused of anti-Semitism but many of her close friends were Jewish, says Hilton. She loathed people who were anti-Semitic and she loathed people who were anti-gay. She saw both as being deeply, deeply uncivilised.

Things came to a head in 1940 when Diana Mosley was interred in Holloway Prison after Nancy gave evidence against her sister to M15, accusing her of plotting the downfall of democracy in England. Security service documents released by the National Archives in 2003 included a report from January 1941 stating the Nancy Mitford personally informed the authorities of her sisters (Lady Mosleys) treasonable sympathies. Nancy warned the government that her sister, who regularly visited Hitler, was a ruthless and shrewd egotist, a devoted fascist and far cleverer and more dangerous than her husband.

The Mitford family was divided over fascism with two of Nancys sisters - Diana and Unity - having close ties to the Nazis

(Getty Images)

Strange as it seems, the two sisters reconciled after the war and Nancy would regularly visit Diana and her husband, whom she always referred to privately as The Poor Old Leader. Nicknames were always an enthusiastic hobby in the Mitford family. As youngsters, the Mitford sisters developed a private language called Boudledidge (pronounced Bowdledidge), with each girl taking on a different persona. Their parents were known as Marv and Farv, Diana was known as Bodley (a moniker that mocked the size of her skull, taken from the name of publishers Bodley Head), the domesticated Pamela was dubbed Woman, Jessica was Decca, Unity was Bobo and Heart of Stone and Deborah was Debo, Nine or Stubby (because of the shape of her legs). Nancy was sometimes known as Koko.

Even in middle-age, Nancy retained a cruel streak, continuing to call Deborah, who became Duchess of Devonshire, Nine, arguing that her sister, who never read books and declared her favourite reading matter to be the monthly journal of the British Goat Keepers Society, had not developed beyond the mental age of nine. The great advantage of living in a large family is that early lesson of lifes essential unfairness, Nancy wrote in The Pursuit of Love.

Nancy admitted that she was often vile to her younger sisters. Jessica, who described the famous writer as sharp-tongued and sarcastic, recalled that Nancy once told her she looked like the eldest and ugliest of the Bront sisters. Deborah, 15 years Nancys junior, suffered the worst torments. Nancy would often tell the youngest sibling that everyone cried when you were born and she wrote poems specifically designed to upset Nine, including one about a little houseless match (it has no house, it lies alone) that made her little sister sob. Even holding up a box of matches soon became enough to bring tears to Deborahs eyes.

Lily James and Emily Beecham both star in the BBC adaptation of The Pursuit of Love

(Theodora Films Limited & Moonage Pictures Limited/Robert Viglasky)

The sibling who tends to be most overlooked in the family drama is Tom Mitford, who was 36 when he was killed in action, in March 1945, in Burma, fighting for the Devonshire Regiment (the Nazi sympathiser had not wanted to fight against Germans, but saw no problem in serving against the Japanese). Nancy was staying with friends when she heard about his death. She reportedly came down to dinner that evening immaculately dressed, never once mentioning her brother.

Perhaps old resentments still festered. Tom played an inadvertent part in Nancys unhappy romantic life, having introduced her to one of his former Eton lovers, James Hamish St Clair-Erskine. Nancys friend Evelyn Waugh warned her about the narcissistic St Clair-Erskine, whom she met in 1928. They became engaged shortly afterwards and Nancy later admitted that she did not have a single happy moment with the aristocratic Scot, telling Waugh on one occasion that what he would really like would be for me to die. That nearly came about in 1931, when the 26-year-old tried to kill herself by putting her head in a gas oven. She changed her mind at the last moment, bemoaning her life during the two days of sickness that followed. After St Clair-Erskine broke up with her by telephone, Nancy took revenge by turning him into the repellent artist Albert Memorial Gates in her debut novel Highland Fling.

Her love life was a disaster, Hilton told the BBC radio show Great Lives in 2019. She was engaged for five years to Hamish Erskine, who was frankly gay. Then she married Peter Rodd, who was a dreadful womaniser and the most boring man in England. He was feckless and stole all her money.

The handsome Peter Rodd, son of the first Baron Rennell, was a heavy drinker and another man incapable of showing her real affection. Their 1933 marriage was an emotional catastrophe. Rodd, who had supposedly proposed to two women in the same week he asked Nancy to marry him, was compulsively unfaithful to Nancy. He was also a colossal, pompous bore. Although Nancy tried to get her sisters to call him Prod, they dubbed him The Old Toll-Gater, in reference to his habit of rambling on about historical subjects such as turnpike roads and the medieval Norman kingdom of Sicily. He never held down a job and was always on the cadge for money. He appears both as the posh sponger Jasper Aspect in Wigs on the Green and as the shiftless Basil Seal in Waughs Black Mischief.

Nancy Mitford had an unhappy marriage to Peter Rodd, ending with divorce in 1957

(Getty Images)

Rodd drained Nancy of the money she earned writing for magazines such as Harpers Bazaar and for the small fees about 100 apiece that she earned for her first four novels: The cool reception for her 1940 novel Pigeon Pie, as well asher mounting unhappiness with Rodd, were factors in the way she threw herself into the war effort with such zeal. As well as helping refugees, she was an ambulance driver, a canteen assistant and a first aid worker, during which stint she was allocated the task of writing the names of the dead on their heads in indelible pencil.

In 1941, after suffering repeated miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy, she was sent to hospital for a hysterectomy. Nancy later revealed that her mothers reaction was to say: Ovaries? I thought one had 700, like caviar. One biographer believes the traumatic event marked a turning point. The brutal removal of her ability to have children liberated her into creativity, says Laura Thompson, author of Life in a Cold Climate: Nancy Mitford A Portrait of a Contradictory Woman.

A year later, Nancy began thinking about a new novel exploring her family and her own romantic life. It came at a time when she had fallen deeply in love with a new lover, Colonel Gaston Palewski, a top officer in Charles de Gaulles cabinet, who was co-ordinating Frances war effort from London. Although the chubby, balding Palewski was described as having rancid breath and a face like an unpeeled King Edward potato, he was a passionate lover and the model for the suave French duke Fabrice de Sauveterre in The Pursuit of Love (hes played by Call My Agent!s Assaad Bouab in Emily Mortimers BBC adaptation).

Assaad Bouab plays Gaston Palewski alongside James, based on the great love of Mitfords life

(Theodora Films Limited & Moonage Pictures Limited/Robert Viglasky)

The Pursuit of Love, the book that would finally give Nancy financial independence, was written while she was working at Heywood Hill Bookshop in Curzon Street. Thankfully, publishers Hamish Hamilton accepted her offer of a new novel, after shed written to say: "I expect your list is enormous, & you may not want it". Something about working at the bookshop seemed to inspire Nancy, who said she read enormously to educate herself as a child. She was sometimes disparaging about her own indifferent novels, underplaying books that are full of wisdom, humour and bitingly original descriptions. The Pursuit of Love is told through the eyes of Linda Radletts cousin, Fanny Logan. When Fanny is shown Lindas new-born baby, she remarks that it is the usual horrid sight of a howling orange in a fine black wig. This was daringly unsentimental writing for 1945.

Zo Heller, who wrote the introduction to a 2010 edition of The Pursuit of Love, described Nancy as a genius, declaring that beneath the brittle surface of Mitfords wit there is something infinitely more melancholy at work something that is apt to snag you and pull you into its dark undertow when you are least expecting it.

The Pursuit of Love (the title was suggested by Waugh) was published on 10 December 1945. It sold 200,000 copies in its first year. At one point, the irascible Uncle Matthew yells at Fanny for using the description notepaper when she should have said writing paper. The mores and foibles of the English upper class society remained a subject close to Mitfords heart. A 1955 essay in Encounter magazine called The English Aristocracy was a deliberately teasing, inflammatory guide to the etiquette of language. She detailed the correct U (upper class) things to say, offering the vulgar non-U (non-upper class) alternative. The essay proved so popular that it was expanded into a book called Noblesse Oblige: An Enquiry into the Identifiable Characteristics of the English Aristocracy.

She offered lots of examples: false teeth was U, dentures was non-U; sick was U, ill was non-U; chimneypiece was U, mantelpiece was non-U; a person had ones bath if they were U and took a bath if they were non-U. My favourite is her particularly stern instruction to anyone whose guests insisted on braying the word cheers as they clink their glasses. She advised her readers that silence is the only possible U-response.

The book secured her reputation as an insufferable snob. Not that she was worried. When she was interviewed by the BBC in 1970, she was asked if she was grieved by what the public thought of her. Not in the least bit. I dont care, she replied, playing the pantomime villain and using a strangulated cut-glass accent. I havent cultivated this. I suppose in some way I have given them reason to think so.

Mitford spent her remaining years in France, where she died in 1973 aged68

(Getty Images)

By the time of Noblesse Oblige, Nancy had long separated from Rodd (they divorced in 1957), and was living in Paris, finally able to indulge her lifelong passion for Dior clothing. Id much rather be glamorous than dowdy, she said. Although she desperately wanted to marry Palewski, she was upset to discover he was as much a philanderer as Rodd. She again sought an outlet in fiction. Her penultimate novel, The Blessing, was about an English woman who moves to Paris after falling for a glamorous Frenchman named Charles-Edouard, only to find that he is a serial womaniser. Mitfords melancholy feelings about her relationship with Palewski are best captured in a bleak passage in The Pursuit of Love, in which Fanny tells her mother that she thought Linda would have been happy with Fabrice, the great love of her life.

Oh, dulling, Fannys mother replies sadly, one always thinks that. Every, every time.

In 1960, 11 years after The Pursuit of Loves sequel Love in a Cold Climate, Mitford wrapped up the story of the Radletts in Dont Tell Alfred, the final instalment of this wonderful trilogy. Thereafter, she concentrated on journalism, essays and historical books, including finely observed historical biographies of Madame de Pompadour, Louis XIV and Frederick the Great. My greatest fear as a writer is of boring the public. I am so frightened in life of being a bore, she said in 1970. By then she had moved to a small house in Versailles, from where she sent a letter to Pamela reporting how terribly pleased she was to have been made Chevalier of the Legion dHonneur, the only honour I ever coveted.

The last four years of her life were excruciating. She contracted a rare form of Hodgkins disease that attacked her spine. She described the pain as something close to torture. Shortly before the 68-year-olds death, on 30 June 1973, Nancy Mitford said she was already making her society plans for the afterlife, explaining. Ive always felt the great importance of getting into the right set at once on arrival in heaven.

She died knowing that her lifelong pursuit of love had delivered one final, bitter sting in the tail. On the day she informed Palewski the love of her life and the man to whom shed dedicated her famous best-seller about her terminal cancer, he told her, with horrendously bad timing, his big news: he was soon to marry the younger, distinctly "U" aristocrat, Hlne Violette de Talleyrand-Prigord.

Back in the war years, when Nancy was pouring her new-found love for Palewski into The Pursuit of Love, she wrote a letter to Waugh telling him that she was so excited by writing her new novel that her fingers itched for a pen. She also informed him that she had just sat for a sculpture and was pondering her legacy, and how she would perpetuate myself. The answer lay in the book she was writing. The Pursuit of Love is a masterpiece, one still enthralling readers and viewers nearly 80 years on.

The Pursuit of Love begins on BBC One on Sunday 9 May at 9pm

Read more:

Nazis, nicknames and child hunts: The uniquely bizarre life of Nancy Mitford - The Independent

Akshat Parthhiban, a senior at Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School, was named the 2021 New Jersey District Student of the Year from the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA).(Photo: ~Courtesy of TEESCS)

Akshat Parthhiban, a senior at Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School, was named as the 2021New Jersey District Student of the Year from the National Speech andDebate Association (NSDA).

Each NSDA District has the opportunity to name a District Student of the Year award, presented to a graduating senior who best represents the tenets of the Associations Code of Honor: integrity, respect, humility, leadership, and service. Nominees must also demonstrate strong academic credentials and a commitment to the speech and debate community. District winners wereselected and reported to the national office by Friday, May 1, 2020.

Each year, six students who win the district award are selected as finalists for the William Woods Tate, Jr., National Student of the Year award. Finalists interview with a panel of educators during the National Speech & Debate Tournament and the National Student of the Year is announced during the National Awards Assembly.

In addition, Parthhibanhas been accepted to University of Pennsylvania's Computer Science program. Through this program, Parthhiban will earn a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree.This degree prepares students to utilize, analyze, and create information processing systems for whatever career, advanced education, or personal interests he/she chooses to pursue.

As part of Autism Acceptance Month, students at Valley Road School (VRS) had a very special visitor, a former graduate, Gabriella Smith. Classes from kindergarten to grade five met with Smith remotely. She shared a memoir, My Life With Aspergers, that she wrote in sixth grade. The memoir captured the moment she first learned she had Aspergers Syndrome. Smith went on to explain what autism is and her experience. She spoke of the challenges she faced as well as the strategies she used to face those challenges head-on. At the end of the presentation, Smith interacted with the students, engaging them in a conversation on inclusivity. Students also had an opportunity to ask Smith questions.

Valley Road hosted former graduate, Gabriella Smith, as a guest speaker on Autism acceptance.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Clark Public School District)

Supervisor of Educational Initiatives Christine Broski said, We want to thank Gabby for sharing her story. Her honesty and bravery helped our students gain a better understanding of autism and encouraged a message of inclusivity and kindness. Sharing her memoir today was just as powerful as it was when she shared it back in sixth grade when I had her as a student. I couldnt be more proud!

Special Education Teacher Dominique Smith said, Gabbys story touched the lives of all students and faculty members. She shared a personal story in an effort to encourage inclusion and acceptance within the Valley Road School community.

This month, Valley Road Students wore red, blue, or gold to show their support for Autism Acceptance. They also decorated puzzle pieces that fill the hallways at VRS, and signed a mural to promote inclusion that hangs in the school hallway. Teacher Nicole Semon said, Gabbys story inspired students and staff alike and it promoted an overall attitude of acceptance and understanding of everyones differences and unique strengths.

In addition, students inSmith and Semons classes ended the month by planting flowers in the Autism Acceptance Is Growing Garden. Semon said, This was a great month here at VRS and we are so happy to see and hear all of the wonderful conversations that were sparked from these events!

Middlesex College student Natalie Kazar of Old Bridgewas selected to present her research investigating variations in features of ocean water at the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum virtual research poster session held on Wednesday, May 5.As part of an on-going Middlesex College research study that began in 2016,Kazar has been conducting water quality testing at Sandy Hook beach since December 2020. Her findings, which focus on analysis of pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen and water temperature measurements, will take place on the third day of the forum.

Middlesex College student Natalie Kzar was selected to present her research at the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum virtual research poster session held on Wednesday, May 5.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Middlesex College)

Kathleen Brennan, department of mathematics chairperson, learned recently that Mount Saint Mary Academy was named one of the 100 Best High Schools Teaching Personal Finance by W!SE (Working in Support of Education).

First published in 2013, the 100 Best W!SE High Schools national ranking recognizes the top 100 performing high schools in W!SEs national network, showcases excellence in financial education and motivates schools to race to the top in personal finance instruction. W!SE is a leading educational nonprofit based in New York City with a mission to improve the lives of young people and at-risk adults through programs that develop financial literacy and readiness for college and careers.

Brennan said, Im so proud of our financial literacy program at Mount Saint Mary Academy.We are committed to graduating females who are financially savvy and its wonderful to be recognized as one of the top high schools in the country.

Renee Vozza, a sophomore fromWestfield, said, Ms. Brennans financial literacy program taught me many practical skills that I will need through high school, college, and beyond. The information on credit scores, savings, and especially paying for college, I found extremely valuable and is sure to benefit me in the real world.

Francesca Streicher, a senior ofAnnandale, said, Taking a financial literacy class with Ms. Brennan has supplied me with the knowledge to make informed financial decisions by studying real-world examples. As I prepare for life after the Mount, I will know what is needed to make financial choices that are both responsible and sustainable.

Mounts financial literacy program has benefited me immensely, said Kaelyn Twaskas, a junior of Fanwood. I find myself applying the knowledge I learned to my everyday financial decisions, especially when it comes to saving for college. When I got my part-time job, I realized that I already knew how to budget, save, and manage my money.

Vozza, Streicher and Twaskas, who scored in the top 10th percentile on the national test they took in December, are currently enrolled inBrennans spring business analytics course.

Also:On Saturday, April 24, the Mount Saint Mary Academy Dance Club took part in the Thats Entertainment Performing Arts Competition in Whippany. Their two performances earned them atrophy for the overall high score.

(Left to right) Julia Pierce, Mount Dance Club Advisor and Admissions Associate; S. Lisa D. Gambacorto, RSM, Ed.S., Mount Saint Mary Academy Directress; Marisa Mazzuca of Watchung, Class of '21 and Ainsley Klein of of Warren, Class of '21.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Mount Saint Mary Academy)

The lyrical number, choreographed byAinsley Klein of WarrenandMarisa Mazzuca of Watchung, won best overall scores in the Rising Star category. The jazz arrangement, also choreographed by Klein and Mazzuca, received a judges award for Fiercest Number. Both of the clubs performances received a Gold Award, andthe lyrical earned an invitation to the National Competition to be held in Atlantic City in July.

Successfully representing the Mount were club membersAinsley Klein of Warren, Marisa Mazzuca of Watchung, Tara Schilke of Pittstown, Kayla DeAngelis of Basking Ridge, Aryana Perez of Union, MaryPerez of Lebanon, Arianna Salerno of Watchung, Dena Mistichelli of Watchung, Kelsie Neidenbach of South Plainfield, Marina DeNezza of Clark, Kailey Fahy of New Providence, Kathleen Altobelli of Bridgewater, Emma Szabo of Fanwood, Victoria Fekete of LivingstonandNina Heim of Westfield.

READ: The good things students are doing in Central Jersey and beyond

READ: Education news from around the region

READ: College Connection: Advice from local expert columnist

Drew M. English of Avenel graduated summa cum laude from Norwich University, Corps of Cadets in Northfield, Vermont. He earned a bachelor of science in international business, with a minor in Mandarin Chinese. He has commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, United States Army, 82nd Airborne Division, Military Intelligence Officer.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Alison M. English)

Kavya Venkatesan, a freshman at Old Bridge High School, participated in a virtual financial literacy summit presented by CNBC and the Junior Achievement organization.

Kavya Venkatesan, a freshman at Old Bridge High School, participated in a virtual financial literacy summit presented by CNBC and the Junior Achievement organization.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Old Bridge Township Public Schools)

The focus of the summit was on levelling the playing field for students through education and financial literacy.

Venkatesan was selected to represent NJ through the local Junior Achievement organization and ask a question to a panel.

She was selected by CNBC producers after providing them with a list of questions she wanted to ask the panel.She was among 23 teens selected from a nation-wide applicant pool.She asked the panel: How can todays teens develop an adaptive mindset and prepare for the future of work?

It was definitely an empowering conversation, the 14-year-old said.

Venkatesan was featured in a CNBC news article and shared how she developed her knowledge in financial literacy and investing through courses, leadership opportunitiesand clubs.

My valuable experiences in writing have definitely enabled me to grow as a public speaker and communicator so that I can be involved in initiatives like this summit, said Venkatesan.

New Jersey in one of 21 states who mandate personal finance coursework. To date, Venkatesan completed an online class last summer with the Future Business Leaders of America. In addition, her parents have taught her about investing and buying stocks.

Venkatesan saidher counselors Katelyn Tivald and Amanda Walsh informed her about a course acceleration process. So, she opted to complete an online Personal Finance course last summer through Educere. The credit for the course was recognized by Old Bridge High School.

The knowledge I gained from this allowed me to be involved in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club, she said.

Venkatesan also credited her FBLA advisers Maria Simone and Liz Todaro with supporting her to create online training for FBLA members as well as complete and earn Business Achievement Awards.

Mrs. Simone and Mrs. Todaro have definitely provided a platform through FBLA to connect, learn, share ideas, and get involved, she said.

Simone was not surprised by the teens success at the summit.

Although I have only known Kavya since September 2020, she has continuously stood out among her peers throughout this school year, said Simone.She has taken on projects by her own initiative, cultivates school camaraderie, and accomplishes her academics with the highest achievements.I look forward to making our FBLA chapter the best that it can be over the next three years with Kavya as one of our leaders.

The teen also enrolled in another independent business course entitled Bloomberg Market Concepts.

This course taught me about investing, the economy, and stock market, she said. I was also able to use this knowledge to invest in stocks and have my own portfolio. This course was great for personal growth and inspired me to gain financial independence at an early age.

At the summit, she said she was able to develop critical thinking skills and learned how to make strategic decisions.

The summit went really well, and I enjoyed being a part of this insightful conversation, said Venkatesan. There were a lot of valuable takeaways from the summit, and I wanted to share it with other Knights so that more students can feel empowered to own their economic success.

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Monica Chan of Chathamand Luc Francis of South Orange, seniors at The Pingry School in Basking Ridge, each earned a Certificate of Accomplishment from The Princeton Prize in Race Relations for Northern New Jersey.

Moncia Chan of Chatham, a senior at The Pringry School, earned a Certificate of Accomplishment from The Princeton Prize in Race Relations for Northern New Jersey.(Photo: ~Courtesy of The Pingry School)

Princeton University established the prize to recognize and reward high school students who, through their volunteer activities, have undertaken significant efforts to advance racial equity and understanding in their schools or communities.

Luc Francis of South Orange, a senior at The Pingry School, earned a Certificate of Accomplishment from The Princeton Prize in Race Relations for Northern New Jersey.(Photo: ~Courtesy of The Pingry School)

Last summer, Chan and Francis launched the student-led Pingry Allyship Collective (PAC), a collaboration among students from a variety of Pingrys affinity groups, the Black and Asian Student Unions, the Student Diversity Leadership Committee, and the Civic Action and Social Engagement Club.

The PAC is part of Pingrys larger efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In Chan's and Francis' words, the PAC aims to transform the realizations and lessons from education and discussion-based DEI work into tangible changes in the student culture, curriculum, and extracurricular activities.

In addition to being recognized for PAC, Chan was recognized for her work as co-president of the Asian Student Union, and Franciswas recognized for his work as co-leader of the Black Affinity Group.

Since my freshman-year English class and throughout their journey with the Asian Student Union and Black Affinity Group, Monica and Luc have represented and been inclusive in their work, and that matters, said English Teacher Audrey Enriquez, who nominated the pair for the award. I could not be prouder that they are being recognized.

Also:The Pingry School has welcomed 28 members of the Class of 2021 into The Cum Laude Society. Established in 1906 as the secondary school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa, the countrys oldest collegiate honor society, The Cum Laude Society honors academic excellence and superior scholarship among its 382 member schools. Membership in this academic organization is limited to 20 percent of the Senior class.

(Front row) Helen Liu, Narayan Murti, Olivia Volpe, Claire Keller, Meghan Durkin, Carolyn Coyne, Christian Colella, Anushka Agrawal and Lily Arrom. (Middle row) Hugh Zhang, Guanyun Liang, Noah Bergam, Eva Schiller, Monica Chan, Rhea Kapur, Sydney Stovall and Jessica Yatvitskiy. (Back row) Science Teacher and Cum Laude Secretary Jeffrey Jenkins, Matthew Mandel, Justin Li, Jessica Lin, Julian Lee, Dean Koenig, Aneesh Karuppur, Emma Huang, Luc Francis, Sophia Cavaliere, Joseph Castagno, and Head of School Matt Levinson. Not pictured: Teodora Kolarov.(Photo: ~Courtesy of The Pingry School)

New Members:Anushka Agrawal of Metuchen,Lily Arrom of Warren, Noah Bergam of Short Hills,Joseph Castagno of Basking Ridge,Sophia Cavaliere of Bernardsville,Monica Chan of Chatham,Christian Colella of Mendham,Carolyn Coyne of Morristown,Meghan Durkin ofMaplewood,Luc Francis of South Orange,Emma Huang of Short Hills,Rhea Kapur of Basking Ridge,Aneesh Karuppur of Warren,Claire Keller of Summit,Dean Koenig of Warren,Teodora Kolarov of Bernardsville,Julian Lee of Summit,Justin Li of Warren;Guanyun Liang,Jessica Lin,Helen Liu, and Matthew Mandel, all of Basking Ridge;Narayan Murti of Summit,Eva Schiller of Califon,Sydney Stovall of West Orange,Olivia Volpe of Watchung,Jessica Yatvitskiy of Martinsville, andHugh Zhang of Basking Ridge

According to The Cum Laude Society, each Chapter may elect students who are enrolled in a college preparatory curriculum and who have had an honor record up to the time of election and stand in the first fifth of their classEach Chapter shall determine the method in which an honor record and class standing shall be ascertainedChapters shall be free to elect members who have demonstrated academic excellence in accordance with the philosophy and policies governing their individual schools.

Pingry students must meet each of the following criteria to be considered for election: maintain at least an A- grade point average, achieve honor roll status throughout their years in the Upper School, be in good academic standing, and carry a full college preparatory course load.

However, The Cum Laude Society emphasizes more than academic grades. It recognizes individuals who in all areas of their lives love to learn, share their knowledge with others, and demonstrate scholarship, honor, integrity, and good character.The Society also hopes that all of its members will continue their cooperative and selfless pursuit of knowledge while serving as lifelong examples of The Cum Laude Society motto: Arte (Excellence), Dik (Justice), Tim (Honor).

At the Piscataway Board of Education meeting held on Thursday, April 29, Dr. Alex Gray was named the districts Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, a newly-created position designed to promote equity, inclusivity, cultural competence and greater community understanding of vital issues, and to ensure effective utilization of available resources across the district.

Dr. Alex Gray was named Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Piscataway Township Schools.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Piscataway Township Schools)

This new position is part of the districts focus on the intersection between social and emotional learning, equity, and culturally responsible teaching strategies, which together, lead to overall student achievement.

Raised in Piscataway and a graduate of Piscataway schools, Gray has worked in the Piscataway School District since 2000, first at Quibbletown Middle School, where he served as a school counselor and social worker before moving to an assistant principal position in 2012. For the past seven years, Gray has served as principal at Martin Luther King Intermediate School. He will begin his new role in the district on July 1, 2021.

In his new role, Dr. Gray will share his wealth of knowledge and experience in diversity and inclusion across the entire district. He has attended countless workshops, led professional development programs, and used data to make real changes in these areas at Martin Luther King School, said Piscataway Superintendent of SchoolsDr. Frank Ranelli. I look forward to working with Alex in this very important role he brings a great deal of talent to the central office team.

Gray received his Doctor of Education from Rowan University, a master of social work from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor of social work from the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

More than 200 golfers, diners, and volunteers from around NJ and beyond joined together at the Union County College Foundations 29th Annual Scholarship Golf Outing. Held on Monday, April 26, this event raised more than $155,000 in support of its mission to accelerate the pace of student success. The annual Golf Outing is held each spring and the foundation was pleased to host the event at Fiddlers Elbow in Bedminster. Thanks to the generosity and support of key community and business leaders over the last five years, the foundation has had a generational impact on the Union County community by funding nearly $6 million in direct scholarship and grant support in furtherance of the core mission of the college, to provide students with a high-quality and affordable education.

Three Union students hold the Big Check presented to the Union County College Foundation from the golf committee. From left are Union County College Foundation Executive Director Doug Rouse, Union County College Board of Trustees Chair Victor M. Richel, Union students, Union County College President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin, and Golf Committee Co-Chairman John Richel.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Union County College)

This year, White Claw Hard Seltzer was the key sponsor for the golf outing. Their support will help the foundation continue to expand the opportunities available for Union students.

Thank you to White Claw for being this years signature sponsor for our golf outing. Your corporate leadership in support of our mission will translate into our ability to have a positive impact on student success.White Claw is helping to ease the financial burden on our students that will allow them to focus on their academics and graduate, said Foundation Executive Director Doug Rouse.

This years golf committee was comprised of 16 members of the community who led the charge to ensure a successful day for everyone. As we have all seen over the past year, trying to organize and produce a successful event has been trying.The pandemic has impacted everything that we do.However, our committee did not sit idly by but instead worked tirelessly so that we could have a great day for all our golfers. Their dedication to our mission helped make this years outing one of our most successful, said Rouse.

For information about the foundations annual events, contact Rouse at douglas.rouse@ucc.edu or 908-709-7505.

At its virtual public meeting on Tuesday, April 27, the Westfield Board of Education unanimously approved the appointment of Mary McCabe as assistant principal at Franklin Elementary School, effective Thursday, July 1, 2021.McCabe has served as Franklin Interim Assistant Principal since last July.

At its virtual meeting on Tuesday, April 27, the Westfield Board of Education unanimously approved the appointment of Mary McCabe as assistant principal at Franklin Elementary School, effective Thursday, July 1, 2021.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Westfield Public Schools)

As a graduate of Westfield High School and mother of two children in the Westfield Public School District, I have been delighted to serve as a teacher for many years at Franklin School, said McCabe, addressing board members after her appointment. This school year I have enjoyed my role as Interim Assistant Principal and I am so excited to continue in this position moving forward.

McCabe was appointed to the interim position last year as Dr. Paul Duncan began his new role as principal of Franklin. Her responsibilities included collaborating with colleagues to plan hybrid instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, reviewing, communicating, and implementing health and safety protocols, organizing student cohorts, creating weekly bulletins to share updates and information, supervising more than 40 teachers and staff members while developing professional growth plans, and facilitating one-to-one meetings with students to provide needed encouragement and guidance.

Mrs. McCabe is a caring and knowledgeable leader. When we had to move to all-remote learning last spring, we did not have time to conduct a thorough search for a new assistant principal, said Superintendent Dr. Margaret Dolan. Mrs. McCabe was appointed to the interim position and began work immediately. Now, having been able to set up an interview committee to vet candidates thoughtfully and thoroughly, we are very happy to recommend Mrs. McCabe as assistant principal at Franklin School.

Mary immediately hit the ground running as interim assistant principal and I am grateful for her calm leadership during this challenging year, said Duncan. We work well together and it is with great confidence that I, too, recommend her for this important position.

McCabe joined the district 17 years ago, teaching 4th grade at Franklin while serving as a literacy coach for grades 1-5. Prior to her years in Westfield, McCabe was a 4th grade teacher at Holy Trinity School for two years and an assistant track and field coach for four years at Union Catholic High School.She earned a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from Seton Hall University in 2009 and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 2002 from St. Josephs University.

The Westfield School District is an exceptional community to be a part of and I am very proud to be Franklin Schools Assistant Principal, said McCabe.We have learned so much from this extraordinary school year and I believe that we will be stronger because of it. I look forward to continuing my work with Dr. Duncan and the teachers, students, and families of Franklin School.

Student and School news appears on Saturdays. Email: cnmetro@mycentraljersey.com

Carolyn Sampson is Executive Office Assistant for the Courier News, The Home News Tribune and MyCentralJersey.com, and handles the weekly Student News page.

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