Consider this: As a group, Lions Gate Entertainment, Time Warner and Walt Disney have outperformed Apple, Google and Microsoft over the past year. See what’s behind all the investor interest here:

We’re on the threshold of a new era as the first Baby Boomers move into their sixth decade. The generation that ushered in “the single greatest demographic event in U.S. history” has often been compared to the proverbial bulge in the python.

What once were legions of children squirming in child-sized desks and learning the fine art of handwriting are now active seniors who sport more than a few gray hairs. With such a large cohort simultaneously planning for retirement (and looking forward to it, no doubt!), some Boomers may worry about a shortfall in income after retirement.

Relax, soon-to-be seniors:  It’s not too late to incubate that nest egg and still reap a tidy sum in the process. The key is a willingness to make shifts in your investment strategy.

Keep in mind there are two typical approaches in retirement planning. In the first approach, the investor takes a conservative tack and invests in stocks and bonds, with an eye towards a slow and steady accumulation of capital that occurs over an extended period of time. In the second approach, those who failed to save a sufficient amount of money may look to vigorous – and perhaps risky – trading, with the hope of making up for lost time.

As it turns out, there’s a third approach to the retirement planning. You can make money from managing the trade, instead of simply trading and selling stock and making money from the actual trade itself. Consider learning the ins and outs of options trading. It could spell an entirely new future for you.

It seems that everywhere we turn these days, we are reminded of all the germs and bacteria thriving in our environments that put our health at risk. Even more so, we are inundated with advertising for products. Most of these remedies are chemical-based with the manufacturer touting they will rid any and all surfaces of the offending and often invisible harbingers of disease and illness.

And then there are those people who are absolutely terrified by the idea of germs.

Hollywood has produced some of our favorite germaphobes. Emma Pillsbury from ‘Glee,’ Niles Crane from the 90s sitcom ‘Frasier,’ and Sheldon Cooper from ‘Big Bang Theory,’ just to name a few.

While these characters may be more obsessive-compulsive than true germaphobes, the truth is many Americans relate to them. Mysophobia, or the fear of germs, is a true phobia. Some experts think that people have become hypersensitive to the worries about germs due to the focus on an ‘increase in hygiene products such as hand sanitizers, portable subway straps and disposable toilet seat covers.’

But the truth is people simply want to feel like they are in a safe, clean environment. No one wants to feel reluctant to touch a handle on a shopping cart or turn the knob on an office door. The appearance and smell of cleanliness, (which doesn’t have to include an overwhelming odor of cleansers), offers a measure of comfort. If your visitors are comfortable, they can focus on why they are at your facility in the first place.

And the best part is that our crews use fewer chemicals, which is better for your employees, your customers and the environment.

Do you love to read? Help foster that love in others by volunteering with the Philadelphia Reads program. You’ll help to boost the reading skills of students in kindergarten through third grade.