In one of William Bennett's recent books, he tells a story about Ben Franklin's death. It seems that old Ben made a special gift in his will. In it, he left 1,000 pounds to the cities of Philadelphia and Boston with specific instructions. They were to set up a program of loans to young men under the age of 25, married, who had successfully completed an apprenticeship and needed startup money for a trade or business. The money was to be loaned at 5% interest. This was to continue 200 years.

At the end of 100 years, the two cities were to withdraw $100,000 each for public projects, and continue lending as stated above. At the end of 200 years, the fund was to be split between Philadelphia , PA and Boston , MA . In 1990 there was $6,500,000 in the fund. For 200 years, Ben Franklin helped young men get started in business with those funds, and had $6.5 million left over.

Just think of the ways you and I could benefit our families, the community, or the lives of total strangers if we just took the initiative exhibited by Ben Franklin. By setting up a similar fund that earns just 5%, it would contain $17,292,581 at the end of 200 years. The purpose could be educational loans for family members.

• Set aside $1,000 now and add just $100 per month to it for ten years, earning 5% on loans made from the account, and the fund would have $17,157. After the ten-year period of adding $100 per month, no more money is added and it continues to be loaned at 5% for the next 190 years. At the end of 200 years, the fund would contain $181,141,192. At that point, it could be converted to an outright “grant” program to which family members could apply for education funds.

• Instead of focusing on just your immediate family, think about the legacy you could leave by planning much further into the future. Thanks to the “future value of money” concept, you could provide valuable support to any future generations. It's just a thought, but why not give it a try!

— Paul Christian

New research says that spicing up your diet might keep you from having a heart attack.

How can hot sauces and jalapenos help your heart? Research seems to point to the possibility that fiery foods block coronary buildup and keep your blood moving.

Scientists have determined that cayenne pepper inhibits the production of thromboxanes , which promote clotting. Cayenne and other chilies are also thought to dissolve already existing clots. A recent study found Thais who ate spicy diets have a better ability to break down proteins that cause blood clots than those who ate milder diets.

Capsaicin , which gives chilies their heat, can help lower blood pressure. This means capsaicin intake can help prevent damage leading to blood clots. And that's not all capsaicin is believed to do; researchers think it also might help lower harmful cholesterol in the blood. High levels of bad cholesterol are what cause most blood clots, and clots are what cause most heart attacks.

If you've been thinking or talking about starting an exercise program but you just can't get started, you might want to think about exercise in a new way. Some people think that if they don't exercise at least 30 minutes or more, they might as well not do anything. But that's just not true.

Start off by exercising in the morning before you go to work – shoot for 10 or 15 minutes. Once you get into the groove of your routine you can expand it or not, depending on your preference. A lot of people put off starting a program because they feel like they just don't have the time. But when you're talking about 10 or 15 minutes it's a lot easier to get started.

Eventually you can shoot for two 15-minutes sessions per day, one before work and one after. You'll likely be surprised at the results.