Norway’s Wacky Winter Sport
From Sobetsu, Japan to Vardø, Norway, people around the world take part in the latest—and arguably strangest—winter sport dubbed Yukigassen.
A Mysterious Fortress on the Oslo Fjord
A woman named Mantelgeisten appears out of the darkness in a long robe. Prison chains rattle. Screams of horror and torture linger from the dungeons. Known to be the most haunted castle in Norway, Akershus Fortress attracts more than three million visitors every year...
If You Turned 70 during 2018, You Should Read This
Happy belated birthday, and congratulations on now needing to understand required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your annuities! Annuities are a great way to supplement your social security or pension plans. Not only do they accumulate cash tax-deferred, but they also offer you guaranteed payments for life. When the markets are volatile, it is nice to know that your annuity is protecting [...]
Norway in International Politics
Over the past couple of years, I’ve published a blog on various topics pertaining to international diplomacy, first on HuffingtonPost.com and then on WashingtonDiplomat.com. While I enjoyed the opportunity to get my thoughts out there, I was never sure I was reaching quite the right audience.
Sales Support Specialist Wanted
About Us Sons of Norway, a financial services and international cultural organization headquartered in Minneapolis, began with shared values and a simple promise of financial security when like-minded people came together to protect their families, celebrate their culture and strengthen their community. For more than 120 years, we’ve lived our mission to promote and preserve the heritage and culture of Norway, [...]
Out of this World: Solobservatoriet
Imagine wandering into a glowing planetary system nestled deep within a forest. No, your eyes are not tricking you. Celebrated architecture and design firm Snøhetta is designing a new planetarium and visitor center for Norway’s largest astronomical facility.
Star Chef
In the March issue of Viking magazine, we catch up with Scandinavian celebrity chef Tina Nordström. From her cookbooks, television shows, kitchen items and wine, there are few areas of the food industry she has left untouched.
Discover Your Family Roots through DNA Testing
With today’s advances in DNA testing and the resulting ability to make connections with previously unknown relatives, it’s easy to see why more and more people are opting to test their DNA to get detailed results. Recently, three women connected through DNA testing and met up at a Sons of Norway lodge in Story City, IA. The women had learned about [...]
Tame Your Tax Situation with a Fixed Annuity
Perhaps you are saving for retirement, or maybe you have already hit your goal for retirement savings. Either way, if you are a conservative investor who wants to build assets for the future and don’t sleep well when the markets look more like a roller coaster than a merry-go-round, a fixed annuity may be a good fit. There are not a [...]
Chinese Athletes take on Ski Jumping, Train in Norway
As the host country of the 2022 Olympics, China wants to harness the “host country advantage” and repeat their medals sweep from the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. The only problem is that there is not a big winter sports tradition in China … yet.