Archive for May, 2012
limitLESS™ Life Coaching Testimonial – Rhonda – Video
Posted: May 31, 2012 at 11:17 pm
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limitLESS™ Life Coaching Testimonial - Rhonda - Video
Life in Exile
Posted: at 11:17 pm
I am a daily reader of Clarets Mad, a follower of the Forum and an occasional contributor to the Forum and also with articles.
I remain amazed at the number of exiles who, like myself, closely follow the Clarets. On match-days, as the Eli's forum comments on the game in progress, people sign in from all over the globe.
Many of us have lived in Burnley at an early age and moved away for work reasons which have taken us to far-away places but we have never lost the love for our football club. My story is one probably replicated by hundreds, maybe thousands who suffer and celebrate at long distance. To all of you who live in or near the town and can regularly watch the team our exiled life may seem a strange existence it is!
I left Burnley in the 1960's, firstly to London for higher education then a brief 2 year spell teaching at Hutton, near Preston. After that I moved permanently to Cambridgeshire, which is not, I agree, an exotic far-away destination.
It is, however 200 miles from the Turf and early family life in the 70's and 80's included a large mortgage and two children leaving little money for trips home to regularly watch football. I contented myself coaching schoolboy football up to county level and catching up on any gossip from occasional newspaper articles. - but these were becoming the lean years and our club was not a fashionable topic in the media.
Visits home to my parents at Christmas and Easter and a few family occasions meant 2 or 3 matches a season plus away games, depending on division, at Peterborough (always a graveyard!), Cambridge Utd., Norwich, Leicester, Luton, Colchester and Southend. For some reason, I have never made it to Ipswich. There was no internet site only Clubcall to gather news from.
Then 8 years ago came retirement and perhaps an opportunity to perhaps see more games? No! - after illness struck us both, we decided upon a retirement project to focus our minds and bought a holiday home in South-West France. At first it was only for a few weeks but as we found more work needed to be done we have extended that to between 5 and 6 months a year.
From mid April to late October there is no chance of seeing a game. One major exception of course was Wembley 2009. As it was the wife's birthday I got special dispensation to fly into Gatwick from Bordeaux on the Sunday (accompanied by Roy Hodgson who had been scouting a Bordeaux player the night before). I stayed overnight at my son's house in Horsham and like thousands of others who poured in from all corners of the earth we had one of the great days in a Claret fan's life.
That season too, I had been to the Carling Cup games against Arsenal and Spurs the latter ranking as probably my most disappointing but proudest experiences as a Claret.
I had managed those cup games because of course I was in the UK from November to March. However, a 400 mile trip is an expensive business and weather can make the journey treacherous none more so than that night against Arsenal. I now see approximately 5 or 6 home games a season and managed to go away to Coventry, Nottingham, Brighton and Norwich last season.
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Life in Exile
Coaching Q&A: Creating a healthy and open working environment
Posted: at 11:17 pm
Home business Coaching Q&A: Creating a healthy and open working environment
Michael Heah June 1, 2012 1:00 am
--Uneasy Feeling
You read it well. Lack of conflict does not necessarily mean a healthy environment. When it appears smooth at the surface, it can mean many things: apathy, lack of commitment, boredom, fear to offend one another or even low self esteem of people who do not want to "rock the boat", etc. When conflict is not attended to, it can lead to (silent) resentment, lack of cooperation, lack of energy, avoidance of issues, indirect attack (or back biting) and later lead to violence.
The Bottom Line: The situation calls for a "change agent". You can be the champion of this cause. If possible, get a few accomplices who feel that the current situation needs a change. Meet and discuss with your colleagues on how to create an open environment. Look at major areas in the work environment where this can be done; for instance, at meetings, office communication, everyday dialogue and project work, etc. Agree on what every one of you will do in each of them. Continue to look for more areas where the change of culture can be slowly introduced.
Powerful Questions: What is the current situation like? What and where would you like to see changes? How can you be the champion to set up the right kind of office culture? Who can you rope into this Office Cultural Change Team?
--TAKING CHARGE TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN
For almost 10 years now, our group human resource department has played the central role in the recruitment and training of our people in all our subsidiaries. Despite this, we feel that they are not doing a good job at it. We face long delays in getting vacancies filled up. Even when they are filled, the new recruits are short of the "quality" we are looking for. The consequence of this is falling workplace effectiveness and productivity, thus affecting the results we are looking for. How can we gear up the human resource department to do a better job in what they are supposed to do?
--Frustrated
Like everything in life, total dependence on something or somebody is not healthy. More so when everyone is depending on a single soul, which can be even more dismal. So the same is with your organisation for relying on the HR department to serve your needs!
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Coaching Q&A: Creating a healthy and open working environment
June-Marie Raw Food and Fitness Health Just a bunch of ironing
Posted: at 11:17 pm
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June-Marie Raw Food and Fitness Health Just a bunch of ironing
Research and Markets: ICON Health & Fitness, Inc.: Consumer Packaged Goods Company Profile, SWOT Report – 2012
Posted: at 11:17 pm
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/mjfgzm/icon_health_and_fi) has announced the addition of Canadean Ltd's new company profile "ICON Health & Fitness, Inc.: Consumer Packaged Goods Company Profile, SWOT Report" to their offering.
Canadean's "ICON Health & Fitness, Inc.: Consumer Packaged Goods Company Profile, SWOT Report" report utilizes a wide range of primary and secondary sources, which are analyzed and presented in a consistent and easily accessible format. Canadean strictly follows a standardized research methodology to ensure high levels of data quality and these characteristics guarantee a unique report.
Scope
- Examines and identifies key information and issues about "ICON Health & Fitness, Inc." for business intelligence requirements.
- Studies and presents the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities (growth potential) and threats (competition). Strategic and operational business information is objectively reported.
- The profile also contains information on business operations, company history, major products and services, prospects, key employees, locations and subsidiaries.
ReasonsToBuy
- Quickly enhance your understanding of "ICON Health & Fitness, Inc."
- Gain insight into the marketplace and a better understanding of internal and external factors which could impact the industry.
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Research and Markets: ICON Health & Fitness, Inc.: Consumer Packaged Goods Company Profile, SWOT Report - 2012
Stern Advice: Tax apocalypse in your retirement account
Posted: at 11:16 pm
Amid all the gloom and doom about forced retirement, skyrocketing healthcare costs and nest egg-cracking financial markets, there's another threat facing baby boomers: future tax liabilities.
The generation that has depended solely on 401(k)s and tax-deferred individual retirement accounts may not realize how much of a tax hit it will take when it starts withdrawing the money and living on it.
With the prospect of rising tax rates after the Bush tax cuts expire, some retirees could find themselves paying even more in taxes than they did when they were working. "It continues to surprise our clients that taxes are that big of an expense in retirement," says Mark Davis of SunTrust Investment Services, Inc.
He estimates that clients who optimize retirement withdrawals to minimize their taxes can end up with as much as 33 percent more to spend in retirement years than they would if they ignored the impact of taxes.
How to do that? Here are a few options.
-- Build a tax-diversified portfolio going in. If all your savings are locked away in a 401(k) or tax-deferred IRA, you will end up paying income taxes on all your withdrawals. It's better to have other accounts to pull money out of.
To really optimize your post-retirement withdrawals to minimize taxes, it would be good to have a tax-deferred account, a tax-free account (such as a Roth IRA or a healthcare savings account) and a regular taxable investment account. You can use the taxable account to take capital losses as they occur, and to keep income taxed at lower capital gains and dividend rates.
-- Consider taxes as you decide when to start your Social Security benefits. That's a complex consideration, so it's best to have an expert with a spreadsheet help you. The basic issue is this: Many advisers recommend that you delay starting your benefits as long as possible, to maximize the monthly payments you'll ultimately receive. But if you have to withdraw money from a tax-deferred account to live on while you're waiting to start Social Security, that could backfire. If your combined marginal state and local tax rate is 35 percent, and you're deferring $20,000 in Social Security, that could conceivably cost you as much as $7,000 a year to defer those benefits.
-- Know your limits. It's good to know your tax bracket and whether or not you are on the verge of being in a higher or lower bracket. For example, the 25 percent federal tax bracket starts at $35,350 in income ($70,700 for couples filing jointly)and runs all the way up to $85,650 for single filers and $142,700 for joint filers. If you have multiple accounts, you can finesse your withdrawals to keep your marginal income below a bracket line.
-- Don't forget Social Security taxes. It is likely, though not certain, that you will have to include a portion of your Social Security benefits into your taxable income. If your income, including 50 percent of your benefits, exceeds $25,000 for singles or $32,000 for couples, then half of your benefits will be taxable. Once that figure exceeds $34,000 for singles and $44,000 for couples, 85 percent of your benefits would be taxable. That means you could end up giving back as much as 21 cents in taxes for every dollar in benefits you collect.
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Stern Advice: Tax apocalypse in your retirement account
My belly gipsy – Video
Posted: at 11:16 pm
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My belly gipsy - Video
American Athlete Magazine Issue 1.2 Released in App Store and Newsstand for iPad — London Olympics Edition Featuring …
Posted: at 11:16 pm
WESTFIELD, NJ--(Marketwire -05/31/12)- American Athlete Magazine, which launched its premiere issue in early March, has quickly gained popularity among athletes and industry professionals to become one of the dominant digital sports and fitness publications in the United States. Issue 1.2 London Olympics Edition continues the magazine's mission of Mind, Body and Spirit by exploring elements common across all competitive sports: improving strength and endurance, developing positive nutrition and conditioning habits, building mental toughness, preparing for game time and learning to live with personal performance results.
The cover story, "Heart of Gold" features Magic Johnson who reflects on his Olympic experiences and giving back to the community by having his success drive the success of others. American Athlete Magazine shows what it is like, and what is required to compete at the most challenging levels by presenting the true portraits of athletes like Johnson so readers can achieve their personal sports and fitness goals.
Other features in Issue 1.2 of American Athlete Magazine include:
David Fink, founder and publisher of American Athlete Magazine shares, "We are extremely excited and pleased with the response from our premiere issue -- and what seems to be a product that is filling a void in the sports and fitness industry by bringing athletes the content they desire through an unprecedented interactive experience."
Lead sponsors for Issue 1.2 include Parisi Speed School and Nogii gluten-free protein bars from Europa. American Athlete Magazine Issue 1.2 is free to download in the Apple App Store and Newsstand from an iPad. American Athlete Magazine continues to educate, entertain and inspire readers to become their personal best -- with two issues released and a rapid download rate, Fink adds, "We're confident that American Athlete Magazine will continue to have a tremendous impact on the fast-growing network of sports and fitness communities."
More information about American Athlete Magazine can be found via its active social media presence on Facebook (www.facebook.com/americanathletemag) and Twitter (@aathletemag). The American Athlete Magazine media kit is available through the American Athlete Community Site at http://www.americanathletemag.com. For more information, call (800) 310-8250 or e-mail info@americanathletemag.com.
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American Athlete Magazine Issue 1.2 Released in App Store and Newsstand for iPad -- London Olympics Edition Featuring ...
A High Quality Industrial Company
Posted: at 11:16 pm
By Andrs Cardenal - May 31, 2012 | Tickers: ITW, KMT, NUE, TKR, X | 0 Comments
Andrs is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.
These are not easy times for companies in the industrial or steel sector. The economic crisis in Europe and the slowdown in China are producing lackluster demand for many firms in the industry. However, you couldnt tell that by looking at the financial and operating performance of The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR) which reported better than expected results over the last quarters.
The company supplies anti-friction and power transmission components to an ample variety of industrial clients. Its products are used to reduce frictions in planes, trains and automobiles. Timken is also in the steel business, manufacturing specialty alloy steel bars, tubes and precision components. Although the company is quite diversified, we could say that its markets are also very exposed to the economic cycle, and for that reason it sounds reasonable to expect some weakness in times of economic uncertainty.
But that is not the case at all: In fact, Timken reported record earnings per share for the last quarter, and also increased guidance for the rest of the year. Management sounds quite optimistic about performance in the following months, form the press release:
Our record performance, as well as our confidence in our improved full-year earnings outlook, stand as further testimony to the companys ability to execute at a structurally higher level of performance, said James W. Griffith, Timken president and chief executive officer. Around the globe, our company is operating very well, leveraging momentum we see in our target markets, earning new business through our expanded product and services portfolio, and successfully driving those gains to the bottom line.
The last quarter was not an isolated event; Timken has a solid track record at performing better than estimated by Wall Street analysts and last year was another historical record in terms of sales and earnings, fully recovering from the last recession and challenging the adverse economic scenario.
Management has been moving away from low margin operations and into businesses with higher profitability. In 2009 for example, Timken sold its needle roller bearings business to JTEKT for $330 million reducing its presence in the light vehicle market. From 2007 to 2011 Timken has made several acquisitions in the aerospace and industrial sectors, and those deals have provided the basis for above average performance in the current environment.
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A High Quality Industrial Company
Davos Financial: The Personal Touch – Interview in The New Europe Magazine
Posted: at 11:16 pm
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The following interview appeared in the June-July edition of The New Europe magazine:
In the current economic climate the importance of working with a financial advisor has taken renewed importance.
Davos Financial Group is an independent advisor offering clients a universal range of products and services to make safe and transparent investment. The New Europe spoke to the Wealth Management team, David Osio (CEO), Gustavo Rivas (VP Asset Management) and Leopoldo Martinez (Davos Consulting), to find out more about the Davos methodology and strategic approach.
The New Europe: How can the risk management strategies Davos Financial Group provides enable clients to mitigate risk in their investment choices?
Davos Financial: The risk management model provided by Davos Financial Group guarantees transparency and a differentiating factor based on diversification and optimisation of investment strategies. This model evaluates return on investment expectations in terms of customers' interests. Based on different portfolio limitations, placement of financial assets can be made either with the highest return expectations or with the minimum risk levels, utilising a universal range of products and services available in the current financial market. Additional to this main advantage, Davos Financial Group, also enables clients to consolidate the appraisals of multiple investment portfolios, providing a unique, complete and exact understanding of the current financial summary of the placement of their financial assets. The diversifications, optimisation and consolidation factors also assist our clients in structuring a professional decision-making platform including: 1) Advise in the preparation of strategic investment models by using structured scenarios with the widest range of asset types. 2) Assistance in the active/passive decision-making process as well as in the definition of protection policies for currency fluctuations.
TNE: Davos Financial Group has a well-established international presence. How can the service you provide benefit high-net worth clients who wish to expand their business operations internationally?
DF: The international presence allows our customers to network in different jurisdictions, structuring their business under a legal and financial umbrella that ensures the efficiency of its results according to the different locations where we are providing all our services. Davos Financial Group assists to take a step forward toward what may be the international expansion of the business of any client.
TNE: How can the Trust services Davos Financial Group provides, enable more efficient estate and tax planning for clients?
DF: Davos Financial Group, through its subsidiary company Davos Trust Limited, can provide Trustee Services under New Zealand Foreign Trust Law. Among several tax and estate planning advantages, these services allow our clients to control assets or companies situated in different jurisdictions around the world while providing a tax efficient asset protection and planned succession mechanism, with all the advantages offered by New Zealand favourable tax treatment of foreign trusts, and its Tax Treaties Network. According to New Zealand Law, a foreign trust will not be taxed on income or gains of foreign source, nor will it be subject to estate taxes. On the other hand, with appropriate structuring, the trustee will qualify under most limitations of benefit provisions provided by the OECD Model Tax Treaties.
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Davos Financial: The Personal Touch – Interview in The New Europe Magazine