A "high-risk" prisoner slashed another inmate's throat with an improvised knife, a court has heard.

Daniel Illingworth, 28, was serving a sentence at Prison Holme House in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, when he attacked fellow prisoner Stephen Holman.

He hid a blade melted into the handle of a toothbrush and launched the assault when the men left their cells for their evening meal at the jail.

Illingworth walked from his cell wearing shorts, which is not allowed in the prison during mealtimes, and refused to go back to change when an officer instructed him to do so.

He walked towards Holman, jumped on his back and appeared to push him, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Rachel Masters said a prison officer saw at least two blows as she shouted at him to stop and activated alarm bells, Teesside Live reports.

Ms Masters said: "As she got closer, she could see in his hand what looked like a white plastic handled implement, something like a toothbrush or cutlery handle.

"Distinctively it had a blade on the end of it."

The officer backed off and asked Illingworth to go back to his cell to drop the weapon, which he did.

Holman suffered three wounds across his throat, to the lower right of his chin and behind his ear, which were treated with glue and strips.

He said he did not know why the attack happened.

The assault, just before 5pm on July 13 last year, was captured on CCTV footage which was played to a judge.

Illingworth, whose address was listed in court as Holme House Prison, initially said he did not know anything about the violence.

He said he had severe mental health problems and claimed Holman injured himself.

He later admitted wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Illingworth was given a 10-year sentence for robbery in 2011 and for wounding with intent, wounding and unauthorised possession of a knife in prison in 2018.

He committed the latest assault just three months after receiving the 2018 sentence.

David Comb, mitigating, said Illingworth had a "complex psychiatric and social background".

He said a report referred to Illingworth's mobility in prison and his "sense of humiliation, compounded by his personality and hypersensitivity as well as paranoid misinterpretation".

A psychiatrist suggested Illingworth posed a high risk of future violence.

Judge Stephen Ashurst told Illingworth: "You took the blade to his face and neck.

"In the event the injury sustained by Stephen Holman were a good deal less serious than it might otherwise have been.

"But your position, I'm afraid, is made serious by your dreadful record of offending.

"You have very little self-awareness of your problems and the capacity to try and deal with them in the future."

He ruled Illingworth was a dangerous offender posing risk of serious harm to the public "and to serving prisoners in particular".

He said the prisoner did not currently meet the criteria for a life sentence but warned him that he could be given once if he carried on offending.

Illingworth was given a 13-year extended sentence.

This will be an eight-year custodial term, of which he must serve two thirds before the Parole Board decide whether he can be released early, plus five years' extended licence.

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'High-risk' prisoner stabbed fellow inmate in the throat with makeshift knife - Mirror Online

The Western world has largely been shaped by an admiration of logicversus emotion. Yet as humans, it's impossible to operate with just one or the other. In todays world, where artificial intelligence and digitization rule, many leaders and organizations are expected to adhere to a new social and environmental way of thinking, a more human way of thinking. Qualities like empathy and sensitivity, which used to be viewed by many as weaknesses, are now often seen as strengths. Emotional intelligence (EQ) has become more than a buzz phrase it's now a widely practiced tool embraced by progressive executives to increase their companies bottom lines and improve corporate culture.

I see the benefits of EQ every day in my work with executives and teams. Over the course of my career as a therapist, Ive learned that many of the interpersonal skills we use to strengthen our personal relationships are the same skills needed to fuel success in the workplace.

However, the questions remain: How did we get here, and are we prepared for what's to come?

The Origins Of EQ

Great philosophers like Aristotle studied the effects of emotions, what triggers them and how to deal with them. Aristotle is believed to have once said, Anyone can become angry that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way that is not within everybodys power and is not easy." This statement demonstrates an early understanding of EQ, yet this way of thinking didnt take off until much later. In fact, it wasnt until around the 1980s that companies started to take notice of the effects of a positive work culture on employees. During this time, Reuven Bar-On, a clinical psychologist whose assessment tool I'm certified to use, began studying the answers to two questions: What makes people successful, and what makes people happy? The results of those studies started a journey of conceptualizing, researching and applying EQ.

Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer coined the term "emotional intelligence" in 1990, defining it as "the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions. Salovey and Mayer worked together to clearly define and measure the effects of EQ, which piqued the interest of larger corporations concerned with hiring and retaining top talent.

Clinical psychologist and author Steven Stein, who co-founded a business that publishes computerized psychological assessments, also contributed to the study and spread of EQ. In 1994, he met Bar-On, who asked him to publish his EQ assessment tool. Today, many coaches (myself included) use this tool in their work with clients.

Later,Daniel Goleman popularized the concept of EQ and helped spread the idea throughout mainstream culture.

The Modern And Future Leader

Today, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a leading company that doesnt have a focus on EQ. Organizations all over the world have turned to EQ to help them hire, promote and develop their employees. They recognize that a positive work environment can help attract top talent, drive employee engagement and affect profitability and performance and the right leaders understand this too.

Leveraging EQ

The modern and future leader integrates the realms of both logic and emotion. They leverage EQ in a way that goes beyond gauging how employees are feeling and toward successfully navigating complex business situations. They can nurture our strengths rather than pick apart our weaknesses. They create and foster meaningful relationships with a multigenerational and diverse workforce. And while theyre no less focused on strategy and competition, the modern leader operates with adaptiveness, compassion and mindfulness.

Here are some tips for how to leverage EQ as a leader.

Practice self-awareness. Take stock of how you feel and react to certain stressors throughout the day. Notice how your emotions contribute to your actions. In order to understand the emotions of others, you first have to be in tune with yourself.

Listen carefully. This is surprisingly difficult for some leaders. It can be tempting to think that listening is merely following rather than leading. However, in order to make and sustain more meaningful connections and tailor communication styles to the right people, learn to become a better listener.

Be open and embrace conflict. A good leader is willing to problem-solve and dive into disagreements rather than run away from conflict. A leader with a high EQ level is much more likely to problem-solve effectively, rationally and with a certain level of poise and composure.

Make culture a priority. Purpose-driven leaders understand what engages and excites employees and work to cultivate an environment that fosters their creativity and engagement.

Living In The Present And Learning From The Past

Today, smart leaders are driven by opportunities and the future rather than by the past or their egos. They might learn valuable lessons from past triumphs, but they dont attempt to preserve the status quo. Instead of worrying about looking good or staying consistent, stay vigilant and on top of future trends, and don't be afraid to embrace the flow of new ideas.

More:
Emotional Intelligence At Work: Becoming The Leader Of The Future - Forbes

Its never easy to cut someone out of your life. And when it comes to family, its especially hard to accept that a family member is creating so much stress, anxiety, and pain that you cant continue to have a relationship with them.

This post is for all of you who are struggling to decide whether to continue a relationship with a difficult or toxic family member. Youre repeatedly hurt by this person, have tried tirelessly to repair the relationship, feel frustrated that nothing seems to change (at least for very long), you dont want to give up, but you dont know how to move forward in a way that respects and nurtures yourself.

This is a tough question and I dont have a one-size-fits-all answer. Consider the list of toxic behaviors below and how often you experience these issues with the family member in question.

Toxic people disrupt your life and other relationships with behaviors such as these:

People can change, but toxic people rarely do. They lack self-awareness and dont take responsibility for their actions. And since they dont see how their behavior hurts you, they refuse to change. Instead, they blame you and expect you to cater to their demands.

I think we can all agree that no one deserves to be abused. So, why do we give our family members a free pass? Why do we think we should tolerate such hurtful behavior from them?

It sucks to have to choose between yourself and your family members. It really does. But this is the reality. Remaining in a relationship with a toxic person is potentially harmful to your emotional and physical health and relationships (and may negatively affect your spouse and children, too).

The bottom line is that for many people, the only way to heal is to remove yourself from the abusive relationship. How can you heal if you continue to be abused?

Its okay to not be ready. You shouldnt be pressured into making a decision. Most people who cut ties, do so as the last resort. They come to this decision gradually over years of fits and starts. They cut off ties and then reconnect. They set boundaries and make themselves less available. Things calm down and they feel better, only to have problems escalate again. This is common!

There is no right way to deal with a toxic family member. Only you can decide how much contact is right for you. And you will know if and when you need to walk away in order to save yourself. Just know that its okay to end a toxic relationship even with a family member.

2019 Sharon Martin, LCSW. All rights reserved. Originally published on the authors website.Photo byMarc SchaeferonUnsplash

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It's Okay to Cut Ties with Toxic Family Members - PsychCentral.com

You just ran into two people from New York, kiddo, and were not putting up with your Republican bullst

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was trying to enjoy his lunch with his deputy chief of staff Sergio Gor when he was accosted by lefties concerned about incivility.

The incident occurred in California, but the woman screamed that Paul and Gor had just ran into two people from New York, kiddo, and were not putting up with your Republican bullst. At one point, she circles around and flips Paul and/or Gor the bird. Charming.

Fox News reports:

Republican Sen.Rand Paulwas confrontedby two people while eatinglunch Friday with his staff at a California restaurant.

Pauls deputy chief of staff, Sergio Gor, captured the moment in a video he posted to Twitter.While having lunch with @RandPaul in California, we got verbally assaulted by these aggressive libs complaining about incivility, Gor wrote. Check out the vid! #unhinged

You just ran into two people from New York, kiddo, and were not putting up with your Republican bullst, the woman in the video shoutsat Gor.

. . . . Paul retweeted the video and said that while the left blames incivility on the president, he urges voters to watch this video and decide who the rude ones are.

Watch:

Heres Pauls tweet:

Needless to say, people have thoughts.

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Rand Paul verbally assaulted by aggressive libs complaining about incivility - legal Insurrection

Psychotherapy is a psychological method used to address and treat emotional and mental health problems and its impact on life, family and relationships

Talking has enormous therapeutic benefits, It strengthens your ties with others and having someone listen to you, promotes the feeling that others care and are interested in what you have to say.

You mull and worry about many things, often without conscious awareness of its pattern and purpose. When these worries are left unattended they can take a pathological form and contribute to difficulties. When you verbalise and hear your thoughts then you experience a sense of relief from quiet suffering. It is after the catharsis, that the process of self-awareness and change takes root.

You benefit from talking to friends and family, but sometimes it isnt enough, as they may not be attentive, offer advice before listening and offer untimely advice and assurance. Therefore, it is sometimes easier to talk to someone (a trained professional) who has no prior knowledge or expectation from you and to whom you can disclose your deepest fears and emotions without the worry of being judged.

However, something holds us back from see king psychotherapy (also known as talk therapy). It is perhaps the misconception that you have to be little mad or harbour some strange and odd ideas to see a therapist.

This is a myth that psychotherapy is only for mental illness and associated disturbances. However, isnt it entirely normal and human to be confused and nervous and become overwhelmed by work stress, career angst and relationship challenges? In fact, those who seek early help and therapy to unravel their inner-self are more mature than those who wait until lifes issues trigger breakdown and illnesses.

What Is Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is a psychological method used to address and treat emotional and mental health problems and its impact on life, family and relationships. Its also for self improvement and to do what one does, better.

Psychotherapy is not a therapy that is done to you by someone else, but is done by you. You play an active part with the therapist as a facilitator and the process is empowering.

The process involves talking to a professional, either on a one-to-one basis or in groups, to get a deeper understanding of thoughts, feeling, worries and troublesome behaviour, with a view to raise awareness and bring about changes from a less adaptive to more adaptive state, as deemed desirable by the participant or client.

Psychotherapy is much more than just listening and guiding and change. Its about building trust and rekindling hope that life is fluid (and ever changing) and that problems are an opportunity for transformation and psychological growth rather than a hindrance.

Directive Or Non-Directive Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy can be directive or non-directive. In directive therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy or CGT, one can learn to identity and change unhelpful negative and pessimistic patterns of thinking, take note of and build on positive events, or apply relaxation techniques. Equally, develop skill sets to address social anxiety, low self-esteem and damaging anger problems. Here, the emphasis is on the present rather than past.

In non-directive therapies like psychoanalysis or psychodynamic psychotherapy, emphasises on exploring the past, including early family and other important relationships and how it may impact the present, reactions, behaviour and relationships.

Systemic Therapy

Then there is systemic therapy, which looks at the relationships between individuals as part of a unit and how systems and interpersonal dynamics work together. Examples of this approach include group and family therapy.

Involvement in psychotherapy should provide confidential physical and emotional space where conversation can flow and deep recesses of the mind can be accessed more readily. Its about enabling the participant to describe difficult issues and exploring a deeper meaning that he/she is unaware of.

It takes a holistic approach and sees the person as a whole, rather than from a narrow perspective of reported problems. The body, mind and conscious (and unconscious) thought, feelings and emotional reactions, interconnectedness to their world, are all taken into consideration.

Each person has a unique personality, perspective and preferences. And a good therapist removes himself/herself (biases and opinion) from the therapy sessions and speaks from the clients point of view.

The sessions enhance participation by reflecting and paraphrasing. Reflecting is a method where an attempt is made to reconstruct the clients thinking and associated feeling and conveying that back in an understandable manner, whereas paraphrasing Is simply repeating parts of the story to let the client know that he/she is being heard.

Continually assess readiness for change and/or resistance In form of un-cooperativeness or sabotaging progress by erratic attendance; the therapist must be attentive to these factors and provide timely guidance.

A therapists manner is ideally curious, honest and deeply interested in exploring human behaviour and feelings with an unconditional positive regard and also a belief that everyone has an inherent ability to heal themselves plus are capable of recovery from difficulties, provided they are treated with respect, compassion and warmth.

We all need to look inward at some point in life, in order to make more coherent sense of the world outside. And when there is conflict, collaborative approach with a therapist can be a great advantage.

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Understanding Psychotherapy And Its Effectiveness - Version Weekly

John Hodgman's last book, Vacationland, was a kind of absurdist memoir of a weird kid who'd grown up to the kind of self-aware grownup who really wanted to dig into how he got to where he was, with bone-dry wit and real heart (I compared it to Steve Martin's Cruel Shoes, but for adults who'd outgrown it); in his new book, Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms, Hodgman offers something much more uncomfortable (if no less funny), a series of vignettes that explore the hollowness of privilege, the toxicity of comparison, and the melancholy of accomplishment.

Medallion Status tells the story of Hodgman's post-TV life. After lucking into a role in a series of Apple TV ads, Hodgman went on to semi-regular stints on The Daily Show under Jon Stewart and a series of medium-sized parts on well-regarded sitcoms, but these have dwindled, and while Hodgman has many other claims to accomplishment and fame, they're not TV fame (and arguably, as Hodgman points out, even TV fame isn't TV fame anymore in our fractured world of streaming services). TV fame is a weird kind of fame, a stopped-in-the-street kind of fame, a fly from New York to LA every week and stay at the Chateau Marmont kind of fame. It's the kind of fame that gets you invited into the swag room at awards-shows where you can be measured for complementary custom-made leather shoes or take home a really amazing pair of jeans.

For Hodgman, as riven with insecurity as the next person (especially if the next person is a white, straight dude from a middle-class background who has a keen appreciation that he's living life on the lowest difficulty setting and is likely being serviced and fawned over by people who work harder and are more talented than he is), the gradual withdrawal of the trappings of privilege are a constant, nagging confirmation that every jolt of impostor syndrome you've ever felt was fully deserved.

This becomes the basis for an extended meditation on the many ways in which privilege feels gross and upsetting for the privileged: the systems around you are designed to tempt you to strive harder to attain the next level of privilege, where, you are assured, you can rest up from your anxious climb and enjoy the summit. But each summit reveals another summit, and higher, more promising, more tantalizing summits you can attain.

This is both the literal and metaphorical life of a frequent flier, of course: each tier in the airlines' customer loyalty program is designed to remind you of how terrible things are on the tier below you and how marvellous things would be if you could only rise up by one more level. And each tier is designed to panic you as the year progresses and you realize that you might not re-establish your status. And it is status, exclusivity, a secret society for one percenters, celebs and looters, all rubbing shoulders and eating chef-prepared meals and drinking free whiskey at 30,000 feet in a lie-flat bed.

At this point, you might be thinking that if being privileged is such a burden, you should try having no privilege at all. Hodgman agrees with you: indeed, the story of Medallion Status is about how badly this works out for everyone.

From his perch on the middle tiers of celebrity, Hodgman is able to compare himself to people who are in much smaller cohorts than his own: if he's in the 15% of people-on-TV, he's comparing himself to people in the 5% or even 1%, and yet, whenever he comes close enough to tug at those tailored and exclusive shirt-tails, he realizes that those people are every bit as miserable and insecure as he is.

And therein lies the message of Medallion Status, latent amidst the very funny jokes and the charming asides and the disarming honesty: that the whole system of privilege and inequality isn't serving anyone: it makes you miserable to be at the bottom, sure, but it also makes you miserable to be at the top.

And worse: as Hodgman travels through, and finds some accomodation within, these rarified heights, he sees how privilege turns the privileged into monsters, including Hodgman himself, whose impulses are warped and stunted under its ferocious gravity. As funny as Hodgman is -- and he's very, very funny -- there is a kind of horror in this book, something appropriately Lovecraftian (given both Hodgman's dedication to New England and Lovecraft's revolting worship of elitism). What Hodgman describes is a horror-movie form of compartmentalization, in which the protagonist finds themself committing terrible acts, knowing that they are terrible, unable to stop themselves.

My absolute favorite mode of humor is "ha ha only serious." One of Hodgman's anxieties is that he's not serious enough to be a comedian: that making a career out of inventing untrue facts about orchestral instruments or being the straight man on The Daily Show makes you funny, but not a comedian -- not someone using humor to disarm power so that it can have truth spoken to it.

But Hodgman is speaking truth to power here: he's spilling the rich, white guy tea, which is that they're absolutely miserable. Not that the wealthy and powerful deserve our sympathy -- but it's important to understand that the system is frailer than you think, because the only reason its supporters defend it is because they're afraid that if they're not defending the hierarchy, they'll end up on the bottom of the pyramid.

This is the moment for that message, with an election only days away and the most egregious example of self-parodying, useless and overprivileged whiteness in the White House. Trump's whole "poor person's idea of a rich person" schtick is the living embodiment of the idea that comparison is the thief of joy. Trump is insecurity manifest, a would-be dictator whose manifesto could easily be titled Mein Angst.

The difference between a monster and a mensch is self-awareness. Hodgman's Medallion Status is the opposite of narcissism: it's an honest and terribly funny peek into a world that very few of us will get to see, one that is frank enough to admit that the only thing the people in that world enjoy about it is that we're not allowed in it.

Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms [John Hodgman/Viking]

Do Not Track was a standardized way for browsers to tell services that their owners did not consent to having their activities and usage logged; however, it was subverted by Big Tech and big media companies and turned into a useless tick-box that had virtually no impact on your privacy.

Uno's Greta Grotesk is a free font based on Greta Thunberg's hand-lettered signs.

Emily Wilson is the author of a new "lean, fleet-footed translation" of Homer's Odyssey that "recaptures Homer's 'nimble gallop.'"

As cool as your smartphone is, it cant do everything. When a job requires a little elbow grease, a multitool is a great thing to have around and might just save your life in the right situation. Heres a roundup of some of the latest multitool designs, which have come a long way since []

Whether you own or rent your place, insurance on that home is a necessary hassle but a new tech-driven company called Lemonade is starting to show that while it might indeed be a necessity, it doesnt have to be a hassle. Heres the way insurance typically works: You pay premiums and hope an accident []

People tend to keep luggage around for a long time. And why not? New suitcases are pricey, and no matter how banged up or patched up that old bag gets, it still holds your clothes. Right? Maybe not. Here are 15 travel bags and accessories that make a strong case for upgrading your gear. Theyve []

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Medallion Status: comparison is the thief of joy, and John Hodgman is the thief-taker - Boing Boing

No matter how much you try to avoid it, Uncle Sam will always take a chunk out of your paychecks.

The same is true in retirement, although taxes in retirement can potentially have greater consequences than when you're working -- because you'll likely be living on a fixed income in retirement, spending more than you anticipated can throw off your entire plan. And if you're not prepared for them, taxes can take a serious bite out of your retirement budget.

To ensure your retirement savings go as far as possible in your golden years, there are a few tax mistakes you should do your best to avoid.

Image source: Getty Images.

It's easy to forget about taxes when you're saving for retirement. When you get caught up in determining how much you expect to spend in retirement and how much you should be saving, taxes may not figure into that equation.

However, the only way to completely avoid paying taxes on your retirement account withdrawals is to store all of your savings in a Roth IRA, where your contributions are taxed upfront but you can withdraw your money tax-free. If you have money in a different type of retirement account -- such as a 401(k), 403(b), or traditional IRA -- you can expect to pay income taxes on the money you withdraw from your retirement fund.

There are a few ways to trim your tax bill in retirement so you're not caught totally off-guard. One option is to invest primarily in a Roth IRA. You'll still pay taxes when you make the initial contributions, but it may be easier to plan for retirement when you know that the money in your account is that amount you'll be able to spend.

Another way to prepare for retirement taxes is to start thinking of your savings goals in terms of pre-tax dollars. For example, say you estimate you'll need $50,000 each year to pay all your bills in retirement, and you base your retirement plan around that number. Even if you save according to your plan and you can afford to withdraw $50,000 per year, you'll actually end up with less than that once taxes are taken out. Instead, you might want to increase your annual spending estimate to, say, $65,000, so that you'll have roughly $50,000 each year to spend after taxes. Of course, the actual numbers will vary based on your tax bracket and your state's tax rate, but figuring taxes into your retirement plan can help avoid any surprises.

Yes, you'll likely still owe taxes on your benefits even when you've been paying Social Security taxes throughout your entire career. There are different thresholds for how much you'll pay in taxes, and it depends on your income. If your benefits are your only source of income in retirement, you may get away with not paying any taxes. However, the majority of people will have to pay taxes on at least a portion of their benefits.

The first step to determining how much you'll owe in Social Security taxes is to estimate your combined income, which is half of your annual Social Security benefit amount plus all your other annual retirement income (money from a pension, savings from your retirement fund, etc.). So if you're receiving $25,000 per year in benefits and are earning $40,000 per year in other retirement income, your combined income is $12,500 + $40,000, or $52,500.

Here's how much of your benefits may be subject to taxes depending on your combined income:

Source: Social Security Administration.

Keep in mind that these tax rates are only for federal taxes, and some states will make you pay state taxes on your benefits as well (although 37 states don't tax Social Security benefits at all). By being aware of what you may pay in taxes on your benefits before you retire, it can help ensure your retirement plan is as accurate as possible.

Assuming you'll need to pay taxes on your retirement account withdrawals, the exact amount you'll owe depends on your tax bracket.

Income taxes are the same in retirement as they are when you're working, but the difference is that in retirement, you get to choose how much income you're earning. You can withdraw however much you want from your retirement fund each year, and that amount determines what tax bracket you fall under. If you're spending roughly the same amount in retirement as you were when you were working, you likely won't notice much of a difference in your tax bill. But if you decide to splurge during your first few years of retirement and withdraw a lot of cash, you may push yourself into a higher tax bracket.

There are a couple of things you can do before you retire to ensure your taxes don't get out of control. First, make sure you understand what tax bracket you'll be in when you retire. That will impact how much you pay in income taxes each year, which then affects how much you actually have to spend.

Second, adjust your withdrawal strategy so you stay within your desired tax bracket. It's smart to have a withdrawal strategy when you retire so you don't blow through your savings too quickly, but it can also help limit what you pay in taxes. Spending even a few thousand dollars over your bracket will result in a heftier tax bill, which can potentially throw off the rest of your retirement plan.

Taxes aren't the most exciting part of planning for retirement, but they are a vital aspect of your retirement plan. And the more accurately you account for them, the more financially secure you'll be in your golden years.

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3 Tax Mistakes That Could Ruin Your Retirement - The Motley Fool

A man fishes in a lake.

Twenty20

With some experts warning that $1 million in retirement savings might not even do the trick these days, it's understandable if you're kept up at night wondering: Will I have enough?

Here's another question worth asking: How should I spend what I have?

A good answer to the latter can help you with the former.

Whether your nest egg is $1 million, $250,000, more or less, you'll need to devise a smart strategy of how to spend your money so that you don't outlive your savings. "Withdrawing too much money early in your retirement can have a devastating effect on your standard of living," said Arielle O'Shea, a retirement and investing expert at personal finance website Nerdwallet.

On the other hand, O'Shea said, you don't want to be led by fear. "Being too conservative could mean you don't enjoy these years you've worked so hard for," she said.

Below are some time-tested ways to spend your retirement savings.

Davids' Adventures Photos | Moment | Getty Images

Now retired financial advisor William Bengen came up with the so-called 4% rule almost two decades ago. It's still in circulation.

It's simple: You draw 4% from your savings in your first year of retirement, and then adjust that amount for inflation every year thereafter.

For example, imagine you have $800,000 in savings. In your first year of retirement, you'd withdraw $32,000. If inflation was 3% for the year, the following year you'd take out $32,960. (In other words: 4% of $800,000, which is $32,000, plus 3% of that $32,000, which is $960, for a total of $32,960.)

"It's a good starting point, especially for someone doing their own planning," said certified financial planner Brad Bobb, owner of Bobb Financial in Springfield, Illinois.

Of late, however, some experts say retirees might not be able to depend on the strategy. "The 4% rule hasn't really been tested against such low interest rates," said Wade Pfau, professor of retirement income at the American College for Financial Services.

Most experts agree that retirees will need a portion of their savings still invested in the stock market, where returns are typically higher in the long run than those produced by bonds or certificates of deposit. Even so, not all nest eggs will be able to endure a 4% annual drain.

And for those with really large savings, the 4% rule could leave you living more frugally than you need to. "The goal is not to die the richest person in the graveyard," said Allan Roth, CFP and founder of financial advisory firm Wealth Logic in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Another issue with this tool? It's awfully rigid, said Colleen Jaconetti, senior investment analyst at Vanguard. There are a number of factors that can make your budget vary from one year to the next, including health care and travel expenses and when you claim Social Security.

"Every individual's needs are different and it's likely that their annual spending will fluctuate throughout retirement," Jaconetti said.

John Foxx | Stockbyte | Getty Images

Some retirees prefer a dynamic spending strategy, which "provides retirees with the flexibility to account for unexpected expenses or rocky market conditions," Jaconetti said.

With this technique, you might still begin your retirement at a 4% withdrawal, but you can also establish a withdrawal "ceiling" and "floor" rate the most and least you'll take out in a given year.

For example, say you have a $1 million nest egg. Your maximum annual withdrawal might be 5%, and your minimum could be 2.5%.

"One of the drawbacks of the 4% rule is that annual withdrawals from the portfolio are indifferent to the returns of the capital markets," Jaconetti said. The dynamic spending strategy, she said, offers an antidote.

For example, if the market dropped 20% in a year, a retiree might slash spending by a fifth for a few years. Or he or she could permanently cut spending by a smaller percentage, say 3%.

"In short, this rule helps retirees maintain income for basic expenses while allowing for more discretionary income if market returns are favorable," Jaconetti said.

The strategy might be unnecessary for retirees who really do anticipate a consistent overhead.

PM Images | Stone | Getty Images

A third spending tool is the bucket strategy, which divides your retirement savings into segments, said Jon Beyrer, CFP and director of wealth management at Blankinship & Foster in Solana Beach, California.

He says there are typically two buckets: one for withdrawal, one for growth. "These could also be called a short-term bucket and a long-term bucket," Beyrer said.

The withdrawal bucket should have enough to cover your annual expenses for a set period of time. For example, if a retiree needs to take out $50,000 a year, and they want the money to cover five years, the bucket should have at least $250,000. "The withdrawal bucket will typically be invested in low-risk, highly liquid investments such as high-grade bonds and money market funds," Beyrer said.

The timeline with this strategy is less overwhelming than with the 4% rule, Beyrer said. "By having rules about how many years worth of spending should be in the withdrawal bucket, the retiree is more tuned into what their withdrawals need to be," he said.

The other bucket will be for long-term growth. "The investments in this bucket can include higher-risk, more volatile investments such as stocks," he said.

It'll be important for retirees to strike a balance between the two buckets, to make sure they're not being too conservative or too risky. The strategy can also get complicated fast.

You might have more than two buckets: one for emergency savings, or one for children and grandchildren. "Lifestyle buckets like travel or philanthropy force some discipline on how much to spend on those items," Beyrer said.

A big advantage of the strategy, he said, is that it reduces people's risk of making regrettable moves with their savings.

"When a retiree knows their withdrawal bucket is secure, it's easier not to panic in the face of bad stock market news," Beyrer said. "It gives retirees peace of mind."

Some retirees might want to use the IRS's required minimum distributions tables for individual retirement accounts and 401(k) plans as guidance on how to spend down all of their savings, including any brokerage accounts or certificates of deposit.

An RMD is the amount you're required by the government to withdraw each year from your IRA (but not Roth IRAs, which have no required withdrawal). The mandates kick in the year you turn 70. (The number is calculated by dividing your account balance as of Dec. 31 of the prior year by the IRS life expectancy tables.)

So let's say you have $1,000,000 saved. If you don't have a spouse, and were born in December of 1953, your first RMD would be roughly $50,500, according to calculations on the Charles Schwab website. Assuming an annual return of 6%, your nest egg shouldn't dry out until after your 115th birthday.

Check out this handy calculator to figure out your math.

More from Personal Finance:Earning income after 65? Make it work for youHow to start an emergency fundWhat we might learn from Trump's tax returns

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Four ways to not outlive your retirement savings - CNBC

Retirement planning can be difficult. Retirement planning and securing a future for a child with special needs can be doubly so.

The good news is there are a number of government programs that can help parents provide for special-needs children, depending on the level of disability, such as ABLE accounts, Medicare or Medicaid, nutritional assistance and Social Security programs.

The bad news, says James Fox, a certified financial planner and a chartered special needs consultant at AXA Advisors, is that missteps can cause children to lose benefits and lead to significantly higher taxes in estate planning. The twin goals need to be done concurrently and with care, he says.

Here, experts who specialize in this often-complex area share tips.

Similar to 529 college-savings plans, ABLE accounts are tax-advantaged savings accounts for people with disabilities and their families. To be eligible for the account, the onset of a significant disability must occur before age 26. People who receive Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance automatically qualify. Others may qualify if they meet Social Securitys definition of disability and have a physicians disability certification.

The beneficiary, family, or friends may contribute up to $15,000 a year in total to the account.

As with a 529 plan, the money can be invested and grows tax-deferred. Contributions to the account arent tax-deductible. As long as the money is used for a qualifying expense, it comes out tax-free and wont be counted as a resource against any needs-based government programs, Fox says. To qualify for SSI and Medicaid, a person must have no more than $2,000 in assets, excluding a few items like housing.

Qualified expenses need to be related to the disability and can include costs for education, transportation, and other expenses that help to improve quality of life, says Nancy Spain, attorney at Spain, Spain & Varnet PC, whose practice specializes special-needs trusts.

Some families say that they will work forever. You may not be able to work forever.

There are some limits to ABLE accounts, Fox says. The number to watch is $100,000. If the balance rises above that level, the beneficiarys SSI payments will be suspended until the balance drops below that figure. It doesnt affect the beneficiarys Medicaid eligibility. Although it doesnt happen often, he recommends families watch if the balance starts to creep to $90,000.

Any time a benefit gets shut off, its a mountain to climb for families to go through the red tape to get that put back on, he says.

He says ABLE accounts are owned by the beneficiary, even if there is a guardianship established with control. That direct ownership is key as ABLE accounts may be subject to a Medicaid payback provision once the individual dies, where the state may try to recoup some of its Medicaid costs.

Special-needs trusts are another way parents can give financial resources to adult children while protecting access to needs-based programs like SSI and Medicaid, Spain says. These trusts can be created to care for the child who isnt able to work as an adult while the parents are alive or after the parents death.

There are two basic types of trusts, third-party and first-party trusts, and Spain recommends when possible parents set up a third-party trust for the child. Third-party trusts protect the funds from the Medicaid payback provision because the money is not left directly to the child. Additionally, because the trust is not in the childs name, if the child dies while money remains in the trust, parents or the trustee can give that money to someone else.

Costs to set up a special-needs trust vary, Spain and Fox say, and can range from $3,000 to $10,000. There also are annual costs, including having an accountant file taxes for the trust and having a trustee administer the trust.

Parents of children with special needs often defer saving for retirement because their resources are limited. Often one parent may stay out of the workforce to care for the child, which also limits their ability to save for retirement.

But parents shouldnt forgo retirement savings, says Kristian Finfrock, founder and CEO of Retirement Income Strategies. Some families say that they will work forever. You may not be able to work forever, he says.

When it comes to retirement-savings choices, Finfrock recommends parents at least save enough to get the employer match on 401(k)s and then, if possible, Roth IRAs because of their withdrawals are tax-free, before returning to max out a 401(k).

If parents realize their retirement assets wont be enough to care for their child after the parents death, Finfrock recommends buying life insurance to have the death benefit fund a special-needs trust.

Fox says using life insurance and Roth IRAs to fund a special-needs trust is a smart tax decision, too. He recommends using a special-needs attorney to create one.

To do so, the trust needs to be listed as the beneficiary of the Roth IRA or life-insurance policy. The life-insurance policies can be new or active, he says. If the policy is already active, the owner can change the beneficiary to the trust.

The trust must file annual taxes, and trusts tax rates are at the highest tax bracket, close to 40%. Since Roth IRAs and life-insurance money is tax-free, the beneficiary receives more money. Life insurance for the special-needs trust can also help for parents worried about inheritance equity with other children. These parents can leave funds in their tax-sheltered accounts, such as traditional IRAs, to their other children to reduce the tax hit.

Obviously it depends on each family situation. But looking for tax-free dollars to actually fund the special-needs trust makes the most sense, he says.

Questions? Comments? Write to us at retirement@barrons.com

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How to Plan for Retirement and Special-Needs Care - Barron's

In fiscal 2018, the number of federal employees who filed for retirement jumped a dramatic 24%, from about 85,000 to 105,000. The sudden increase set off alarm bells that the long-awaited retirement wave was hitting with full force.

Then, last week, the Office of Personnel Management reported the fiscal 2019 retirement numbers. A little less than 104,000 feds filed their retirement papersa decrease of 1.4%.

So whats up? Is the retirement wave a myth? Not exactly. Its just that its not a tsunami, crashing ashore and destroying everything in its path, but more of a tidal phenomenon, with ebbs and flows over time, and substantial variations from agency to agency.

A couple of things to remember: First, the number of employees who file retirement applications has in fact been steadily increasing over time, and is higher now than in the recent past. From fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2017 the number of retirements averaged a little over 61,000 per year, substantially less than todays rate.

Second, the increase in the percentage of federal employees who are eligible to retire continues to go up. As of June 2018, 14% of the workforce was retirement-eligible, and OPM projects that figure to increase to 30% in just a few years.

Retirement eligibility rates vary widely from agency to agency. At the Housing and Urban Development Department, more than 23% of employees were eligible to retire in 2018, a figure that will rise to almost 45% in four years. At the Homeland Security Department, by contrast, only about 10% of employees were eligible to retire last year. That percentage will go up up to 25% in the near future.

The good news is that federal agencies have had plenty of time to prepare for the slow, inexorable demographic change in their workforces. Sotheoreticallythey should have effective plans in place for for recruiting the next generation of workers and retaining the institutional memory of those who are departing.

It's good that we haven't seen a full-scale wave, because OPM is still struggling with a substantial backlog of retirement applications awaiting processing. The backlog fell from 17,576 applications in August 2019 to 17,376 last month, but thats still a mountain of paperwork to move through the system.

And it literally is paperwork, with hard-copy federal employee records stored deep beneath the earth at a secure location in Pennsylvania. Tammy Flanagan, your regular retirement planning columnist, will describe the processing systemand ongoing efforts to finally modernize itin more detail in a future column.

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Where's the Retirement Wave? - GovExec.com