People who have thought about their retirement savings target are the most confident of achieving the retirement lifestyle they want, according to ANZs latest Retirement Savings Confidence Barometer released today.

The quarterly survey asked 825 people if they are saving for retirement, how much weekly income they would like in addition to New Zealand Superannuation when they retire, and how confident they are about reaching the lump sum they need to achieve their savings goal.

"Only 29 per cent of respondents had looked into their savings goals before taking part in our survey. Of these people who have previously considered their target, 65 per cent were confident," said John Body, Managing Director ANZ Wealth and Private Banking, New Zealand.

Among those who have never previously considered the figure they are saving towards only 40 per cent said they were confident of reaching their goals.

"The results show a strong correlation between having a savings target and being confident of attaining the lifestyle you want in retirement."

Mr Body said attitudes to retirement savings have improved markedly with the introduction of KiwiSaver. "In this survey, just 5 per cent of respondents said they intended to live solely on their NZ Superannuation payments."

A third of those surveyed are not currently saving towards their retirement and in this quarter these people were also asked how confident they are of reaching their goals.

People who are not saving were asked if they expected to have an extra source of retirement income from selling their home, their business, owning an investment property or receiving an inheritance. 29 per cent of respondents without a savings scheme expect to fund most of their retirement income from these other sources.

More than half of those not currently in a savings scheme indicated they are putting off saving until a later date.

The overall savings confidence of all those who plan to have an additional income on top of NZ Superannuation remains less than half, at 47 per cent.

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Most NZers have not considered their retirement savings goal

Dear Mr. President:You must be tired. Please take some time off. You worked very hard to get re-elected. As a loyal American, I want you in good health, and that means some rest and relaxation once in a while.

But when you ramp it up again, I hope you will consider some suggestions from a citizen who's a bit disappointed in your overall performance. Please understand that I am not looking at this from an ideological perspective, but rather from a sports point-of-view.

I want American leadership to win the game. That means improving the economy, bolstering protection for the folks and running an honest operation from the White House. At this point in history, that's what winning means to me.

Let's take the economy first. Apparently, you believe that massive government spending can create well-paying jobs in the private sector. But after four years and almost a trillion dollars of federal money being fed into the economy, it hasn't worked. Unemployment is about the same as it was when you took over in 2009, and wages are down sharply.

You spent a ton of our money, Mr. President, and we didn't even get a T-shirt.

Now, I know some of my fellow citizens see it differently and voted for you believing your economic vision is sound. But let's be honest: The voter breakdown clearly shows that folks receiving some kind of government largesse supported you big-time, while those avidly competing in the marketplace voted for Gov. Romney.

It was no accident that the day after your victory, the stock market plummeted 313 points.

So I hope you'll rethink the big spending and begin to make it easier for small-business people to make money. When they are flush, the job market surges. When they feel threatened, hiring shuts down.

I well understand that the "tax the rich" mantra got you some political currency. But we both know that strategy will do little to stimulate anything other than jealousy.

On the security front, may I suggest that you be a stand-up guy? Please hold a press conference and tell the folks what you know about the terror attack in Libya and why things are such a mess. This "we're investigating" stuff is a ruse. Telling us what you know does not impede an investigation.

Excerpt from:
Bill O'Reilly: A personal note to President Obama

The Monmouth College swim team turned in 11 personal-bests on Saturday en route to a runner up finish for the women and a third place mens finish at their annual 11-team Monmouth College Invitational.

Gabe Baginski came away the big winner for the Scots, turning three winning performances, two personal-bests and a pool record. The junior clocked his first lifetime-best in the 50-yard freestyle where he touched in 22.51. He followed that with a pool record and another PR in the 100 free when he clocked a 48.36 to win by more than a second. Baginski began his individual competition swimming an honor roll time of 1:46.79 in the 200 freestyle to win by four seconds.

On the womens side, senior Erica McAloon nearly equaled Baginskis day, winning two events and swimming one lifetime-best. She logged a PR of 2:37.09 to win the 200 breaststroke by more than three seconds and posted a winning time of 2:22.84 in the 200 IM.

The women also got first place points in the diving well where Clarissa Henby turned in the meets top performance. Her six-dives off the 1-meter springboard gave her a nearly 30-point win with a Monmouth honor roll score of 165.05.

Besides McAloon, three other women posted top four finishes thanks to personal-best swims.

Sophomore Erin Willhite led the group with a second and two thirds. Willhite was just shy of the win in the 50 freestyle when she clocked a 26.19 to finish second by one one-hundredth of a second. Her 57.64 in the 100 free placed her third, just 11-hundredths out of a runner up finish. Willhite turned in her personal-best in the 500 freestyle, clocking a 5:38.67 to take third.

Freshmen Morgan Bruess and Steph Komaniecki each swam PRs to finish fourth in their events. Bruess touched in 1:08.27 to claim fourth in the 100 backstroke and Komanieckis 400 IM time of 5:17.97 also took fourth place.

The men also got high points from newcomer Jory Seibert and junior Zack Heilman. Seibert finished fourth in the 200 backstroke, out-touching his closest competitor with a 2:14.62. Heilman was a solid third in the 200 breaststroke finishing in 2:25.46.

The Scots women rounded out their meet with a win in the 400 freestyle relay. McAloon, Willhite, Komaniecki and Taylor Sutschek swam a Monmouth honor roll time of 3:54.39.

Baginski and Seibert joined with Tony Marino and Neal Hosper to place second in the meet-ending 400 freestyle relay, touching in 3:23.35. Baginski, Seibert, Hosper and Heilman had opened the mens competition with a third place finish in the 400 medley relay, posting a time of 3:50.27.

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Scots swimmers better than most at invite

For North Carolina sophomore Lianne Farber, the 2012 cross country season has been one full of accomplishments.

After earning the first win of her collegiate career at the adidas XC Challenge in September, she has since recorded personal bests in both the 5K and 6K events.

And despite a sub-par performance at the ACC Championships two weeks ago, Farber realized her goal of the season at the NCAA Southeast Regional in Charlotte last Friday.

Her individual fifth-place finish earned her All-Region honors and the opportunity to compete at the NCAA National Championships.

Obviously were thrilled with Liannes finish today, coach Mark VanAlstyne said. Shes worked very hard to get to this point. To bounce back from the adversity of a poor finish at ACCs and qualify for her first finals in cross country I thought was huge.

She did her race plan perfectly and has a fifth-place finish and nationals berth to show for it.

Farbers time of 20:31.6 led the womens team, which was shorthanded without top runners Kylie McCoy and Emma Norman, to a fifth-place finish in a field of 37 teams.

After placing a disappointing sixth out of 11 at the ACC Championships, the mens team continued to struggle by failing to produce any runners in the top 35, finishing the 10k event in 11th place out of 34 teams.

Sophomore Scott Morgan led the men with a time of 31:05.3.

We werent happy with the mens performance. They came in certainly with aspirations to finish higher than 11th. And outside of one person, Scott Morgan, who had maybe his best race of the year, I think everyone else just felt like they were not on today, VanAlstyne said. Our goal is much higher than 11th in the Southeast Region. We want to be the team vying for a spot at nationals and ultimately achieving that.

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Farber posts new personal best en route to an All-Region performance

BOCA RATON Spanish River senior Ellyn Snider could not hold back tears following her personal-record performance Saturday at the Class 4A-Region 3 cross-country meet.

"My big goal was to get to state," Snider said after she placed third in the girls 5K race at South County Regional Park. "My dad lives in Texas and he hasn't seen me run this year. Now he can."

That's when Snider's eyes became a little moist from the emotion of the moment. She explained that her father, a law professor at Baylor University, promised her that if she qualified for the state meet, he would be there to watch her run. Dad can pack his bags and book that flight from Waco to Tallahassee.

Snider's third-place finish helped Spanish River earn the runner-up team trophy and a trip to the state championships next Saturday at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. Her time of 18:36.28 was 40 seconds faster than her previous personal record.

"I felt really good with my training coming in, but I didn't expect to beat it by so much," Snider said of her personal-record time.

Three of Snider's teammates also clocked personal-record times, with Catherine Vianale also placing among the top 10 finishers. Their performance was not enough to overcome an exceptional effort by St. Thomas Aquinas, which placed its top five runners in the top seven to capture the girls team title with 21 points, only six points short of a perfect score.

"They ran when they had to," said Spanish River coach Rothman. "Our top three did a tremendous job. Last year, we didn't qualify for state for the first time in 20 years, so this is very satisfying. We had three girls under 20 minutes, and we haven't had that since 2003, the last time we won state."

Sal Medrano of John I. Leonard had another strong performance, finishing runner-up to Anthony Deleva of Coral Glades, who won the boys race in 15:48.77. Deleva had a strong finish, passing Medrano about 700 yards from the finish line. Medrano clocked a personal-record 15:53.25, about 8 seconds faster than his previous best time.

"I'm not good on hills and he pulled away on that final hill," Medrano said of Deleva.

Spanish River's Caleb Rader placed third in 16:08.26, and Leonard's Charlie Bengston was fourth in 16:14.01 to help the Lancers earn the boys runner-up trophy with 94 points.

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Snider leads Spanish River girls cross country team to state

Imelda Marcos according to David Celdran

By Joseph Cortes, VERA Files

It is hard to describe Carlos Celdran's "Livin' La Vida Imelda" as theater.

There isn't much in terms of plot or narrative in this performance. What you get is a highly personal dissection of the myth and mystique of First Lady Imelda Marcos and the ramifications of the dictatorship imposed by her husband President Ferdinand Marcos during their tumultuous reign during the Seventies.

The fact that all of this is based on gossip, hearsay and public knowledge cautions you from believing every word Celdran utters. But that he is able to lay down his arguments succinctly makes his point of view a viable one. It is up to the audience to believe him or not.

Which begs the question: why is "Livin' La Vida Imelda" part of this year's National Theater Festival, presently ongoing at the Cultural Center of the Philippines until Nov. 18, 2012? Because, in its very essence, it is theater. Never mind that only one man does the talking. It is a lecture masquerading as a theatrical experience.

Carlos Celdran is known for his unusual walking tours of Manila, which are highly opinionated and entertaining, to say the least. This work is based on his script for a walking tour of the CCP Complex he offers. It places each building within the area in a historical perspective. Since the development of the entire complex was based on a plan by Mrs. Marcos to bring culture and arts to Filipinos, his script frames the entire cultural development of the country on the life and times of Mrs. Marcosand almost everything else that she touched on.

David CeldranThe CCP performance, which is based on two previous theatrical incarnations of this script, which premiered at Twist Gallery in Toronto, Canada in 2011 and at Silverlens Gallery in Makati City in March 2012, has been transformed into a cabaret performance with the addition of a Greek chorus of sorts of mimes and dancers. The whole show is punctuated by music from the Manila Sound, the trademark soundtrack of the Seventies era that reinvented American Top 40 for the New Society's youths. And Celdran's clear book of photographs gets extra help from an audio-visual presentation that serves as a backdrop for the show.

The performance is billed as "Performed by Carlos Celdran," which is a clear description of what you can expect from this show. Trust the man who thought of Imelda's role in Philippine society and why she remains a fixture in the minds of every Filipino to be the best advocate, nay, performer, of his work. Every word, every inflection, every gesture, every exhalation is delivered with conviction: he knows what he is talking about. And even if the cast of extraswho are on stage mostly to mouth the quotes, some of them imagined, that Celdran deliverswere taken out of the show, leaving the author with a slideshow presentation-cum-monolog, people would still surely come to see this show: you no longer have to walk around the CCP Complex to hear Celdran talk; you now find yourself comfortably seated in the air-conditioned comfort of Silangan Hall at the CCP with a full service snack bar at the back offering sandwiches and drinks for those needing a bite and sip as they absorb every word that he says.

And this show is really all talk; for what is at the heart of each theater performance but talk? The life of Imelda Marcos, from her childhood in San Miguel, Manila to her growing up years in Olot, Leyte to her various successes and scandalsthink of the Miss Manila pageant and Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson, soft porn actress Dovie Beams, the 1974 Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, tobacco heiress Doris Duke and Hollywood actor George Hamilton, and Libyan strongman Moammar Ghadaffiget dissected with Celdran's signature razor-sharp wit.

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Imelda Marcos, martial law according to Carlos Celdran

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbjDtJmzfPg

Get Unstuck and Upgrade Your Life!
KishaLynn Elliott, Life Coach with This Stuff #39;s Working! Coaching and Author of personal development ebook A DREAM Comes True: 5 Steps to Planning and Creating Your Personal Success Story NOW!, invites you to get unstuck and on the path to your DREAM income, DREAM body, DREAM love, DREAM life! You deserve an upgrade! Check it out...www.thisstuffsworking.comFrom:KishaLynn ElliottViews:0 0ratingsTime:00:42More inEducation

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Get Unstuck and Upgrade Your Life! - Video

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Dr. John McGrail Interview on The Paul Leslie Hour
Dr. John McGrail is a Personal Success Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist, and Author of "The Synthesis Effect." The book is about overcoming the struggles of stress, depression, anxiety, addiction, obesity, fear and anger. "The Synthesis Effect" contains simple, powerful, and clinically proven techniques for creating personal change and transformation while outlining a realistic roadmap to help us rediscover our power.From:thepaulleslieViews:0 0ratingsTime:13:03More inEducation

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Dr. John McGrail Interview on The Paul Leslie Hour - Video

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Quotes On Success That Will Help You Achieve More Personal Success In Your Life!
Create1KDaily.com | Quotes On Success Its Important You Read Every Word Below And Take Immediate Action If You Want To Experience INCREDIBLE Results... Hey friends this is Jimmy Rich and I wanted to make sure you saw this video because what I am about to give you below is the right information, from the right people at the right time. I just want to say I am not here to sale you anything just provide a solution if this is a fit for you. I too am skeptical to almost every online or offline business opportunity. I know how you feel. I became a true beliver when I woke up to my first $1000 day. Now, most other home businesses if you earn that much they try to pay you 10-20-30% of the money. We consider that here to be wussy commissions. Were different here. We make sure you keep 100% of the money. Shortly after having my first $1k+ day another 1k+ day came. I was shocked! The greatest part was... I didn #39;t have to cold call anybody, I didn #39;t have to make a list of my friends and family and I didn #39;t have to chase people around supermarkets. I just follow the step by step training inside from the top earners and use the methods to get people like you to find me just like you are right now. Its really simple and you never sell anything just refer people to something incredible. If you want access to the freedom and abundance that you #39;ve always deserved all you have to do is... click the link below, watch the main event and take action at the end. http | Click That Link, put your ...From:jimmy richViews:0 0ratingsTime:01:00More inFilm Animation

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Quotes On Success That Will Help You Achieve More Personal Success In Your Life! - Video

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Compass Learning, Inc., the leader in online personalized learning solutions for the K-12 education market, today announced the winners of its annual CompassLearning Odyssey Innovation Grant Awards. The Innovation Awards recognize teachers who have utilized CompassLearning Odyssey in innovative and compelling ways to create personalized learning programs that unlock every students potential for academic achievement and personal growth. This year six educators at three schools were recognized with $5,000 Innovation Grants for their success at engaging students in learning.

The Innovation Grant recipients and a summary of their successes for 2012 are:

These educators are shining examples of innovative teachers who have leveraged the power of CompassLearning Odyssey to personalize learning around the strengths and needs of their students, unlocking their potentials for academic success and personal achievement, said Eric Loeffel, chief executive officer and president of Compass Learning. As the shift continues from the traditional one-size-fits-all educational system to student-centric models, it is forward-looking educators such as our grant recipients who are taking our rich digital content and curriculum to differentiate their instruction in powerful new ways making personalized learning a reality for every student. We are proud to recognize their achievements and honored to support them in their continued success.

About Compass Learning, Inc.

Compass Learning, Inc. provides K-12 educational software that empowers teachers to unlock every students potential for academic success and personal growth. Compass Learning takes a student-centered approach by providing comprehensive solutions that address the needs of every student and student-type to create personalized learning and differentiation programs that reach, engage and inspire students to succeed. Teachers and administrators can more efficiently and effectively manage and measure progress, freeing time to focus on delivering academic results and 21stcentury skills. Both of the companys software solutions, CompassLearning Odyssey and the Renzulli Learning System deliver academic rigor that is based on more than 40 years of research into how students learn and are aligned to state and Common Core State Standards to support classroom and district accountability. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Compass Learning serves more than 7,800 schools across the United States.

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Compass Learning Names Six Teachers as Innovation Grant Recipients for 2012