We spend a lot of time and effort accumulating a retirement fund. But at a time when retirement can last for over 20 years, we also need a tax-efficient withdrawal strategy to help our nest egg last longer.

Various types of retirement income are taxed at different rates. Here's a look at the different types of income and their respective tax rates in retirement:

Ordinary income tax rate. Once you retire, you won't have a regular paycheck anymore and your ordinary income tax will decrease significantly. But you'll still probably have to pay tax on these sources of income:

--Rental income

--Business income

--Tax-deferred account withdrawals from traditional IRAs and 401(k)s

--Interest

--Short term capital gains (gain from sales of assets held under 1 year)

--Annuity payouts may be taxable

--A portion of your Social Security benefit may be taxed federally depending on your income

See the original post here:
How to Take Tax-Efficient Retirement Account Withdrawals

I'd like to think that readers of this retirement column are well on their way to building a comfortable retirement. But many people have a long journey ahead of them before they will reach financial independence. Those who are close to retirement and have little or no savings need a serious push to save more. Here's what to do if you have little saved when you are close to retirement:

Stop hoping. There's no more time for you to sit around hoping something good will happen to your net worth. Take charge of the situation by making the necessary changes to have a better retirement. Start saving with your very next paycheck. The more you save, the better things will be for you in retirement.

Fire your financial adviser, if you have one. If your financial adviser hasn't convinced you or at least tried to talk you into saving enough for retirement, he's obviously not adequately addressing your financial needs. And this financial adviser likely gets a cut or fixed fee from the money you do have saved. You can put that extra money into your retirement savings.

Downsize your home. Consider downsizing your home, because chances are good that you can kick your savings up a few notches just by living in a smaller house. Your mortgage payment will be much lower, and your property taxes, utilities, maintenance, and general upkeep costs will all probably go down as well. This single adjustment can sometimes dramatically improve your finances, and you may even feel happier once you are no longer working so hard to pay for your house. You should also consider downsizing other aspects of your lifestyle to reduce your expenses.

Take advantage of catch up contributions. People age 50 or older can contribute more to tax advantaged retirement accounts than younger savers. Use this increased limit to turbocharge your savings and to avoid the tax drag on your investment returns.

Consider investing more conservatively. Many people are tempted to increase their investment risk when they feel they are coming up short on their retirement goals. But not having enough money is actually a strong indication that you should reduce your risk, because bad luck with the markets can be devastating to someone who doesn't have that much left to lose. This goes back to the first point about hope, which is not a sound strategy. Always remember to invest according to both your willingness and ability to take risk.

Don't forget about your health. Medical expenses are likely to go up in the future. But you can significantly reduce your costs by staying as healthy as you can. Exercise often, and make the effort to watch what you consume on a regular basis. This combination will improve your quality of life beyond just dollars and cents because you will have more energy and feel better about yourself.

Being close to retirement with no savings is tough, but the game isn't over yet. It's never too late to take steps to shore up your finances. Your retired self will appreciate any extra savings you can accumulate.

David Ning runs MoneyNing, a personal finance site that shares money moves you can make to significantly increase your chances of having a comfortable retirement. He likes to share simple changes that anyone can make, such as picking the best online savings account and figuring out whether a 0 percent balance transfer credit card makes sense.

Read more:
Last-Minute Retirement Saving Strategies

Most of us say that we want a successful retirement. Unfortunately, too many of us don't think things through, and could end up unprepared for retirement. It's remarkably easy to wreck your retirement years. Here are three steps that are likely to ruin your retirement:

1. Forgo a plan. Planning often seems overrated. After all, a plan can be restricting. Unfortunately, without a plan, there is nothing to help you on your path to retirement. Without a plan, it's too easy to forget about the end game and just focus on what's happening today. If you want a successful retirement you need to look ahead.

A retirement plan forces you to look beyond what you think you want right now. Instead, you need to look at where you want to be, relative to where you are right now. Your retirement plan lays out the steps you need to take to get from here to there and possibly even retire early. Without proper planning, you are likely to find yourself without enough to retire, and in danger of living longer than your money.

Create a realistic retirement plan that allows you to save up for the retirement you want, and that encourages you to start taking the steps that lead to a successful retirement later. If you don't have a road map to a better retirement, you may not ever get there.

2. Rack up debt. One of the biggest retirement killers is debt. When you have debt obligations, your money isn't your own. Instead of using your money to build wealth, you are paying interest straight into someone else's pocket. During retirement, you want fewer drains on your money. Your retirement income is more fixed. If a large portion of that income is going toward paying interest debt, you could end up without enough to pay your retirement costs.

Instead of getting into debt now, live within your means. Make a plan to pay off debt before you retire, including mortgage debt if possible. The fewer obligations you have in retirement, the better off you'll be. Plus, living within your means now is good practice for creating habits that will enable you to avoid outliving your money during retirement.

Learn to live without debt, and your retirement will be more successful in the long run. And you'll be happier knowing that more of your money is being used to help you maintain the retirement lifestyle that you actually want.

3. Neglect your health. The cost of health care continues to rise, and poor health can really ruin your retirement. Not only is poor health expensive, but it also seriously reduces your ability to enjoy yourself in retirement.

Take care of yourself now. While there is no complete guarantee that you won't get sick, or end up with a chronic illness, you can still improve your chances of living with excellent health in retirement. Exercise, eat healthier including brain boosting superfoods, and get the right amount of sleep. Remember to include time for relaxation in your routine.

If you stay active, body and mind, you can improve the odds that you will need fewer medical services. Good health can help you reduce your overall costs in retirement, as well as enjoy yourself better. It's hard to enjoy the money you have saved for retirement if your body is in such bad shape that you can't do anything.

See the article here:
How to Ruin Your Retirement in 3 Steps

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzRFZiSLz18

Keynote Speaker: Anthony Galie bull; Presented by SPEAK Inc.
Motivator, Hypnotist and Entertainer Anthony Galie is a psychotherapist, author of the book "Take Control of Your Subconscious Mind," lecturer, and professional trainer on the "Subconscious Aspects of Business. " He is a three time speaker at the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table, one of a very few accorded that honor. And in 2006 he was named one of "The 26 Hottest" speakers by Successful Meetings Magazine. His "Visionary Thinking" and "Hypnotic Goal-Setting" presentations are the perfect blend of entertainment and education. The most common comments from meeting and convention planners are " He had my group spellbound with serious, transferrable information that helped them improve their business performance and I haven`t laughed that hard in years" Anthony has a BA degree in Psychology from Rutgers University, he also attended Florida Atlantic University for his Master`s Degree. In addition to his own practice as a psychotherapist, he has published numerous articles in leading trade and industry journals. For over 27 years, he has helped motivate many of the country`s leading corporations including FedEx, Sears, Merrill-Lynch, Prudential and Bell South, among others. Tony Galie brings a new approach to an old problem: how to get and stay motivated over a long period of time. Most people are only able to stay focused on their goals for a few days at a time - any longer than that and their performance begins to drop. In the absence of repeated, external ...From:speakincViews:0 0ratingsTime:10:45More inPeople Blogs

View original post here:
Keynote Speaker: Anthony Galie • Presented by SPEAK Inc. - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI99CGK_BWM

Hallam FM listener invites The Wanted to her 16th Birthday party
Two questions from the Up Close and Personal performance by The Wanted.From:hallamfmradioViews:22 1ratingsTime:01:54More inMusic

Read the rest here:
Hallam FM listener invites The Wanted to her 16th Birthday party - Video

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

SED International Holdings, Inc. (NYSE MKT: SED), a multinational supply chain management provider and distributor of leading computer technology, consumer electronics, small appliances, housewares and personal care products, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended September 30, 2012.

A summary of the first fiscal quarter results are as follows:

Our performance during the quarter was disappointing with revenue down particularly in our core PC and TV businesses and our delay in adding profitability through the integration of our Lehrhoff acquisition, said Bob OMalley, president and chief executive officer of SED International. While we have some bright spots in our Latin America businesses, we are taking actions in the U.S. on several fronts this quarter to increase revenue through better selling and marketing alignment with our strategic vendors and to manage our operating expenses through the restructuring of operations and the implementation of selective outsourcing initiatives. We are committed to returning SED International to profitability.

Conference Call

SED International management will host a teleconference and webcast today, Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Interested parties may participate in the conference call by dialing 1-877-941-8416 in the United States and 1-480-629-9808 internationally. For those unable to participate, an audio replay of the call will be available beginning approximately two hours following the conclusion of the live call through November 15, 2012. The audio replay may be accessed by dialing 1-877-870-5176 from the United States or 1-858-384-5517 internationally and entering access conference ID # 4572814. The call also will be available as a live, listen-only webcast on the Investor Relations section of the SED International website at http://www.sedonline.com. Following the live webcast, an online archived webcast will also be available at the SED International website.

About SED International Holdings, Inc.

Founded in 1980, SED International Holdings, Inc. is a multinational, preferred distributor of leading computer technology, consumer electronics, small appliances, housewares, and personal care products. The company also offers custom-tailored supply chain management services ideally suited to meet the priorities and distribution requirements of the e-commerce, Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer markets. Headquartered near Atlanta, Georgia with business operations in California; Florida; Georgia; New Jersey; Texas; Bogota, Colombia and Buenos Aires, Argentina, SED serves a customer base of over 10,000 channel partners and retailers in the US and Latin America. To learn more, please visit http://www.SEDonline.com; or follow us on Twitter @SEDIntl.

Safe Harbor

Statements made in this Press Release that are not historical or current facts are "forward-looking statements. These statements often can be identified by the use of terms such as "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "approximate" or "continue," or the negative thereof. The Company wishes to caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Any forward-looking statements represent management's best judgment as to what may occur in the future. However, forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and important factors beyond the control of the Company that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from historical results of operations and events and those presently anticipated or projected. These factors include adverse economic conditions, entry of new and stronger competitors, inadequate capital, unexpected costs, failure to gain product approval in foreign countries and failure to capitalize upon access to new markets. The Company disclaims any obligation to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statement or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. These factors and others are discussed in the Management's Discussion and Analysis" section of the Company's Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q available at http://www.sec.gov.

More here:
SED International Releases First Quarter Financial Results

OAKDALE, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Imation Corp. (IMN), a global scalable storage and data security company, today announced availability of its next-generation IronKey S250 and D250 hardware-encrypted flash drives. Widely known as The Worlds Most Secure Flash Drives, the newest IronKey flash drives feature faster performance, a redesigned control panel that supports multiple languages, and new remote management capabilities in its signature rugged, high-security design.

The IronKey S250 and D250 flash drives are available in Basic, Personal and Enterprise editions for enterprise and personal use. The IronKey flash drives deliver powerful protection against data loss and are validated to meet the stringent Security Level 3 requirements of the FIPS 140-2 standard, which fully support corporate and government compliance strategies.

The Personal and Enterprise editions feature built-in identity protection that allows users to securely surf the web, and the IronKey password vault to store and protect user passwords.The Enterprise edition adds centralized remote administration through Imations cloud security console, which supports full life cycle management for deploying and managing dozens to thousands of secure flash drives.

While organizations are realizing the advantages of a mobile workforce, they are also coming to grips with vulnerabilities caused by lost or stolen data, said Lawrence Reusing, Imations general manager for Mobile Security. Imation has developed its new IronKey S250 and D250 offerings to provide choices for organizations around the world whose employees need to transport and access data remotely, while enhancing security, performance and reliability.

The newest features and functionality added to IronKey S250 and D250 devices include:

The IronKey S250 and D250 secure flash drives meet security standards for high security environments, with features that include:

Pricing, specifications and availability

Imations IronKey S250 and D250 Enterprise and Personal flash drives are available worldwide through Imations network of channel partners or Imation Sales. US customers may purchase certain IronKey Basic and Personal flash drives from the Imation Mobile Security Store at http://store.imation.com/security. Manufacturers list pricing ranges from $US109 to $US599 for S250 and $US89 to $US599 for D250 models; reseller prices may vary.

Additional specifications can be found on Imations website:

Here is the original post:
Imation Launches Newest IronKey Hardware-Encrypted Secure Flash Drives

Courtesy of Jacq Carpentier, Contributing Photographer

As humans have socially evolved, it has become harder for the individual to truly identify him or herself as unique. The same can be said of music, for in the last two centuries it has evolved to the point where very few modern musicians stand out as truly distinctive performers. To be a great vocalist, a great performer, a great instrumentalist or a great songwriter isnt enough anymore; you have to either be extraordinary in at least one of those categories or exceptional at them all.

Reggae and rock artist Matisyahus skill set is among the latter. Though it may seem to be a hyperbole, some Matisyahu fans believe him to be one of the most underrated musicians of our lifetime and, after his performance in Strong Auditorium on Thursday, Nov. 1 to a crowd of roughly 150 people, it is definitely harder to disagree with these arguments.

Though officially listed as a speaker by Campus Activities Board (CAB), Matisyahu spent a majority of his time on stage performing seven songs from across the spectrum of his career. Unlike his recorded albums, which often contain autotune, heavy instrumentals and fast-paced songs, the concert was done acoustically, with only guitarist David Holmes accompanying Matisyahu on stage.

Their first song was Crossroads, one of Matisyahus most popular from his new album, Spark Seeker. The song, beginning with his Hazzan style of chanted prayer, deviated quickly from the original version and became slower, more elegant and sung with greater emotion than the source material. It seemed that many in the audience unfamiliar with Matisyahu were quickly awed by his mesmerizing vocals, which ended with a three-minute beatboxing session that perfectly accompanied Holmes guitar.

Matisyahus next three songs Obstacles, Live Like a Warrior and Thunder were more of the same: a beautiful montage of a talented musician, singing to his audience in a reggae-based style interspersed with impressive vocal percussion and thoughtful lyrics. Each seemed to have a life lesson or a proverb in every line a memorable one from Obstacles stated This life cant be bought nor sold, just play your cards and fold and it was rare to see anyone in the audience distracted with anything besides the light show slowly changing to depict the ambiance of his music. By the end of the powerful, poetic Thunder, Matisyahu seemed in a trance as he repeatedly chanted Dont forget me now, a sentiment which was answered by the loudest applause thus far in the show.

The best part, however, was yet to come. The highlight of his show was a 15-minute mashup featuring his most recent hit Sunshine and one of the first songs he ever recorded back in 2004, Aish Tamid. Within those 15 minutes, he managed to highlight every trait, every facet of performance he has developed over his career into a sonata of incomprehensible beauty. Though the direction of his performance seemed aimless at times, his Hazzan chanting and lengthy vocal percussion transitions intertwined with Holmes guitar and a background synthetic orchestra to create a performance that few modern musicians have the artistic creativity to match.

Matisyahus final two songs were a return to the roots of his success. King Without a Crown was the first to regularly air on American radio stations in the mid-2000s, featuring the quintessential reggae-rap style that became his trademark. As well as showcasing his ability to turn what was originally a rap into a slower, more thoughtful ballad, the song was able to highlight the influence of his Jewish heritage, references to the Torah, God and the Jewish belief in the coming of the Messiah.

Following this performance was his final song, One Day, which catapulted him to international prominence in 2009. Matisyahu was able to take this anthem on peace, understanding and unity and as he had done previouslyit more emotional, more meaningful and more creative than any recording can do justice. Additional themes taken from Bob Marleys No Woman, No Cry only bolstered his message and performance further, providing a perfect ending for his remarkable performance.

What made his showing in Strong memorable was not only the songs, but the way he was able to captivate the audience on a personal level with both his music and the thoughtful insight he gave following his performance.

Read more:
Matisyahu puts personal twist on music, utilizes religious background

Personal Branding, typically presented as more of an empowering experience than an empirical process, has finally been validated. This measurement process is the focus of a series of an upcoming MIBOSO Authentic Personal Branding tele-classe series titled, The Truth About Personal Branding.

Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) November 07, 2012

Ms Davies-Janes measurement scale also validates soft personal brand benefits:

... and quantifies them with metrics that measure time and dollars, earned and saved.

One corporate executive calculated that her personal band drives over US $500K/year in savings and earrings for her employer. But they dont get all the benefits.

This VP credited her brand with earning her over $182K last year, a benefit that will repeat next year, and the year after that, into the foreseeable future.

Compounded earnings and savings over time make this executives personal brand a highly productive investment.

Heres the breakdown of our clients $182K in brand-driven earnings:

Personal Branding, typically presented as more of an empowering experience than an empirical process, has finally been validated. This measurement process is the focus of a series of upcoming tele-classes titled, The Truth About Personal Branding.

For additional information or to register for The Truth About Personal Branding Series, visit http://authenticpersonalbranding.com/classes/ This 3-part free tele-class series runs at two times, 3 OR 9 pm Eastern, on November 14, 19 and 27, 2012.

View original post here:
Hard Core Personal Branding ROI Data Smashes Performance Barriers and Ignites Expectations

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSyBBQUkTS8

Day 008 - Personal Transformation - Achieve Your Dreams
midwestjournalpress.com The point of being able to achieve what you want is a fascinating one. But it builds on the earlier lessons. Because we know now that a person can change their own attitudes and so become able to influence their environment to mold it in their best interests, we can finally - or for the first time - see the underpinnings of self-help and know why it is possible and where it works. A person #39;s own considerations are all that hold them back or keep them from their own success. The world is what you make it, which is based on what you think - and that is all your own choice. So your outcome, according to all the bestselling self-help books of all time, is entirely up to you. From here on out, it gets even better - with you leading your own charge.From:Robert WorstellViews:1 0ratingsTime:10:58More inHowto Style

See the rest here:
Day 008 - Personal Transformation - Achieve Your Dreams - Video