INDIANAPOLIS & NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

In a continuing effort to promote well-being, WellPoint, Inc. (WLP) has extended its current contract offering Healthways (HWAY) award-winning SilverSneakers Fitness Program to eligible members of several WellPoint affiliated health plans. SilverSneakers, the acclaimed exercise program designed to keep older adults active and healthyi, is provided to more than 700,000 eligible Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement members of WellPoints affiliated plans.

The SilverSneakers Fitness Program is designed exclusively for older adults. The program engages participants in active behavior change through access to a variety of physical activity venues and senior-specific programming that incorporates physical activity, nutrition, cognitive and social experiences.

SilverSneakers is a great way for Medicare beneficiaries to get started or continue with an exercise program because it groups participants with their peers and provides them with age appropriate exercises, said Leeba Lessin, senior vice president and president of WellPoints senior business. We are very pleased to be able to offer it to eligible members in many WellPoint affiliated plans and we encourage them to take advantage of it.

Physical activity can play a critical role in the prevention and treatment of various chronic illnesses. A published Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that individuals who participate in SilverSneakers programs have lower long-term medical costs and require fewer hospital admissions.ii A separate CDC study found that SilverSneakers provided tangible health benefits for high-risk members. Members with diabetes who were active in SilverSneakers were admitted to the hospital less often, had lower inpatient care costs and had significant reduction in overall health care costs after only a year of participation.iii

There is growing recognition that the most effective solutions are based on collaborative efforts that help individuals, wherever they may be on the health continuum, avoid the next episode of care. Research has consistently demonstrated that SilverSneakers improves the health and well-being of participants through its unique combination of exercise and social support, said Ben R. Leedle, Jr., Healthways president and chief executive officer. Many of WellPoints affiliated plans have provided SilverSneakers access to eligible Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement members since 2003. By continuing to offer the SilverSneakers program, WellPoint has confirmed its commitment to providing time-tested, proven solutions to help improve not only the physical health of plan members, but also their overall well-being.

The SilverSneakers Fitness Program was founded in 1993 and serves more than 9 million eligible members. The Healthways fitness center network offers convenient access to more than 15,000 participating fitness and wellness facilities nationwide.

The benefit information provided is a brief summary, not a complete description of benefits. For more information, contact the plan. Benefits may change on Jan. 1 of each year. Limitations, co-payments and restrictions may apply. The SilverSneakers Fitness Program is provided by Healthways, Inc., an independent company. SilverSneakers is a registered mark of Healthways, Inc.

About Healthways

Healthways is the largest independent global provider of well-being improvement solutions. Dedicated to creating a healthier world one person at a time, the Company uses the science of behavior change to produce and measure positive change in well-being for our customers, which include employers, integrated health systems, hospitals, physicians, health plans, communities and government entities. We provide highly specific and personalized support for each individual and their team of experts to optimize each participants health and productivity and to reduce health-related costs. Results are achieved by addressing longitudinal health risks and care needs of everyone in a given population. The Company has scaled its proprietary technology infrastructure and delivery capabilities developed over 30 years and now serves approximately 40 million people on four continents. Learn more at http://www.healthways.com or http://www.silversneakers.com.

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WellPoint Affiliated Plans That Offer Healthways SilverSneakers® Fitness Program Extend Contract

StepForward to Better Health (http://www.Stepforwrd.com) Introduces Helpful Wellness Tracking Program on New Website

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 15, 2012

These additions and changes better help the community connect with the common goal of continuously providing the best tools possible to help each other keep track of their health. By integrating features such as a news ticker, health journal, and daily reports and challenges, StepForward to Better Health helps stepforwrd.com members meet their five pillars for wellness every day.

Stepforwrd.com is meant to help people from all walks of fitness and health form a cornerstone for long-term wellness, said Renee Perschin-Usem, President of StepForward. The StepForward to Better Health team has been hard at work making site improvements to provide more interactive content and an improved user experience. We are very excited to launch our redesigned site to help our members take that step towards better health.

The StepForward to Better Health website provides helpful tools and resources such as a user-friendly dashboard where members can see where they stand on their daily improvements, intake, exercise and more. Tools such as a welcome-page dashboard, Twitter challenges, and wellness ideas work together to help members form healthy habits and live an active lifestyle. With the help of useful online health and fitness tracking tools at Stepforwrd.com, members can now learn about wellness and help the community make better choices each day toward better health and happiness.

About StepForward to Better Health

StepForward is a wellness community and program meant to help users achieve overall wellness through a healthy mind, body, and spirit. The StepForward program is evidence-based and created with user-friendly simple steps to help you break the cycle and Step Forward to better health. While helping consumers to track their own health habits, StepForward also gives useful and inspirational advice and suggestions. This lifestyle program is based on five pillars that are often overlooked in our daily lives: exercise, sleep, water, food and medication. To learn more about StepForward and to take advantage of their free fitness and health tracking tools, please visit http://www.Stepforwrd.com. StepForward is powered by iMobile Wellness, LLC.

Elizabeth Maxim Marketing Maven Public Relations, Inc. (310) 341-7351 Email Information

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StepForward Launches Redesigned Website Offering New Community Features, Enhanced Navigation and User-Friendly Dashboard

Well-being enhancement company Healthways (HWAY) and Coventry Health Care (CVH) recently revealed an understanding to provide the SilverSneakers Fitness Program to Coventrys qualified Medicare Advantage enrollees in 13 states. Starting from January 1, 2013, as per a three year deal, SilverSneakers will become available to enrollees in the states of Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Kansas and Illiniois.

Coventry has provided fitness regimens to its Medicare Advantage enrollees since 2009. Coventry and Healthways started their relationship in 2012 by providing SilverSneakers to eligible Coventry enrollees in Florida.

For health plans inclusive of SilverSneakers provision, Coventrys Medicare Advantage enrollees will have complete and free access to SilverSneakers facilities throughout the U.S.

Bethesda, Maryland based Coventry Health Care is a large managed health care company. The company provides a complete portfolio of fee based and risk products including Medicare programs.

The Healthways model encourages people to make favorable lifestyle changes that lead to enhanced well-being, reduced healthcare costs, improved performance and economic value for customers. The company has invested in technology platforms that provide scalable support with large populations. It has tie-ups with a large proportion of U.S. health plans and counts many millions of lives in its customer base.

Due to its unique scalable business model, Healthways shares may present a long-term investment opportunity, although it faces many challenges in the short term.

Healthways is the leader in a strategically critical and rapidly evolving part of the health care services market. Its fitness program (SilverSneakers) for seniors is available at over 15,000 centers across the U.S. and is available to over nine million eligible enrollees through Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage plans and group retiree plans. Healthways competes with Express Scripts (ESRX) among others.

We currently have an Outperform recommendation on Healthways. The stock retains a Zacks #1 Rank, which translates into a short-term Strong Buy rating.

Read the Full Research Report on HWAY

Read the Full Research Report on ESRX

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CVH Widens Use of HWAY Program

I have about $700,000 and plan on retiring soon at age 62. How can I make this money last at least 30 years? -- Steve, Vevay, Ind.

Making sure your money lasts isn't your only goal for retirement. Presumably, you also want to be able to draw enough from your savings to live relatively comfortably the rest of your life. And I assume you would like to have some flexibility about how you tap this nest egg, so you can fund not just regular living costs but unexpected expenses and the occasional splurge.

I mention this not to quibble, but because understanding that you actually have several goals is important when deciding how to manage your $700,000 stash.

If making sure you didn't outlive your nest egg were your only consideration, you could simply put your entire 700 grand into an immediate annuity, a type of investment that gives you a monthly check the rest of your life. As long as you're prudent about how you go about it -- sticking to highly-rated insurers, spreading your money among enough companies to assure you're fully covered by your state's insurance guaranty association -- you could sit back and collect $3,600 a month, possibly more, for as long as you live.

But you would also give up something -- namely, access to your money. Once you buy the annuity, you can no longer dip into your stash for emergencies and such. You receive only the monthly payments. And unless you buy an immediate annuity with an inflation rider -- which usually means accepting an initial payment that's about 25% less than one without inflation protection -- the purchasing power of your monthly check will decline throughout retirement.

Such shortcomings are why putting your entire stash in an immediate annuity probably isn't the right way to go.

There's another option, however, that can give you the flexibility you need, plus a good shot at inflation protection. Just invest your 700 grand in a relatively conservative mix of stock and bond funds -- say, 50% stocks-50% bonds -- and withdraw the cash you need each year.

To increase the odds that your money will last at least 30 years, you could follow what's commonly referred to as the "4% rule" -- that is, withdraw 4% of your nest egg's value the first year of retirement, $28,000 in your case, and increase that amount by the inflation rate each year to maintain your purchasing power.

Although the probability can vary depending on the assumptions you make about inflation and investment returns, there's roughly an 80% chance your money will last at least 30 years if you follow this regimen. Plus, you would have the opportunity to dip into your stash for extra cash should you need it.

But this approach has drawbacks, too. One is that while your chances of running out of money too soon are low, they're not zero. There is still a meaningful risk. That's especially true if your investments take a big hit early in retirement. In that case, the combination of investment losses, plus withdrawals could so deplete your portfolio's value that your nest egg could run dry well before 30 years.

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How to Make Your Retirement Savings Last

LAFAYETTE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Sitzmann Lavis White, LLC (dba SLW Retirement Plan Advisors), a retirement plan advisory firm, is pleased to announce that John Negrete has joined as a Retirement Plan Advisor.

Mr. Negrete came to SLW from M Advisory Group (formerly Cal-Surance in Torrance, CA) where he served as a Retirement Plan Advisor for many of their qualified plan clients. John specializes in provider due diligence, fiduciary oversight and employee communications related to 401(k), 403(b), 457 and other qualified plan types.

We are thrilled to have John join the team, said Nathan White, Managing Principal of SLW. Johns strong communication skills and first rate experience with a well-respected firm in Southern California will be a tremendous value to our growing clientele. Also, John will bring an enhanced focus on marketing which will allow us to expand into multiple markets throughout the West Coast. We couldnt be happier that he has made the move.

Mr. Negrete graduated from the UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts. He maintains his FINRA 7, 66 and California Life Agent licenses and is also fluent in Spanish. John, his wife Kat, and son Johnny will be relocating to Northern California next month.

About SLW Retirement Plan Advisors

SLW Retirement Plan Advisors (SLW) is a retirement plan advisory firm based in Lafayette, CA. SLW is a Registered Investment Advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and focuses on Qualified and Non-Qualified plans in multiple plan markets. As a leader in fiduciary risk governance, investment due diligence and plan benchmarking, their technical proficiency are unmatched nationwide. For more information, please visitwww.slwadvisors.com.

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John Negrete Joins SLW Retirement Plan Advisors

If you remember the slogan, This is not your fathers Buick, read on.

As a baby boomer, the life you live in your later years is also not going to be your fathers retirement."

Baby boomers face a different reality and environment in which their parents retired, and it's going to be tougher for many boomers to enjoy a similar standard of living post work life.

The chart below comes courtesy of the Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College, and is based upon national data going back to 1983. Each line represents a different year and illustrates the amount of assets owned by various age groups compared to their income. As you might expect, at younger ages people have less accumulated wealth than their older counterparts. However, by age 60, the wealth-to-income ratio has increased to roughly four to one.

The chart emphasis that over the past 25 or so years, the pattern of wealth accumulation has been extremely stable- except in the most recent survey. As you can see by the dashed line, in 2010 wealth accumulation was lower across virtually all age groups, illustrating the impact of the severe recession. The steady high unemployment rates forced many people to draw down retirement savings and other accounts prematurely because they simply needed the money.

In addition, there was also a huge decline in the value of two significant assets classes: residential real estate and stocks. Compare how high the wealth-to-income ratio was in 2007, when both stocks and, to a larger degree, home prices were soaring. A year later, both markets went bust and so did the wealth people thought they had accumulated--as illustrated in the 2010 line.

The wealth-to-income ratio is a good predictor of how much income someone can replace once they retire. The fact that Americans at every stage of life are accumulating assets at a below-average rate is a trend CRR labels particularly alarming.

Here's the problem: Even if the wealth-to-income ratio at retirement age gets back to where its been historically--roughly four to one--the Center for Retirement Research warns that future retirees are still going to be in trouble. Changes in several factors have made financing todays retirement more expensive than in the past and as a consequence, the retirees of today and tomorrow really need to be entering this stage of their lives with significantly more wealth than previous generations, not less.

Senior CRR research economist Anthony Webb, says the danger is that pre-retirees today may figure, Ive accumulated about the same amount [of assets] as my parents and theyre OK, so Ill be OK.This is a false logic. Your parents may have been OK, but youre going to live longer, face lower interest rates and have higher health-care costs.

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Retirement Risks are Rising for Boomers.. and Beyond

(MoneyWatch) With average U.S. life expectancy still rising, if you look after your health it's quite possible you might live into your late '80s or beyond. As a result, people who retire in their 60s could be retired for at least two or three decades. That should be a good thing -- except if you run out of money in your 70s or 80s!

If you're like most baby boomers, you haven't put enough away in retirement savings to maintain your current lifestyle, so you'll need to squeeze as much income as possible from what you did sock away. And unless you'll be receiving significant benefits from a traditional pension plan, which provides a lifetime monthly income, you should be certain to manage your retirement savings so you don't outlive it.

Unfortunately, research suggests many people simply "wing it" when it comes to retirement planning and drawing down their savings. They simply withdraw what they need for living expenses and hope the money lasts.

Hope is never good strategy! If you spend your retirement savings without planning, there's a good chance you'll go broke in your retirement years.

Let me instead introduce you to a better strategy to draw down and invest any type of retirement savings you have, whether a straightforward savings account with no special tax features; a 401(k), 403(b), 457 or cash-balance plan; or a traditional or Roth IRA.

Don't spend savings

When it comes to living off your retirement savings, the most important strategy you can adopt is this: Don't spend your savings!

Can that be right? Absolutely. The concern is that after immediately after retiring, you'll have accumulated a tidy sum to spend during retirement. It'll look like a lot of money, and you may think you can easily afford to buy that boat or take that expensive cruise you've been dreaming about. You might start spending your retirement savings on the things you've been planning for and pull out whatever you think you need to cover daily living expenses.

If you're not careful, you'll exhaust the balance in your retirement accounts before too many years have gone by. You may have plenty of years to live, but you'll be broke and faced with some hard choices, such as returning to work, drastically scaling back your living expenses or moving in with your kids.

Instead of spending haphazardly, what you should do is consider your retirement savings as a monthly retirement income generator. Spend no more than the amount of your paychecks. Since most of us already live paycheck to paycheck during our working lives, adhering to this financial discipline when we retire shouldn't be too hard. If you plan your spending in retirement, there's a good chance you won't go broke.

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How to avoid going broke in retirement

How much should you save for retirement? The true answer is that no one knows. However, Barbara Friedberg is sure of one thing -- those who start their retirement planning and save early often will end up in much better shape than people who begin saving in their 40s or later. Retirement planning in your early years of life will save you from facing financial hardship during your retired years.

However, the lecturer at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University and editor in chief of BarbaraFriedbergPersonalFinance.com says do not worry if you are among the procrastinators -- all hope is not lost.

What is the correct amount of money that people should save for retirement on a percentage basis? Should it be 10 percent, 15 percent or 20 percent?

In general, it is best to save as much as possible and even more importantly to start as soon as you begin working. If a young adult starts her retirement planning in her 20s, she does not need to save as much as a person who starts saving in her 40s.

For example, Jill starts investing $300 per month in a diversified all-world stock index fund at age 25. She continues to invest the same amount per month until age 65. Over the 40 years, she invested a total of $144,000 and at age 65, she amassed $770,000. Assume an average rate of return of 6.9 percent over the 40 years.

If Jill earned $45,000 at age 25, then that $3,600 per year was only 8 percent of her salary. As her salary grew, the percent of her salary invested was even less than 8 percent.

Consider Jack, who didn't start investing until age 40. Assume Jack earned $60,000 per year and decided to save 15 percent of his salary, or $9,000 per year, for retirement. He invests in the same diversified all-world stock index fund as Jill. For simplicity's sake, assume he continues to save $9,000 ($750 per month) until age 65. The total amount Jack invests is $225,000. At age 65, Jack's retirement savings equal $598,025.

Jill invests less money, starts earlier than Jack and ends up with more wealth in retirement. The best retirement strategy is to start young. Start later, and you need to save a lot more than those who begin earlier.

Longevity risk -- the risk of outliving your money -- is a big issue for people about ready to retire. Companies now are offering their former employees a choice between a lump sum and a regular pension check. Companies hope the lump sum offer is accepted so they can offload the longevity risk. Who should bear this risk?

The companies who initially offered the pensions are under a social (and usually legal) contract to uphold their obligation.

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Early savings could pay off later in retirement

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Transamerica Retirement Services today released a new white paper titled, Creating an Education Policy Statement, that showcases the education policy statement as an important element of retirement plan fiduciary management. The Education Policy Statement is a natural extension of the Investment Policy Statement and, while not required by ERISA, is a key component of administering a plan and measuring ongoing performance. The Education Policy Statement provides structure for the plans employee education efforts, sets parameters and establishes measurement benchmarks to gauge progress and the success of education programs.

American workers are grappling with a high degree of uncertainty when it comes to planning for their retirement. This white paper outlines how plan sponsors and financial advisors can establish a plan to help educate employees to improve their retirement readiness, said Stig Nybo, president of pension sales and distribution for Transamerica Retirement Solutions. At Transamerica, we are committed to empowering plan participants to retire with confidence, and helping plan sponsors enhance their educational efforts is a step toward that goal.

Financial advisors who offer an Education Policy Statement to clients position themselves as credible resources to help plan sponsors and their participants better prepare for a comfortable retirement.

Tackling the retirement readiness challenge head-on, this white paper details the key ingredients of a well-crafted Education Policy Statement for retirement plans, boiling it down to five key elements: Clear plan purpose; plan objectives; education goals; measurements and benchmarking; and well-defined roles and responsibilities.

For more information about creating an Education Policy Statement, along with an annual employee education plan and a campaign calendar of events, call Transamerica Retirement Services at (888) 401-5826, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

About Transamerica Retirement Services

Transamerica Retirement Solutions Corporation (Transamerica or Transamerica Retirement Services), which is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, designs customized retirement plan solutions to meet the unique needs of small- to mid-sized businesses. Transamerica has more than 17,0001 retirement plans totaling more than $20 billion1 in assets. For more information about Transamerica, please refer to http://www.TA-Retirement.com.

1As of December 31, 2011.

TRSC 6362-1012

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Transamerica Retirement Services Promotes Importance of Education Policy Statements for Retirement Plans

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS-SDSuAKJw

14-10-2012 12:12 KPOP music act Vixx had a meet & greet along with a q&a at the KCON 2012 hours before their performance at the event. However, fans were given a surprise personal performance as the boys got up from their chairs to and performed Rock Ur Body to the fans delight! KCON was held at the Verizonwireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA this past Saturday, October 13, 2012 with over 10000 KPOP fans in attendance. This was the first ever KPOP convention held in the United States hosted by MNET and CJ Entertainment. Pacific Rim Video along with affiliate media outlet Front Row Features Wire covered the over all event which included various panels from KPOP songwriters, choreographers, fashion and social media. Video produced by Peter Gonzaga. Follow us at and like us at

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Vixx surprise performance of Rock Ur Body at Q