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Reginald is not retiring - Video

Last year a Gallup poll revealed that over 70 percent of Americans are "not engaged" or else totally "disengaged" from their work. Obviously, people who spend 40 hours a week doing something they don't like report a lower level of overall well-being compared to people who are "actively engaged" in their jobs. The lower satisfaction not only affects their careers, but also the social, financial, and physical aspects of their lives.

Even people dedicated to their work admit they're often in a bad mood if they have to work extra long hours, are not able to take advantage of flextime, or feel shortchanged on vacation.

Working too much, or too hard, is not conducive to your sense of well-being, especially if you don't like your job. It's no wonder that a lot of people in their 50s and early 60s look forward to retirement, and try to figure out how they can leave behind the daily grind.

A few select people, through some combination of high income and economical living, achieve true financial independence at an early age. They have the option to retire early, no problem.

Maybe you, too, want to leave an unsatisfying job, or are just tired of the rat race. But you feel trapped because you need the income. Honestly, who can afford to retire these days when the economy is bad, interest rates on your savings are low, and Social Security is under attack? Financial independence may seem farther away than ever before.

But John Nelson, co-author of What Color Is Your Parachute for Retirement: Planning a Prosperous and Happy Future, looks at things a little differently. When it comes to financial independence, we can get caught in all-or-none thinking, he says. Especially for our jobs, we think that financial independence means not working at all. If our work is drudgery, then of course wed like to have none of it.

But retirement is not necessarily an all-or-nothing proposition. And neither is financial independence.

Even retirees who are truly financially independent, the retirement experts tell us, should find something to do that engages their interests. Nobody can expect to be happy sitting in front of the TV for the rest of their lives. Retirees need activities that stimulate their imagination, connect them to other people, and help them develop a commitment to something more than their own self-interest.

For the financially independent this may mean doing volunteer work or pursuing a long-neglected hobby. For those of us who may have a reasonably solid financial foundation, but still need additional income, the pursuit of something meaningful to occupy our time can lead us to a middle grounda period between career and retirement when we take a pay cut in favor of other benefits that are more important at this stage of life.

The kids are grown up and gone, and maybe the mortgage is paid off, so we can afford to work at something thats easier and more fun than our old job. The result: Instead of suffering through work that no longer engages us, we can set forth on a new path that 's more fulfilling and more meaningful.

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The Middle Way to Retirement

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --According to a brief released by ICMA-RC and the Center for State and Local Government Excellence (SLGE), one-third of human resource executives made changes to the retirement plans they offer to employees within the past 12 months.[1] The brief, Local Government Employment, Benefits, and Retirement Issues, was released to thousands of public employees at the 98th Annual ICMA Conference in Phoenix, Arizona this past weekend.

"State and local government leaders face difficult issues involving retirement and health care benefits," said ICMA-RC President and CEO and Vice Chair of the Center for State and Local Government Excellence Joan McCallen. "Preparing public employees for retirement is a challenge made easier by understanding workplace priorities and behaviors. We hope this brief will contribute to the existing dialogue and encourage public sector employers and employees to take advantage of opportunities available to them."

"With a growing wave of retirements and sustained fiscal constraints, local government leaders could be surprised at how difficult it is to fill key positions," said Elizabeth Kellar, President and CEO of SLGE. "Part of the solution is to help employees develop critically important skills. Equally important is to build 21st Century human resources practices that will appeal to the next generation of public servants."

Additional brief highlights:

During the past six years, with ICMA-RC's support, SLGE has released more than 35 studies with the goal of educating local and state public employees and employers, other sectors and levels of government, the media, and the public about a range of issues facing governments.

About ICMA-RC

Founded in 1972, ICMA-RC is a non-profit independent financial services corporation focused on providing retirement plans and related services for more than a million public sector participant accounts and approximately 9,000 retirement plans. Our mission is to help build retirement security for public employees. We deliver on our mission by focusing on service, quality and value. All of our retirement programs, administrative services and educational tools have been developed specifically for public sector retirement plan administrators and participants. For more information, visit http://www.icmarc.org.

About the Center for State and Local Government Excellence The Center for State and Local Government Excellence helps state and local governments become knowledgeable and competitive employers so they can attract and retain a talented and committed workforce. The Center identifies best practices and conducts research on competitive employment practices, workforce development, pensions, retiree health security, and financial planning. The Center also brings state and local leaders together with respected researchers and features the latest demographic data on the aging workforce, research studies, and news on health care, recruitment, and succession planning on its website, http://www.slge.org. AC 0912-5999

[1] Survey Findings: State and Local Government Workforce: 2012 Trends. Center for State and Local Government Excellence. http://slge.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/S-L-Govt-Workforce-2012_12-195_web.pdf.

[2] Current Employment Statistics - CES (National). Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor. http://www.bls.gov/ces/. (not seasonally adjusted)

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Public Sector Retirement Plan Changes Identified in ICMA-RC/SLGE Brief

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My Personal Success Story: Carmen - Video

Leading Health and Wellness Consumer Products Company Selects Hearsay Social to Achieve Social Sales and Marketing Success on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) October 09, 2012

Shaklee has chosen Hearsay Social to enable thousands of its distributors to build relationships, share health and beauty information, and evangelize its products and health philosophies on social networks. Hearsay Social enables enterprises such as Shaklee to engage with their customers via social media at every level of the organizationfrom brand to region to local stores, agents, or employees.

Founded in 1956, Shaklee Corporation is the leading natural nutrition company in the United States. Consumers access Shaklee products through independent Shaklee distributors in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to those traditional channels, Shaklee distributors will now engage with their customers and prospects through local social media accounts operated by the individual distributors.

We selected Hearsay Social to bring our selling process and our distributed sales force into the social era, said Shaklee CMO Brad Harrington. Our distributors feedback has been very positive, and we plan to use Hearsay Social to provide our customers with superior service and engagement.

"I strongly believe that, through our network of educators and business leaders, we can empower people to live healthier lives while taking care of their families and the planet. One of the ways we will empower our distributors to share this message is through social media."

Shaklee is taking full advantage of the award-winning Hearsay Social platform for brand protection as well as business results across every major social network at every level of the organization, from the corporate brand to local distributors.

We couldnt be happier to power Shaklees direct selling force on social media, said Hearsay Social CEO Clara Shih. Shaklee stands out as an innovative organization in adopting social sales and marketing to deepen their customer relationships.

About the Hearsay Social Platform

For enterprises with large sales organizations or store networks, Hearsay Socials social sales and marketing software will enable your salespeople to increase revenue using social media by acquiring and continuously engaging customers on social platforms. Hearsay Social is the only software that increases revenue, referrals, and renewals by transforming the entire enterprise into a social business, including sales, marketing, compliance, and HR.

Excerpt from:
Hearsay Social Powers Shaklee on Social Media

Market Leadership Strengthens With Major Customer Success at Mobile Providers in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia for Millions of Consumers

FOSTER CITY, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 9, 2012) - Funambol, the leader of white-label personal cloud solutions for mobile providers, today announced that it closed a new round of financing to fuel the company's rapid expansion worldwide. The $5.75M funding along with a working capital line allows Funambol to execute on its increased market traction that includes major customer wins at multiple tier-1 mobile operators and other large service providers in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. These customers are collectively deploying Funambol's OneMediaHub for millions of users to wirelessly secure, sync and share their digital content across mobile phones, tablets and computers via the cloud. The new financing will enable Funambol to continue to extend its global footprint and momentum.

"As we look at new investment opportunities, we are pleased that Funambol has signed major customers in a very short time span. Along with Nexit Ventures and Castile Ventures, we are increasing our investment in the company," said Fred Sturgis, Managing Director, HIG Growth Capital. "Mobile and personal clouds are one of the fastest growing segments in the industry."

The market for personal clouds is transitioning from 'silos' such as iCloud, Google Drive and MS SkyDrive to services that seamlessly support multiple brands to enable users to store all of their content in one cloud for convenience. The demand for personal cloud services is reaching the tipping point as consumers increasingly use multiple mobile devices and computers. Consumers require an easy way to keep their digital life in sync, including support for pictures, videos, files, music, contacts and calendars. Large mobile providers are recognizing this need as their unique opportunity to offer personal clouds that support multiple brands of devices. The providers are also realizing the business case for significant financial returns resulting from reduced customer churn, increased customer acquisition and new revenue streams.

"Major global mobile providers are seeking a white-label personal cloud solution, and we are delighted to work with them to grow their customer acquisition and retention capabilities," said Amit Chawla, Funambol CEO. "Our new financing is validation of this surging market demand. It will enable us to accelerate our role as the leader of white-label personal cloud solutions."

About Funambol Funambol is the leader of white-label personal cloud solutions for mobile providers. Funambol solutions have been deployed by leading companies in mobile, including operators, device manufacturers (OEMs), internet firms, content companies and system integrators. Visit http://www.funambol.com for more details.

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New Funambol Financing to Accelerate Global Personal Cloud Footprint

CHESTER, England, October 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Derbyshire Building Society has thrown down the gauntlet in the personal loans market by launching a rate of 5.6 per cent* on loans between 7,500 and 14,999; the lowest headline rate since November 2006 according to analysis by MoneySupermarket.

The move by Derbyshire now means the top ten average for personal loans over 7,500 has now dropped to 5.94 per cent - the lowest rate since February 2006.

Tim Moss, head of loans and debt atMoneySupermarket.com, said: "The move by Derbyshire Building Society could be great news for anyone who is looking to borrow a larger amount via a personal loan. As we have seen over recent months, when one lender moves, others tend to follow, so we could see the personal loan market hotting up - good news, especially when rates are falling to below credit crunch levels.

"However, the best deals are generally only available to consumers with excellent credit histories. Those with less than perfect records may be offered a different rate and lenders only have to offer the advertised loan rate to 51 per cent of successful applicants, so although a rate may initially appear attractive, it may not be the one you receive in the end. Before applying for a loan, or for any credit product, it's a good idea to check your credit history so you have a clearer idea of the products you are more likely to be accepted for based on your credit score."

MoneySupermarket compares the providers of credit reports at http://www.moneysupermarket.com/credit-monitoring/

Notes to editors:

The current average top ten personal loan rate for loans between 7,500 and 15,000 is 5.94 per cent. In February 2006, the average top ten rate was 5.83 per cent.

*Available until 31st October 2012

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Derbyshire Building Society Launches Lowest Personal Loan Rate for Almost Six Years

Even though many NFL players can boast about a track record of success with their football careers, many have overcome personal struggles, battled health issues, and strive to find more meaning in their lives. Many have become very inspirational role models for fans and aspiring athletes, setting an example for those who may feel like they have lost hope or need some direction.

Here are just ten of the most inspiring NFL players of all time:

#1: Michael Oher

This NFL star was adopted by a Mississippi family at an early age and worked hard on his football career to play at Ole Miss before joining the Baltimore Ravens. His life history serves as the storyline for the movie, "The Blind Side".

#2: Kurt Warner

Warner's humble beginnings and road to success have inspired many aspiring athletes. This former NFL quarterback started his career as a grocery store clerk bagging groceries. He eventually went on to become a Super Bowl winning quarterback and has since become an inspiration to many aspiring athletes.

#3: Reggie White

Reggie White has become a household name and attracted a strong following during his term with the Green Bay Packers. In addition to being an NFL star, White is an ordained pastor and has helped to bring many people to Christianity. He is committed to his faith and boasts a strong track record of success with his football career.

#4: Vince Papale

This former bartender who never even played football in college seemed to have defied the odds when he made the team after tryouts in 1976. His humble beginnings and hard work paved the way for success playing for the Eagles.

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Top 10 Most Inspiring NFL Players of All Time

In a carefully crafted strategy for the coming elections in Gujarat, the Congress is avoiding personal attacks on chief minister Narendra Modi. Instead, the party will target him on development issues. As part of its campaign material, the party has come out with a CD in which it seeks to reach out to the innocent people with a subtle message they are being taken for a ride by the BJP government in the name of development.

Titled Gandhi Navu Gujarat (Mahatma Gandhis Gujarat), the CD has three songs uncho uthavo haath (raise your hands), bholu Gujarat (innocent Gujarat) and ma gurjari no haath (mother Gujarat).

While the first song features the partys symbol hand, the second tries to corner the BJP on governance and development issues, besides growing unemployment in the state.

The video shows people of Gujarat with blind-folds and they remove it only in the end and are seen rushing toward the Congress.

The blindfold is a metaphor for false propaganda and an autocratic regime, which restrains the innocent people from seeing the truth, said a Gujarat Congress leader.

The third song is based on a poem by famous Gujrati poet Narmad, who had penned it even before the Congress came into existence.

The central theme of our campaign is that we want to build a new Gujarat, state Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia told HT.

The party has also started collecting applications forms for the 100-yard plot scheme in all the 26 districts of the state. State Congress leaders claim that around 5 million forms had been distributed among women after the party announced the sop, if it comes to power in Gujarat.

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Delhi - [ Min 23.7 °C

Ahmedabad, Oct. 9 -- In a carefully crafted strategy for the coming elections in Gujarat, the Congress is avoiding personal attacks on chief minister Narendra Modi. Instead, the party will target him on development issues.

As part of its campaign material, the party has come out with a CD in which it seeks to reach out to the "innocent" people with a subtle message - they are being taken for a ride by the BJP government in the name of development.

Titled Gandhi Navu Gujarat (Mahatma Gandhi's Gujarat), the CD has three songs - uncho uthavo haath (raise your hands), bholu Gujarat (innocent Gujarat) and ma gurjari no haath (mother Gujarat).

While the first song features the party's symbol hand, the second tries to corner the BJP on governance and development issues, besides growing unemployment in the state.

The video shows people of Gujarat with blind-folds and they remove it only in the end and are seen rushing toward the Congress.

"The blindfold is a metaphor for false propaganda and an autocratic regime, which restrains the innocent people from seeing the truth," said a Gujarat Congress leader.

The third song is based on a poem by famous Gujrati poet Narmad, who had penned it even before the Congress came into existence.

"The central theme of our campaign is that we want to build a new Gujarat," state Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia told HT.

The party has also started collecting applications forms for the "100-yard plot scheme" in all the 26 districts of the state. State Congress leaders claim that around 5 million forms had been distributed among women after the party announced the sop, if it comes to power in Gujarat.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

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Cong to target Modi through music CDs