Postponing Retirement: Will You Have to Work Forever?
Posted: August 29, 2012 at 9:14 pm
5 tips for readjusting your financial game plan.
I heard from an old friend recently who had been financially responsible her whole life, but a layoff several years ago derailed her savings. Now shes nearing 60 and panicked about whether shell be able to retire when she had originally planned to if at all. Sound familiar? As the slowly recovering economy plods along, and many Americans confront shortfalls in retirement savings, these are common refrains from baby boomers and generation X.
It can be a shock to realize that your much-anticipated retirement may not happen on the day or month or year you initially envisioned it and in the style you dreamed about. But many Americans are continuing to work past the traditional retirement age of 65 or are re-entering the workforce after theyve retired. July data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 7 million Americans age 65 and older were still in the workforce, up 63% from a decade ago. Some may continue working by choice, but many are likely still working due to financial necessity.According to new survey findings from the Society of Actuaries, more than 4 in 10 pre-retirees who do not expect to retire say its because they cant afford to do so.
(MORE:Stay-at-Home Parents: Six Money Secrets for Families Shifting to One Income)
To add to the stress, the emotional adjustment can be an even bigger challenge if youre reconsidering your retirement date. So if youre looking at your financial statements with a gulp, what can you do?
1. Dont get hung up on age. You might think of 65 as being the year that you should retire. But consider when and how this traditional retirement date originated and whether it makes any sense today. In 1935 the Social Security Act set the minimum age for receiving full retirement benefits at 65. But men born in 1930 were only expected to live until age 58. Today the average life expectancy is 75 for men and 80 for women. So look on the bright side: you might need to work longer because youre probably going to live longer.
2. Understand your options now and later. When calculating your retirement date and income, its important to get your financial facts straight about future income sources. Make sure you fully understand your Social Security benefit and what types of accounts your savings are held in. Determine how much your savings may grow if you work for another six months, one year, five years, etc. You may be surprised by how much your nest egg could increase if you delay withdrawals from your tax-deferred employee sponsored plan, such as a 401(k) or 403(b), by staying in the workforce for just a bit longer.
(MORE:Kids and Money: Is It O.K. to Play Financial Favorites?)
3. Focus on your health. Many people want to keep working past traditional retirement age but have health problems that prevent them from doing so. If your plan is to stay employed, its critical to do everything you can to maintain your physical health so you may work as long as you desire. Ensuring that you get adequate exercise, sleep and nutrition can actually be very important financial considerations. Similarly, its critical to have adequate health care coverage in place. A recent survey of retirees from the Society of Actuaries indicated that 24 percent of those interviewed were working in retirement in order to maintain employee benefits like health insurance a valid financial reason to keep punching the clock. However, taking the time to understand the benefits of Medicare can be advantageous as you make employment choices.
4. Reconsider what kind of work you do. Retirees are going back to work for a variety of reasons. While the Society of Actuaries survey indicated that 51 percent of retirees who are working in retirement are in it for additional income, an even greater percentage (55 percent) say theyre still in the workforce because they want to stay active and engaged. If youre working for a living, it might be helpful to think about how work will help you create and maintain your social life, sense of belonging and productivity. If you dread Monday mornings, your decision to stay in a 9-to-5 job may make you feel caged. So liberate yourself by finding something you love to do that will still provide a paycheck. Its not too late to make a career change into a full-time or part-time job that will help you maintain meaning or challenge you.
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Postponing Retirement: Will You Have to Work Forever?
Sony gets in your face with upgraded personal 3D viewer
Posted: at 9:13 pm
The headsets are coming, the headsets are coming! The disturbing trend of consumer electronics companies wanting to perch on your mug continues.
Would you wear one? (Click to enlarge.)
Coinciding with many other announcements during its presser today at the IFA 2012 confab in Berlin, Sony quietly launched the HMZ-T2 personal 3D head-mounted display.
The headset -- vastly similar to its predecessor (the HMZ-T1) -- contains two small 0.7-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays placed in front of the wearer's eyes that simulate a big screen and can display 2D/3D content from any HDMI source. Crave sent Sony an e-mail to see if the HMZ-T2 offers the same 720-pixel resolution and picture quality as before, which seems likely, as T2's marketing babble reads very much like that of the HMZ-T1. We'll let you know.
Who wouldn't want to get up close and personal with a couple of vibrant OLED screens? (Click to enlarge.)
So what's really changed with the HMZ-T2 in this incremental upgrade? It appears the tweaks have mostly to do with design and weight. Sony dropped the built-in headphones, and now you can use whatever ear digs you like to hear virtual 5.1 surround sound. The headpiece also weighs 20 percent less than the previous version, coming in at seven-tenths of a pound.
It appears the HMZ-T2 might sport a slight upgrade to its actual visual performance as well -- Sony speaks of a 24-pixel True Cinema option, as well as a Clear mode for gaming.
Crave also checked in with Sony's U.S. sleeve to learn more about when we should expect the HMZ-T2, and how many simoleons it should cost. Stay tuned.
The HMZ-T2's profile looks like some sort of robo-fish. (Click to enlarge.)
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Sony gets in your face with upgraded personal 3D viewer
This Smartphone Component Maker is Looking Good
Posted: at 9:13 pm
By Rajesh Marwah - August 28, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, LPL, MSFT, NOK | 0 Comments
Rajesh is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.
The success of a smartphone is not the phone makers success alone. It is also the success of its component providers as well as operating system provider, as each of them plays a major role in deciding the fate of the device. These component makers are often left unnoticed, but play an essential part behind the scene. Every year the Cupertino company not only delights hordes of its fans with the release of the newer redesigned version of its iPhone, but it adds to the profits of its component makers as well.
This year as Apples (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 5 makes it big, its display component provider LG Display (NYSE: LPL) will also benefit hugely. Stock prices of Apple are expected to surge once the company announces its newest tech wonder on September 12 and experts are of the opinion that the companys market capitalization could hit the $1 trillion mark from the current market capitalization of $621 billion. The success of the worlds most valuable technology company will also in turn benefit other players in its value chain.
LG's association with Apple The worlds second largest LCD producer, LG Display, is a key supplier of flat screens to Apple for its iPhones and iPads and now it is expected to supply the flexible OLED displays to the iPhone maker. Mr. Han, the Chief Executive of the Korean company, officially announced that the company has started the mass production of a revamped and thinner display with improved image quality. The iPhone maker has already secured a patent early this month and thus will be the first one to incorporate this in-cell technology and get an advantage over other comparable smartphones.
Apple is preparing to unveil the new iPhone with 30 percent bigger panels than its earlier version in response to Samsungs latest 4.8 inch super AMOLED screen Galaxy S III smartphone. The in-cell technology is the latest development in this space and Apple is going to put this technology in its latest iPhone to make its screen slimmer than before. The in-cell technology helps in integrating the touch sensors straightaway in the display and does not require another touch screen layer. This enables the display to be slimmer, which releases space for other components such as a bigger battery. Also, this so called in-cell technology claims to improve the lifespan of the smartphones by 60 percent compared to the present ones.
When compared to the AMOLED display, this display will not only be sharper, crispier and brighter but it will also use 70 percent less battery. These in-cell screens are complicated and thus more difficult to make and so a shortage of these screens due to production complications could disrupt the flow of iPhone 5 into the market. However, LGs management feels they have experienced all the complexities there could have been and now expect a smooth supply of the panels. Other than this Korean company, there are two more Japanese makers, Sharp Corp. and Japan Display Inc.who are also expected to supply panels using the in-cell technology for the upcoming iPhone.
The much needed boost Things havent been very smooth for the display maker lately and the company reported a net loss of $99 million in its recently ended quarter, though revenue had increased by as much as 14%. The main reason behind the red bottom line was the $175 million that it had to pay to settle a US price-fixing lawsuit. However, the management is pretty optimistic about the future of the company and also commented that it has returned to a profit zone already.
LGs association with Apple is surely going to further improve the situation. Just like Microsofts (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows Phone 8s success is expected to have an impact on Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and thus pull the Finnish phone maker out of trouble; even iPhones success will help push up the top line of the display maker. Analysts are very hopeful about Nokias revival with the new Windows platform and this signifies the power of being in an ecosystem where each player is benefited from the success of the end product.
The success of the latest iPhone will surely have a roll over effect on LG Displays performance also, and once the device is a super hit and experiences huge demand, even LG will face increased demand for its product and, with time, when LG attains economies of scale, its margins will improve. The FBR Capital analyst Craig Berger estimates that Apple could sell as many as 250 million units of iPhone 5 and such a huge figure can significantly contribute towards LGs revenue numbers and give it the much needed boost. So, LG must be as excited as the customers and is surely looking forward to the September 12 event. The iPhone 5 launch could turn out to be one of the biggest events in Apples history as the demand for the device skyrockets.
Youth want financial education in the classroom
Posted: at 9:13 pm
Seven in 10 Teens Say Knowledge of Personal Finances a Must According to New Investor Education Fund (IEF) Study
IEF Answers Youth Financial Literacy Study Findings with New Tools to Inspire Financial Learning in Schools
TORONTO, Aug. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - By the time Ontario's teens finish high school, most will have begun to navigate the world of earning and spending money, but new research reveals that they may not be prepared with the money management skills they need - and want - for life after graduation.
Seventy per cent of Ontario high school students say that learning how to manage their personal finances is important or very important, according to a new study from the Investor Education Fund (IEF) (www.GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca), a leading Canadian authority on financial literacy, financial education and research. The study also revealed that 69 per cent of students think personal finance lessons should be taught in the classroom, an increase of 12 percentage points from a similar study done in 2009.
However, only four in 10 respondents feel they are somewhat or very prepared for managing their personal finances after high school, and only about one-quarter say their schools provide them with most or all of the financial information they need. The feeling of being prepared was highest when the schools provided most or all of the available information.
"High school students are just a few short steps away from post-secondary education or entering the workforce. Learning how to use a budget, manage debt responsibly and save money are essential life skills for young adults," says Tom Hamza, President of IEF. "Students will stand a much better chance of long-term financial success if their schools prepare them with these skills."
Other key findings:
Helping teachers prepare the next generation Building on a decade of experience working with teachers to inspire students about financial literacy, IEF has launched a new suite of entertaining and interactive teaching tools. The lesson plans and tools were developed in partnership with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto and are designed to teach students how to apply relevant financial concepts to their lives.
Lesson plans start in Grade 4, where students develop financial vocabulary, use financial symbols and terminology, identify the forms of currency and make simple purchases in simulated situations, to Grade 12, where classes become fluent in financial terminology, create complex personal and family budgets and analyze the role of individual responsibility in saving, among other money lessons. These teaching resources are available for free at InspireFinancialLearning.ca, a new website designed to help teachers quickly and easily access financial literacy tools.
"Reaching students starting at a young age, with financial information that engages their interests, is the key to making good money habits a lifetime habit," says Hamza. "We hope and expect that this will have a positive impact on Ontarians' financial literacy in the long term."
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Youth want financial education in the classroom
Success Kid Will Answer Your Questions Live [UPDATE]
Posted: at 9:13 pm
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Success Kid Will Answer Your Questions Live [UPDATE]
The Alternative Board Releases New Book: Strategic Business Leadership
Posted: at 9:13 pm
WESTMINSTER, Colo., Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Bestselling author, Allen Fishman's new business book, Strategic Business Leadership: The Proven Formula for Greater Company Success does exactly that.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120829/LA65070)
Whether you are a business owner or an executive/manager in a privately owned business, Fishman's book reveals the methods you need to take control ofand get what you want fromyour business.
Fishman's proven Strategic Business Leadership formula has assisted business owners around the world to achieve their dreams.Fishman uses case studies to show how the Strategic Business Leadership formula can be customized to businesses ranging in revenue from the smallest size companies, with no management team, to companies generating over $100 million per year with significant sized management teams.
Fishman is the Founder and Executive Chairman of The Alternative Board (TAB), which is the world's largest franchise system providing advisory group/board and executive coaching services for business owners and key executives. He has been featured in a variety of media venues, including CNBC, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
With this book, Fishman now makes his Strategic Business Leadership formula for success available to all business owners and those who want to start successful businesses. "Strategic Business Leadership will show you how to strategically plan for the future," he says. "But the methods will also show you how to more fully appreciate and enjoy the present while working towards the future of your dreams."
Strategic Business Leadership takes you on a guided journey to:
Originally posted here:
The Alternative Board Releases New Book: Strategic Business Leadership
Dialog Semiconductor Furthers Wireless Audio Success with Jabra Design Win
Posted: at 9:13 pm
KIRCHHEIM/TECK, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Dialog Semiconductor plc (DLG.F), a provider of highly integrated innovative power management, audio and short range wireless technologies, today announced Jabra has adopted the company's short-range wireless audio ICs to create the Jabra PRO(TM) 9450 Flex JP headset, which connects with office phones and PCs running VoIP calling software, such as Skype or Microsoft Lync.
The Jabra PRO 9450 Flex JP is a stylish, high-performance, lightweight wireless headset and is the first system to use Dialog's chips for the Japanese variant of the DECT standard. It has up to a 120-metre range, delivers up to 10 hours of talk time and integrates Dialog's SC14480 single-chip CAT-iq IC in the headset, with Dialog's LMX4180 DECT transceiver and SC14450 high-end baseband processor in the base-station.
The Jabra PRO 9450 Flex JP is optimised for noisy work environments, while providing industry leading wireless audio quality. The headset runs Dialog's Perfect Acoustic Echo Canceller (PAEC) and background noise cancellation with a wideband audio codec.
For wireless audio applications, the DECT standard enables energy efficiency enhancements, easy pairing, wide-band audio data rates and secure connectivity. Dialog is the market leader in this segment and its portfolio covers all regional versions of DECT plus the 2.4 GHz DCT protocol and also includes the DECT ULE family of products; SmartPulse. The adoption by Jabra further extends the recent deployment of Dialog's DECT technologies into a broader range of short range wireless audio applications; including professional headsets, wireless microphones and gaming.
'A growing number of OEMs are realising the potential that DECT has in enabling long range, high-performance, low power robust systems with ample bandwidth; integrating the technology into a greater range of applications,' said Asmund Tielens, Vice President & General Manager Connectivity and Automotive & Industrial Business Group of Dialog. 'Jabra was among the first to see this potential and is a brand renowned for innovation, exceptional quality and sleek design; and the 9450 Flex JP is no exception,' concluded Tielens.
The SC14480 is the world's first monolithically integrated DECT/DCT solution in standard CMOS and integrates Flash memory and a high-performance Gen2DSP core, which provides the processing power to support the superior voice quality of the CAT-iq standard and other features. The SC14480 can operate directly from Li-ion cells, reducing external component costs and makes the chip ideal for headset applications.
The SC14450 processor uses a multi-core architecture and delivers 240 MIPS of processing power. It features a 16-bit CompactRISC(TM) processor, plus two user-programmable Gen2DSPs and runs multiple audio codecs with best-in-class acoustic echo cancellation alongside other embedded applications. In addition, the SC14450 supports a variety of external memories, and features an integrated class D amplifier, power and battery management options, a white LED driver and a wide variety of peripheral interfaces including master / slave PCM, UART, SPI, dual-access bus and USB client.
The LMX4180 CMOS RF transceiver supports a variety of DECT variants including standard (1880-1900 MHz) and DECT 6.0 (1920-1930 MHz). It is fully compatible with Dialog's advanced basebands enabling customers to have a complete solution.
Note to editors:
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Dialog Semiconductor Furthers Wireless Audio Success with Jabra Design Win
Remarkable Success of 'Cookery Book With a Difference' is Boost to New Children's Kidney Centre at Great Ormond Street
Posted: at 9:13 pm
LONDON, August 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
A book entitled A Life in Food, a personal perspective on cooking and hospitality by the pioneer of boutique hotels, is proving to be a big winner for a new children's kidney centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Written by Bea Tollman, the Founder and President of Red Carnation Hotels, the book has been so successful that it is being reprinted for the third time. Its earlier two editions have completely sold out, selling nearly 8000 copies. Patients with kidney conditions at Great Ormond Street Hospital are benefitting from this remarkable success, with the full selling price of the book going towards Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity.[1]
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120829/558934 )
A Life in Food is part cookery book, part autobiography. It charts Bea Tollman's remarkable career in the hospitality industry. In three continents, and in a career spanning more than 50 years, she has been at the forefront of the trend towards boutique hotels. The lavishly-illustrated account of her life is interspersed with recipes for many of the 'signature' dishes which she has created at her restaurants and hotels.
Bea Tollman said, "Over the years, many people have asked me how I learned to cook, and where my journey with both fine dining and comfort food began. A Life in Food is the result. I hope it brings to others a little of the pleasure which cooking has given me all my life. And I am delighted that proceeds from the book are going to such an important cause."
Notes to editors
A Life in Food is available from Amazon.co.uk: Price 25.00
Red Carnation owns and operates 14 award-winning luxury boutique hotels. These are situated in the UK, the Channel Islands, South Africa, Switzerland and the United States. They are predominantly 5-star, providing a level of service considered by many to be unparalleled. Not only is this reflected in the countless industry and media awards which the hotels have won, but in the words and actions of regular guests, whose repeat business, reviews and recommendations to others are a source of enormous pride for everyone involved.
In London, Red Carnation has the Milestone, 41, Egerton House, The Chesterfield (Mayfair), The Montague and The Rubens. In Evershot, Dorset, it has Summer Lodge, an outstanding country house hotel. In St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Red Carnation has two hotels - The Old Government House and the Duke of Richmond. In Geneva, Red Carnation has the Hotel d'Angleterre, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva. And in Palm Beach, Red Carnation has The Chesterfield (Palm Beach). Finally, in South Africa, Red Carnation has three hotels - the Twelve Apostles, just outside Cape Town; Bushman's Kloof, a Relais & Chteau hotel located in the heart of the bush, nearly 130 miles from Cape Town; and the Oyster Box at Umhlanga.
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust is the country's leading centre for treating sick children, with the widest range of specialists under one roof. With the UCL Institute of Child Health, we are the largest centre for paediatric research outside North America and play a key role in training children's health specialists for the future.
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Remarkable Success of 'Cookery Book With a Difference' is Boost to New Children's Kidney Centre at Great Ormond Street
Equity Research on Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Colgate-Palmolive Co. – Personal Products Companies Looking to Grow Market …
Posted: at 9:12 pm
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -08/29/12)- http://www.ShinesRooms.com has a handpicked team of market professionals with over 100 years of combined investing experience. Today they are providing members comprehensive research on the Personal Products industry and are offering free analytical research on Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) and Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL). Register with us now to have free access to these research reports. Simply click on the link below.
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Companies in the personal products industry, such as Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Colgate-Palmolive Co., seem to be seeing some growth globally though headwinds remain. For a long time improving efficiency and lowering costs was front and center, and while these remain important, many industry players are now looking to grow their market share. Get your free reports on Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Colgate-Palmolive Co. at http://www.ShinesRooms.com/index.php?_controller=RegisterMember&_method=index. There is no commitment to join.
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Competition in fast growing and lucrative emerging markets is increasingly intense and companies are being forced to raise their promotional investments to maintain and grow their position. Many are also increasing their focus on new product innovation and development to improve their regional appeal. While these tactics all have the potential to boost top-lines, concerns remain over their potential impact on bottom-lines as marketing and research and development cost rise. Colgate-Palmolive Co. report is accessible for free by registering today at
http://www.ShinesRooms.com/ColgatePalmoliveCo290812.pdf
A further worry for those expanding their interests in emerging markets are unfavorable currently translations which can eat into profits. Kimberly-Clark is also focusing on reducing its Forest Fiber Footprint, a move which could eventually reduce costs and improve its brand position. Kimberly-Clark Corporation report is accessible for free by registering today at
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The two Personal Products stocks research reports are available for free by signing up now on the link below.
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Equity Research on Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Colgate-Palmolive Co. - Personal Products Companies Looking to Grow Market ...
The Rise of the Three Forks
Posted: at 9:12 pm
By Eric Fox - August 29, 2012 | Tickers: CLR, MUR, NFX, OAS, SWN | 0 Comments
Eric is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.
The Three Forks formation lies below the Bakken in many of the same areas in North Dakota and Montana and saw additional testing and development by oil and gas operators active in the area during the second quarter of 2012.
Leader
Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR) has done more development in the Three Forks formation than any other operator active in the area. The company has delineated the play into four separate benches, or zones, and has drilled two successful wells into the second bench of the Three Forks in different areas on its acreage.
Continental Resources plans to drill wells into the first and third benches to test the productivity of these zones. The companys long term plan is to drill eight wells per 1280 acre section, with four into the Bakken and four into the Three Forks.
Continental Resources has grown rapidly on the strength of its Bakken program and will also benefit from the development of the Three Forks. In June 2012, the company increased its oil and gas production to over 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day.
New Players
Murphy Oil (NYSE: MUR) is just starting the companys Three Forks development program and reported during the recent quarter that its first well in the Alberta Basin was producing 280 barrels of oil per day after being on production for almost seven months. The companys second completed well into the Three Forks was producing 100 barrels of oil per day after 70 days.
While these production rates might seem low to some investors, it is common for to see low rates at the start of development while operators refine their well design and completion techniques. Murphy Oil plans to drill a third well into the Three Forks in the fourth quarter of 2012.
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The Rise of the Three Forks