On August 18, 1992 the great Larry Bird announced his retirement from the NBA. A Boston Celtics legend and one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Bird was a basketball hero of mine and single-handedly got me interested in the game as a child. When he retired 20 years ago today, I was 14 years old--old enough to know what was happening, but not mature enough to grasp the concept that an icon was leaving the game for good.

Bird finished his 13-year career playing in 897 games with career average of 24.3 points per game, 10.0 rebounds per game, and 6.3 assists per game. He shot .496 from the field, .376 from the three-point line, and boasted a .886 free-throw percentage. To say his career was phenomenal would still be an understatement.

Bird along with Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson can be credited with making the NBA what it is today in terms of popularity. When both entered the league in the late 1970s the NBA was suffering from poor attendance and minimal television interest. It was the Lakers vs. Celtics, and more specifically Magic vs. Bird through the 1980s that rejuvenated the league. Basketball became exciting again as the two teams continually battled it out for the title. It is difficult to think of a rivalry greater than this.

After his final season, Bird joined fellow NBA stars Johnson, Michael Jordan, and others to represent the United States in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. It was the first time in Olympic history the United States sent professional athletes to compete in the games. The squad was referred to as the "Dream Team" where they went on to win the gold medal in men's basketball.

Larry Bird is the reason I cheer for the likes of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo today. It is players like him, that was a super-hero me as a child, that allowed me to develop a lifelong love for the game--and especially the Celtics.

More Boston Celtics Commentary from Paul Rados:

Boston Celtics release preseason schedule, play two games overseas: A fan's reaction

Sullinger, Christmas shine in Boston Celtics' summer league: A fan's reaction

Jason Collins set to become the newest member of the Boston Celtics: A fan's reaction

Courtney Lee joins the Boston Celtics: A fan's reaction

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Larry Bird Announces His Retirement, August 18, 1992: A Fan’s Reflection

A sizable percentage of Americans don't expect to stop working -- ever.

That's according to the 2011 Risks and Process of Retirement Survey Report from the Society of Actuaries, which found that 35 percent of pre-retirees surveyed in 2011 do not expect to ever leave the workforce. That is up from the 29 percent of pre-retirees who reported the same in 2009.

For the vast majority of pre-retirees who don't expect to retire, remaining active and engaged during their senior years is of importance. Of the 35 percent not expecting to retire, 89 percent said staying active was one reason to remain working.

However, financial concerns also weighed heavily on the minds of many pre-retirees. The survey found 45 percent of those not expecting to retire believe they will be financially unable to do so.

Pre-retirees not expecting to retire also gave the following reasons for being unable to stop working:

Although many pre-retirees have a negative view of their retirement prospects, their expectations differ significantly from the reality of when older workers are actually retiring.

"There is a big gap in the age at which pre-retirees expect to retire and actual retirement ages of those who have retired from their primary occupation," said Carol Bogosian, an actuary and retirement expert, in a written statement issued by the Society of Actuaries."This may be partially due to involuntary retirement and health problems."

In the Society of Actuaries report, half of pre-retirees say that will wait until at least age 65 before leaving the workforce. Only 12 percent felt they would be able to retire early. However, 51 percent of retirees surveyed for the same report said they left employment before age 60.

Those findings echo a similar report published by the MetLife Mature Market Institute earlier this spring. That report found the average retirement age for those born in 1946 was 59.7 for men and 57.2 for women.

"Many of the Boomers weathered the recession well and have been able to stop working," said Sandra Timmermann, director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute, in a statement issued with the institute's findings. "Half of all Boomers feel confident that they are on track or have already hit their retirement goals."

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Study: One-third of workers see no retirement ahead

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Aug. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 100 retirement plan sponsors attended MassMutual's Retirement Services Division's first-ever PlanSmartSM online seminar, Who is Gen Y and Why It's Important to Know.

The July 24 live webcast, featuring returning guest speaker Farnoosh Torabi, independent Generation Y money coach, best-selling author and personal finance journalist, reviewed how plan sponsors can best connect with and motivate this younger generation. Specifically, Ms. Torabi reviewed how sponsors can:

All attendees who completed MassMutual's brief post-event survey had the opportunity to opt-in to a drawing to win a one-hour onsite employee presentation with Ms. Torabi and members of the MassMutual Retirement Education Specialist team. MassMutual is pleased to announce that Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen of Richmond, Va. won the drawing. Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen is one of the oldest and largest law firms in Va. and has been a valued client of MassMutual for more than 10 years.

Results from the seminar's post-event survey were very positive, with 90 percent of the plan sponsors in attendanceratingthe online format, presenter, and information presented as Very Good (4) or Excellent (5).Additionally, all attendees completing the survey received a copy of Farnoosh Torabi's book, Psych Yourself Rich.

"MassMutual Retirement Services is pleased to deliver our first-ever PlanSmart online seminar, developed specifically for plan sponsors, to help them engage and motivate their Gen Y employee population," says Elaine Sarsynski, executive vice president of MassMutual's Retirement Services Division and chairman and CEO of MassMutual International LLC. "It is vital that we reach this generation early and in the ways that work for them to help drive healthier retirement outcomes in the future," adds Sarsynski.

Prior to the seminar, registered plan sponsors were provided with a heartfelt 31/2 minute video introduction to Maria, a Gen-Y retirement plan participant who shares her personal perspective on retirement and how best to reach her generation.

A free replay of the Who is Gen Y and Why It's Important to Know seminar is available for anyone who missed the live event. For more information about MassMutual Retirement Services, please contact your retirement plan advisor or call MassMutual at 1-866-444-2601.

The information within this presentation is solely the opinion of the speaker, an independent orator, who is not an employee of MassMutual Financial Group.

About MassMutual

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) [of which Retirement Services is a division] and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.

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MassMutual Retirement Services' First-Ever Sponsor-Specific PlanSmart(SM) Seminar Welcomes 100+ Attendees

Taxpayers in Los Angeles will see retirement costs for police officers and firefighters climb by 56% over the next four years, even after voters approved a March 2011 ballot measure that trimmed the pension benefits paid to new hires, according to projections released by city budget officials.

Pensions and retiree healthcare costs for sworn employees are projected to consume $789 million of the city's general fund budget in 2016, up from $506 million this year, according to figures prepared by budget analysts. Every dollar in the general fund that goes for retirement costs cannot be used for other expenditures, such as library books, park programs and police salaries.

The numbers were prepared for the city's labor negotiations committee, which consists of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and four City Council members. That panel met Tuesday to consider the mayor's plan for rolling back pensions for newly hired civilian employees, such as librarians, landscapers and street repair workers.

The changes, which include a bid to increase the retirement age to 67, would not apply to police and firefighters. City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana defended the current focus on civilian workers, saying L.A. leaders already have wrung savings from the public safety retirement system, thanks to last year's ballot measure.

"It wasn't that we picked one [group of employees] over the other," he said. "The mayor and the council directed us to address both the civilian and sworn pension systems. The difficulty is that we weren't able to reach a consensus with civilians."

When Villaraigosa took office in 2005, public safety retirement costs consumed 4.2% of the city's general fund. The number is expected to reach 11.1% this year and 15.6% by 2016, according to budget officials.

Santana said the increased costs for firefighters and police officers have been caused, in part, by the buildup of the force at the Police Department and the poor performance of the investment portfolio managed by the city's Fire and Police Pensions system. The city also has to pay more, he said, because the pension board recently lowered its investment assumptions in the wake of those losses, forcing the general fund to make up the difference.

Business leaders, along with former Mayor Richard Riordan, have been pressing Villaraigosa and the council to take new action on steadily rising pension costs, saying the growing retirement costs will force officials to cut additional services. Those cuts, they said, will drive businesses away, further cutting tax revenue and forcing the city into a financial tailspin.

The leaders submitted a proposal that would, among other things, freeze the pay of firefighters and police officers if retirement costs consume more than 25% of those employees' salaries.

Public safety unions have responded angrily to the proposal and to the projections released by Santana's office. Tyler Izen, president of the Police Protective League, questioned the accuracy of the numbers and said his members have already made sacrifices by giving up millions of dollars in overtime pay and taking time off instead.

More here:
Retirement costs will take a larger share of L.A. budget, estimates show

(MoneyWatch) You might have heard some sound bites lately that report good news about retirement savings:

-- Fidelity recently revealed that average contributions to IRAs have increased by 15 percent since 2007, from $3,420 to $3,930.

-- A recent bulletin from the Social Security administration shows that retirement savings have been understated in previous analyses on retirement resources, due to underreporting of savings in IRAs and employer-sponsored plans such as 401(k)s.

-- Another recent report from Fidelity on combined 401(k) and IRA retirement savings shows that for investors on the verge of retirement -- those between ages 65 and 69 -- the average combined retirement savings is $359,999.

While this is indeed good news, don't breathe a sigh of relief just yet and think that we've solved the significant retirement savings challenge facing most Americans. Perhaps the image to keep in mind is that of a person running down the deck of the Titanic who finds an inflatable inner tube and says "Look what I found! Heck, this situation isn't as bad as I thought."

Let's dig deeper into these numbers so you can see why I believe we're not out of the woods yet. Let's start with the IRA numbers: If you contribute $4,000 per year for 20 years and earn 6 percent interest each year, you'll accumulate a little over $150,000. While that's not bad, you'll only generate a lifetime retirement income of about $6,000 per year with that amount of savings if you use the popular four percent withdrawal rule. Of course this is better than nothing, but your retirement years won't exactly be golden with this amount of retirement income, even when you add in your Social Security benefits.

Now let's address the Social Security bulletin, which documents inadequacies in income amounts of the aged as reported by the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS includes pension income, but it under-reports distributions to retirees from IRAs and employer-sponsored savings plans such as 401(k)s. As we shift from relying on traditional defined benefit pension plans to 401(k) plans as our primary retirement delivery system, this under-reporting presents a problem to analysts who want to determine if our retirement system generates sufficient retirement income.

Make no mistake -- I'm all for improving the accuracy of data analyses on retirement resources. But the improvements cited by the Social Security bulletin will barely make a dent in the problem. It reports that ownership of IRA and 401(k) accounts among people aged 65 and older has increased from 24.3 percent in 1998 to 37.4 percent in 2009. While that's a nice improvement, it still means that barely more than one-third of Americans own such an account.

The Social Security bulletin also reports dramatic increases in the median account value of all tax-advantaged accounts, including IRAs and 401(k)-type savings. The median value for people ages 55 to 64 increased from $43,400 in 1992 to $100,000 in 2007. Again, this is a significant increase, but the annual retirement income generated by $100,000 will be about $4,000 per year if you again use the four percent rule for annual withdrawals.

It's a little more encouraging to consider the numbers reported at the beginning of this post by Fidelity on the average combined 401(k) and IRA accounts held at their firm. Retirement savings of $360,000 could generate a retirement income of almost $15,000 per year, using the four percent rule. Such an investor could generate an even higher retirement income if they bought an annuity. Combine this amount with a Social Security retirement income of $44,400 per year for a couple aged 70, and they might be able to retire with enough money to live on.

Continued here:
Feel relieved that retirement savings are up?

Dublin, CA (PRWEB) August 18, 2012

Dublin personal trainer and running coach, The Fit Potato, is currently offering to train clients for upcoming local races through coached running group sessions, one-on-one personal training and running coaching, and online running coaching through e-mail, Skype, text messages and phone call sessions.

We are currently training our clients for races like the San Francisco Marathon and 5k, the San Jose Half Marathon, Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco and California International Marathon in Sacramento, Francisco Gomez of The Fit Potato said.

Upcoming racing dates include Susan G. Komen San Francisco on Sept. 9, Back to School Scholarship Run on Sept. 15, The Giant Race Half Marathon on Sept. 16, Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Half Marathon on Oct. 7, Primos Run for Education on Oct. 10, Nike Women's Marathon on Oct. 14, Fremont Run for Education on Oct. 14, Grape Stomp Half Marathon on Oct. 21, New York Marathon on Nov. 4, Bah Humbug on Dec. 1 and California International Marathon on Dec. 2.

The Dublin personal trainer and expert running coach is offering his training guidance and specialized running training to cover the demand of the new running boom in the U.S. So many people want to train for a race, but they don't know where to begin or how to improve their times and performance.

I want to offer my running expertise to them so I can help them improve and stay injury free. Just as the number of runners that are signing up for these races is increasing so are the number of injuries they suffer. Stay healthy by getting your own expert running coach! Gomez said.

Running helps people fight diabetes, health problems, weight issues and overall health. Without direction or guidance, the chances of suffering injury and stopping improvement increases.

The Fit Potato offers running training at coached running group sessions in Dublin, San Ramon, Danville and Pleasanton; one-on-one personal training and running coaching in Dublin; and online running coaching.

The great news with online running coaching is that you get your very own expert running coach and a personalized training plan, Gomez said.

For more information about its running coaching services or any of The Fit Potato's services, call 925-241-5235 or view the training expert on the Web at http://www.thefitpotato.com.

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Dublin Personal Trainer and Expert Running Coach, The Fit Potato, Now Training Clients for Upcoming Races

LONDON, Aug. 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From the first day of the track and field competition--when athletes posted 12 national bests and 52 personal bests--the state-of-the-art Mondotrack track surface at London's Olympic Stadium helped the world's greatest track and field athletes perform their best. When the Games were over, three world records*, four Olympic records, 64 national records, and a slew of personal and season bests had been set on the track.

"These amazing results and the comments we heard throughout the Games about Mondotrack being 'super fast' and a 'magic carpet' are extremely gratifying," Federico Stroppiana, CEO, Mondo Group. "Our efforts to develop tracks that are both soft and fast result in surfaces that provide the optimum blend of comfort and speed, making the tracks ideal for both training and high-speed competition and resulting in record-breaking athletic performances."

Topping the list of London 2012 track and field highlights on Mondotrack was Usain Bolt becoming the first man in Olympic history to win the 100- and 200-meter races and the men's 4x100-meter relay in two consecutive Games. The Jamaican's gold medal performances at the 2008 Beijing Olympics also were on Mondotrack.

The Games also produced the fastest 100-meter race of all time, with seven of the eight participants in the final crossing the line in less than 10 seconds. (The eighth, Jamaica's Asafa Powell, was slowed because of an injury.) That race also saw four of the seven competitors establish or equal personal or season bests.

The three world records established during the Games on Mondotrack were:

The four new Olympic records set during the Games on Mondotrack were:

Track and field Olympians also posted numerous national records, personal bests and season bests on Mondotrack, including:

Mondotrack is the newest track surface by Mondo, the global leader in the sport flooring market. Mondotrack builds on the success of the company's world-renowned Super X Performance track, which was the world's top track for more than 30 years and was an official track of eight Olympic Games through 2004. Designed for superior athletic performance, Mondotrack provides optimal traction and a greater contact area than other tracks. It converts the maximum amount of force generated by athletes' foot strikes to energy for maximum energy return, which helps athletes achieve faster times compared to running on other surfaces

More than 230 world records have been set on tracks made by Mondo, including five at the 2008 Olympics and three at these London Games.

About Mondo

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World records, national records, personal bests and season bests abound on Mondotrack surface at London Olympic Games

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lfzp7a9BnU

17-08-2012 12:33 Distance education workshop by Geoff Cain emphasizing the Seven Principles of Effective Undergraduate Education (Chickering and Gamson) and how they can be applied in online classes.

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Online Teaching Techniques (College of the Redwoods Workshop) - Video

NEWARK In just over a week, 80 sixth-graders will walk into a brick office building in downtown Newark, flip open their wireless laptops, and log on to class in one of the states newest schools.

Merit Preparatory Charter School will begin classes Aug. 27 on one floor of a Broad Street building, with walls removed to create a large open space, glass partitions defining classrooms, and wireless routers dotting the ceiling.

Students have been using computers to learn for years, but Merit Prep, and Newark Prep, a new charter high school, are unique in that students will primarily learn math, language arts, social studies and other subjects online. They will spend only half the school day working with one of seven instructors in small groups to sharpen their knowledge of the class material.

At a time when online learning has become commonplace in workplaces and colleges, and when students routinely use Powerpoint for homework or collaborate with classmates online, many say virtual teaching seems like the next step in education.

"I think New Jerseys overdue. Colleges are starting to insist students take online courses to help prepare them for the global economy," said Sr. Elizabeth Dalessio, assistant superintendent of Monmouth Ocean Educational Services Commission, which provides online classes for grades 6-12 through the New Jersey Virtual School.

Dalessio said students from 100 districts across the state that use the commissions courses work at their own pace, and even get more teacher contact, often via e-mail.

"I had one student say I feel like Im in the first row of the classroom," she said.

Merit Prep and Newark Prep are not the first in the state to try virtual teaching; a few districts run online alternative schools or summer schools and a "hybrid high school operated briefly in Newark, but they are leading a wave of charter schools planning to offer online education in New Jersey including several proposed full-time virtual schools.

New Jersey is one of only 10 states that does not yet have a statewide virtual school, which would allow students to take classes from home. That may soon change.

Next year, the Monmouth Ocean commission hopes to open New Jersey Virtual Charter School, one of two virtual charter schools awaiting final approval from the state whose students would take all classes at home.

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Strides in online education pave way for virtual charter schools in N.J.

By Matthew Stolle The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

This fall, for the first time, Rochester parent Lizzi Clobes plans to "send" one, if not two of her three school-age children, to an online school.

The biggest reason: an online school, Clobes says, offers a more conducive environment for the unique learning style of her eldest son, Dawson, who has special needs and was occasionally overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Rochester middle school he attended. He was also occasionally bullied at school, she says.

Clobes reached her decision Thursday after attending an open house hosted by three public online schools whose growth has mirrored the growing popularity of virtual education. Thursday's event was held at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in southwest Rochester and drew about 80 parents and children, organizers say.

The open house, called "Discovery Day," underscores the changing landscape of K-12 education. Parents today have a diverse array of educational options to choose from. Where once parents were limited to public or private schools, that menu of options now includes choice schools, charter schools, online schools, home-schooling or schools outside their home district.

"I think it's absolutely phenomenal," Clobes said about the online options now available to parents.

Online schools capture only a tiny fraction of the students who reside within the Rochester School District. According to figures compiled by Rochester Public Schools, only about 100 Rochester students attended a virtual school in 2010-2011, the latest year for which figures are available. While only a small demographic blip, it stands in contrast to the fact that eight years ago there were no Rochester kids going to online schools.

Online options growing

Events like the one held Thursday attest to the potential for growth among online schools. Jennifer Houghton, marketing manager for K12, the Virginia-based company that supplies curriculum to the three online schools, said that when she first hosted open houses four years ago, "no one came to my visits." Now an average turnout at metro-area events is between 400 and 600 people.

The three online schools represented Thursday were the Minnesota Virtual Academy, Insight School of Minnesota and iQ Academy Minnesota. The virtual academy, a Houston-based school that opened in 2001 with 30 students, enrolled 2,100 students last year, Houghton said.

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Families explore online education