WellnessFX – A Better Way to Manage Your Health – Video
Posted: March 28, 2012 at 7:22 pm
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WellnessFX - A Better Way to Manage Your Health - Video
Grand Reopening Set for Newly Remodeled Life Time Fitness University Center April 6
Posted: at 7:22 pm
Life Time Fitness (NYSE: LTM):
Life Time The Healthy Way of Life Company (NYSE: LTM) will host a special grand reopening celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony at its newly remodeled health and fitness center in Charlotte on April 6. Formerly a Lifestyle Family Fitness club, Life Time Fitness University has undergone a remodeling effort designed to bring the facility to Life Time standards of quality and member experience. In addition, the center now makes it easier for members to reach their goals by offering distinct, innovative programs that help connect them to their passions.
Grand opening to feature tours and demonstrations that highlight Life Times state-of-the-art amenitiesincluding complimentary towel service, new, state-of-the-art equipment, programming and services:
In celebration of the grand opening, consumers may establish a new membership with special offers April 6-9, 2012.
To learn more about Life Time Fitness University, visit http://www.lifetimefitness.com.
Note to editors, news directors and photo departments: Media seeking access to the club prior to the event or with special requests should contact KJ Leinberger at 952-229-7162 or kleinberger@lifetimefitness.com.
About Life Time Fitness, Inc. As The Healthy Way of Life Company, Life Time Fitness (NYSE: LTM) helps organizations, communities and individuals achieve their total health objectives, athletic aspirations and fitness goals by engaging in their areas of interest or discovering new passions both inside and outside of Life Times distinctive and large sports, professional fitness, family recreation and spa destinations, most of which operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Companys healthy way of life approach enables customers to achieve this by providing the best programs, people and places of exceptional quality and value. As of March 26, 2012, the Company operated 96 centers under the LIFE TIME FITNESS and LIFE TIME ATHLETIC(SM) brands in the United States and Canada. Life Time also operated seven additional acquired facilities, which are in transition to become Life Time centers. More information about Life Time centers, programs and services is available at lifetimefitness.com.
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Grand Reopening Set for Newly Remodeled Life Time Fitness University Center April 6
Quebec's proposed voluntary retirement savings plan offers a strategic framework for other provincial plans
Posted: at 7:22 pm
WINNIPEG , March 28, 2012 /CNW/ - The Great-West Life Assurance Company commends the Quebec government for its proposed voluntary retirement savings plan (VRSP), the province's version of the federal pooled registered pension plan (PRPP) initiative, now in its third reading in Parliament.
"The VRSP offers a strategic framework for other Canadian provinces as they develop their own PRPP legislation," says Bill Kyle , Executive Vice-President, Wealth Management at Great-West Life. "We encourage all provincial governments in their efforts to help Canadians achieve retirement income adequacy by incorporating universal access, auto enrolment, auto escalation and locking in of contributions."
"The Quebec government's commitment to provide universal pension access to Quebec workers is critically important to the VRSP's success in Quebec ," Kyle says. "This same commitment to universal access will be key to making the PRPP a success in other provinces across Canada ."
VRSPs are expected to benefit Quebec workers by providing a plan structure to pool smaller employers' assets to allow these plans to benefit from economies of scale.
According to the proposal, which must still be passed into law, VRSPs will offer mechanisms to address issues identified as central to the retirement reform debate in Canada without disturbing existing employer-sponsored retirement plans. These mechanisms include:
As a leading provider of group retirement services for Canadians, Great West Life currently provides services to nearly 6,000 companies with five to 99 members. Great-West Life's experience will provide employers with a program that is easy to implement and administer - freeing them to focus on their day-to-day businesses.
About Great-West Life Great-West Life administers over 17,000 group retirement plans and over 1.2 million member accounts, representing nearly 30 per cent of capital accumulation plans (CAPs) in Canada . In the United States , Great-West is the fourth-largest group retirement plan recordkeeper based on total participants and Putnam Investments adds to the organization's North American presence in this market.
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Quebec's proposed voluntary retirement savings plan offers a strategic framework for other provincial plans
What to Do Once You Are on Track for Retirement
Posted: at 7:21 pm
People who have money left over after they fund their lifestyle and save the necessary amount for retirement every month often wonder what they should do next. Many people who ask me for advice about what to do with their extra income are trying to seek approval for their desire to inflate their lifestyle. Instead, I give them this checklist of things to consider before they start spending more:
Keep saving. Unless you came into a huge windfall, you probably don't have enough assets to say that you are saving too much. There are way too many unknowns to accurately say that you are saving too much for your future. There could be changes in your marital status, a growing family, a need to support your family financially, a dive in investment performance, and decades of inflation, just to name a few of the things that could disrupt your savings plan. During the first two decades of your working life, the best thing you can do for your financial life is to save as much as you can live with.
Reconsider your assumptions. Seriously think about whether you are really comfortable with what you've already accumulated for retirement. You can't assume that your income will grow consistently all the way until you are 65. You should stress test your retirement plan to see if your assumptions are really solid. What if you are laid off and don't have income for a year? What if your parents need financial support? Make sure you include the possibility of financial shocks in your retirement plan.
Consider lowering your risks. If you have an extra savings cushion, you might want to reduce the risks that you are taking with your investments. By owning more bonds instead of stocks, you are limiting your maximum upside, but you can also drastically lower the chances that an unpredictable economic event can ruin your financial cushion.
Buy an annuity. Another possibility is to buy a few annuities that guarantee payments for the rest of your life. Although some annuities have high costs, knowing that a check will always arrive like clockwork can help relieve financial stress, which is ultimately what comfortable living is all about.
Spend less time working. Instead of buying more stuff, you could spend less time working and gain more time to do what you actually enjoy. Many people in our society work long hours just to pay for their stuff, which is such a stressful way to live. If you've already saved enough for retirement, it's time to develop interests outside of your finances.
Spending more sounds great on the surface, but it's not always the best choice. Having more money than you know what exactly to do with is a great problem to have, but you shouldn't waste the opportunity to ultimately make your life better.
David Ning runs MoneyNing, a personal finance site that shares money moves you can make to significantly increase your chances of having a comfortable retirement. He likes to share simple changes that anyone can make, such as picking the best online savings account and figuring out whether a 0 percent balance transfer credit card makes sense.
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What to Do Once You Are on Track for Retirement
5 Steps To Embracing A Working Retirement
Posted: at 7:21 pm
For many people, the idea of retirement elicits visions of a never-ending vacation, with the retiree choosing to do what they want to do, whenever they want to. But, the reality is that is not the case for a growing number of individuals; as many find that they have no choice but to work during what many consider 'retirement years.' If you find yourself forced to have a working-retirement, or even if you choose to work during retirement even when you don't have to, you might find the following tips helpful.
Convert Hobbies to Income Producing BusinessesYou are likely to be more accepting of having to work during retirement, if you enjoy your job. One way to do so is to convert hobbies that you enjoy into money making ventures. Some relatively inexpensive hobbies that have significant earning potential are: photography, art, pottery and gardening. One thing that you should keep in mind is that some of these hobbies will be time consuming, so make sure that you can manage your time efficiently to allow time to enjoy your retirement experience.
Stay Current with TechnologyTechnology is rapidly changing and employers are adapting by modifying business practices to benefit from these changes. If you fall behind in your knowledge and experience of how basic technology works, that could make it difficult for you to compete with other job seekers. If you are unable to afford to pay for courses, check out your local library or government institutions that offer education support for adults. Some libraries offer basic computer training as part of their community programs, and some government agencies include adult education as part of their social services programs.
Note: If you decide to start your own business, visit websites like http://www.sba.gov to get tips on starting and operating a business.
Engage in Lifelong LearningOne way to increase and maintain your competition with other job seekers is to continue your education. The level of continuation depends of how much education you have already gained in the area that you want to work. If you are changing careers, it may take you longer to complete your education, but it may be worth it in the end. Your options include technical and computer courses and general education. Many of these can be completed after hours if necessary, as well as during the daytime. If you decide to pursue this option, check to determine whether you are eligible for financial aid, which include student loans and grants.
Learn Industry JargonConvincing a potential employer that you are familiar with the job for which you are applying may require 'speaking the language' of the job. For example, if you are looking for a job as an accountant, make sure you know what terms like 'capital accounts,' 'general ledger' and subsidiary accounts mean. Being familiar with the jargon helps you to effectively engage in discussions, and explain why you are the perfect hire for the role.
Stay in ShapeAnother thing to keep in mind is your physical health. When you are retired, it's very easy to fall out of shape if you become inactive, which can cause lethargy and might cause others to perceive you as being lazy. Staying active helps to increase your energy level, and helps you to be productive. Your energy level could determine your ability to 'get the job done' efficiently and effectively, which may determine whether you keep the job you get.
The Bottom Line While you may feel the need to take on a few responsibilities in order to give yourself that extra retirement income that you need, you should always consider the fact that you are retired and make sure that you make time to enjoy your retirement years. If you feel that you don't have enough post retirement income to achieve your desired lifestyle, and must therefore continue working, take the steps to ensure that you are qualified to get the job that you want. They key is to maintain a balance, so that you can enjoy your retirement as much as reasonably possible.
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Dangerous magic in your retirement plan
Posted: at 7:21 pm
By Chris Taylor
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Don't look now, but your retirement savings plan may not be as ironclad as you think. It may even include some magical thinking.
That's because every retirement calculator features an "annual rate of return" that savers typically are asked to plug in for themselves. And the hard truth is, no one really knows how well their investments will perform in the future -- and that makes all our detailed retirement calculations seem kind of futile.
But here's something we do know: The good old days, when savers blithely counted on their retirement savings growing 7 percent or 8 percent or even 10 percent, year after year after year, are likely gone. In the New Normal, cautious investors are learning to revise their expectations downward.
People like Louis Berlin, for example. The Miami insurance salesman was one of those who piled into risky assets in the late 1990s, and thought he could rely on hefty annual stock gains.
"I thought those 90s rates of return were going to carry us all through, and then we had a Lost Decade," he says.
After losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the dot-com bust, he settled on a new rate of return for the future: 3 percent. Or, when he's feeling a little devil-may-care, 4 percent.
"When people start expecting 8 or 10 percent a year, that's when they get into real trouble," says the 58-year-old, who currently keeps about half of his portfolio in equities. "People get carried away on the high side, and when reality hits they're unprepared. Then you have a whole decade of missed returns you have to make up."
REALISTIC OR MAGICAL?
So what's realistic when it comes to portfolio returns, and what's essentially magical thinking? After all, you have to put some number into those retirement calculators, even if it's just a back-of-the-napkin approximation.
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Dangerous magic in your retirement plan
BMO Retirement Institute Report: How Men and Women Can Learn From One Another When Planning for Retirement
Posted: at 7:21 pm
CHICAGO, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Today the BMO Retirement Institute issued a report, Complementary Paths to Retirement: How men and women can learn from one another that finds that, when it comes to retirement, gender strongly influences the path men and women take to plan for that important life stage.
The report explores the different approaches men and women take to retirement, identifies additional challenges women must address, and suggests ways in which they can learn from each other.
"Despite the challenges that women face, we are seeing that they are actually more likely than men to enjoy their retirement," said Tina Di Vito, Head, BMO Retirement Institute. "Men and women have noticeable differences in how they respond to both financial and non-financial changes brought on by retirement, and women are proving that they have adapted the necessary skill set to help them cope with this transition."
Women Face Unique Challenges
The report notes that, for many women, retirement is often lived alone, whether by choice, or as the result of divorce or the death of a spouse.
Women must address unique challenges when planning for retirement such as longer life spans than men, and more intermittent work histories (women are more likely to interrupt their employment to act as family caregiver). These factors may result in lower earnings which, in turn, equate to lower pension benefits or 401(k) balances. Widowhood or divorce can also reduce women's retirement income. Moreover, women are statistically less likely than men to find a new partner if they find themselves alone in retirement.
What the Genders Can Teach Each Other
The behavioral differences exhibited by women and men can have a critical impact on their retirement planning. However, by capitalizing on each other's positive behaviors, which are very complementary, both sexes can better position themselves to have a more successful and fulfilling retirement.
The report found that women, in general, are less confident in their knowledge of finances and financial product/services than men. They also tend to be more risk averse than men, trade less frequently, hold less volatile portfolios and expect lower returns than men do.
Men's willingness to assume a reasonable level of risk allows them to achieve relatively higher growth in their retirement savings. Women could benefit from employing some of these behaviours in their retirement planning efforts.
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Sweet Successful Marriage – PT4 – Video
Posted: at 7:21 pm
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Sweet Successful Marriage - PT4 - Video
NWTC Students Demonstrate How to "Dress for Success"
Posted: at 7:21 pm
Green Bay -
Students at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College are learning how to leave a lasting impression on prospective employers.
Today, marketing students teamed up with Goodwill to select and show off the appropriate attire for interviews and the first day on the job.
They say the fashion show demonstrates you can buy a brand new outfit for $30 or less and how you present yourself is important.
"We only have one time to make that good first impression, and especially during the interview," says NWTC Marketing Instructor Karen Widmar. "We can look great on paper, but the moment of truth is when we walk into that potential employer's office, how we look and how we present ourselves, our personal brand is really going to determine whether or not our students get the job over somebody else."
At least one student was so impressed by the selection of Goodwill clothes, he purchased the items he modeled after the fashion show.
Consumer Trends in the Personal Hygiene Market in the US, 2011
Posted: at 7:21 pm
NEW YORK, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:
Consumer Trends in the Personal Hygiene Market in the US, 2011
Synopsis
This report provides the results for the US Personal Hygiene market from Canadean's unique, highly detailed and proprietary survey of consumers' Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) consumption habits, and forms part of an overall series covering all CPG product markets.Its coverage includes, but is not limited to, consumption behaviors, the extent to which consumer trends influence their consumption and the value of the market these trends influence, brand and private label choices as well as retailer choices. Much of this information can also be analyzed by specific consumer group, providing hard and fast data on consumers and markets at the product category level.
Summary
Why was the report written?
Marketers in the Personal Hygiene market face a major challenge. Understanding market size and segmentation is valuable, but the keys to effective targeting is knowing just how valuable specific consumer groups are, and being able to quantify the impact of consumer trends.This report solves these problems by providing integrated survey-based data on consumer trends, consumer groups and market data which show exactly the size of consumer groups, how much of the Personal Hygiene market they account for and which consumer trends drive their behavior.
What is the current market landscape and what is changing?
In a market characterized by set personal care routines and ingrained habits typically lasting a life time a key to longer terms success is the need to attract new customers and encourage consumption frequency. In the future the ability to target the specific trends that encourage consumers to switch either brands or categories will be key for future success.
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Consumer Trends in the Personal Hygiene Market in the US, 2011