The Standard Enhances Online Retirement Plan Tools
Posted: March 23, 2012 at 6:38 am
PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Standard Retirement Services, Inc. ("The Standard") is launching two enhanced retirement plan websites to provide advisors, employers and participants with a more informative and intuitive online experience. The two websites are: PlanNet, a retirement plan management resource for advisors and employers, and Personal Savings Center, a financial savings and management tool for participants.
These online tools have been upgraded based on direct user feedback. PlanNet enhancements include improved navigation for quicker access to popular plan management tools, along with more prominent displays of key plan information, such as plan investment balances and participant activity. Similar enhancements have been made to Personal Savings Center, providing easier access to investment management tools and more prominent displays of key account information, such as current balance, investment return, contribution history and loan activity.
In addition, both websites have increased their use of graphics to help deliver key data and educational information in a more compelling and easier-to-understand format.
These upgrades are a direct result of our strong collaboration with plan advisors and their clients, said Harley Spring, vice president of Plan Services. As a result of their feedback, our customers online experiences are now more intuitive and streamlined, making it easier to quickly access the most important information.
The Standard also recently enhanced its participant statements and enrollment communication materials. Our high commitment to service has led to our ongoing and significant investments in the tools and resources necessary to help employees reach retirement readiness, Spring added. We continually listen to advisors and employers to make sure we are delivering on our promises and adding long-term value to our partnerships.
Disclosure
StanCorp Equities, Inc., member FINRA, distributes group annuity contracts issued by Standard Insurance Company and may provide other brokerage services. Third-party administrative services are provided by Standard Retirement Services, Inc. Investment advisory services are provided by StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc., a registered investment advisor.
About The Standard
The Standard is a leading provider of financial products and services, including group and individual disability insurance, group life, AD&D, dental and vision insurance, retirement plans products and services, individual annuities and investment advice. For more information about The Standard, visit http://www.standard.com.
The Gift by Smart Minerals – Video
Posted: at 6:38 am
See original here:
The Gift by Smart Minerals - Video
Personal bests set at Wake Forest Open
Posted: at 6:38 am
After competing in the Coastal Carolina Invitational from March 9-10, the Wake Forest mens and womens track and field teams returned home this past weekend to host the Wake Forest Open on March 16-17.
The Coastal Carolina Invitational was the Demon Deacons first meet of the outdoor season and featured several athletes debut performances.
Patrick Donelan led the freshmen, claiming seventh place in the javelin with a mark of 173-9. The Deacons were led in the event by senior Trey Blanton, who finished second overall with a throw of 186-9.
Also making his debut was sophomore K.C. Barrett, who placed 17th in the hammer throw with a toss of 144-11.
Sophomore Michael Mastanduno captured the teams best performance of the day, earning a second place finish in the long jump with a mark of 22-1. Senior Sarah Brobeck paced the womens side, leading a trio of Deacons in the javelin throw with a mark of 128-3.
In the track events, redshirt junior Casey Fowler impressed with a third place finish in the 3000-meter run, notching a time of 10:08.73.
Once competition wrapped up in Myrtle Beach, the Demon Deacons made the trip back to Winston-Salem in preparation for their home meet.
The first days action was dominated by junior Ben Lincoln, who returned to the field in triumphant fashion by breaking his own school record in the javelin throw.
He won the event with a throw of 234-3, crushing his previous best mark of 230-11. It was his first time competing in any event since he participated in the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships last June.
It is always a good day when you achieve a new personal best and see the results from months of training, Lincoln said.
The rest is here:
Personal bests set at Wake Forest Open
Communication is key to success
Posted: at 6:37 am
Withcott Seedlings HR manager Matthew Harth.
EFFECTIVE communication is the key to Matthew Harth's success in his current role.
Mr Harth is the Human Resources manager at Withcott Seedlings - a role he has held for the past eight months.
"I really enjoy getting the best out of people and watching their career grow," Mr Harth said.
Having been offered the job through Classic Recruitment on Margaret St, Mr Harth believes he has found his niche in life.
"Each day I deal with a variety of people and employees," he said.
"Professional and personal development is something that I am extremely passionate about."
The 28-year-old has completed a Diploma of Business and Diploma of Auditing with the knowledge learnt in each course used on a daily basis.
"Effective communication is key to my role," Mr Harth said.
"You have to deal with many different people of many different levels so it is a very important and vital to be able to communicate effectively with them.
Original post:
Communication is key to success
Queen of Success and Chess King Team Up to Help Kids Make the Right Moves, Saturday, March 24
Posted: at 6:37 am
TAMPA, Fla., March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Move over, Caped Crusader! Hit the cave, Bat Woman! Make room for the real-life "Dynamic Duo." Renowned entrepreneur and "Success Against the Odds" author Vonda White is joining forces with Orrin "Checkmate" Hudson, author of "One Move at a Time," two-time World Open Speed Chess Champion and founder of BE SOMEONE, to improve lives.
The pair will visit Tampa, Fla. this Saturday, March 24, to encourage kids to improve their Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores and take charge of their education.
FCAT Rally and FREE Barbeque:Robles Elementary 4405 E. Sligh Ave, Tampa, Fla. 33610 Saturday, March 24, 2012 Program: 9:00 to 11:00 am Lunch: 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Together, White and Hudson form a powerful team sharing their inspirational message for kids who are struggling to find their way in confusing and frustrating times. They have combined their expertise to offer a unique self-help guide that could be called the ultimate "gift that keeps on giving."
The make-sense program promises to help teach kids problem-solving, goal-setting and conflict resolution as they learn to take responsibility and realize their awesome personal potential.
Hudson, a 6-foot-tall former soldier and Alabama state trooper who was born in the Birmingham inner city, towers over White - a petite dynamo who hails from Boise, Idaho. This striking "odd couple" is breaking the mold and reaching a vast audience. The two are as different as they appear but have both discovered the same success principles that have allowed them to rise above their personal circumstances and overcome poverty. Now they want to share with others.
Hudson says, "Together we aim to ensure that youth know they too can excel and beat the odds." Their deep, powerful messages, particularly in these rough times, are designed to be uplifting and, as White explains, "to help everyone realize that they can BE SOMEONE if they make the right moves.
Hudson's and White's purpose in life is to make a difference. "There is nothing like changing the future of young people," he says. "I was born to do this." White believes in "paying it forward" and giving back as well. Together, they make a dynamic force for good and individual change.
Tampa-area children, parents and media are invited to attend the Saturday event.
More information: http://www.BeSomeone.org http://www.SuccessAgainstTheOdds.com
Originally posted here:
Queen of Success and Chess King Team Up to Help Kids Make the Right Moves, Saturday, March 24
James Paul Gee on Learning with Video Games – Video
Posted: at 6:36 am
See the rest here:
James Paul Gee on Learning with Video Games - Video
EduKart.com – India’s leading online education portal – Video
Posted: at 6:36 am
Read this article:
EduKart.com - India's leading online education portal - Video
Alexander Spring: Online Learning: The Ruin Of Education
Posted: at 6:36 am
I remember my seventh grade science teacher. I remember the jokes she would make and the experiences she would share. Everyone has these memories of their teachers. Yet, soon this will be no more. Soon, kids will be saying that the name of their science teacher was Mac or PC, and the only experience that they will remember is sitting in a barren computer lab. Education as we know it is being reformed, and for the worse. More and more schools are shuffling kids into cold computer labs, and knowledge is being halted at the door.
I had the horrific opportunity to experience online learning for a few weeks when, after my Advanced Placement biology teacher took a leave of absence, my principal decided that online learning would be the best alternative to hiring a new teacher right away. Just as fast as I was shoved into a computer lab, I realized the biggest issue with online education: cheating. We all know that many people cheat throughout their academic education. However, online education provides a catalyst for cheating. Spanish class? Use a translator. Math class? Plug the problem into Wolfram Alpha. Biology? Go to Yahoo Answers. Not only are students cheating themselves, they are cheating the system. Students who are not enrolled in these classes may have lower grades because they are honest. Is that fair? The online interface just provides you with a digital copy of a textbook and then quiz after quiz, test after test. With unlimited time to take these quizzes and tests, all one has to do is copy and paste the questions into Google -- and your answer awaits you. No one bothers to read the material and absorb information. Why would they, when the correct answer is just a click away?
Online education turns a center for learning into a diploma factory.
Advocates for online education may say that the cost of forcing kids into a computer lab is much cheaper than paying for a teacher, paper, textbooks, etc. But wait. This sounds a lot like what Greg Smith recently said in his New York Times Op-Ed "Why I'm Leaving Goldman Sachs."
"I attend derivatives sales meetings where not one single minute is spent asking questions about how we can help clients. It's purely about how we can make the most possible money off of them," Smith said.
It's a shame that this exact quote applies not only to millionaire clients but curious, innocent kids in schools. Not a single minute is spent asking questions about how we can better educate. It is purely about how we can save the most possible money. Education is being held hostage to greedy principals and chancellors. These people only care that on a transcript it says that a student received an education. They don't care one iota about the quality or medium of that education.
It holds true that online education provides an alternative opportunity to kids who are homebound or cannot access education due to location. Other students may not have adequate teachers, sufficient learning materials or limited course offerings. However, rather than putting these pupils into a computer lab, why can't we take the money being spent on online education and put it towards new materials, new teachers and better training?
The social implications of online learning are also detrimental. Personal experiences with the topic to help the student better understand the materials are not shared. There is no one a student can ask a question relating to the subject or just an interesting tangent. Part of growing up is questioning and being curious. Online education limits that childish curiosity, Interacting with your teacher also teaches you social queues and how to respect adults. When you are sitting in a cold computer lab, what social interaction are you getting?
Online education also has fewer deadlines or none at all. Students are often given the entire term to complete all the material. This means that someone can do no work for months but then complete all of the assessments the week before the due date. How is this teaching kids proper time management? This does not teach kids how to be responsible and how to efficiently complete their work.
There is no thought being put into quality education anymore. Any school that uses online learning systems should not be called a school. Online education is growing at an exponential rate. If this continues, not only will our children be not as intelligent, they will not have learned appropriate social skills. Students at a young age need living, breathing teachers. Students need this not only so the teachers can nurture the student's brains appropriately, but also so they can mold students into well-rounded leaders of the future.
More:
Alexander Spring: Online Learning: The Ruin Of Education
Keenan Van Zile | Miami’s Life Coach Intro to Service’s for Clientele – Video
Posted: March 22, 2012 at 7:36 pm
Originally posted here:
Keenan Van Zile | Miami's Life Coach Intro to Service's for Clientele - Video
Collins, on Knicks coaching change
Posted: at 7:36 pm
THE RECENT resurgence of the New York Knicks, winners of five in a row after Wednesday night's 82-79 win over the 76ers, has been directly attributed to the resignation of coach Mike D'Antoni on March 14 and the promotion of assistant Mike Woodson to head coach.
But how can a team, almost two-thirds of a way through a season, immediately become so much better because of a coaching change? The Knicks were wildly inconsistent under D'Antoni this season, having put together a seven-game winning streak to go with two six-game losing streaks, the last of which precipitated the resignation.
Sixers coach Doug Collins has been through midseason coaching changes, both as a coach and as a player. The quick success, he says, isn't so much about X's and O's, but perhaps due mostly to an attitude change by the players.
"In 1977, we went to the NBA Finals and the next year we started 2-4, and our coach was fired," said Collins, speaking of the Sixers and coach Gene Shue, who was replaced by Billy Cunningham. "Then after that, we won 14 out of 15.
"Usually anytime there's a coaching change, the one thing you see [improve] is the intensity. Mike D'Antoni is a very dear friend of mine, and he's a terrific coach. I'm sorry that it didn't work out for him in New York, and Mike Woodson's a really good guy. He's a guy who spent a lot of time in Atlanta and did a hell of a job there, and now is trying to put his fingerprints on it.
"Normally [with a new coach], there's a different excitement, you're not hearing the same voice. Maybe some guys figure they're going to get a chance to play. I think those things factor into a change. Some guys are affected the other way and are sorry to see the coach go. Normally what you see are more intensity, more aggression and passion. For whatever reason, it's probably more psychological more than anything else."
As the saying goes, you can't fire players. So when times get tough and coaches seem to have lost the players and/or the fans, it's usually the coach looking for another job.
"It's the tough part of our business," Collins said. "A coach gets let go when they've lost four or five in a row then the team wins six and it kicks you in the gut. It's the nature of the business. I don't think people realize, as a coach, all the things you go through and you feel. I was just kidding with [Temple coach Fran Dunphy], when you lose, you walk around town with your head down and your eyes down. Hester Prynne had the scarlet A; as a coach you have a scarlet L, for loser. It's just the nature of the business. It's a fraternity where everybody respects each other so much because everybody knows how it is. It's a tough profession."
Coach Doug Collins was looking for his 400th career win against the Knicks, but he'll have to wait. Collins, who has had stints in Chicago, Detroit and Washington, downplayed the significance of the milestone.
See the article here:
Collins, on Knicks coaching change