Integrity Health Coaching for Women. Rocco Boulay, CSCS dispels some of the myths and misunderstandings many face regarding health and fitness

Manchester, NH (PRWEB) March 06, 2012

Myth # 1 Crunches and abdominal work will get rid of the fat around my waist.

Answer: Not true. Unfortunately there is no such thing as spot reducing any area of your body. This holds true for all body parts. The truth is you can only firm up the muscles underneath the fatty area. Because everyone genetically stores his or her fat in certain areas it normally is a rule of thumb that the first place the fat (typically the belly and thighs) comes on is the last place it comes off.

Tip: Revisit what you are eating and replace those foods with those rich in protein and complex carbohydrates. Eat fats that are poly and monounsaturated while avoiding foods that contain trans fats. Dont believe what you see on television. Take your vitamins.

Myth #2 If your not sweating, your not burning calories.

Answer: Not true. All work burns calories. The body sweating is its way of keeping cool. Not everybody perspires profusely during exercise. Although sweating is great for detoxifying the body and keeping it cool, the amount of calories it takes to jog a mile is the same for everyone, whether you are sweating or not.

Tip: If you want to increase your caloric expenditure try 12-15 minutes of moderate cardio upon rising first thing in the morning before eating. This will increase your metabolic rate for the whole day, increasing daily calorie expenditure.

Myth #3 Muscle weighs more than fat.

Answer: Six of one or dozen of the other is a common phrase. Five pounds of muscle and five pounds of fat weigh 5 pounds. The real answer is 5lbs. of muscle is DENSER than 5lbs. of fat. This means that if you replaced 5 lbs. of fat with 5lbs. of muscle you would weigh the same but your measurements would be smaller. Just think of a golf ball as (muscle) and a tennis ball as (fat) and see that they weigh about the same thing but the golf ball is denser, therefore it takes up less space.

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Integrity Health Coaching for Women Debunks the 5 Common "Myths" in Fitness

BOSTON (MainStreet) -- Few days pass without some new study or survey reinforcing a dire message that Americans are not saving enough for a comfortable retirement. For some, that message may actually be detrimental. While true that many -- perhaps most -- are dangerously behind with their savings timeline, even those with a suitable nest egg are prodded continually into saving more. Some run the risk of saving too much, of letting their lives be dictated by compulsive frugality. Think of them as the financial equivalent of hoarders. They're so dead set on accumulation that they find it psychological torture to spend anything. Ted Bovard, principal and financial consultant for Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh, says his firm has high net worth clients who fall into this category. Even though they could never spend all of their money, given their frugality, they still worry about running out of money in retirement or not having an inheritance to leave their children. As an example, one client, despite having a $9 million nest egg, called to seek advice on whether she could afford to buy a new clothes dryer. "We have clients who have $6 million to $7 million saved and they ask, 'We were thinking about giving money away to this school, or this charity, or the grandkid -- do you think we can do it?' Well, how much money are you thinking of giving away? 'Probably just the gifting limit for the grandkids, maybe $13,000 times three or four.' Well, I think with $7 million you are OK," Bovard says. "There is nothing wrong with being careful, but you can overdo it, says Peter D'Arruda, president of Capital Financial Advisory Group in Cary, N.C. "It's like the skinny squirrel who stores a bunch of nuts in a tree over and over again, but doesn't eat them. He just runs off looking for more nuts. Then termites get in there and when squirrel comes back the tree's not there anymore." D'Arruda uses that fable-like example to explain that the fear of depleting assets doesn't just lead investors to take on an unhealthy degree of risk; they can also err on the side of perceived safety. The fear of running out of money isn't always without merit, he says, pointing to the "biggest risk of all" -- the eventual need for long-term care. With these needs in mind, he urges clients to create an income stream and hedge against future expenses with various annuity and life insurance policies that include long-term care riders. What he doesn't advocate is relying on so-called "safe" investments -- including cash, CDs and other bank products -- to provide peace of mind. "CD accounts are not earning anything," D'Arruda says. "I refer to it as losing money safely. Look at inflation right now. You can go to the grocery store now and see how expensive it is, and there are also rising fuel costs and increasingly expensive health care. You need to be keeping up with inflation if you want to make sure you have money for the future." Bovard sees several reasons for why some people have a hard time accepting that their savings are, in fact, sufficient. Factors include a lifetime of frugality, over-reacting to market fluctuations and the intangibility of wealth that is in investments, not in physical cash, gold or even stock certificates. "A lot of time, I think I, as their adviser, am the person who can help them relax," he adds. "For the folks we have had longer-term relationships with, they look to you to tell them what they can do and what they can't do. If we tell them they can do it, they are more comfortable." A challenge, he says, is getting clients to move past an all-encompassing drive to save and accumulate wealth and to focus as well on enjoying the fruit of their labor. "People ask, 'How much do I need, do I have enough?' We don't really focus so much on the total number. We see how do you want to live and what it's going to cost," Bovard says. "If it is $500,000 a year, your $2 million isn't going to get you very far. If it is $50,000 a year then yes, you are probably going to be in very good shape." A persistent voice warning that some are saving too much for retirement is Laurence Kotlikoff, an outspoken economics professor at Boston University. In a past interview, Kotlikoff, who co-wrote the book Spend 'Til the End -- The Revolutionary Guide to Raising Your Living Standard, Today and When You Retire (Simon & Schuster, 2008) with Scott Burns, put much of the blame on the retirement calculators companies such as Fidelity, TIAA-CREF, Vanguard, Schwab and T. Rowe Price deploy on their Web sites. "Financial advisers are giving bad advice using bad financial tools that aren't remotely capable of dealing with the question that they are trying to answer," he said, noting that advisers can profit from their inadequate assessments. "The bottom line is that if you over-recommend products, you sell more," he said. "If you get compensated, either directly or indirectly, based on your sales, there is an incentive to make recommendations that are, on average, too high." Kotlikoff, who has crafted his own retirement software tool, ESPlanner, estimates that about 20% of households are likely saving too much for retirement, compared with the 40% he believes are saving dangerously too little. "I think under-saving is probably a bigger problem, but there is still a risk with over-saving," he said. "You could save like crazy and then you can drop dead when you hit 55. It is not only that you may die young, it is also that you can be induced into much riskier securities than you should be investing in because you think that this is the only way you can make your target. The whole focus is on making a target that is ridiculous to begin with." Bovard says many retirees who have saved and invested appropriately throughout their life follow a similar pattern of financial realization. They start out very nervous they don't have enough. That persists for the first seven years or so. Then they start to breathe a sigh of relief and get comfortable with the idea that they can enjoy life and spend down some of their assets. Later, they fully grasp that they have more money than they can ever spend and face regrets over what they wish they had done. Bovard isn't surprised by the psychology at play among those who resist post-retirement spending. "You spent 40 to 45 years accumulating this pot of money, and you did it by saving and saving and scrimping," he says. In response, he tries to work with clients, especially during the early years of retirement, to "bump that expense level up a bit" and factor in the cost of various trips and activities they have expressed an interest in but haven't had the time to do until retirement. "Sometimes part of our job is not just to be your financial adviser, but also a counselor," Bovard says. "It's all about striking a balance. If there are a couple of things you want to get done, lets figure out how to do them and still feel comfortable whether the markets are up or down or back and forth. While you still have the health and energy and desire, let's make these things you want to do happen." "If you can't actually do that and relax, why retire? Maybe you are just tired of work, and that's fine, but if the idea is to retire because there are things you want to do and enjoy, then you are going to have to learn to relax a little bit," he adds. "It is a very different thought process for people when they've spent years pumping money in and now they turn around and have to take money out. Psychologically it is a huge transformation and if they are a workaholic, this can be a very difficult transition." The balancing act between preserving financial security and enjoying your money differs from person to person, Bovard says. It is hardest for those he describes as "worrywarts." "You have to deal with that personality differently, and they may never be comfortable," he says. "You say that they can afford to do something and they reply, 'Oh, I'd better not.' As soon as you go through the first downturn together -- and if you look at them long enough you are going to go through at least one or two or maybe three -- they are like, 'See, I knew it, I've got to pull back, I knew I shouldn't have gone on that trip.' What I have to say to them is that we've got the money set aside and life is going to move on whether the markets are up or down." Bovard says having a solid financial plan in place helps investors learn to enjoy life in retirement. It also keeps them from taking on excessive risk in the name of returns. "It's important to have the ability to stick to that plan through the good the bad and the ugly," he says. "It is not just when things are bad that people go off the reservation. When things are great, people believe they are much less risk averse. 'Oh look, everybody is making tons of money and I'm not making as much.' Well, remember that we have a balanced portfolio because when things are down you get really upset. We'll still get to the same place, we are just going to do it with less bumps." --Written by Joe Mont in Boston. >To contact the writer of this article, click here: Joe Mont. >To follow the writer on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/josephmont.

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Pity the Retirement Hoarder

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- I'm 28 and on track to save 40% of my salary in retirement and other accounts this year. I wonder, though, whether I'm focusing too much on stashing away money rather than enjoying it more at my age. Am I overdoing it? -- Adam, Minneapolis

There's no question that you're socking away money at a much higher rate than most people are able to manage financially or would chose to do.

A 2010 Aon Hewitt survey of contribution rates to 401(k) plans shows participants in their 20s contribute 5% of salary on a pre-tax basis compared to a rate of about 7% for participants of all ages.

Clearly, you're a champion saver. Does the fact that you're saving so much more than your peers mean you're overdoing it?

If overdoing it means saving more than is necessary to fund a comfortable retirement, then sure, it's possible you're going overboard in that sense.

Say you want to retire at age 65 on 80% of your pre-retirement salary. If you go to our What You Need to Save calculator and plug in your age and an annual salary of, say, $40,000, you'll see that the recommended savings rate is just over 9% -- and that's if we assume you haven't saved a dime to date.

Of course, you'll have to save considerably more if you want to retire early or live large after you call it a career. You can try different retirement ages and target retirement incomes using T. Rowe Price's calculator. But it's hard to imagine you'll fall short of a secure retirement at any reasonable age if you consistently save 40% of your salary a year.

Ah, but is it really likely you'll be able to continue this pace throughout your career? My guess is that as you get older and take on more financial obligations like maintaining a house and raising kids, you'll find that it gets tougher to save.

There may also be periods where saving is a challenge. At some point over the next few decades, you could find yourself out of work due to a layoff or health issues or some other reason, for example.

If things get bad enough, you could end up having to draw down your savings in order to get by, as many diligent savers have been forced to do as a result of the recession.

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Am I saving too much for retirement?

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS and TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire -03/06/12)- BMO Financial Group today announced the expansion of the BMO Retirement Institute into the United States. The BMO Retirement Institute provides thought-provoking insight and financial strategies for Americans planning for, or currently in, their retirement years.

"With BMO Financial Group's recent growth in the U.S., we thought it was an ideal time to bring the BMO Retirement Institute into the country," said Tina Di Vito, Head, BMO Retirement Institute. "We look forward to sharing our insights in this important market, and assisting Boomers in making a smooth transition into retirement."

The BMO Retirement Institute will examine a variety of topics related to retirement and issue comprehensive reports on the financial and non-financial aspects of this milestone. Its inaugural report, Single in Retirement, was released today.

"BMO is recognized around the globe for their excellence in programming, products and services and for their commitment to define great customer experience," noted Kenneth Krei, executive vice president, BMO Private Bank. "The similarities in the Canadian and U.S. marketplaces offer a unique opportunity to expand the reach of the BMO Retirement Institute to better serve all of our clients."

BMO Retirement Institute Report: Single in Retirement

The odds of being single at some point during retirement are high. In fact, 43 per cent of Americans aged 65 years and older are single due to divorce, having never married, or the death of a partner.(1)

Outlined in the report are a unique set of financial, emotional, and planning challenges for those who are "Suddenly Single" (unexpectedly widowed or divorced) or "Ever Single" (never married) in retirement. These include:

Planning for retirement

The report notes that, as the cost of living for singles is 40 to 50 per cent higher than for married individuals, singles are at greater risk of not having enough saved for retirement.(2)

The report found that married couples are more likely than their Ever Single counterparts to have a financial plan, to receive help in preparing their plan, and to have a more up-to-date financial plan.(3)

Continued here:
BMO Financial Group Launches the BMO Retirement Institute in the U.S.

Have you ever seen an investment firm message that our retirements are on track and we should just head to the beach? Me neither. Up to a point, a certain amount of "sky is falling" rhetoric is not surprising. However, one critic of standard investment advice thinks there is more going on here.

[In Pictures: The Best Places to Retire in 2012.]

Austin Nichols is a senior research associate at the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank that does a lot of research on economic issues. In a recent paper, Nichols takes aim at the notion that people should try to achieve retirement incomes that are roughly 80 percent of their pre-retirement incomes.

This is a common goal in retirement planning, and it makes a lot of sense at first. The thinking is that people have developed some balance in their income-spending needs through the years, and that their incomes near retirement are thus sufficient to meet their needs. After they stop working, their income needs will decline. They will need to set aside less money for retirement savings, for one. Also, their tax rates are likely to fall, and so will their work-related expenses.

That, at least, is the common wisdom. But Nichols says it's just flat wrong. To achieve a retirement income goal of 80 percent of pre-retirement income would require a large amount of savings, he says, even for people who begin when they're young. And if people wait until their 40s, say, to get serious about funding their retirement needs, there is no way they can achieve an 80 percent target.

[See How to Calculate Your Retirement Number.]

"To hit a target of 80 percent of pre-retirement income," his paper says, "workers retiring at 62 ... who began to save in 2010 at age 45 might need to save 65 percent of their income." Besides being impossible on a practical basis, saving that much money would mean that a person was spending only 35 percent of their income. When they retire, by contrast, they would find themselves with 80 percent of their income to spend--an enormous and probably unneeded boost in their living standard.

"They should be saving less today and consuming less when they retire," Nichols says. "But one cannot optimize by targeting a percentage of gross pre-retirement income. Instead, one must target spending."

Looking at spending capabilities, a lot of the fear about retirement readiness disappears. Yes, some people will have tough retirements. But the odds are that they have had a tough time making ends meet all their lives. Being retired won't magically change their financial situation. The story for most people, however, is different and more positive.

Research by University of Wisconsin economist John Karl Scholz, among others, finds that roughly 75 percent of Americans were adequately prepared for retirement several years ago. In other words, they had accumulated enough assets to maintain their pre-retirement living standards after they retired.

Originally posted here:
Is Retirement Advice Biased Against You?

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Nationwide Retirement Solutions announced today that it has redesigned and enhanced its website to better serve public sector plan sponsors and participants, and make planning for retirement easier.

We strive to deliver a truly exceptional customer experience to our plan sponsors and participants through our comprehensive service model, and the web is a key component of that, said Anne Arvia, president of Nationwide Retirement Solutions. "Weve reworked every page of the website and the content to ensure were providing our clients with the information they need.

The newly redesigned and updated site is a result of extensive research and testing with both plan sponsors and participants. From that research Nationwide identified what plan participants value most with their web experience: that they want to be able to quickly determine if they are on track for retirement, what they can do to help improve their situation and the flexibility to engage with the site based on their personal preference. Plan sponsors, on the other hand, are looking for ways to help their employees prepare for retirement, to understand how their plan is performing and a way to easily report plan performance to key stakeholders.

Enhancements to the participant site include:

The new plan sponsor site:

Our research-based approach gives us confidence that were delivering a user-centric site thats more intuitive, easier to navigate, and packed with helpful tools and information presented in a clear, concise manner, added Arvia. Our goal is to help our plan sponsor clients complete many of their day-to-day tasks more efficiently, and to help simplify retirement planning for our participants.

The sites also include the Nationwide On Your Side Interactive Retirement PlannerSM. The Planner was launched in 2010 and can help users set retirement goals, track progress, and find suggestions to improve their unique retirement outlook all in about 10 minutes.

For more information about the new website for public-sector retirement plans, plan sponsors should visit http://www.nrsforu.com or contact a Nationwide representative at 877-496-1630.

About Nationwide

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Nationwide Retirement Solutions Redesigns Website

I'm 28 and on track to save 40% of my salary in retirement and other accounts this year. I wonder, though, whether I'm focusing too much on stashing away money rather than enjoying it more at my age. Am I overdoing it? -- Adam, Minneapolis

There's no question that you're socking away money at a much higher rate than most people are able to manage financially or would chose to do.

A 2010 Aon Hewitt survey of contribution rates to 401(k) plans shows participants in their 20s contribute 5% of salary on a pre-tax basis compared to a rate of about 7% for participants of all ages.

Clearly, you're a champion saver. Does the fact that you're saving so much more than your peers mean you're overdoing it?

If overdoing it means saving more than is necessary to fund a comfortable retirement, then sure, it's possible you're going overboard in that sense.

Say you want to retire at age 65 on 80% of your pre-retirement salary. If you go to our What You Need to Save calculator and plug in your age and an annual salary of, say, $40,000, you'll see that the recommended savings rate is just over 9% -- and that's if we assume you haven't saved a dime to date.

Of course, you'll have to save considerably more if you want to retire early or live large after you call it a career. You can try different retirement ages and target retirement incomes using T. Rowe Price's calculator. But it's hard to imagine you'll fall short of a secure retirement at any reasonable age if you consistently save 40% of your salary a year.

Investing for retirement when you're just starting out

Ah, but is it really likely you'll be able to continue this pace throughout your career? My guess is that as you get older and take on more financial obligations like maintaining a house and raising kids, you'll find that it gets tougher to save.

There may also be periods where saving is a challenge. At some point over the next few decades, you could find yourself out of work due to a layoff or health issues or some other reason, for example.

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Retirement Savings: Is It Possible to Save Too Much?

At age 60, Kathy Frederick routinely put in 50 hours a week as a hospital administrator for Scripps Health Systems in San Diego. She managed a 15-person staff, and regularly took work home on week-ends -- until one day five years ago she decided enough was enough. "I wasn't ready to retire," says Frederick, "but after 18 years at that pace, I wanted a different challenge and more time for myself."

So Frederick worked with her boss to create a new role for herself at Scripps as a special-projects manager, which allowed her to gradually downshift her hours to her current two-day-a-week schedule. Frederick is thrilled with the change, which she's found reenergizing. "I'm still valued," she says, "but I get to work on my own terms."

Frederick is one of a growing number of fifty- and sixtysomethings who aren't ready to quit work but would like to cut back -- in fact, four out of 10 people 50 and older say they'd like to gradually reduce their work hours as they age, according to an AARP survey.

Some love what they do but are tired of the hectic pace and long hours. Others would be happy to bid the job adios but can't afford to give up a regular salary, benefits, or the chance to build a bigger nest egg. Employers are warming to the idea of workers phasing in retirement, too, since it allows them to save money on some of their longest-tenure (read: most expensive) staffers without losing that expertise entirely.

Sound appealing? Whether easing up at work makes sense for you depends on your finances -- Can you afford to live on less now? Will it hurt your retirement lifestyle later? -- and also on the nature of your work.

To decide, start with a clear-eyed assessment of your prospects. The challenge, if you opt to move ahead, will be to craft a new role that lightens your load without damaging your long-term security.

Know what works

Is your current job doable on a reduced schedule, or can you reinvent your role in a way that will allow you to work at a less pressured pace? And do you work for the kind of employer that will be receptive to the idea?

Those are the first questions to ask yourself. The answers will depend in part on your company's culture and on your standing within the organization -- as well as on your ability to think critically and creatively about your role.

Build on precedent. Your employer probably doesn't have a formal phased-retirement program; few do. But if the company already has other kinds of flexible work options in place -- part-time schedules, say, or telecommuting arrangements -- you can model your proposal on them. A variation on a working arrangement that managers are familiar with and know can succeed will get a better reception than a concept they've never heard of.

Originally posted here:
Retirement plan - Retire on your terms

SINGAPORE--06/03/2012, UNITED STATES--(Marketwire -03/06/12)- STATS ChipPAC Ltd. ("STATS ChipPAC" or the "Company") (SGX-ST: STATSChP), a leading semiconductor test and advanced packaging service provider, today announced its next-generation three dimensional (3D) embedded Wafer Level Ball Grid Array (eWLB) Package-on-Package (PoP) solutions. This innovative new 3D technology provides an ultra thin package profile height below 1.0mm, a 30% height reduction over the industry standard 1.4mm total stacked package height.

Market demand for advanced, multi-functional portable electronic devices is driving the need for semiconductor packages with higher thermal and electrical performance, increased bandwidth and speed in an ultra thin package profile. PoP has been a successful 3D packaging approach by virtue of the flexibility it offers in combining individual memory and logic packages vertically into a single solution in the industry standard 1.4mm total stacked package height. While current PoP technologies are effective in integrating multiple functions in a small form factor, reaching the next level of packaging bandwidth and performance in more advanced mobile devices drive advancements in the stacked package profile height below 1.0mm as well as tighter substrate line/space capability.

STATS ChipPAC's eWLB PoP technology offers customers significant performance, cost and height advantages over traditional substrate-based PoP technology. By utilizing eWLB's fan-out wafer level packaging approach, STATS ChipPAC has been able to reduce the bottom PoP package height to less than 0.5mm. eWLB PoP is available in either a single or double-sided configuration and provides a flexible integration platform for stacking a wide range of memory packages on top with a final stacked package height below 1.0mm.

"With eWLB we are able to offer a next-generation 3D PoP technology that achieves heterogeneous die integration and higher input/output (IO) density in a significantly smaller footprint than is possible today with standard PoP and flip chip technology. The maximum benefits of eWLB PoP can be achieved through a co-design process with our customers to optimize the functional performance of this ultra thin 3D package," said Dr. Han Byung Joon, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, STATS ChipPAC. "This is the thinnest 3D PoP solution available in the industry today and it delivers significant cost and performance advantages for our customers."

With high-performance and power-efficient capabilities in an inherently small, ultra-thin package profile, eWLB has been a technology enabler for advanced mobile applications such as smartphones, media tablets and cloud computing. STATS ChipPAC has shipped over 200 million eWLB units at a rapidly increasing run rate and is in volume production with a large number of eWLB package architectures including small die, large die, multi-die and multi-layer designs.

"eWLB has proven to be a scalable advanced technology that opens up a number of opportunities for our customers in terms of product design. In addition to mobile applications, there has been a growing interest from customers in computing applications where fanning out the device interconnection using eWLB technology can reduce substrate complexity and costs. eWLB is also well-suited for the microcontroller market where reducing cost and form factor are a priority," said Hal Lasky, Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer, STATS ChipPAC.

STATS ChipPAC will be presenting the latest information on innovative 3D packaging solutions including eWLB, low cost copper column flip chip PoP technology and stacked die integration of RF packages at the IMAPS International Conference and Exhibition on Device Packaging that is being held March 5th - 8th, 2012 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements in this release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in this release. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the timing and impact of the expected closure of our Thailand facility as well as the estimated associated cost for the closure; the amount of the property damage and business interruption insurance claim due to flooding of our Thailand facility; the ability to shift production to other manufacturing locations, shortages in supply of key components and disruption in supply chain; general business and economic conditions and the state of the semiconductor industry; prevailing market conditions; demand for end-use applications products such as communications equipment, consumer and multi-applications and personal computers; decisions by customers to discontinue outsourcing of test and packaging services; level of competition; our reliance on a small group of principal customers; our continued success in technological innovations; pricing pressures, including declines in average selling prices; intellectual property rights disputes and litigation; our ability to control operating expenses; our substantial level of indebtedness and access to credit markets; potential impairment charges; availability of financing; changes in our product mix; our capacity utilisation; delays in acquiring or installing new equipment; limitations imposed by our financing arrangements which may limit our ability to maintain and grow our business; returns from research and development investments; changes in customer order patterns; customer credit risks; disruption of our operations; loss of key management or other personnel; defects or malfunctions in our testing equipment or packages; rescheduling or cancelling of customer orders; adverse tax and other financial consequences if the taxing authorities do not agree with our interpretation of the applicable tax laws; classification of our Company as a passive foreign investment company; our ability to develop and protect our intellectual property; changes in environmental laws and regulations; exchange rate fluctuations; regulatory approvals for further investments in our subsidiaries; majority ownership by Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited ("Temasek") that may result in conflicting interests with Temasek and our affiliates; unsuccessful acquisitions and investments in other companies and businesses; labour union problems in South Korea; uncertainties of conducting business in China and changes in laws, currency policy and political instability in other countries in Asia; natural calamities and disasters, including outbreaks of epidemics and communicable diseases; the continued trading and listing of our ordinary shares on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited ("SGX-ST"). You should not unduly rely on such statements. We do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

About STATS ChipPAC Ltd. STATS ChipPAC Ltd. is a leading service provider of semiconductor packaging design, assembly, test and distribution solutions in diverse end market applications including communications, digital consumer and computing. With global headquarters in Singapore, STATS ChipPAC has design, research and development, manufacturing or customer support offices in 10 different countries. STATS ChipPAC is listed on the SGX-ST. Further information is available at http://www.statschippac.com. Information contained in this website does not constitute a part of this release.

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STATS ChipPAC's Scalable 3D eWLB Solutions Deliver Performance, Height and Cost Advantages Over Substrate-Based ...

HANOVER, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

CeBIT

Actian Corporation today announced that Deutsche Familienversicherung AG (DFV AG), a leading insurance company based in Germany, has selected Actians proven analytical database, Vectorwise as its long-term data warehousing solution. By using Vectorwise, the insurance company can aggregate its data and optimize analytics in order to perform complex analysis, some of them in real-time.

With the growth of data in the insurance sector, the speed and stability of a database have become major factors, especially when it comes to analyzing and reporting on corporate figures and, ultimately, customer satisfaction. As its master data had grown considerably over the years and also increased in complexity, DFV AG was looking for a stable and future-proof database that would also easily accommodate further growth.

As a young, dynamic organization we prefer innovative, cost-efficient software solutions which we can also combine with solutions from established vendors. Therefore, we were not only looking for a long-term relationship with a good partner who understands and meets our requirements but also for ways to meet our financial needs, says Dr. Stefan M. Knoll, Executive Director of DFV AG, explaining the companys current IT strategy.

As part of its strategy, DFV AG uses commercial Open Source solutions for Business Intelligence (BI) and ETL. Representing the third technology layer in the IT stack, DFV sought to find a reliable database software solution that would then fit in with the existing IT infrastructure and hardware environment.

Following a comprehensive proof-of-concept phase during which we evaluated a number of options, Vectorwise emerged as the best solution with respect to our IT needs, continues Dr. Knoll. During a three-month test phase, which included continuous support by the German Actian team, Vectorwise was also tested for its integration capability with the existing BI and ETL tools.

A strict optimization of the database tables is not an absolute necessity with Vectorwise because the Actian solution provides ample performance even for ad hoc analyses of huge amounts of data. We have already seen a significant performance benefit over our existing, non column-oriented database under the same conditions. As a result, we expect to see a marked improvement in the area of customer service and, ultimately, a competitive advantage, adds Dr. Knoll.

Master data is a valuable asset especially in the insurance sector, and the speed of data analytics plays a major role, explains Olaf Laber, Director Business Development, Central Europe at Actian. We are delighted that DFV AG has made Vectorwise its solution of choice and relies on our high-speed database technology.

Vectorwise is a high-performance database for interactive reporting and analysis that leverages the power of advanced mainstream CPUs. Vectorwise includes a database engine that uses vector-based processing and on-chip memory to achieve significant performance improvements for real-time inquiries and analyses compared to other databases.

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Deutsche Familienversicherung Boosts Customer Service and Operational Performance with Vectorwise