LONDON -- The last five years have been tough for those in retirement. Portfolio valuations have been hammered and annuity rates have plunged. There's no sign things will improve anytime soon, either, as the eurozone and the U.K. economy look set to muddle through at best for some years to come.

A great way of protecting yourself from the downturn, however, is by building your retirement fund with shares of large, well-run companies that should grow their earnings steadily over the coming decades. Over time, such investments ought to result in rising dividends and inflation-beating capital growth.

In this series, I'm tracking down the U.K. large caps that have the potential to beat the FTSE 100 (INDEX: ^FTSE) over the long term and support a lower-risk, income-generating retirement fund (you can see the companies I've covered so far on this page).

Today I'll take a look at Unilever (LSE: ULVR.L) , one of the world's largest consumer goods companies, whose brands -- which include Cif, Dove, Hellmann's, Bertolli, and Domestos -- we all use.

A share to hold forever?Unilever has a strong presence in emerging markets such as India. This has helped to fuel growth over the last decade. Let's take a look at how Unilever has performed against the FTSE 100 over the last 10 years:

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Is Unilever the Ultimate Retirement Share?

When it comes to retirement savings, many Americans seem to be "winging it" -- or heading for retirement without a realistic plan of how to fund it.

Or so suggests a recent survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. The survey indicates that "retirement planning" is a very loose concept among Americans. In many cases, the approach could be better described as wishful thinking.

The following are some points of concern raised by the study:

The median contribution level for workers in 401(k) or similar plans is 7 percent. This is up from 6 percent in 2011, but still too low a savings rate to fund a comfortable retirement. Think about it: Retirement is likely to last roughly half as many years as a career. How can you expect to replace most or all of your income if you are only setting money aside 7 percent of that income each year? With diminished expectations for the stock market, and bond yields and savings account interest rates approaching zero, most people are not going to be able to grow their way to adequate funding. Saving more is the only way to make it work.

The reason savings rates are so low is probably that people are underestimating how much they will need in retirement. According to the Transamerica study, the median savings goal of American workers is $500,000 -- but how many younger workers understand that inflation is likely to cut the value of that amount by at least half by the time they retire?

It's no surprise that savings rates and retirement targets seem off-base, because people simply guess at them. The Transamerica Center found that nearly half (47 percent) of respondents chose a retirement target by guessing.

While the median retirement target is $500,000, the survey found that 39 percent of workers in their 60s had saved less than $250,000. That leaves them with too much ground to make up in too few years.

The survey found that most Americans plan to retire after age 65, or not at all. Also, most plan to work after retirement. Working longer may be an inevitability for many people, but it is hardly an ideal retirement planning solution. After all, it means staying healthy enough to work productively, and that is no sure thing for people over 65.

It's only natural that older workers are more focused on retirement planning than younger ones, but that is also unfortunate. The younger you are, the more powerfully you can impact your retirement savings, because you have that many more years to contribute money and benefit from investment returns. The survey found that people in their 60s are more likely to have a retirement plan and work with a financial planner than people in their 20s. The problem is that by the time you are in your 60s, your options for significantly improving your retirement funding are very limited.

Retirement planning is a very important individual responsibility. The Transamerica Center survey should be a wake-up call for Americans to take more positive action to plan for their retirements.

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Are Americans 'Winging' Their Retirement Plans?

COMMERCE, Ca., July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- General Manager Art Aguilar announced his retirement from the Central Basin Municipal Water District effective October 31, 2012. Aguilar has served as the General Manager for the Central Basin Municipal Water District since 2006, and before that as Co-General Manager for both Central Basin and West Basin Municipal Water Districts.

"I am very proud of what we have accomplished at Central Basin," said Aguilar. "From the re-organization of the District following the split West Basin initiated, to the completion of a vital phase of our recycled water system, which had been on the books since 1991, to the many state and federal grants we secured to keep costs and rates low, we have done quite a bit in a very short amount of time."

As the General Manager for Central Basin, Aguilar successfully guided the District through an unprecedented transition and restructuring following its separation from its former sister agency and oversaw the District's subsequent move to a new headquarters in the City of Commerce. Under his leadership, these transitions brought opportunities for growth and financial stability. District operations went uninterrupted, the District's unfunded liability and pension debt were paid off and programs were re-centered around Central Basin's mission of public service.

"For me, the hardest part of retiring will be saying good-bye to our incredible staff," Aguilar continued. "We have a strong and dedicated team that works hard for our constituents and ratepayers. I am extremely proud of them."

Aguilar first joined the Districts in 1999, serving as the Manager of the Public and Governmental Affairs Department. Under his management, areas such as public education, conservation and public/media relations were refined and enhanced to become foundation stones of the department.

"It makes me very sad to see Art go," said Central Basin Board President Ed Vasquez. "He has done an outstanding job managing this district over the years and he will be missed. This place just won't be the same without him. I wish him all the best."

Prior to his work in the water industry, Aguilar served for more than 30 years as a reporter, editor and publisher of community newspapers throughout Southern California. Over the course of his tenure, he has been honored for his significant and lasting contributions to journalism and for his extensive community service.

For Art Aguilar's full bio, please email valerieh@centralbasin.org.

Central Basin is a public agency that wholesales imported water to cities, mutual water companies, investor-owned utilities and private companies in southeast Los Angeles County, serving a population of more than 2 million. In addition, Central Basin provides the region with recycled water for municipal, commercial and industrial uses. Formed in 1952, Central Basin is committed to ensuring a safe and reliable water supply for the region.

Contact: Valerie Howard Phone: (310) 801-4073

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General Manager Art Aguilar Announces Retirement From Central Basin

MONSEY, NY--(Marketwire -07/30/12)- The standard retirement investment usually consists of market products like mutual funds or similar Wall Street assets. However, with the rise of market volatility, investors have begun to actively look for alternative investment platforms. One of the platforms gaining a boost in popularity from this trend is the self-directed IRA. As a result of this move, the investments themselves have taken on a more alternative flavor.

Mark Friedman, a retirement specialist at Broad Financial, has tracked the move away from standard assets. "Initially everybody just wanted to get in on a piece of real estate or gold coins. However, as the freedom of the plan has clarified itself in the consumer consciousness, we have seen self-directed IRAs move into ice cream stores, fitness centers, and book publishing. One Broad client actually used his retirement funds to start a goat farm."

One of the common arguments in the financial community against these platforms is the far reaching nature of the investments. Many financial planners feel that investors would be better suited with products that show a record of stability. Daniel Gleich, the COO of Broad, feels that the new diversity of investments is actually a point in the clients' favor. "Investors are just gravitating towards those assets that they know and understand. It makes sense that a woman who has worked in fitness for the past twenty years has a solid grasp of the industry and would know how to turn that knowledge to profit. What would not make sense is for her to put her money into assets that she doesn't understand, even if those assets are currently riding a wave of popularity."

Mr. Gleich feels that rather than going against the financial norm, these investments are more faithfully adhering to the mantra of diversity that financial professionals often espouse. "Investors understand that diversification is essential, but they are also coming to understand that holding different stocks is not true diversification. That can only be accomplished with alternative assets. This truth is brought home every day as investors see their IRAs being hammered in the current stock market."

With Mitt Romney's retirement fund making news, and a national move back towards American ingenuity, it looks like self-directed IRAs might be reaching the tipping point. It might just be a matter of time until alternative is the new norm.

See the rest here:
Investors Find Room to Express Themselves in Retirement

One big change in the last 15 years is hardly a surprise: Americans face more economic uncertainty and financial challenges.

Many more households are struggling to make ends meet than in 1997, when consumer confidence was high and unemployment was low, says a survey released Monday by the Consumer Federation of America and Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Today the economy is in a far different place, and Americans are worried about their financial future, says Kevin Keller, CEO of the CFP's Board.

And now they have to decide how to use their limited resources to save for retirement and fund their children's college education, while maintaining an emergency fund and keeping out of debt.

Although attitudes have changed and concerns have risen over time, there is one constant. People who have a financial plan feel more confident about their financial future and report more success managing money, saving and investing, Keller says.

And when low-income families have a financial plan, they are more likely to pay their credit card bills in full and avoid debt, the survey found.

Yet only 31 percent of Americans have put together a financial plan, whether on their own or with a financial adviser, the survey says. And that was the same percentage as in 1997, when a similar survey was conducted. Among other findings:

38 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, vs. 31 percent in 1997.

48 percent of families with college-bound children are saving for their education, down from 56 percent in 1997.

55 percent are worried about losing money if they invest it, compared with 45 percent in 1997.

About half of Americans are behind in retirement savings, compared with 38 percent in 1997.

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Retirement readiness continues to plummet

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Prudential Financial Inc. said today that it will be the exclusive sponsor of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston Colleges National Retirement Risk Index.

The index measures the percentage of working-age Americans at risk of failing to maintain their standard of living in retirement, Prudential, a New Jersey-based financial services company, said in a press release. As index sponsor, Prudential said it will underwrite a number of studies conducted by the Center for Retirement Research related to the index.

According to the index, the percentage of households at risk of not being able to maintain their standard of living in retirement has risen from 30 percent in 1989 to 51 percent in 2009.

In a statement, the centers director, Alicia Munnell, said, Retirement needs are increasing due to longer life spans and rising health care costs, while retirement resources are shrinking due to declining Social Security replacement rates and insufficient savings in 401(k)s.

Prudentials product offerings include life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, investment management, and real estate services.

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Prudential to sponsor the retirement risk index from Boston College center

The big attraction of traditional pensions is their promise of security. They're designed to provide to a steady stream of checks in retirement to last the rest of your life. Unlike a 401k or other workplace contribution plan, what you get from a defined benefit pension doesn't depend on how much or how well you invest.

"Even during a downturn, (retirees receiving pensions) know how much they're getting on a monthly basis," said Karen Friedman, the executive vice president and policy director of the Pension Rights Center. "They know how much they can spend."

Increasingly, though, that promise of security is being broken. Lousy investment returns, changing company policies and taxpayer concerns about public retirement benefits are putting many pensions at risk. Consider:

Liz Weston

"These are the folks who thought they were totally protected, and then the company lays this on them," Friedman said. GM's move may give other companies the "green light" to consider similar actions, she said.

Traditional pensions are on the wane, but plenty of people still have them. Private plans cover nearly 44 million people, according to the PBGC, and public plans cover about 23 million (15 million active members and 8 million annuity recipients), according to the Census Bureau.

If you're one of them, here's what you need to know:

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Retirement protection: Is your pension safe?

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw29urz34BQ

26-07-2012 21:00 --Email on girl punished with shock collar, 3-year-old shoots his father dead, Romney "retroactively retired," more. --On the Bonus Show: Value of e-waste, rich fleeing France, upcoming vacation. How do you get the Bonus Show? Become a member: If you liked this clip of The David Pakman Show, please do us a big favor and share it with your friends... and hit that "like" button! Become a Member Like Us on Facebook: Follow Us on Twitter: Get TDPS Gear: 24/7 Voicemail Line: (219)-2DAVIDP Subscribe to The David Pakman Show for more: Broadcast on July 17, 2012

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Girl Punished w/ Shock Collar, 3-Year-Old Kills Dad, Romney "Retroactive Retirement" - Video

I'm 60 years old, unemployed and have $100,000 saved for retirement. Given my circumstances, I can't afford any losses. So I'm considering converting this money to gold and cash. What do you think? -- Robin, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Given your circumstances, I think you would be making a big mistake moving your hundred grand to gold and cash.

Let's start with gold. For all the hype about gold being a safe haven, the reality is that it can lose value as easily as the stock market. If you had plowed all your money into gold last September when it was selling for just under $1,900 an ounce, for example, your $100,000 stash would only be worth a little more than $84,000 today, since gold now goes for around $1,600 an ounce.

So whatever other merits gold may have as an investment, shielding you against losses isn't one of them.

Cash, on the other hand, can provide such shelter. Stick your hundred thousand in an FDIC-insured bank money-market account and, barring the U.S. government reneging on its promises, you can be certain that you'll always be able to draw on your entire original principal, plus any interest you earn.

But that interest, or lack of it, is the problem. Today, federally-insured bank money-market accounts that give you ready access to your money pay only 0.5% on average.

You can find higher yields by shopping around or by going to CDs that charge a penalty if you withdraw money before maturity.

But the return you'd earn probably still wouldn't keep pace with inflation. Which means that even though you may not be losing money per se, you would likely be losing purchasing power as inflation erodes the real value of your $100,000.

So I recommend that you think about your situation in a different light. Instead of trying to avoid any loss of any size at any time, focus on preserving capital in a way that protects your hundred large from devastating setbacks, but allows it to grow before and during retirement.

That way, you'll have a better shot at being able to rely on your savings stash not just today, but down the road.

Read more:
Unemployed at 60 With $100,000 in Retirement Savings

When we make the transition from working stiff into the ranks of the retired, we assume the responsibility and freedom to do what we want to do when we want to do it. We can now occupy ourselves with whatever pursuit most appeals to us and no longer answer to the dictates of job and career responsibilities. Exactly how we plan to spend each day of the next twenty or thirty years may not be crystal clear, but we can figure it out along the way.

Many baby boomers view retirement as a time of new opportunity and the beginning of a whole new chapter in their lives. But maintaining some connection to the working world is also important to many people. Some seniors would like to go back and forth between periods of work and leisure. Perhaps they fear losing the stimulation and engagement that is part of work.

However, some people enter retirement with no plans beyond relaxing and getting away from it all. This lack of preparation can be viewed as wishful thinking. Retirement can quickly lose its luster as months roll into years and boredom begins to surface. If you're not exactly sure what you will be doing in your second act, here are some steps to avoid wasting your well-deserved retirement days:

A little routine can be a good thing. It helps to have a routine to follow in retirement. You certainly don't need to schedule every hour on a calendar, but it's useful to have a general course to navigate. Getting up by a certain time in the morning to start the day is one example. Obviously, in retirement, you can sleep in as long as you want to, but at some point you may begin to feel that you are wasting the day. If you are a morning person, why not get up at seven or eight and take advantage of your high-energy time of day? It is amazing what you can accomplish by noontime when others are just getting started. For the very organized, you can be as detailed as you want to in your daily scheduling.

During my trial retirement a few years ago, my morning started at 7am with breakfast and a newspaper. Then I spent two to three hours on the computer, mainly writing and researching (and often injecting thirty minutes in the garden to reset and refresh a bit), walked to the gym for an hour workout, and came back home for lunch. After all that was accomplished, the whole second half of the day was still awaiting.

Strive to do something worthwhile each day. Keeping busy and active is a worthy goal. But if at the end of the day you find you have done nothing of consequence, you cannot do it over. A more meaningful day can be experienced by consciously focusing on doing something worthwhile. Take the time to help someone in some way, start or complete a project that has stalled, improve yourself by reading or learning something new, or bring a smile to the face of a fellow human being. It could be as insignificant as cleaning the house. But when you look back at the end of the day, it helps to have accomplished something of substance.

Be good to yourself. As you age, it's essential to take care of yourself, including regular exercise and a healthy diet. Don't feel guilty if you need to listen to your body when it says to slow down a bit. And make time to do things that you enjoy doing, whether that means bungee jumping from a bridge in Costa Rica or curling up on the couch with a book.

Dave Bernard is author of Are You Just Existing and Calling it a Life?, which offers guidelines to discover your personal passion and live a life of purpose. Not yet retired, Dave has begun his due diligence to plan for a fulfilling retirement. With a focus on the non-financial aspects of retiring, he shares his discoveries and insights on his blog Retirement-Only the Beginning.

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Don't Waste Your Retirement