Unemployment among Veterans still Running Heavy

I served in Marine Corp for 14 years. I know the fear of combat and the strangeness of coming home to a different kind of world. But, I had plenty of job positions available to me. NOT NOW….Not for the current “Vets” getting out. And despite the Whitehouse BS, the job market among former military is not getting better. Here is a very good article on the true facts…!!

“Unemployment among Veterans still Running Heavy”

The unemployment rate among younger veterans continues to outpace the share of out-of-work civilians with nearly one in 10 ex-service members from the Iraq and Afghanistan eras hunting for jobs, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Younger male veterans are dragging a collective unemployment rate of 9 percent, compared to 7.6 percent in February 2012. Younger female veterans, who have faced far stiffer challenges grabbing civilian paychecks, posted an unemployment rate of 11.6 percent last month versus 7.4 percent at this time last year, the BLS said.

In raw numbers, 203,000 post-9/11 veterans were unemployed in February. One year ago that number totaled 154,000. Their overall unemployment rate was 9.4 percent in February. The U.S. unemployment rate last month was 7.7 percent, the Labor Department reports.

“The problem of veteran unemployment should be seen as a national disgrace,” said Cleve Geer, national commander of AMVETS, a nonprofit veterans’ organization.

 

Many of those men and women possess — literally — battle-hardened skills, if not the ability to work under fire, yet some employers seem unable or unwilling to transfer those strengths into civilian jobs, veterans groups say. “It’s hard for me to believe that a guy can drive a truck in combat but he can’t drive one on the highways.

I mean, what the hell is that all about?” said John E. Hamilton, commander in chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. “You’ve got a (medical) corpsman out there in field with Marines doing everything short of open-heart surgery but he can’t be an EMT when he gets home. Are you kidding me?”

Unemployment among Veterans still Running Heavy, Yet the veteran-jobless rate soon may spike as sequestration forces federal agencies to hack budgets.

“That’s definitely sending shockwaves around our community,” said Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraq War veteran and founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonprofit advocacy group representing more than 200,000 members.

“One third of our members work in government some place. A lot are at the TSA, the Pentagon, and Homeland Security, working as civilians,” Rieckhoff said. “We also have a lot working in the contracting space.”
‘Everybody’s worried’
Among the 20 U.S. companies that hire and retain the most veterans — as ranked by G.I. Jobs — seven of those businesses cater strongly or even entirely to military personnel or federal agencies, including Booz Allen, a management consulting firm that holds contracts with the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation.

“Those (contracting) jobs for veterans are definitely going to be cut back some,” said Bob Tanner, a federally employed systems analyst and former Marine corporal who served in Iraq. He was unemployed from August 2006 until February 2007 after leaving the military. “There’s still a huge gap (in veteran-versus-civilian employment). But I think that gap is going to continue to grow if there’s a lot of layoffs.”

Added Rieckhoff: “In our population, everybody’s worried.”

In late February, however, his organization partnered with Futures Inc. and Cisco to launch an online employment tool called Career Pathfinder, which Rieckhoff vows, “can be the fuel injection that gets us to deeper impacts.” The free site helps translate specialized military skills to civilian jobs. It provides thousands of active job listings from employers who want to hire veterans as well as resume-building help and a career-mapping tool.

For months, though, the employment landscape has become increasingly laced with online tools meant to connect veterans to jobs, including VetNet, rolled out last November by Google and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “Hiring Our Heroes” program. Is this the innovation that finally breaks the stubborn logjam?

By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor

MY Story:
I am a burned out traveling salesman…veteran…who needed to get off the road after 25+ years of rental cars and hotel rooms. I decided to create a business from home and replace my day job in order to create a new life style. How about you..?

HOW ABOUT BOOSTING YOUR WALLET IN 2013…? Join me and come to Empower Network….. 100% commissions and you are in Your Business….learning Network Marketing from the best in the World…. click here…   http://bit.ly/N3IWyO

SEMPER FI

Kevin Flanagan  “The Road Warrior”
PS: Dig In and Push for Your Dreams…NOW…lead with your Heart

Woods wins Bay Hill, ascends to No. 1 world ranking

I first met Tiger when he was 11 years old playing behind he and his Dad one weekend. I have always kept in touch and will be a life long fan. I know he had his fall from grace. But, let's face it, we all have had our share of embarrassments. I am very happy to see him come out on the other side by rededicating himself to the thing he loves Golf. Here is the best article for You Tiger fans....enjoy.

Woods wins Bay Hill, ascends to No. 1 world ranking

ORLANDO, Fla. – Even after a 20-hour weather delay, even after a brief surge by Rickie Fowler, the outcome here at Bay Hill seemed predetermined, not least because Tiger Woods is the best closer in sports not wearing pinstripes.

No, it’s because golf’s new king looks an awful lot like the old one – pumping his fist and twirling his irons and holing clutch putts. Everything you remember about Red Shirt.

“It feels really good,” Woods said, reclining in a chair in the winner’s news conference, wearing the customary blue blazer. More than 30 text messages had arrived on his phone within minutes of his two-stroke victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He tapped out thank-you notes as fast as his fingers allowed.

Woods appears happy again. Genuinely happy. Perhaps that’s because of his newly confirmed relationship, to skier Lindsey Vonn, or maybe his return to championship form. It was natural to wonder if Tiger could ever truly be happy again without both.

By capturing his third title of the season Monday (and second in his last two starts), Woods has won six of his last 20 PGA Tour starts. Six of his last 20 – that’s an absurd winning percentage of 30 percent, slightly above his career average of 27 percent.

“I feel like this is the Tiger I grew up watching,” Keegan Bradley said.
More absurdity: Woods has captured 41 PGA Tour titles on seven courses, Bay Hill included. Forty-one wins – or, in other words, as many victories as Phil Mickelson has enjoyed during his Hall of Fame career, and seven more than Vijay Singh, and 19 more than Ernie Els.

"Woods wins Bay Hill, ascends to No. 1 world ranking"

This will mark Woods’ 624^th week at world No. 1 – or 12 years, more than half of Rory McIlroy’s lifetime.

“I don’t think that’s his ultimate goal,” said his caddie, Joe LaCava, of reaching world No. 1, “but it’s certainly a nice bonus.”

Technically, Woods’ reign atop the world order may last all of a week, even if it feels like we experienced a seismic shift in the golf landscape Monday. Next week, McIlroy could regain the No. 1 spot in the world with a victory in Houston, the continuation of a generational tug-of-war that shapes the sport. But this has the distinct feel of a vintage Tiger year. Your move, kid.

That mentality alone drives home the fact that we’re light years from Oct. 30, 2010, when Woods last held the No. 1 ranking. At the time he was less than a year removed from the tabloid-fueled scandal that ruined his family life, shattered his public image and precipitated a brief downturn in his game.

He suffered a stunning loss to Graeme McDowell at his own World Challenge. A year later, he injured his Achilles’ tendon at the Masters, forcing him to withdraw from The Players, skip the U.S. Open and British Open, and then bomb out at the PGA. In November 2011, he was ranked 58^th in the world.

Woods wins Bay Hill, ascends to No. 1 world ranking

It was a “perfect storm,” Woods said. He was making a swing change, and he was hurt, and he couldn’t devote any time to practice the new motion. Were there any doubts about whether he would ever win again, or reach world No. 1? Please. When he’s healthy, and when he’s making putts, he wins.
“If I get healthy, I know I can play this game at a high level,” he said. “Once I got there, then my game turned.”
Last year was decidedly more Tiger-like, and that resurgence began here, at Arnie’s place, where Woods won a full-field PGA Tour event for the first time in 923 days (this was his eighth victory at Bay Hill, matching a Tour record for most wins in an event). He would win two more times, at Memorial and Congressional, but was strangely absent in the major championships, when he didn’t break par in eight weekend rounds. They were bizarre disappearing acts.

“Maybe my game wasn’t quite consistent enough to be there at that point,” he said.
Now, though, his mind is no longer clouded with swing thoughts. He’s more confident, the motion more ingrained. On the range Monday morning, in a brisk and steady crosswind, Woods worked through each club in the bag, wedge through driver, swinging each in perfect balance and rhythm. His swing coach, Sean Foley, stood some 50 yards away and watched Hunter Mahan, another of his pupils. For the last half hour of his warm-up, Woods’ only interaction with Foley was a fist bump on the putting green before heading to the third tee for the restart. He’s self-sufficient.

Woods wins Bay Hill, ascends to No. 1 world ranking....For Woods, the resumption of the final round produced little stress, at least until he needed to hole a 7-foot par putt on 11. A hole later, and after watching Rickie Fowler drain a 37-footer to pull within two shots of the lead, Woods buried a 27-footer, raising his putter skyward as he walked toward the cup.

“That’s just the competitor he is,” Fowler would say afterward. “He just finds a way to make a putt and keep things going.”

The biggest swing of the day came on the 16^th hole. Two behind as he played his second shot into the par 5, Fowler rinsed his approach from 188 yards – and eventually carded a triple-bogey 8 – setting the stage for a Woods exclamation point.

He didn’t disappoint, hitting a drawing 8-iron from a perfect lie in a fairway bunker to 35 feet to set up an easy birdie and open a three-shot cushion. After a two-putt par on 17 and conservative bogey on the 72^nd hole, he finished at 13-under 275, two shots clear of Justin Rose (70).
“It was going to happen,” Bubba Watson said of Woods’ reascension to the No. 1 spot. “He had injuries. He’s had a lot of things going on in his life. But he’s the greatest golfer ever.”
But there was work to be done, of course, even after three victories last season. In the offseason

Woods knew he needed to sharpen his scoring clubs – last year, he was 102^nd or worse in greens in regulation from 75-100 yards, 100-125 yards and 125-150 yards. This year, he ranks no worse than 69^th in those categories.

Woods had four eagles all of last year. This week alone, he made three.

And after a tip from Steve Stricker at Doral, Woods’ putter has also learned to cooperate in crunch time. He led the field in strokes gained-putting. Prior to Monday’s restart, he was 11 of 12 on attempts from 10 to 20 feet. Tweeted Paul Azinger, “Most pros won’t make 10 putts that long in a month.”

“He’s playing well,” Fowler said. “You know when another guy is playing well and he’s on top of his game, he’s got a little something.”

“He’s won three of his four stroke-play events here in the U.S.,” LaCava said. “If you’re paying attention, you probably have to look over your shoulder (now) a little bit, right?”

Woods wins Bay Hill, ascends to No. 1 world ranking

Inevitably, the conversation now shifts to the majors, as it always does with Woods. Perhaps it’s just a statistical anomaly, but in the three years that he has won three PGA Tour events before the Masters – in 2000, ’03 and ’08 – he has not gone on to wear the green jacket. In two of those three years, however, he went on to win majors. Talent triumphed.

Woods hasn’t won a major since 2008, the Masters since ’05. Until he wins major No. 15, until he resumes his ascent up Mount Nicklaus, questions will remain. That’s the gift and the curse of an in-form Tiger.

When asked the last time he felt this good heading into Augusta, Woods said flatly, “It’s been a few years.”
Indeed, everything about his game is starting to look like old times.

Woods wins Bay Hill, ascends to No. 1 world ranking.....!!!


SEMPER FI

Kevin Flanagan  "The Road Warrior"

PS: Dig In and Push for Your Dreams...NOW...lead with your Heart

Don't wait for other people to be loving, giving, compassionate, grateful, forgiving, generous, or friendly... lead the way! ~ Steve Maraboli

Take a look at Empower Network for Your New life...$$ Freedom.. http://bit.ly/N3IWyO

Great Apps to help Lose Weight

Here is a very Cool article on how to use technology to help you train and eat more healthy to lose more weight. So, try one of these ideas to take you to your next level.

Counting calories eaten and burned is now easier than ever.

Great Apps to Lose Weight....Today

Sure, one of the best ways to determine how many pounds you've lost is decidedly low-tech: Checking the fit of your jeans. But nowadays, smart dieters also use their smartphone to help motivate themselves and track their weight loss. Personal trainer Dave Quevedo and the American Council on Exercise's Jessica Matthews, MS, weigh in on their favorite apps.

My Fitness Pal

 Works with: iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, iPad, Windows Phone

 Cost: Free

Maintaining an accurate food diary is one of the most difficult parts of trying to lose weight, but this online toolbox can help you track everything: from the number of calories in a 6-inch turkey sandwich with chipotle sauce, to how many calories you burned in 60 minutes of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class.
There are also calculators to determine basal metabolic rate, body mass index and just how much blood your heart is pumping every day. Bloggers will find personalized weight-loss tickers and weight loss "badges," and the Fitbit activity tracker ($99.95) does almost everything except the sport itself, wirelessly.

Great Apps to Lose Weight...Today
Gym Pact

 Works with: iPhone

 Cost: Free app; customizable wagers

Wanna bet that you'll get to the gym every day next week? This app puts your money where your mouth is. Participants start by placing a wager (such as $10 per missed gym day) with real U.S. dollars, and then use their iPhones to "check in" when they complete a workout at their fitness facility. Miss a day, lose money. Stick to your workout schedule, and you get cash rewards — perhaps adding up to enough for a new gym outfit.

I Work out Muse

 Works with: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

 Cost: $2.99

Recent studies have shown that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the best ways to boost aerobic capacity and burn fat. The iWorkout Muse makes HIIT accessible to almost anyone thanks to an adjustable interval timer that allows you to create your own training sessions with your own music. Athletes can even select louder music for hard intervals ("work periods") and softer music, or none at all, for recovery ("rest periods"). Never have Kiss and Christopher Cross gone so well together.

"Great Apps to Lose Weight...Today"

Body Media FIT Activity Manager

 Works with: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android

 Cost: From $99 for armband packages; free downloadable apps
Great Apps to Lose Weight...Today with  My Fitness Pal in its tracking components, this app focuses more on the "on-body monitoring system": an armband that tracks how many calories you burn throughout the day — and how well you sleep at night. (Poor sleep has been linked to obesity.) Then you log your food online and check out the Activity Manager to see a snapshot of your day. Using a Withings scale, which is Wi-Fi enabled, will allow you to automatically upload your weight directly to the app.

Thin-Cam

 Works with: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

 Cost: 99 cents

Not into typing in your daily consumption? This app takes a snapshot of what you eat, then determines calorie content. If you upload it to Thin-site, weight-loss experts will provide feedback on the quality of your diet.

MY Story:

I am a burned out traveling salesman...veteran...who needed to get off the road after 25+ years of rental cars and hotel rooms. I decided to create a business from home and replace my day job in order to create a new life style. How about you..?

HOW ABOUT..." TAKING ACTION IN 2013"...? Join me and come to Empower Network..... 100% commissions and you are in Your Business....learning Network Marketing from the best in the World.... click here...  http://bit.ly/N3IWyO

SEMPER FI

Kevin Flanagan  "The Road Warrior"

PS: Dig In and Push for Your Dreams...NOW...lead with your Heart

Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be. ~ George Sheehan

How to Make Online Videos Like the Pros – for Your Small Business

I spend time doing Internet Marketing and here is are Great Simple Tips on how to Make Effective Videos for your business. Jeff Graham is an Expert Vlogger and a Teaching Guru. If you watch his YouTube channel we can teach you more information than you can apply. Enjoy the Tips….Semper Fi.

From vlogging to elaborate online commercials, there are many opportunities to showcase your small business through online video. Jefferson Graham explains how to take advantage of this major opportunity for exposure,
Main Street has a lot to love from the YouTube era.

Now small businesses can join funny cats, outgoing teens and musicians in showing off their wares online.

Best of all, it’s free.

How to Make Online Videos Like the Pros

From vlogging to elaborate online commercials, there  are many opportunities to showcase your small business. If you’re not taking advantage of this, you’re missing out on a major opportunity for exposure, because YouTube is just the beginning. Post your video there  gain an audience, and then watch as your video continues to spread across the Internet, on your Facebook, Twitter and Google+ pages, and hopefully on other online venues as well.

What kind of money do you need to make this happen? Some folks may think they need to hire a professional production team to do the work, but unless you’re looking to make polished 30-second Super Bowl-worthy spots, this is money that’s better left in your pocket.

With the new crop of consumer cameras and simple editing tools, making your own small business video is within anyone’s budget. Anyone can do it themselves.

 I cover the gear you need, audio and editing tips in detail in my new book, Video Nation: A DIY Guide to Planning, Shooting and Sharing Great Video.

Here’s a brief look at tools you’ll need:

• A camera. Use your smartphone, (an iPhone or Android), a tablet; (an iPad or Nexus); or a point-and-shoot camera. If you’re a skilled shooter and want to use a DSLR, like a Canon Rebel or Nikon D600, be my guest, but you’ll want one with a flip LCD screen, since these cameras are harder to focus than the everything-in-focus smartphone, tablets and point-and-shoots.
• A microphone.
• Lights. You can buy cheap Home Depot lights for $40 or make use of great natural daylight.
• Editing software. iMovie is free on all new Apple Macintosh computers, and online services like Pixorial and Wevideo.com offer ways to edit video footage online for free.

Let’s take a moment to look at topics.  If you’re a small business owner  you may think, “What do I have to say? How can I fill up minutes of video time?

“How to Make Online Videos Like the Pros”

Easy.

I don’t care whether you’re a dentist, real estate agent, florist, newspaper stand or clothing shop, Main Street’s finest has lots to talk about.
Let’s say you’re a florist and you want to showcase your business.

• First video: Introduce yourself and explain why you became a florist and what makes your shop unique.
• From there, highlight a daily or weekly flower of the day.
• Talk about different flowers for different seasons.
• Offer gardening tips.
• Offer tips for making centerpieces we can afford for weddings and other events.
• Make a comedy video about a lonely dinner table without flowers. Then come in at the end and say a few lines, either in voice over, or on camera, about how flowers help people lead happier lives.

What if you’re a dentist? What topics can you cover that people will want to watch?

• Introduce yourself and tell why you became a dentist and why you love your job.
• Talk about the various services you provide, from crowns and teeth cleaning and everything else down the road.
• Discuss how to prepare for a root canal. There’s nothing more painful—or at least, that’s what the patient thinks. Talk about how new technology has made the process much easier to withstand.
• Offer tips on keeping your teeth in tip-top shape.
• Go beyond your role as dentist to offer thoughts on healthy living, health news from the newspaper and whatever else tickles your fancy, as long as it’s not politics. (Unless you want to turn off 50% of your viewers, who are going to disagree with you.)
• Offer a tour of the practice and explain why you decorated it the way you did. Showcase the art on the wall.
• Show off the magazines you subscribe to keep patients interested when they come in, and tell why you selected them.

As you can see, there are many, many things to talk about on a daily or weekly basis.

How to Make Online Videos Like the Pros -Many video makers in YouTube land create “Vlogs,” a daily 30-60 second rundown of them talking to the camera about what they’re doing that day. This is another way to create more content and get your name in front of potential customers.

Because let’s face it—they’re not looking at the Yellow Pages anymore, and they’re not reading the newspaper as often as they used to. So if you want to connect with them, online is the place to do it.

All you need is a camera, an Internet connection, and a little time. What are you waiting for? Let’s get busy!

MY Story:
I am a burned out traveling salesman…and veteran…who needed to get off the road after 25+ years of rental cars and hotel rooms. I decided to create a business from home and replace my day job in order to create a new life style. How about you..? What are Your New Dreams…? How will you Get there…? Open to New Ideas…?

HOW ABOUT…” TAKING ACTION IN 2013″…? Join me and come to Empower Network….. 100% commissions and you are in Your Business….learning Network Marketing from the best in the World…. click here…  http://bit.ly/N3IWyO

SEMPER FI

Kevin Flanagan  “The Road Warrior”
PS: Dig In and Push for Your Dreams…NOW…lead with your Heart

When To Retire-7 signs it's not the time to retire

Baby Boomers it is time to check the facts with this economy. Just because we are getting older and are at the age your parents were done working doesn't mean you can. I am very much a Boomer too. I am looking at the idea of retirement as far off at this point.

Please Read this Article as gospel and consider all the facts presented within..!!

For some people, there is a natural progression toward retirement. They know exactly when it's time to call it quits. For others, thoughts about when to retire make them nervous, and the decision isn't easy.

When To Retire

Determining the right time to retire can become mind-numbingly complex when you consider all of the personal and financial factors that come into play.

For those individuals and couples who are on the fence and not sure about the right time to retire, you're not alone. Fellow boomers face the same daunting decision, as 10,000 turn 65 every day and will do so at that rate for the next 18 years.

Instead of waiting for a mystical sign in the sky or a new software program to help you figure it out, consider these seven signs that tell you that now is definitely not the right time to retire.

"When To Retire"-You’re eligible for Social Security

Whether you surpassed the magical age of 59 ½, when you can plunder your retirement accounts with no penalty, or you turned 62 and you're eligible for early Social Security benefits, simply retiring because you hit a specific number can be a costly mistake.

"The numbers are pretty compelling for delaying retirement account withdrawals as well as Social Security," says Certified Financial Planner Eleanor Blayney, founder and president of Directions For Women. "We're all living longer. And if you're blessed with a special talent or gift in your field, it can make sense to maximize those gifts for as long as possible and delay retirement."

Retirement expert Bud Hebeler also advises to hold off on collecting Social Security. "The very best annuity is Social Security," he says. "By delaying the start of Social Security, there is an 8 percent gain each year. Social Security, unlike many pensions and annuities, is inflation-adjusted and offers unmatched spousal benefits.
"
When To Retire... 

You plan to work part-time

Despite the stigma associated with becoming a Wal-Mart greeter during retirement, many people are planning to work part time in retirement for both personal and financial reasons. However, you shouldn't count on being able to find work, says Hebeler, who founded AnalyzeNow.com.

"People are starting to realize that it is harder to return to work if necessary or even find a suitable part-time job to supplement retirement income," he says.
It's probably better to hang on to the full-time job for as long as you can. "Those fortunate enough to be working where their employer provides a pension or matching retirement contribution can see them grow by working just a few more years," Hebeler adds.

Before renouncing your full-time job, think through the trade-off of spending a few short years in your existing role, versus doing menial part-time work for several years that may not be satisfying.

Your spouse doesn’t want you to retire

A successful retirement warrants approval from your partner, and it's best if you both prepare for the transition.
Financial coach Christine Moriarty says it's important to make sure your spouse wants you to retire. "If your spouse keeps saying, 'Don't retire yet, don't retire yet,' find out if it's a financial or emotional concern," she says, "and get it resolved before retiring by working with a therapist or financial adviser."

Moriarty says that similar to marriage, "The first year of retirement can be the most difficult. ... You have to get into a groove, and that can take some time for couples and requires planning outside of just the financial aspects."

You don’t have a place to go

Face it, if you're not prepared for the time you'll have on your hands, you may find yourself wishing to be back in those boring staff meetings, drinking bad coffee and gossiping at the water cooler.

"If you're already a scratch golfer or don't have any interest in playing bridge, you can flounder in retirement," says Blayney. "People are so defined by their career that moving into retirement can be a shock as they realize they don't know how to relax and enjoy themselves."

Some signs of retirees who don't have a place to go or something to do: They're the ones driving 20 mph below the speed limit, talking your ear off in line at the grocery store or cleaning their garage twice a day.

"It's easy to think and talk about retirement – and to even figure out all of the legal and financial metrics associated with it. But when it comes time to do it, people must have a meaningful answer to what they are going to do every day in it," says Troy Jones, CFP and owner of Access Financial Resources.

You’re counting on the stock market

If your nest egg isn't quite large enough to sustain you through retirement, don't expect great stock market returns to make up the difference.

"You can't invest your way to wealth or retirement success by only picking the winners in the stock market," says Blayney. "People who are most successful in retirement are not necessarily the most successful investors, but instead are those who live within their means, maintain low withdrawal rates and don't rely on the stock market to maintain their lifestyle. Doing so is a recipe for disaster."

When To Retire-7 signs it's not the time to retire..? Not Sure

You haven’t planned for health care costs

For years, health care costs have risen at a higher rate than inflation. Then there's the specter of an unanticipated big expense.

"A friend of mine had to be medivaced by helicopter for a heart attack recently. The cost was $27,000, of which the insurance company covered only 80 percent," says Hebeler. That left his friend on the hook for $5,400.

Add premiums and copays that can exceed $25,000 a year, and those who are looking to retire before age 65 soon discover the erosive effects of medical costs on a retirement nest egg.

"Word is starting to spread about how much is needed for health care in retirement," Hebeler says. "Fidelity's pronouncement that a 65-year-old couple needs $240,000 to cover insurance premiums and uninsured medical costs is shocking by itself, but then comes the statement that this does not cover long-term care provisions."

Health care costs remain one of the biggest concerns of current and future retirees. "Retiring too early and not having the financial resources to cover health care expenses can make for a stressful and painful retirement," says Moriarty.

You have financial obligations

When it comes to major life decisions like retirement, sometimes the most obvious signs are the flashing red lights of too many financial commitments. Now is definitely not the time to retire if your situation mirrors any of the following examples.

· Your kids are either in college or are sponging off you while living in your basement.· You're the co-signer for someone else's house or car.Your parents haven't retired yet.· You need a new roof and siding, and your car is making funny noises. You have credit card debt, a mortgage, a car loan and you're still paying off your school loans.Deciding when to retire doesn't have to be rocket science.

Sometimes it's as simple as looking for personal and financial signs that tell you now is definitely not the best time to retire.

MY Story:
I am a burned out traveling salesman...veteran...who needed to get off the road after 25+ years of rental cars and hotel rooms. I decided to create a business from home and replace my day job in order to create a new life style. How about you..?

HOW ABOUT BOOSTING YOUR WALLET IN 2013...? Join me and come to Empower Network..... 100% commissions and you are in Your Business....learning Network Marketing from the best in the World.... click here...http://bit.ly/16s2c6B

SEMPER FI

Kevin Flanagan  "The Road Warrior"

PS: Dig In and Push for Your Dreams...NOW...lead with your Heart

The Perfect Time to Eat Lunch— READ THIS or Get Fatter….!!

 

The Perfect Time to Eat Lunch…or Get Fatter….!!

If you are like me….sit most of the day and try to eat right at times. Exercise is a last minute fitted in activity. Then, you need to read this article with a CONCEPT that will BLOW YOUR MIND…..!!

Eat lunch earlier, shed more pounds? That’s the finding released today in the International Journal of Obesity, which followed 420 Spanish people in a weight-loss program.
In the study, people lost 25 percent less weight if they ate lunch after 3 p.m. But the study doesn’t mean that you should eat earlier—in fact, you might want to do the opposite. The Spanish are known for making a late lunch the biggest meal of the day, so the study’s authors couldn’t say that the findings would apply here in the U.S.

The Perfect Time to Eat Lunch…or Get Fatter….!!

That said, other new research does show that when you eat—not what you eat—can turn on your body’s fat-fighting genes. Until Mr. Edison lit our evenings, we rose with the sun, worked, ate, played, and slept. That’s what your hormonal cycle is designed for. Now, our schedules are more like eat-work-eat-work-eat-sleep. The average American eats 3.5 times per day, according to research from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences—and that’s only counting meals of at least 70 calories or more, not the handful of chips you grab between commercial breaks.
In other words, our modern schedule has thrown our bodies’ clocks completely out of whack—and along with it, our metabolism. The result: It’s easy to get caught in a “fat cycle”: a constant flow of hunger hormones that makes you prone to cravings.

For some people, that’s no biggie. They consume a moderate number of calories, exercise regularly, and are happy to soothe their hunger pains with fruit and other healthy snacks. But it’s a major problem for others: Those who’ve tried (and failed) to moderate calorie intake. Those who have tried (and failed) to resist sugary treats. Those who’ve tried (and failed to finish) other traditional diet plans. And, as a result, they just can’t keep off the weight.

The Perfect Time to Eat Lunch…or Get Fatter….!!

For this latter group, intermittent fasting may be the answer. New research from the Salk Institute and other experts suggests that by confining your eating period to 8 hours a day, you can stop the fat cycle and spark your body’s natural flab-burning mechanisms. (Click here to learn more about why this eating schedule works.) That could mean skipping breakfast, but eating what you want for lunch and dinner. Or skipping dinner, and having a grand slam breakfast and lunch.

Learn how you can easily shed pounds of flab simply by changing when you eat in the new book from Men’s Health, The 8-Hour Diet.
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The Perfect Time to Eat Lunch…or Get Fatter….!!

More than two in every five Americans say they are currently on a diet. And yet two out of three American adults are overweight or obese. What gives?
Groundbreaking research coming out of the Salk Institute and other respected scientific organizations in the world—including the USDA and the National Institute on Aging—has found that the secret to losing weight is no longer about what you eat, it’s about when you eat.

Armed with that knowledge and the research behind it, NYT best-selling authors David Zinczenko and Peter Moore have developed a revolutionary weigh loss plan, THE 8-HOUR DIET: Watch the Pounds Disappear Without Watching What You Eat!, that scientifically proves people can shed pounds—5, 10, 15, or even 20 pounds or more—as long as they eat within a set 8-hour time period.
How is this possible? THE 8-HOUR DIET works on a cellular level. By making simple changes to one’s daily eating patterns, THE 8-HOUR DIET triggers a person’s mitochondria—the energy centers of the body’s cells—to selectively burn fat for energy, while reducing the amount of cancer-causing cell damage caused by the typical American diet. The result: THE 8-HOUR DIET trains a person’s body to grow leaner, slows the aging process, and serves as a magic bullet to take down the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s.

“The Perfect Time to Eat Lunch…or Get Fatter….!!”

Unlike most weight loss plans, THE 8-HOUR DIET does not have to be followed every day, does not impose calorie restrictions and does not prevent readers from eating their favorite foods. Instead, the revolutionary meal plan includes 8Powerfoods that—if you eat them daily—will help maximize the benefits of the plan, and explains how just eight minutes of exercise a day can turbocharge the fat-burning process.  Also included is a collection of delicious 8-minute recipes created exclusively for THE 8-HOUR DIET by Cook This, Not That! co-author Matt Goulding.

The Perfect Time to Eat Lunch…or Get Fatter….!!

WithTHE 8-HOUR DIET, readers will:

• Eat whatever they want and drop 5-10 pounds—or even more—in just 6 weeks.
• Eat what they like and shift the aging process into reverse.
• Train their bodies to burn fat for energy!
• Improve insulin sensitivity and dramatically decrease their diabetes risk.
• Sharpen their minds and cut their risk of Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.
• Reduce free radical content and lower their cancer risk.
• Reduce the inflammation that is the cause of so many chronic diseases.

Click here to pick up your copy of THE 8-HOUR DIET today!

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Kevin Flanagan  “The Road Warrior”

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