Is Your 401(k) plan In Trouble ?

AARP - Finance

(Money Magazine) -- Alicia Munnell is a Harvard-trained economist. She served as an assistant secretary of the Treasury and is regarded as one of America's foremost experts on 401(k)s. You'd think she'd be terrific at managing her own retirement, but even she has to confess up to some mistakes. "When my son got married, I took some money out of my plan to help," says Munnell, who heads Boston College's Enter for Retirement Research (CRR). "And I ended up paying a 10% penalty and taxes."

In the jargon of the retirement business, that's called leakage. It's a common problem: About 60% of job switchers with a 401(k) plan cash it out.

That's just one of the many pitfalls. Lots of people start saving too late, save too little or make missteps with their portfolio. And all of us are vulnerable to risks that we can't control. Your employer might not offer a plan or might choose one with second-rate investments. Or you may hit a market storm at precisely the wrong moment: the year you stop working.

That last problem is especially obvious now. Over the past 12 months, a 64-year-old investor and AARP member in an age-tailored "target date" mutual fund has lost 26%. Savers with high balances can recover from that. But many lost more, and the typical near-retiree with a 401(k) has less than $50,000 stashed away in it. That will spend down quickly, and once the money's gone, it doesn't matter if the market roars back.

A recent CRR study shows that a bear market retiree could easily end up with just half the income from a 401(k) as someone retiring during a bull market. "Any system that delivers such wild swings in retirement income is just not working," says Munnell.

She isn't the only one who's worried. A growing number of policy experts who study 401(k)s think they fall short..... Some 78 million baby boomers are hurtling toward retirement many of them members of AARP. Their poverty, if it comes to that, will be a burden to their children and lead to calls for taxpayers to support them.

These are worrying times and many people including AARP members are looking for other methods to boost retirement income. Economist Dr Raymond Jewell is presenting a retirement plan tonight at http://tomorrowshomebusiness.org at 6PM PAC he will demonstrate a plan he has developed and is using provide income in 10,20-30 years. Join him live login with your real name and password success.

David Ogden - Tomorrows Home Business - Retire in Ten Years
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Weight Loss

Weigh Loss- Usually, when someone decides to lose weight, they set a really big goal. Sometimes this goal is not realistic, or simply overwhelming. One may think, "I need to lose forty pounds". Well that’s great, but nobody loses forty pounds overnight, despite the many magazine and television advertisements that seem to portray it this way.

Successful weight loss takes time. The more gradual the weight loss, the more likely the weight loss will be maintained over time. The longer the excess weight stays off, the more it benefits your health. As you complete specific goals that you set, you are gradually achieving the weight loss. If you shift how you view your weight reduction program as one that is a "journey" as opposed to a temporary burden, you will find long-term success.

The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) is an observational study of individuals successful at long-term maintenance of weight loss. Individuals are eligible for participation in the registry if they have maintained a loss of at least 30 pounds for one year or longer. The Registry points to several common factors in successful weight loss: Ninety-eight percent of Registry participants report that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight; Ninety-four percent increased their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking; While there is some variety in how NWCR members keep the weight off, most report continuing to maintain a low calorie, low fat diet and doing high levels of activity; Healthy habits include eating breakfast daily, self-weighing once per week, watching less than ten hours of television weekly, and exercising one hour daily on average.

Numerous studies have shown that these key components to a successful weight loss program: Calorie reduction, regular exercise, support, and self-monitoring. Some individuals are able to do this on their own, but most need some support. Self-monitoring is important, but it can be even more meaningful when a professional is also guiding you.

You also want to enjoy eating. One study showed that successful subjects who kept weight off for longer periods reported less effort and attention was required to diet and maintain the weight. Duration of weight loss was associated with greater pleasure of weight maintenance. Could this study suggest that participants actually "thought less" about their weight loss program? Perhaps they did not obsess about it, but instead just took small steps toward a long-term goal? Often individuals become fixated on the need to lose weight, and the feeling that they are being deprived of foods they enjoy can manifest into negative feelings that are then associated with the attempt to lose weight. Perhaps individuals who make smaller changes and do not focus on weight loss, but instead on specific goals (to eat more fruit or to walk sixty more minutes a week, for instance) achieve results and feel good about themselves.

So when it comes to weight loss, you are in charge. If you choose to lose weight, you can lose weight, when you are ready to do so. Realize that this is going to take some time, but it will be worth it. Find a registered dietician or nutrition coach to help you set and achieve your weight loss goals, and you will be one step closer to a healthier you.

To learn more about weight loss the safe way Click Here, or to receive my FREE weight loss Report Click Here or if you want a Free Fast Track To Weight Loss DVD Click Here

David Ogden - Health and Wellness - Lose Weight USA
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