Luciano Pavarotti - the world has lost one of it's finest and we'll all miss him. Luciano once said that "I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent and this is what I have devoted my life to." And to that I'll add that his beautifully spent life has enriched all of us. Thank you Mr. Pavarotti and god bless....  ¶ 7:10 AM

  Lunar Eclipse was beautiful,
The Earth's shadow crossed the moon's surface early this morning, slowly eclipsing it and turning it to shades of orange and red. The total lunar eclipse, the second this year, was visible in North and South America, especially in the West. I hope you had the pleasure to witness this wonderful occurrence.  ¶ 9:17 AM

  NASA on Saturday ordered Space Shuttle Endeavour back to Earth a day early out of fear that Hurricane Dean might disrupt flight operations. The shuttle is now scheduled to depart from the International Space Station on Sunday, and landing is set for Tuesday.
We all pray for their save passage home...  ¶ 3:06 PM

  Retirement thought of the day: Consider annuities for additional retirement income, because they allow investors to lock in a regular payment stream for life and are very safe.  ¶ 6:39 AM

  Stock Market News:
Stocks fell sharply, with the Dow ending the day down over 380 points after another final-hour swoon, as credit worries squeezed the market again.  ¶ 1:15 PM

  President Bush has called a news conference for 10:30a ET. The President is expected to face questions about the war in Iraq and unrest in Pakistan, but with the the daily volatility in the market, it is expected that he should also be asked about the economy, housing and mortgages, and unease in financial markets.  ¶ 7:44 AM

  We pray for the Utah miners:
Retirement-4-U employees pray that the men survived Monday's mine collapse and that the emergency supplies will keep them alive while rescuers tried to dig their way through the rubble in the mine shaft. Our prayers go out for the men and their families....  ¶ 9:14 PM

  Barry, Barry, Barry Bonds the home crowd chanted, Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run Tuesday night, breaking Hank Aaron's Major League Baseball record held since 1974. The 43-year-old Bonds, who has been the subject of controversy over steroid use in the sport, thanked fans in front of his home crowd in San Francisco. Congradulations Barry....  ¶ 2:43 PM

  Barry Bonds - could get his record home run today passing Hank Aaron's 755 home runs and with that claiming the home run record. Likewise, there will be a VERY lucky fan catching the ball and becoming an instance millionare. For the rest of us, we'll have to be content with working and saving for our retirement future which won't be so bad as long as we plan for the event, (retirement) and here is where I'm going with all this. Most people don't plan for retirement. Don't be one of those people, a little planning goes a long way and it has been proven that people that plan their retirement are successful in retirement. Ok, where was I, yeah, go Barry.............  ¶ 7:58 AM

  Did you know? More than a third of people over 55 plan to work after they reach the Social Security age. Of the people continuing to work, a quarter said poor finances left them with no other option. Don't let this happen to you! Plan your retirement in advance....  ¶ 8:05 AM

  Will Rogers, who died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935, was probably the greatest political sage this country has ever known. Enjoy the following:

Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.
Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.
There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman...neither works.
Never miss a good chance to shut up.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket.
There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.
Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.
After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

ABOUT GROWING OLDER...
First ~ Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.
Second ~ The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.
Third ~ Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.
Fourth ~ When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.
Fifth ~ You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.
Sixth ~ I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.
Seventh ~ One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.
Eighth ~ One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.
Ninth ~ Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.
Tenth ~ Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it's called golf.
And finally ~ If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you are old.  ¶ 9:18 AM

  Many times people ask us "what is the number one thing I can do to improve my chances of retiring successfully." Our answer is to contribute to your companies 401k to the maximum. The second thing you can do is to eliminate all debt except your home. House payments (if low) are a good tax advantage providing your payment is low and manageable.  ¶ 8:43 AM

  Your Social Security is at risk: You know, I have really tried to keep my comments “non political” however the current administration is really pushing me, actually I am over the edge.

It wasn’t enough that the government is keeping Americans from buying low cost drugs from Canadian Drug firms. (The same drugs from the same manufactures in the USA)

And it’s bad enough that the current administration gave the rich huge tax breaks. Hell, I guess they need the money? Well, maybe not! Even Clinton said he was embarrassed by the recent tax breaks for the rich.

But now, this administration is going to crush any hopes of you having a stable Social Security income by “privatizing” future Social Security benefits.

It’s going to work like this. You get to invest your hard earned benefits in the stock market. They even tell you that you can make more money doing that! Well, do you know most people loose money in the market? Yep! The biggest majority of investors loose in the stock market. Now you don’t want to loose so guess what you will end up having to do? Seek help and you know who will be there. The major investment stock companies will be there so they can invest your money for you. They can do it better! Their commercials will tell you so! And they will charge you an arm and a leg. How do you think they can afford those commercials and huge office buildings?

Again, big business (investment firms) stand to make billions on this proposed Social Security improvement, and in the mean time, you will loose your solid foundation for retirement, Social Security benefits.

Every retirement portfolio needs a foundation that is solid and dependable. Social Security is one of those and your pension the other. Don’t let the government mess with your Social Security, and don’t let them try to scare you into thinking, “this is the only way to fix Social Security.”

Write or call your congressman and tell them to protect your Social Security benefits and if they ask how, you might suggest stopping wasting tax dollars and start funding Social Security. I think each of us can come up with several ideas they might use in saving tax money.

Ok, I am done venting; now it’s your turn. Write your Congressperson and your Senator but don’t bother writing Bush, he isn’t listening.

  ¶ 11:02 PM

  Today, American’s lost a true friend. Someone who entertained us, made us laugh, so hard that are bellies ached. And he had a very special gift of not taking himself or current events too serious. His name is Johnny Carson, and he gave us over 30 years of late night entertainment. And when he retired, he did it on his terms, going out on top and truly enjoying his retirement. David Letterman said that Johnny was the king of late night and the rest of us are pretenders. Nice going Dave, Johnny would have like that.
  ¶ 11:23 PM

  Social Security - Only good if our current government does the right thing and protect future workers benefits!
Workers pay taxes into the Social Security system. Once people retire or become disabled, they can collect the benefits they've earned. How much is saved for retirement depends on how long a person spent in the work force, how much they earned and how old they were when they began to work.
A spouse who never worked outside the home is eligible for benefits equal to one-half of the working spouse's full retirement benefits. Want to know how much you've saved up so far? Call (800) 772-1213 or go to www.ssa.gov/planners/calculators.htm.
  ¶ 9:25 AM

  Employer pension - Many large companies have their own pension plans. That means they guarantee a certain amount of money, usually in the form of a monthly check, when a worker reaches retirement age. How much a person gets will depend on how long she worked for the company and how much she earned over the years.Unlike 401(k) plans, which are subject to stock-market fluctuations, pension plans are guaranteed by the federal government; although some workers may not get everything they're owed if the pension fund goes under.
Make sure in your retirement planning that you account for the difference between what your employer is going to give and what the federal government will give should your employer file bankruptcy. The difference could make a difference in when you should retire.
  ¶ 2:34 PM

  IRA's are wonderful ways to put money away and lower your tax liability at the same time.
IRA's are called Individual Retirement Accounts because they are opened in a person's own name. An IRA can be used to buy investments in stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

Currently, the annual investment limit is $3,000 a year for those younger than 50 and $3,500 for those who 50 and older. Beginning in 2005, those limits will be raised to $4,000 and $4,500 respectively.
  ¶ 1:59 PM

  Over the next few weeks we will be talking about four sure fire ways you can better your retirement portfolio. These items along with a retirement plan will ensure your successful retirement years.
Our first suggestion is to participate in your companies 401k program. This is becoming the retirement vehicle of choice for employers. It is also a great investment for employees.
The 401(k) savings program is funded by money deducted from participating employees' paychecks, often with contributions from employers matched up to a certain percentage. The contributions are taken from pretax wages and then invested in the stock market. Many plans also have options, letting a worker choose which level of risk they want to assume.
  ¶ 1:04 PM

  One of your goals in successful retirement is setting targets to ensure positive cash flow for understanding your retirement needs . Once you know what you'll be paying out, you can figure out what return you need your portfolio to earn. Finally, figure out which investment portfolio will get you that return.
  ¶ 7:06 PM

  Voter’s Rights
Most, if not all of my writings have been directly related to retirement planning. This article is no different. So you might ask yourself, what do voter’s rights have to do with retirement planning.
Well in this age where the largest percentage of voters are either retired or getting ready to retire, their (your?) vote is extremely important and there are a number of issues that will greatly impact our future.
Now, I am not about to recommend any one candidate or proposition or whatever. However, what I am suggesting is that your vote should focus on four MAJOR topics in this election. In no certain order;
1. This nation’s economy. Is it growing? Is it getting better? How about unemployment?
2. Social Security. Is Social Security funded to support the current generation of retiree’s? Is it funded to support future retiree’s? Is Social Security paying back to the worker its fair share?
3. Pension reform. Look at all the companies that promised their workers a pension and see how they are trying to get out of their obligation by not paying for their pensions? See how those same companies are trying to pass the obligations to the taxpayer! Is that fair? Hell no its not! Make sure the candidate you choose has a pension reform bill to stop these unfair practices from big companies.
4. And finally, does your candidate have a plan to provide health care and drug costs that are affordable?

Ok, there you have it, four extremely important issues that WILL affect your future. Now, the only thing you need to do is get out and vote.
  ¶ 10:41 AM