Finance Planning For Reaching Retirement

As you plan for your retirement, you should consider the cost of living. The average inflation rate is rising. Unlike your current living expenses, such as your mortgage and childcare, these costs will not be there when you retire. To help you plan for your retirement, you should make sure that you know how much money you need to save each month. Once you have calculated how much you need to save for your retirement, you should create a retirement budget that includes your savings.

Image credit

If you have already maxed out your tax-incentive retirement savings, you should consider finding an alternative source of finance. Property investment and other safe investments can all be excellent choices for your retirement funds. Long-term care insurance is another important retirement expense. These policies help cover the costs of nursing homes or home care for the elderly. Unplanned medical expenses can deplete your retirement savings. However, it is possible to raise some money by taking certain actions.

As you approach retirement, do not forget to keep a close eye on your pension rights. In case your retirement savings do not match the retirement amount you have saved, consider cutting back on your spending. In the meantime, look for ways to make more money. A good financial advisor can help you set up a spending plan and withdrawal rate that fits into your retirement plan. You might wish to consider the financial benefits of downsizing. Find out more about Park Homes Gloucester by going to www.parkhomelife.com/our-parks/orchard-park-homes-gloucester-gloucestershire/

The amount that financial experts recommend saving for retirement has recently risen, mainly due to the inflation and age demographics. Some experts recommend saving eight to ten times your pre-retirement income or twelve times your salary. Although these numbers are useful as guides, your situation may differ greatly. With so many variables to consider, it is important to plan early and make the necessary adjustments in your lifestyle.

Image credit

Most people make plans for the early retirement years, but these may not be realistic later on. A financial advisor can help you plan for your later years by considering the likely scenarios. It is also important to remember that there are steps you can take now to be better prepared, such as purchasing long-term care insurance to pay for the services you need.

A common strategy is to purchase a diversified portfolio of investments that will withstand market swings. This will allow you to enjoy higher returns and lower risk of the market declining dramatically. The strategy of investing your money depends on your risk tolerance and the type of investment you wish to make. A portfolio of stocks, bonds, and cash will help you withstand market fluctuations.

 

The tragic, true story of the Titanic.

Most people have seen the film, read the book or listened to the poignant words from the theme tune from the movie Titanic, but how many actually know about the tragic, true story of the British passenger liner and luxury steamship that sank below the waves, one fateful day on the 15th of April 1912?  There were approximately 2,224 passengers and crew aboard the fated ship that sad day, when she set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.  Tragically, the ship struck a large iceberg at 11:40pm ship time and sank very quickly (within two hours and forty minutes), below the waves, taking with her more than 1,500 men, women and children!  The giant ship’s launch had been widely publicised so when the tragedy happened the disaster sparked huge condemnation of the ship and its crew.  If only the ship’s makers Harland and Wolff had known about HVOF (High-velocity oxy-fuel coating) , the thermal spray that improves and restores a component’s surface, then maybe the tragedy could have been prevented!

Image credit

From this terrible, true story has come the tearjerker movie simply entitled Titanic and the theme tune from the hit movie called “My Heart Will Go On”. Sung beautifully by Celine Dion the song captured the true love story of rich heiress Rose and poor artist Jack Dawson who was one of the unfortunate civilians to die. One of the most dramatic facts to come out of this tragedy was that there were only twenty lifeboats on board which was only enough space for a maximum of 1,178 people!  Considering there were more than 2,224 on the ship when she went down that left over 1,100 with nowhere to escape to safety!  The ship’s gallant Captain, Edward Smith died with his ship, alongside, some of the wealthiest and poorest people in the world.

Image credit

From the utmost luxury rooms, a gymnasium, swimming pools, and sophisticated restaurants for the elite and rich guests to the meagre rations the emigrants from Ireland, Great Britain and Scandinavia had to eat, they were also barred from entering any of the facilities for the other more prestigious guests. The real unfortunate fact was that the ship had advanced safety features which consisted of watertight doors and compartments and her reputation before the voyage was that she was unsinkable!

Taking Time out for Yourself

In our modern and fast moving world, finding time to ourselves can be difficult. With so many of the demands of modern day life, getting a bit of peace and quiet is difficult but also something that is important for both physical and mental well being. A lot of people feel that they are being selfish and feel guilty taking time out for themselves, but the truth is it is important to practise self care to ensure that you are well and happy and can then have a positive impact on those around you, both at home and at work.

Image Credit

So what are good ways to give yourself that bit of positive time? Here are some ideas…

Take a daily walk – even if you combine it with something else such as taking the dog out or going to the shops. Put your favourite music on and enjoy just spending some time alone. Walking will also get your feel good hormones going.

Image Credit

Massage is something which can have really positive effects on the body, from an immune system boost to better sleep. Even if you are struggling to fit a massage in, there are people who can come to you such as Mobile Massage in London Massage House.

Learn Something New – Whether a sport or a different language, joining a class and taking time to learn to do something is a great way to improve your mental health and restore the balance to your life. Have a look for classes in your area in something that you have always wanted to do.

How Can I Look After My Money?

How can I look after my money? That’s the question that many of us ask ourselves when we are faced with situations where money is needed but not on hand. There can be many reasons for needing to look out for our own finances. They can include paying off debts, investing or even looking after our children’s needs.

Image credit

When we have the means to look after our money, it really helps to know what to do with it. It can range from investing in our future and building up capital to saving and spending it. It is really up to us as to how we choose to handle it. Many people save their money by having a savings account either with a bank or a broker that allows them to invest in things such as shares, bonds and commodities. This way they are able to get a bigger rate of return than they would get a loan from a lender. Other people may use their money to invest in the stock market or take out a loan. For Tewkesbury Accountants, go to a site like Randall and Payne

Image credit

Whatever we choose to do with our money is up to us but taking the steps to protect ourselves against the unexpected is always wise. We don’t want to run up debt and find ourselves in financial turmoil. If we have over spent our money, we should look at ways of reducing our expenditure. If we have under-spent, then perhaps we should see if we can save some more. It is wise to have some money to spare in case unforeseen circumstances make it impossible for us to cope.

The Bond that doesn’t break

There was a time that a Bond film was the staple of the Christmas television schedule. Whilst digital and streaming packages have muted this TV “event” somewhat the films still have a huge draw and regularly pop up on the schedules. Regardless of what you use, a TV aerial is still an essential part of the home and Steve Unett Aerials, a TV Aerial Repair Cheltenham based firm, are needed to help fix and set one up for you.

Image credit

James Bond is the creation of Ian Fleming. However, the books that he wrote bore little resemblance to the films that Albert “Cubby” Broccoli made. One thing he did get right was making Bond the same misogynistic, cold killer that was in the books. The series began in the early Sixties with Dr No. All of Fleming’s books were turned into films until The Living Daylights which was the first of those written by other writers.

Image credit

Regardless, the theme ran on rejuvenating itself with the introduction of Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosan. Daniel Craig gave the series a more gritty feel after the influence of Jason Bourne. Before, though it had started well, Roger Moore’s tenure had turned decidedly lame and lacklustre. It had such a great start with Sean Connery but the world was moving on.

For a start, the Cold War was over by the start of the Nineties and HIV/AIDS has put something of a damper on the womansing element as well.

How your mobile phone allows you to do social media

Once upon a time there was Friends reunited and then there was Facebook. It was a simpler time and soon the Friends reunited (despite ITV trying to get in on the act and buying it) fell by the wayside for the free, if you discount the ads and data gathering, Facebook. However to accesit you needed a Tower Unit computer or a laptop. It was soon clear a lot of fun was to had playing games and liking pictures of Spitfires and poppies on Remembrance Sunday. It was a nice waste of time and just something that could prove a few hours or minutes distraction.

Image credit

Enter the ability to access the internet via your phone and another chapter begins, one that we are only just beginning to get to grips with and realise what the effects are going to be. Now the humble Facebook has become a place for Generation X to hang out and the Babyboomers, playing catch up, are also finding likewise communities. The youth have gone to Tik Tok and Instagram. Everyone piles into Twitter because the human voice, no matter how senseless, uneducated and ignorant it is, needs to be heard, apparently.

Image credit

The social impacts of Social Media are far reaching. Friends have indeed been reunited. Love has bloomed and vast online communities are being formed and disbanded as we speak. It’s also brought hate, falsified news stories and misinformation. It’s also meant that Marketeers and Government can harvest our data and no more about us than ever before. Still want a phone? Go to King Communications at Vodafone near me.

How to Make Changes to Save the Earth

We often see a lot of distressing news that unfortunately tells us that the earth is in trouble. The climate crisis is starting, and as freak weather conditions happen around the world scientists tell us that this is a small sign of what is to come in the future. The time has come for everyone to act and make sure that we save the planet for the future.

Image Credit

There are lots of things that we can all start to do and changes that we can make to help the planet to recover from the terrible effects of climate change – here are a few of them…

Solar power is a great source of energy and is something that we can all change to make sure that our homes are more environmentally friendly. From heating to electricity, there are lots of ways that we can adapt the home to use solar power.

Image Credit

What we buy has a big impact on the environment – so much plastic and waste gets put into the oceans each year, so have a look for products made from bio-degradable materials like this bamboo toothbrush https://bambooth.com/ for example.

As well as cutting your carbon footprint you could also get fit at the same time – ditch the car and start cycling, and you will be saving fuel and money as well as the earth!

Meat consumption is destroying the forests and increasing greenhouse gases as land is cleared for livestock farming, so try to reduce or cut out meat from your diet altogether.

Keeping Stress at Bay When You are Planning a Wedding

When it comes to planning the perfect wedding, many of us have spent a long time imagining our big day and of course we want everything to go perfectly and just right – perhaps you want the perfect venue like this Kent barn wedding https://theploughatleigh.com/barn-wedding-venue-kent/ or you are having problems with bickering bridesmaids.

But in the run up to a wedding it can take quite a toll on our mental health and leave some people feeling upset and stressed in the hunt for the perfect big wedding day. If you are hoping to avoid feeling too much stress when planning your wedding or have felt a bit overwhelmed by it all, here are some things that you can do to help…

Image Credit

Take time away from planning the wedding. It is easy to become consumed by it and this can make it really stressful, so it is important that you regularly have times where you take time away from it. Whether you go for a relaxing massage or a long walk in the woods, getting away from it all is important.

If you are having disputes with your partner or family members, it might be a good idea to seek some professional help. Tensions can run high during the planning of a wedding, and it is common to have these sorts of problems. Family counselling or pre marriage counselling is a great way to sort this out before it gets too much.

The Plight of the British Ash Trees

The Ash tree is one of the most beautiful trees to grace the British Countryside. A haven for wildlife and a beautiful tree. It has been revered since ancient times and is considered to be a tree of great power and is known in Norse mythology as the world tree, Yggdrasil. It has the power to connect the heavens and the earth and the other world through the roots of the tree.

Image Credit

An ash tree, although wild, should still be well cared for if you have one on your land. A professional like this tree surgery Gloucester based company Geoffrey Urch will be able to care for and maintain the tree.

However, something that is threatening the existence of the Ash tree in Britain that a tree surgeon cannot help with is Ash dieback. A fungal disease that originated in Asia is threatening to destroy the beautiful Ash trees of the UK and along with it the countryside and the creatures that are dependent on the trees.

Image Credit

It is estimated that over the next few years, over 80% of the Ash trees in the UK will be lost to this disease, as they have no immunity to it. There are organisations doing as much as they can to fight against this, but the fungus is a rapid spreader, with spores that can travel on the wind for up to ten miles.

However, there is some hope that a small number of he native Ash trees do have a tolerance to this fungus, which will enable their number to recover in the next half a century or so.

Considerations Before Moving to the Countryside

Over the last year, the way that we live our lives has changed considerably. During the lockdown, many people found that despite the crisis of a global pandemic, they enjoyed the fact that they could spend time at home, and that the busy rush of everyday life had calmed down.

 

Many people are now taking the opportunity to make permanent changes to their life so that they can enjoy the benefits of a slower pace of life and for many people this means a move to the countryside.

Image Credit

Rural estate agents like Stonehouse Estate Agents TGRES have found that there is an increased demand for housing in rural areas from people who live in big cities, keen to embrace country life. As some people make working from home a long term arrangement, and ogle homes in the great British countryside, here are some things to consider if this is something that you are weighing up…

 

A healthier lifestyle is one of the biggest reasons that people give to live in the country. The air is cleaner and as well as this the effect on mental health can be beneficial too, as the beautiful natural surroundings and lower stress levels can be a huge help.

Image Credit

Less pollution does mean that there is less transport. If you rely on public transport to get around, the countryside may not be for you – it is advisable to have a car if you live rurally as there are a lot less options when it comes to public transport and a quick trip to the shops may not be that quick!