Kiplinger's Retire Worry-Free - Money-Smart Ways to Build the Nest Egg You'll Need

Even if today's retirees live better that those of fifty to sixty years ago, a future retiree's financial security can be planned or improved upon while he or she is still working. With the economy in its present gloom and doom mode and the companies phasing out and reducing retirement benefits, doesn't it make sense for today's workers to think and plan their own retirement far ahead of time?

Although highly experienced investors may be able to do just fine for themselves, Kiplinger's Retire Worry-Free introduces the average or inexperienced investors to retirement planning and to getting the most out of their financial means. After the introduction from the editor-in-chief, chapter one of the book redefines retirement by making the reader think about making sure he'll have enough means to live well when he retires.

Then, chapter two has the pointers, charts, and workbook pages for estimating how much the worker will need in his golden years. Chapter three, a chapter any young worker should pay attention to, shows how to save and make more money for retirement planning and how to manage debts in the best way possible.

Chapter four is about the retirement plans -self-directed or otherwise- a worker's company offers. Chapter five brings up the social security benefits; chapter six is about making sure the retiree-to-be will have enough insurance and long-term care insurance. Chapter seven deals with IRAs and chapter eight with setting up one's own pension plan. Chapter nine is about making good investment choices. This chapter includes sixty-eight key investment terms and some information on stock basics, bonds, annuities, gold, and real estate investments. Chapter ten introduces the worker to several smart tactics and strategies of investment.

Chapter eleven and twelve address pension payouts and monitoring the retirement plans as things change through time. At the end of chapter twelve, there are referrals to Financial Planning Association, National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, and The American Institute of CPAs. The book ends with a very usable index. The language of the book is clear and direct, and it can be easily understood even by the not-so-savvy.

Kiplinger's Retire Worry-Free, sixth edition, is in paperback and 304 pages, with ISBN-10: 1427797188 and ISBN-13: 978-1427797186. The book is published by Kaplan Publishing and written by the editors of Kiplinger's Personal Finance, the personal finance magazine.

Since this book shows how to plan for retirement, it is for people who are still young enough to be in their working years rather than the already retired, and it will make a great gift to any young person or worker looking to plan his or her retirement.

Expected Behavior From an Ideal Pet Owner in a Pet Friendly Hotel

Pets are some of the most valued cohorts of many people. They share a close bonding with the owner. But sometimes when you are going for long duration breaks of days, weeks or months, it becomes almost impossible to travel without your pet. Due to you natural love and care about your pet you feel anxious about it. But a pet friendly hotel is what that can help you to a great extent.

The pet friendly hotels are the exceptionally dedicated customer service hotels that warmly welcome and cater to their four legged guests. These are the specific lodges, resorts, vacation rentals, hotels or accommodations which serve your pampered pet in a desirable manner. In return they expect a sincere behavior from you apart from their routine charges. Being a responsible pet owner the manners that you should follow are explained as under;

1. Check again about the pet admission in to the place where you are planning to take the rental. Do not rely on the verbal assurance and ask for the written proof where the "pets allowed" phrase is especially mentioned.

2. Confirm whether they have any breed, size or color discrimination? Make it clear beforehand as some pet friendly rentals impose this restriction.

3. While entering in to that place inform the check- in person that you have a pet and ask them about the rules and restrictions for the same.

4. Keep your pet tagged with the identification tag all the time. The identification tag should consist of the pet's name, name of the owner, contact number, address, etc.

5. Always have a photograph of your pet with you so that the searches are easier in case it is lost.

6. Try to keep it leashed whenever you are out of your room so that it may not run off. Sometimes pets behave in a strange manner due to the unusual settings, so it is better not to leave him unattended.

7. Do not allow your pet to sit or sleep on the furniture unless you have not covered it with a sheet.

8. Place the food and water containers in to the bathroom and that too on a sheet or a newspaper for smooth cleaning.

These are some of the primary things that you should keep in mind while you are going for a vacation rental.

Try to abide by these rules so that the undesirable events can be eliminated. To prove your ideal status and enjoy a safe stay, give it a thought.

Unique Ways to Advertise a Product or Business

Clever and unusual marketing ideas

The following are some ways to promote your business that are a bit unusual and out of the ordinary.

1. Post signs on the stalls in bathrooms.

2. Create coupon flyers and hand them out in heavy traffic places.

3. Place business cards inside books in libraries and bookstores that pertain to the items you are selling or in books about running a business.

4. Create an audio file with your voice and ad and post it on the internet

5. Create a podcast promoting your business.

6. Create a video promoting your business.

7. Make wearable signs with poster board and wear them around town. 8. Write your ad on a whole bunch of stickers and put them on your clothes to attract attention.

9. Create a new yahoo group with the subject and theme of your business.

10. Find or create a costume of an item you sell and wear it.

11. Place some drawing bowls in businesses and hold a weekly or monthly drawing for free products

12. Create a free ebook and include your ad.

13. Create free cd software and include your ad.

14. Stop by yard sales and offer to sell your items and donate some of the profit to the home owners.

15. Offer to teach a workshop on a different subject and give out business cards or other advertising materials at the workshop.

16. Write a song to promote your items and business.

17. Advertise in Spanish speaking newspapers or magazines.

18. If you have the talent you can create useful worksheets or activities in a subject and post them on your website with your ad at the bottom.

19. Ask your local library about selling some of your items in their friends of the library store and donating a portion of the proceeds.

20. Write your ad in chalk on sidewalks.

21. Post up signs for your business at bus stops.

22. Put your ad on the back of some playing cards and sell or give them away.

23. Put door hangers on the doors of businesses and business offices.

Truth Nugget 3 - One View On Being Still And Knowing God

Psalm 46 says to be still and know that I am God. Being still means to still the mind. You must be conscious of the thoughts you give your attention to. Thought consciousness takes practice.

We have been conditioned to think or dwell on whatever thoughts come into our minds. We do not have to do this. It is a choice. If you are in the company of individuals who are speaking about that which you do not want to be concerned about, you automatically change the subject or you leave the presence of those individuals. Same thing with your thoughts. If a thought grabs your attention, weigh the thought to decide if you want to think that thought. If so, proceed on with developing the thought further. If you decide this is not something you want to think about, change the thought to something more pleasing.

The process of watching, weighing and judging your thoughts is completely in your control but you must first of all decide if you want to do this for yourself. Here I suggest meditation. If you are not accustomed to any type of meditation, start with only 5 minutes. Increase the time as you continue this practice. Be still and be quiet before the Lord to hear what the Lord wants to say to you. Don't ask any question during these 5 minutes, just be quiet. Ignore thoughts that come into your mind that tell you to think about what's for dinner or that you really should be doing the laundry. You may even hear thoughts that remind you to go visit a sick friend. Noble as any thoughts can be, refuse to act on these thoughts. Be still before the Lord instead.

We have covered the be-still part of the scripture now let's cover the 2nd half which says to know that I am God. How often it is written in the Bible that the Lord speaks and says, "I am the Lord your God." Are these powerful words to you or are they just words on a page that you read during some type of Bible study?

We should not be complacent with inactive thinking sessions when studying Holy Scriptures because this blocks and prohibits one from grasping the full meaning of who God is. We all know that God is invisible and you cannot see him through the 5 senses that govern this world. Does it mean that God is non-existent just because you cannot see, touch, hear, smell or grab hold of him as you would an object of choice?

Listed here are a few beginning passages from the Old Testament of the Christian Bible where the Lord speaks to whoever has ears to hear. Search the scriptures to learn who God is and decide for yourself if you want to get to know God as the God of your life. It is an individual choice. • I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1 • I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. Gen 17:1 • I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. Gen 26:24 • I am the LORD that healeth thee. Ex 15:26 • I am gracious. Ex 22:27

Zambia Safari Top Five National Parks

Zambia is Africa's best kept secret as far as safaris go. The country is a virtual unknown in comparison to other more traditional destinations but a Zambia safari can be every bit as good and in some cases even better.

This top five list of the best national parks and game reserves in the country gives you a taste of what to expect. It has been compiled from zambia safari reviews at the African Safari Journals website, forums, travel magazines, industry expert opinions and my own twenty year plus African safari experience.

1. South and North Luangwa NP

Some experts have branded the Luangwa National Park as one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world because the density of game you can find here mixed with the isolation and pure unadulterated wildness of it is almost without compare.

Because it is reasonably undiscovered except to the locals in the know and a select few foreign visitors, it hasn't been overrun by masses of tourists yet and you can experience a safari here as it should be and some say that is the best Africa has to offer.

There are over 60 species of animal here with the unfortunate exception of rhino because they were poached into extinction and over 400 different kinds of birds.

They all rely on and are drawn to the winding Luangwa river which is crowded with some of the biggest concentrations of hippo and crocodile you will find anywhere in Africa. it has been estimated that there are 50 hippos per kilometre of this congested river.

The South Luangwa was the birthplace of the walking safari and it is still a very popular way to explore the area from a quality collection of safari lodges and camps. Night drives are another excellent way to see leopard which are reputed to be more regularly seen in this park than anywhere else in Africa because of the high concentrations of the predator. Lions and even rare sightings like honey badger, civet and wild dog are likely to be seen.

To take the true zambia safari adventure a step farther, the northern luangwa area is even more remote, wild and isolated than the south and the wildlife and bird viewing experience is from the top draw. Definitely one for the safari cognoscenti.

2. Mosi-oa-Tunya NP

Despite its hard to pronounce name this park has something very special up its sleeve. That awe inspiring wonder of the world: The Victoria Falls. As far as natural spectacles go, this is one of the best in Africa. Mosi-oa-tunya can be literally translated as "the smoke that thunders".

And thunder it does, so much so that the spray from the water crashing over the edge into the gorge below is enough to drench you to the bone as you go closer. The water travels onwards into a frothing maelstrom known aptly as the "boiling pot" before breaking into numerous rapids as it makes it way underneath the Victoria falls bridge which connects Zimbabwe and Zambia and then farther along into Batoka Gorge.

The park comprises the falls and a small strip of land 66 kilometres long on the North bank of the Zambesi which is worth a short visit to see what are probably Zambia's only remaining rhino (the rest have been poached into extinction). You might also see a small scattering of baboon, elephant, sable, giraffe, eland buffalo and impala.

3. Kafue NP

This is the largest national park in Zambia and is situated in the western part of the country.

The Kafue river provides the life-giving sustenance to a vast number of antelope species like the red lechwe in their thousands, hartebeest, oribi, duker, sable, roan, puka and waterbuck to name a few and the whole rouges gallery of predators are accounted for here too. The only animal that you won't find on a Zambia safari here is the giraffe.

It is advisable to go further north to the Basenga floodplain because game spotting is much better there due to thick woodlands obscuring views in the south. This floodplain sometimes retreats in the dry season trapping hapless hippo and crocodile in an ever shrinking mudbath.

Some of the roads in the park are not in good condition and are only drivable using a 4x4 vehicle and most of the safari lodges and accommodation is in the North.

With over 400 bird species recorded such as the wattled crane, goliath herons and purple crested lourie birders will have a ball here and budding fisherman can get tackle and rods from the lodges to land fresh water pike, barbel and bream.

4. Lochinvar NP

Another national park situated on the Kafue river floodplain, this wetland and savannah dominated national park has fewer mammals but is a bird paradise.

There are a large amount of Kafue lechwe (about 30 000) living here and some wildebeest and zebra herds but the only big game you will find is restricted to hippo, buffalo, leopard and spotted hyena but if you are a birder the over 420 species of bird will more than make up for that.

5. Lower Zambesi NP

One of Zambia's newest parks and it is still reasonably undeveloped but the beauty of this park lies in the ability to get close to animals on both sides of the river like elephant, buffalo, hippo and crocodile using canoe or motor boats which they seem to ignore until you are virtually right on top of them.

And being predominantly a water park there are an amazing amount of bird species here like the fish eagle, kingfishers, parrots, hornbills and lovebirds and for the anglers there are tiger fish, bream and vundu (a sort of catfish that can weigh op to 50kg) inhibiting these waters just waiting to be pulled out on a Zambia safari.

Why You Shouldn't Put Off Basement Waterproofing for a Minute Longer

It's no joke, if you are not sure that basement waterproofing is necessary for your home, well you might be in for a wakeup call later on down the road if unseen or undetected cracks in the floor of your basement or walls start leaking water. It's natural for a home to settle and shift over time, and when this occurs - which is due to a combination of pressure from the support beams, the always shifting earth that the home is situated on, and shifts in the ground, pressure and humidity, as well as some other factors - it can create cracks in the foundation. A good rule of thumb is to have your home inspected for these cracks at least one time per year. This way, you can have basement waterproofing completed on any cracks that are suspect or that may be in question before they vein and spread, creating a larger area that would be more prone to water seepage.

A quick inspection of the floor in your basement or the walls can tell you a lot about your basement waterproofing. Do you notice teeny little cracks in the floor or the walls? If they have not been filled in or sealed, then your basement waterproofing may need to be reassessed. It's those smaller cracks that seem so harmless that can actually escalate into a full scale basement flooding epidemic. Thankfully, they are not generally a danger right away. But they are something that you should have inspected and diagnosed as soon as possible. Consider this: what if you could easily seal up any cracks in the floor, foundation and walls using a simple method of basement waterproofing that fills and seals them, and never have to worry about your basement becoming flooded again? When you compare the cost, headache and nightmare of a flooded home, it just makes some profound sense to have those little cracks sealed, and with them your worries sealed away as well, so you can enjoy peace of mind.

How it Works

In case you are wondering how basement waterproofing works, it's actually a rather streamlined process. You can conduct an initial inspection yourself to check for cracks and broken surfaces. If you do happen to find some, then it may be time to call out a professional. They will examine the surface of your floor and walls using expert methods to detect any areas that may cause for moisture leakage. After assessing the integrity of your basement, an expert can advise you on what they recommend. In most cases of basement waterproofing, the cracks are filled in and sealed using a special fast-drying compound that is waterproof and that also bonds with the concrete, essentially making it like those cracks were never there. Considering how affordable basement waterproofing is these days, if you make it part of your annual home checkup, you can catch any problems while they are minor and before they get out of hand. Don't come back home from vacation only to find a flooded house when a little bit of foresight goes a very long way.