I was reading an article today about a basketball coach who'd died years ago. The comment was made that if there was one word that best described him, it was "competitive."
My first thought was that I'd prefer a different word to describe myself. The word competitive is adversarial, maybe a little selfish.
My next thought was, what word would I want people to remember me by?
How about you? What one word would you hope people would use to sum you up?
"Family-oriented"?
"Loyal"?
"Integrity"?
"Honest"?
"Successful"?
"Winner"?
"Optimistic"?
"Fit"?
"Smart"?
"Selfless"?
My finalists included "Fun" and "Friendly"... but I think I'll go with "Happy."
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Have A Ball
"You've just got to enjoy yourself. Who knows how long this career will last for anybody? If you don't enjoy it, what a waste." - Liam Neeson
A career... a life... there's only so much to go around. We celebrate what we can! Today I choose to celebrate the best parts of my job. The chance to teach, to manage, to solve logical puzzles. And on a 100+ degree day, to be indoors.
We can count our curses or blessings. Seems so easy, can be so hard. Today's a great to day to make the right choice and come out on top.
A career... a life... there's only so much to go around. We celebrate what we can! Today I choose to celebrate the best parts of my job. The chance to teach, to manage, to solve logical puzzles. And on a 100+ degree day, to be indoors.
We can count our curses or blessings. Seems so easy, can be so hard. Today's a great to day to make the right choice and come out on top.
Strategies To Boost Social Security Checks
From Andrea Coombes of MarketWatch:
You’d think claiming Social Security would be a simple retirement decision—you retire and you start your benefits. But there are certain complex strategies that can help pad a married couple’s retirement savings with tens of thousands of dollars of additional income.
Don’t make your claiming decision lightly, said Joe Elsasser, an Omaha, Neb., certified financial planner and creator of Social Security Timing, a software program for pre-retirees and advisers to run scenarios to assess strategies.
“It’s a decision that’s going to impact you for your entire life, and it’s a decision that’s going to make up a substantial portion of your income,” he said.
Specific strategies can help maximize savings, but couples also need to avoid a common mistake.
“Almost everyone thinks of it as their own earnings record, their own benefit, as opposed to integrating what they receive,” Elsasser said.
Instead, make the decision as a couple. Consider a hypothetical situation. The husband, the higher earner, believes he’s going to die relatively early and the wife thinks she’ll live a long time. So the husband claims his benefits as early as possible and the wife delays.
“That’s exactly opposite of the scenario that should happen,” Elsasser said.
Each year you delay claiming your benefits past your normal retirement age, your benefit ticks about 8% higher, up to age 70, thanks to what the Social Security Administration calls “delayed retirement credits.” And in the event of a spouse’s death, the surviving spouse can take the higher of her own benefit or that of the dead spouse.
If the husband claims early and then dies first, “effectively he’s shortchanged his wife’s survivor benefit,” Elsasser said. Instead, that husband should delay his claim, so if need be the wife can claim the highest possible benefit for the rest of her life. If the wife dies first, the husband simply keeps his own benefit.
“You’re trying to maximize benefits over both spouses’ lives. That’s the key that most people miss,” said Brett Horowitz, wealth manager at Evensky & Katz Wealth Management in Miami.
The ‘file and suspend’ strategy
A claiming strategy called “file and suspend” can help get the most money. Say a husband plans to delay his benefit until age 70. He is allowed to claim his benefit at his normal retirement age—say it’s 66—and then immediately suspend it.
That way, his benefit amount keeps growing—thanks to those delayed retirement credits—but since he did make that initial claim, his wife, at her full retirement age, can file a “restricted” application to claim spousal benefits based on her husband’s record, but not her earned benefit.
Generally, spousal benefits are up to 50% of the other spouse’s monthly benefit at full retirement age (some age restrictions apply). In this scenario, her own benefit now can grow until she hits 70, too.
In one hypothetical “file and suspend” scenario, a couple, both 66, could collect an additional $60,000 by delaying their benefits and the wife taking spousal payouts while they wait, according to Lisa Colletti, New York-based director of wealth management at Aspiriant.
Say a husband and wife, both 66, are entitled to monthly benefits of $2,500 and $1,500, respectively. The husband decides to file and suspend—he wants to delay until age 70, when his monthly benefit will be $3,300.
But, meanwhile, the wife can collect a 50% spousal benefit based on her husband’s benefit at his full retirement age—that’s one-half of $2,500, or $1,250 a month—from her age 66 to 70. Then, at 70 she switches to her benefit, which has grown to almost $2,000 a month.
End result: $60,000 more in benefits than had the couple simply delayed their benefits. This scenario assumes that delaying benefits until age 70 makes sense for the couple.
A ‘restricted’ application
Another use of a “restricted” application: Say a 66-year-old husband decides it makes sense for him to delay his benefits until he’s 70. His wife started her benefits at 62.
“What the husband doesn’t realize is he is entitled to 50% of his wife’s benefit while he waits, because she already filed,” Horowitz said.
When he turns his full retirement age, the husband can tell the Social Security Administration that, rather than filing for his own benefits, he wants to restrict his benefits to his wife’s record. If he changes his mind, he can switch over to his own benefits at any time.
Assuming his wife’s benefit at her full retirement age would have been $1,750 a month (she’s getting less because she filed at age 62), the husband will get $875 a month.
“If he waits till age 70, he will receive $875 a month for 48 months, or $42,000,” Horowitz said.
Note that the spouse who files a restricted application must be at least full retirement age. “If you apply for spousal benefits prior to full retirement age, then ‘deemed filing’ applies. You are deemed to have filed for both your own benefit and the spousal benefit at the same time,” said Jim Blankenship, a certified financial planner in New Berlin, Ill., and author of “A Social Security Owner’s Manual.”
It’s tough to generalize about Social Security strategies. Each spouse’s age, benefit amounts and health outlook play a big role in how and when to claim. The point is, don’t claim before you assess your options.
You’d think claiming Social Security would be a simple retirement decision—you retire and you start your benefits. But there are certain complex strategies that can help pad a married couple’s retirement savings with tens of thousands of dollars of additional income.
Don’t make your claiming decision lightly, said Joe Elsasser, an Omaha, Neb., certified financial planner and creator of Social Security Timing, a software program for pre-retirees and advisers to run scenarios to assess strategies.
“It’s a decision that’s going to impact you for your entire life, and it’s a decision that’s going to make up a substantial portion of your income,” he said.
Specific strategies can help maximize savings, but couples also need to avoid a common mistake.
“Almost everyone thinks of it as their own earnings record, their own benefit, as opposed to integrating what they receive,” Elsasser said.
Instead, make the decision as a couple. Consider a hypothetical situation. The husband, the higher earner, believes he’s going to die relatively early and the wife thinks she’ll live a long time. So the husband claims his benefits as early as possible and the wife delays.
“That’s exactly opposite of the scenario that should happen,” Elsasser said.
Each year you delay claiming your benefits past your normal retirement age, your benefit ticks about 8% higher, up to age 70, thanks to what the Social Security Administration calls “delayed retirement credits.” And in the event of a spouse’s death, the surviving spouse can take the higher of her own benefit or that of the dead spouse.
If the husband claims early and then dies first, “effectively he’s shortchanged his wife’s survivor benefit,” Elsasser said. Instead, that husband should delay his claim, so if need be the wife can claim the highest possible benefit for the rest of her life. If the wife dies first, the husband simply keeps his own benefit.
“You’re trying to maximize benefits over both spouses’ lives. That’s the key that most people miss,” said Brett Horowitz, wealth manager at Evensky & Katz Wealth Management in Miami.
The ‘file and suspend’ strategy
A claiming strategy called “file and suspend” can help get the most money. Say a husband plans to delay his benefit until age 70. He is allowed to claim his benefit at his normal retirement age—say it’s 66—and then immediately suspend it.
That way, his benefit amount keeps growing—thanks to those delayed retirement credits—but since he did make that initial claim, his wife, at her full retirement age, can file a “restricted” application to claim spousal benefits based on her husband’s record, but not her earned benefit.
Generally, spousal benefits are up to 50% of the other spouse’s monthly benefit at full retirement age (some age restrictions apply). In this scenario, her own benefit now can grow until she hits 70, too.
In one hypothetical “file and suspend” scenario, a couple, both 66, could collect an additional $60,000 by delaying their benefits and the wife taking spousal payouts while they wait, according to Lisa Colletti, New York-based director of wealth management at Aspiriant.
Say a husband and wife, both 66, are entitled to monthly benefits of $2,500 and $1,500, respectively. The husband decides to file and suspend—he wants to delay until age 70, when his monthly benefit will be $3,300.
But, meanwhile, the wife can collect a 50% spousal benefit based on her husband’s benefit at his full retirement age—that’s one-half of $2,500, or $1,250 a month—from her age 66 to 70. Then, at 70 she switches to her benefit, which has grown to almost $2,000 a month.
End result: $60,000 more in benefits than had the couple simply delayed their benefits. This scenario assumes that delaying benefits until age 70 makes sense for the couple.
A ‘restricted’ application
Another use of a “restricted” application: Say a 66-year-old husband decides it makes sense for him to delay his benefits until he’s 70. His wife started her benefits at 62.
“What the husband doesn’t realize is he is entitled to 50% of his wife’s benefit while he waits, because she already filed,” Horowitz said.
When he turns his full retirement age, the husband can tell the Social Security Administration that, rather than filing for his own benefits, he wants to restrict his benefits to his wife’s record. If he changes his mind, he can switch over to his own benefits at any time.
Assuming his wife’s benefit at her full retirement age would have been $1,750 a month (she’s getting less because she filed at age 62), the husband will get $875 a month.
“If he waits till age 70, he will receive $875 a month for 48 months, or $42,000,” Horowitz said.
Note that the spouse who files a restricted application must be at least full retirement age. “If you apply for spousal benefits prior to full retirement age, then ‘deemed filing’ applies. You are deemed to have filed for both your own benefit and the spousal benefit at the same time,” said Jim Blankenship, a certified financial planner in New Berlin, Ill., and author of “A Social Security Owner’s Manual.”
It’s tough to generalize about Social Security strategies. Each spouse’s age, benefit amounts and health outlook play a big role in how and when to claim. The point is, don’t claim before you assess your options.
Tuesday Motivation: Rising Above Mediocrity
What's your definition of a mediocre life? Or maybe put another way, do you feel that your life has been mediocre to this point or not? If so, what might you be able to do to change that?
It may be no instant process. It may start with defining what a successful life would be like for you. Or, more easily, what would it mean for today to be successful? Little steps like "I'll get that big laundry pile done," "I'll balance the checkbook," or something more internal like "I will keep on a smile on my face whenever I interact with so-and-so today."
These are the building blocks of habits. With patience and persistence through trials and failures, they can become a strong foundation for a peaceful soul!
7 Fitness Rules You Should Break
From Lisa Collier Cool of Yahoo! Health:
Old rule: Avoid exercising in the heat.
A series of experiments shows that cooling the neck before working out in hot, humid weather can significantly boost athletic performance. Volunteers wearing ice-cold, strap-on neck collars could run faster on a treadmill in 87-degree heat than when they weren’t wearing the collars. You can get similar results by dipping a handkerchief in ice water and draping it around your neck.
Stay safe by gradually increasing the length and intensity of hot-weather exercise over two weeks, drinking ample fluids, and taking frequent breaks.
For years, sports nutritionists recommended “drinking ahead of thirst” to avoid dehydration. However, recent studies show that slight dehydration doesn’t hurt athletic performance or health.
A study by the Sports Science Institute of South Africa compared runners who did three two-hour workouts, in which they either quaffed a sports beverage according to thirst (about 13 oz. per hour), at a moderate timed rate (about 4 oz. every 15 to 20 minutes) and at a high rate (about 10 oz every 15 to 20 minutes). There were no significant differences in core body temperature or finishing time.
“The idea that thirst comes too late is a marketing ploy of the sports-drink industry," says Tim Noakes, M.D., professor of sport and exercise science at University of Cape Town, South Africa.
New rule: Acclimatize slowly and cool your neck.
A series of experiments shows that cooling the neck before working out in hot, humid weather can significantly boost athletic performance. Volunteers wearing ice-cold, strap-on neck collars could run faster on a treadmill in 87-degree heat than when they weren’t wearing the collars. You can get similar results by dipping a handkerchief in ice water and draping it around your neck.
Stay safe by gradually increasing the length and intensity of hot-weather exercise over two weeks, drinking ample fluids, and taking frequent breaks.
Old rule: Drink before you’re thirsty.
New rule: Drink up, but avoid fluid overload.
For years, sports nutritionists recommended “drinking ahead of thirst” to avoid dehydration. However, recent studies show that slight dehydration doesn’t hurt athletic performance or health.
A study by the Sports Science Institute of South Africa compared runners who did three two-hour workouts, in which they either quaffed a sports beverage according to thirst (about 13 oz. per hour), at a moderate timed rate (about 4 oz. every 15 to 20 minutes) and at a high rate (about 10 oz every 15 to 20 minutes). There were no significant differences in core body temperature or finishing time.
“The idea that thirst comes too late is a marketing ploy of the sports-drink industry," says Tim Noakes, M.D., professor of sport and exercise science at University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Old rule: Cardio burns the most calories.
A recent University of Southern Maine study found that 30 minutes of weight training torches as many calories as running at a blistering six-minute-mile pace. Along with boosting strength and chiseling muscles, weight training revs up your metabolism for up to 36 hours.
High-intensity training is another excellent fat-burner, with a recent review in Journal of Obesity reporting that it’s more effective than other forms of exercise for flattening the belly, while also improving aerobic fitness.
A new study found that people who jogged 10 to 15 miles per week, at a pace of six or seven miles per hour, significantly outlived those who ran further and faster. The low-mileage group had 27 percent lower risk of death, compared to non-runners, while people who logged more than 25 miles weekly at higher speeds had no significant drop in mortality. The study analyzed the medical records of nearly 53,000 adults over an average of 15 years.
Another study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceeding in June, found that extreme endurance training may cause long-term heart damage in some marathoners, professional cyclists, and ultra-marathon runners. The researchers say that moderate exercise or interval training (mini-bursts of high-intensity exercise) is healthier for the heart.
New rule: Weight training is a better fat-burner.
A recent University of Southern Maine study found that 30 minutes of weight training torches as many calories as running at a blistering six-minute-mile pace. Along with boosting strength and chiseling muscles, weight training revs up your metabolism for up to 36 hours.
High-intensity training is another excellent fat-burner, with a recent review in Journal of Obesity reporting that it’s more effective than other forms of exercise for flattening the belly, while also improving aerobic fitness.
Old rule: Work out longer and faster to boost your health.
New rule: Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of moderate exercise daily.
A new study found that people who jogged 10 to 15 miles per week, at a pace of six or seven miles per hour, significantly outlived those who ran further and faster. The low-mileage group had 27 percent lower risk of death, compared to non-runners, while people who logged more than 25 miles weekly at higher speeds had no significant drop in mortality. The study analyzed the medical records of nearly 53,000 adults over an average of 15 years.
Another study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceeding in June, found that extreme endurance training may cause long-term heart damage in some marathoners, professional cyclists, and ultra-marathon runners. The researchers say that moderate exercise or interval training (mini-bursts of high-intensity exercise) is healthier for the heart.
Old
rule: Subtract your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate.
To burn fat and improve endurance, typically, your target heart rate should be 60 to 80 percent of your max. However, the traditional formula is based on research in men and can result in a max that’s too high for women, according to a study published in Circulation.
The researchers developed the new gender-specific formula based on an analysis of about 6,000 healthy women ages 35 and older. And while the math is a little tricky, you only need to run the numbers once a year—on your birthday.
A study published in British Medical Journal found no scientific evidence to back up the notion that stretching before a workout reduces injuries or that stretching before and after prevents muscle soreness.
Other studies show that static stretching can actually impair athletic performance, while dynamic warm-ups—such as pairing calisthenics (like squatting and lunging) with running drills—improve it. Dynamic warm-ups also reduce injuries, a 2006 study found.
Custom orthotics are a billion-dollar industry, but there’s little evidence that they deliver more benefit. A study of military recruits found no difference in rates of stress fractures, ankle sprains, or foot problems in those given custom orthotics versus those who wore prefabricated inserts.
Another study found that prefabricated heel cups for plantar fasciitis (heel pain syndrome) actually provided better pain relief than custom orthotics, at far lower cost.
New rule: Women should use 206 minus 88 percent of their age.
To burn fat and improve endurance, typically, your target heart rate should be 60 to 80 percent of your max. However, the traditional formula is based on research in men and can result in a max that’s too high for women, according to a study published in Circulation.
The researchers developed the new gender-specific formula based on an analysis of about 6,000 healthy women ages 35 and older. And while the math is a little tricky, you only need to run the numbers once a year—on your birthday.
Old rule: Stretch before your workout to prevent injuries.
New rule: Do a 10-minute dynamic warm-up.
A study published in British Medical Journal found no scientific evidence to back up the notion that stretching before a workout reduces injuries or that stretching before and after prevents muscle soreness.
Other studies show that static stretching can actually impair athletic performance, while dynamic warm-ups—such as pairing calisthenics (like squatting and lunging) with running drills—improve it. Dynamic warm-ups also reduce injuries, a 2006 study found.
Old rule: Prevent or treat overuse injuries with custom foot orthotics.
New rule: Cheaper prefab inserts are just as good.
Custom orthotics are a billion-dollar industry, but there’s little evidence that they deliver more benefit. A study of military recruits found no difference in rates of stress fractures, ankle sprains, or foot problems in those given custom orthotics versus those who wore prefabricated inserts.
Another study found that prefabricated heel cups for plantar fasciitis (heel pain syndrome) actually provided better pain relief than custom orthotics, at far lower cost.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Hidden Blog's 5 Year Anniversary
Today's the day.
Five years ago I started Hidden Blog with the whimsical goal of catching up to Country Joe McDonald on "Joe McDonald" Google searches. It was actually just a personal outlet for creativity, and the mental health of journaling some fun things that I could look back on in the years to come.
I might have guessed that a few family and friends might stumble upon it. Probably wouldn't have guessed that it would eventually be read over a hundred times a day by people around the world (or so the Blogger stats tell me). It has been amazing and humbling on occasion when a friend tells me that something I wrote brightens their day, especially when I had no idea they knew that Hidden Blog exists.
"If you act enthusiastic, you will be enthusiastic." The act of writing about fun, love and good life has had immeasurable psychological rewards for me, and hopefully for Hidden Bloggers as well. I pray that it keeps feedin' what you're needin'. In the words of that inaugural post... Let's go!
Five years ago I started Hidden Blog with the whimsical goal of catching up to Country Joe McDonald on "Joe McDonald" Google searches. It was actually just a personal outlet for creativity, and the mental health of journaling some fun things that I could look back on in the years to come.
I might have guessed that a few family and friends might stumble upon it. Probably wouldn't have guessed that it would eventually be read over a hundred times a day by people around the world (or so the Blogger stats tell me). It has been amazing and humbling on occasion when a friend tells me that something I wrote brightens their day, especially when I had no idea they knew that Hidden Blog exists.
"If you act enthusiastic, you will be enthusiastic." The act of writing about fun, love and good life has had immeasurable psychological rewards for me, and hopefully for Hidden Bloggers as well. I pray that it keeps feedin' what you're needin'. In the words of that inaugural post... Let's go!
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