Microdermabrasion Acne Treatments - Harsh or Helpful?

Many people think of microdermabrasion acne treatments as those supplied in salons by professional skincare specialists, but there are actually a multitude of microdermabrasion acne treatments available on your drugstore shelves. Many of the well-known and highly effective acne control products available today include beads or crystals that offer a microdermabrasion effect.

But many acne sufferers have been warned off using harsh products on their skin, as these can simply exacerbate the condition rather than helping to control it. Microdermabrasion acne treatments work by scraping away impurities and dead skin cells - surely this is not a treatment suitable for daily use? Won’t this aggravate my skin, leaving it raw and sore?

Older products might in fact have had this effect upon the skin - usually exfoliants were recommended as a once or twice a week treatment. But advances in skincare have produced a wide variety of microdermabrasion acne treatments that combine an exfoliating effect with mild and soothing cleansers, which in combination can clear the skin of debris without aggravating sensitive skin.

In fact, using a mild exfoliant, such as those used in microdermabrasion acne treatments, is one of the most effective weapons in acne control. The daily use of these microdermabrasion acne treatments clears the skin of impurities, leaving it refreshed and revitalised, allowing blemishes to heal and preventing new ones from forming. The beads or crystal are complimented by other ingredients, such as salicylic acid, which are established tools in acne control. The combination of two powerful cleansing substances doubles your power in the fight against acne.

While this type of dermabrasion acne treatment might not be suitable for those with extremely sensitive skin, these products contain soothing ingredients that make them suitable for daily use in acne control. Home dermabrasion treatments are usually offered with toners and other products, and it is important to use all of these in combination, as the ingredients in each balance the effects of the other.

These skincare packages offer a complete routine for your skin that can make a real difference to your acne. Try a microdermabrasion acne treatment, and see what its gentle power can do for you.

Microdermabrasion acne treatments may be simpler than you thought.

Find out more about Acne as well as Home Treatment for Acne and Adult Acne, Acne Skin Care Products, the Best Acne Treatments and more at Peter’s website, Acne All Gone.

Life Experience Degree Programs

Life experience degrees are becoming increasingly popular for the many people who want to receive credentials for credible work, experience, education and skills. There are many professionals who do not have a graduate or undergraduate degree in their field of work and find life experience degrees appealing. They have excelled and have the experiential knowledge of their degreed counterparts who receive more pay and more status only as a result of a college diploma. A life experience degree provides recognition for personal and professional achievements through many online life experience degree programs.

If you are tired of not getting that promotion just because you do not have a graduate degree, a life experience degree may provide the boost you need to succeed. Perhaps you want to increase your earning potential by adding a life experience degree to your personal resume. Life experience degrees are offered online by many credible educational institutions. Life experience degrees in the areas of business, education, fine arts, and sciences can be acquired. There are many other specialized life experience degrees from which to choose among the many undergraduate and graduate life experience degree levels.

A life experience degree can be obtained through online sources usually within a short period of time. Sometimes in as little as two weeks, you may be awarded a life experience degree in the field of your expertise. The cost of life experience degrees is reasonable, usually not more than a few hundred dollars, depending on the degree program and the requirements. You may apply for a life experience degree online by filling out an application form provided by many life experience degree schools. Requirements for life experience degrees are based on the amount of formal education you may have already obtained, the length of time you have invested in your chosen field, and your professional skill level obtained.

Life experience degree applications also take into consideration any community achievements, any awards you may have received, and other personal and professional successes. A special educational board from the life experience degree source is equipped to analyze and access the application. Most life experience degrees can be expected to be conferred within a couple of weeks, if all goes well. Many online life experience degree institutions are accredited by the Association for Online Academic Excellence. AOAE is a private accrediting agency that insures educational excellence and consistent standards for online learning. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2)

For more information about life experience degree, visit:
http://blogs.christianet.com

Be Extremely Diligent Around The Open

Be very diligent around the open. Trades accumulate before the bell and once the market opens the market makers get to work on this stack of orders. Traders often do not know the quanity of orders out there waiting and whether or not they are buys or sells. This makes it very tough to tell where the stock is headed in the minutes after the open or how long it will take for orders to be filled. If your stock is trading for the first time or has been volatile, it can have tumultuous opening minutes. Once the market is open you have a better and clearer idea of what is happening.

If you are used to having order confirmations within seconds, be careful about canceling if minutes go by without a confirmation. Your trade may have been executed even if the confimation is late. Result: unwanted duplicate orders can pile up.

Think about the price you are willing to pay before ever entering an order and use an order type that takes that into account, instead of canceling when your stock moves out of your range. Check with your broker, some offer cancel/replace orders so if your order has not been executed, it is canceled and automatically replaced with a new order. If your order has been executed, the replacement order is canceled.

Don’t use the same type of order for evey trading situation. You need to think about if you want the stock at any price or do you want it because it is a good value at a certain price.

You have to see what is going on with the market and match your choice up with that at the time. Every trade contains a compromise.

As you know a “market order”, which is an order to buy or sell at the best available price, takes precedence over all others. It will get filled eventually and with some online brokers they are cheaper than other types of orders. Market orders are good under the following situations: if the stock trades on an even keel; you really want the stock; or you are looking to make a long term investment.

The risk you run is getting filled at a price far from the price the stock was trading at when you placed your order. And if your stock is really bouncing around erratically, a market order can give you a very unpleasant surprise! You may see limited market orders by some brokers in early trading of certain IPO’s.

Traders have a slew of orders to limit the price they are willing to pay for a stock or the length of time they are willing to wait for a fill.

You should look at all your options and refer to the report on “orders” you received when you became a paid member. And remember that acceptable orders vary between brokers, call their customer service reps and/or check out their education sections on the Web sites.

More FREE trading tips at: http://lb.bcentral.com/ex/manage/subscriberprefs?customerid=12826

Then visit our sister site for even more great trading tips at: http://fastprofits.blogspot.com

7 Pointers about Web Design

In order to master the art of web design, designers must follow the subsequent pointers:

1. Web designers are marketers per se. Web sites are all about advertising products, ideas and services. Thus, a web designer has to understand the mindset of marketers in order to create a design that sell.

2. Read, read and read. We do not experience everything. Thus, our tendency is to learn from others. Reading web design books, newsletters and tips are pretty valuable since they can save you time and effort. Basically, books are more conclusive than newsletters and tips however, they are for free and mostly updated.

3. Narrow down your target market. You cannot please everybody same thing that you cannot be good at everything. Thus, this fact calls for the narrowing of your target market. Even in the interface of the so-called web design, a designer cannot claim that he is an expert at anything or everything about the needs of a website. It is better to pick a certain audience and try to be good at catching their attention, preference and choice. This practice allows you to be best at a given area thus developing expertise.

4. Answer your target audience’s needs. In order to answer the visitor’s needs, web designers must know what kind of visitors his site is welcoming. Do they belong to the younger generation or otherwise? What do they want from your site? Are these information, details and pleasures in your site in order to get their undivided attention and loyalty? Bear in mind that colors, font size, style of graphics, contents and the entirety of the site affects viewer’s decision and choice.

5. Know the basics of SEO and copywriting. Though Search Engine Optimization and copywriting are not directly related to designing, still, designers must have basic knowledge about them. This is because web designing is intertwined with marketing, use of keywords and visibility.

Aside from that, designers must also have knowledge of the programming basics. If not, the tendency is waste time or to create a mediocre or unsatisfactory design to the detriment of the sites.

6. The primacy of functionality. If ever you are faced to make a decision between a web site’s aesthetic form and its functionality, you have to be firm in upholding the latter. Not everything that is pretty is ’saleable’. Besides, you don’t create web sites for the sake of making it nice-looking.

Above anything else, the site must be functional so as to cater to every visitor’s wants and needs. Appearance is a means to catch visitor’s attention nevertheless, it is not the end. If a designer prioritizes appearance alone without considering its primary consideration the web site’s marketability will suffer.

7. Know when to break the rules. Rules are only guidelines, if you feel that the rules are inappropriate for a certain creation follow your heart’s desire and venture on an experimental adventure.

Please visit Web Development Services Pros site at www.webdevelopmentpros.com for comments and inquiries regarding this article.

Training Your Dog To Lay Down On Command

Training your dog to obey commands is an important part of pet ownership . When your dog is properly trained, it is much easier for you to communicate with him and this enhances your relationship. In addition to making him mind you, it may even help save your pet from harm or danger.

Dogs want your praise, so using positive reinforcement when training your dog or puppy is the best approach. Hitting or yelling rarely works, and besides who wants to hit or yell at their dog anyway?

The “down” or “lay down” command is one of the basic commands and should be one of the first things you teach your dog once he learns to sit on command. It is not hard to train a dog to obey commands and once you have done one command, it gets even easier as the process is basically the same for each. Here’s some steps you can use to teach your dog to lay down on command:

1. Get the dog to sit (you should have already trained him in this command)

2. Firmly give the “down” command while gently forcing his legs out in front (this will cause him to lay down).

3. Give your dog praise. Show him you are really happy with your voice and body language.

4. At first the dog will get right back up, but as time goes on you can lengthen the time the dog stays in the down position by waiting to give him praise.

5. Repeat three to five times at each session. Repetition is important but you don’t want to do too much at one time. If you really want to drill it in, you can have several sessions spaced out throughout the day.

There’s more rewards than meets the eye with training your dog. For one the dog gets used to listening to his name. He also will get used to doing things on your command. All in all, training strengthens your positions - you as leader and helps the dog feel secure. Spend a couple of minutes each day training your dog. This will help cement your friendship.

About the Author

Get more dog training tips and find out which dogs are easier to train at http://www.train-the-dog.com

Are You Really Ready to Buy a Home?

To most people, the home buying process can seem like a
complicated and confusing process Even though it seems like a
daunting task can be made much easier if you take things
step-by-step, you will soon be holding the keys to your own
home! But before going into the process of buying that home, you
really need to honestly ask yourself if you are honestly ready
to buy a home in the first place! Think about this.

Do you enjoy or even prefer moving into different places or
areas of the country? Do you prefer to use your money for things
like vacations, appliances, retirement or having your own
business? Do you dislike doing typical household maintenance,
repair and handyman work around the home?

If you answered yes to these questions, you may not be ready to
delve into the home buying experience. You may think you have a
lot of good reasons for buying a home. but it’s very important
that you should also consider your reasons for not wanting to
become a homeowner!

Remember that buying a home isn’t just the biggest financial
decision you’ll probably ever make but it can also be the most
nerve wracking emotional choice in your life! So be prepared to
make wise decisions and be willing to logically and
unemotionally think out the entire process before you buy.
Basically, look before you leap!

In today’s hot real estate market, buying a home always seems to
be a great idea, but it’s important to completely understand
that homeownership also comes with a great deal of
responsibility too! Of course, being a homeowner is something to
be proud of, but it also means having to invest heart earned
money, time, energy and financial resources. So you have to
really be sure this is right for you.

Typically the first thing that comes to mind when we dream of
homeownership, are the wonderful things that are connected to
it, which are great reasons for buying a home. Here are some of
the tremendous advantages for buying a home:

Yes, it’s really nice to think about the positive aspects of
owning a home, it is also a crucial part to consider the
downsides as well. Here are some of the disadvantages on home
buying.

Financial Stress

Probably the most common feeling in the home buying process.
Coming up with the down payment, meeting regular mortgage
payments and other ongoing costs will tie up a lot of your cash,
and can put considerable stress on your finances. So it’s very
important that you carefully manage your budget and finances to
make sure that you can meet all of your obligations. Many new
homeowners get a shock in their first year of owning a home.
Proper planning and preparation can help you avoid this.

Maintenance Costs

Unlike renting where a landlord may take care of the
maintenance, when you’re a homeowner you are solely responsible
for keeping your home in good working order. Keeping a home
operational and looking good requires time and money. Once
again, it’s important that new homeowners carefully monitor
their finances and also carefully keep an eye on small
maintenance issues and work on them before they become huge
repairs.

Higher Monthly Payments:

It’s entirely possible that you will pay more each month for
your home payment that you ever did as a renter. You not only
have to pay the mortgage, you pay taxes, you pay utilities, you
pay expenses, you pay for maintenance, everything. And when you
add that up it can be shocking at how much that can be. Yes, in
today’s tax code there are benefits that come from homeownership
that can defer some of that expense, but you still have to pay
it first!

Still think you want to buy a home? GOOD! If you feel that now
is the time and homeownership is right for you, you need to make
sure that you are truly financially ready to do so.

To avoid any future surprises, you can do some financial
planning to see where you stand, including: calculating your net
worth, determining your current monthly expenses and your
current monthly debt payments.

Gathering this detailed information and knowing things like your
net worth is important because you’ll need this information when
you discuss financing with your mortgage lender. Going through
this exercise will give you a snapshot of where you stand
financially and show you how much you can afford to invest as
your down payment on the home purchase. You do not want to rush
this process since finding the best type of financing for your
particular situation will determine how much you will be paying
every month.

Also be sure to work with a trustworthy and professional real
estate professional. In today’s market there are real estate
agents and Realtors that work specifically in representing
buyers. These professionals will help you in everything from
finding the right home for you, to helping you understand the
contracts and paperwork, to negotiating the deal for you, and
representing your interests in the buying process. They can even
help direct you to good financing sources and be a “one stop
shop” to help you in every step of the way to find your home and
get you in it with the least amount of stress.

After you’ve found your dream home, and contracts have been
accepted and your financing is in place you’re ready for closing
day when you finally settle the transaction and become the
proud, legal owner of a home that you can call your own.

Although this is a GREAT day, it’s also very confusing and full
of papers flying around and being signed. Your closing attorney
or title company will handle all of the details of the closing
including making sure the money is in place from your mortgage
company, make sure that tax bills are paid, any outstanding
debts resolved, takes care of the seller’s paperwork. Bottom
line, they make sure that all the T’s are crossed and I’s are
dotted so that when you leave you’ll have a deed which calls YOU
the owner of that property!

When all the dust settles, you’ll be handed the keys and you’ll
be able to walk into a home that you can call your own! Enjoy
the moment and congratulations on becoming a homeowner!

Evolution of Gaming : Graphics vs Gameplay

If you are old enough to remember the early days of computer
gaming you know there were a lot of great games that were fun
because of the exceptional gameplay and not just the graphics.
Gaming started to become a little more popular in the 90s once
people started buying computers. In the early 90s games like
Maniac Mansion, X-com 1, and Civilization were extremely hot
because of their addictive unique gameplay. Today gaming is
mainstream and marketed towards a mass audience. In order to
market to everyone, many games these days focus on the graphics
and special effects rather than unique gameplay. You see many
games that seem to be carbon copies of each other with slightly
different twists.

These days, a lot of games try to be as realistic as possible
and have the most textures and polygons jammed in to wow your
eyes. In order to market to everyone, many games these days
focus on the graphics and special effects rather than unique
gameplay. Although there is nothing wrong with a game with
beautiful graphics, once the novelty of the graphics runs out,
the gameplay is what keeps you playing. You see many games that
seem to be carbon copies of each other with slightly different
twists. There are a few games like Halo 2 where the developers
obviously spent a lot of time fine tuning to make sure the
gameplay was as enjoyable as possible. With Halo 2, the two
things that give it an edge in my opinion is the fact that the
movement of players is slower than most games and the weapons
are highly balanced. Also, rather than throwing tons of
multiplayer maps at the player, the developers focused on making
a limited number of quality maps.

Freeware games are an option for people on a small budget who
value gameplay over graphics. A freeware game is simply a game
that is completely free with no fees attached. Freeware
developers usually don’t have the million dollar 3d engines to
run their games so they must make the games as fun as they can
without all the bells and whistles of retail games. These
developers make games simply for the love of making them and
sometimes come up with some unique and quality games that are
definitely worth a look. Especially considering that these games
are completely free. These games span all the categories of
retail games from Massively Multiplayer to 3d First Person
Shooter. Some companies also release production quality games as
freeware because they decide not to put the game into production
or as promotion.

Independent Testing Confirms Radware’s Intrusion Prevention Capabilities and Denial of Service Prote

Radware DefensePro Nets NSS Approved Status for its IPS Solution

Helping organizations secure, optimize and ensure performance
for mission critical applications, Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR) the
leading provider of Intelligent Application Switching solutions,
announced that recent independent tests by the NSS Group, an
independent security testing facility, confirm that DefensePro
offers comprehensive and reliable Intrusion Prevention System
(IPS) capabilities.

Realizing that application security involves more than strictly
blocking malicious content, Radware submitted its DefensePro
3000 to the NSS Group’s IPS testing program, during which they
conducted a series of real-world tests that examined
DefensePro’s ability to thwart attacks while ensuring the
availability and performance of mission critical applications.
The NSS Group’s rigorous, independent tests proved that
Radware’s DefensePro 3000 secured mission critical applications
across high-speed and high capacity environments. Moreover, NSS
Group found DefensePro’s throughput and latency are excellent
under almost all network loads and across all packet sizes,
underscoring Radware’s assertion that DefensePro offers industry
leading defense and application availability.

“Beyond blocking or preventing attacks, an IPS solution must
also guarantee network security and application performance and
reliability,” said Assaf Ronen, vice president of research and
development, Radware. “The NSS Group’s tests confirmed that only
DefensePro’s advanced security features can block all manner of
attacks while leaving these mission-critical applications
unaffected.”

The NSS Group tests underscored the unique capabilities of
DefensePro and concluded that:

Under eight hours of extended attack (comprising millions of
exploits mixed with genuine traffic), DefensePro blocked 100
percent of attack traffic, while passing all legitimate traffic.

DefensePro’s switching architecture helped it post excellent
latency figures under all traffic loads.

DefensePro demonstrated impressive SYN protection, processing
100Mbps of SYN flood traffic with negligible latency while
safeguarding against illicit traffic patterns and hacking.

DefensePro blocked application attacks at a speed of 1-Gigabit
per second by identifying and mitigating protocol and traffic
anomalies in real-time.

“Radware’s overall performance is quite impressive,” said Bob
Walder, Director, NSS Group. “Our tests found that DefensePro
detected and, more importantly, blocked all attacks -even when
subjected to extreme conditions.”

About Radware Radware (NASDAQ:RDWR) is the Global Leader in
Intelligent Application Switching, enabling the full
availability, maximum performance and complete security of all
mission critical networked applications while dramatically
cutting operating and scaling costs.

Radware’s integrated Application Security , Application
Infrastructure and End-to-End Connectivity solutions are
deployed by over 2,500 enterprises and carriers worldwide.
Radware offers the broadest product line in the industry meeting
application needs at every critical point across the network
including Web and Application Servers, Firewalls, VPNs, ISP
links, Anti-Virus Gateways and Cache.

HOW TO “WRITE TO WIN” - WHAT ARE THE “SECRETS” OF WRITING SUCCESS?

“If a man has talent and cannot use it, he has failed. If he has
a talent and uses only half of it, he has partly failed. If he
has a talent and learns somehow to use the whole of it, he has
gloriously succeeded and has a satisfaction and a triumph few
men ever know.” - Thomas Wolfe

“Everyone has a talent. What is rare is the courage to follow
the talent to the dark place where it leads.” - Erica Jong

Funnily enough, I don’t believe there are any magic ’secrets’ to
writing success. If so, I’m still trying to discover them. So
I’ll cover this subject very briefly, because I don’t know the
answers. It’s really all common sense, following your basic
instincts and having a bit of fun at the same time. Just BE YOU
and write what your heart, your imagination tells you to write.
The writer or author is a puppeteer, moulding the clay through
the words that you choose. You weave the strands of the article
or story together, through use of your creative imagination.

You start your article, short story or novel with an idea. You
decide HOW you will start: “Once upon a time”. (This could be
the little child emerging from the depths of your soul). Sounds
very “airy-fairy” that, like many “arty farty writer types”!

You perhaps got the plot from a television programme or a
newspaper article. The plots of some of my novels came from
newspaper articles.

Then you make choices as you go along: to base your story upon
fact or fiction, or faction (a mixture of fact and fiction - I
like that genre (impressive word that - must use it more
often!). You choose the track. You are the director, producer
and actor: YOU set the scene, decide whether it is to be local
or foreign. It’s up to you HOW you describe the landscape or
surrounding environment.

You decide on the characters and how you will describe them. To
let them live or die? What immense power you have to determine
destinies! Whether to have a happy or sad ending? “And they all
lived happily ever after….”

A few short words of advice to end off this lesson… Make your
writing FUN and get readers (and the editor) “hooked” with a
good opening paragraph and an even better opening line.

What do you think of this example by Charles Dickens from “A
Tale of Two Cities”?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the
age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch
of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of
Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we
had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we
were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was
so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest
authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for
evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

I find it excellent and powerful writing; but quite “heavy
reading”. What did you think of that style of writing?

How’s this for an opening line for a novel?

“James walked into the hotel and it was as if he was struck by a
bolt of lightning. He instantly went into a state of shock, as
the past ten years of his life flashed through his mind, as in
an instant replay. It was too much to all take in in a second.
His legs began to tremble, as if they had turned into instant
jelly. They could barely hold his slight frame, as he struggled
with all his might to hold his body upright. Out of his numbness
he could see seated at the end of the bar the face of the man
that was indelibly printed on the deepest recesses of his
subconscious mind, the striking features that had haunted him
all those years. It was the same mysterious man, who in an
instant had turned his entire world upside down and consumed
James’s every waking thought for the past decade.”

Was that “a bit over-the-top” writing? “Did I need to say
“mysterious man”? Do you want to read on?

Perhaps that could be the first paragraph of my next book? Would
you be interested in reading a book with a beginning, like that?

Or this one from my novel “Angolan Dawn”

“It was just getting light with that certain freshness in the
air of early morning. Albertina Kangombe saw the figure of her
husband Marcelino receding in the distance down the sandy track,
walking slowly down the gentle hill. She saw him turn around
once to look at her but he could not see the tears of sadness
running down her face. She wondered when she would see her dear,
strong husband again. He was a tall man but he became smaller
and smaller as she saw him gradually receding into the distance
on that early January morning. And then he was gone…

Time to end off (I’ve done enough “work” re-writing this lesson)
already….

Stimulate your imagination to the fullest. then go with the
flow. Observe life and jot down notes about your thoughts and
feelings . Then “make the words dance to your tune”.

“Don’t spend your days, stringing your instrument - start making
your own brand of music right NOW. ”

See you next week, when we’ll talk more about style and grammar.
Oh no, not another boring lesson!

I hope this information may be helpful to you in your creative
writing.

Happy writing

10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Broken Pension Promises

You’re retired - so now what? Hopefully you have spent the majority of your adult life appropriately budgeting, investing, and otherwise planning for retirement, and can spend the entirety of your golden years sailing around the globe on a well-appointed and professionally staffed yacht. Unfortunately, most throughout our nation will not live out their senior years quite this luxuriously, due largely to minimal, off-target, downright shoddy, or a complete lack of retirement-specific financial planning. Or, perhaps it’s due to the rampant “here today, gone tomorrow” pension plans that have plagued corporate America.

What, then, can get our burgeoning senior population to the financial promise land - or at least able to live out a comfortable retirement - particularly if their pension plan nest eggs gets scrambled? Senior Financial Coach Hank Parrott, President of Estate & Financial Strategies, Inc., offers these ten fundamental, though key, strategies for retirement-based financial planning, which can and should be implemented by young and old alike in working to secure their financial future whether or not they are part of any pension plan:

o Know where your money is. You probably have your retirement resources in a number of different accounts: 401(k)s and similar plans, IRAs, non-retirement accounts, your home, annuities, CDs, and other places. In addition, you may have other sources of retirement income and/or assets such as that from Social Security and company pension plans, which have been riddled with problems of late, as well as stock options, and life insurance policies.

o Do a “needs analysis”. Determine your required retirement budget by reviewing your traditional, retirement income sources, such as pension plans and Social Security that may or may not be meeting your expectation; your employer-sponsored plans; and personal investments in stocks, bonds, and other investments. Contrast that with potential expenses such as that for medical, insurance, prescription medication, and long term care. Ensure that you can cover these possibilities on your own, without the aid of employer-based benefits.

o Make assets work for you. Forget about using the traditional “risk tolerance” assessment profiles or programs. While this approach may have worked well before retirement, you need to know your money is secure and that you have an adequate retirement income stream. That means taking a whole new approach to asset allocation, which will provide a stable, predictable retirement income stream with minimal risk exposure.

o Estate planning is mandatory, not optional. How many times have you heard it said, the only things in life that are certain are death and taxes? When it comes to retirement and estate planning, that truism is very appropriate. Estate planning consists of many actions, with almost all having three primary and oh-so-important purposes: to protect your privacy, to reduce taxes, and to make probate simple for your heirs. There are five essential documents for estate planning: Revocable Living Trust, Pour Over Will, General Durable Power of Attorney, Power of Attorney for Health Care, and a Living Will.

o Plan for taxes: an unavoidable, though containable, reality. During your lifetime you pay many different types of taxes: Federal, state, local, property, use, auto, business, capital gains, and on and on. When you die you may also have to pay federal and state taxes. Taxes don’t end when you die. That means planning for taxes both during your retirement, and after your death. Failing to plan can result in some horrendous tax bills, penalties, and interest.

o Near term planning for long term care. Develop a plan for long-term care because it is expensive and can quickly deplete your retirement funds. It is important to educate yourself in advance on the type of long-term care, the ways to pay for it without using all your assets, the limitations of programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and the provisions involved in long-term care insurance.

o Benefit from built in guarantees. Consider the power that equity index annuities (EIAs) can play in guaranteeing principle while maximizing retirement income. EIAs have many of the advantages of the market but without the inherent risks. One of the best benefits of an EIA is safety and its ability to accumulate money with guarantees of principal.

o Prudently extend investment allocations. Consider investing in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, but assure an approach that involves proper diversification and asset allocation which are key investing strategies. Risk management is achieved by managing your overall percentage of equities, being diversified, and allocating assets (rebalancing and shifting to maintain the appropriate investment strategy).

o Don’t be derailed by details. There are many “little” things you can do to make your retirement planning and estate planning less complicated. Titling assets properly and naming the proper beneficiaries are just two of the many smaller things that can have a large impact on your financial plan. Keep a good record of all your assets, debts, and other obligations together in one location. Know what to keep in a safety deposit box and what to keep at home. Make sure everything is kept up to date by revising all information at least every three to five years, or sooner if you’ve experienced a major life event.

o Ask an expert. Choose a financial advisor who specializes in working with retirees to position and/or reposition their assets to preserve and maximize their retirement income stream, minimize taxes, and reduce overall portfolio risk. This specialist should be able to help you with referrals for other essential advisors, including elder law attorneys, estate planning attorneys, tax specialists, and senior advocates.

Parrott notes, “Ensuring a comfortable retirement in today’s volatile business and investment climate is not always easy, but it is quite doable. By carefully analyzing your available assets and resources, and making strategic adjustments in the types of investments you own, you can both preserve your hard-earned assets and have the retirement income stream that meets, and perhaps even exceeds, your needs.”

Senior Financial Coach Hank Parrott, ChFC, RFC, CEP, CSA is President of Estate & Financial Strategies, Inc. (EFS) - a financial services firm dedicated to helping seniors safely preserve, protect and proliferate their assets. He can be reached through his Web site at http://www.SeniorFinancialCoach.com or via toll-free telephone at (800) 492-8102.