In the modern world, old age homes have emerged as an unavoidable necessity. Even Indians, who boast about their respect for elders, now consider them as a boon in disguise. As globalization was introduced in the Indian scenario the standard of living of an average Indian was raised. A drastic change in the traditional family values was a by-product of this development. Life turned into a never ending struggle for gaining prominence in the society.
In the nuclear family, the husband and wife are more concerned about their career growth and monetary gains. As a result, family has descended into the background of our priorities. Children do not have quality time to spend with their parents. At this moment of crisis old age homes appeared as guardian angels to take care of the deserted parents.
Most of the professionals have discovered old age homes as a practical solution to their problems. But they ignore the fact that their parents value the love and care of their children more than any luxuries in the world. People have no qualms in shedding off their responsibilities to their parents. Most of them forget the numerous sacrifices made by their parents to realize their dreams. Parents always stood as a big wall protecting their children from all the catastrophes of life. The irony is the grown up children consider their parents as a big burden. This is a shameful trend which should not be encouraged.
The solace the parents get from their children cannot be provided by the luxurious facilities in old age homes. Old age homes are a lame excuse to the atrocities done by the children to their aged parents. Parents should be treated like god and they should be cared for when they are lonely and helpless. Our responsibilities to our parents cannot be fulfilled by any old age homes.
articlesource: saching.com
Friday, December 5, 2008
Caring for Parents
If your father lives with you and his mental health is deteriorating, should you get a power of attorney to manage his affairs? This is a delicate question. Older people are understandably reluctant to give up their independence, but your father may accept that it is necessary for him to relinquish control. It is often a wise move to suggest that the power of attorney be held by someone who is not a member of the family.
How can a married daughter with teenage children cope when her mother, who has a serious heart condition, is coming to live with them? This can be a difficult situation, but there are a number of things you can do that may help. First of all, you should explain to your family that your time for them while your mother is in the house will have to be organized differently. If they understand this in advance, they may adjust more readily. Ask them to take on some extra work, so that your mother's presence becomes a shared responsibility. Try to call a family conference, one that includes the older persons - especially your brothers and sisters - to discuss questions of financial support and practical help. You are quite within your rights - in fact, be direct and even assertive - in asking brothers and sisters for help. They may contribute by spending time with your mother or by helping with finances.
Generations are often out of step, so you may find you have to care for an incapacitated parent while bringing up your own children. Alternatively, just when you have children off your hands and look forward to resuming your own career, you may have to cope with an invalid relative. Not surprisingly, this can result in emotional strain, exhaustion and feelings of resentment. Angry flare-ups are not unusual, nor are the pangs of remorse and guilt that follow. If you can, arrange for breaks in your routine. If you cannot find someone to take over from you, check with your local nursing home or hostel whether they accept patients for brief stays. Care can be extremely valuable, and may even make it easier for you to continue to do your job.
How can a married daughter with teenage children cope when her mother, who has a serious heart condition, is coming to live with them? This can be a difficult situation, but there are a number of things you can do that may help. First of all, you should explain to your family that your time for them while your mother is in the house will have to be organized differently. If they understand this in advance, they may adjust more readily. Ask them to take on some extra work, so that your mother's presence becomes a shared responsibility. Try to call a family conference, one that includes the older persons - especially your brothers and sisters - to discuss questions of financial support and practical help. You are quite within your rights - in fact, be direct and even assertive - in asking brothers and sisters for help. They may contribute by spending time with your mother or by helping with finances.
Generations are often out of step, so you may find you have to care for an incapacitated parent while bringing up your own children. Alternatively, just when you have children off your hands and look forward to resuming your own career, you may have to cope with an invalid relative. Not surprisingly, this can result in emotional strain, exhaustion and feelings of resentment. Angry flare-ups are not unusual, nor are the pangs of remorse and guilt that follow. If you can, arrange for breaks in your routine. If you cannot find someone to take over from you, check with your local nursing home or hostel whether they accept patients for brief stays. Care can be extremely valuable, and may even make it easier for you to continue to do your job.
How to Do Something Nice for Your Grandmother
If you cannot get to see your grandmother anywhere near as often as you would like, here are some simple tips that will help to keep you in the good books.
Call a florist, and send her a bunch of flowers with a card, for no reason at all. As this will be unexpected, she will really appreciate the gift, and your character standing will go up in her estimation.
Writing a letter and keeping her up to date with what is going on in your life is also a lovely way to do something nice for your grandmother. She will feel that she is being "kept in the loop," and not being excluded from the family or family activities. A quick (or a long) phone call is also an easy, and nice way of keeping in contact with your grandmother, and it is sure to be appreciated. If you have the time and the means, drop in for a visit as a nice thing to do.
You can either sit down with a cup of tea and some biscuits, and have a really good catch up time, or offer to take her out. Visits and outings are always a nice way to keep you grandmother happy. Take her out shopping, and then find a coffee shop to sit down and have a drink, and find out what is going on in her life. It is too easy to over-look the fact that your grandmother has a life as well. She will really appreciate the fact that you are interested in what is going on in her life, instead of just prattling on about your own day-to-day activities. Some other places you could take her to are a park, a popular tourist attraction, a look-out, a coffee shop, or a Senior Citizen's Outing.
So, in summary, don't live life your own life as if you are the centre of the universe. Keep in mind that there are other people in your life, and your your grandmother is one of them. Being elderly, she may begin to feel that she has been "forgotten" in the hurry and scurry of normal family life, but at the same time, do not expect too much from her, as she may have a busy social life, or have a lot of activities around her neighborhood that she has initiated for herself.
articlesource:associatedcontent.com
Call a florist, and send her a bunch of flowers with a card, for no reason at all. As this will be unexpected, she will really appreciate the gift, and your character standing will go up in her estimation.
Writing a letter and keeping her up to date with what is going on in your life is also a lovely way to do something nice for your grandmother. She will feel that she is being "kept in the loop," and not being excluded from the family or family activities. A quick (or a long) phone call is also an easy, and nice way of keeping in contact with your grandmother, and it is sure to be appreciated. If you have the time and the means, drop in for a visit as a nice thing to do.
You can either sit down with a cup of tea and some biscuits, and have a really good catch up time, or offer to take her out. Visits and outings are always a nice way to keep you grandmother happy. Take her out shopping, and then find a coffee shop to sit down and have a drink, and find out what is going on in her life. It is too easy to over-look the fact that your grandmother has a life as well. She will really appreciate the fact that you are interested in what is going on in her life, instead of just prattling on about your own day-to-day activities. Some other places you could take her to are a park, a popular tourist attraction, a look-out, a coffee shop, or a Senior Citizen's Outing.
So, in summary, don't live life your own life as if you are the centre of the universe. Keep in mind that there are other people in your life, and your your grandmother is one of them. Being elderly, she may begin to feel that she has been "forgotten" in the hurry and scurry of normal family life, but at the same time, do not expect too much from her, as she may have a busy social life, or have a lot of activities around her neighborhood that she has initiated for herself.
articlesource:associatedcontent.com
5 Dangerous Mistakes to Avoid in Retirement Planning
Mistake #1 - Not creating a budget for yourself and not tracking your spending.
Mistake #2 - Not taking health into consideration.
Mistake #3 - Relying too much on government assistance, like social security, is a mistake that many make.
Mistake #4 - Dipping into their retirement funds before they are ready to retire.
Mistake #5 - Not knowing all of your saving options.
Mistake #2 - Not taking health into consideration.
Mistake #3 - Relying too much on government assistance, like social security, is a mistake that many make.
Mistake #4 - Dipping into their retirement funds before they are ready to retire.
Mistake #5 - Not knowing all of your saving options.
You're Retired: Get Out and Enjoy Life
Ideas for Active Seniors to Get the Most Out of Their Retirement
Many of the newly retiring baby boomers are asking themselves, “What do I do know that I am retired?” They are not about to sit at home and play bingo. This group of young, active seniors is looking for ways to fill their retirement years. After many years in hectic careers, many are pursuing new interests.
If you enjoy cooking or baking, many community colleges offer non-credit classes in theses areas. Now only are the classes fun, but it is a good way to meet new friends that enjoy similar interests. Community colleges also offer other non-credit classes in the areas of quilting, clothing construction, horticulture, floral design, woodworking, and more. Now, as a retiree, you can enjoy painting the landscapes and enjoy throwing the pottery wheel if you never got a chance to do so before. In addition, if you are interested in taking a credit class, but don’t need the academic credit (if you just wanted to learn a language or new skill), many colleges will allow you to audit a class and only pay a nominal fee, which is around $25. In addition, many colleges will allow you to take tuition-free classes on a space available basis.
Many of the newly retiring baby boomers are asking themselves, “What do I do know that I am retired?” They are not about to sit at home and play bingo. This group of young, active seniors is looking for ways to fill their retirement years. After many years in hectic careers, many are pursuing new interests.
If you enjoy cooking or baking, many community colleges offer non-credit classes in theses areas. Now only are the classes fun, but it is a good way to meet new friends that enjoy similar interests. Community colleges also offer other non-credit classes in the areas of quilting, clothing construction, horticulture, floral design, woodworking, and more. Now, as a retiree, you can enjoy painting the landscapes and enjoy throwing the pottery wheel if you never got a chance to do so before. In addition, if you are interested in taking a credit class, but don’t need the academic credit (if you just wanted to learn a language or new skill), many colleges will allow you to audit a class and only pay a nominal fee, which is around $25. In addition, many colleges will allow you to take tuition-free classes on a space available basis.
Things to Do After Retirement
How to Enjoy Your Golden Years:
Retirement is the point in life when a person stops employment.
So you have lived your life to sweat and toil to fulfill your obligations to your family, and you have made financial plans so you can enjoy the rest of your years in comfort and free of worry. Suddenly one day, you realize you have finally reached the golden years of retirement. With modern medical care, you may still have 30 or more years after retirement. That is why you should make good use of the time ahead.
Retirement is like a permanent leave, a very long vacation. You no longer need to leave home early in the mornings and come back exhausted in the evenings. Now you have all the time to have a sleep in, to stand and stare or to sit on the rocking chair at the front porch. However, sooner or later these non-active activities will become dull and lifeless, that is the time for you to plan for some fun things to do.
Consider the items listed below and enjoy the rest of your golden years to the fullest.
1. Make a list of cherished dreams
If you miss the productivity of the working life then it is time for you to write down a list of 'things I have always wanted to do'. Look back and add in all the dreams of your youth that you have so far to put on hold. Arrange them according to your preference and then try them one by one.
2. Write your life story
Are your life experiences so far interesting and full of twists and turns? Why not look back and put them down in words. It does not matter if you can actually publish your work in the end, just enjoy the process of writing. Your family and close friends will definitely enjoy your story and even have a better understanding of you.
3. Set off for an adventure
Before you are too old to travel, pack yourself some light luggage and set off for an adventure. This time you do not have to worry about the time factor, just decide on your budget. It does not matter whether you are going across the sea or just a nearby village; it does not matter if you are flying, cruising or riding a train, just decide on the trip of your life and enjoy it.
articlesource:associatedcontent.com
Retirement is the point in life when a person stops employment.
So you have lived your life to sweat and toil to fulfill your obligations to your family, and you have made financial plans so you can enjoy the rest of your years in comfort and free of worry. Suddenly one day, you realize you have finally reached the golden years of retirement. With modern medical care, you may still have 30 or more years after retirement. That is why you should make good use of the time ahead.
Retirement is like a permanent leave, a very long vacation. You no longer need to leave home early in the mornings and come back exhausted in the evenings. Now you have all the time to have a sleep in, to stand and stare or to sit on the rocking chair at the front porch. However, sooner or later these non-active activities will become dull and lifeless, that is the time for you to plan for some fun things to do.
Consider the items listed below and enjoy the rest of your golden years to the fullest.
1. Make a list of cherished dreams
If you miss the productivity of the working life then it is time for you to write down a list of 'things I have always wanted to do'. Look back and add in all the dreams of your youth that you have so far to put on hold. Arrange them according to your preference and then try them one by one.
2. Write your life story
Are your life experiences so far interesting and full of twists and turns? Why not look back and put them down in words. It does not matter if you can actually publish your work in the end, just enjoy the process of writing. Your family and close friends will definitely enjoy your story and even have a better understanding of you.
3. Set off for an adventure
Before you are too old to travel, pack yourself some light luggage and set off for an adventure. This time you do not have to worry about the time factor, just decide on your budget. It does not matter whether you are going across the sea or just a nearby village; it does not matter if you are flying, cruising or riding a train, just decide on the trip of your life and enjoy it.
articlesource:associatedcontent.com
The Four Best Ways to Enjoy Your Retirement
What more two-sided word exists in the English language than retirement? At once, it seems like the beautiful end to a long and fulfilling work career, and at the same time, sounds so much like the early onset of death that many people avoid it entirely. The promise of having little to do all day but enjoy the golden years is an almost foreign concept in our society. Retirement doesn't have to mean spending evenings greeting customers at Wal-Mart, however. If you've planned ahead and saved a little money aside for retirement, you may just find the fulfillment and excitement in your life you thought was long gone. Each of these items is time-tested, and seldom require much money. Each can be done inexpensively or as lavishly as you wish. From here on, 65 isn't an end, but just the beginning.
1.
Travel. The United States is a very big country, and the wonders of it you've seen on television don't compare to seeing things like the Washington monument in person. If you aren't too addicted to luxury, your retirement might include a small motorhome which sleeps two people very comfortably, and can be had new for as little as $45,000, or secondhand but in very good condition for as little as $19,000. They aren't difficult to drive or operate, and smaller motorhomes with diesel engines are not expensive to operate. This provides you with all the comforts of home with the ability to travel and see the country you grew up in, experiencing it firsthand. If you do decide that RV travel is right for you, I suggest your first stop be to www.traderonline.com, where you can use the nationwide listings to get an idea for what price range you would like to be in for a motorhome, as well as what type of travel you and your spouse will be most comfortable with.
2.
Volunteer. Volunteering with a charitable organization such as a church or other community-centered foundation can lead to some friendships you may have never thought you would have. Hospitals, state and national parks, churches, and even prisons are always looking for people to volunteer who's lives were filled with the kind of wealth of experiences which others can learn from. They can also give you some of the very best stories to tell, and the satisfaction of knowing that you helped to make someone's life better through education, healing, or simply listening. You might be surprised by how much difference you can make by just listening to someone.
3.
Write. Retirement never means an end to work. Some people continue to work non traditionally long after they've chosen to retire. What not everyone chooses to do, however, is to write. If you have it in you that creative spark to pen the novel you've always wanted to write, than great. You might just be surprised, however, just how meaningful it might be to your children, grandchildren, or society in general if you wrote down your favorite memories from when you were a child. Many people have a story to tell, but no one thinks that anyone is interested in it. Many times have I wanted to know what my grandfather was like as a child, but I'll never know now. That story would have meant a lot to me.
4.
Start a business. If your ideal job has always been to work in a coin shop, than now's the time to make that dream come true. As I've said, retirement doesn't mean an end. There are many entrepreneurs who have begun successful businesses after their so-called "prime," and they're happier and more successful now than they ever were before. Just make sure that you're doing something you love, because beginning a business in a field you hate is as surely a mistake as passing up a dream job because your current job pays the bills.
When all is said and done, you're going to want to know that your retirement stood for something other than reruns of Judge Judy. At sixty-five, if you've played your cards right, you really can make a difference in the world!
articlesource: associatedcontent.com
1.
Travel. The United States is a very big country, and the wonders of it you've seen on television don't compare to seeing things like the Washington monument in person. If you aren't too addicted to luxury, your retirement might include a small motorhome which sleeps two people very comfortably, and can be had new for as little as $45,000, or secondhand but in very good condition for as little as $19,000. They aren't difficult to drive or operate, and smaller motorhomes with diesel engines are not expensive to operate. This provides you with all the comforts of home with the ability to travel and see the country you grew up in, experiencing it firsthand. If you do decide that RV travel is right for you, I suggest your first stop be to www.traderonline.com, where you can use the nationwide listings to get an idea for what price range you would like to be in for a motorhome, as well as what type of travel you and your spouse will be most comfortable with.
2.
Volunteer. Volunteering with a charitable organization such as a church or other community-centered foundation can lead to some friendships you may have never thought you would have. Hospitals, state and national parks, churches, and even prisons are always looking for people to volunteer who's lives were filled with the kind of wealth of experiences which others can learn from. They can also give you some of the very best stories to tell, and the satisfaction of knowing that you helped to make someone's life better through education, healing, or simply listening. You might be surprised by how much difference you can make by just listening to someone.
3.
Write. Retirement never means an end to work. Some people continue to work non traditionally long after they've chosen to retire. What not everyone chooses to do, however, is to write. If you have it in you that creative spark to pen the novel you've always wanted to write, than great. You might just be surprised, however, just how meaningful it might be to your children, grandchildren, or society in general if you wrote down your favorite memories from when you were a child. Many people have a story to tell, but no one thinks that anyone is interested in it. Many times have I wanted to know what my grandfather was like as a child, but I'll never know now. That story would have meant a lot to me.
4.
Start a business. If your ideal job has always been to work in a coin shop, than now's the time to make that dream come true. As I've said, retirement doesn't mean an end. There are many entrepreneurs who have begun successful businesses after their so-called "prime," and they're happier and more successful now than they ever were before. Just make sure that you're doing something you love, because beginning a business in a field you hate is as surely a mistake as passing up a dream job because your current job pays the bills.
When all is said and done, you're going to want to know that your retirement stood for something other than reruns of Judge Judy. At sixty-five, if you've played your cards right, you really can make a difference in the world!
articlesource: associatedcontent.com
Old age homes - a journey in search of joy and tranquility
By: Sharon Supriya
"As I entered one of the biggest old age home in the city, I saw one old man gazing at a single beautiful bright flower amidst many on the ground. He was so engrossed with its beauty that he would smile at it and shake his head. I wanted to pat his back or rather peep in his heart to read the message of the flower, but I just opted silence and stood just beside him. After few minutes I saw a tear rolling down his cheek. I was perplexed was he happy or sad? What was the message from the flower that made him sink so deep in his thought? What did it remind him? Was he gazing at the flower or his own life?
I looked at his eye they were burning red with agony and pain. He had just realized that his life is just like this bright flower. Many would come and glorify the new bloomed flower in the dawn, but after a day or two when its colours had withered to darkness and it cannot stand firm with its head held high, the same people would walk unnoticed without even heeding its cry."
Life seems to be meaningless. Isn't it ? An individual slogs all through his life for the family and with a view that a day would come when he can just relax in his armchair and read his favorite book and tell tales of his youthful days to the younger generation. He will term those days as "And they lived happily ever after". Alas! he forgets that the day of his rest is someone else's busy day and the loved one won't even owe a second for him.
Vicissitudes of life have contributed to the misery of elders with none to depend on, no means of income, no emotional security making them destitute with a question, about how to carry on with their lives. The growing intolerance among youth, coupled with their inability to adjust with the elderly, is just one of the prime reasons for the rise in the number of old age homes in India.
The fading joint family system
in India and other innumerable factors have given rise to west-inspired phenomena of old age homes. Surprising cost of living and scanty return on savings have almost pushed these senior citizens on roads. Such an act has triggered the security net of the helpless, which has almost vanished in many states in India with Kerala topping the list.
They have started walking out of their own home in search of a journey that promises peace, joy and celebration of life with a group of people who share the same boat of life (the wrecked one). However not may rather none of them receive it. Young people with vigor and strength forget that its not too late for them to be in the same shoes. Its just one life that we all have,why can't we be a support to the needy who is not a stranger? Why cant we build a world of love that shelters all, irrespective of age? Why can't life just begin after retirement, than end?
If you respect the one who has moulded you into a fine being, then just hold their hand and lead them straight into your home. They don't need your money or luxury, they just need a shoulder to lean. Help them lead the last few days of their life that doesn't trigger loneliness.
article source: living.oneindia.in
"As I entered one of the biggest old age home in the city, I saw one old man gazing at a single beautiful bright flower amidst many on the ground. He was so engrossed with its beauty that he would smile at it and shake his head. I wanted to pat his back or rather peep in his heart to read the message of the flower, but I just opted silence and stood just beside him. After few minutes I saw a tear rolling down his cheek. I was perplexed was he happy or sad? What was the message from the flower that made him sink so deep in his thought? What did it remind him? Was he gazing at the flower or his own life?
I looked at his eye they were burning red with agony and pain. He had just realized that his life is just like this bright flower. Many would come and glorify the new bloomed flower in the dawn, but after a day or two when its colours had withered to darkness and it cannot stand firm with its head held high, the same people would walk unnoticed without even heeding its cry."
Life seems to be meaningless. Isn't it ? An individual slogs all through his life for the family and with a view that a day would come when he can just relax in his armchair and read his favorite book and tell tales of his youthful days to the younger generation. He will term those days as "And they lived happily ever after". Alas! he forgets that the day of his rest is someone else's busy day and the loved one won't even owe a second for him.
Vicissitudes of life have contributed to the misery of elders with none to depend on, no means of income, no emotional security making them destitute with a question, about how to carry on with their lives. The growing intolerance among youth, coupled with their inability to adjust with the elderly, is just one of the prime reasons for the rise in the number of old age homes in India.
The fading joint family system
in India and other innumerable factors have given rise to west-inspired phenomena of old age homes. Surprising cost of living and scanty return on savings have almost pushed these senior citizens on roads. Such an act has triggered the security net of the helpless, which has almost vanished in many states in India with Kerala topping the list.
They have started walking out of their own home in search of a journey that promises peace, joy and celebration of life with a group of people who share the same boat of life (the wrecked one). However not may rather none of them receive it. Young people with vigor and strength forget that its not too late for them to be in the same shoes. Its just one life that we all have,why can't we be a support to the needy who is not a stranger? Why cant we build a world of love that shelters all, irrespective of age? Why can't life just begin after retirement, than end?
If you respect the one who has moulded you into a fine being, then just hold their hand and lead them straight into your home. They don't need your money or luxury, they just need a shoulder to lean. Help them lead the last few days of their life that doesn't trigger loneliness.
article source: living.oneindia.in
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Oldage is a Gift
I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body - the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant-garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 am, and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love.. I will I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old!
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten, and I eventually remember the important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say 'no', and mean it. I can say 'yes', and mean it
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day
Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant-garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 am, and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love.. I will I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old!
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten, and I eventually remember the important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say 'no', and mean it. I can say 'yes', and mean it
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day
Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles.
A Collection of - Success Quotes
Okay, now let's get to those success quotes...here's to your SUCCESS!
"Do what today others won't, so tomorrow, you can do what others can't."
Brian Rogers Loop
Sent in by Curtis
"You will come to know the way to success only when you know your strengths and also the way in which they can help you and others for a good purpose."
Sent in by Varun Saurya A
"Arise,awake and do not stop till the goal is reached."
Swami Vivekananda
Sent in by Sivaprakash
"Treat others as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being."
Sent in by Debbi
"We must be the epitome-the embodiment-of success. We must radiate success before it will come to us. We must first become mentally, from an attitude standpoint, the people we wish to become."
George Herbert Allen
"Eighty percent of success is showing up."
Woody Allen
"If I feel depressed I will sing. If I feel sad I will laugh. If I feel ill I will double my labor. If I feel fear I will plunge ahead. If I feel inferior I will wear new garments. If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice. If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come. If I feel incompetent I will think of past success. If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals. Today I will be the master of my emotions."
Og Mandino
Success Quotes
"If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success."
John D. Rockefeller
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Calvin Coolidge
"I have learned this at least by my experience: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
Henry David Thoreau
"You never achieve real success unless you like what you are doing."
Dale Carnegie
"If you envy successful people, you create a negative force field of attraction that repels you from ever doing the things that you need to do to be successful. If you admire successful people, you create a positive force field of attraction that draws you toward becoming more and more like the kinds of people that you want to be like."
Brian Tracy
"The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion... It is the man who carefully advances step by step, with his mind becoming wider and wider - and progressively better able to grasp any theme or situation - persevering in what he knows to be practical, and concentrating his thought upon it, who is bound to succeed in the greatest degree."
Alexander Graham Bell
"All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. That is the talisman, the formula, the command of right about face which turns us from failure to success."
Dorthea Bragg
"If one asks for success and prepares for failure, he will get the situation he has prepared for."
Florence Scovel Shinn
"When I was younger, I thought that the key to success was just hard work. But the real foundation is faith. Faith -- the idea that "I can do it -- is the opposite of fear ("What if I fail?"). And faith creates motivation which in turn leads to commitment, hard work, preparation ... and eventually success."
Howard Twilley
"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."
William Feather
"The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams."
Og Mandino
"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy."
Norman Vincent Peale
"When you see a thing clearly in your mind, your creative 'success mechanism' within you takes over and does the job much better than you could do it by conscious effort or 'willpower.'"
Maxwell Maltz
"Hold a picture of yourself long and steadily enough in your mind's eye and you will be drawn toward it. Picture yourself vividly as winning and that alone will contribute immeasurably to success. Great living starts with a picture, held in your imagination, of what you would like to do or be."
Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick
"Loser's visualize the penalties of failure. Winners visualize the rewards of success."
Dr. Rob Gilbert
"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are."
Norman Vincent Peale
"The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistic, and self-complacent is erroneous. On the contrary, it makes them, for the most part, humble, tolerant, and kind. Failure makes people bitter and cruel."
Somerset Maugham
"Failure: A few errors in judgment repeated every day. Success: A few simple disciplines practiced every day."
James Rohn
"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
Thomas Edison
"The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself."
Mark Caine
"Do what today others won't, so tomorrow, you can do what others can't."
Brian Rogers Loop
Sent in by Curtis
"You will come to know the way to success only when you know your strengths and also the way in which they can help you and others for a good purpose."
Sent in by Varun Saurya A
"Arise,awake and do not stop till the goal is reached."
Swami Vivekananda
Sent in by Sivaprakash
"Treat others as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being."
Sent in by Debbi
"We must be the epitome-the embodiment-of success. We must radiate success before it will come to us. We must first become mentally, from an attitude standpoint, the people we wish to become."
George Herbert Allen
"Eighty percent of success is showing up."
Woody Allen
"If I feel depressed I will sing. If I feel sad I will laugh. If I feel ill I will double my labor. If I feel fear I will plunge ahead. If I feel inferior I will wear new garments. If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice. If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come. If I feel incompetent I will think of past success. If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals. Today I will be the master of my emotions."
Og Mandino
Success Quotes
"If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success."
John D. Rockefeller
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Calvin Coolidge
"I have learned this at least by my experience: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
Henry David Thoreau
"You never achieve real success unless you like what you are doing."
Dale Carnegie
"If you envy successful people, you create a negative force field of attraction that repels you from ever doing the things that you need to do to be successful. If you admire successful people, you create a positive force field of attraction that draws you toward becoming more and more like the kinds of people that you want to be like."
Brian Tracy
"The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion... It is the man who carefully advances step by step, with his mind becoming wider and wider - and progressively better able to grasp any theme or situation - persevering in what he knows to be practical, and concentrating his thought upon it, who is bound to succeed in the greatest degree."
Alexander Graham Bell
"All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. That is the talisman, the formula, the command of right about face which turns us from failure to success."
Dorthea Bragg
"If one asks for success and prepares for failure, he will get the situation he has prepared for."
Florence Scovel Shinn
"When I was younger, I thought that the key to success was just hard work. But the real foundation is faith. Faith -- the idea that "I can do it -- is the opposite of fear ("What if I fail?"). And faith creates motivation which in turn leads to commitment, hard work, preparation ... and eventually success."
Howard Twilley
"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."
William Feather
"The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams."
Og Mandino
"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy."
Norman Vincent Peale
"When you see a thing clearly in your mind, your creative 'success mechanism' within you takes over and does the job much better than you could do it by conscious effort or 'willpower.'"
Maxwell Maltz
"Hold a picture of yourself long and steadily enough in your mind's eye and you will be drawn toward it. Picture yourself vividly as winning and that alone will contribute immeasurably to success. Great living starts with a picture, held in your imagination, of what you would like to do or be."
Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick
"Loser's visualize the penalties of failure. Winners visualize the rewards of success."
Dr. Rob Gilbert
"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are."
Norman Vincent Peale
"The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistic, and self-complacent is erroneous. On the contrary, it makes them, for the most part, humble, tolerant, and kind. Failure makes people bitter and cruel."
Somerset Maugham
"Failure: A few errors in judgment repeated every day. Success: A few simple disciplines practiced every day."
James Rohn
"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
Thomas Edison
"The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself."
Mark Caine
Quotes on Oldage
The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young.
The complete life, the perfect pattern, includes old age as well as youth and maturity. The beauty of the morning and the radiance of noon are good, but it would be a very silly person who drew the curtains and turned on the light in order to shut out the tranquillity of the evening. Old age has its pleasures, which, though different, are not less than the pleasures of youth.
No man loves life like him that's growing old.
The old are in a second childhood.
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made.
When we're young we have faith in what is seen, but when we're old we know that what is seen is traced in air and built on water.
Old men’s prayers for death are lying prayers, in which they abuse old age and long extent of life. But when death draws near, not one is willing to die, and age no longer is a burden to them.
There's one advantage to being 102. There's no peer pressure.
All my life I've been taught how to die, but no one ever taught me how to grow old.
I do not wish to grow old, to outlive my illusions. Only a short respite from cares and sorrow, a brief time of flowers, and music, and love, and laughter, and ecstatic tears.
I truly believe that age -- if you're healthy -- age is just a number.
I'm eighty-three and homeless. It was the same when World War II ended. The Army kept me on because I could type, so I was typing other people's discharges and stuff. And my feeling was "Please, I've done everything I was supposed to do. Can I go home now?" That what I feel right now. I've written books. Lots of them. Please, I've done everything I'm supposed to do. Can I go home now? I've wondered where home is. It's when I was in Indianapolis when I was nine years old. Had a dog, a cat, a brother, a sister.
Once a happy old man
One can never change the core of things, and light burns you the harder for it.
There is this difference between the grief of youth and that of old age: youth's burden is lightened by as much of it as another shares; old age may give and give, but the sorrow remains the same.
The Disappointment of Manhood succeeds to the delusion of Youth: let us hope that the heritage of Old Age is not Despair.
Amidst all the wonders recorded in holy writ no instance can be produced where a young woman from real inclination has preferred an old man.
The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.
It is because the old have forgotten life that they preach wisdom.
Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that can happen to a man.
They only name things after you when you're dead or really old.
When you get old, you can't talk to people because people snap at you.... That's why you become deaf, so you won't be able to hear people talking to you that way.
What is the worst of woes that wait on age?
What stamps the wrinkle deeper on the brow?
To view each loved one blotted from life's page,
And be alone on earth, as I am now.
If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.
As we grow older, we must discipline ourselves to continue expanding, broadening, learning, keeping out minds active and open.
And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain,
I’ll state my case of which I’m certain.
I’ve lived a life that’s full, I traveled each and ev’ry highway,
And more, much more than this. I did it my way.
OSCAR WILDE, The Picture of Dorian Gray
The complete life, the perfect pattern, includes old age as well as youth and maturity. The beauty of the morning and the radiance of noon are good, but it would be a very silly person who drew the curtains and turned on the light in order to shut out the tranquillity of the evening. Old age has its pleasures, which, though different, are not less than the pleasures of youth.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM, The Summing Up
No man loves life like him that's growing old.
SOPHOCLES, Acrisius [fragment]
The old are in a second childhood.
ARISTOPHANES, The Clouds
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made.
ROBERT BROWNING, Rabbi ben Ezra
When we're young we have faith in what is seen, but when we're old we know that what is seen is traced in air and built on water.
MAXWELL ANDERSON, Winterset
Old men’s prayers for death are lying prayers, in which they abuse old age and long extent of life. But when death draws near, not one is willing to die, and age no longer is a burden to them.
EURIPIDES, Alcestis
There's one advantage to being 102. There's no peer pressure.
DENNIS WOLFBERG, Humorous Quotes for All Occasions
All my life I've been taught how to die, but no one ever taught me how to grow old.
BILLY GRAHAM, Newsweek, Aug. 14, 2006
I do not wish to grow old, to outlive my illusions. Only a short respite from cares and sorrow, a brief time of flowers, and music, and love, and laughter, and ecstatic tears.
ANNE REEVE ALDRICH, "An Evening With Callender"
I truly believe that age -- if you're healthy -- age is just a number.
HUGH HEFNER, interview, Apr. 8, 2006
I'm eighty-three and homeless. It was the same when World War II ended. The Army kept me on because I could type, so I was typing other people's discharges and stuff. And my feeling was "Please, I've done everything I was supposed to do. Can I go home now?" That what I feel right now. I've written books. Lots of them. Please, I've done everything I'm supposed to do. Can I go home now? I've wondered where home is. It's when I was in Indianapolis when I was nine years old. Had a dog, a cat, a brother, a sister.
KURT VONNEGUT, JR., Rolling Stone, Aug. 24, 2006
Once a happy old man
One can never change the core of things, and light burns you the harder for it.
JOHN ASHBERY, "A Last World"
There is this difference between the grief of youth and that of old age: youth's burden is lightened by as much of it as another shares; old age may give and give, but the sorrow remains the same.
O. HENRY, "The Count and the Wedding Guest"
The Disappointment of Manhood succeeds to the delusion of Youth: let us hope that the heritage of Old Age is not Despair.
BENJAMIN DISRAELI, Vivian Grey
Amidst all the wonders recorded in holy writ no instance can be produced where a young woman from real inclination has preferred an old man.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter to the Marquis de Lafayette, Sep. 30, 1779
The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.
H.L. MENCKEN, Prejudices: Third Series
It is because the old have forgotten life that they preach wisdom.
PHILIP MOELLER, Helena's Husband
Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that can happen to a man.
LEON TROTSKY, Diary in Exile
They only name things after you when you're dead or really old.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, speech, Apr. 26, 1999
When you get old, you can't talk to people because people snap at you.... That's why you become deaf, so you won't be able to hear people talking to you that way.
EDWARD ALBEE, The American Dream
What is the worst of woes that wait on age?
What stamps the wrinkle deeper on the brow?
To view each loved one blotted from life's page,
And be alone on earth, as I am now.
LORD BYRON, Childe Harold
If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.
MICKEY MANTLE
As we grow older, we must discipline ourselves to continue expanding, broadening, learning, keeping out minds active and open.
CLINT EASTWOOD
And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain,
I’ll state my case of which I’m certain.
I’ve lived a life that’s full, I traveled each and ev’ry highway,
And more, much more than this. I did it my way.
FRANK SINATRA, My Way (lyrics by Paul Anka)
Reality Quotes from Vedantha
Youth and old age, like pleasure and pain, birth and death, light and darkness, are inseparable companions.
Optimism without realism brings disappointment. Indiscretion and inexperience can land us in endless difficulties.
With every attachment there arises a corresponding fear, the fear of losing what we cling to.
Practice of non-dependence from an early age makes old age less vulnerable to fear and anxiety.
Therefore it is good that you also practise meditation so that if you cannot read or work, at least you can meditate in your old age
Our selfless actions for the good of others help us to break down the walls of our separative existence, and bring us in contact with our ageless true Self.
Optimism without realism brings disappointment. Indiscretion and inexperience can land us in endless difficulties.
With every attachment there arises a corresponding fear, the fear of losing what we cling to.
Practice of non-dependence from an early age makes old age less vulnerable to fear and anxiety.
Therefore it is good that you also practise meditation so that if you cannot read or work, at least you can meditate in your old age
Our selfless actions for the good of others help us to break down the walls of our separative existence, and bring us in contact with our ageless true Self.
Contribute to the Welfare of Others.
One of the cardinal teachings of Vedanta is that all existence is one: there is one Self that lives in all; there is one life that pulsates in the whole universe. Each individual is like a leaf of a huge tree. Leaves grow and fall in their due time, but the tree continues to exist. When we ignore the fact of oneness, our individual existence becomes separative and delusive. Because of the oneness of existence, our individual welfare depends upon the welfare of the totality. Thus, by doing good to others we really do good to ourselves.
We experience the joy of self-expansion. Swami Vivekananda says: 'They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.' Self-sacrifice for the good of others is the highest virtue. The Bhagavad Gita (II.40) designates this virtue as the greatest dharma: 'In this selfless action, no effort is ever lost and no harm is ever done. Even very little of this dharma saves a man from the Great Fear. There is an ancient verse that says: 'Since death is certain for the body, let this body be used for the good of others.' According to the Bhagavad Gita, the doer of good is the best among the yogis (VI.32): 'Him I hold to be the supreme yogi, O Arjuna, who looks upon the pleasure and pain of all beings as he looks upon them in himself.'15 Further, the Bhagavad Gita (VI.40) says: 'O Partha, there is no destruction for him either in this world or the next: no evil, My son, befalls a man who does good.'
Our selfless actions for the good of others help us to break down the walls of our separative existence, and bring us in contact with our ageless true Self. This contact with our true Self puts an end to all our sorrows and sufferings.
We experience the joy of self-expansion. Swami Vivekananda says: 'They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.' Self-sacrifice for the good of others is the highest virtue. The Bhagavad Gita (II.40) designates this virtue as the greatest dharma: 'In this selfless action, no effort is ever lost and no harm is ever done. Even very little of this dharma saves a man from the Great Fear. There is an ancient verse that says: 'Since death is certain for the body, let this body be used for the good of others.' According to the Bhagavad Gita, the doer of good is the best among the yogis (VI.32): 'Him I hold to be the supreme yogi, O Arjuna, who looks upon the pleasure and pain of all beings as he looks upon them in himself.'15 Further, the Bhagavad Gita (VI.40) says: 'O Partha, there is no destruction for him either in this world or the next: no evil, My son, befalls a man who does good.'
Our selfless actions for the good of others help us to break down the walls of our separative existence, and bring us in contact with our ageless true Self. This contact with our true Self puts an end to all our sorrows and sufferings.
Do Your Duties and Do Your Best.
Vedanta says that life is interdependent, not independent. Our individual life is sustained by receiving support from others. Our body is reproduced from the parental cells. Our food is gathered from the vegetable and animal worlds. Our individual mind-stuff is derived from the cosmic source. Many have to suffer and many have to die to keep us alive.
The human, superhuman, and sub-human worlds are bound together by a tie of spiritual unity. Therefore we have duties to others, duties to God the Creator and the sages, to fellow human beings, to the vegetable and animal worlds, to parents, and to departed ancestors. By doing our duties we recognize that bond of unity and overcome our selfishness and greed, and attain to peace and tranquillity.
Receiving and giving are the two aspects of living. When we were born, we received help from others for our growth, support, and development. When we grow up, we are expected to repay our indebtedness to others by doing our duties to the best of our ability. Those who do not or cannot repay are forced to live a miserable and demeaning life, and their old age is haunted by feelings of self-defeat and unworthiness.
The human, superhuman, and sub-human worlds are bound together by a tie of spiritual unity. Therefore we have duties to others, duties to God the Creator and the sages, to fellow human beings, to the vegetable and animal worlds, to parents, and to departed ancestors. By doing our duties we recognize that bond of unity and overcome our selfishness and greed, and attain to peace and tranquillity.
Receiving and giving are the two aspects of living. When we were born, we received help from others for our growth, support, and development. When we grow up, we are expected to repay our indebtedness to others by doing our duties to the best of our ability. Those who do not or cannot repay are forced to live a miserable and demeaning life, and their old age is haunted by feelings of self-defeat and unworthiness.
Part III - The Guidelines of Vedantha
Even world-renouncing monks and ascetics are advised to practise non-dependence. The laws of physical decay and disintegration are universal and they do not exempt anyone. When the body gets old and begins to break down, it drags the mind down to the physical level. A weak or sick body demands more attention of the mind. Practice of prayer and meditation becomes difficult even for a monk when his body is taken over by old age ailments. Small wonder then that in old age a monk begins to feel the chill of dependence. Unless his self-surrender to God is unshakable and his faith in God's caring hands is unwavering, he becomes fearful in old age.
Instructing a monk, Swami Saradananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, said the following: 'It is good to be active, but it depends on several factors. Your health must be good and you must be able to get along with fellow-workers.
But suppose you have injured one of your limbs; then it would be difficult for you to do work. Therefore I request you to cultivate the habit of reading. Even that is not enough. Suppose you become blind. Therefore it is good that you also practise meditation so that if you cannot read or work, at least you can meditate.'
Activity should not be the sole spiritual preoccupation of a monk. He should keep up the habit of intense study of holy texts and the practice of meditation, so that when he is no longer able to be in the field of action he can be totally non-dependent and spend his old age in study and contemplation of the Divine. The goal of a monk is to be a monk, not to become an administrator, a preacher, a lecturer, or a scholar but to be a man of God, and in his journey to that goal he is alone with his absolute dependence on God. For a monk who forgets these facts, old age brings not enlightenment but disappointment, frustration, and fear.
Instructing a monk, Swami Saradananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, said the following: 'It is good to be active, but it depends on several factors. Your health must be good and you must be able to get along with fellow-workers.
But suppose you have injured one of your limbs; then it would be difficult for you to do work. Therefore I request you to cultivate the habit of reading. Even that is not enough. Suppose you become blind. Therefore it is good that you also practise meditation so that if you cannot read or work, at least you can meditate.'
Activity should not be the sole spiritual preoccupation of a monk. He should keep up the habit of intense study of holy texts and the practice of meditation, so that when he is no longer able to be in the field of action he can be totally non-dependent and spend his old age in study and contemplation of the Divine. The goal of a monk is to be a monk, not to become an administrator, a preacher, a lecturer, or a scholar but to be a man of God, and in his journey to that goal he is alone with his absolute dependence on God. For a monk who forgets these facts, old age brings not enlightenment but disappointment, frustration, and fear.
Practise Non attachment.
So long as we lock ourselves into an obsession with youth culture, we can only develop fear, anger, and frustration. There are two ways to face the reality of old age: to deny old age by creating fantasy and make-believe and yet be forced to grow old unhappily; or to accept old age as the fitting transformation of youth and grow more wise, serene, and authentic as age advances following its own law.It is an illusion that makes a person believe that by arresting old age he can remain ever young.
Prolonging life by medical technology
poses a dilemma for the goals of medicine. Should medicine strive to prevent death or eliminate suffering? What if achieving the first frustrates the second, and vice-versa? The genetic potential for attaining maximum life span is no guarantee against meeting with an accident along the way. We may postpone fate only to succumb to the law of chance.
(3)Practise Non attachment.
Attachment is a form of mental fixation. When a person dwells on anything repeatedly, he develops a liking for that thing, and with the growth of liking he desires to possess the thing. Any obstacle in his way brings anger. From anger comes delusion, and from delusion loss of discrimination and right judgement. Failure of discrimination and right judgement brings moral death. Thus the Bhagavad Gita asks us not to get attached to things that are fleeting and changeable, and will not accompany us after death.
Attachment prevents us from seeing things as they really are. With every attachment there arises a corresponding fear, the fear of losing what we cling to. This fear in turn intensifies the anxiety of the ego, which then seeks to sustain itself by another attachment, and thus our entanglement never ends.
Vedanta tells us that all miseries stem from five causes: loss of contact with Reality, ego and its possessiveness, attachment, aversion, and clinging to life.
Reality has two faces: the Absolute and the relative. Absolute Reality is that which is real for all time, while relative reality is that which is real for a limited period of time. When we ignore the 'Absolute', the world of relative reality becomes delusive and destructive. By re-establishing our contact with the 'Absolute' we eventually overcome all fear, anxiety, despair, and disappointment, all of which result from attachment.
Non-attachment is not being cold, insensitive, and indifferent toward others. It is transferring our attachment to some higher ideal or cause. Practice of non attachment becomes easy for a person who is a seeker of God. He makes God the centre of his life, diverts all his love and attachment to Him and showers his love on all equally, seeing the reflection of his God in them. Those who are not able to do this are advised to practise love and compassion for all beings as the moral duty of a humanist.
Prolonging life by medical technology
poses a dilemma for the goals of medicine. Should medicine strive to prevent death or eliminate suffering? What if achieving the first frustrates the second, and vice-versa? The genetic potential for attaining maximum life span is no guarantee against meeting with an accident along the way. We may postpone fate only to succumb to the law of chance.
(3)Practise Non attachment.
Attachment is a form of mental fixation. When a person dwells on anything repeatedly, he develops a liking for that thing, and with the growth of liking he desires to possess the thing. Any obstacle in his way brings anger. From anger comes delusion, and from delusion loss of discrimination and right judgement. Failure of discrimination and right judgement brings moral death. Thus the Bhagavad Gita asks us not to get attached to things that are fleeting and changeable, and will not accompany us after death.
Attachment prevents us from seeing things as they really are. With every attachment there arises a corresponding fear, the fear of losing what we cling to. This fear in turn intensifies the anxiety of the ego, which then seeks to sustain itself by another attachment, and thus our entanglement never ends.
Vedanta tells us that all miseries stem from five causes: loss of contact with Reality, ego and its possessiveness, attachment, aversion, and clinging to life.
Reality has two faces: the Absolute and the relative. Absolute Reality is that which is real for all time, while relative reality is that which is real for a limited period of time. When we ignore the 'Absolute', the world of relative reality becomes delusive and destructive. By re-establishing our contact with the 'Absolute' we eventually overcome all fear, anxiety, despair, and disappointment, all of which result from attachment.
Non-attachment is not being cold, insensitive, and indifferent toward others. It is transferring our attachment to some higher ideal or cause. Practice of non attachment becomes easy for a person who is a seeker of God. He makes God the centre of his life, diverts all his love and attachment to Him and showers his love on all equally, seeing the reflection of his God in them. Those who are not able to do this are advised to practise love and compassion for all beings as the moral duty of a humanist.
These rules of healthy lifestyle
The Vedanta Kesary, p. 49-52, February 2002
The article in The Economist
continues:
Even in the depths of history a few people have lived to a great age. Researchers reckon that Rameses II, who ruled ancient Egypt some 3,250 years ago, may have survived into his 90s. So did the Greek dramatist Sophocles 800 years later (and, so to judge from some of his late writings, felt it quite long enough) ...
But although on average people in affluent countries now will live far longer than their equivalents even a century or two ago, individual lifespans will not be huge by historical standards. Granted, there are regular reports of healthy 130- or 150-year olds being discovered in some remote mountain region in Eastern Europe, living on yogurt and garlic, herding goats and fathering children at an age when most people would have been dead long ago. But invariably the evidence to support their claim turns out to be less than solid...
These rules of healthy lifestyle
to live longer] are often flouted, sometimes without apparent ill effect. In a speech at his 70th birthday celebration, Mark Twain outlined his own survival strategy: 'I have made it a rule to go to bed when there wasn't anybody left to sit up with; and I have made it a rule to get up when I had to. In the matter of diet, I have been persistently strict to sticking to the things which didn't agree with me, until one or the other of us got the best of it. I have made it a rule never to smoke more than one cigar at a time. As for drinking, when the others drink I like to help. I have never taken any exercise, except sleeping and resting, and I never intend to take any. Exercise is loathsome.'
But, as The Economist points out, adding extra decades to life does not necessarily make life great: 'That, in Greek myth, was the fate of Tithonus, lover of Aurora, the dawn: he asked for immortal life, and got it—but he'd forgotten to ask for youth as well.' Know that Old Age is No Less Meaningful than Youth'. Youth is generally admired for its beauty, optimism, enthusiasm, spirit of adventure, and forward-looking imagination, but it often suffers from indiscretion, impatience, inexperience and instability.
Old age may bring many physical problems and limitations to a person but it endows him with the wisdom of maturity. The voice of this wisdom tells us: Optimism without realism brings disappointment. Indiscretion and inexperience can land us in endless difficulties. The impatient and the unstable are prone to make blunders. Mere external beauty is skin-deep and short-lived without the internal beauty of wisdom. In old age a person becomes a truth-teller. Such a person is liberated from the haunting desire and dream of being a superman or superwoman. He becomes more whole and more himself. All the earlier stages of life find their fulfillment in this wisdom of old age.
Those who think that they can have this wisdom ready-made by reading books or literature, or that they can find someone to give it to them, are greatly mistaken, because wisdom comes from living life through all its stages and there is no such thing as vicarious living. We are unable to recognize the wisdom of old age because we are feverishly trying to remain young without ever becoming old. As a result, our life has lost its meaning and direction.
The article in The Economist
continues:
Even in the depths of history a few people have lived to a great age. Researchers reckon that Rameses II, who ruled ancient Egypt some 3,250 years ago, may have survived into his 90s. So did the Greek dramatist Sophocles 800 years later (and, so to judge from some of his late writings, felt it quite long enough) ...
But although on average people in affluent countries now will live far longer than their equivalents even a century or two ago, individual lifespans will not be huge by historical standards. Granted, there are regular reports of healthy 130- or 150-year olds being discovered in some remote mountain region in Eastern Europe, living on yogurt and garlic, herding goats and fathering children at an age when most people would have been dead long ago. But invariably the evidence to support their claim turns out to be less than solid...
These rules of healthy lifestyle
to live longer] are often flouted, sometimes without apparent ill effect. In a speech at his 70th birthday celebration, Mark Twain outlined his own survival strategy: 'I have made it a rule to go to bed when there wasn't anybody left to sit up with; and I have made it a rule to get up when I had to. In the matter of diet, I have been persistently strict to sticking to the things which didn't agree with me, until one or the other of us got the best of it. I have made it a rule never to smoke more than one cigar at a time. As for drinking, when the others drink I like to help. I have never taken any exercise, except sleeping and resting, and I never intend to take any. Exercise is loathsome.'
But, as The Economist points out, adding extra decades to life does not necessarily make life great: 'That, in Greek myth, was the fate of Tithonus, lover of Aurora, the dawn: he asked for immortal life, and got it—but he'd forgotten to ask for youth as well.' Know that Old Age is No Less Meaningful than Youth'. Youth is generally admired for its beauty, optimism, enthusiasm, spirit of adventure, and forward-looking imagination, but it often suffers from indiscretion, impatience, inexperience and instability.
Old age may bring many physical problems and limitations to a person but it endows him with the wisdom of maturity. The voice of this wisdom tells us: Optimism without realism brings disappointment. Indiscretion and inexperience can land us in endless difficulties. The impatient and the unstable are prone to make blunders. Mere external beauty is skin-deep and short-lived without the internal beauty of wisdom. In old age a person becomes a truth-teller. Such a person is liberated from the haunting desire and dream of being a superman or superwoman. He becomes more whole and more himself. All the earlier stages of life find their fulfillment in this wisdom of old age.
Those who think that they can have this wisdom ready-made by reading books or literature, or that they can find someone to give it to them, are greatly mistaken, because wisdom comes from living life through all its stages and there is no such thing as vicarious living. We are unable to recognize the wisdom of old age because we are feverishly trying to remain young without ever becoming old. As a result, our life has lost its meaning and direction.
Make Old Age a Part of Life.
By : Swami Adiswarananda
The Vedanta Kesary, p. 49-52, February 2002
Vedanta maintains that sorrowing over old age does not make it any better. To deny it is artificial, and attempts to escape it are futile. Vedanta asks us to wake up to this reality and face it, and gives the following guidelines:
Make Old Age a Part of Life.
Old age is one of the natural phases of life. Yet many elderly people continue to imitate the ways of younger people. As Carl Jung so rightly said: ‘For the most part our old people try to compete with the young. In the United States it is almost an ideal for the father to be the brother of his sons, and for the mother it is possible to be the younger sister of her daughter.’ Those who want to avoid old age must be ready to die young. Those who try to forget it will be taken by surprise when it comes. Acceptance of the fact and preparing for it beforehand is the wisest counsel. The realities of life are not tailored to our wishful thinking and imaginations. We may aspire after boundless promise and glory yet must accept life with all its hazard and horror.
Anxiety is an essential ingredient of existence. It cannot be eliminated from life, but can be made to serve the purpose of life. Human existence has two characteristics: Finitude and freedom. The sense of finitude creates existential anxiety, while freedom produces fear and anxiety because of the sense of responsibility it generates. When we try to escape from freedom, we turn away from our authentic potentiality and possibility. And when we avoid the anxiety of freedom, we are forced to lose ourselves in the crowd and become part of the mass life. Morbid preoccupation with past youth in order to avoid the anxiety of old age is a great hindrance to the growth of personality.
Youth and old age, like pleasure and pain, birth and death, light and darkness, are inseparable companions. To have one without the other is infantile and absurd. Yet people have wanted the one without the other. The journal The Economist, in an article in the December 23, 2000 issue, writes:
Are you hoping for a long life? Thought so. Are you looking forward to growing old? Thought not. Man has wanted one without the other for thousands of years, and has invariably been disappointed. Cleopatra is said to have bathed in asses’ milk to stay young and beautiful, but did not live long enough to find out if it worked in old age. The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon was more famous for his search for the Fountain of Youth than for discovering Florida in 1513. He never found the rejuvenating spring that the natives had told him of, and died from a poisoned Indian arrow a few years later.
The legend of the Fountain of Youth may have originated in northern India. It had reached Europe by the 7th century, and was widely known there in the Middle Ages. When Lucas Cranach the Elder was 74, he painted a famous picture of the miraculous spring, with wrinkled old women going in at one end and young beauties coming out at the other. Writers have constantly imagined worlds where people lived to prodigious ages while holding on to their youthful looks and vigour by various means, mostly foul.
Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray kept a picture of himself in the attic, on which his excesses were visited while he himself remained ever young and handsome—though the arrangement, and Mr. Gray, came to a sticky end. In the real world too, people are prepared to try all kinds of disgusting things, from mud baths to injections of monkey glands, in the hope of staying younger longer. Yet nothing has worked against the process of aging. The end result of all efforts has been utter disappointment.
cotinued : http://www.oldagehomesinindia.blogspot.com/2008/12/these-rules-of-healthy-lifestyle.html
The Vedanta Kesary, p. 49-52, February 2002
Vedanta maintains that sorrowing over old age does not make it any better. To deny it is artificial, and attempts to escape it are futile. Vedanta asks us to wake up to this reality and face it, and gives the following guidelines:
Make Old Age a Part of Life.
Old age is one of the natural phases of life. Yet many elderly people continue to imitate the ways of younger people. As Carl Jung so rightly said: ‘For the most part our old people try to compete with the young. In the United States it is almost an ideal for the father to be the brother of his sons, and for the mother it is possible to be the younger sister of her daughter.’ Those who want to avoid old age must be ready to die young. Those who try to forget it will be taken by surprise when it comes. Acceptance of the fact and preparing for it beforehand is the wisest counsel. The realities of life are not tailored to our wishful thinking and imaginations. We may aspire after boundless promise and glory yet must accept life with all its hazard and horror.
Anxiety is an essential ingredient of existence. It cannot be eliminated from life, but can be made to serve the purpose of life. Human existence has two characteristics: Finitude and freedom. The sense of finitude creates existential anxiety, while freedom produces fear and anxiety because of the sense of responsibility it generates. When we try to escape from freedom, we turn away from our authentic potentiality and possibility. And when we avoid the anxiety of freedom, we are forced to lose ourselves in the crowd and become part of the mass life. Morbid preoccupation with past youth in order to avoid the anxiety of old age is a great hindrance to the growth of personality.
Youth and old age, like pleasure and pain, birth and death, light and darkness, are inseparable companions. To have one without the other is infantile and absurd. Yet people have wanted the one without the other. The journal The Economist, in an article in the December 23, 2000 issue, writes:
Are you hoping for a long life? Thought so. Are you looking forward to growing old? Thought not. Man has wanted one without the other for thousands of years, and has invariably been disappointed. Cleopatra is said to have bathed in asses’ milk to stay young and beautiful, but did not live long enough to find out if it worked in old age. The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon was more famous for his search for the Fountain of Youth than for discovering Florida in 1513. He never found the rejuvenating spring that the natives had told him of, and died from a poisoned Indian arrow a few years later.
The legend of the Fountain of Youth may have originated in northern India. It had reached Europe by the 7th century, and was widely known there in the Middle Ages. When Lucas Cranach the Elder was 74, he painted a famous picture of the miraculous spring, with wrinkled old women going in at one end and young beauties coming out at the other. Writers have constantly imagined worlds where people lived to prodigious ages while holding on to their youthful looks and vigour by various means, mostly foul.
Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray kept a picture of himself in the attic, on which his excesses were visited while he himself remained ever young and handsome—though the arrangement, and Mr. Gray, came to a sticky end. In the real world too, people are prepared to try all kinds of disgusting things, from mud baths to injections of monkey glands, in the hope of staying younger longer. Yet nothing has worked against the process of aging. The end result of all efforts has been utter disappointment.
cotinued : http://www.oldagehomesinindia.blogspot.com/2008/12/these-rules-of-healthy-lifestyle.html
Help the Old
Old Age homes were earlier looked upon as abode for old men and women who had no one to look after them. But the scenario is changing fast. Today Old Age homes are no longer just for the needy but also for people who want company and want to spend their life amongst people of their own age. Old Age Homes in India are too changing with times. Today along with the traditional old homes, we have retirement homes which are societies for the elderly. Here they can do whatever they desire in the company of their peers.
Retirement Homes are a new way of life that make sure that the person gets the ambiance and atmosphere he is looking for. Everything right from health, food, lodging and entertainment is taken care of.
Retirement Homes are a new way of life that make sure that the person gets the ambiance and atmosphere he is looking for. Everything right from health, food, lodging and entertainment is taken care of.
Love is not lost in old age
Katherine and Marvin Kehler have been married for over 46 years now, living & sleeping beneath the same roof, sharing meals together, working, playing, praying and traveling during this stretch of time.
Katherine's husband is often called away on travel, perhaps a good thirty percent of each year.
During these long, lonely hours away from home, Marvin makes a point to call her often, in the evenings, when their bed is cold, his voice curving her lips into a smile.
Katherine is still convinced, 46 years into their marriage, that he has the most beautiful smile in the whole world. She loves his calm, gentle voice and his warm, friendly eyes.
He always assures her of his love, frequently saying the words most men find difficult to say, "I love you" and "You're beautiful", showering her with kisses and hugs, wrapping her in adoring affection.
In the evenings, because he knows she likes to take baths, she will come home to find a hot fragrant bath, the room cozy and warm.
Often he will bring her flowers, "Just because" and still makes a point to open doors for her.
When they're together in a group meeting, he warms her heart with a flirty wink. It makes her feel young, like a teenager again.
Their love thrives and grows as they work at pleasing each other, rather than selfishly insisting only having their own needs met.
Katherine shows her love for her husband by cooking his favorite meals. He basks in her thoughtfulness, especially after being on the road and eating restaurant food most of the time.
She cleans and presses his shirt and pants so that he's ready to meet anyone at a moment's notice.
She takes care of the housekeeping, so that when he's home he can just relax after being on the road for hours on end.
She makes a point to let him know what she thinks of him, murmuring in his ear as she gives him a hug, that he's handsome and sharp.
On slow, quiet evenings together as they watch TV, Katherine rests her head in his lap; completely comfortable with the wonderful husband God had given her.
There are times of laughter as well. Times when Marvin is stretched out on the sofa and she just can't resist reaching out to tickle his feet in passing.
They make sure to show affection in public as well, a nurturing touch or gentle squeeze on the arm that communicates, " I love you", without either of them saying a word.
They make a point to include God in their marriage, discussing together over breakfast, what they had been given in Scripture for the day and taking a moment, before giving in to the rat race of the world, to share in prayer.
They realize that romance doesn't start in the bedroom but in the every day exchange of their lives from the way they greet one another in the morning to how they interact and treat each other throughout the day. They have found that in being affectionate and saying kind words that build each other up, it is only natural that when they retire for the evening, that they desire to cuddle.
Perhaps in trying these tips, they've put to the task and found useful, we too can use this recipe to strengthen our marriages and to grow old and gray with our spouses.
Article by-Jorene Haight
Katherine's husband is often called away on travel, perhaps a good thirty percent of each year.
During these long, lonely hours away from home, Marvin makes a point to call her often, in the evenings, when their bed is cold, his voice curving her lips into a smile.
Katherine is still convinced, 46 years into their marriage, that he has the most beautiful smile in the whole world. She loves his calm, gentle voice and his warm, friendly eyes.
He always assures her of his love, frequently saying the words most men find difficult to say, "I love you" and "You're beautiful", showering her with kisses and hugs, wrapping her in adoring affection.
In the evenings, because he knows she likes to take baths, she will come home to find a hot fragrant bath, the room cozy and warm.
Often he will bring her flowers, "Just because" and still makes a point to open doors for her.
When they're together in a group meeting, he warms her heart with a flirty wink. It makes her feel young, like a teenager again.
Their love thrives and grows as they work at pleasing each other, rather than selfishly insisting only having their own needs met.
Katherine shows her love for her husband by cooking his favorite meals. He basks in her thoughtfulness, especially after being on the road and eating restaurant food most of the time.
She cleans and presses his shirt and pants so that he's ready to meet anyone at a moment's notice.
She takes care of the housekeeping, so that when he's home he can just relax after being on the road for hours on end.
She makes a point to let him know what she thinks of him, murmuring in his ear as she gives him a hug, that he's handsome and sharp.
On slow, quiet evenings together as they watch TV, Katherine rests her head in his lap; completely comfortable with the wonderful husband God had given her.
There are times of laughter as well. Times when Marvin is stretched out on the sofa and she just can't resist reaching out to tickle his feet in passing.
They make sure to show affection in public as well, a nurturing touch or gentle squeeze on the arm that communicates, " I love you", without either of them saying a word.
They make a point to include God in their marriage, discussing together over breakfast, what they had been given in Scripture for the day and taking a moment, before giving in to the rat race of the world, to share in prayer.
They realize that romance doesn't start in the bedroom but in the every day exchange of their lives from the way they greet one another in the morning to how they interact and treat each other throughout the day. They have found that in being affectionate and saying kind words that build each other up, it is only natural that when they retire for the evening, that they desire to cuddle.
Perhaps in trying these tips, they've put to the task and found useful, we too can use this recipe to strengthen our marriages and to grow old and gray with our spouses.
Article by-Jorene Haight
Love in an Oldage Home
IN THE PALOMAR ARMS, By Hilma Wolitzer. 307 pp. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $14.95.
THE unmistakable odor of fleshly mortality wafts through the pages of Hilma Wolitzer's fourth novel, as it wafts through the rooms and corridors of the Palomar Arms Senior Home in Ventura, Calif., where the novel's 24-year-old heroine, Daphne Moss, works as a kitchen aide. The home is a friendly enough place, though it bills itself as a ''convalescent and rehabilitation facility'' and everyone knows that it is a rare patient indeed who ever convalesces or gets rehabilitated. ''Their major common complaint is extreme and irrevocable old age, and most of them are kept hostage until they die,'' as Daphne grimly observes.
One scarcely needs to be told that it is a depressing place and that Daphne's tenure there will be brief. She tries to think of the elderly patients as an ''unfortunate club of aliens'' she will never be asked to join. Her strategy is to move in their midst ''breathing out more often than she breathes in'' and dousing herself liberally with perfume to overcome the ''surprisingly interchangeable'' odors of urine and food.
She is generally a sunny young woman, not unlike the 26-year-old heroine of a previous novel, ''Hearts,'' who finds herself a widow with a stepchild after a six-week marriage and must learn to adapt - sometimes with comic results - to her new station in life. In this case Daphne must learn to adjust to life without the consolations and illusions of love, at least for a while.
When we first meet her, she is very much involved with a married man named Kenny; she imagines that when the time is ''right,'' he will simply leave his wife and children and that ''the best years of her infinite and promising life'' will begin. There will be some trouble, of course, but no ''unwarranted violence.'' Daphne is so simple she has failed an elementary test at the telephone company. (She had been trying for a position in Directory Assistance.) And to set the mood for her trysts with Kenny, she has painted her bedroom ceiling midnight blue and pasted luminescent paper stars on it. By the novel's end she is ostensibly wiser - she will paint the ceiling over in rosy pink.
The sadly predictable love affair of Daphne and Kenny is interlarded with chapters from the point of view of two of the Palomar Home's more interesting residents: a 97-year-old woman named Nora McBride who has fibbed about her age and will be grandly feted on her ''100th'' birthday (everyone at the home is determined that Nora will live for her birthday, since media attention is assured and even a telegram from the President) and an elderly sufferer from Parkinson's disease named Joseph Axel, who wants to die. In one of the novel's most poignant scenes, Axel's distraught daughter pleads with Daphne to befriend her father, who is a special person, self-taught, interested in the arts, history and music. ''Daphne was eager to get away before she heard too much, before the woman revealed episodes of her childhood, like home movies, and visions of the manly father who had once pointed out the Big Dipper in a summer sky, and who had seemed tall and powerful as a building against the sky.''
At the novel's end Daphne is brought to a convincing, if not terribly profound, realization: ''Suddenly, in her awful wakefulness, (she) knew what the older people meant. It was that the old-fashioned idea of abiding love - what her generation called commitment - was endangered by the ease of casual sex. The faithful mind and the wanton body were only mortal enemies confined to the same prison.'' Though this would seem to be a modest insight, it does represent a step forward for Daphne, who is last seen ''liberated'' from her adolescent love for Kenny and transferring her credits from mediocre Ventura College to the intellectual heights of San Francisco State University..
''IN THE PALOMAR ARMS'' is a gentle, unpretentious novel populated by well-meaning people who cause one another harm out of ignorance rather than cruelty. The novel's primary weakness, in fact, is a certain blandness of characterization: Daphne and Kenny and Axel and Nora all sound exactly alike, musing to themselves in precisely the same idioms and speech rhythms. Kenny, who should be a strong, pivotal character, is disappointingly wispy, and it is difficult for the reader to take his and Daphne's ''love'' seriously. He is too easily manipulated by his wife's emotional blackmail and pressured into contin of those large stores that carries everything, open and bustling with business. ... When Kenny sees her, he'll be shocked by how different she looks. ... See, I'm already someone else. Why are you telling me this story?''
articlesource:the newyork times
THE unmistakable odor of fleshly mortality wafts through the pages of Hilma Wolitzer's fourth novel, as it wafts through the rooms and corridors of the Palomar Arms Senior Home in Ventura, Calif., where the novel's 24-year-old heroine, Daphne Moss, works as a kitchen aide. The home is a friendly enough place, though it bills itself as a ''convalescent and rehabilitation facility'' and everyone knows that it is a rare patient indeed who ever convalesces or gets rehabilitated. ''Their major common complaint is extreme and irrevocable old age, and most of them are kept hostage until they die,'' as Daphne grimly observes.
One scarcely needs to be told that it is a depressing place and that Daphne's tenure there will be brief. She tries to think of the elderly patients as an ''unfortunate club of aliens'' she will never be asked to join. Her strategy is to move in their midst ''breathing out more often than she breathes in'' and dousing herself liberally with perfume to overcome the ''surprisingly interchangeable'' odors of urine and food.
She is generally a sunny young woman, not unlike the 26-year-old heroine of a previous novel, ''Hearts,'' who finds herself a widow with a stepchild after a six-week marriage and must learn to adapt - sometimes with comic results - to her new station in life. In this case Daphne must learn to adjust to life without the consolations and illusions of love, at least for a while.
When we first meet her, she is very much involved with a married man named Kenny; she imagines that when the time is ''right,'' he will simply leave his wife and children and that ''the best years of her infinite and promising life'' will begin. There will be some trouble, of course, but no ''unwarranted violence.'' Daphne is so simple she has failed an elementary test at the telephone company. (She had been trying for a position in Directory Assistance.) And to set the mood for her trysts with Kenny, she has painted her bedroom ceiling midnight blue and pasted luminescent paper stars on it. By the novel's end she is ostensibly wiser - she will paint the ceiling over in rosy pink.
The sadly predictable love affair of Daphne and Kenny is interlarded with chapters from the point of view of two of the Palomar Home's more interesting residents: a 97-year-old woman named Nora McBride who has fibbed about her age and will be grandly feted on her ''100th'' birthday (everyone at the home is determined that Nora will live for her birthday, since media attention is assured and even a telegram from the President) and an elderly sufferer from Parkinson's disease named Joseph Axel, who wants to die. In one of the novel's most poignant scenes, Axel's distraught daughter pleads with Daphne to befriend her father, who is a special person, self-taught, interested in the arts, history and music. ''Daphne was eager to get away before she heard too much, before the woman revealed episodes of her childhood, like home movies, and visions of the manly father who had once pointed out the Big Dipper in a summer sky, and who had seemed tall and powerful as a building against the sky.''
At the novel's end Daphne is brought to a convincing, if not terribly profound, realization: ''Suddenly, in her awful wakefulness, (she) knew what the older people meant. It was that the old-fashioned idea of abiding love - what her generation called commitment - was endangered by the ease of casual sex. The faithful mind and the wanton body were only mortal enemies confined to the same prison.'' Though this would seem to be a modest insight, it does represent a step forward for Daphne, who is last seen ''liberated'' from her adolescent love for Kenny and transferring her credits from mediocre Ventura College to the intellectual heights of San Francisco State University..
''IN THE PALOMAR ARMS'' is a gentle, unpretentious novel populated by well-meaning people who cause one another harm out of ignorance rather than cruelty. The novel's primary weakness, in fact, is a certain blandness of characterization: Daphne and Kenny and Axel and Nora all sound exactly alike, musing to themselves in precisely the same idioms and speech rhythms. Kenny, who should be a strong, pivotal character, is disappointingly wispy, and it is difficult for the reader to take his and Daphne's ''love'' seriously. He is too easily manipulated by his wife's emotional blackmail and pressured into contin of those large stores that carries everything, open and bustling with business. ... When Kenny sees her, he'll be shocked by how different she looks. ... See, I'm already someone else. Why are you telling me this story?''
articlesource:the newyork times
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Pension Plans
There are two types of pension plans:
1. Defined Benefit Plan (or) qualified benefit plan
2. Defined Contribution Plan (or) non-qualified benefit plan
Defined Benefit Plan :An employer-sponsored retirement plan where employee benefits are sorted out based on a formula using factors such as salary history and duration of employment. Investment risk and portfolio management are entirely under the control of the company. There are also restrictions on when and how you can withdraw these funds without penalties.
This fund is different from many pension funds where payouts are somewhat dependent on the return of the invested funds. Therefore, employers will need to dip into the companies earnings in the event that the returns from the investments devoted to funding the employee's retirement result in a funding shortfall. The payouts made to retiring employees participating in defined-benefit plans are determined by more personalized factors, like length of employment.
A tax-qualified benefit plan, shares the same characteristics of a defined-benefit plan, but also provides the beneficiary of the plan with added tax incentives. These tax incentives are not realized under non-qualified plans.
Defined Contribution Plan :A retirement plan in which a certain amount or percentage of money is set aside each year by a company for the benefit of the employee. There are restrictions as to when and how you can withdraw these funds without penalties. But,There is no way to know how much the plan will ultimately give the employee upon retiring. The amount contributed is fixed, but the benefit is not.
1. Defined Benefit Plan (or) qualified benefit plan
2. Defined Contribution Plan (or) non-qualified benefit plan
Defined Benefit Plan :An employer-sponsored retirement plan where employee benefits are sorted out based on a formula using factors such as salary history and duration of employment. Investment risk and portfolio management are entirely under the control of the company. There are also restrictions on when and how you can withdraw these funds without penalties.
This fund is different from many pension funds where payouts are somewhat dependent on the return of the invested funds. Therefore, employers will need to dip into the companies earnings in the event that the returns from the investments devoted to funding the employee's retirement result in a funding shortfall. The payouts made to retiring employees participating in defined-benefit plans are determined by more personalized factors, like length of employment.
A tax-qualified benefit plan, shares the same characteristics of a defined-benefit plan, but also provides the beneficiary of the plan with added tax incentives. These tax incentives are not realized under non-qualified plans.
Defined Contribution Plan :A retirement plan in which a certain amount or percentage of money is set aside each year by a company for the benefit of the employee. There are restrictions as to when and how you can withdraw these funds without penalties. But,There is no way to know how much the plan will ultimately give the employee upon retiring. The amount contributed is fixed, but the benefit is not.
Required Minimum Distribution
What is Required Minimum Distribution?
The Required minimum distribution method is a simple way of calculating substantially equal periodic payments and is one that resets every year. It is basically calculated by dividing your retirement account balance by your life expectancy factor as provided by the IRS grid.
You will have three choices for a life expectancy factor. You can either go with single life expectancy(no beneficiary), joint life expectancy, or the Uniform Lifetime table. The latter two assume a beneficiary. Remember, the longer you expect to have to pay benefits, the
How do I calculate the payment?
First you need to determine what your account balance is. The IRS does not provide guidelines on this except by saying that the balance must be determined in a reasonable manner. The most prudent thing to do here would be to use the balance of your account from the end of the prior tax year.
Now that you have your balance, you will divide this by the life expectancy factor that you derived from one of the three life expectancy tables we mentioned above. This is the amount you will receive in the first year.
This process must be repeated every year and be sure to only distribute the exact amount that you calculated.
Advantages of using Required Minimum Distributions Methodology
Being that you will be receiving an adjusted amount every year, this method allows you to actually withdraw an amount which takes into account your gains/losses from the prior year.
Disadvantages of using Required Minimum Distributions Methodology
The drawback to using this method is probably obvious to you now. Your distributions could swing drastically up and down as your investments fluctuate. If you are looking for stable payments every year, this may not be the best option. The nature of the life expectancy table renders smaller payments upfront and larger payments as you approach retirement. This could be troubling for some of you as well.
It is a big step to decide which form of computation you will be using to determing periodic payments; it is advisable to seek the help of a professional before you make the final move.
Miscellaneous Rules
Just a few other rules to know about when it comes to required minimum distributions.
* Instead of taking a yearly distribution, it is acceptable to take more regular withdrawals, such as monthly or quarterly as long as long as the distributions meet the required amount.
* If you have multiple IRA's in which you wish to take money from, you essentially are allowed to withdraw more money. The IRS rule allows you to withdraw the total allowable aggegate amount from a single IRA. For example, assume you can take $10,000 from three different IRA's, for a total of $30,000. Essentially, you will be allowed to take $30,000 from a single IRA if you would prefer.
* Individuals who withdraw more than the required minimum distribution for the year cannot use the excess as a credit fro the following year. For example, if your required minimum distribution for last year was $2,000 and you withdrew $3,000; you must reduce your IRA balance from which you calculate RMD upon by $3,000.
The Required minimum distribution method is a simple way of calculating substantially equal periodic payments and is one that resets every year. It is basically calculated by dividing your retirement account balance by your life expectancy factor as provided by the IRS grid.
You will have three choices for a life expectancy factor. You can either go with single life expectancy(no beneficiary), joint life expectancy, or the Uniform Lifetime table. The latter two assume a beneficiary. Remember, the longer you expect to have to pay benefits, the
How do I calculate the payment?
First you need to determine what your account balance is. The IRS does not provide guidelines on this except by saying that the balance must be determined in a reasonable manner. The most prudent thing to do here would be to use the balance of your account from the end of the prior tax year.
Now that you have your balance, you will divide this by the life expectancy factor that you derived from one of the three life expectancy tables we mentioned above. This is the amount you will receive in the first year.
This process must be repeated every year and be sure to only distribute the exact amount that you calculated.
Advantages of using Required Minimum Distributions Methodology
Being that you will be receiving an adjusted amount every year, this method allows you to actually withdraw an amount which takes into account your gains/losses from the prior year.
Disadvantages of using Required Minimum Distributions Methodology
The drawback to using this method is probably obvious to you now. Your distributions could swing drastically up and down as your investments fluctuate. If you are looking for stable payments every year, this may not be the best option. The nature of the life expectancy table renders smaller payments upfront and larger payments as you approach retirement. This could be troubling for some of you as well.
It is a big step to decide which form of computation you will be using to determing periodic payments; it is advisable to seek the help of a professional before you make the final move.
Miscellaneous Rules
Just a few other rules to know about when it comes to required minimum distributions.
* Instead of taking a yearly distribution, it is acceptable to take more regular withdrawals, such as monthly or quarterly as long as long as the distributions meet the required amount.
* If you have multiple IRA's in which you wish to take money from, you essentially are allowed to withdraw more money. The IRS rule allows you to withdraw the total allowable aggegate amount from a single IRA. For example, assume you can take $10,000 from three different IRA's, for a total of $30,000. Essentially, you will be allowed to take $30,000 from a single IRA if you would prefer.
* Individuals who withdraw more than the required minimum distribution for the year cannot use the excess as a credit fro the following year. For example, if your required minimum distribution for last year was $2,000 and you withdrew $3,000; you must reduce your IRA balance from which you calculate RMD upon by $3,000.
72(t) Calculator: Early withdrawals from retirement accounts
72(t) distributions refer to Section 72(t) of the Internal Revenue Code, which deals with the 10% penalty tax on early distributions from retirement plans and IRAs. Generally, withdrawals from IRAs and retirement plans prior to attaining age 59 1/2 are subject to a 10% early withdrawal penalty tax. However, under Section 72(t) there are ways for you to avoid the 10% penalty, provided certain criteria are met. Use this calculator to determine your allowable 72(t) distribution and how it can help fund your early retirement or meet an immediate financial need.
articlesource:http://www.nylim.com/rcg/0,2058,70_1020084,00.html
for the calculation :http://www.nylim.com/rcg/0,2058,70_1020084,00.html
articlesource:http://www.nylim.com/rcg/0,2058,70_1020084,00.html
for the calculation :http://www.nylim.com/rcg/0,2058,70_1020084,00.html
Employee Stock Ownership Plans - ESOP
A qualified, defined contribution, employee benefit (ERISA) plan designed to invest primarily in the stock of the sponsoring employer. ESOPs are "qualified" in the sense that the ESOP's sponsoring company, the selling shareholder and participants receive various tax benefits. ESOPs are often used as a corporate finance strategy and are also used to align the interests of a company's employees with those of the company's shareholders.
Employee stock ownership plans can be used to keep plan participants focused on company performance and share price appreciation. By giving plan participants an interest in seeing that the company's stock performs well, these plans are believed to encourage participants to do what's best for shareholders, since the participants themselves are shareholders.
In short : An employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP for short, is a stock bonus plan that invests corporate profits back into the stock of sponsoring employer by rewarding employees with company stock. An ESOP is a qualified plan and therefore, provides special tax benefits
Employee stock ownership plans can be used to keep plan participants focused on company performance and share price appreciation. By giving plan participants an interest in seeing that the company's stock performs well, these plans are believed to encourage participants to do what's best for shareholders, since the participants themselves are shareholders.
In short : An employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP for short, is a stock bonus plan that invests corporate profits back into the stock of sponsoring employer by rewarding employees with company stock. An ESOP is a qualified plan and therefore, provides special tax benefits
Retirement Plans?
Retirement planning is a big concern for every one. You always pray for a smooth transition with family, friends and also, enough funds.
In the 1950s, Abraham Maslow put all this in form of a theory, popularly known as the "Hierarchy of needs". In brief, it basically addresses the issue of "survival to self-actualisation".
The first step in Maslow's ladder is "psychological needs" that dominate our lives. These include our basic needs of food, clothing, shelter and others. Once these basic needs are taken care of, we move to our next set of needs, called "safety needs." We need protection, stability and of course, a society which has proper law and order.
After that comes the need for belonging through family, friends and community. And then, there is the need for self-esteem, which comes through status, fame, dignity and ability to influence decision making in the family or community. All the above four needs called "deficits needs."
The last need is popularly known as the "need for self-actualisation." Seldom can one satisfy this last need. It is the endless drive to be all that we "can be" or "can achieve".
Similar to the working person, even the retirees follow the same hierarchy of needs. The first and basic retirement need is food, clothing and shelter. Retirees - like all of us - have the fear of survival. Will my wealth outlive me or will I outlive my wealth is the question that they ask themselves. This basic need can get satisfied with the creation of retirement corpus.
Once the basic need is satisfied, next is need for security and protection. Here we are not just referring to physical protection but also financial protection. Most retirees choose debt-based instruments, as they give security of principal (though it loses to inflation.) Pension system is one form of security for retirees.
The next is a system where they will be safe. With the growing instances of physical assault, thefts and murder on senior citizens on the rise, the issue has to be jointly being addressed by police, government, society and community.
Retirees seek love and warmth of family, friends and society. In the Indian society, elders are a part of the family. Beyond family members, today there are a large number of formal and informal community/activity centres where the retired can meet and spend time together. The sense of belonging is going to be addressed by such centres.
There is a serious requirement of specialised colonies that will cater exclusively to the needs of the elderly. These colonies will need to have several facilities like basic health care, round the clock security and recreational activities. Also, they have to address basic and safety needs.
However, as of now, Indian companies are not aggressively coming out with specialised products like accommodation and insurance for the retirees. This is primarily because we are still living in the world where it is assumed that the retired would not have corpuses to fund these products.
The next generation of retirees would definitely have better corpuses, encouraging companies to create specialised products for them. The retiree of today has more money power than what his parents or grand parents had.
They are very status conscious and seek a lifestyle. The ultimate need of self-actualisation can be addressed by giving back to society by using their skill set.
Retirement planning is not restricted to a mere number. It is more to do with satisfying the needs of the person. And since they are not all financial needs, one will need to understand that a great corpus is just not enough.
articlesource:reddif.com
In the 1950s, Abraham Maslow put all this in form of a theory, popularly known as the "Hierarchy of needs". In brief, it basically addresses the issue of "survival to self-actualisation".
The first step in Maslow's ladder is "psychological needs" that dominate our lives. These include our basic needs of food, clothing, shelter and others. Once these basic needs are taken care of, we move to our next set of needs, called "safety needs." We need protection, stability and of course, a society which has proper law and order.
After that comes the need for belonging through family, friends and community. And then, there is the need for self-esteem, which comes through status, fame, dignity and ability to influence decision making in the family or community. All the above four needs called "deficits needs."
The last need is popularly known as the "need for self-actualisation." Seldom can one satisfy this last need. It is the endless drive to be all that we "can be" or "can achieve".
Similar to the working person, even the retirees follow the same hierarchy of needs. The first and basic retirement need is food, clothing and shelter. Retirees - like all of us - have the fear of survival. Will my wealth outlive me or will I outlive my wealth is the question that they ask themselves. This basic need can get satisfied with the creation of retirement corpus.
Once the basic need is satisfied, next is need for security and protection. Here we are not just referring to physical protection but also financial protection. Most retirees choose debt-based instruments, as they give security of principal (though it loses to inflation.) Pension system is one form of security for retirees.
The next is a system where they will be safe. With the growing instances of physical assault, thefts and murder on senior citizens on the rise, the issue has to be jointly being addressed by police, government, society and community.
Retirees seek love and warmth of family, friends and society. In the Indian society, elders are a part of the family. Beyond family members, today there are a large number of formal and informal community/activity centres where the retired can meet and spend time together. The sense of belonging is going to be addressed by such centres.
There is a serious requirement of specialised colonies that will cater exclusively to the needs of the elderly. These colonies will need to have several facilities like basic health care, round the clock security and recreational activities. Also, they have to address basic and safety needs.
However, as of now, Indian companies are not aggressively coming out with specialised products like accommodation and insurance for the retirees. This is primarily because we are still living in the world where it is assumed that the retired would not have corpuses to fund these products.
The next generation of retirees would definitely have better corpuses, encouraging companies to create specialised products for them. The retiree of today has more money power than what his parents or grand parents had.
They are very status conscious and seek a lifestyle. The ultimate need of self-actualisation can be addressed by giving back to society by using their skill set.
Retirement planning is not restricted to a mere number. It is more to do with satisfying the needs of the person. And since they are not all financial needs, one will need to understand that a great corpus is just not enough.
articlesource:reddif.com
Monday, December 1, 2008
No 'Old Age' Limit to Love
On Valentine's Day, it's quite common for couples to exchange flowers, candy, kisses or warm embraces on city streets. The day, after all, symbolizes love.
But is there an age limit to romantic love?
The mass media would lead us to believe that this is the case, given that young couples are often the focal point of most marketing campaigns and TV series.
So what about older couples? Does love fade after a certain point?
According to Dr. Norm O'Rourke, the opposite may be true: love may help sustain people in their later years.
Dr. O'Rourke is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor with the Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University. In October 2005, he received both a CIHR New Investigator award and the CIHR Institute of Aging's Recognition Prize for Aging Research. His work is supported largely by funding from CIHR and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Dr. O'Rourke is currently investigating why a phenomenon he has labelled 'marital aggrandizement' can have significant physical and mental health benefits for older married people. According to Dr. O'Rourke, this is a state of mind where one holds an unrealistically inflated or exaggerated sense of how good the relationship has been; that the couple has experienced no problems in their many years of marriage.
In 1996, Dr. O'Rourke and his colleagues recognized this phenomenon while they studied depression among spouses of persons with dementia.
Despite caring for loved ones under stressful conditions, he discovered that certain caregivers appeared to be functioning with no difficulty at all. Often, these spouses had only positive things to say about their loved ones; and recalled only wonderful things about their married lives before their spouses became ill.
This prompted Dr. O'Rourke to ask crucial questions: "How is it possible for married people not to remember negative memories about their spouses and relationships? And is it possible that this tendency to idealize affects their physical and mental well-being?"
With the aid of a measurement scale that he and Dr. Philippe Cappeliez from the University of Ottawa developed in 2002, Dr. O'Rourke is able to identify those who look at their married lives in highly idealized ways. It appears that this tendency sustains people by buffering them from the negative effects of life's ups and downs.
In his research, Dr. O'Rourke has also discovered that this tendency to idealize is not necessarily contagious. In other words, it is not uncommon for one spouse to recall only fond memories of their married lives, while the other looks at the marriage from a more balanced perspective. And this isn't gender specific.
"Dr. O'Rourke's research on later life relationships will be an important contribution to the social psychology of health and aging, through its examination of the role of aggrandizement," notes Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Aging. "It will also have practical application in our understanding of complex relationship issues and dynamics as they relate to health in old age."
As part of his three-year CIHR-funded study, Dr. O'Rourke has taken this research into the lab in an attempt to better understand how couples in long-term marriages interact and resolve their disagreements. He is in the process of recruiting 125 couples, over the age of 49 who have been married at least 20 years.
The Process:
Dr. O'Rourke and his graduate students first find a common point of disagreement within couples (financial issues are most common). His lab has been set up to resemble a comfortable living room atmosphere in which couples are asked to discuss various ways they might resolve their issues.
Video recordings enable him to study facial expressions, body language in addition to what they say to each other. Dr. O'Rourke also obtains multiple cortisol samples to measure stress levels using saliva samples provided by the couples. If cortisol levels spike over the course of the discussion and remain high, then he knows that stress levels have increased significantly.
The Results:
So far, Dr. O'Rourke has noticed that among those where one or both partners idealize their married lives, they don't fight as much as they discuss.
"They have more constructive methods of approaching their problems. They talk about a disputed issue in a calm and rational manner and listen attentively to the other person's perspective," says Dr. O'Rourke.
It is assumed that within these couples, cortisol levels remain relatively low - and so does the stress.
This is an important finding, because high cortisol levels are significantly associated with illnesses such as heart disease.
This is just the beginning for Dr. O'Rourke and his team in their attempts to understand the phenomenon of marital aggrandizement. They intend to follow couples over time in order to see how their health may change and what factors predict these changes.
Dr. O'Rourke also hopes to identify how these factors help sustain the mental and physical health of older adults over time.
True love and health - that's something else to think about on Valentine's Day
But is there an age limit to romantic love?
The mass media would lead us to believe that this is the case, given that young couples are often the focal point of most marketing campaigns and TV series.
So what about older couples? Does love fade after a certain point?
According to Dr. Norm O'Rourke, the opposite may be true: love may help sustain people in their later years.
Dr. O'Rourke is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor with the Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University. In October 2005, he received both a CIHR New Investigator award and the CIHR Institute of Aging's Recognition Prize for Aging Research. His work is supported largely by funding from CIHR and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Dr. O'Rourke is currently investigating why a phenomenon he has labelled 'marital aggrandizement' can have significant physical and mental health benefits for older married people. According to Dr. O'Rourke, this is a state of mind where one holds an unrealistically inflated or exaggerated sense of how good the relationship has been; that the couple has experienced no problems in their many years of marriage.
In 1996, Dr. O'Rourke and his colleagues recognized this phenomenon while they studied depression among spouses of persons with dementia.
Despite caring for loved ones under stressful conditions, he discovered that certain caregivers appeared to be functioning with no difficulty at all. Often, these spouses had only positive things to say about their loved ones; and recalled only wonderful things about their married lives before their spouses became ill.
This prompted Dr. O'Rourke to ask crucial questions: "How is it possible for married people not to remember negative memories about their spouses and relationships? And is it possible that this tendency to idealize affects their physical and mental well-being?"
With the aid of a measurement scale that he and Dr. Philippe Cappeliez from the University of Ottawa developed in 2002, Dr. O'Rourke is able to identify those who look at their married lives in highly idealized ways. It appears that this tendency sustains people by buffering them from the negative effects of life's ups and downs.
In his research, Dr. O'Rourke has also discovered that this tendency to idealize is not necessarily contagious. In other words, it is not uncommon for one spouse to recall only fond memories of their married lives, while the other looks at the marriage from a more balanced perspective. And this isn't gender specific.
"Dr. O'Rourke's research on later life relationships will be an important contribution to the social psychology of health and aging, through its examination of the role of aggrandizement," notes Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Aging. "It will also have practical application in our understanding of complex relationship issues and dynamics as they relate to health in old age."
As part of his three-year CIHR-funded study, Dr. O'Rourke has taken this research into the lab in an attempt to better understand how couples in long-term marriages interact and resolve their disagreements. He is in the process of recruiting 125 couples, over the age of 49 who have been married at least 20 years.
The Process:
Dr. O'Rourke and his graduate students first find a common point of disagreement within couples (financial issues are most common). His lab has been set up to resemble a comfortable living room atmosphere in which couples are asked to discuss various ways they might resolve their issues.
Video recordings enable him to study facial expressions, body language in addition to what they say to each other. Dr. O'Rourke also obtains multiple cortisol samples to measure stress levels using saliva samples provided by the couples. If cortisol levels spike over the course of the discussion and remain high, then he knows that stress levels have increased significantly.
The Results:
So far, Dr. O'Rourke has noticed that among those where one or both partners idealize their married lives, they don't fight as much as they discuss.
"They have more constructive methods of approaching their problems. They talk about a disputed issue in a calm and rational manner and listen attentively to the other person's perspective," says Dr. O'Rourke.
It is assumed that within these couples, cortisol levels remain relatively low - and so does the stress.
This is an important finding, because high cortisol levels are significantly associated with illnesses such as heart disease.
This is just the beginning for Dr. O'Rourke and his team in their attempts to understand the phenomenon of marital aggrandizement. They intend to follow couples over time in order to see how their health may change and what factors predict these changes.
Dr. O'Rourke also hopes to identify how these factors help sustain the mental and physical health of older adults over time.
True love and health - that's something else to think about on Valentine's Day
What are the benefits of 401k plan?
Benefits of a 401(k)
All the contributions you make to your 401(k) are on a pre-tax basis. By deferring money to your 401(k) before taxes, you not only avoid paying taxes now, but you reduce the amount of taxable income that Uncle Sam can take. You will have to pay federal and state income taxes when you withdraw from your 401k, but there’s always a chance you’ll retire in Florida, or another state which doesn’t have a state income tax. According to the IRS, those states, besides Florida, include: Alaska, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota,Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
Keeping your 401(k) prepared
A Few Restrictions
No such thing as a free lunch, you say? Well, there are restrictions, and in the case of 401(k)s you can only contribute the lesser of $14,000 or 100% of your compensation for the year 2005. If you work multiple jobs and have more than one 401(k), you are still limited to $14,000 a year total. However, that number will increase to $15,000 in 2006. If you’re over 50 and you’re trying to catch up, the law allows you to defer an extra $4000 for the year 2005. There is also a limit to when you can withdraw from your account penalty free. You must wait until age 59 ½ until you withdraw from your 401(k). Withdrawals before age 59 ½ are subject to a 10% penalty.
401(k)s aren’t the only option for retirement, but they’re definitely one of the most attractive. In a lot of cases, they offer free money and are relatively easy to roll over when you change jobs. You also have the convenience of deferring taxes and paying less each year to the government. Social Security probably shouldn’t be relied upon, and personal savings don’t often give you the chance for free money, so it only makes sense to participate in your employer’s 401(k) to add to your retirement plan.
By sitting down with a financial professional, you can make sure you’re prepared for retirement with a 401(k) that fits your investment style and your stage in life. You can also make sure that your financial well-being is prepared for any changes of career or investment styles by working with someone closely to handle it all with ease. Who knows, with a small amount of effort working with your financial professional, your preparation might even make General Patton proud.
All the contributions you make to your 401(k) are on a pre-tax basis. By deferring money to your 401(k) before taxes, you not only avoid paying taxes now, but you reduce the amount of taxable income that Uncle Sam can take. You will have to pay federal and state income taxes when you withdraw from your 401k, but there’s always a chance you’ll retire in Florida, or another state which doesn’t have a state income tax. According to the IRS, those states, besides Florida, include: Alaska, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota,Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
Another added benefit of an employer-matched 401(k) (besides the free money!) is that the money is available in case of an emergency withdrawal. In some cases, you may be able to borrow money from your 401(k), penalty free. However, if you quit your job or are laid off, before paying back the loan, you may be required to pay the full amount at termination. Always check with your financial professional before borrowing any money from your plan.
Keeping your 401(k) prepared
Besides being prepared for retirement, you also want to be prepared with your individual 401(k) and the restrictions and limits placed on it. These limits and rules can apply to switching jobs, borrowing from your account, and the penalties that may be incurred if you withdraw early from the account. As soon as you enroll in a 401(k), you should receive a Summary Plan Description. Your employer should provide it to you. If not, ask for it. This will describe your retirement plan and the options available to you regarding withdrawals, rollovers, and collections. You want to share this document with your financial professional so the two of you can decide what options fit you best when planning for the future. Many companies have restrictions on what can and can’t be done with your retirement fund. As with most financial planning, a little education goes a long way, and knowing the details of your plan will help make future job transitions a bit smoother.
A Few Restrictions
No such thing as a free lunch, you say? Well, there are restrictions, and in the case of 401(k)s you can only contribute the lesser of $14,000 or 100% of your compensation for the year 2005. If you work multiple jobs and have more than one 401(k), you are still limited to $14,000 a year total. However, that number will increase to $15,000 in 2006. If you’re over 50 and you’re trying to catch up, the law allows you to defer an extra $4000 for the year 2005. There is also a limit to when you can withdraw from your account penalty free. You must wait until age 59 ½ until you withdraw from your 401(k). Withdrawals before age 59 ½ are subject to a 10% penalty.
401(k)s aren’t the only option for retirement, but they’re definitely one of the most attractive. In a lot of cases, they offer free money and are relatively easy to roll over when you change jobs. You also have the convenience of deferring taxes and paying less each year to the government. Social Security probably shouldn’t be relied upon, and personal savings don’t often give you the chance for free money, so it only makes sense to participate in your employer’s 401(k) to add to your retirement plan.
By sitting down with a financial professional, you can make sure you’re prepared for retirement with a 401(k) that fits your investment style and your stage in life. You can also make sure that your financial well-being is prepared for any changes of career or investment styles by working with someone closely to handle it all with ease. Who knows, with a small amount of effort working with your financial professional, your preparation might even make General Patton proud.
What is 401k Retirement Plan?
401(k)s got their start back in 1978, when the IRS established a new provision to allow employees to
defer some of their compensation into an account with their employer. The beauty is that in many cases,
your employers will match your contributions to a certain point. Employer matches come in a wide variety
of options depending on the employer’s discretion. Some employers match contributions dollar for
dollar. Others match 25 or more cents on the dollar. That means each time you contribute, your employer
adds money, for free! Often times your employer will only match up to a certain percent of your salary. But
regardless, they’re adding to your retirement for you!
When you first enroll in a 401(k) plan, you’ll be given a list of investment options.
It’s best to sit down with a financial professional and figure out how you wish to
invest your money. Your options for investments will vary from conservative
fixed income investments to aggressive stock portfolios. You are able to
allocate your money into investments in different combinations depending on
how much growth you want to achieve, and how much risk you can tolerate.
articlesource:themoneyalert.com
defer some of their compensation into an account with their employer. The beauty is that in many cases,
your employers will match your contributions to a certain point. Employer matches come in a wide variety
of options depending on the employer’s discretion. Some employers match contributions dollar for
dollar. Others match 25 or more cents on the dollar. That means each time you contribute, your employer
adds money, for free! Often times your employer will only match up to a certain percent of your salary. But
regardless, they’re adding to your retirement for you!
When you first enroll in a 401(k) plan, you’ll be given a list of investment options.
It’s best to sit down with a financial professional and figure out how you wish to
invest your money. Your options for investments will vary from conservative
fixed income investments to aggressive stock portfolios. You are able to
allocate your money into investments in different combinations depending on
how much growth you want to achieve, and how much risk you can tolerate.
articlesource:themoneyalert.com
Retirement Plan- 401k
A 401k is a type of employer-sponsored retirement plan. It is a way for employees to save for their retirement by having a certain percentage of their paycheck withheld by their employer and deposited into the company's plan. Employers can choose to match the employee's contributions and thereby share the profits of the company with their employees. The plan is usually operated through an investment firm.
For example, Acme Company's 401k plan allows employees to contribute part of their paycheck into the plan. Acme will match incrementally up to 3% of the employees contribution. If the employee contributes 3%, Acme will contribute 2% to the employee's account. If the employee contributes 4%, the company will contribute 2.5%, and if the employee contributes 5% or more, the company will contribute 3%. The employer's contributions are called matching contributions.
As you can see, if an employer provides matching contributions, the employee can increase the amount of money he receives from his employer above and beyond his salary. For example, if Joe makes $30,000 in 2007 and contributes 5%, Acme will contribute an additional 3%. As a result, Joe will receive $30,000 plus $900 additional money from Acme's matching contributions. Joe's total compensation will be $30,900, not $30,000, simply because he participates in Acme's plan.
How does a 401k work?
Your employer withholds a certain amount of your paycheck and deposits that money, along with any matching contributions, into your 401k account. The money in the plan is invested in various financial instruments, such as mutual funds. The money stays in the account until you reach a certain age when it is legal to withdraw the money, or until you meet any of the several exceptions to the age rule. Since the money will be in the account over a period of years, this causes the account to earn money through compounding, so your account grows not only through your regular contributions made from your paycheck but also by earning interest or dividends.
How do I make contributions to a 401k?
You make a contributions through your employer. If you decide to participate in the plan, you will determine what percentage of your paycheck that you want to be deposited in your account, and your employer will withhold that amount from each paycheck you receive. The employer then deposits the withheld money into your account, along with any matching contributions, so contributions are made to your account each pay period.
Are there any limitations to making a contribution to a 401k?
Yes, there are limitations. You are limited by IRS rules and also by whatever rules your employer implements in his plan.
IRS Contribution Limitations
For 2007, the limit for contributions to defined contribution plans is the lesser of:
1. 100% of the participant's compensation, or
2. $45,000.1
Employer Limitations
When your employer sets up his plan, he can place limitations on contributions. The plan can be set up so that employees can only contribute up to a certain percentage of their paychecks. A common example is the limitation on matching contributions the employer will provide.
What is a company match?
A company match is when employers agree to contribute certain amounts to your 401k in addition to your own contributions. Employers may decide to make a contribution above and beyond what you decide to contribute. This is one version of what is commonly known as profit-sharing since the company gives you additional compensation toward your retirement. Because you are part of the company and your work helps contribute to any profit the company makes, employers use matching contributions as a way to reward employees for their input to the company's bottom line. This can also provide an incentive for employees to work harder in order for the company to make more money.
If my employer goes out of business before I retire and receive distributions from my 401k, what happens?
401k plans are covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or ERISA. Generally, if an employer goes out of business or becomes bankrupt, the employer's creditors receive the employer's assets to settle debts. However, ERISA protects your plan money from those creditors. The creditors generally cannot get any money from a 401k plan to settle debts of a bankrupt employer.2
When can I withdraw my money from a 401k?
You can withdraw your money at any time. However, if your withdrawal is an early distribution, you will have to pay an extra tax on the withdrawal.3
What is an early distribution?
An early distribution is any money taken out of your 401k before reaching age 59 ½. Early distributions are subject to a 10% tax penalty in addition to regular income taxes, so if you withdraw $5,000 when you are 45, you will have to pay $500 as a tax penalty. However, as discussed in the following question, there are some exceptions that allow you to withdraw money before age 59 ½ without owing the 10% penalty.4
Are there any other circumstances when I can withdraw my money before age 59 ½?
Yes, there are some exceptions to the age rule. You will not owe the 10% tax on an early withdrawal if the withdrawal is:
1. Made to a beneficiary after your death.
2. Made because the employee has a qualifying disability.
3. Made as part of a series of substantially equal periodic payments.
4. Made after separation from service if the separation occurred during or after the year when the employee reached age 55.
5. Made to an alternate payee under a qualified domestic relations order (QDRO).
6. Made to an employee for medical care.
7. Timely made to reduce excess contributions under a 401k plan.
8. Timely made to reduce excess employee or matching employer contributions (excess aggregate contributions).
9. Timely made to reduce excess elective deferrals.
10. Made because of an IRS levy on the plan.
11. Made a qualified reservist distribution.
How do you maintain a 401k?
You maintain your account by making contributions to it. You can only make contributions through your employer. The contributions are withheld from your paycheck, and any matching contributions from your employer are deposited into the plan by your employer.
If you leave the company, you can choose to leave your 401k as it is, or roll it over into a Traditional IRA.
If I quit my job where I was participating in a 401k plan, what happens?
The money you contributed to the 401k is always yours, regardless of how long you have worked for the employer. Generally, an employer requires that you work a certain number of years before you are vested, which simply means that you are legally entitled to the employer's matching contributions. Therefore, depending on your employer's rules, you may or may not be able to keep the employer's matching contributions.
There are several things that you can do with your account after leaving your job. One is to leave the 401k in your employer's plan until you decide what to do with it. You can even leave it there until you reach age 59 1/2 and can begin receiving distributions. However, your former employer may charge you fees for maintaining your 401k for you. Check the plan agreement for details about your former company's specific rules.
Another thing you can do is rollover your 401k into a Traditional IRA. Contributions to Traditional IRA's receive the same type of tax deferral treatment as contributions to 401k's, so you may be able to rollover your money into a Traditional IRA and not owe additional taxes.5
What if I am laid off or fired?
Your options include any of the solutions discussed in the previous question. Despite being fired or laid off, the contributions that you made to your account are still your money, so you are legally entitled to all contributions that you made. However, depending on the rules of your plan, you may not be entitled to the employer matching contributions.
Can I start a 401k if I already have an IRA?
Yes, you absolutely can participate if you also have IRA's, Traditional or Roth.
How does a 401k affect my federal income tax?
Contributions are considered "elective deferrals" of income, so you do not pay any federal income tax on them in the year you make the contribution. For example, John contributes $1,000 to his 401k in 2007, and his employer contributes $200. John's salary for the year is $30,000. He will pay federal income taxes on $29,000 only, which is his salary minus his $1,000 contribution.
However, Uncle Sam will never let you get away completely tax-free. When you take distributions from your plan during retirement, you will pay federal income taxes on that money then. For example, if Susan is age 65 and receives a $10,000 distribution in 2007, she will owe taxes on the $10,000. However, when she contributed to the plan years ago, she did not have to pay any taxes on the money she contributed then.6
Do I have to withdraw money at a certain age?
Yes, you must start withdrawing money by April 1 of the year after:
1. You reach age 70 ½, or
2. You retire from the company maintaining the 401k plan.7
What happens to my 401k after I die?
You may designate beneficiaries who will inherit your account after your death.8
Why participate in a 401k? Why not just invest that money in mutual funds?
By participating, you receive tax benefits that you would not receive by investing your money in mutual funds on your own. The money you contribute is not subject to income tax. Therefore, you end up paying fewer taxes by participating in the plan than if you bought mutual funds on your own. For example, Joe works for ABC Company. He makes $30,000 and contributed $1,500 to his 401k. He will owe federal income taxes on $28,500 only, not on his full salary of $30,000. He gets to deduct the contributions from his income before calculating his taxes.
Another reason to participate is that in most plans, employers match a portion of your contributions, so it is as if your employer is giving you free money simply by participating! For example, Joe of ABC Company makes $30,000 in 2007 and contributes $1,500 of that salary to his 401k plan in 2007. ABC Company provides matching contributions of $1000, so Joe really makes $31,000 in 2007, not just his $30,000 base salary.
articlesource:ezinearticles
For example, Acme Company's 401k plan allows employees to contribute part of their paycheck into the plan. Acme will match incrementally up to 3% of the employees contribution. If the employee contributes 3%, Acme will contribute 2% to the employee's account. If the employee contributes 4%, the company will contribute 2.5%, and if the employee contributes 5% or more, the company will contribute 3%. The employer's contributions are called matching contributions.
As you can see, if an employer provides matching contributions, the employee can increase the amount of money he receives from his employer above and beyond his salary. For example, if Joe makes $30,000 in 2007 and contributes 5%, Acme will contribute an additional 3%. As a result, Joe will receive $30,000 plus $900 additional money from Acme's matching contributions. Joe's total compensation will be $30,900, not $30,000, simply because he participates in Acme's plan.
How does a 401k work?
Your employer withholds a certain amount of your paycheck and deposits that money, along with any matching contributions, into your 401k account. The money in the plan is invested in various financial instruments, such as mutual funds. The money stays in the account until you reach a certain age when it is legal to withdraw the money, or until you meet any of the several exceptions to the age rule. Since the money will be in the account over a period of years, this causes the account to earn money through compounding, so your account grows not only through your regular contributions made from your paycheck but also by earning interest or dividends.
How do I make contributions to a 401k?
You make a contributions through your employer. If you decide to participate in the plan, you will determine what percentage of your paycheck that you want to be deposited in your account, and your employer will withhold that amount from each paycheck you receive. The employer then deposits the withheld money into your account, along with any matching contributions, so contributions are made to your account each pay period.
Are there any limitations to making a contribution to a 401k?
Yes, there are limitations. You are limited by IRS rules and also by whatever rules your employer implements in his plan.
IRS Contribution Limitations
For 2007, the limit for contributions to defined contribution plans is the lesser of:
1. 100% of the participant's compensation, or
2. $45,000.1
Employer Limitations
When your employer sets up his plan, he can place limitations on contributions. The plan can be set up so that employees can only contribute up to a certain percentage of their paychecks. A common example is the limitation on matching contributions the employer will provide.
What is a company match?
A company match is when employers agree to contribute certain amounts to your 401k in addition to your own contributions. Employers may decide to make a contribution above and beyond what you decide to contribute. This is one version of what is commonly known as profit-sharing since the company gives you additional compensation toward your retirement. Because you are part of the company and your work helps contribute to any profit the company makes, employers use matching contributions as a way to reward employees for their input to the company's bottom line. This can also provide an incentive for employees to work harder in order for the company to make more money.
If my employer goes out of business before I retire and receive distributions from my 401k, what happens?
401k plans are covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or ERISA. Generally, if an employer goes out of business or becomes bankrupt, the employer's creditors receive the employer's assets to settle debts. However, ERISA protects your plan money from those creditors. The creditors generally cannot get any money from a 401k plan to settle debts of a bankrupt employer.2
When can I withdraw my money from a 401k?
You can withdraw your money at any time. However, if your withdrawal is an early distribution, you will have to pay an extra tax on the withdrawal.3
What is an early distribution?
An early distribution is any money taken out of your 401k before reaching age 59 ½. Early distributions are subject to a 10% tax penalty in addition to regular income taxes, so if you withdraw $5,000 when you are 45, you will have to pay $500 as a tax penalty. However, as discussed in the following question, there are some exceptions that allow you to withdraw money before age 59 ½ without owing the 10% penalty.4
Are there any other circumstances when I can withdraw my money before age 59 ½?
Yes, there are some exceptions to the age rule. You will not owe the 10% tax on an early withdrawal if the withdrawal is:
1. Made to a beneficiary after your death.
2. Made because the employee has a qualifying disability.
3. Made as part of a series of substantially equal periodic payments.
4. Made after separation from service if the separation occurred during or after the year when the employee reached age 55.
5. Made to an alternate payee under a qualified domestic relations order (QDRO).
6. Made to an employee for medical care.
7. Timely made to reduce excess contributions under a 401k plan.
8. Timely made to reduce excess employee or matching employer contributions (excess aggregate contributions).
9. Timely made to reduce excess elective deferrals.
10. Made because of an IRS levy on the plan.
11. Made a qualified reservist distribution.
How do you maintain a 401k?
You maintain your account by making contributions to it. You can only make contributions through your employer. The contributions are withheld from your paycheck, and any matching contributions from your employer are deposited into the plan by your employer.
If you leave the company, you can choose to leave your 401k as it is, or roll it over into a Traditional IRA.
If I quit my job where I was participating in a 401k plan, what happens?
The money you contributed to the 401k is always yours, regardless of how long you have worked for the employer. Generally, an employer requires that you work a certain number of years before you are vested, which simply means that you are legally entitled to the employer's matching contributions. Therefore, depending on your employer's rules, you may or may not be able to keep the employer's matching contributions.
There are several things that you can do with your account after leaving your job. One is to leave the 401k in your employer's plan until you decide what to do with it. You can even leave it there until you reach age 59 1/2 and can begin receiving distributions. However, your former employer may charge you fees for maintaining your 401k for you. Check the plan agreement for details about your former company's specific rules.
Another thing you can do is rollover your 401k into a Traditional IRA. Contributions to Traditional IRA's receive the same type of tax deferral treatment as contributions to 401k's, so you may be able to rollover your money into a Traditional IRA and not owe additional taxes.5
What if I am laid off or fired?
Your options include any of the solutions discussed in the previous question. Despite being fired or laid off, the contributions that you made to your account are still your money, so you are legally entitled to all contributions that you made. However, depending on the rules of your plan, you may not be entitled to the employer matching contributions.
Can I start a 401k if I already have an IRA?
Yes, you absolutely can participate if you also have IRA's, Traditional or Roth.
How does a 401k affect my federal income tax?
Contributions are considered "elective deferrals" of income, so you do not pay any federal income tax on them in the year you make the contribution. For example, John contributes $1,000 to his 401k in 2007, and his employer contributes $200. John's salary for the year is $30,000. He will pay federal income taxes on $29,000 only, which is his salary minus his $1,000 contribution.
However, Uncle Sam will never let you get away completely tax-free. When you take distributions from your plan during retirement, you will pay federal income taxes on that money then. For example, if Susan is age 65 and receives a $10,000 distribution in 2007, she will owe taxes on the $10,000. However, when she contributed to the plan years ago, she did not have to pay any taxes on the money she contributed then.6
Do I have to withdraw money at a certain age?
Yes, you must start withdrawing money by April 1 of the year after:
1. You reach age 70 ½, or
2. You retire from the company maintaining the 401k plan.7
What happens to my 401k after I die?
You may designate beneficiaries who will inherit your account after your death.8
Why participate in a 401k? Why not just invest that money in mutual funds?
By participating, you receive tax benefits that you would not receive by investing your money in mutual funds on your own. The money you contribute is not subject to income tax. Therefore, you end up paying fewer taxes by participating in the plan than if you bought mutual funds on your own. For example, Joe works for ABC Company. He makes $30,000 and contributed $1,500 to his 401k. He will owe federal income taxes on $28,500 only, not on his full salary of $30,000. He gets to deduct the contributions from his income before calculating his taxes.
Another reason to participate is that in most plans, employers match a portion of your contributions, so it is as if your employer is giving you free money simply by participating! For example, Joe of ABC Company makes $30,000 in 2007 and contributes $1,500 of that salary to his 401k plan in 2007. ABC Company provides matching contributions of $1000, so Joe really makes $31,000 in 2007, not just his $30,000 base salary.
articlesource:ezinearticles
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