Andrea’s personal Blog

Life cycle of the mid-life crisis

There’s a certain age we reach when we start to feel somewhat less satisfied with life.

Exactly what that age is, is hard to say. Exactly how we feel is also hard to say.

But we know we’ve been growing increasingly discontent over something or other? And it seems to have started as we moved into middle age?

We tend to keep how we feel to ourselves. It’s because we hear how others who readily talk about it get told “oh you’re heading for a mid-life crisis!”

We experience growing urges to do something “surprising” like have a gap year or buy a motor cycle. Then we hear about somebody that did just that and how others said “Oh he’s having a mid-life crisis!” So we don’t.

Mostly we keep the feeling to ourselves, and do nothing about it. Then eventually we reach a stage where we find ourselves grumbling about things. About most things in fact, and we get told “you’ve become a right grumpy old man!”

Familiar isn’t it? Especially that bit about how the perceptions and views of others have a deciding influence on how we think and act. Who ever decided that it was a crisis anyway?

Yes! Whose crisis is it?

People in general don’t seem to like the status quo being altered. We see ourselves following an expected pattern in life which goes through the sequence:- 1: School. 2: Further education. 3: Job. 4: Retirement.

We enjoy being comfortable within our familiar pattern. So we want the pattern to remain constant and know that everybody else is conforming to that pattern and not breaking step. When they do we get anxious.

You can see this at the very simple level in the way we behave in queues, expecting everyone to stay in place… and look how twitchy we get when an individual steps out of line.

So maybe that’s the first thing to recognise. The so called “crisis” is only an anxiety response in other people, so stop worrying what they think or say.

So why do we get discontent?

Accepting that some folk can’t wait to give up work and retire I think we’d agree that the rest of us enjoy making use of whatever we’ve got going for us. Using our particular strengths in situations that demand them as well as allowing us to exploit them to the full or thereabouts. Getting a job that meets all that is great but not guaranteed. Having one that continues all through working life to provide room to stretch and grow is rare. So it’s pretty much inevitable that at some time in mid to late career things go flat.

The diminishing challenge problem touches on a series of our characterisics.

We tend to be competitive and goal-orientated and so we find the absence of new goals dispiriting.
There is the pride thing of making progress and enjoying the recognition that goes with it, and that starts to decline too.
Getting on top of a job sees us spending less time learning and applying new knowledge and we lose the mental stimulation that comes with that.
In short we need continuing challenge. We need change. So that’s the second thing to recognise -this most certainly isn’t a crisis but perfectly natural and commendable instincts looking for an opportunity.

What are the opportunities?

Work- Possibly the first thing to consider because it potentially meets all needs.

A bigger version of the same job with another employer – maybe a smaller firm where all the fresh challenges of growth can be found.
A totally different job that meets those particular needs that never really got satisfied in the first choice career.
Being your own boss – Whether that be as a self-employed freelancer or the full-on entrepreneurial start up business.
Play – Maybe you stay in the job but add the missing satisfaction or stretch you need within your free time.

Stretch your mind with a degree or get creative and foster that latent talent you have.
Push your limits by climbing a mountain or try your hand at white water kayaking.
Make a difference for other by volunteering your time – anything from mentoring to running a marathon.
Fitness – Whether it’s to better prepare you for the new Play pursuit or just to be at your best again.

Get your fitness back with a healthier eating regime and lifestyle.
Get on your bike or down the gym.
Nourish your brain with physical and mental exercise.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6613196

Fixed maturity plans (FMP) offered by mutual fund have become popular among investors in the recent past, given the fact that the stock market has not gone anywhere.
Also, thanks to the hardening rates of interest, FMPs have started offering superior tax-adjusted returns to investors. In fact, according to investment specialists, an FMP of tiny over a year can offer a per-tax return of close to 10%.
An FMP is a closed-ended system offered by a mutual fund, which matures on a sure date, ie, the system runs for a fixed timeframe. The period of maturity can be anywhere between months & years. “When the fixed period comes to an finish, the system matures & your money is paid back to you.
So, in a sense, you could think about FMPs to be fixed deposits (FDs) issued by mutual funds (MFs),” explains Sandeep Shanbhag, director, Wonderland Consultants, a tax & financial planning firm. Currently, FMPs maturing in a tiny over a year (usually 370 days) are the most popular ones. The money collected by FMPs is usually invested in various kinds of financial securities, like certificates of deposit (CDs) issued by banks & commercial papers (CPs) issued by other companies.
The tenure of the FMP is usually equal to the tenure of the financial securities that are invested in. The idea is to lock in the investment at a specified rate of return, thereby immunising the return against any debt market fluctuations.
CURRENT RETURNS ON FMPS
Until sometime back, mutual money were allowed to give out indicative returns on FMPs. This gave investors an idea about the kind of returns they could expect.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India , the stock market and mutual fund regulator, has now banned the practice. However, unofficially, most mutual money do give out indicative returns. The expected return on an FMP largely depends on the returns being offered by the financial securities they have invest in, ie, CDs and CPs.
As Suresh Sadagopan, a certified financial planner who runs Ladder 7 Financial Advisories, explains “The current returns for 90-day CDs are about 9.4% and the one-year return is around 10%. Taking in to account the expenses, the pre-tax return on an FMP could be 0.2% to 0.4% less.” This means, most one-year FMPs now offer around 9.6% to 9.8% return, whereas 90-day FMPs offer around 9% to 9.2%. “Returns are around 9.6% to 9.7% for an FMP fully invested in bank CDs,” says Vijay Chhabria, a certified financial analyst who runs Prudent Investment Advisors .
WILL THE RETURNS GO UP?
“The returns are expected to go up further as there appears to be more rate tightening feasible. I expect another 0.5% increase in all. The yields for one-year FMPs are already nudging towards 10%,” says Sadagopan. Shanbhag expects returns to go even higher than 10%. “Inflation will be an ongoing challenge. Consequently, rates of interest may need to be tightened still further. In such a scenario, could expect returns to touch ten.5% or even 11% pa over the medium term,” they says.
Experts are of the view that these returns will go up in the near future as they expect the RBI to raise rates of interest further to tighten the burgeoning inflation. This may increase the returns from CDs & CPs that FMPs invest in, thus pushing up FMPs’ returns in turn.
BETTER THAN FDS IN RETURNS
So ought to you be investing in FMPs when returns from fixed deposits(FDs) are also touching 10%? “What gives FMPs the edge is greater tax efficiency. In other words, on a tax-adjusted basis, the return on an FMP is higher than that of a bank FD,” explains Shanbhag.
“This is because the interest on bank FDs is fully taxable whereas the return from FMPs is subject to capital gains tax (for the growth option),” they says. Capital gains made on invest-ments in FMPs for a period of over a year are taxable at the rate of 10% without indexation, or 20% with indexation, whichever is lower. Indexation fundamentally takes the rate of inflation in to account while calculating the cost of acquisition of an asset. This ensures that the capital gain is lower, and, hence, lower tax. Also, the current inflation, in the range of 8% to 9%, will make definite that most of the capital gains are not taxable at all. This ensures that the rate of return on an FMP is better than from a fixed deposit even in the event you happen to fall in the lowest tax bracket of ten.3%.
That probably explains why investors are flocking to FMPs. “Most investors who had invested in bank and company FDs a couple of years ago are in the method of liquidating the same and reinvesting the proceeds at a higher yield,” says Shanbhag.
HOW SAFE ARE FMPS?
FMPs are safe. “If an FMP is investing only in bank CDs, then there is no risk at all,” feels Chhabria. “Most MFs maintain that their FMP products invest largely in bank CDs. After the past experience, financial securities issued by actual estate companies are being avoided largely. However, there could always be the odd FMP which could take exposure to infrastructure and actual estate paper to jack up the yields. In this respect, investors would be better off sticking to offers from pedigreed and reputed funds even if the return is marginally lesser,” says Shanbhag.
DIFFICULT TO GET OUT
What investors ought to keep in mind is that it is very hard to get out of an FMP before it matures.
Earlier, if an investor desired to come out of an FMP investment, they could redeem his investment with the mutual fund by paying an exit load of around 2% of the net asset value. Now, a mutual fund is not allowed to redeem an FMP investment.
But there is no liquidity in these schemes, ie, in case you are looking to sell, there’s no buyers. “The liquidity is poor. I attempted looking up the FMPs I have invested in on the NSE site & it said there’s no trades for the securities,” says Chhabria.
These schemes are listed on the stock exchange & the investor can sell his units to any other investor willing to buy.
“Liquidity is an issue with FMPs as it depends on anyone purchasing them from you. FMPs are not liquid from a practical standpoint. They recommend FMPs to only those who can hold them till maturity,” says Sadagopan.
Given this, investors ought to invest in FMPs only in the event that they do not need the funds any time soon.

As a practicing tax accountant I am often asked what can I deduct on my taxes? During the past 18 years of tax preparation I have tried to answer this question to best suit the needs of the particular client. The deductions described in this article are intended to help you with this question.

Did you change jobs last year? If you satisfy certain tests you are able to deduct the expenses relating to the move. These deductions include storage of personal house hold items, house hunting, transportation and lodging expenses.

Did you try your hand at self employment last year? Success or failure does not govern the deductibility of many items. Cell phone, computer expense, wages to children and spouse, internet costs, and home office are only the tip of the iceberg for self employed individuals. Consult with your tax adviser to ensure you structure your personal situation to maximize these deductions.

This next one is one of my personal favorites and one that most tax professionals are not even aware of. Within the past 1 to 2 years have you loaned money to a family member or friend and not been repaid? Amazingly you can deduct this as a worthless debt on your personal tax return.

A little known deduction is miles driven to and from doctor and hospital visits. Also miles driven for a charity such as a church are deductible. Consult your tax adviser for the rates as they change each year but start keeping track of them now so you will not miss out at year end.

Educator expenses found on line 23 of the 1040(2007) is one that applies primarily to teachers. When a client who is a school teacher asks me what can I deduct on my taxes I immediately make them aware of this deduction. Consult with your tax advisor for current year limits and proper documentation.

Deducting your dependent children is done by everyone but are you aware of the different credits available for these children. I know of the child credit you say but are you also aware of the additional child credit. If you have been preparing your own tax return it is possible you have been missing this one.

Did you know you can deduct expenses relating to an S-Corporation or Partnership that you materially participate in? You are allowed the same deductions as other self employed individuals and you can take these deductions on Schedule E. Be sure to let your tax preparer know if you have expenses that have not been reimbursed by the S-Corporation or Partnership.

If you work for someone else and incur expenses that are not reimbursed by your employer you can deduct these on your personal tax return. These deductions include cell phone, mileage, home office, meals and entertainment, internet, computer and equipment costs and many others.

Electricity can be considered as the most important requirement you could have with the passage of time. It is natural that you might not be able to imagine the life without the presence of electricity as there are many things that could be carried out only with the help of the electric power. You might be really surprised to know that there are still many places in the world wherein the electric power has not reached with the passage of time. It is natural that you might be required to carry on with certain activities wherein there could be increasing requirements with the passage of time either in the form of the installation of the new socket and so on.
If you are a person with sound knowledge in the electric sector then you will be able to carry on with the task effectively in the right manner without any issues but the things might dramatically change when you are not having any kind of experience with the passage of time in the right manner. There are many firms functioning in the same sector wherein you will be able to get hold of the required help without showing any kinds of distinction. You can definitely move on with the task effectively in the right manner as there are many task that even involves the rewiring of the entire house as your wring might have worn out with the passage of time. There are many firms and you should try getting the most reliable firm without any concerns as they should carry on with the task correctly by giving at most care to all the steps in the right manner.
You might know about the dangers associated in the task while carrying on with the work in case if you move through some kind of carelessness with the passage of time. Considering these issues you should try your level best in getting hold of the best provider in the most suitable manner without any issues. You can definitely search on internet in order to get hold of the best provider to carry on with the task effectively with the passage of time in the right manner. You will definitely able to get hold of the right firm functioning in your area with the help of best electrician Cardiff in the possible manner without any issues and as a result you should try your level best in the right manner.

One option for those homeowners having trouble making their mortgage payments is a foreclosure refinance. In the past two years, many of people have had their mortgage payments sky rocket due to rising interest rates. Adjustable rate mortgages have a fixed rate for the first year or two and many borrowers find they can easily afford the payments at this level for a short period of time.
But then the rate freeze ends. The mortgage rate begins to increase. And with it the payments also go up — sometimes rising by hundreds of dollars a month. The once lower payments now squeeze the household budget. And then the next rate hike goes into effect. A once achievable budget is now bleeding red and there is no hope for it to end. What can a home owner do to make the bleeding stop?
When a homeowner sees that they are not going to be able to make their next mortgage payment, they need to contact their lender right away. If it is a short term problem, many banks will forebear the amount for a month or two until you can pay it back. Most people are willing to take on a second job for the short term to get out of a financial hole. But, with payments beyond the household’s budget, it is not that simple. Once rates adjust, they are not going to go back down any time soon.
The home owner needs to take the initiative and speak with their lender. When the loan gets in danger, the lender becomes more receptive to listening but they also get more nervous about seeing the money get returned. A foreclosure refinance to a fixed rate loan may be the solution to both of their troubles. But many lenders are shy about refinancing on a property so near foreclosure. You may need to look for a broker to help you.
The first thing to ask the broker is which mortgage lenders they are going to be submitting your application to. If you know that ABC Mortgage Company has already rejected you, then ask the mortgage broker to submit your application to another company or find a different broker. Another option is to submit your application to lenders directly. But this can be tricky since mortgage brokering is not for the beginner.
Even if you have been denied left and right, do not lose hope. There are non-traditional lenders, such as hard money lenders and private institutions that specialize in foreclosure loans, that may be able to help you refinance your property before it is actually foreclosed on by the current bank. Their requirements are usually more laid-back than the usual mortgage companies, involving no credit check.
Keep investigating your options to make sure that you have taken every opportunity to avoid losing your home to foreclosure. Even with credit problems due to being out of work for a long time, there are still banks out there who may work with you, and this may be one imperative and appropriate solution to foreclosure that many homeowners do not even consider.

It has long been the case that there is simply a portion of the population that would rather expend their energy and exert their intelligence and talent into taking your stuff than work for it. Sadly, stealing is an ancient blight on mankind that shows no hint of fading away. The better the locks and fences we devise, the more sophisticated the effort to defeat them criminals employ. Education is a crucial component of staying safe, so learn all you can pertaining to identity protection.
As the digital era unfolded, we have become used to being able to accomplish so much so conveniently. We can accomplish almost any routine financial matter from the comfort of our own home. Unfortunately, the means we use to ensure we are who we say we are and access our accounts from home are vulnerable to infiltration and theft.
In addition to the obvious financial implications of criminals unlocking our cyber accounts, we are vulnerable to many other types of problems when our data is compromised. The methods necessary to protect our data are annoying and so are sometimes neglected, increasing our vulnerability. We have a responsibility in the protection arena just as our banks and government agencies do, and it includes keeping malware off our computer.
What makes it difficult is that we are not all computer savvy and simple actions that should be innocent enough can introduce the opening to our data. If we open the wrong email, we could be infecting our computer with the means to allow a criminal to capture our account number and passwords, as well as our demographic data. With unprotected Wi-Fi, this is easier than setting up an automatic teller machine with the equipment to steal the information.
This natural tendency to trust that our data will not be misused has been abused in many ways, usually unintentionally, but the damage is done. Reams of personal data intended to be safely destroyed have found their way into the hands of the unscrupulous. This data can then be used to recreate false identities with your data and the photograph of another person, leaving you vulnerable in many ways. Your medical benefits, credit worthiness and even your citizenship can be used by someone else.
As uncomfortable as having someone else use your medical authorization for their treatment may be, there are worse things that can happen. If someone commits a crime using your identity, you can experience the repercussions in surprising ways, like when you try to fly somewhere and are taken into custody by federal marshals at the airport. You may be able to straighten out the mistake eventually, but probably not in time for your flight.
The time to take action to preserve and protect your identity is long before the data has been compromised. Knowing that someone has made the effort to steal your identity data or solicit credit in your name as it is happening gives you a leg up on the work required to repair the damage. A LifeLock Command Center Coupon may help convince you to give identity protection a try. LifeLock Command Center can get you on the protective path to safety. Make an effort to learn more about Identity Theft Protection Services; this is your best defense against fraud.