When it comes to personal finance, often the difference between poverty and prosperity is how much control you have over your investments.

The sad fact is that some people just dont either have the time, inclination, or confidence to take control over their own investment portfolio. Thats a big mistake, since no one will step in for you and make good on a lousy asset allocation strategy or redirect misguided fund selections that can lead to portfolio losses and threaten your financial well being.

Fortunately, getting a grip on your investments is easier than you think. In fact, you can get the job done in nine easy steps.

Step 1: Define Your Goals

Any good marksman will tell you the key to hitting a target is having a target. Having something to work toward is the first step in investment success. Knowing your financial goals, whether its retirement, a home or college education, will help define your investment strategy and set you on the right path.

Step 2: Know Your Net Worth

Net worth is simply the total of all the assets you own less all of the debts you owe. Your net worth gives you an understanding of where you are in relation to achieving your goal, and serves as a useful indicator of your overallfinancial health.

Knowledge of how you are tracking toward your goal is critical in the investment process, and measuring your net worth from year to year is a critical yardstick to evaluate success.

Step 3: Know Your Risk Tolerance

Your overall financial risk tolerance depends on two things: your attitude towards taking risk and your capacity to take risk.

Go here to see the original:
Get a Grip: Nine Steps to Controlling Your Investments

In business, sizedoes matter, especially if that size is small. Independent businesses with fewer than 500 employees represent 99.7% of all employer firms, according to the SBAs Office of Advocacy. They employ about half of all private sector employees,which make up about 43% of the countrys private payroll. And more than half are based out of an owners home. Incidentally, dont knock the domicile as a business incubator. After all, thats where Apple, Hersheys, Mary Kay Cosmetics, and Ford started.

With numbers like that, its not hard to see why small businesses are often called the backboneof the U.S. economy. But did you know that these little companies are also responsible for hiring 43% of high-tech workers and produce 16.5 times more patents per employee than large firms? Or that small business accounted for 65% of the 15 million new jobs created between 1993 and 2009? No wonder President Obama is leaning on Congress to pass legislation that would give income tax credits and allow deductions on the full value of investments made this year.

Staggering stats aside, there are plenty of great ideas that dont ever make it off the table or shutter just beyond the starting gate. Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicates that only about half of small business survive past the five-year mark.

So in the spirit of helping more startups and growing enterprises succeed, Fast Company is kicking off National Small Business Week with a compendium of wisdom we've gleaned over the years.

Take a Risk

Though his signature style is rife with cynical wit and wry wisdom, novelist Mark Twain offered this tidbit which is helpful for anyone pondering the leap to entrepreneurism: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Kim Jordan, cofounder of New Belgium Brewing Company, says taking the plunge is fine--after youve assessed the market.

Is Your Idea Good Enough?

Adam Goldstein, the 22-year-old founder of Hipmunks online air travel booking platform, boldly claimed he was out to build the best travel site on the web. "And by 'best,' I mean the site that helps people find what they're looking for with a minimum of agony." Goldstein had a simple litmus test for launching: "The way that I knew it was good enough to build a company around was that it was built around a problem that I actually had.

Continued here:
The Really Big Guide Of Small Business Success Tips

WILSON, N.C., May 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kurtz Chiropractic Center in Wilson, NC is encouraging personal injury patients to incorporate massage therapy into their rehabilitation and chiropractic care treatment programs. According to the practice, massage treatments promote internal healing while relieving stress and muscle stiffness. The practice routinely recommends massage treatments as a natural complement to spinal adjustments, corrective exercise and other therapeutic treatments.

Wilson chiropractor Dr. Colin Kurtz announced that his practice has had significant success incorporating therapeutic massage therapy into rehabilitation programs for injury victims. Dr. Kurtz strongly recommends massage treatments for natural pain relief and internal healing.

"We are excited to offer massage treatments as a natural complement to traditional spinal adjustments and rehab treatments," said Dr. Kurtz. "Our comprehensive services are designed to provide immediate, effective back pain relief while helping the body heal. Massage does both: promoting internal healing while relieving pain."

According to Dr. Kurtz, therapeutic massage causes physiological changes in the body. During a massage treatment, a patient's heart rate and breathing rate decrease, promoting deep relaxation and stillness. At the same time, levels of the stress hormone cortisol decrease while the level of endorphins, a natural pain reliever, increases.

"Many of our patients struggle with daily work stress, which can negatively impact the healing process," said Dr. Kurtz. "Our patients feel calm and centered after a treatment, as daily stress melts away. At the same time, the physical act of massaging sore or stiff muscles helps to ease back pain and release tension, restoring flexibility and movement to the body."

Dr. Kurtz says that many patients feel sore or stiff after sustaining a personal injury. The body naturally compensates for an injury by shifting weight bearing activities to other body parts. This can lead to additional injuries while also causing the injured muscles to become sore or stiff from disuse.

"Many people mistakenly believe that the best way to help the body heal after an injury is to immobilize the injured body part," said Dr. Kurtz. "While strained or sprained muscles do need time to recover, excess immobilization can actually do more harm and good. The act of massaging the muscles promotes blood flow, which is essential if a body part is injured and cannot handle daily weight-bearing activities."

The wellness center provides several types of massage, including trigger point massage, myofascial release, and deep tissue sports massage. Dr. Kurtz can recommend specific treatments for each patient's unique wellness needs, such as pain management for back pain or headaches.

Dr. Kurtz has nearly two decades of experience providing chiropractic treatments for personal injury patients. His practice, Kurtz Chiropractic Center, incorporates spinal adjustments, including the Palmer Technique and Activator Technique, with massage, corrective care exercises, acupuncture and Reiki. The practice serves the Stantonsburg, Bailey, Elm City, Middlesex, Black Creek, Kenly, Lucama, Pinetops, and Rocky Mount communities.

Prospective patients may learn more about therapeutic massage and injury treatments by visiting the practice's website, http://www.kurtzchiro.net.

Read more from the original source:
Massage Therapy Helps Wilson Patients Heal After Personal Injuries

LOS ANGELES, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Jackson Browne and Lizz Wright will perform a benefit concert at The Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles for Success Through The Arts Foundation and the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center on Saturday, June 9, 2012. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 27th through Ticketmaster. Premium benefit seating is available through http://www.sttaf.org.

Generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, American jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter will be presented the Dream Believe Achieve award at the benefit concert. Students from both Success Through The Arts and the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center will also perform.

Success Through The Arts Foundation provides a performing arts education to over 800 students in South Los Angeles through their After-School, Saturday, and Summer programs. They utilize performing arts such as band, dance, and theater as a catalyst to propel students forward and enable them to lead rich, productive lives. In an area where the graduation rate is well below 40%, 100% of the seniors who have participated in Success Through The Arts programs are graduating and attending college.

The Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center provides superior arts instruction to under-served students in the heart of Leimert Park in South Los Angeles under the direction of Fernando Pullum. In an area where the surrounding schools offer little or no performing arts programs, the Center provides free, high quality after-school arts instruction in guitar, piano, drama, film, and recording. "Fernando's passion coupled with his incredible arts curriculum gives these kids a sense of self-esteem and invaluable personal growth. Arts education should be a part of every child's school experience. It's a well-documented fact that studying music aids in the development of all kinds of cognitive skills. Fernando's programs connect the students to the broader spectrum of their lives' possibilities, and that's what makes his work so vital," says Jackson Browne.

For tickets and information visit: http://www.sttaf.org

About the performers:

Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He was honored with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2007.

Beyond his music, Browne is known for his advocacy on behalf of the environment, human rights, and arts education. He's a co-founder of the groups Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE), Nukefree.org, and Success Through The Arts Foundation, which provides education opportunities for students in South Los Angeles.

Lizz Wright

Read more from the original source:
Jackson Browne & Lizz Wright to Perform a Benefit Concert For Success Through The Arts Foundation And The Fernando ...

Published 22 May 2012 13:00

The 10k season is into full swing with Greenock Glenpark Harriers competing at Troon, Glasgow, Helensburgh and London.

For the ever-growing women's section, who have been well represented in all the races, even outnumbering the men at Helensburgh, it has been a tremendous start to the year.

They have been producing numerous personal bests in every race, just reward for the hard work being put in at training.

The first of the races was along the seafront at Troon, where seven women took part among 1,000 competitors.

Danny McLaughlin was top for the club in 26th place, and in a strong show from the women. Terry Wall finished 16th lady, Gillian Forrest well and truly back from injury improving her best by over a minute in 36th, and Fiona Cushnaghan 42nd.

Next up was the women's 10k race where 8,000 runners pounded their way around the streets of Glasgow.

There were great improvements all round, the biggest from Jane MacLean and Viki Wilkinson as the pair went 13 and 10 minutes quicker than last year as well as a personal best of over five minutes for Jacqueline O'Donoghue.

Also going quicker were Fiona Taylor, Emma O'Rourke, Grace Harrison and Liz McAuslan. Lorna Coyle and Terry Wall were the leading ladies as the veteran runners crossed the line together in 45 minutes.

The latest race was the first of the four-race Polaroid 10k series which kicked off at a rain-drenched Helensburgh, with another large turnout from Greenock of 10 women and nine men among the 1,000 runners.

Continue reading here:
Harriers in 10k races success

Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen, one of the world's leading business thinkers best known for The Innovator's Dilemma, has just put out another book, "How Will You Measure Your Life?"

He uses business case studies like how the Honda Super Cub took over America to show people how they can achieve personal success.

See our interview with Christensen below, edited for clarity.

On how to be successful

If you dont have any idea of what kind of person you want to become, its all pointless. You really need to figure out, "Whats the purpose of my life? What kind of person does God want me to become? How do I need to invest my time and energy?" Without that youre in a boat without a rudder.

And not go to jail like his former HBS classmate Jeffrey Skilling

Just hoping that youll become a certain kind of person isnt enough. Hold to your standards all of the time. Every time you have an opportunity where you can depart even "just this once under this circumstance" well, your life is just an unending stream of "extenuating circumstances." Everyone decides "just this once."

To become the kind of person you want to become, youve got to have discipline. It's easier to keep to your standards 100 percent of the time versus 98 percent of the time.

On how to manage your time

Most people have never thought through how they're going to allocate their time. You need to make a decision in advance. I never work on Saturday. I dont ever work on Sunday either. If you make that decision on a macro level once, when all the incremental decisions arise on an incremental basis, life is easier.

Original post:
Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen Shares His Advice On How To Be Successful

Most students that have taken the certified financial planner (CFP) board exam agree that the case studies are the most difficult and important portion of the test. The exam itself is 10 hours long, with one four-hour session on Friday and two three-hour Saturday sessions. The exam consists of 285 multiple-choice questions, with one case study per session. While the total number of questions relating to the case studies will vary from one exam to another, approximately 20% of the exam will consist of case study questions. This amounts to 55 or 60 questions, making it absolutely necessary that students know how to analyze and reason through the case studies in order to pass the exam.

SEE: Studying For The CFP Exam Case Study FormatCase studies are often placed near the end of each section of the exam. Each will begin with at least eight to 10 pages of information describing the hypothetical client's situation. This includes a page of demographic information listing all of the people involved (usually a family or business, or both), their ages, physical and mental health status, plus any relational conflicts or difficulties between each character.

Often these studies will incorporate a divorce or other rift within a family, or else have a spendthrift child that must be dealt with. The case study will also include basic cash flow and balance sheet pages that outline all of the client's personal and business assets and liabilities, income and expenses and every type of insurance coverage. The assets will be further broken down into the client's investments and retirement accounts, and the income ledger will show each investment's rate of return.

In addition, the case study will illustrate the estate breakdown, showing all relevant wills, trusts and other legal documentation. If there is a business, a complete list of all employees and their ages is usually given, along with its cash flow and balance sheet and the general outlook for the future of the business. After all of this reading, you will be asked 15-20 questions pertaining to the information presented.

SEE: Why You Should Draft A Will

Knowledge Alone Isn't Enough The CFP board exam requires much more than mere familiarity with the course material. The student must also be able to evaluate, synthesize and apply that knowledge correctly when answering the questions. This is true even with the non-case study questions, but these questions will often focus on one specific issue or topic. Case studies effectively force the student to proactively determine exactly what rule or topic pertains to the information presented in the informational breakdown.

Unlike the standalone questions, case study questions often do not focus on a specific topic, such as asking whether the clients presented in the study are eligible to contribute to Roth IRAs. Case study questions frequently force the student to examine much broader concepts, such as whether the client's portfolio has too much risk, or the right kinds of risks. If the student was posed with this question, then he or she must be able to effectively evaluate the client's overall portfolio. This means being familiar enough with the specific characteristics of each investment or type of investment in the portfolio to evaluate, either mathematically or through investment-principle-based reasoning, whether the portfolio is sound or needs to be changed.

This is, of course, only an example. The student will be asked to make several three-dimensional evaluations of this nature in each case study, pertaining to all areas of the client's finances. An estate-planning question could ask the student to evaluate the client's will and trust, which would require the student to be proactively familiar with all of the different types of wills and trusts and know which types would be appropriate for the client in the given situation. An insurance question will force the student to make the same type of evaluation for all of the different types of insurances carried by the client. Investment and retirement questions will often involve computations and a fair amount of number-crunching before real evaluations can be made.

How Do I prepare for this?There are a number of ways that you can improve your chances of succeeding on the exam. While any strategy must begin with an understanding of the format and type of information that will be presented in the studies, this alone will seldom suffice in providing you with the background you'll need to be able to effectively reason through case study questions. A couple of common strategies are outlined as follows:

Read the Case Study Thoroughly As obvious as this suggestion seems, the entire case study must be read and evaluated before attempting to answer any of the questions. The vast majority of the information given in the study will be relevant to at least one of the questions asked. Whenever a divorce or other family issue is presented, questions regarding which type of trust to use are often asked. A careful evaluation of the study's balance sheet information will reveal whether estate taxes will be an issue, and so on. Even seemingly innocuous information can provide critical clues that can be used to answer questions.

See more here:
The Key To CFP Exam Success

By DAVE NICHOLSON | The Tampa Tribune Published: May 18, 2012 Updated: May 18, 2012 - 6:00 AM

It appears likely that Officer Mark Dunnam will continue to be a familiar sight in downtown and other areas.

Police Chief Bill McDaniel gave Dunnam a rousing endorsement in a review of his first year assigned to a beat that includes downtown, midtown and the city's public housing projects.

McDaniel told city commissioners at their May 14 meeting that Dunnam has developed a rapport with business owners and residents.

"He'll talk with anybody, and he takes what he hears and he follows up on it," McDaniel said.

The commissioners seemed inclined to approve funding the position for another year.

Vice Mayor Bill Dodson said he frequently sees Dunnam at community events and around town.

"He's a very personal young fellow," he said.

Other commissioners offered similar words of praise.

The position was created last year using money from the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. McDaniel assigned Dunnam, who has worked for the police department for about three years.

Read the original:
Officer's beat a success, city says

When Estefany Gonzalez was a freshman and failing at Rio Grande High School, she remembers her mothers tears when administrators told the parent that all Estefany did at school was perform poorly or ditch class.

Gonzalez had started her freshman year at South Valley Academy charter school, but then convinced her parents to let her go to Rio Grande, so she wouldnt be separated from her friends.

After her inauspicious start at Rio Grande, however, it wasnt long before Gonzalez was back at South Valley Academy, a highly successful charter school that has just been named third best high school in the state by the magazine U.S. News and World Report.

Gonzalez recalls that before she was allowed to go back to South Valley Academy, she had to write a letter to staff and teachers, stating why she wanted to go back.

I made a lot of bad decisions when I started my freshman year, Gonzalez said. I had disappointed my parents and that hurt me a lot, so I decided I would work hard to make them proud of me again.

South Valley Academy welcomed her back, and shes since made the most of her opportunity.

By her junior year, Gonzalez had come out of her shell, was getting good grades and had become a student leader. She became heavily involved with school and community projects through the schools Community Service Learning Program.

A graduating senior, Gonzalez this year received a scholarship from the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce to attend the University of New Mexico, where she intends on studying psychology and pre-med in the hopes of becoming a psychiatrist.

Success stories like Gonzalez are becoming the norm at South Valley Academy since it opened its doors 12 years ago on a cottonwood-spotted campus on Blake SW off Coors.

Founded by Alan Marks and Katarina Sandoval, who is principal of the school, the school has amassed an impressive list of accomplishments and awards, including its recent state third-place standing in the fourth edition of Best High Schools, produced by U.S. News and World Report.

Read this article:
Steady Success At Charter School

COLTS NECK, N.J., May 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In early-May, more than 150 RetroFitness franchise owners, vendor partners, and company corporate executives joined together at The Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. to celebrate the growth and success of the national fitness company's franchise system.

With an emphasis on providing value to consumers at the current $19.99 a month memberships, the two-day event kicked off with a vendor trade show where RetroFitness franchise owners experienced firsthand new product and equipment innovations available to them to gain a more competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Eric Casaburi, founder and CEO of RetroFitness, held an hour-long corporate meeting and shared the company's vision for 2012 and strength of the brand as a whole.

"It will be a strong year for our company. We are adding incredible value to our gyms without increasing price. By demanding high-quality gyms and increasing the experience of our member's workouts, we will stand out against the competition," Casaburi said. "The conference was a high-energy event that produced new ideas on what we need to do to remain a leading fitness concept. The takeaways were unbelievable and we look forward to another impressive year of growth for RetroFitness."

To further position the franchisee's for success, company executives spoke at a series of business seminars that lasted throughout the course of the conference, educating franchisees on how to drive the RetroFitness culture and enhance business performance levels within their gyms.

Adding to the excitement in the conference was a guest speech by NFL legend, Rocky Bleier, most notable as former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and four-time Super Bowl champion, spoke to the crowd about leadership and teamwork.

Since it began franchising, RetroFitness currently has more than 100 new clubs in its development pipeline, nearly 250,000 members, and more than 80 clubs operating. In 2011, RetroFitness opened 20 new gyms and inked more than 25 franchise agreements. The company projects 300 gyms in the next three years, focusing on key markets such as Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington D.C.

The RetroFitness franchise model continually attracts high-quality, single and multi-unit investors who have a strong business acumen. Offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to open in 10,000 to 16,000 sq. ft. spaces in key U.S. markets where prime real estate is more affordable than ever before, RetroFitness is "fit" for investors in the current economy.

RetroFitness features a full collection of top-of-the line strength equipment and cardio machines from industry leaders, such as Life Fitness and Iron Grip, complete with individualized LCD television monitors. Each gym offers members a RetroTheatre where members can work out in a darkened room on cardio machines while watching movies. In addition, members can enjoy personal training, tanning, full-service locker rooms, a RetroBlends juice bar and onsite chiropractic services, in addition to other amenities.

For more information, please visit http://www.retrofitness.net or call 1800-RETRO-04.

Read more here:
RetroFitness Celebrates Past Years' Success and Focuses on Bright Future at Fourth Annual National Conference