The collaboration will include functionality enhancements to Macaw, the companys award-winning mobile health & fitness app, as well as for accelerated integration with the numerous wireless devices, monitors and sensors that are part of Qualcomm Lifes 2net Platform and wireless health ecosystem.

Jacksonville, FL and Dallas, TX (PRWEB) March 13, 2012

Macaw powered by The Prevention Plan, was launched in December 2011 as a full-feature app combining calorie, nutrition and activity tracking, health assessment, education, and game theory to motivate healthy behaviors. Enabled by Qualcomm Life, Macaw is designed to become the ultimate digital health monitor, integrating with wireless devices, monitors and sensors, as well as other popular health and fitness apps, creating a dashboard of health metrics all in one convenient app.

The mobile health marketplace is exploding with health apps and wireless devices, all providing unprecedented data about a persons individual biometrics and health status. The challenge is that consumers can easily become overwhelmed with data. Through our collaboration with Qualcomm Life and integration with the 2net Platform, we are building Macaw to serve as the ultimate personal health monitor to collect all the disparate data and present it to the user in a meaningful, actionable way, said Christopher Fey, founder, CEO and chairman of U.S. Preventive Medicine.

According to Rick Valencia, vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Life, "U.S. Preventive Medicine has a proven track record with The Prevention Plan, of helping consumers improve their individual health risks and lead healthier lives. Qualcomm Life is pleased to be working with U.S. Preventive Medicine on the development of Macaw to translate this success to the mHealth environment. Through our strategic collaboration, Qualcomm Life and U.S. Preventive Medicine can transform consumers health data into actionable health intelligence that may enable them to live healthier, longer, more fulfilling lives.

Unlike other available health and fitness apps, Macaw is based on the clinical science of preventive medicine and is universally designed for people who exercise regularly as well as those who are novices when it comes to physical activity. Macaw currently syncs with the Fitlinxx Actiped+ all-day activity monitor, and WorkSmart Labs weight loss and fitness app, Noom Weight Loss.

Additional features for members of The Prevention Plan include:

Macaw was named Hot for the Holidays by CTIA and Top App by industry experts and consumer voting at the recent Mobile Apps Showdown, a competition held in conjunction with the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Free download of Macaw is available at the App Store and Android Market. Follow Macaw on Facebook (Facebook.com/ThePreventionPlan), Twitter (@MacawApp) and YouTube (YouTube.com/MacawApp).

About U.S. Preventive Medicine

U.S. Preventive Medicine is leading a global preventive health movement focused on saving lives and money by keeping people healthy and better managing chronic conditions before they progress. Innovative products - The Prevention Plan web-based health management platform, and Macaw mobile health & fitness app - are based on the clinical science of preventive medicine: primary (wellness and health promotion to keep healthy people healthy), secondary (screening for earlier detection/diagnosis) and tertiary (early evidence-based treatment to reduce complications and disability). The company is accredited in wellness and health promotion by NCQA (the National Committee for Quality Assurance) and disease management by URAC. More information can be found on Facebook (Facebook.com/pages/US-Preventive-Medicine), Twitter (@USPM) and YouTube (YouTube.com/thepreventionchannel).

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U.S. Preventive Medicine Announces Strategic Development Collaboration with Qualcomm Life for Macaw Health & Fitness App

Health Care Network Inc.

Free Flu Shots for Uninsured: Health Care Network Inc., 904 State St., will identify uninsured Racine County residents and provide them with a free flu shot voucher which will be good until April 15. These vouchers will be redeemable at any Walgreens location that offers flu shots. For more information, call Health Care Network Inc. at (262) 632-2400.

Home Instead Senior Care

Senior Nutrition Presentation: Helpful information and simple recipes to promote good nutrition for seniors. 6-7:15 p.m. March 21, Parkview Senior Community, 5311 Douglas Ave., Caledonia. Free. Reservations are required, call (262) 752-1000.

American Red Cross

Classes are held at the Red Cross office, 4521 Taylor Ave., Mount Pleasant.

Preparedness Workshop: Be prepared for a disaster or emergency situation by learning about emergency-specific checklists developed by the American Red Cross. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. March 22. Free, register by calling (262) 554-9997, ext. 11, or send email to tabberta@wi-redcross.org.

Instructor Training in CPR/AED and First Aid: This is a blended learning course consisting of online content and classroom segments in order to become an instructor. Online material must be completed prior to attending the classroom activities. 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. March 27 and 29. $500. Register online at http://www.redcross.org or call (888) 733-2767.

Aurora Wellness Center

All free Living Well for Women sessions are held from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Aurora Wellness Center, 300 McCanna Parkway, Burlington. To register, call(800) 499-5736 or visit the website, Aurora.org/Events.

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Health & Fitness File, March 14

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire -03/14/12)- Fitness First have been providing a service to corporate groups for 20 years, with both parties enjoying great success from the scheme. The newest corporate deals from the health club giants promise to become commonly acquired by businesses in 2012 who are looking to improve the health, morale and productivity of their workforce.

Companies can sign up with Fitness First and subsequently offer a free gym pass to all employees. The membership can be paid through salary sacrifice for which the employee will be able to benefit from the NI savings. Fitness First are promoting their corporate deals as antidotes to issues like staff absenteeism, inefficiency and poor morale.

Fitness First suggest poor health and injury account for almost 60% of lost working hours and that one in four working adults take time off because of stress. With a free Fitness First membership, workers can stay in top mental and physical condition, which maximises working efficiency.

Meanwhile, the health club provide office freebies to motivate non-members to join in the fun. The added extras include:

- Fitness Friday - "bring a friend to workout with you for free every Friday" - Great value personal training programmes - Exclusive offers with First Club - Group exercises - Dedicated registration days - Free promotional posters - Payslip attachments - Health awareness seminars - New-employee induction packages

There is plenty on offer from these updated corporate memberships and Fitness First are striving to use the deals to get the nation in good health in time for the Olympics.

Suzanne Loughnane, Head of Corporates at Fitness First, commented:

'Regular exercise has been proven to enhance productivity levels and a healthy body means a healthy immune system - which effectively means less absenteeism. We have always enjoyed great relationships with our corporate members and want to grow our client base in 2012.'

A free Fitness First membership is a valuable employee benefit that may even play apart in staff recruitment procedure - which is particularly beneficial to agencies.

To find out how your business can benefit from a corporate membership or to investigate the different payment options available, visit http://www.fitnessfirst.co.uk today.

Continued here:
Corporate Gym Memberships from Fitness First

After watching their retirement funds get pummeled by the financial crisis at the same time the cost of college tuition continues to rise, many parents are faced with a difficult choice: contributing towards their childrens education or funding their retirement.

According to a recent study conducted by Allianz Life Insurance, one in four people are reducing or cutting off contributions toward their childrens college education. The study also reported that 25% of U.S. households are contributing less toward their childrens college education or have stopped altogether, while 44% of respondents have not started saving at all. Only 15% have cut back their spending on other things to keep saving/paying for their childrens college educations.

Jim Briggs, co-founder of ReducingCollegeCosts.com explains that families saving for college face a different reality than they did before 2008.

Most families that we deal with are now taking a really hard look at the cost of educating their children and trying to get that down to the lowest common denominator, he says. But when you get right down to it, given a finite amount of assets and income, its how do you take what the family has and maximize their return on those for both retirement and education.

So whats more important, parents retirement or childrens college? The answer, according to most experts, is retirement.

In a perfect world, youd like to move forward on two fronts, and while there are plenty of difficult decisions around investing a limited amount of money, this isnt one of them, says Michael Kiley, CEO of Security Benefit. When it comes to saving for your child's education or saving for your own retirement, you have to put the kids second.

Experts also advise parents to remember that there are loans available to fund collegethats not the case with retirement.

Jeff Rose, certified financial planner and author of the blog Good Financial Cents, explains that parents are often willing to sacrifice their future plans to avoid putting the burden of financial responsibility on their kids.

It's in my belief that eventually it'll all circle back around that they'll have to be dependent on their children, because they didnt have adequate retirement savings, he says.

Involve the whole family in the process. When deciding what schools to apply to, students and parents should make realistic, informed decisions together about what they can afford, says Briggs.

More:
Saving for Tuition vs. Retirement: Which is More Important?

I've been wrestling with the issue of how to structure a solid retirement for about ten years, since I was in my early 50s. I've looked for all the simple answers and easy outs, but haven't found anything along those lines other than to win the lottery, or inherit a small fortune.

Since I don't even play the lottery, and my count of rich uncles is zero, I've had to come up with a more realistic plan. It's not as exciting as the rich-uncle option, but it's a lot more reliable.

A blueprint for nailing down a realistic retirement and securing your financial future is to build a stool with these three sturdy legs:

1. Plan to work in early retirement. If you like your job and can keep it through your late 60s, you're in a good position. Don't blow it. Stay on the job. My dad kept his job until he was 71, even though he took a pay cut in his last few years. The extra dollars he earned and the savings he didn't have to spend made a big difference in his lifestyle over the next 20 years. Unfortunately, these days, many of us don't have that option. We're shown the door at 62 or 60, or even in our 50s.

You need a big nest egg--over $1 million--to support yourself for 30 or 40 years. But if you earn some income in your early retirement years, when you're still young and healthy enough to work, you will not only supplement your current cash situation, but also stretch your future assets. Once your career is over, there's no shame in making less money, or doing less prestigious work. Take a part-time job at the mall or your local government, or turn your cooking or handyman skills into a paying proposition. If you make just $20,000 a year, that's roughly the equivalent of having another half million dollars in the bank.

2. Live below your means. In our younger years, many of us live beyond our means, especially if we buy a house, maintain two cars, and support our children. Once the kids are out the door, it's time to reassess your needs. Set a goal to live on 20 percent less than your income, instead of 10 percent more.

You don't need a three bedroom home with a good school system anymore. If you can sell your house, you can buy or rent a smaller place in a town with lower real-estate taxes. If you can't downsize your home, you can downsize your transportation fleet. Maybe you can get along with one car instead of two. You certainly don't need a boat or an ATV anymore. You probably don't need to spend as much on clothes. Maybe you can skip the expensive vacation trip and take a staycation instead, taking advantage of the parks, festivals, and local theater groups around your hometown. You don't have to downsize everything, just enough to give yourself a solid cushion.

3. Invest in some risky assets. When my dad retired he could put his savings in a bank, collect 5 percent interest, and live off the proceeds. But today, with banks paying less than 1 percent, that's no longer an option.

You need to swallow hard and invest some of your savings in the stock and bond markets. Assuming your nest egg is less than $1 million, focus on low cost, no-load mutual funds. Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab, and other companies offer plenty of highly rated stock and bond funds that will produce some income, along with the possibility of growth over time. One good alternative is a hybrid fund, like Fidelity's Asset Manager Fund (FFANX) or Vanguard's Wellington Fund (VWINX), that carries a mixture of stocks and bonds. Yes, there is some risk. But if you suffer a paper loss you can afford to sit tight as long as the other two legs of your stool are solid.

Tom Sightings is a former publishing executive who was eased into early retirement in his mid-50s. He lives in the New York area and blogs at Sightings at 60, where he covers health, finance, retirement, and other concerns of baby boomers who realize that somehow they have grown up.

See more here:
The New 3 Legged Retirement Stool

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Americans are very concerned with two national issues affecting their goals for retirement: the solvency and ability of Social Security to provide enough money and incurring medical expenses they cant afford, according to investing company Scottrade, Inc.s 2012 American Retirement Study. As a result, more Americans are seeking out income-generating holdings.

While Americans waning confidence with the future of Social Security is nothing new, it is compounded this year with an emerging concern of covering living expenses during retirement. This general worry had dipped from 2010 to 2011, but in this years sixth annual study significantly more Americans responded that they are either extremely concerned or very concerned with three factors:

Americans general concern with having enough money for retirement hit a six-year high. More than half, at 57 percent, reported they are either extremely concerned or very concerned with this issue, up from 47 percent in 2011 and 56 percent in 2007.

As a result, the majority of Americans, at 56 percent, think generating income during retirement is more important today than it was a year ago. The reason, according to 67 percent of those respondents, is simply an expectation that the cost of living during retirement will be more expensive. This is leading 38 percent of all survey respondents to structure their portfolio to include income-generating investments.

An investors confidence to take control of their financial future starts with investment education, said Kristin Grupas, Scottrades assistant director of customer education.At Scottrade, we empower our clients by offering a variety of free investing resources, including more than two-dozen investing seminars presented at our 505 branch offices nationwide.

Through these small group presentations, our associates educate self-directed investors and traders on everything from the basics of using Scottrades online trading and investing tools to advanced topics, such as generating income through the covered call option strategy.

While the majority of survey respondents over the age of 55 strongly agreed that given the opportunity to do it over, they would have started saving for retirement at a younger age, roughly a quarter said they would have become more educated about planning for retirement. Learning from their regret, more Americans, at 35 percent, expect to seek out information to learn more about retirement planning in 2012, compared to 28 percent in 2011. When looking at the responses by generations, the younger groups Gen Y and Gen X led this educational drive with 40 percent and 44 percent, respectively, stating they will seek out information in 2012.

Scottrades easy-to-use online trading and investing tools, said Grupas, coupled with its diversified offering of investment products and services help self-directed investors and traders set a course for financial success.

In addition to face-to-face meetings and classes, Scottrade offers many online resources to its clients through its free education center, the Knowledge Center, to help them make better-informed decisions. Components of the Knowledge Center include:

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Scottrade Research Uncovers Trend: Income During Retirement A Growing Necessity

Americans continue to be stressed about their retirements, according to the 2012 Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS), a major annual survey of employee expectations and retiree realities. Since the 2007-08 recession, retirement confidence has hovered for several years at or near the lowest levels recorded by the RCS since it began in 1990. Last year was no different.

[See 10 Steps to Fine-Tune Your Retirement Plan.]

For people still working, slightly more than half were either very confident (14 percent) or somewhat confident (38 percent) they would be able to retire comfortably. For people either retired or at least 65 years old, the picture was a bit better: 21 percent said they were very confident of a comfortable retirement and 42 percent said they were somewhat comfortable.

When the RCS asked them about their confidence in paying for basic necessities in retirement--a lower financial threshold than being comfortable--71 percent of workers (26 percent were very confident and 45 percent were somewhat confident) and 80 percent of retirees (32 percent were very confident and 48 percent were somewhat confident) said they were.

The RCS is co-sponsored by two Washington organizations: the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), a nonprofit research organization, and Matthew Greenwald & Associates, a market research firm. It has become the retirement benefits' version of the annual State of the Union message. And for most of those years, the message has not been very uplifting.

Americans save too little money and do not do a good job of planning for retirement. These are the averages. Broken down by income levels, more affluent workers do a better job, no doubt in large measure because they can afford to. Older workers also do a better job, for the obvious reason that they are beginning to see the retirement beast at the end of their employment tunnels.

[See How Spending Priorities Change as We Age.]

< p>Among the many charts and tables in the RCS, one topic has always held special interest. Each year, the RCS asks workers about what they expect to find in retirement. It then asks retirees a comparable set of questions about what they've actually found retirement to be like. There is a big gap between the two sets of answers. The reality of retirement is a lot more challenging than pre-retirees expect.

Taking a look at the differences between expectation and reality creates a compelling list of the things workers could be learning from retirees who have already walked a mile or two in their retirement shoes. Yet, the next year's RCS shows the same comparative gaps. And the next RCS after that. And so on. The RCS, to state the obvious, is probably not required reading in the lunch rooms of America's workplaces. Too bad.

[See Health: The Biggest Determinant of Your Retirement Security.]

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The State of the (Retirement) Union is Weak

The high cost of health, life and auto insurance are serious issues in the U.S. Some think there's hope in "performance-based insurance," which provides policy rebates or reductions based on whether or not the policyholder meets or exceeds designated performance standards. When measuring performance, however, privacy issues emerge. The use of black boxes to track driver safety for auto insurance and apps that report lifestyle activities, such as diet and exercise routines for health insurance, are a couple of examples. Although advances in technology offer sci-fi-like monitoring capabilities, whether or not they'll be employed are two different things. In this interview, Richard Weber of the California Institute of Finance at California Lutheran University discusses performance-based policies, predictive medical tests and just how far consumers are willing to go to save money on insurance.

Performance-based insurance provides policy rebates or reductions based on whether or not policyholders meet or exceed designated performance standards. Do you foresee big business model disruption with a convergence of this technology with market forces, and how will this affect consumers?

I have no doubt that in the next few years, health policies will take into consideration factors such as those who lose weight, stop smoking and pursue a regime of physical activity. I think the question will be whether or not the consumer is sufficiently motivated to make these changes, and that will depend upon what the offered policy rate class looks like to begin with -- and whether the individual will receive the benefit of such changes -- or if they merely go to the credit of any employer or government program such as Medicare. And a key question is -- if I'm offered a preferred policy because of new behaviors -- what happens if I regress? In life insurance, once I qualify in a "preferred" risk class, I can subsequently begin to smoke, I could begin to overeat, I could get diabetes, I could fail to exercise and the insurance company is obligated to the original rate class determination.

Applying the analogy of accepting a black box in my automobile, the question for health or life insurance would be: If I subjected myself to periodic exams, would I, upon achieving a satisfactory score, receive a reward or perhaps, more applicable, a lower premium?

There are two considerations: One is industry acceptance and the other is the consumer's inclination and ability to work the system. I don't think the 50 states' Departments of Insurance who regulate this area would readily accept such dramatic changes, since they have generally resisted DNA testing as an underwriting factor. As far as consumers getting what they want, in a sense, that's already happening in some situations. For example, if I applied for life insurance and I'm offered a standard rating -- with the reason I'm not offered a more favorable rating because of my weight and lack of exercise -- I can change my lifestyle (lose weight and show physical signs of exercise) and then reapply to that or any other company and presumably get a better rate.

If affordable and accessible DNA tests could predict health factors a person is likely to manifest, those who can show they will have a relatively healthy future could request policy discounts. What barriers to this scenario do you see? What opportunities or challenges should insurance carriers consider?

First of all, I think that in the current environment, there would be an outcry from consumer advocates that would not allow that to happen.

On the other hand, employers are beginning to provide incentives and penalties for healthy lifestyle decisions. An employer providing health, disability and life insurance might pay a greater proportion of the overall premium for employees who make healthy choices and subsidize a lesser amount -- or provide less coverage -- for employees who maintain unhealthy lifestyles.

Incentive-based insurance began in the late 1960s when smoker/nonsmoker policy differentiation first took shape in underwriting life, health and disability policies. From there, insurance companies started to differentiate not just standard ratings but preferred, super-preferred and ultra-preferred. Ultra-preferred being, in theory, a status that could only be attained if both your parents are alive and healthy, you have never smoked, you have low body mass and fairly strict ratios of weight and height, and fairly low blood pressure and cholesterol, among other criteria. In effect, that transformed "standard" to substandard and made ultra-preferred and super-preferred the new norm for what was standard and standard-plus.

While I see more of this occurring in the life and disability types of insurance, I do not foresee any time in the near future that consumers would favor DNA or other objective testing-based criteria in employer-provided health insurance as well as for those receiving Medicare.

Excerpt from:
Save on Insurance, Compromise on Privacy

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --LendingTree, the nation's leading online lending exchange, announced the recipients of its annual lender awards which are based on business and customer service achievements of the lenders on the LendingTree network.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110518/MM04455LOGO)

"Our annual lender awards are an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of our lender partners," said Doug Lebda, LendingTree CEO. "Currently, we have over 200 exceptional lenders on our network, providing competition, choice and convenience to our customers. This year's award winners are excellent examples of how the lenders on the LendingTree network deliver great value and service to our borrowers. The success of the lenders on our network is a vital element to the success of LendingTree and we look forward to continued growth in the coming year."

The 2011 LendingTree award winners include:

"Customer Service is the foundation of Great Western," says Fred McDonald, CEO of Great Western Financial Services, recipient of the Excellence in Customer Service Award for two consecutive years. "The company realizes that when a customer chooses our company to finance his loan, he is expecting courteous, timely and efficient service, and this expectation is exactly what Great Western strives to achieve and even exceed. This award is a testament to our staff's continual commitment to provide the customer with an exceptional experience."

LendingTree provides more than 200 lenders from across the country a source of interested borrowers looking for home loans such as new purchase mortgage, refinance and home equity, as well as personal and auto loans. For information about the joining the LendingTree network of lenders, please contact Mark Fowler at (704) 943-8040 or visit http://www.lendingtree.com.

About LendingTree, LLC LendingTree, LLC is the nation's leading online lender exchange and personal finance resource, helping consumers take charge of all their financial decisions, from budgeting to money management to mortgages to credit cards and more.LendingTree provides a marketplace that connects consumers with multiple lenders that compete for their business, as well as an array of online tools to aid consumers in their financial decisions. Since inception, LendingTree has facilitated more than 28 million loan requests and $214 billion in closed loan transactions. LendingTree provides access to lenders offering mortgages and refinance loans, home equity loans/lines of credit, and more. LendingTree, LLC is a subsidiary of Tree.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: TREE - News). For more information go to http://www.lendingtree.com or 800-555-TREE.

MEDIA CONTACT:Megan Greuling (704) 943-8208 Megan.Greuling@tree.com

Original post:
LendingTree Recognizes Outstanding Lender Performance with 2011 Awards

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHygjh9Odtc

11-03-2012 17:43 MagnaVita is a marketing team dedicated to bring you the best opportunity of your life. We work directly with a company called OrganoGold that sells a variety of beverages, nutraceuticals, and personal care products. This is an opportunity to become your own boss and work from home. Our team will ensure success to all those that join us. It seems unbelievable but in reality, each individual's success generates greater prosperity for the team as a whole, therefore we will be personally assisting all our members through every step to assure favorable results for everyone. Many people see "financial opportunities" and assume it's a scam but as long as an adequate amount of effort and time is invested into the company, we can essentially guarantee personal success. For those who are interested in what may be the greatest financial decision of your life, send a message to this account or email us at magnavita2012@gmail.com and we will answer any questions you may have. We will disclose more information to those who show a serious interest in the company and allow you the opportunity to speak to us personally via telephone. magnavita.organogold.com

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Holton Buggs Compensation Plan [MV] - Video