Will Retirees ever be Happy ?-Odunze Reginald C

Schuller (1988:112) noted that success without social respect can be an ultimate and dismal failure. But that is not the feelings of con artist as they continually scheme, plan and put in strategies that will bring in money no matter who ever that is involved. They do not even care about the state of such people; at times they deliberately target retirees because of their vulnerability.

What then makes a retiree vulnerable? The issue of vulnerability will be explained as we progresses on the write up.

Most losses during retirement occur as a result of wrong decision, wrong purchase decision, and the lust for the sweet things of life, mainly womanizing. But the most devastating of such losses is the loss as a result of scam, fraud and any other actions targeted on the financial positions of the retirees.

Old age has one problem according to psychologist, it tend to make old people vulnerable to issues of money making, as they have dream idea of trying to achieve what they fail to achieve during their working career. They now want to achieve it     during old age and by so doing enter into one wrong investment decision or the other.

Whatever they have not achieve they tend to believe that retirement will afford them that opportunity, by so doing they enter into wrong hands who will fleece them of their hard earned money. The result is that most of the retirees return back to work in order to survive and enjoy their old age. But what these scammers do not know is that wealth do not bring happiness as it is stated in Ecclesiastics 5 verse 10-11 “ How absurd to think that wealth brings happiness, the more you have, the more people come to help you spend it and  continuing  in Ecclesiastics 5 verse 12, 14, it sates “ But the rich are always worrying  and seldom get a good night sleep” Riches are sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver, or they are put into risky investment that turn sour and everything is lost”

And continuing in Ecclesiastics 5 verse 19 and 20, “And it is good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it” “To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life- that is indeed a gift from God, people who did this rarely look with sorrow on the past,for God has given them reason for joy”.

And so in making wealth, it is pertinent for us to have that God given joy that gives one happiness- a lasting happiness.

Anything short of that may not augur well especially for con artist as Robert Kiyosaki in his book Rich dad Poor dad, noted that there are so many ways, one can be rich, and he included the following, through inheritance, playing lottery, investing or by being a crook or an outlaw but there is a price, you risk going to jail. Kiyosaki  (1995:351) continuing he stated that ‘A great story must interest , excite and cause people to look into the future and dream a little, there should also be integrity behind the story, because our jails are filled with great story tellers without integrity”.

So what should  you do during old age as it regards investment and business as majority of the retirees are interested in working and making more money , thereby creating wealth.  And according to Walter Updegrave in an article captioned “ Three Little mistakes that can sink your retirement,  which appeared in Yahoo Finance it states that “It’s almost become a cliché. Virtually every survey asking pre-retirees what they plan to do in retirement shows that the overwhelming majority plan to work.

 Indeed, a recent Merrill Lynch survey found that nearly three out of four people over 50 said their ideal retirement would include working. Which is fine. Staying connected to the work world in some way can not only offer financial benefits, it can also keep retirees more active and socially engaged”

But what happens if retiree involve in spurious contract that may be a scam, intended to dispossess him of his wealth?  There is need for the retiree to embark on the services of investment adviser even if he was an investment guru during his career, the reason is that in what concerns you , there may be likelihood of mistake unlike when you hand it over to an independent investment adviser, as it has been the same with lawyers, as they it  find difficult to handle their own cases as doctors are also in the same dilemma in treating their own diseases.

The idea of getting an expert is to safeguard the retirees fund from con artist during old age but that rest squarely on the retiree.

Odunze Reginald is the Lead Consultant, Chareg Consulting, a management and marketing  consultant  a social media and social marketing consultant , you can visit our twitter anchor @dunzereg, find us on Facebook @ Reginald odunze and reginaldodunze.com, at google+ @ Reginald Odunze and at Linkedin@reginald odunze

Kim Dotcom wins right to livestream extradition appeal

Media captionKim Dotcom explains why he wanted extradition appeal livestreamed.

A judge in New Zealand has said internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom will be allowed to stream his appeal against extradition live online.

The founder of the seized Megaupload websites is wanted in the US on charges of copyright infringement, racketeering and money laundering.
The US had opposed his proposal to broadcast the hearing on YouTube.
Dotcom said on Twitter that the decision was "breaking new ground" and streaming would start on Wednesday.

He told the BBC there was a definite public interest in his case.
Dotcom's lawyer said the move was "democracy at its finest".
"It provides everybody in the world with a seat in the gallery of the New Zealand courtroom," Ira Rothken told the Associated Press, saying there would be a 20 minute delay on the live feed.

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Analysis, Dave Lee, BBC North America technology reporter

Kim Dotcom has won a major victory here. By getting the hearing livestreamed, he'll hope to expose what he says are some of the incompetencies of this entire case. By bringing the world's technology community into the court room, instead of relying on media reports, he hopes to build support.
Mr Dotcom praised the judge for being "brave" enough to allow the streaming to happen. But it does come with an odd stipulation which many might find a tad naive on the part of the court.
As well as a 20 minute delay, in which some details can be beeped out from what goes out on the internet, the judge has also ruled that once the six-week hearing is over it cannot be kept online forever.
But to think, given all the people likely to watch it online, nobody is going to record it independently and publish shows a poor grasp of how the online community operates. The video of Kim Dotcom's hearing will be all over the internet, in perpetuity, whether the judge wants it to be or not.

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German-born Dotcom ran file-sharing site Megaupload.com, which once had million of users storing files and downloading movies and songs.
The FBI took control of the site and other domain names belonging to the business in January 2012. Federal prosecutors said it had cost movie studios, music labels and other copyright-holders more than $500m (£382m) in lost revenue.
Last December, a New Zealand court ruled that the German-born entrepreneur could be extradited to face charges of copyright infringement, racketeering and money laundering.
But Dotcom's lawyers launched an appeal, arguing that he should not be held responsible for the actions of the site's users, and did not get a fair hearing.

Image caption Megaupload was shut down by the US authorities in 2012

US concern

The request for livestreaming came on the first day of the appeal hearing in Auckland, which is expected to last up to eight weeks.
Another defence lawyer, Ron Mansfield, said there were "unprecedented issues of public and international interest" raised by the case and added that coverage should not be limited to traditional media.
Lawyers for the US had said streaming could influence a potential future jury.
The High Court judge, Justice Murray Gilbert, criticised the fact the request had not been made in advance but said he wanted to hear the views of local media outlets before making a decision.

Culled from BBC

Brexit may send EU 'down the drain' - German vice chancellor

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Germany's second in command Sigmar Gabriel said the EU could fall apart if Brexit was not handled carefully

Germany's vice-chancellor has warned the future of the EU could be in doubt if the UK's exit is handled badly.

Sigmar Gabriel said the EU would go "down the drain" if other states followed Britain's lead and that the UK could not keep the "nice things" about Europe while taking no responsibility.
It comes as Theresa May summoned ministers for a meeting on Wednesday to discuss ideas for the UK's withdrawal.
Downing Street said Brexit was "top" of the prime minister's agenda.
But a report in The Sunday Times suggested her cabinet was split over leaving the single market.
The UK voted to leave the European Union in a referendum vote on 23 June.
Mr Gabriel, who is also economy minister in Germany's governing coalition and Chancellor Angela Merkel's deputy, told a news conference that as a result, the world now regarded Europe as an unstable continent.

'Deep trouble'

"Brexit is bad but it won't hurt us as much economically as some fear - it's more of a psychological problem and it's a huge problem politically," he said.
"If we organise Brexit in the wrong way, then we'll be in deep trouble, so now we need to make sure that we don't allow Britain to keep the nice things, so to speak, related to Europe while taking no responsibility."
Mrs Merkel has met a number of European leaders during the past week to prepare the ground for a September summit focused on the EU's future post-Brexit.
She has said remaining member states must listen to each other carefully and avoid rushing into policy decisions.
Meanwhile, Mrs May is due to begin drawing up blueprints for Brexit on Wednesday, when she hosts cabinet ministers at Chequers, the prime minister's country retreat in Buckinghamshire.
BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said Mrs May would hear different answers to the question "what does Brexit actually mean?" from around the cabinet table and in Parliament.

Trade talks

It comes as a new cross-party group called Open Britain was launched.
In a joint article for the group in the Sunday Times, three former ministers from the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats accept that the free movement of people cannot continue, but they warn against "pulling up the drawbridge."

Image copyright EPA

Image caption Mr Gabriel has defended himself after making a rude gesture at a group of right-wing protesters

Mr Gabriel also said on Sunday that trade talks between the EU and the US had "de facto failed".
The plan - known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP - aimed to remove or reduce a wide range of barriers to EU-US trade and investment.
However, the move has been controversial in many of countries involved, including Germany and the UK. Critics say TTIP is driven by big business and would be bad for jobs, consumers and the environment.
In 14 rounds of talks, the two sides had not agreed on a single common chapter out of 27 being discussed, Mr Gabriel said.
"In my opinion the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it," said Mr Gabriel.

'Don't submit'

He suggested Washington was angry about a deal the EU struck with Canada, because it contained elements the US does not want to see in the TTIP.
"We mustn't submit to the American proposals," said Mr Gabriel, who is head of Germany's centre-left Social Democratic Party, which is in coalition with Mrs Merkel's centre-right Christian Democratic Union.
The BBC's Andrew Walker said ending the negotiations would not be a decision for Mr Gabriel, as he is the leader of centre-left Social Democratic Party, which is in coalition with Mrs Merkel's centre-right Christian Democratic Union.
Nonetheless, Mr Gabriel is an important voice and his view that TTIP has in effect failed is a sign of just how much political difficulty it faces, our correspondent added.
He has also been forced to defend his actions after he flicked the middle finger to a group of right-wing protesters earlier this month.
Sigmar Gabriel said his only mistake was not using both hands, and told his critics to think about what they would do if faced with 12 "young, aggressive, swearing and ready-for-violence Nazis".
Mr Gabriel had been confronted by the hecklers in northern Germany.

 Culled from BBC