Duty Calls

Defined Benefits Are D.O.A. -- How Are You Dealing With It?

"Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson:  you find the present tense, but the past perfect!"  (Owens Lee Pomeroy)

You may or may not have figured it out, but the days when you got out of school, found a "good" employer, did what your boss told you for 30 years, and then retired on benefits promised by your company are for the most part dead (See Michael Barone's article).

A wide variety of culprits -- lower birth rates, failing companies, bad political and bureaucratic policies, economic realities, etc. -- conspired to make this the new reality.

Now, it is up to you to determine how you will support yourself in your later years.

Question: What steps are you taking to deal with this situation?

"Things ain't what they used to be and probably never was."  (Will Rogers)

Think Differently - Change the World

 

The Remarkable Value of Self-Help

In a recent article for Forbes, Rich Karlgaard emphasized the value of self-help, which he refers to as "a modern American religion."

While I am not totally comfortable with his religious connotation -- taken to the extreme, the concept of self-help can lead people to deny their ultimate reliance on God -- Karlgaard's examples and bottom line are worthy of consideration. This is especially true as America teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, partly caused by our nation's unsustainable bent toward taking from producers in order to give to non-producers.

  

With self-reliance in mind and an acknowledgment that we are created in God's image, Karlgaard brings to our mind two men whose self-reliance led them to creative deeds that have touched millions of people around the globe.

The first story that Karlgaard shares highlights the beginnings of Alcoholics Anonymous, while the second focuses on Napoleon Hill who wrote the classic, Think and Grow Rich.

Both stories begin with men who were down and out, and at the end of their respective ropes. Each pounded the raw materials of their personal tragedies into tools used by millions to improve their personal lives and communities.

This short piece -- Self-Help: The Great American Religion -- is well worth the time it will take you to read it. Additionally, I can vouch for Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich without hesitation. It is as timely today as it was when it was first released in 1937.

While you're reading these things, consider this -- reliance on God and helping your self are not mutually exclusive concepts.  

SIDE NOTE: Rich Karlgaard mentioned that Napoleon Hill's previously unpublished manuscript, Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success, will be released in June. I am certain it will be great. If you're interested,pre-order it at Amazon.