The Challenges of Launching an Encore Career

Many people dream about launching a second career in a field they have always wanted to try. But the transition into an encore career can be a long and costly process.Most people earn a significantly lower amount of money (43 percent) or no money at all (24 percent) during the transition from one job to the next, according to a recent MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures survey conducted by Penn...

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The Importance of Being Self-Reliant in Retirement

Most baby boomers are at various stages of preparing for retirement, depending on whether they were born at the beginning or end of their generation. The smart ones realize that effective planning starts well before retirement age. Important calculations need to be made to determine what it will take to survive financially throughout the retirement years. Post-work lifestyles and passions also need...

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World's biggest Titanic attraction opens in Belfast

The largest Titanic visitor attraction in the world opened in the ship's Belfast birthplace on Saturday, some 100 years after the doomed liner was built in the same yards.Almost 100,000 tickets for Titanic Belfast, a striking aluminium-clad building which tells the famous ship's story through special effects, interactive screens and a ride, have been sold ahead of the opening.Organisers hope the...

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Detained Nigerian newspaper journalists released

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — An official says two Nigerian journalists have been freed after being detained without charges for more than a week by the nation's secret police following writing stories about a radical Islamist sect and alleged military abuses.Mohammed Garba, president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, said Tuesday that Musa Mohammed Awwal and Aliyu Saleh, journalists with the weekly Hausa...

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C. African Republic capital fears rebel attack

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Kpademona Marcel and other residents of the capital of Central African Republic have watched in fear as rebels from the country's north seized control of more than half the country in less than a month. On Tuesday, all he could do was pray that a solution to the crisis could be found without the violence reaching Bangui."We are afraid for our nation and for...

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Stampede after fireworks kills 61 in Ivory Coast

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — A crowd stampeded after leaving a New Year's fireworks show early Tuesday in Ivory Coast's main city, killing 61 people — many of them children and teenagers — and injuring more than 200, rescue workers said.Thousands had gathered at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan's Plateau district to see the fireworks. It was only the second New Year's Eve fireworks display...

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Angola: Stampede kills 10 at religious gathering

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Angolan media say 10 people, including four children, have died in a stampede during a religious gathering at a sports stadium in Luanda, the Angolan capital.Angop, the Angolan news agency, cited officials as saying Tuesday that 120 people were also injured. The incident happened on New Year's Eve when tens of thousands of people gathered at the stadium and panic ensued. Faustino...

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South Africa: Mandela rests at home

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's presidency says former leader Nelson Mandela is progressing with his recuperation from illness and doctors are closely monitoring his condition.Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said Wednesday that "everything is moving OK" as 94-year-old Mandela rests at his home in Johannesburg after a hospital stay last month.The former president received treatment for a lung...

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US home sales rise 2.1 percent in October

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. sales of previously occupied homes rose solidly in October, helped by improvement in the job market and record-low mortgage rates.The increase along with a jump in homebuilder confidence this month suggests the housing market continues to recover.The National Association of Realtors said Monday that sales rose 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million....

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News Summary: US home sales rise 2.1 pct. in Oct.

SALES RISE: U.S. sales of previously occupied homes rose moderately in October, helped by improvement in the job market and record-low mortgage rates. Sales rose 2.1 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million according to the National Association of Realtors.INVENTORIES: A decline in housing inventory is helping push prices higher. There were only 2.14 million homes available...

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News Summary: US 30-yr mortgage rate at record low

RATES AT RECORD LOW: Average U.S. mortgage rates fell to fresh record lows this week, a trend that is boosting home sales.THE NUMBERS: Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said the average 30-year loan rate dipped to 3.31 percent, the lowest on records dating back to 1971. The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage dropped to 2.63 percent, also a record.HOUSING RECOVERY: Home sales and construction are rising,...

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Retirement Savings Plan Reality: Save More

There's a buzz building in California over a state move to create a retirement savings plan for private employees with no workplace 401k. It might seem that everyone has plenty of access to a retirement savings plan, but at least a third of U.S. households get to retirement with just Social Security to back them up, reports MarketWatch.The "pioneering" part of such a retirement savings plan would...

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US home sales surge to highest level in 3 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. sales of previously occupied homes jumped to their highest level in three years last month, bolstered by steady job gains and record-low mortgage rates. The report was the latest sign of a sustained recovery in the housing market.The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales rose 5.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million in November. That's...

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Ms. Mac: 'Cute, Awkwardly Dressed'

Designer: PabloDeLaRocha.com, BlueStacksShe has freckles, a normal-sized head, wears t-shirts and jeans. She is also "awkwardly dressed" and "pretty cute." She is the average female Mac user, according to an infographic complied and released by software start-up BlueStacks.The company, which makes software that allows Android apps to run on computers, just released a new version of its Mac app. Install...

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Makers of $99 Android-Powered Game Console Ship First 1,200 'Ouyas'

Like Nintendo's Wii U game console, the Ouya (that's "OOH-yuh") has an unusual name and even more unusual hardware. The console is roughly the size of a Rubik's cube, and is powered by Android, Google's open-source operating system that's normally found on smartphones and tablets.Ouya's makers, who are preparing the console for its commercial launch, encourage interested gamers to pop the case open...

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Quad-core Sony Xperia Z with 1080p display rumored to debut at CES

Sony (SNE) has long been rumored to be readying a high-end Android-powered smartphone with a 5-inch display. The Xperia Z, which was previously known as the Yuga, was revealed in a variety of leaked images and was even the subject of a recent review. According to a report from Chinese website ePrice, Sony is expected to debut the handset at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The Xperia Z is...

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Android vs. Android: LG looks to ban Samsung tablet in South Korea

Are there any technology companies Samsung (005930) isn’t fighting in court right now? LG Display (LPL), of which Android vendor LG Electronics (066570) owns a majority stake, confirmed on Friday that it has filed an injunction seeking to ban Galaxy Note 10.1 sales in South Korea. The panel maker claims the tablet infringes three of its patents relating to its display technologies and it is looking...

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Windows Phone Store doubled in size this year

Windows Phone has had a difficult time battling Android and iOS in the mobile space this year thanks to a glaring lack of apps. Unfortunately for Microsoft (MSFT), its Windows Phone Store falls short compared to Apple’s (AAPL) App Store, Google’s (GOOG) Play Store and even the Amazon Appstore. Microsoft is gaining ground, however, as the company revealed earlier this week that it published more than...

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Baseball-Jones still Japan-bound despite arrest

TOKYO, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Former Major League Baseball player Andruw Jones's Christmas morning arrest on a battery charge will not endanger his move to Japan's Rakuten Eagles, the club's president said on Thursday.The Curacao-born outfielder was taken into custody in an Atlanta suburb on Tuesday after police were called to his home following a domestic dispute with his wife."We received a report it...

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Jones still Japan-bound despite arrest

 Former Major League Baseball player Andruw Jones's Christmas morning arrest on a battery charge will not endanger his move to Japan's Rakuten Eagles, the club's president said on Thursday.The Curacao-born outfielder was taken into custody in an Atlanta suburb on Tuesday after police were called to his home following a domestic dispute with his wife."We received a report it was a domestic fight...

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ADVISORY-Reuters yearenders to move from 0200 GMT

Dec 27 (Reuters) - Reuters will repeat a series of sports yearenders from earlier this month at 0200 GMT on Friday.Overall yearenderAmerican professional sportAsian reviewBest quotes of the yearTimelineLondon OlympicsSoccerTennisGolfCricketRugbyCyclingMotor racingMajor league baseballBasketballNFLIce Hoc...

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Baseball: Matsui announces retirement from Major Leagues

Hard-hitting Hideki Matsui, who set milestones for Japanese players in Major League Baseball, announced his retirement on Thursday, the organization's website reported.The 38-year-old Matsui played 10 seasons in MLB, seven of them with the New York Yankees, producing the most home runs, runs batted in and walks by a Japanese player in the league.A two-time All-Star with the Yankees, he was the first...

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YEARENDER-Olympics sparkle at height of magical British summer

LONDON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - London defied Britain's wettest summer for 100 years, potential transport and security chaos and a depressed economy to stage a marvellous 2012 Olympics during a magical year for British sport.Over the past century Britons have become resigned to watching the rest of the world beat them at games they had either invented or codified at the height of the island nation's imperial...

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