To Those Who Might Want our RetirementView Software,

…SCROLL TO END OF ARTICLE FOR A SPECIAL OFFER….

May the 4th has become known as “Star Wars Day”!  Built on the idea of May the 4th be with you.

I wanted to use this day to tell you about my recent trip on a Disney Star Wars cruise.

I got to take my wife and 2 youngest sons (still in high school) on the cruise which offers Star Wars movies, characters, memorabilia, and of course the awesome “Star Wars Day at Sea”.

Being like a big kid, I signed up for a couple of “character encounters”.

My encounter with Darth Vader was quite scary.

 The dude is like 6 foot 8 in the Darth costume and he has the “real” James Earl Jones voice – I assume from a voice converter box.  He said that I looked like I might be part of the “rebel alliance”.

I was lucky to even get a picture before he pulled out his light saber and tried to chase me down!

On another encounter, I got to meet R2D2 and C3PO.

These droids were alive and active.

C3PO shook my hand when I walked up and talked to me ad lib in the C3PO voice.

Meanwhile, R2D2 was blinking and chirping with his computerized “voice” during the entire photo encounter.

It was so real I couldn’t believe it.

I had to get a photo to “prove” I met two of the most outstanding movie characters of all time.

Although R2D2 is soooo cool, the wit and wisdom of C3PO has always made him my favorite.

My wife and kids were too tired to want to get up to meet R2D2 at 8am. Sure I was on vacation but I would have gotten up at 5am to see these guys!

During the cruise we could watch any Star Wars movie we wanted on demand except Force Awakens which was only in the theater.

They have a full size theater on the ship just for showing movies!

On the ship’s opening departure party, they have a lot of Star Wars and Disney characters there to “see us off”.

This deck party has a lot of music and dancing and typical Disney show flare.

On the Day at Sea you can buy the BB8 cup (you can see it in the Darth Vader picture) or a Bobo Fett cup.

They double down on the movies and show Star Wars the CLone Wars cartoon on the huge deck screen.

At night they have another deck party where there is a mob of people dancing and celebrating in Star Wars costumes.

There are so many light sabers out on the deck and costumes that it makes for a really cool experience.

This article is mainly about “STAR WARS” but the cruise itself is fantastic.  I’ve added a couple of pictures at the bottom if you want to see them.

SPECIAL OFFER: MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU!

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And this promotion is good for ANY edition.

Directions:

– find pictures of actual Star Wars characters in this article

– write down their names in all CAPS

– if their name is greater than 4 letters, then mark out everything after the first 4 letters

– go to the page for the edition you want to purchase.  Personal or Couples or Professional Edition.

– enter into the Promo Code the 4 character “name” of one of the Star Wars characters you have selected (hint: not traditional Disney characters but Star Wars only)

– a DISCOUNT should appear on the order form

– Complete the purchase process and enjoy using the RetirementView software!

May the Fourth Be With You in Your Retirement Planning!

THESE SPECIAL DISCOUNTS END FRIDAY MAY 5th at MIDNIGHT!

Alice Kramden was famously unimpressed when her husband Ralph regularly threatened to send her to the moon. The hugely successful and iconic series ‘The Honeymooners’ starred Jackie Gleason as the frustrated bus driver Ralph and Audrey Meadows (as sensible housewife Alice. It was just one part of the hugely successful career of Jackie Gleason. In fact, the series was so enduring and popular (though perhaps a little shocking by today’s standards) that in 2000, a life-size statue of Jackie Gleason, in uniform as bus driver Ralph Kramden, was installed outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.

By the time Gleason was age of 71, he had established an entertainment legacy that included one of the most financially lucrative shows in history (The Honeymooners), a list of memorable films like The Hustler’ with Paul Newman and Smokey and the Bandit with Burt Reynolds, as well as, a collection of romantic music LPs, the first of which, ‘For Lovers Only,’ sold over half a million copies.

The larger than life star, who had entertained audiences for more than half a century, was a self-made man who propelled himself beyond the limitations of his background. A high-school dropout, Gleason was born on February 26, 1916, to a poor Irish-Catholic immigrant family from Brooklyn, New York. Originally named Herbert John Gleason, his childhood, and adolescence were scarred by hardship. Gleason’s father abandoned him when he was only 8 years old, five years after the death of his only sibling from tuberculosis. 8 years after that, he would find himself completely alone at age 16, after the death of his mother.

Initially involved with a street gang called ‘The Nomads’, Gleason was well- known for his acerbic tongue, fashion sense and pool table smarts. He resolved to make a career out of his understated talent for wordplay. He used the streets to develop a comedic style and create a slew of characters that eventually won him first prize in a neighborhood talent contest for an original comedy routine. He headed in the direction that this early achievement pointed, becoming a club emcee before landing his first job in broadcasting, working as a part-time disc jockey on Newark radio.

His ability to turn life’s lemons into lemonade became a notable part of Gleason’s biography. Although the pathway to fame was far from smooth, he had learned how to hustle on the streets of New York. He saw failure from two different perspectives. When for instance, he was hired to host a TV game show that was cancelled after only one episode, Gleason apologized on air, and landed himself what was to become the precursor to the Honeymooners – ‘The Jackie Gleason’ show. Later, when he couldn’t sell his music album to a major company, he paid Capitol to publish it, and of course, the sales did nothing but prove his instincts right.

What’s your favorite Jackie Gleason memory?

Rolling over an IRA

In an effort to simplify the process of rolling over an IRA account, the IRS has just made a change to the way it handles the 60-day deadline to avoid paying penalties on those funds. As of August 2016, those filing past 60 days will have the opportunity to apply for a waiver and be given the benefit of the doubt from the government while they wait for their answer. This means the funds can move safely into their new home without waiting in limbo for a decision.

Buying Flowers

According to Aboutflower.com Valentine’s Day accounts for 25 percent of the total dollars spent on flowers for the year in the U.S. But surprisingly, only 20 percent of mothers surveyed by Offers.com list flowers as one of their top gift picks. If flowers are a must, purchasing a few days early through a local florist will often yield the best results and value.

Pros and cons of mobile check deposits

As technology progresses, even old industries such as banking are beginning to offer new features that can utilize the convenience of smartphones.  According to Bankrate.com, 63 percent of mobile bankers are likely using their phone to deposit checks. They also point out that mobile deposits can help prevent some types of fraud, allow deposits after business hours, and allow customers unprecedented convenience. Be sure to void the checks and mark them deposited. It’s not all great, however, as banks often place a cap on your deposits, place temporary holds on mobile-deposited funds, and have no safeguards against bounced checks.

ln the world of Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter, employees just don’t want to sit down with a 400 page book for training. Employers are responding.

According to Fortune, Walmart is one of a growing number of corporations that are using apps and Facebook to train employees and facilitate conversation about safety.   As a test, Walmart had 5,000 employees train for jobs with three-minute videos.  The number of reportable injuries dropped by nearly half.  Now all of Walmart’s 80,000 warehouse and logistics workers use the mobile app for training.
PayPal, on the other hand, created a private Facebook page where employees can connect with invited expert to troubleshoot problems.

Would something like this help you in your world?

Yesterday I saw this great article by Dave Rowan at Investopedia.  Have you seen it?

He is a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) and, from his experience, offers 6 steps to help you develop a plan  to ensure your retirement savings is sufficient.

Financial Planner Ian James from Baton Rouge, LA tells how RetirementView has improved his client satisfaction.