• Three great target date funds for your nest egg

    Target date funds are all about setting a date, and forgetting all about it until retirement. New to the concept, and looking for some great investment firms to help you out with your plans? What makes a great target fund is that it doesn’t impede the retirement investment plan during its fund allocation processes. Growing your fund for retirement doesn’t have to be hard. Approach the right firms with the right intentions.

    Here are a few great choices if you are looking to invest in target-date funds.

    • Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund
      What makes Vanguard great is that it’s an ideal mutual bond firm. It’s similar to your own personal investments, and easy track of it. It works like a mutual fund company and is majority owned by its investors, hence the low fund fees.
    • Their target date funds range in five-year increments (from 2020 to 2060) and they invest in only four indexes. The Total Stock Market, Total Bond Market, Total International Stock Market and finally, The Total International Bond. What makes it even more secure is that the plan is designed to create greater investment returns.
    • If you’re planning on buckling up and building your nest egg for your retirement years, then this one might be the best option for you.

     

    • BlackRock LifePath Index 2050
      This plan uses index funds to minimize expenses and pass on the returns to their investors.
      The LifePath fund manages their asset allocation by investing in the BlackRock & iShares branded index funds. There are about seven funds held together in their 2050 fund.
    • This plan starts out aggressively, with its 2055 fund holding 94% of its assets in stock in the beginning. As the years go by, it starts holding reducing its assets in stock. Finally, when nearing the years of retirement, that number falls down to only 40% in stock.
    • It’s one of the most conservative target-date funding plans. BlackRock keeps the investor’s retirement date in their best interests.

     

    • T. Rowe Price Target Retirement Funds
      If you’re close to retirement, then the T. Rowe Price Target Retirement Funds might be suitable for you. It’s considered to be one of the most actively managed target date retirement funds.
    • Stock holdings drop to 20% of the portfolio 30 years after the retirement dates have crossed.
      As a fund company, T. Rowe is an excellent choice for late starting investors. They charge a heavy expense ratio for their services, about 0.75% for its 2050 fund.
  • Target date funds, investing explained

    Target date funds can be a great instrument for financial savings for retirement. It’s pretty simple: you pick a fund, start pouring your savings into that fund, and forget about until you retire.

    Target date funds have a specific date. For instance, you may plan to retire in 2050. Then, the funds keep piling up to a certain designated amount you need for your retirement. You get to maintain your current lifestyle, minus the work, after your retirement.

    So, who actually benefits from these? Specifically, how exactly do you know whether this will work for you since there are tons of other retirement plans besides target date funds? Here’s how target date funds can help you find out whether you’re a right fit.

    You Let A Professional Handle Matters For You
    Let’s say you’re the type of person who wants to leave asset allocation to a professional fund manager in order to get peace of mind. If you are, a target date fund is just what you need. Here, you don’t have to worry about conducting research, choosing your stocks and bonds, setting up the asset allocation based on their performance, and so on. All of that is left in the capable hands of a finance professional.

    You Stick To Long-Term Goals
    If you’re a good goal setter—and are good at following through and completing long-term financial goals, such as setting funds aside till retirement—then target date funds suit you. A rash decision to withdraw funds before the target date can undo all your hard work. This is especially beneficial if your life is stable, meaning you don’t pay medical bills, and you’ve got great health and a stable career. Good candidates for target date funds are those already prepared for sudden changes in financial situations due to unforeseeable life events.

    You Don’t Want To Pay Multiple Management Expense Ratios
    Target date funds usually hold stocks, bonds, ETFs and equities. You’ll need to research, monitor and balance your investments in a way that one of them doesn’t make you portfolio overweight in that sector of the industry. Only if you can do this are target date funds a good fit. The best part, you avoid paying broker fees, online trading fees and any forms of multiple management expenses. Your assets get allocated accordingly, and your investment portfolio gets balanced by a professional till your retirement date.

    If you are someone who can meet certain required criteria, don’t mind volatility in the stock market, and don’t want to actively manage your retirement savings accounts, target date funds may be what you need.

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  • Healthy diet to control the cholesterol levels

    Maintaining a low cholesterol diet can be a challenge, especially if it means cutting down on your favorite food. However, if you have set your mind to nourish a healthy heart, there are many alternatives, which can delight your taste buds and cut down the level of LDL or bad cholesterol in your body. And remember, you do not need a doctor’s prescription to switch over to a low-cholesterol diet. Planning and maintaining a healthy diet will eliminate the need for extreme measures or visits to the doctor.

    Control portion size
    Overeating can cause an increase in your cholesterol level. It’s all about the proportion. Also, a lot of people each more to finish off their leftover food or whatever extra lying on the table. Not wasting food is a good idea; however, in such cases, one should distribute it to the needy. Once you learn when to stop eating, you can be assured of good heart health as well.

    Limit your intake of saturated fats
    Although there is no conclusive proof that intake of saturated fats can lead to heart disease, they do push up the level of bad cholesterol. On the flip side, they also contribute to the good cholesterol and cut down the level of triglycerides. The bottom line here is to reduce the intake of saturated fats including meat, milk, and cheese. You can replace them with low-fat alternatives or stick to minimum weekly intake in case of meats.

    Get rid of trans fat
    Your body can certainly do without trans fat in any form. They clog the arteries, push up the levels of triglycerides and can add to your weight. Trans fats including hydrogenated oils, processed food, bakery products, chips and other similar snacks, and carbonated drinks might be good to taste but not for health.

    Include fresh fruits
    Any healthy diet plan should include at least five servings of fruit per day. Whole fruits are much more nutritious than fruit juices. You can eat them as such or mix up a salad of three or more. Save this healthy snack for your mid-morning hunger pang.

    Add soluble fiber to your diet
    Fiber can help you to cut down the bad cholesterol in your body. Our body cannot digest these fibers but as they care eliminated from the body they carry toxic wastes along with them. You can include fiber in the form of oats, brown bread, brown rice, barley and whole fruits. Beans and lentils are also a good soluble fiber and are good for the heart.

    Include seafood in your diet
    Omega-3 fatty acids found in sardines, herrings, and Salmons can bring down the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood.

    Replace red meat with healthier alternatives
    Protein is essential for our bodies, animal protein, especially red meat can cause more harm than good. You should look for alternatives like skinless chicken and fish.

    Drink plenty of water
    Water is functioning of the various organs in our body. It aids digestion, boosts our metabolism and helps in functioning of the heart.

    Adopt healthy snacks
    Nuts are excellent for your overall health. They fill you up while lowering your cholesterol. So, make sure to include a handful of nuts in your diet like walnuts, almonds and cashew nuts are all good for your heart.

    Cut down on salt and sugars
    Cutting down on these white foods promote a healthy body. Lowering the level of salt controls your blood pressure and controlling sugar intake guards you against Type-2 diabetes.

  • Ways to treat low blood pressure

    The blood pressure as indicated by the name is the pressure with which the blood flows in the body of the human beings. If the pressure is high, the treatment focus would be to lower high blood pressure, and for low pressure, the treatment is to bring it back to normal. In a healthy adult, the normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg. Here the top number denotes the systolic blood pressure and the bottom number denotes the diastolic blood pressure. Systolic is the highest pressure when the heart beats and pushes blood around the body, and the diastolic is the lowest pressure when the heart relaxes between the beats. If the top number goes below 90, then the condition is known as low blood pressure. Now the important points to learn are the ways to treat low blood pressure.

    How to treat the low blood pressure
    Low blood pressure is one of the common cardiovascular problems. In case the patient has a high blood pressure the target is to lower high blood pressure. The ways to treat low blood pressure are as follows:

    • In the case of low blood pressure, the diet should contain a higher amount of salt but when the case is opposite that is when you need to lower high blood pressure salt intake should be less.
    • It is recommended to consume a lot of fluids but non-alcoholic in nature. Alcoholic drinks should be restricted.
    • Regular exercise is a very effective way for proper blood flow, which is good for bringing low blood pressure to normal and to lower high blood pressure as well.
    • It is recommended to elevate your head on the bed while sleeping at night.
    • Heavy lifting should be avoided.
    • Standing still in a place for a prolonged period should be avoided.
    • You should avoid straining while on the seat of the toilet for a bowel movement.
    • Exposure to hot water such as spas or hot showers for a long duration of time should be avoided.

    Thus, it can be very well understood that with certain changes in the lifestyle and some dietary modifications, the condition of low blood pressure can be effectively treated.

  • A few common signs of metastatic breast cancer

    Metastatic breast cancer refers to breast cancer, which has spread to other parts of the body, most often the bones, lungs, liver, or less commonly, the brain. Metastatic breast cancer is also called advanced, secondary, or stage IV breast cancer. Irrespective of the part of the body where metastatic breast cancer has spread, breast cancer treatment is carried out with conventional breast cancer drugs and not through specific drugs for bone cancer or liver cancer.

    Metastatic breast cancer usually occurs several years after primary cancer has been diagnosed and treated; but in some cases, metastatic breast cancer diagnosis might happen with primary diagnosis. Metastatic breast cancer is not completely curable, but can only be controlled.

    Metastatic breast cancer treatment can be undertaken as the spread of cancer usually happens through one or more of the following ways:

    • Cancer cells attack nearby cells and infect them.
    • Cancer cells travel into the blood vessels and enter the circulatory system.
    • Cancer cells are carried by the blood to other parts of the body.
    • Cancer cells get stuck in capillaries and invade nearby healthy tissues.
    • Cancer cells join to form small tumors at the new location.

    Signs of breast cancer may vary from person to person depending on how far the cancer has spread and what type of tissues the cancer cells have attacked. Breast cancer treatment depends on the symptoms, which vary by location associated with breast cancer metastasis.

    Signs of metastasis in the bone

    • Intense, consistent pain
    • Inflammation
    • Bones easily susceptible to fractures

    Signs of metastasis in the brain

    • A headache which is persistent and progressively worsening
    • Deteriorating eyesight
    • Seizures
    • Vomiting and nausea
    • Marked changes in personality and behavior

    Signs of metastasis in liver

    • Jaundice
    • Rashes on skin
    • High levels of enzymes in liver
    • Pain in abdomen
    • Nausea and vomiting

    Signs of metastasis in lungs

    • Chronic cough
    • Abnormal chest X-ray
    • Chest pain

    Breast cancer treatment also looks for other general symptoms of metastatic breast cancer such as fatigue, unusual weight loss, poor appetite, but these symptoms may also be due to medication or depression. Advanced metastatic breast cancer treatment involves awareness, proper combination of drugs, therapy, and hope.