We Were Preparing for Our Retirement, Not for Hers

During my first performance review at my first “real” job, my boss gave me advice that stuck with me. “Set aside your raise for retirement,” he suggested. So in my early 20s, on a very limited income, I started saving for my post-career years.

Over the years my spouse and I absorbed and applied many other nuggets of retirement advice:

·         Fund retirement before the kids’ college because you can’t get loans for retirement.

·         Be aware of management fees that eat into your fund growth.

·         Take full advantage of employer matches.

With 20 years of retirement preparation under our belts and probably 20 more years of saving ahead of us until we can call it quits, we felt like we knew most of what we reasonably should.

Recent family events, however, opened our eyes to a big gap in our understanding of retirement. The death of my spouse’s father has put him in the position of helping his mom, who is already retired, think through retirement savings, ongoing expenses, required distributions, and the tax implications of her decisions. She is an educated, intelligent woman, but for nearly 50 years she deferred major financial decisions to her spouse. What she wants is a competent sounding board against which she can bounce ideas; at this point, though, my husband and I are a bit in the dark about how she should wisely spend the money it took a lifetime to save.

We can’t apply our approach for retirement to this new situation. His mom needs steady income, as she is nearing the age of required minimum distribution. And if genetics have anything to say about it, she’ll live until she’s 100. After seeing first-hand the bills that come with a major illness, she’s concerned about the costs of health care and long-term care down the line.

At this point, we really aren’t knowledgeable enough to help her make decisions; we need to get up to speed on all the issues pertaining to post-retirement life.

When I first read the course description for Rejuvenate Your Retirement, I figured it was a course that I probably wouldn’t need for many years. The logistics of actually using retirement funds was just a footnote to the process of acquiring the funds. Now I’m eyeing up the course from a new perspective. With his mom looking to us for intelligent counsel, it seems there is quite a bit of practical knowledge we could use from this class even now.

Rejuvenate Your Retirement is offered twice this May at the CSN Summerlin High Tech Center (next to Palo Verde High School). A Thursday class meets 1-3 p.m. on May 8 and 15. A Tuesday class meets 9:30-11:30 a.m. on May 13 and 20. A $49 registration fees covers both you and your spouse. Register by phone at 702-895-3394 or online at http://ced.unlv.edu/cat2014.

Public Relations: Then & Now

I graduated from the Public Relations Skills certificate program in 2006. In eight years the basic fundamentals haven’t changed. You still need to know different writing styles -- from writing a news release to a flyer. Relationships and communication with the media remain critical and beneficial. The same basic principles still apply in ethics and crisis communications. However, the Internet and social media have changed how you do your work.

In the past when I distributed a news release it had to be faxed multiple times to different contacts. Now everything is emailed in one shot. Email and text messages are daily occurrences and part of the way of life at work. Plus, I don’t know how I ever worked with only one monitor!

Social media hardly merited a mention when I was in school; MySpace, Skype, YouTube, and Twitter were not mainstream mechanisms for getting your message out. Social media touches everything I do now, from event planning and eFlyers to writing/publishing a document. I also have accounts with all the major social media channels. At home I video chat at least twice a week, if not more.

In today’s public relations world, I find that most promotional materials, such as brochures, flyers, posters etc., are made with Adobe products. I have started taking InDesign and Photoshop classes as well. These classes are engaging public relations tools, enabling communicators to get their message across with a creative blend of content and design.

As I have followed the PR path, it’s been rewarding to see the field’s evolution and be involved with its integration with marketing and social media. If you’re interested in public relations, you may find it not only enhances your skills but also provides new creative energy.

Health & Fitness: Taking that Big First Step

For years, weight training, indoor cycling, and cardio were the main components of my fitness plan. Personal trainers advise you to mix up your routine to “shock” your muscles and energize your workouts. I often thought about adding yoga to the plan, but only knew it as a stress reducer and flexibility increaser. How would yoga complement the strength and muscle tone gained from weight training? Which type of yoga would be best for me? With so many yoga classes, where should I go?

The first place I went, of course, was the Internet. The online search helped me find out which yoga style was best for my experience level and fitness goals. With that question answered, I needed to find the right class. Living in Las Vegas, you will find a multitude of options, but it’s always best to pick a studio convenient to home or work. I decided to stick with who I know and trust best.

UNLV Continuing Education has a wide range of wellness classes – from golf to meditation. I selected a yoga class that met immediately after work. The class included other beginners as well as those who moved effortlessly from the downward facing dog to the plank pose. It provided me with a good introduction to yoga at a reasonable fee. The class also gave me enough confidence to practice another yoga style.

UNLV Continuing Education offers classes to meet your needs, whether personal or professional. Whenever you are looking to learn something new or different, I encourage you to make Continuing Education your first stop in an online search.

Yoga: Mixed Level begins April 30. There are only a few spots remaining.

Video Blogging Tips

I have a phone with a camera. That’s all I need to start a video blog, right? Technically, yes. But the answer goes deeper. Hopefully this simple overview can help you get started.

Before you star in your own online videos, first ask yourself, "Why am I blogging?" Is this a hobby or a job? What message do you hope to get across to an audience? Is it something that a large population would watch? Will it garner audience partnership and feedback?

You want to make sure you have a plan before simply hitting record on your phone. At the very least, you’ll want to find a topic about which you are passionate and one that will garner a large audience. It’s not easy to produce a regularly updated video blog ,if you are not passionate about the topic and/or you don’t receive validation from a growing audience.

A bit of forethought will ensure you record a crisp quality of video with really good audio. Professional equipment on a soundstage would be the best case scenario, but it is very true that most smartphones can record HD quality video that easily suits the needs of a video blog. Many video bloggers forget to account for audio though. Again, the camera phone is quite adept at recording clean audio, but you must take into account the environment and noise. If there is background noise where you are recording, it will be heard in the video. This can be extremely distracting and takes away from your message.

For editing, professional equipment like Apple’s Final Cut Studio or Adobe’s Creative Cloud are fantastic, but once again there are many options that can be much cheaper or even free. You can take a closer look at your smartphone; it can save the day as there are many app options for editing. If you have no other options, YouTube has updated its hosting services to offer simple trim tools for editing, slow motion effects, color correcting and even filters for image effects. They also offer a nice library of music to complement your video.

Now that you have your video uploaded and ready to go, you must market it to the max! Hosting on a website is always nice, but not necessary. Actively recruiting friends and family to promote your videos is key. Utilizing social media sites like Facebook and Twitter is a must. And of course, remember to keep your topics and delivery entertaining. As you grow your audience, be sure to interact with your viewers. Ask questions to elicit answers. Remember to keep track of all comments posted to your video and make sure you answer as many as you can. Find networks with similarly-themed blogs and get involved by interacting with other videos as well as sharing your own.


To learn more about video blogging, social media and graphic design, check out our continuing education catalog - http://continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog

A Degree Doesn't Mean You're Done Learning

Graduating with your undergraduate degree is both extremely relieving and incredibly daunting. Am I ready for the world? Is graduate school in my future? How should I prepare for the next step in my education? Credentials aside, there is something to be said for those who take it upon themselves to continue their education on their own time. A determining factor in what to study is the subject on which you intend to focus in graduate school.

Those looking to work in a hard or soft science, accounting, or most fields concerning number crunching should consider brushing up on the ins and outs of Microsoft Excel. Learning how to create spreadsheets, analyze data, and implement equations into your cells to expedite information will keep you one step ahead of the game. It might also help to learn basic programming languages to write scripts for a study.

Maybe your future lies in marketing, sales, or some other area where presentation is one of the keys to success. Having just recently graduated, I remember multiple occasions in which a late night and a hasty PowerPoint presentation had me sweating bullets in hopes that I had done it well. Learning how to present your ideas efficiently in a well-organized presentation will not only showcase your competence, it will also make you feel more confident in your understanding of the material. Recent graduates may also greatly benefit from taking classes to learn how to communicate with difficult people and become more confident with public speaking.

Courses like these are great to take, whether you know what area you will focus on in graduate school or not. UNLV Continuing Education offers courses in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Communication, and many others depending on your interests. Should you still be up in the air on what direction you want to take, why not sign up for a course to help you decide? Hone in on your career path with the course “I Still Don’t Know What I Want To Be When I Grow Up” taught by Katharine Johnson, M.Ed.

To learn more about classes you can take to help you prepare for graduate school, take a look at the Job Search, Computers & Technology, and Communications sections of our catalog:

- http://continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog

Should I Update My Mobile Device?

Mobile device updates can be frustrating! As an Android phone and Apple iPad user, it seems that I am prompted to update something on one of my devices every day. Sure, I could set the device to auto-update, but the updates can’t all be necessary, can they? Let’s take a closer look to see what is commonly included in Operating System (OS) or application updates.

Security Updates

These are crucial updates that patch major security holes that could be exploited in order to gain access to sensitive materials on your device. These updates are essential and should be done immediately.

e.g. A few weeks ago Apple released an emergency update, iOS 7.06, to plug a major security hole which could allow an attacker on the same wifi network to capture data that should have been secured.

Should I update? Definitely! Do it now!

Bug Updates

Bug fixes repair functionality issues and optimize performance. Bugs are glitches in the program that are annoying but do not cause security concerns.

e.g. The recently released Apple iOS 7.1 fixed an annoying bug that caused apps like email and web browser to crash and erase any progress.

Some updates are device specific; if your device is not listed, the update might not be necessary.

Should I update? Sure, especially if the bug is affecting your device.

Feature Updates

These updates add or remove features or aesthetics to the application.  

e.g. iOS 7.1 updated the user experience with refinements to the look and feel. A Month view was also added to the Calendar, and tweaks were made to Siri and Camera.

Sometimes features require an update to permissions or agreement to new Terms of Service. Are you OK with the application accessing your contact list or posting updates on your behalf?

Should I update? While new features are nice, it is best to wait a little while. New features can also  bring new bugs.

Most updates are a combination of security patches, bug fixes and feature additions. It is important to identify which are critical. Remember, with any software upgrade there is always a chance of something going awry so make sure to back up your device before any update.

Learn More

Get the most from your iPad for work or play with iPad: Basics & Beyond. Explore different smartphone technologies and service providers with Smart about Smart Phones.

Wine & Cheese, What a Pairing!

I recently took a wine & cheese class through UNLV Continuing Education, Wine & Cheese of Italy & Spain. To start this off, I’m not a big red wine drinker, and I thought to myself “what have you gotten yourself into?” But I love cheese, all kinds of cheese, from soft to stinky. I’ve been to classes before where Chef Les Kincaid is the instructor. He is very generous with his portions, so I knew I would get my fill of cheese and wine.

This two-week course was held at Total Wine & More in Summerlin, with the first week focused on French wines & cheese and the second week on the Spanish ones. Chef Kincaid brought four wines and four cheeses each week. He kept the price point on the wines at $7-$12. Surprisingly they were all good, although I was fondest of the French Muscat we had. I could go on about the cheeses for hours (but I won’t). We tried everything from a French Brie by Mon Pere to a 12-month aged Manchego by El Trigal. My favorite of all was a French goat cheese that had three distinct flavors as you bit into the rind, outer edge and center cut of the cheese. The name of that one is Bucherondin by Serva Bella.

Chef Kincaid is very knowledgeable about winemaking and speaks extensively about how the landscape and weather affect the grapes along with why cheeses and wines from the same region complement each other so well. He talks about the proper temperature both red and white wines should be served at and that all cheeses should be served at room temperature. With the attention to detail that Chef Kincaid provides, I definitely got my money’s worth out of this class.

Here is the link to Chef Kincaid's upcoming classes with UNLV Continuing Education.


Post by April Reckling