Children are notoriously restless and don’t have very long attention spans. Weddings are often a challenge for their patience and good behavior. If you anticipate having young children attend your wedding, choose wedding entertainment that makes allowances for them. You don’t have to turn your wedding into a playground, but having wedding entertainment to keep kids occupied means everyone will have a better time!Don’t test their patience.
While the speeches may be a part of the wedding entertainment for the adults, especially if they are funny, kids won’t understand and will be bored. Remind those making speeches to keep them short. Consider a break if there are many speeches, where guests can get up and walk around, and young children be released from sitting still!Bring in some help.
Most wedding entertainment is aimed at adults, so consider bringing someone in specifically to help entertain the kids. If you can, set up a small room for the kids to use and stock it with some books and toys. Hire a babysitter or two from a service for the evening, to read the kids stories and play games with them. It will be a small part of your wedding entertainment budget, but a big hit with guests. Not only will you keep the kids occupied, but their parents will be free to enjoy the rest of the wedding entertainment without worrying about the kids.Get into the groove.
Kids love to dance from the time they can stand, so when choosing the musical portion of your wedding entertainment, try to select music that kids will enjoy. This doesn’t mean you need to hire children’s musicians as your wedding entertainment! Just try to select a genre that young kids will enjoy dancing around to. If you have a DJ, ask them to play a good selection of bouncy, danceable beats. You will find the adults enjoy it just as much as the kids, and the dance floor will be packed. If you are planning to hire a band to provide wedding entertainment, look for a band that plays upbeat and of course appropriate music for kids to enjoy.A bag of fun.
Wedding entertainment for kids doesn’t have to be complicated. Take a cue from a children’s birthday party and provide goodie bags for the kids attending. Fill them with simple activities such as crayons and a small coloring book, small toys, play-dough, or travel versions of popular games. These things will let kids create their own wedding entertainment, and can occupy them both at the table and throughout the evening.Send them on a mission.
Another great wedding entertainment idea for kids is to set up a treasure hunt they can engage in throughout the evening. Give them a list of items to collect from around the reception hall. Plan ahead by placing the item around the hall so they can find them easily enough, but with enough effort to keep them occupied for a while. As part of the wedding entertainment for the rest of the guests, hand out prizes at the end.Wedding entertainment for kids simply means keeping them occupied and preventing boredom. When you incorporate these ideas into your wedding entertainment plans, you will be sure both parents and kids have a blast at your wedding!
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The Living Benefits of Whole Life Insurance
What are the living benefits of whole life insurance? Do they exist? We often hear that it is the worst financial product. What if the opposite were true? When would you want to know?If I were under the wrong impression about anything, I would want to find out as soon as possible. Having the wrong information about any sort of financial product or strategy can mean a loss of a lot of wealth. Don’t let your lack of knowledge be the deciding factor on anything.I’d say that the majority of people out there know little to nothing about whole life insurance. (Even the employees at the administration office of these insurance companies are clueless!) Now, we’re not insurance salespersons, but we’ve learned a lot about it in the past few years.My hope is to inspire you to learn more. If you don’t know much about something, research it, ask questions, learn more about it. You can’t learn less. You can only know less.What I ask of you is one thing: Put your preconceived notions and ideas of life insurance aside.Allow yourself to learn more by being open to new ideas. I guarantee you that if you thought whole life insurance was a bad product, you’ll change your mind as you continue reading through this website.So let’s dive into why I call whole life insurance the backbone of our financial plan.Your knee jerk reaction.What’s the first thing you think of when I say the words: Whole Life Insurance? I bet the first thing that pops into your head is: Expensive! Don’t worry, you’re not alone. That’s typically what everyone’s knee jerk reaction is. Maybe we have the popular financial pundits to thank for that.But that response is only half true. It’s the premiums that are expensive. However, just because something is expensive doesn’t mean that you should turn the other way. What’s key here is that you know what benefits the product, plan, or strategy provides in order to make your best judgment.So why do we love this product? It’s because of…The Living BenefitsWhen people think of the benefits of life insurance, they usually only focus on the death benefit. Well, with term life insurance, that’s the only thing it has to offer. But with whole life insurance, there are living benefits. They are advantages available to you when you are alive.
The Infinite Banking ConceptThis is the strategy that we have in place. What this strategy entails is funding your personal bank in whole life insurance policies. Then instead of going to a financial institution to finance your purchases, you take out policy loans. What this does is put you in control of the loan and you still earn interest on the cash value that’s within the policy.This enables you to recapture the interest that you would have paid to a financial institution. If you use this strategy alone, you will realize all the wealth that is paid to other banks.
Premium Cost is GuaranteedThe cost of the premiums paid to the policy will never increase. This is important, so I’ll repeat again.The cost of the premiums paid to the policy will never increase.The reason why this is important is because with term policies, your rates will rise over time. This is due to the changes in your health and age. As you get older, your chances of dying increases. Since the life insurance company takes on that risk, they increase the cost of premiums.With whole life insurance, the premium cost will stay the same as long as the policy is in force. Even if you are gravely ill, the cost will never change. It’s guaranteed.Bonus: As the years go by, the policy actually gets cheaper. What’s one of the eroding factors of money? Inflation. As time progresses, you are paying the premiums with inflated dollars, which means that the premiums get cheaper and cheaper..Look at the rate of return from one of R. Nelson Nash’s policies. (He’s the creator of the Infinite Banking Concept and author of Becoming Your Own Banker.) Notice how cheap his premium is and at his age. That’s inflation working to his benefit.
Premium Consists of Guaranteed “Cash Value” and Death BenefitThe premiums paid go towards increasing the cash value AND death benefit. But the key here is that they are guaranteed. Your cash value and death benefit can never decrease in value unless you start withdrawing the cash value from the policy.Let’s look at a 401k. The cash value amount in your 401k can increase. But, it can decrease because of the fluctuations in the market. You are not guaranteed any cash value amount in your 401k. You can literally lose everything that you have put into it.Your whole life insurance policy acts as a savings account. When you pay your premium and your cash value increases, it’s guaranteed. When interest is earned and added to your cash value, it’s guaranteed. The same applies to your death benefit.
Cash Value Grows Tax-AdvantagedWith a 401k, you are only deferring taxes. You will be paying taxes later once you start withdrawing funds from the plan.With a whole life insurance policy, you pay the premiums with after-tax dollars. The cash value grows with out taxation. You are only taxed after your withdrawals from the policy exceed your basis (the total amount that you put into the policy).However, there are strategies to get all of your money out, and the gains, TAX FREE!
Policy Pays a DividendWhole life insurance policies, also referred to as dividend paying, permanent insurance policies, pay dividends. Now, the key thing here is that these dividends aren’t taxed. They are actually considered returns of premium.For example, let’s say that you pay $1000 into the policy. At the end of the year, the insurance company looks at how efficient it was with your policy. Let’s say they earned 10% on your policy ($100).After deliberation, they decide to return $90 back to you (the $10 pays for administration fees and a contingency fund). This is not an actual gain. It is a return of premium, which is not considered a taxable event.And, a dividend paid to your policy does not lose value. It’s value is guaranteed because now it’s part of the cash value.
Option to Have the Insurance Company Pay Premiums if You Become DisabledYou can take advantage of a disability rider on the policy. In the event you become disabled, this rider has the insurance company continue the premium payments for you. You are no longer required to pay the premiums.Can your 401k do that?Can your IRA do that?Can any other of your qualified retirement plans do that?Adding this rider to your policy is another way to transfer risk away from you to somewhere else.
Provides Wide FlexibilityYou have the ability to do something special with the dividends. You can have the dividends paid directly to you. They can send you a check, no questions asked.Or, you can make those dollars work even harder for you. You have the option of having those dividends purchase additional paid-up insurance. Those dollars will buy more life insurance, provide a bigger death benefit, and earn interest.This will help you fight inflation. You have extra dollars growing your cash value and earning additional interest.
Can Borrow From Your PolicyMy wife and I did this recently to finish off the payments on our car. We do pay interest that does go to the insurance company. However, the dollars within the policy are still earning interest as well…compounding interest.Best of all, you have no obligation to pay the principal back. If you carry that loan balance to your death, the principal will be deducted from your death benefit.
Cash Value Can Be Used as CollateralBanks will accept the cash value within the policy as collateral. Unlike your car and boat, this collateral is appreciating.
Cash Value is Exempt from CreditorsThis is very important. We have encouraged our readers to protect their assets. Of course, life insurance protects the most important asset, you. The death benefit is in place to replace your Human Life Value in the event of your death.What some people don’t realize is that the money inside a whole life insurance policy is protected as well. In the event that you are sued, creditors can’t touch the money in your policies.The reason is because life insurance policies are meant to benefit someone else, a beneficiary. But now you understand how it can benefit you in your living years. So, take advantage of this feature. It’s another great way to protect your assets.Is your 401k protected from lawsuits?What about your IRA?Are any other of your qualified retirement plans protected?Unfortunately, they are not.Whew! What a list. I hope you’ve gained some insight on this dynamic product. It’s been around for over 200 years. But just having a whole life insurance policy doesn’t mean that you’ll become wealthy. Heck, you can say that about anything: stocks, real estate, gold, businesses, etc.It’s what you do with the product that can make it productive. I’m always reminded of this simple analogy.If you were to compete in the PGA tour, what would you rather have…Tiger Woods’ golf clubs or his swing?I know that Tiger could play better with a tree branch than me playing with the best clubs money can buy. Too much emphasis is put on getting the perfect financial products…the clubs. Often people fail to develop the right strategy and plan…the swing.Popular financial pundits, the Suze Ormans and Dave Ramseys, despise whole life insurance. As you can see, we have a different perspective. Study the living benefits. If you want different results, think differently.If whole life insurance made you queasy before, I hope I shifted your paradigm. Continue your education towards financial freedom. Keep learning and pretty soon, you’ll be able to swing like Tiger.
Modern Trends in Sports Administration and Management
One of the major factors militating against the development of sports in Nigeria today is lack of effective management. A lot of solutions are being proffered by concerned and patriotic Nigerians daily to bail us out the quagmire. One of such solutions is this text entitled “Modern Trends in Sports Administration and Management”. It is written by Dr. Joseph Awoyinfa, a lecturer in the Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, Nigeria; a researcher and educational consultant. I was the person invited by the author and the university to review the book when it was presented to the public on December 4, 2008 in Nigeria.According to Awoyinfa, it is a truism all over the world that sport is now a reference issue which can no longer be ignored at various sectors of the economy and spheres of life. The author adds that this text thus takes a critical look at topical issues in sports administration and management, dwelling on theories and principles of modern trends in sports administration and management such as leadership, organisation, planning, motivation, etc.The text contains 16 chapters. Chapter one is christened “the concept of sports management”. Here, Awoyinfa says management is a concept that implies different things to different people at different times, thus leading to its multiplicity of definitions. He explains that management has been variously described as an art, a science, a person or people, a discipline and a process.This author expatiates that as an art, sports management is all about carrying out sports organisational functions and tasks through people; while as a science, sports management is about establishing sports philosophy, laws, theories, principles, processes and practices. As an organisation, according to him, sports management is defined as a means of creating formal structures and an establishment based on a mission, objectives, targets, functions and tasks.Awoyinfa says as a person or group of people, sports management may refer to the head alone or to all the senior staff, committee, etc.; while as a discipline, management is a field of study with various subjects and topics. The author illuminates that sports management as a process is about a systematic way of doing things. Awoyinfa highlights management functions in sports administration as planning, organising, staffing, directing/leading, controlling, coordination, budgeting and evaluation. On whom a sports manager is, this author educates that a sports manager is anyone at any level of sport organisation who directs
the efforts of other people towards the achievement of organisational goals sport-wise.Chapter two is based on the subject matter of evolution and trends of sports management thought. Here, Awoyinfa discloses that the development of thoughts on sports management dates back to the days when people first attempted to accomplish goals by working together in a group. In his words, “There was serious thinking and theorising about managing many years before the dawn of the twentieth (20th) century, which marked the beginning of modern sports management thought. Major efforts to develop theories and principles of sports management began from the early twentieth (20th) century with the work of Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol. The industrial revolution of the nineteenth (19th) century probably provided the climate for this very serious theorising.”Awoyinfa adds that since the turn of the 20th century, writers on sports management and business theory have been propounding different theories about how to manage work and personnel more efficiently and effectively. This author educates that the three main schools of management thought are: the classical; the human-behavioural; and the integrative. Awoyinfa also highlights early sports management theorists; principles and characteristics of scientific management; appraisal of the scientific management theory, etc., in this chapter.Chapter three is thematically labelled “principles of sports management”. In this chapter, the educational consultant explains that sports principles are the basic laws on which the practice of sports management is built. He adds that management principles must therefore be based on general terms for them to be applicable within sport organisations of varying sizes and character. “Modern sports managers and administrators are expected to be able to identify and use appropriate principles that are relevant to particular situations. This is because no single principle can suit all administrative situations,” submits Awoyinfa.He says the fundamental principles of sports are those applicable to all sports organisations and as a result of their general acceptability, they are sometimes referred to as “universal principles of sports management”. This author expatiates that some of these principles are: responsibility; delegation of authority and communication. As regards humanitarian principles of sports management, Awoyinfa identifies these as democracy, justice, human relations, sympathy, empathy, consideration and humility.In chapter four based on the concept of behavioural and motivational theories in sports organisation, the author says human beings are unique creatures as they behave differently under different conditions and are mostly difficult to predict. Awoyinfa stresses that since human beings constitute the most important element in sports organisation, sports managers need some understanding of why people behave in one way or the other, so that they (sports managers) can influence people to perform exactly the way sports organisations find desirable.One potent instrument this author suggests that can be used to elicit performance in athletes is motivation. In his words, “Motivation is something needed in sports organisations to make employees perform.
However, it has been an important and a puzzling subject for sports managers.” Awoyinfa further discusses development of motivational concepts in sports organisation; application of motivational theories to sports management; methods of behaviour modification, etc., in this chapter.In chapters five to ten, the author beams his analytical searchlight on subject matters such as management techniques in sports organisation; the concept of sports organisation; setting design in sports organisation; the concept of planning in sports administration; making sports organisations more effective in Nigeria and staffing in sports organisations.Chapter 11 is based on communication strategies in sports organisation. According to Awoyinfa here, communication is a crucial factor in any organisational effectiveness because organisations cannot function effectively when communication skills are lacking among members. “Since communication is the moving spirit in an organisation, its absence may make organisations standstill,” asserts this author.
In chapters 12 to 16, Awoyinfa X-rays concepts such as organisational changes and development in sports administration; leadership in sports administration and management; administration and management of soccer as a coach; teaching human kinetics and health education in schools and colleges; and organisation and administration of schools at various levels of education.As regards mode of presentation, this text scores a pass mark. For instance, the language is comprehensible and the ideas are brilliantly articulated. The simplicity of the language is expected, given the author’s dual professional background as a lecturer and pastor. To ensure easy study of the text on readers’ part, Awoyinfa highlights the objectives of each chapter at the beginning and ends with review/revision questions.What’s more, he creatively embroiders the text with graphics (pages 50, 97, 317, 330, 338, 395, etc.) to enhance readers’ understanding through visual communication. Awoyinfa includes references at the end of each chapter to fulfil academic obligation of source disclosure and offer readers opportunities to read more. Inclusion of many references also confirms the depth of his research. His use of visual distinction for the phrase “Modern Trends” in the title is emphatically creative.If there are chapters that really make this text qualified as a compendium of modern solutions to the administrative and management problems plaguing our sports development in Nigeria, they are chapters four, eight, 11 and 13. This is because they discuss motivation, planning, communication and leadership respectively.Meanwhile, the thematically greatest chapter of all is chapter four. The fact that it is consciously or unconsciously taken to be the greatest chapter finds practical expression in the deeper communication and cohesion between its subject matter on the one hand and the outer front cover’s allegorical visuals or metaphorical images such as goal post, cyclists racing, a lawn tennis player poised for action with her bat, sprinters competing and footballers struggling for ball possession, on the other hand. These are images used for illustration in motivational discourse.However, some errors are noticed in this text. The errors are “Acknowledgement” (page iii), instead of “Acknowledgements”; non-paragraphing of the natural first few paragraphs of “Preface”; “Loosing” (pages 396 and 404), instead of “Losing”, etc. These errors need to be corrected in the next edition.On a note of analytical finality, this text is a compendium of irresistible sports management tips. It is a must-read for all stakeholders in the sports sector, especially managers and administrators. It is simply fascinating.GOKE ILESANMI, Editor-in-Chief/CEO of http://www.gokeilesanmi.com and Managing Consultant/CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is a Certified Public Speaker/Emcee, (Business) Communication Specialist, Motivational Speaker, Career Management Coach, Renowned Book Reviewer, Corporate Leadership Expert and Editorial Consultant.
For business discussion, reach him on +234(0)8055068773; +234(0)8056030424
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