Our society is changing. Nuclear families are the norm. Inflation is high and hence money needed to fund the retirement is increasing. Additionally due to longevity of life, the requirement for retirement fund will further increase. This is where the right retirement planning helps individuals spend their time in old age with dignity.

Most of the Indians living in foreign countries plan to come back to India at some point in time in the future. Hence it is important that they plan for their retirement in India.

Even though many NRIs plan to come back in the later stages of life, their children may not come back. They do not have much idea about the options available in the Indian market which prevents them from planning well for their retirement.

Steps in retirement planning:

Start early: The importance of starting early cannot be emphasized enough. This is the key to a happy and wealthy retired life.

Have a concrete plan: You must have a plan as how much you need post retirement keeping inflation in mind. Once you have a figure, work backward to find out your retirement requirement.

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Royal Dutch Shell has shortlisted bidders for the four Nigerian onshore oil blocks it has put up for sale but financing challenges and negotiations with state-oil company NNPC could yet undo best laid plans. India’s Essar Energy said this week it was unsuccessful in its bid for Shell’s Niger Delta assets, which are widely understood to be blocks 30, 34, 40 and 42. These zones all have sizeable reserves and have attracted bids of over $1-billion, sources close to the deals have said. Shell has declined to comment. “We are out of the race,” said Andrew Turpin, head of media relations at energy and power firm Essar Energy. “We bid at a level for blocks that we felt was economic and good value but clearly other people bid higher.” Shell owns the majority stake in the blocks but is partnered by Total, Eni and state-oil firm NNPC. The French and Italian majors could also sell their shares. No one is definitely out Independent commodity trader Elan Oil is favourite to win block 40, the smallest asset, while consortiums involving local players Oando, Niger Delta Ltd and Conoil are all in the mix for other blocks, sources said. British-listed bank Standard Chartered was backing Conoil’s bid, they said. Full Post…

One of the lessons to take away from the devastating destruction that has literally engulfed Japan over the past couple of weeks is that one never knows when disaster will strike. As a small business owner, it is good business practice to be prepared to some extent for the worst, or else you risk loosing your business and all that you’ve invested into it.

For any small business that stores vital business data- from financial reports and ledgers to customer contact and history information, then a good data backup and recovery system is an essential part of a business disaster plan. Below are five of the best online data recovery services for small businesses that are particularly suited to those who have little IT expertise:

SugarSync- SugarSync is a versatile data backup and syncing service that allows you to store, share, and edit files across several plaforms, including the iPad, Blackberry, Android, and the iPhone. Some of the most prominent features are continuous backup, the ability to access five of the most recent versions of all files stored with the service, multi-platform functionality and document syncing, and an easy-to-use interface.

SOS Online Backup- SOS Online is probably the most feature-rich, yet user-friendly backup service of the lot. A

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Google Adword is an excellent way to expand ones business as it allows for targeted marketing of products and services. This is especially so when it comes to small business marketing. There are many benefits of Google Adwords.

• The adwords are used to target ads and offer them to people looking to find similar services or products. This helps in more targeted and cost effective advertising. Moreover, only those people interested in your product or service will view your ad. Consequently, small businesses won’t waste time displaying ads to those who are not interested.
• It is also possible to reach out to a vast number of people with adwords. This means that potential reach for products and services with Adwords is far greater than without it. Small businesses thus have a better chance to have a more effective marketing campaign.
• This makes marketing more cost effective as small businesses cannot afford to spend much on advertising. Google Adwords is cost-effective as it offers full control over marketing. Users of the service can also opt for Cost per Impression or Cost per Click. Small businesses choose their price for each click or ad view. I

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