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Who Are America’s Homeless Veterans?

January 2nd, 2012 No comments

Latest guesses demonstrate that more than 136,000 homeless U.S. military veterans spent at minimum one night in homeless shelters sometime during 2009; on any given night, over 75,000 veterans sleep in homeless shelters or in the streets. Alternative sources estimate higher numbers; achieving an exact count of a transient population is quite a challenge to those researching the subject. These veterans represent between 15 and thirty percent of America’s homeless population. The striking issue with those numbers is that the veteran population comprise only about 1/10th of the U.S. population. Statistically, veterans are significantly much more likely than civilians to end up homeless.

Who are America’s homeless veterans?

Minorities have historically been demographically over-represented in the military and, sadly, among the homeless population too. The excessive numbers of minorities among homeless veterans is likely indicative of wider socioeconomic issues which must always be addressed, rather than issues of racial disparity in the veteran community.

Though female veterans make up a relatively tiny share of the homeless population, they’re also over-represented. While only about 1 male veteran in a hundred does not have a home, about one female veteran in 50 is homeless. Female veterans also appear two to four times more likely than civilian females to become homeless. Unique challenges faced by female veterans following their military service must be identified and addressed; the percentage of women serving in the U.S. Military is increasing steadily, so that the percentage of female veterans among the homeless is likely to increase too.

Virtually nine in 10 homeless veterans left their military service with an honorable discharge, and just about that many report having a high school diploma or GED, compared with just over half the civilian homeless population.

That higher education rate is common amongst veterans in general. As a result, most veterans fare comparatively well financially; while about ten % of the U.S. population lives below the poverty line, only about five percent of veterans live in poverty. Problematically, impoverished veterans seem much more likely than impoverished civilians to fall into homelessness. Of adults living in poverty, about 5 percent become homeless at some particular point; poor veterans become homeless at about double that rate.

Why are poor veterans so much more vulnerable to homelessness than poor civilians?

The latest info implies that at least part of the answer may be linked to social isolation. 96 % of homeless veterans served at reporting homeless shelters arrived alone; only a small percentage arrived with members of their family. By contrast, about 20 percent of the general homeless population typically arrives at shelters with at least one member of the family. It’s actually possible that that lack of social support networks among impoverished veterans could be related to the same factors as the disproportionately high divorce rate among military members. The resulting lack of social and family connections among this portion of the veteran population may make them more exposed to homelessness once they become poor.

Along with this social isolation, many homeless veterans battle with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and/or other mental health issues linked with their experiences in combat and their problems since. Too often, these issues or the stress of being poor or homelessness can end up in drug use; the HUD/VA survey found increased rates of alcohol abuse among homeless veterans than among the rest of the homeless population.

What can be done to help homeless veterans?

Improved access to counseling and other treatment for psychological issues, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and drug use, is one of the most urgent needs of homeless veterans. Other imperative needs include medical care, safe and stable housing, and employment help. It is important to concentrate on empowerment rather than handouts; recent info shows that veterans fare better and are more likely to participate in programs that help them feel involved, capable, and successful rather than helpless.

Defensive efforts are also critical. Current estimates place between 500,000 and one and 1/2 million vets below the poverty line, which places them in danger for homelessness. There is an urgent need for programs and funding to identify and support these veterans before they become homeless. The economic vulnerability of poor veterans also underscores the need to avoid cutting veterans’ benefits, as these benefits could be all that stops an “at-risk ” vet from becoming a homeless vet.

The predicament of homeless vets is receiving serious high-level attention. The Government has identified ending homelessness among veterans within 5 years as a “key priority”. Increased policy emphasis on helping homeless

vets, and recent partnership between the Dept of Veterans Affairs and community associations, have made progress recently, but even with recent expansions, the VA’s programs and funding remain limited. In all, the VA’s variety of programs for homeless veterans reached over 90,000 people in 2009, but the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans estimates that over 100,000 more weren’t served by VA programs, making local government and non-profit organizations the best or only resource for many homeless veterans.

Research implies that community programs can also be the most effective approach to helping homeless veterans, particularly if programs involve other veterans as sources of support, encouragement, friendship, and guidance. These programs draw from the strengths of military culture- close bonds, teamwork, leadership, and individual strength mixed with mutual support.

First, learn about the issues facing homeless veterans in general, and their precise needs in your area, so that you can be a knowledgeable advocate and make sure that your talents are applied in the most handy way. Then, find organizations in your neighborhood that are helping homeless veterans. Volunteer with one of these organizations if you can; your talents, time, and compassion can contribute! You can also contact your elected representatives to help continued support of programs for homeless veterans and preservation of veterans ‘ benefits.

Jon Werz has has served U.S. Military bases around the globe for 15 years. He’s been providing military families with the support they seriously need, and is thought of as an integral source for the whole military family.

Aging In Mind And Body Healthily

May 24th, 2010 No comments

As we all grow older, we perceive many changes going on in our minds and in our bodies. During this time, the body and the mind is saying that you need to take control and keep yourself active and in shape. Health in very important and requires work everyday to keep it in check.

Aging is something we cannot avoid so taking control now is very important. It is always best to start young. Our diets alter as we grow older and often the body begins to lose its ability to hold the nutrients it requires to stay healthy. As we grow older, the body also loses its ability to hold the vitamins it needs to stay strong. You may want to consider taking a supplement to increase the daily vitamins you are no longer getting from your meals. Apart from meals, you also require exercise to keep you fit.

Exercise plays an extremely important part in keeping our bodies and minds in shape. As we grow older, we have a propensity to slow down. This slow-down causes the joints to stiffen and the brain starts to slow down as well. Our brains and body need as much activity as they can get to keep them from losing the ability to function as they should.

Our bodies need exercise everyday or as often as possible. Get yourself into an exercise routine to keep yourself moving and it will stimulate the brain at the same time. An exercise program can be carried out with a group making it more fun and at the same time you meet new people. Keep the body moving all the time so it doesn’t get lazy and want to stop. Exercising will help you lose weight, tone up, keeps you from getting stiff and will give you something to look forward to each day. If you get bored doing the same thing each day, try walking every other day for 30 minutes and on the off days enjoy your life with your new friends.

When starting a new exercise routine take it slow so you don’t get aches and pains. When you start something new, such as a workout, you are using muscles and parts of the body that were often unused. The muscles might be stiff, so you ought to take it slowly at the beginning. Always begin with stretches and end your exercise with stretches as well. Don’t peter out once you’ve started a program; keep going and you’ll notice a big difference. It takes time to see a change, but it will do good to you in the end.

If you feel unwell, don’t always try to take it into your own hands. Some things have to be taken care of with medicine, so if you’re feeling unwell notably for more than a couple of days, you need to check with your doctor. See your doctor on a regular basis for a check up, he can usually see something that you can’t before it begins to develop.

Your diet plays a vital function in maintaining your health. Being overweight is widespread and it should be checked regularly by your physician. Being overweight can cause many things to go wrong with your bodily and mental system.

Diabetes is increasingly in the young and old alike. Diabetes if caught in time can be controlled by medicine and diet. Be sure to get the right amount of carbohydrates, fats, and protein in your diet every day to help keep the doctor away. A well balanced diet slows down the aging process and makes for a healthier you. The best options for keeping healthy, as you grow older are: to exercise; to diet; to visit your doctor often and to keep your mind active.

If you are interested in healthy retirement, please go to our website Enjoying Retirement for more information.

categories: retirement,stocks,shares,finance,money,trading,stock market,forex,online,business,computers,home business,retired,other

Making Money By Online Stock Trading

May 24th, 2010 No comments

The invention of the Internet has brought about many changes in the way that we lead our lives and our own business. We can pay our bills online, do our shopping online, do our banking online, and even date online!

One can even buy and participate in online stock trading. Online stock investors love having the facility of looking at their stock investment accounts whenever they want to, and online stock brokers love having the ability to take stock orders over the Internet, as opposed to using the phone.

Most stock brokers and brokerage houses now offer online stock trading to their customers. Another great thing about online stock trading is that fees and commissions are often lower. While online stock trading is good news, there are some drawbacks.

If you are a novice to trading, having the ability to actually speak with a stock broker can be quite beneficial, if you aren’t stock market aware, online stock trading may be a rather risky thing for you to do, although advice from a stock market trader is expensive. If this is the case, make sure that you learn as much as you can about trading stocks before you start online stock trading.

You ought also to be aware that not everyone has a computer with Internet access with them, although many mobile phones can get online, so you might not always have the ability to go online to make a trade. You will need to be sure that you can call and speak with a broker if you use an online stock broker. This is the case whether you are an experienced stock market trader or a novice.

It is also important to go with an online stock brokerage company that has been around for a while. You won’t find one that has been in online business for fifty years of course, but you can find a company that has been in business that long and that now offers online stock trading.

To be sure, online stock trading is a fantastic thing – but it is not for everyone, the impetuous can lose money quickly. Think carefully before you decide to opt for online stock trading, and make sure that you really know what you are letting yourself in for!

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Stocks And Following Rules

April 21st, 2010 No comments

Let’s be honest, many investors in the commodity markets hardly know anything about it and so they can’t be investing wisely. Being a smart and successful investor requires time and dedication. To be able to function well on the stock market, you must acquire strategies that fulfil your needs. In order to gain success, you need to consider other investors. In this article, you will learn more about share trading and fundamental analysis.

There are a lot of investors in the stock market. In the normal world, basic needs are met by inter-depending on one another, but when it comes to stock investing, you need to act independently. You’re on your own, just like on a battlefield. You can’t control or manipulate the stock market. In a natural environment, like your home, you need to have control (to some degree), so that you can fulfil your needs. If you want to attain the same success in stock trading, you ought be able to control the market to some degree, but this is impossible for a solitary trader.

Even if you could manage the social environment, the techniques you’d have learned could not be applied to the stock market. The only way to effectively manipulate and control the stock market in some way is if you are a very large trader, like a mutual fund manager. So, one way to be successful in stock trading is to control your own behaviour and the market information you have to deal with. Since it is impossible for an individual to control the stock market, you need to begin by manipulating the way you behave.

All the information you have acquired, should be regarded seriously and you have to be sure that you behave accordingly, thereby promoting your best interests. You must learn to make rules regarding how to trade wisely and you must follow such rules to the letter. Most stock traders find it very hard to follow rules but in order to attain success you must follow a set of good stock trading rules.

Perhaps it’s natural to humans to resist rules, but if you want to be accepted by society, you have to follow it’s rules. If you’re one of those people, who is attracted to stock trading, you will enjoy unlimited freedom when it comes to picking the shares you buy or sell.

When you are stock market trading, you need to make many decisions and therefore you will need to follow some rules and be aware of the boundaries. Do you know any successful stock market traders? The most successful traders are consistent, organized and follow defined guidelines in order to generate profits. Once you’re able to follow a set of rules, you will definitely increase your chances of making a profit. Those people who don’t like rules will almost certainly find it hard to follow trading guidelines. These are the ones those who usually fail and lose huge sums of money in stock market trading.

Take your time and learn more about stock trading. If you’re a novice, you should learn the basics of stock market trading. Find out more information about trading strategies, so that you can buy or sell stocks and make decent profits. If other people can achieve success in stocks trading, so can you. Start making your investments now and find a good broker and learn how to follow strict trading rules as well.

If you are interested in this article on the rules and guidelines of online stock trading, just go along to our web site at Online Stock Trading You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

Retirement And Online Stock Trading

April 7th, 2010 No comments

Retirement brings the retiree more time and usually, less income. However, the invention of the Internet has changed the way that people conduct their lives, hobbies and business. You can pay your bills online, do your shopping online, do your banking online, and even date online!

You can also participate in online stock investing, which I think, could fit in nicely. Online stock investors love having the ability to look at their investment accounts whenever they want to, and online stock brokers like having the ability to take orders over the Internet, as opposed to using the telephone.

You start by reading the newspapers and watching the news. Any news items that suggest good news for a company can be followed up by greater research into the company concerned. Most stock brokers and brokerage houses now offer online stock research to their clients as well as online stock trading. One other great thing about online stock trading is that fees and commissions are usually lower. While online stock trading is great, there are some drawbacks.

So, if you are a novice to trading, having the ability to actually speak with a stock broker can be quite beneficial, if you aren’t stock market conscious, online stock trading may be a rather dangerous thing for you to do, although advice from a stock market trader is expensive. If this is the situation, make sure that you learn as much as you can about trading stocks before you start online stock trading. If you are new to online stock investing, make sure that you learn as much as you can about researching companies and trading stocks before you start to trade online stock for real.

You could run a dummy portfolio. For example, most online stock brokers offer the facility to run a ‘watch list’ or dummy portfolio, where you can ‘buy and sell’ without risking real money.

You should also remember that not everyone has a computer with Internet access on them, although many mobile phones can get online. So you might not always have the ability to get online to make a trade when you want to. You will need to be sure that you can speak with your broker if you use an online stock broker. This is the case whether you are an advanced stock market trader or a beginner.

Furthermore, it is also important for the retiree to open an account with an online stock investing firm that has been around for a long time. Sure, you won’t find one that has been in online business for 30-50 years, but you will find a company that has been in business that long and that now also offers online stock trading.

Sure, online stock trading is a wonderful thing for the retired – but it is not for everyone, the impetuous can lose money quickly. Think long and hard before you decide to opt for buy stock online, and be sure that you really know what you are doing!

So, in summary, retired people can use their free time to explore the stock market free of charge by getting leads from newspapers and news programmes. These leads can be followed up by online research using a free online stock broker account.

These hunches can then be tracked using a dummy or trial portfolio. When you have gained sufficient experience, you can go ‘live’ by opening an active online stock investing account.

If you want to know more about online stock investing, just go to our website Online Stock Investing for Retirees for more information.. Unique version for reprint here: Retirement And Online Stock Trading.

categories: retirement,stocks,shares,finance,money,trading,stock market,forex,online,business,computers,home business,retired,other

Determining Where To Invest

March 30th, 2010 No comments

There are quite a few different sorts of investments out there, and there are many factors, which you should use to determine where you should place your money.

Naturally, deciding where you will invest starts with researching the different types of investment available, determining your risk tolerance, and determining your investment style and your financial goals.

If you wanted to buy a new car, for example, you would do quite a bit of research before making a final decision and a purchase. You would not consider purchasing a car that you had not fully looked over and taken for a test drive. Investing works in much the same way.

You would, of course, research as much about the prospective investment as you could, and you would want to see how previous investors have done too. It’s just common sense, isn’t it?

Does learning about the stock market and investments take lots of time? Yes, but it is definitely time well spent. There are numerous books and websites on the topic, and you can even take degree level courses on the subject, which is what stock brokers do. With access to the Internet, you can actually play the stock market with fake money in order to get a feel for how it works.

You can make pretend investments in a pretend portfolio often called a ‘Wish List’ and see how they fare. Do a search with any search engine for ‘Stock Market Games’ or ‘Stock Market Simulations’, although almost every online stock broker provides these facilities. It really is a fantastic way to commence learning about investing on the stock market.

Some other kinds of investments outside of the stock market do not always have simulators, so you must learn about those types of investments by reading about them.

As a potential investor, you should read any you possibly can get your hands on about investing, but start at the beginning level of investment books and websites first, otherwise, you will find that you quickly get lost.

Finally, talk with a financial adviser. Tell him your aims and ask them for their suggestions. This is their job! A good financial adviser can easily help you determine where to put your funds, and help you determine a plan to reach all your financial goals. Many advisers will even show you about investing along the way, so make sure to pay very close attention to what they are telling you!

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