One of the most convenient developments to stay in at Whistler Blackcomb is Glacier Lodge, a 3-story development in the heart of the Blackcomb Base area. Units here are owned individually, some as vacation properties. Owners of these vacation properties will often rent them out to vacationers to subsidize the cost of maintenance and investment.

Before booking a unit here, find out if this development is right for your vacation plans by reading about the ins and outs.

Overview of Glacier Lodge in Whistler

With one of the best ski-in/ski-out locations in Whistler, Glacier Lodge’s location offers endless skiing and snowboarding at your door step. Strap on your boots at the kitchen table and walk directly to the Magic and Wizard chair lifts in 2 minutes.

Services on the ground floor of Glacier Lodge include a ski rental shop, Blackcomb Beer & Wine store and a restaurant. A small food market can also be found across the street. Lift ticket pick-up and ski school are steps away at the Day Lodge.

Take a stroll through the Blackcomb Base area and discover the numerous shops, boutiques, spas, restaurants and cafes adjacent to this development.

Want more selection? With a 10 minute walk or 5 minute shuttle ride you will be among the restaurants, nightlife and après-ski entertainment of Whistler Village.

In addition to self-contained suites, including fully-equipped kitchens and comfortably furnished living spaces, Glacier Lodge offers a heated outdoor pool, two large hot tubs, free internet, a comfortable lounge and lobby, fitness room, pay underground parking, and ski storage.

Save Money Booking Direct

Booking accommodation directly with the owner is often the cheapest way to stay in Whistler. Owners are also available to answer your questions and give you insider Whistler advice.

Traveling with a group? Groups on the smaller side can all be accommodated in one of Glacier Lodge’s larger units. Consider booking more than one unit in Glacier Lodge or the nearby Le Chamois development if your group is just too big for one property. Booking properties owner-direct will almost always beat out the cost of multiple hotel rooms for your group.

Buy groceries in the Village, a 10 minute walk or 5 minute free shuttle ride away, and cook meals in your fully-equipped kitchen. You will save money by avoiding high-priced Whistler restaurants and have fun with dinner parties for your group or family.

Glacier Lodge’s convenient location means you can leave your car in the parking lot and save on gas. Not only are all your vacation needs within walking distance from Glacier Lodge, but the stop for the free Whistler shuttle is just across the street.

Booking Accommodation at Glacier Lodge

No matter the size of your group, Glacier Lodge accommodation in Whistler can accommodate even the pickiest of travellers.

Easy access to the slopes and attractions around Whistler Blackcomb makes this one of the most convenient developments in Whistler. Add fantastic shared amenities and numerous services located within the development itself, and Glacier Lodge should make its way to the top of your vacation rental list!

Devon O’ Malley is a staff writer for AlluraDirect.com, a vacation rentals website offering powerful search and instant booking features. Search hundreds of accommodation options and book online without paying commission charges or middleman fees.

Find out more about Glacier Lodge accommodation in Whistler or get more info about accommodation in Whistler.

Singapore enjoys a cosmopolitan out look. We can find people from different cultures and religions. Many travelers come to Singapore throughout the year. One thing that you should not miss out in Singapore is Mandai Zoo. It is one of the most beautiful zoos of the world. There are varieties of animals of different species. Many visitors staying at different hotels in Singapore prefer to visit Singapore zoo.

The zoo spreads in a vast area of 28 hectares with more than 300 species of animals. The zoo follows the open zoo concept. Visitors can find animals in natural surroundings and they can see them through natural barricades. The animals are kept under natural barriers like rock walls, streams and trees and bushes. The animals in the zoo are enclosed in spacious enclosures, so that, visitors can easily see and them. The fences are beautifully hidden by natural vegetation. Many stalls and rest places are spread across the zoo. People can have some food and also take rest. There are different tram rides in the zoo. It attracts children and adults equally.

An important and interesting feature of the zoo is the night safari. Within a forest area of 40 hectares, you can enjoy the view of different wild animals, while traveling in the forest. This is an adventurous and thrilling experience to all animal lovers. Apart from this you can also enjoy horse rides and elephant rides. People from all parts of the world come and stay at Singapore cheap hotels and go for a visit to this zoo.

You can also see orangutans performing their witty gestures. The major attraction of the zoo that attracts lots of crowd is breakfast with some endangered species. You can take your break, sitting close with these animals.

In the zoo, there are three venues, where many events are organized. The Garden pavilion, Forest Lodge and Pavilion- by-the Lake, are the venues where these different events are enjoyed by the people. Birth day parties, weddings and other social gatherings are encouraged in this place.

The zoo offers many yearly memberships. The members enjoy the benefit of free rides and also get free magazine published every quarterly. The zoo is committed to the wild life conservation. It takes special care to take care of the extinct species like the white rhino, Komodo dragon, Malayan tiger, the sea lion and proboscis monkey.

Singapore zoo is a must see place, if you are planning a trip to Singapore. You can easily book a hotel online. Singapore hotel reservation can be done online sitting at your home. Take a tour to the zoo and enjoy the splendor of wildlife.

Singapore is teeming with the options that can help you to get relaxed. However, it is better to consult your tour operator in order to find the best available Singapore hotels. They can be Singapore cheap hotels or they can be Singapore luxury hotels, but, all of them will offer terrific services.

San Miguel de Allende is a fabulous place to come to, whether you are just getting away on vacation or looking to retire in the place of your dreams. This town is called the jewel of Mexico, and for good reason, and it is a popular spot for tourists and foreign retirees. Short and long term rentals can be found in abundance here, so no matter what your rental needs are, the town has what you are looking for.

There are many different types and styles of rental property available in San Miguel, from apartments overlooking the quaint town to homes and villas that are private and out of the way. Colonial homes, complete with fireplaces, fantastic decorations, and much more can be rented by the week, month, or even the year if you choose. There are many apartments and rooms for rent as well. There are villas for rent, some complete with private pools, gardens, and views, and also bungalows.

Bed and breakfast establishments make short term rentals quick and simple, and many of these lodging houses will allow you to make reservations for as long as you want, as long as advance notice is given. Whether you are looking for a place to rent for a romantic weekend getaway, a family vacation for a month, or even a home to rent during your retirement in this fabulous town, there is plenty of great locations and places to enjoy.

A quick online search will reveal a large number of rental and real estate companies that will be happy to help you find the rental you are looking for, and find you possible short or long term rental property that fits your specific needs and requirements. These companies can help make finding that perfect rental home or apartment quick and easy, without spending hours or days going through possible rentals only to find that each one is either unsuitable or not want you want.

Because San Miguel is such a popular tourist destination, the rental market is very big. There are many types of homes and apartments that are available to be rented, and they can range from modest and affordable one bedroom apartments to elegant and expensive town homes. No matter what your budget is, there are rentals in San Miguel de Allende that will fit in it. There are places that have a monthly rent in hundreds of dollars, all the way up to lavish and extravagant rentals that can cost thousands of American dollars each month.

One big reason that rental property is so popular in San Miguel is the fact that the same rental property in America would cost three to five times as much each month to rent. This makes these places very popular with retirees and vacationers who do not want to purchase a home, but plan on staying in town for a few days or more. Many times renting property can cost less than renting a hotel room, and with many more conveniences and benefits.

If you would like to know more about where to stay in san Miguel de allende mexico please do visit our site. The author is a Professional Internet Marketer with PowerHunters helping firms get their site noticed online.

The vast majority of Americans have money invested in “the market”. By that is meant they are owners of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other types of securities that have “market risk”. Mutual funds are oftentimes out-of-sight and out-of-mind in a 401(k), 403(b) or other retirement account. Generally, mutual fund owners do not carefully track their investments as they have taken a back seat and left the driving to professional money managers. If this has been your attitude, read carefully what follows.

The primary premise of mutual funds is that “professional management will beat the market averages”. This is simply not the case. The data show that over any given five-year period very few professional money managers are able to match or beat the market averages. There are many reasons for this - over-trading, hidden agendas, conflicts of interest and far too often skullduggery - but chief among them are high fees. In fact, mutual funds are loaded with fees ranging from front-end commissions for brokers, on-going fees for administration, advertising, printing plus mailing you information, and exit fees when the funds are sold. Annual fees can range from as low as 0.18% for index funds purchased without using a broker to as high as 3% for certain specialty funds. Fees are charged in bad markets when they add to losses and in good markets when they subtract from gains. Since mutual funds go as the market goes, how have they been doing in the past several years?

There are several measures of the stock market’s performance with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) being the most cited and followed. The DJIA is closely tracked and reported as “the barometer” of the stock market. Unfortunately, inflation is rarely mentioned when the DJIA numbers are released. While inflation is less noticeable in the short run, over a longer period it has a very important bearing on how much your money will buy. Rising prices destroy the purchasing power of your money and must be considered when looking at the DJIA; however, rarely is “the market” adjusted for inflation. Let’s see what happens when this major oversight is taken into account and applied to the DJIA.

During January 2000 the DJIA reached a peak of 11,723 and then headed downward with the bursting of the dot-com bubble and reached a bottom in late 2002. In October 2007 the DJIA reached another peak of over 14,000 but at the beginning of September 2008 closed at roughly 11,500 - wiping out all the gains and about 2% more from the 2000 peak. What does the picture look like after adjusting for inflation?

In January 2000 the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) stood at 168.8. The CPI-U reached 219.96 in July 2008 (latest available) - a rise of over 30% since January 2000. In other words what cost $168.80 in 2000 had risen to $219.96 in mid-2008. Once inflation is taken into account, the DJIA actually lost over 25% because of the shrinking value of money. What does this mean for your mutual funds, and possibly your retirement?

Let’s say that you retired in early 2000 and had your retirement nest egg invested in mutual funds. Over the first couple of years you lost heavily but decided to ride out the bad market because you thought that in the long term you’d probably do just fine. Sure enough, the market turned in late 2002 and your mutual fund investment recovered nicely. But when the market turned again in 2007 you lost all your previous gains plus about 2% more. While the DJIA is about the same now as in early 2000, you’re not back to break even because of two very important factors.

First, inflation has taken over 25% of the value of your retirement money as prices have constantly marched higher independent of the ups and downs of the DJIA. Secondly, there is a very high probability that your mutual funds have underperformed the DJIA because only a tiny fraction of money managers match or beat the market average over time. Here are the questions: While you may do better in the longer term by putting your retirement money in mutual funds, can you afford the market risk? Do you have the time to wait until markets recover to make up for inflation and poor performance by those managing your money?

What can you do? You can diversify as you approach retirement’s red zone and redeploy some or all of your money now in “the market” to safer alternatives. There are bank CDs, government savings bonds, fixed annuities, money market accounts and other low-risk options. Granted, the return may not be so hot, but then again mutual funds have not exactly been setting the investment world on fire since 2000 with losses of over 25% after inflation. Don’t believe all the marketing hoopla about mutual funds and do not dismiss other safe-money options. Most of all find a financial advisor that offers more than stocks, bonds, mutual funds and “investments” with risk, plus always inflation-adjust your money over time. You retirement may hang in the balance!

Shelby J. Smith, Ph.D.

For more information on retirement resources, check out the Retirement Pros website http://www.theretirementpros.com/ for monthly retirement seminars, eReports, publications, Video Library. Don’t forget to tune to retired radio on our site!

There are lots of great dive sites in the Caribbean, but which ones make it to the top of the list? We’ll give you our opinion. We’ve done lots of diving all over the Caribbean, but these sites are the ones we still remember and compare all other dives to.

Our list:

• Wreck of the Chikuzen, Tortola, British virgin Islands

I loved this site. It was (and still is) the best wreck dive we have done.

The wreck of the Chikuzen is located off of Tortola’s east end and 12 miles NW of virgin Gorda. This site is weather dependent so you may or may not be able to get out there. Luckily, the weather cooperated and we were able to dive the wreck (we were staying on Virgin Gorda).

When we descended the mooring line to wait for the other divers, we went straight into a huge school of barracuda. Now I’m used to seeing a lone barracuda, or a few together, but there had to be at least a hundred of them. And this was just at the bottom of the mooring line. It got better from there. Definitely one of our all time top dives in the Caribbean.

We saw black tip sharks, lots of stingrays, horse-eye jacks, pompano, spadefish and lots more. This is the place to come if you like big fish and lots of fish. And to top it all off, we heard whales singing at the end of the dive. And we haven’t even mentioned the wreck. How could it not be one of our top dives?

• Pidgeon, Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

This one is usually a surprise (and to us too because the rest of the diving we did in Bequia was good but not spectacular). However, this dive was wonderful. It was just my husband, myself and the divemaster (right there it is better than a lot of dives).

The water was crystal clear and the sun was shining on the coral, making the colors brilliant. There was a slight current so we could just drift along the reef with barely a kick. Lots of marine life to observe.

I remember thinking, “This is why I dive.” It was just a fantastic, easy underwater sightseeing trip. Definitely one of the top dives we have done.

• Name Unknown, Bimini, Bahamas

I know, I’m sorry - but you’ll be able to find it. We went over to Bimini from Florida in a boat and dove off our boat rather than with a dive shop. We tied up at a mooring buoy while we got ready. Then we jumped in. And that was the start of one great, fun drift dive.

We were flying! The formations and coral were beautiful and since it was a nice, sunny day, the colors were brilliant. Since the current was strong we couldn’t stop and examine many things, but that was fine. It was one heck of a fun dive.

Along the way, we saw an underwater plaque dedicated to someone that had died. So between the mooring buoy and the plaque, one of the dive shops or a local will be able to tell you where we were (my brother-in-laws’s GPS broke so we lost the coordinates). Next time we go to Bimini, we will find it again and I will post the update.

• Horseshoe, Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel is pretty much a divers mecca and we’ve been there several times. You will find alot of great dive sites off of Cozumel but this one stands out and is one of my favorites.

This site has incredible formations with tunnels in and around the formations. We saw alot of marine life including eels, sharks, barracudas to name just a few. A cool dive and definitely on of the top dives in Cozumel.

So there you have it. Our list of 4 of the top dives we have done. If you dive these sites, we hope you enjoy them as much as we did. To read about our all time favorite top dive in the Caribbean, #1 on our list, visit our website.

Dianne Rein runs a scuba diving website at http://www.scuba-diving-smiles.com To find out her #1 dive in the Caribbean visit her page of top dives You will also find a list of her top 3 overall destinations to go scuba diving in the Caribbean as will as much more dive info including gear guides and pages of scuba diving tips.

So you didn’t get started on your retirement savings at 20, but it isn’t too late. While advisors warn that if you don’t start early, you won’t be able to save enough, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t start at all.

Better late than never.

Millions of Americans are over 40 with no substantial retirement savings. The key is taking full advantage of every penny between now and retirement.

First, you need to sit down and estimate how much money you will need to retire. Don’t focus on how to arrive at the number; there are a lot of conflicting methods. You don’t need to necessarily set the round $1 million figure as a goal, either. Simply get a good ballpark figure by looking at what bills you pay right now and what you intend to pay in retirement. There are a few online retirement calculators that may be useful.

Once you know how much money you will need in retirement, you need to see what income you will have. This is money coming in from sources other than savings. For example, what is your expected Social Security benefit? Do you have a pension from your employer? What is the expected value of your 401(k) at retirement? Always consider that you will have less than average growth to avoid overestimating.

Now you will need to look for ways to make up the difference between your retirement income and expected expenses. The simplest way is to start contributing the maximum amount you can to your employee 401(k), or like, plan. This is money that comes out of your paycheck without you ever seeing it. It is easily forgotten, because you don’t ever actually have it in your hand.

If your employer matches a percentage of your contribution, that’s free money for you.

If you come in under certain income thresholds, you may qualify to contribute to a Roth IRA as well. The contribution is not tax free, but the earnings are when they are withdrawn in retirement.

If you are under 50 years old, you can still afford to be a little aggressive in your investments. You still have a decade or two to let your retirement earnings grow, so don’t be afraid of stocks and mutual funds.

You need to cut back on your spending as much as possible. Go ahead and try living on your expected retirement income. This will let you see if what you estimate is actually possible. You may find that taking on a second job now will help prepare you financially for retirement. You could save a lot by dedicating all of the income from a second job to your savings.

Consider making debt elimination a main priority. Paying interest on your debt is zapping your potential retirement savings. Paying only the minimum payment on your credit cards is a horrible idea. Start paying off your credit cards right now. Make that number one. Then start saving for retirement.

You want to eliminate as much debt in retirement as possible. Some people successfully have mortgages in retirement. Others enjoy the freedom of owning their own properties. The amount of your mortgage could make or break you. If your children are leaving the nest soon, you might consider downsizing to a smaller, less expensive home.

The older you are, the harder it is to save. But it is possible. Get started now — you don’t have a penny to lose.

Martin Lukac(http://www.MartinLukac.com), represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

Your scuba diving regulator is a crucial piece of dive gear. After all, without it we wouldn’t be diving. And who can imagine life without diving?

Since it is such an important piece of equipment, we need to take care of it properly. Luckily, it is not hard to take good care of your regulator. So no excuses. Just follow the scuba regulator maintenance tips below and you should be breathing nice and easy underwater for years to come.

Steps for Scuba Regulator Care

• Dry Dustcap and Seal Properly

If you are going to be rinsing your regulator while it is off the tank, you need to make sure no water gets in the second stage. First, ensure that the dustcap is dry. One way to do this is to blow the water off with air from the tank. Alternatively, you can use a towel to dry the surface of the dustcap. Then securely fasten the dustcap on the opening. Make sure you have a proper seal because you do not want any water to get in the first stage of the regulator.

• Soak the Regulator

If you only do one thing in your scuba regulator care routine, make it be this step.This is an important step and will get rid of any deposits that may be on your regulator. Swoosh the regulator around a bit to get rid of any loose particles. Dive shops usually have a rinse tank that you can use after a dive to rinse your gear. If you are not at a shop, rinse your regulator as soon as you get a chance.

• Move the Levers (but not the purge!)

Work any levers/buttons back and forth to loosen anything that may have attached to your equipment. Do this while the regulator is underwater. However, make sure you do not push the purge button. This will let water into the second stage which could travel up to the first stage. Something you do not want to happen.

• Finish With a Stream of Water

While you will probably get most of the debris out of the regulator with the above steps, if you get a chance, run a stream of water through the first and second stages (again, with the dust cap securely in place and without pushing the purge button). This should get rid of any remaining particles in the chambers and other openings.

• Dry the Regulator

Before you store it, let the regulator dry thoroughly. Do not dry in the direct sunlight as it can affect any rubber parts.

• Store Properly

Store the regulator in a cool, dry spot. Store away from sunlight and fumes. Position the regulator in such a way that the hoses are not kinked.

• Get Annual Scuba Regulator Service

Most scuba regulator manufacturers require the regulator to be serviced annually in order to remain under warranty. Check the terms on your regulator. While this step has been subject to debate, it is probably the safest thing to do.

Hopefully you will agree with me that scuba diving regulator maintenance is pretty easy. Just follow this guide and you should have many great and safe dives ahead of you.

Dianne Rein runs a scuba diving website at http://www.scuba-diving-smiles.com. You can read her full article on scuba regulator maintenance as well more information on scuba diving regulators and other scuba gear on her website.

When a co-worker retires, it is indeed a special occasion. It is the grand finale of a career.
It is ironically a happy and a sad time. No doubt, the organization will miss the retiree, and the retiree will miss the organization. Customarily, a retirement party is given in honor of the individual who is retiring. Someone from the organization or the industry gets the lucky job of giving a speech for the retiree.

Let’s say it is You! But what do you say? How do you say it? How long do you say it?
First find out how many people will attend. Next, find out who the people are. For example, are they co-workers, or are they clients? It is an unwritten rule (up until now) that retirement speeches are somewhat humorous and lighthearted, but respectful. It is after all, a fine day for the retiree. One they will never forget!

Below are two retirement speech examples. The first one is a sample speech, and the second one is a general outline. This outline could be adapted to fit almost any retirement occasion.

Retirement speech example:

Good afternoon members of the GREAT Industry and welcomed guests. I have been honored to speak on behalf of my dear friend and colleague, Mrs. Boss.

My first memory of Ms. Boss, was some 40 years ago, when she resembled Mary Tyler Moore, and her vision to become a voice for USA residents. And I remember thinking, she’s going to take this town!

When Ms. Boss and myself entered in this business, all those years ago, the GREAT Industry was a completely different world, with a certain stigma. Our products were, in the beginning, quite small and quite common.

In 19XX, Ms. Boss was instrumental in the approval of the mass production, which is commonplace today.

She has had an impact at the State and National level in order to provide a cost-effective production solution for our customers. In fact, she has lobbied for more rigid production standards and licensing requirements, which have allowed our products to become superior.

This is a significant achievement, which allows our products to provide our customers with quality. Which meet or exceed the expectations of State and National goals.

Which means that we have in the excess of 20,000 happy customers.

Use this guide to prepare your own custom speech:

Retirement speech example outline :

1. I remember…think of how the industry was at the beginning of the retiree’s career.

2. Mention Colleagues, other industry members that have had an impact on the industry or organization.

3. Mention major Milestones in the industry or organization.

4. I remember…try to describe an amusing story about the retiree.

5. Look to the future direction of the industry or organization. What will the next generation move toward?

6. What core values have been important to the industry or organization. How have they changed and how have they remained the same?

Lucy Bushman is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about retirement speeches, please visit My Planning for Retirement for current articles and discussions.