CANCER - Australia's biggest killer

1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime.

What is Cancer?
Cancer is a disease of the body's cells.  A healthy cell will grow and multiply in a way that is controlled according to it's genetic blueprint but some cells can change and that control can be lost.  The word cancer is given to a collection of these cells.

A Personal Story by Christie Birch

Just about everyone I know has been affected by cancer in some way.  In my own experience our family has been affected more than once.

My Mother was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma when she was just 26 years old.  She had 3 kids under the age of 8, had never smoked and lived a pretty healthy lifestyle.  She spent nearly 12 months travelling to and from Sydney for treatment as there were no facilities here in Newcastle.  She was in fourth stage which meant very little to me as a kid, I just knew that the doctor's were going to make her better because that is what doctors do.  In reality my Mum was very ill, the cancer had spread and the odds for long term survival were not good.  Fortunately the doctor's worked their miracles and Mum put up the fight for her life and in her words there was some divine intervention.  26 years later she is still cancer free and has seen the marriage of her kids and the births of her grand kids.

Shortly after Mum's recovery my Grandfather was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Doctor's said that the cancer had gone to far and that there was nothing they could do.  They gave him 12 months to live but only 3 weeks after his diagnosis at the age of 61 he died.  He was one of three brothers who all died before the age of 62 of cancer.

During my highschool years my best friend's brother was diagnosed with testicular cancer at age 15.  Due to the embaressing nature of his symptoms he never sought treatment until the size of the tumour became physically obvious.  By the time he saw a doctor the cancer had spread to his lungs, his stomach and his kidneys.  He was given only a 5% chance of surviving beyond 5 years.  He started aggresive treatment and everyone started praying for a miracle.  He went into remission and is now aged 34 but still lives with the constant fear that the cancer could return at any time.

Next my family suffered the loss of my Uncle and my other Grandfather both succumbing to prostate cancer.  Shortly after this my father inlaw was diagnosed with prostate cancer also.  He decided to not take any chances, they had detected it early and he opted to have his prostate removed.  There was no evidence of cancer anywhere else in his body and so is living proof that early detection works.

Yesterday my Husband and I received a phone call from his Mother.  She had a skin cancer removed from her nose a few months ago and had a follow up biopsy done last week.  The news is not good, they didn't get all of the cancer and she now faces the possibility that the cancer has gone too far.  So we go back to our prayers that have helped in the past and pray that the news will be good.

I could go on and on with the names of friends who have been affected and those who we have lost and I am sure that as many of you read this you will take a moment to remember and honour those whom you know have been affected by cancer.

THERE IS GOOD NEWS......in Australia today 60% of all cancer diagnosis will be effectively treated.

1. Live a healthy lifestyle - prevention is better than a cure so don't smoke, avoid too much alcohol, eat a healthy diet, get some exercise and cover up when you are out in the sun.
2. Check yourself - be aware of any changes in your body and get to the doctor's as soon as possible if you notice anything unusual.  Early detection is paramount to your survival rate.
3. Support research - medical research costs millions of dollars every year.  There are a number of great organisations that raise money for this purpose.  Please support by giving what you can, you never know it just might be you or your loved ones that will be saved by a break through!

AUSTRALIA'S BIGGEST MORNING TEA
May 7th 2010 from 9.30am
Lifestyle House Boardroom - 671 Hunter Street Newcastle
RSVP by May 5th 2010

BUDGETING BASICS

Budgeting, it isn't rocket science but for some people it may as well be.  I am amazed at the number of people I come across that have no money sense.  They earn really good money but just can't stay ahead of the game and are often struggling with large debt.  Then there are the people I meet who don't earn as much but have great financial management skills.

So what is there secret, it is a simple formula  and will work for everyone - spend less than you earn!

When people begin to budget they usually start wrong and so the budget never lasts.  The first step in budgeting should be to keep a money diary for at least 4 weeks.  During this time you need to write in your money diary everytime you make a purchase or pay a bill, right down to the cent.

By keeping a diary like this you will begin to create a picture of your spending habits.  Everyone has heard someone say, "I just don't know where my money goes..." well now you will find out.  Once you see your spending patterns you can begin to create a budget. 

The next step is to seperate your spending entries into WANTS & NEEDS.  A need is something that you or your family has to have in order to live, such as food, clothing, shelter, water etc..you get the picture.  A want is all the other things that you spend your money on, these are more lifestyle items such as a boat, electrical appliances, holidays etc.

Once you have completed this step you will see where you can cut back on your spending.  Even if you only can cut back by $5 a day that adds up to more than $1,800 a year.  Paying off an extra $35 a week on a $200,000, 25 year mortgage will reduce the amount of interest paid over the term by around $12,830.  As little a $20 a week invested with a return of around 6% and you will have $15,000 in 10 years.

The most important thing to do now is to start, the sooner you start the sooner you will be in front.
For more information and tips visit Understanding Money.

FINDING TIME FOR EXERCISE

Busy people often find it hard to find the time to exercise, but 30 minutes of daily exercise can significantly reduce your risk of serious illness, including heart disease and diabetes.  Schedule your 30 minutes into your diary everyday like you would any other appointment.  If you can't find a 30 minute block of free time you can always break it down to smaller blocks of time.


Do a quick 10 minute walk on your lunch break and then when you get home spend 20 minutes playing a game with your kids outside.  If you don't have kids buy yourself a bike and go for a ride.  Most health professionals agree it is better to do some activity than none so aim to get moving for at least 30 minutes a day.

For more tips on exercise check out the Get Moving website.

Social Media and Business

It is a fact, Australians are at the forefront of using social media.  In fact there are 9 million facebook users in Australia and it is growing every day.

So how can a business use this forum to generate new business?  Well it is not about selling, it is about developing your profile and your relationships with existing clients and potential clients.  Social media is a great way to connect with people you already know and to be introduced to those you would like to know.

To understand it better you can check out the Small Biz Help Club the site can also help get you started with the basics.

Once you are on  your way I would love to hear your comments and experiences in delving into social media.

Goodluck and happy networking.

WL

Personal Information Directories

Insuring your family against financial hardship in the event of your untimely death is extremely important to the financial security of your family.


However once you have your cover in place it is just as important to make sure that others know you have it, after all should you die suddenly in an accident or from a sudden illness you are no longer in a position to tell them about it.

The importance of this issue was highlighted to me at the end of last year when a client passed away. Although she had been ill for quite sometime her health deteriorated rapidly over 2 weeks resulting in her death. It was 8 weeks before we learnt of her death when her sister called my office saying she happened to come across one of our letters whilst cleaning out our client's house. Our client had not told anyone of her policy that she had taken out nearly 20 years ago and as such no one knew to contact us.

Fortunately for our client's beneficiaries her sister was paying attention when she was cleaning her house. Our office organised the paperwork for the family and they recently received their entitlements. But what if her sister had not thought to call us or she had not taken notice of what she was throwing away?

The truth is the policy may have lapsed and if the reminder letter had gone astray no one may ever have known that there was an entitlement to a benefit. It is for this reason that everyone should have a plan on what needs to happen in the event of their death. It may be an uncomfortable subject but it will save your loved ones a lot of unnecessary worry while they are still grieving for their loss.

The best idea is to keep a record of all your important information in a safe place and give a copy to your solicitor, accountant or a close trusted family member or friend.

You should include information about your doctor, Medicare number, people to contact in the event of an emergency, your next of kin details, and insurance policies including those for your home and car as well as any personal insurance.

Also include a list of your professional advisers with their contact numbers and the location of your current will and who your power of attorney is.

You may also want to include the contacts for any organisations you belong to so they can be notified and also your account administration passwords for any social networking sites you belong to so your profile can be removed.

By keeping all these details not only will you make things easier on your family, you will ensure they receive all the entitlements you planned for.

You can get a free personal information directory simply by signing up to our monthly newsletter.

Does your business engage with your customers?

As generation X and Y begin to dominate the market place it is important to understand the Social Media and Networking revolution.

The fact is that the majority of social networkers are your potential customers and by ignoring the new communication phenomenom your business could be missing out on a new generation of customers.

Wayne W Lennan Financial Services is sponsoring a social media and networking event to help introduce this new aspect of marketing to small business owners.

March 19th 2010 from 8.15am - 9.00am
Lifestyle House, 671 Hunter Street Newcastle

Numbers have been strictly limited so attendees can get the most out of the presentation. 

To register for this free event simply complete your details below and click the submit button.

THIS EVENT IS NOW BOOKED OUT BUT STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE EVENT

Protecting Your Identity Online

3 out of 4 Australians have visited a social networking site like Face Book, My Space & Twitter. In fact over 5 million people in Australia are regular Face Book users.

With all this social interaction over the internet you can quickly become easy prey for criminals.

Identity theft is a crime that involves stealing money or gaining benefit from pretending to be someone else. Only a few bits of discreet information are needed for these high tech fraudsters to build an identity and embark on a crime spree.

So how can you ensure that you protect yourself and your identity on these social networking sites?

Lindy Asimus from Design Business Engineering has a few tips to help protect your personal information in cyber space.

1. Don't include middle names in your profile page.

2. If you want to provide an address use a postal address or just enter the city you live in and leave the rest blank.

3. Only ever provide a business phone number or better still an email address.

4. Do not display your date of birth in full, just put the day and month there is absolutely no need to show the year, if the site won't allow you to delete the year just pick one like 1919 and make a note of it in your diary (you may need it to prove you are the administrator).

5. Be careful about the public access information you put on your sites. You don't want thieves knowing that you just bought some expensive home theatre system and that you are about to go away for a month.


Remember, without being paranoid your personal details are yours and being aware of security online is good practice. It is also a good idea to monitor your kids sites regularly as they often don't see the dangers of internet activity.



Click here for more information on social networking profile tips from Lindy Asimus.