When will you be in the financial position to be able to give up work? Will you be able to stop working in time to be able to enjoy your freedom? Alternatively, will you carry on working until you die? Have you even thought about retirement yet?If you are still in your twenties or early thirties you may believe that you are too young to be thinking about retirement. That is quite understandable. Retirement must seem a long way off and you probably have other, more urgent priorities. However, the earlier you start, the easier it is to plan for an early retirement. Why is that? Well, the longer time you have in which to save up for something, the less you have to save regularly. Does that make sense?Early retirement means having the opportunity to stop work while you’re still young and fit enough to enjoy life. This could be at any age from 55 to 64 with 65 being considered a”‘normal” retirement age.Why is it important to plan for early retirement? Only careful planning will allow you the opportunity to stop working whilst you’re still young enough to enjoy your freedom to do all the things you never seem to have time for whilst working. However, without planning, you may find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having to work until you die. You wouldn’t want that, would you?Planning for early retirement is certainly not an easy process. As the word “planning” implies, there are a lot of things to be considered, including your savings, your assets, your family, and anything else that may be involved. Sound financial planning is vitally important.How do you plan properly for early retirement? Firstly you need to think about how much money you are going to need to fund your retirement. Remember that the capital you accumulate will have to last you for the rest of your life. How long will that be? Well, obviously, the younger you are when you retire, the longer your money will have to last. In other words, the younger you want to retire, the more money you will require. As a rule of thumb, we would normally recommend a fund of about twenty times the amount of annual income you are going to need – and you need to factor in inflation as well! Now do you see why you need to start planning when you are young? This is a vitally important part of financial planning.However, there is more to early retirement planning than simply focusing on the financial aspects. It is sad but true that there are many people who have retired with enough money on their pockets, who are in poor health and who find themselves incapable of doing all the things they would have liked to have had the time for when they were younger. Unfortunately that is mainly the result of failing to plan properly for early retirement. Please don’t let that happen to you!When planning retirement, therefore, it is important to consider how you want to spend your time after finishing your career. What are you goals? What do you enjoy doing now that you would like to have more time for? Would you like to travel the world, play golf, write a book, learn to play a musical instrument, or perhaps paint pictures? Would you like to do voluntary work to give back to the community? Or perhaps you see yourself winding down gradually by working part time.Finally, ask yourself this important question, if you were able to give up work today, how would you spend your free time? There’s a great big world out there with wealth of options for you. Make use of your choices and enjoy what life has to offer. Enlist the help of an Independent Financial Adviser and start planning NOW for a long and happy life after work.
Types of Garden Furniture
Garden furniture helps you to decorate your garden aesthetically. Most modern houses come with an outdoor space and a garden. The garden is used not only for spending your leisure time but also to entertain your guests in the outdoors. The outdoor space also provides much-needed frontage for your house as a whole. If you have decided about the layout plan for your garden, the next thing on your list should be garden furniture.The garden is a place where you would like to spend some time at peace with nature. Your garden is a place that enhances the look of your house. By selecting the right pieces of garden furniture, you could make your garden look elegant and stylish. There is a variety of garden furniture available on the market to cater to your varying needs. While selecting it, you need to consider three factors-looks, durability, and cost. The most commonly used garden furniture includes the coffee tables, chairs, swings, loungers, and so on. There are basically three types of outdoor furniture, and they are metal, wooden, and plastic garden furniture.The most popular type is metal garden furniture. Cast iron is used to make the furniture. It gives an old-era look and thereby enhances the look of your house. They are a bit expensive, but considering their benefits, it’s worth it to invest. Outdoor furniture is exposed to direct sun and rain. There are greater chances of them being damaged. But in the case of metal furniture, it will last longer as it has greater durability. It does not require any kind of maintenance and also gives a stylish look to your house. To give a Victorian-era look, this would be the best option. The latest varieties of them are available in various colors and designs to match with your garden.Wooden furniture is also becoming increasingly popular. It is available in both the contemporary and the traditional style. You can select the furniture based on the theme you would like to use. Rattan furniture is the latest in wooden garden furniture. It gives an elegant and stylish look to your outdoor space. It is so beautifully designed that you don’t need any other décor items to enhance its value. Just the furniture is enough to give your garden a great look. This furniture is available at affordable prices; however, they require regular maintenance. One of the major problems with this furniture is that it is prone to bacteria and molds attacks. Such problems can be overcome through proper maintenance.Plastic garden furniture is the latest type of furniture. It is the most durable and the cheapest of all. However, when looks are considered, it’s very simple and does not add any aesthetic value to your garden. It is completely waterproof and requires no maintenance. However, if you want to give your garden an elegant look, then plastic furniture will not serve the purpose.
The Mogul School Has Always Had a Strong Influence With Indian Art
The fact that India has always been well connected to the outside world has also meant that Indian fine art has been influenced by the cultures of other lands, and this has simply served to enrich the art even further.Indian Paintings a Fusion of Different CulturesThe art of India depicts their ancient heritage, medieval times, British rule, Mughal rule, progressive art as well as contemporary art, and in fact the very earliest recorded art of India originated from a religious Hindu background, to be replaced later by Buddhist art. Indian paintings can be anything from early civilizations to the present day; and today the art form is a fusion of different cultures and traditions. Art in India has also been inspired by spiritualism and mystical relationships between man and god, and the artists of India have relied on religious scriptures to draw inspiration, making use of water colors, charcoal as well as vegetable dyes.Mogul Painters Make Use of Native MaterialsIn 1550 the Indian subcontinent was divided between Muslim and Hindu kingdoms and the Moguls established a new dynasty, coming from the mountains, north of the Indus River valley. One of the purposes of their art was to draw attention to the king and glorify his deeds, and they made good use of native materials in their works of art. Good art symbolized the prosperity of many an empire in ancient India. Art was an extension of their tribute and respect to the king, and the artwork of Hindu kings depicts scenes from Ramayan and Mahabharat.The founder of the Moguls was Babur. Persian painting had become academic, it excelled in skill of brush work and mastery of color, but it lacked spiritual energy and vitality and it had lost touch with life. India has a tradition of vital painting, especially in the Rajput states and in the Deccan, and the king, Abkar, changed the course of development of art with the founding of his new religion which had many foreign elements.The Origins of Mogul ArtMogul art had its real beginnings during the reign of Akbar (1556) and he wanted to accurately record the events of his reign. He appreciated the realism in Europe engravings and paintings, steering his painters towards greater naturalism and encouraging the use of modeling and of European perspective in landscape.Realism and strong colors are the characteristics of the Mogul school of miniature painters. Mogul painters excelled in portraiture of animals and people and leaned towards an excessive idealization and to an interest in lighting. Glass work and ceramics also flourished under the Moguls, and carpets were also made. The Mogul invaders attracted some of the best 16th century painters in India to their courts.Rajasthani ArtA striking feature of Rajasthani art is an intensity of feelings and emotions with architecture usually in the background to create some perspective. The Rajput school takes pride of place among the local styles, as the Rajput princes were more closely linked than any others with the Mogul court. Many of their artists worked for the court, and the subjects illustrated by the Rajput painters were never taken from Moslem court life but depicted a number of themes, events, Krishna’s life, humans and landscapes, and humans.An Increasing Interest in the Art of IndiansToday many Indian artists are producing excellent works of art and exhibiting them overseas. Of course the uniqueness of this art is its rich cultural heritage, and today you keep hearing of how art by Indians is fetching a fortune. Today there has also been an increasing interest in art magazines like Art India and Indian Contemporary Art Journal among others. Excavations of art in India has shown that the art is highly sophisticated, and artists of the 21st century use both ancient, historical styles as well as modern ideas in their art.