10 documents to be secured

IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US...

Keep these essential papers in place and inform at least one family member so that your heirs don't have to run from pillar to post to inherit what is rightfully theirs.

1) Primary documents

These include your birth certificate, marriage certificate, PAN card, passport, election ID card and the Aadhaar card. Will be needed when transferring assets to your heirs.

2) Insurance details

The purpose of life insurance will be defeated if your family is in the dark. Make a list of all the policies, mentioning the name of insurers, policy numbers, insured sums and the tenures.

3) Pension documents

If you have an NPS account, mention the account number and nomination details. Give the pension account number with your employer.

4) Property papers

All property-related documents should be in one place. If the property is mortgaged, keep photocopies. Mention the loan account number and the latest outstanding amount. If property is insured, mention policy coverage.

5) Bank account details

Make a list of various bank accounts, giving the name of the bank, the account number, holding pattern and the nomination details.

6) Bank locker details

Mention the name of bank, locker number, ownership pattern and whereabouts of the key. Maintain an inventory of items kept in the locker and update every time you operate it.

7) Demat account details

Give the name of depository partner, demat account number and nomination details. If possible, update the details of the securities in the demat account.

8) Other investments

Give details of the PPF account and folio numbers of other post office investments. Make a list of mutual fund investments, mentioning folio numbers, ownership pattern and nomination details.

9) Loans and Receivables

If you have taken or given private loans to relatives or friends, mention the amount and the date by when these are payable/receivable.

10) Online 10 passwords

Though these are to be kept secret, keep a list for emergency reference. Mention the website, the online ID and the password.

Keep this in mind

This information is to be kept secret and accessed only if the main breadwinner of the family has either died or is in a medical emergency.

Make sure to update the information regularly. How often you do this depends on your convenience and the changes in investments.

The information listed above is very basic. You may want to add more details of other assets along the same lines.

You may want to make an online version of this information as well, but make sure it is on a secure site.

Benefits of Waking Up Early & Tips for waking up early

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Ben Franklin 

Getting up early is not easy for so many persons. But if they practice this good habit there are many benefits associated with it.The benefits of waking up early are myriad. It doesn’t take much to change your lifestyle to avail these benefits. After all, personal and professional well-being, and ultimate success are what everyone seeks. 

1. Time to Exercise

Waking up early gives you the time to exercise. You can easily go for a jog, do a few laps in the pool, practice yoga or hit the gym with plenty of time at hand.

2. Time to Meditate

There is nothing like beginning the day with a dose of meditation. It will help calm your mind and sharpen your reflexes to keep you going through your busy schedule of work.

3. Experience the Charm of Early Morning

Only an early morning person knows the charm and serenity that those hours offer. The silence, the birds chirping, the absence of cars honking, and the sunrise are all advantages only early rising can offer.

4. Increase Productivity and Efficiency

A study conducted at the Texas University in 2008 revealed that early risers are more prone to be productive and efficient at work. In fact, students who wake up early are known to get higher grades than those who wake up late.

5. Eating Breakfast

Breakfast is known to be the most important meal of the day. Often, you may land up skipping it if you are running late for work. An early start to the day ensures that this significant meal is never given the slip.

6.Quick & Healthy Breakfast Ideas

"A healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” says Dr Jyothi Prasad, chief dietitian, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore.“There’s a nearly ten-hour long gap between dinner and breakfast, during which the body is on fast mode. As the name suggests, breakfast is the meal you eat to break that fast,” explains Dr Prasad, “It refuels your body with essential nutrients to kick-start your day. So don’t skip it.”


 Less Stress
Giving you ample time to get ready on time, waking up early ensures that you suffer less stress. Beat the traffic and drive to work at ease.


7. Set  Routine
Once you get into the habit of rising early, you are able to set a routine and that obviously leads to better productivity not only at work, but also on the home front and as an individual.


8. Brighter Mood


Early risers are known to be happier and more optimistic than night owls. The latter are known to suffer depression, insomnia and pessimism. The bright start with exercise and optimism is bound to keep you feeling energised and optimistic all day.


9. Better Health


Proper routine and exercise are known factors in ensuring better health in the long run. Waking up early ensures you set aside time to work out. Late risers lack the advantage of time for this.


10. Better Finances


Improved health, enhanced productivity and ameliorated energy can only result in one thing – a higher rate of success. And when this happens in your career, can financial triumph be far behind? So, rise early to kickstart a really great way of doing well in the professional sphere as well.

Here are some tips given by Leo Babauta to get up early

(Source:http://zenhabits.net/10-benefits-of-rising-early-and-how-to-do-it/)

How to Become an Early Riser

• Don’t make drastic changes. Start slowly, by waking just 15-30 minutes earlier than usual. Get used to this for a few days. Then cut back another 15 minutes. Do this gradually until you get to your goal time.
• Allow yourself to sleep earlier. You might be used to staying up late, perhaps watching TV or surfing the Internet. But if you continue this habit, while trying to get up earlier, sooner or later one is going to give. And if it is the early rising that gives, then you will crash and sleep late and have to start over. I suggest going to bed earlier, even if you don’t think you’ll sleep, and read while in bed. If you’re really tired, you just might fall asleep much sooner than you think.
• Put your alarm clock far from you bed. If it’s right next to your bed, you’ll shut it off or hit snooze. Never hit snooze. If it’s far from your bed, you have to get up out of bed to shut it off. By then, you’re up. Now you just have to stay up.
• Go out of the bedroom as soon as you shut off the alarm. Don’t allow yourself to rationalize going back to bed. Just force yourself to go out of the room. My habit is to stumble into the bathroom and go pee. By the time I’ve done that, and flushed the toilet and washed my hands and looked at my ugly mug in the mirror, I’m awake enough to face the day.
• Do not rationalize. If you allow your brain to talk you out of getting up early, you’ll never do it. Don’t make getting back in bed an option.
• Have a good reason. Set something to do early in the morning that’s important. This reason will motivate you to get up. I like to write in the morning, so that’s my reason. Also, when I’m done with that, I like to read all of your comments!
• Make waking up early a reward. Yes, it might seem at first that you’re forcing yourself to do something hard, but if you make it pleasurable, soon you will look forward to waking up early. A good reward is to make a hot cup of coffee or tea and read a book. Other rewards might be a tasty treat for breakfast (smoothies! yum!) or watching the sunrise, or meditating. Find something that’s pleasurable for you, and allow yourself to do it as part of your morning routine.
• Take advantage of all that extra time. Don’t wake up an hour or two early just to read your blogs, unless that’s a major goal of yours. Don’t wake up early and waste that extra time. Get a jump start on your day! I like to use that time to get a head start on preparing my kids’ lunches, on planning for the rest of the day , on exercising or meditating, and on reading.

Cholera Breakout,its Prevention and Control

Today(23.7.2012) it is reported in the News that 70 persons in Chennai are hospitalised with severe diarrhoea, a symptom of Cholera and one person is reported to be dead. It is also reported in the newspaper(The Times of India,Chennai dt.23.7.2012) that the unclean city could face the cholera very soon. It is better to know about the disease and it prevention and control.

What is Cholera Disease?

• Cholera disease causes a lot of watery diarrhea and vomiting
• Cholera diarrhea can look like cloudy rice water
• Cholera can cause death from dehydration (the loss of water and salts from the body) within hours if not treated

*Cholera is an infection in the small intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. 
The main symptoms are profuse, watery diarrhea and vomiting. 
Transmission occurs primarily by drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated by the feces of an infected person, including one with no apparent symptoms. The severity of the diarrhea and vomiting can lead to rapid dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, and death in some cases. 


The primary treatment isoral rehydration therapy, typically with oral rehydration solution (ORS), to replace water and electrolytes. If this is not tolerated or does not provide improvement fast enough, intravenous fluids can also be used. 


Antibacterial drugs are beneficial in those with severe disease to shorten its duration and severity. Worldwide, it affects 3–5 million people and causes 100,000–130,000 deaths a year as of 2010. Cholera was one of the earliest infections to be studied by epidemiological methods.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera

How is Cholera Spread?

• Cholera germs are found in the feces (poop) of infected people
• Cholera is spread when feces (poop) from an infected person gets into the water people drink or the food people eat
• Cholera is not likely to spread directly from one person to another

Prevention and Control

The risk for cholera is very low for people visiting areas with epidemic cholera. When simple precautions are observed, contracting the disease is unlikely.

What to do if you think that you or someone in your family has cholera

• If you have oral rehydration solution (ORS), start taking it now; it can save your life
• Go immediately to the nearest health facility. Continue to drink ORS at home and while you travel to get treatment
• Continue to breastfeed your baby if they have watery diarrhea, even when traveling to get treatment

All people (visitors or residents) in areas where cholera is occurring or has occurred should be aware of the basic cholera facts and observe five basic cholera prevention recommendations.

Five Basic Cholera Prevention Messages

1. Drink and use safe water*
   • Bottled water with unbroken seals and canned/bottled carbonated beverages are safe to drink and use
   • Use safe water to brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, and to make ice
   • Clean food preparation areas and kitchenware with soap and safe water and let dry completely before reuse
   *Piped water sources, drinks sold in cups or bags, or ice may not be safe and should be boiled or treated with chlorine. 
   
   To be sure water is safe to drink and use:
   • Boil it or treat it with a chlorine product or household bleach
   • If boiling, bring your water to a complete boil for at least 1 minute
   • To treat your water with chlorine, use one of the locally available treatment products and follow the instructions. For a list of products distributed by country, visit CDC’s Safe Water System website
   • If a chlorine treatment product is not available, you can treat your water with household bleach. Add 8 drops of household bleach for every 1 gallon of water (or 2 drops of household bleach for every 1 liter of water) and wait 30 minutes before drinking
   • Always store your treated water in a clean, covered container

2. Wash your hands often with soap and safe water*
   • Before you eat or prepare food
   • Before feeding your children
   • After using the latrine or toilet
   • After cleaning your child’s bottom
   • After taking care of someone ill with diarrhea
   * If no soap is available, scrub hands often with ash or sand and rinse with safe water.
3. Use latrines or bury your feces (poop); do not defecate in any body of water
   • Use latrines or other sanitation systems, like chemical toilets, to dispose of feces
   • Wash hands with soap and safe water after defecating
   • Clean latrines and surfaces contaminated with feces using a solution of 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water
   What if I don’t have a latrine or chemical toilet?
   • Defecate at least 30 meters away from any body of water and then bury your feces
   • Dispose of plastic bags containing feces in latrines, at collection points if available, or bury it in the ground. Do not put plastic bags in chemical toilets
   • Dig new latrines or temporary pit toilets at least a half-meter deep and at least 30 meters away from any body of water
4. Cook food well (especially seafood), keep it covered, eat it hot, and peel fruits and vegetables*
   • Boil it, Cook it, Peel it, or Leave it
   • Be sure to cook shellfish (like crabs and crayfish) until they are very hot all the way through
   *Avoid raw foods other than fruits and vegetables you have peeled yourself.
5. Clean up safely—in the kitchen and in places where the family bathes and washes clothes
   • Wash yourself, your children, diapers, and clothes, 30 meters away from drinking water sources.

   Source:http://www.cdc.gov/cholera/prevention.html