Category Archives: Golden Rule

The challenge regarding the managed funds is what will happen if the market falls between now and your retirement?

If you are prepared to hold them for many years, which I would recommend if possible, a temporarily fall in the market should not be an issue.

However, if you intend to dispose of them in two years, and they are potentially volatile, you have to make a choice of redemption now with capital gains tax, or deferring disposal into the future.

Its really a matter of sitting down with your adviser and making some long-term plans.

I have made a personal contribution of $3000 into my super account before the end of the past financial year (before June 30, 2019). I am doing my tax return and have found that my taxable income is just about $18,500 (before deductions), which is very close to the tax-free threshold of $18,200. If I claim a tax deduction for a personal contribution, does it mean I would pay extra tax? Should I claim or not? If yes, how much should I claim?

From the information provided, you should be paying no tax for the past financial year.

If you claim a tax deduction you will lose 15 per cent in entry tax, but if you ask your fund to treat the $3000 as a non-concessional contribution, you may well be eligible for a $500 government co-contribution and incur no entry tax.

Your best course of action appears to treat it as a non-concessional contribution.

Are inheritances subject to the deeming rules?

Deeming rules apply to financial assets, such as cash in the bank, managed funds and shares.

If you receive an inheritance and it fell under the category of a financial asset, it would be subject to deeming.

If it was an asset such as real estate, it is not subject to deeming.

Keep in mind that deeming rates only affect pensioners assessed under the income test.

Im like many full retirees I own a house with no debt. I would like to rent it out for a while and do other things, but dont know what to do with the income, as I am fully retired so can make no further contributions to my super. Can I gear the house rental against a small share portfolio or re-gear the house using my existing draw-down facility? My home is worth $1.3 million and I have an unused drawdown of $150,000. I am aged 67 and have $200,000 in super. I also receive a defined-benefit Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme pension of $50,000 a year.

There is a golden rule that you should only borrow if you have to do so.

You are well set up for retirement now and borrowing, say, $100,000 to invest in a quality managed fund is not going to save you any tax, because the combination of the income at, say, 4.2 per cent from the fund plus franking credits, should exceed the interest payable on the loan.

Having said that, if you are prepared to stay the course with the managed funds for at least 10 years, it should turn out to be a good investment. Being secured against your house, you could never be subject to a margin call.

I think your decision will depend on your experience with shares and your risk profile.

If you do borrow, I would prefer you used an index fund in Australian shares which, by definition, cannot go broke.

Just keep in mind that you can only be absent from your house for up to six years to retain the capital gains tax exemption.

Noel Whittaker, AM, is the author of Making Money Made Simple and numerous other books on personal finance.

Noel Whittaker, AM, is the author of Making Money Made Simple and numerous other books on personal finance.

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Investing or pay off the mortgage: a common dilemma - The Age

A groundbreaking new treatment of King Lear opened last year in London, with a tour of Broadway this spring. The conventional treatment of Shakespeares bleakest tragedy has been to cast him as a tragic victim of his own hubris and caprice, unwittingly stripped of all dignity and worth by unloving daughters who are composed of few, if any, redeeming characteristics.

This new treatment inverts things not just by having Lear played by a woman the towering thespian Glenda Jackson but by suggesting that Goneril and Regan are actually sympathetic characters, moved to their manipulative entreatments by the complete insanity of their father. Their desire to trick Lear into handing over the kingdom to them is motivated less by greed than by an urgent desire to save it from an unfit king who, once shorn of power, must not be allowed any return to it lest he do further damage. Far from being a graceful slow exit, Lears attempts to hand over his kingdom while still retaining the name, and all the addition to a king is an attempt by a madman to preserve his clutches onto power.

The kings flailing attempts to retain the keys of a kingdom he has gifted away reminded me of Helen Zilles latest decision to re-enter politics and assume the power she had relinquished to another very recently.

The golden rules of leadership and management vary from book to book, but one which seems to be sacrosanct is for leaders not to give in to the worse angels of their nature and attempt to rule from beyond the grave.

Never think of yourself as indispensable, but know when to go. Allow others to choose your successor. Dont dictate to him or her when you leave. To do any of the above is to potentially undermine, to threaten the kingdom with chaos, as Jacksons crazed Lear does.

Several cautionary tales spring to mind. The most obvious is Churchill in 1951 when the 74-year-old astonished his long-standing deputy Anthony Eden by refusing to step down and insisted on running for a second term of office, despite Eden having effectively run the country during the war years, and having waited in the wings for so long. Within a year of resuming the prime ministership Churchill had had a debilitating stroke. Yet limpet-like he clung on for several more years until the clock finally ran out on a sclerotic premiership. Poor Eden. He was so exhausted at having wasted an entire decade; within 18 months of assuming power he was duped by the Americans at Suez and had to resign in disgrace.

More recently, Malaysias Mahatir Mahomad meddled in politics long after he had left office and extraordinarily even engineered a return to the top in 2018 at the age of 92. Mahatir, who first assumed power in 1981, groomed his first successor Anwar Ebrahim to take over from him but seems to have changed his mind soon after. Ebrahim was imprisoned twice on what seemed to be trumped-up charges of sodomy. Mahatir then helped a second protg, Najib Razak, gain power in 2009 only to subsequently work tirelessly to evict him from office. Malaysia is now ruled by a nonagenarian who periodically makes bizarre anti-Semitic statements about how a Jewish cabal rules the world.

In India, we had the unedifying spectacle of that grand titan of industry, Ratan Tata, handpicking his successor, Cyrus Mistry and then re-entering the scene to play grubby boardroom politics in a bid to oust him shortly after the new man had decided to can some of Tatas cherished but underperforming projects. Ratan Tata has since handed over to a new chairman but the temporary period was one of intense volatility for the normally staid Tata Group.

Which brings us to Zille. After careful consideration and consultation, her statement read, I have submitted nomination forms to contest the position of chair of the [powerful] Federal Council. In recent months, the DA has been through a period of turmoil and distress. If elected my objective will be support the leadership in its goal of stabilising the party and getting it back on track.

Perhaps this is unfair, but given Zilles track record of undermining previously hand-picked successors like Lindiwe Mazibuko as well as the current leader Mmusi Maimane, her moves reminded me of an Energiser bunny, the one which refuses to die and doesnt know when to sod off. Is this really in the best interests of the party, or herself and her old support base within the party who have resisted attempts at progressing the partys social agenda?

Of course, without knowing the internal machinations of the backroom deals of the DA, the question is supposition, but Zilles behaviour over the last two years has been depending on ones level of charity either bewildering, petulant or egotistical.

As national leader of the DA, she chose not to be in Parliament but to remain in the Western Cape as Premier while Lindiwe Mazibuko nominally spoke in Parliament. When she officially stood down as national leader, she made it very clear who her choice of successor should be Maimane, someone she had brought into the party and had had fast-tracked. Yet she saw no conflict or potential to undermine the inexperienced leader by remaining on as Western Cape Premier. There seems to have been little introspection or self-awareness that as such a dominating personality, her remaining on the scene, Lear-like, with reservation of an hundred knights and all the addition to a king might cause discomfort to the new king.

And the discomfort was not long in coming, in the form of the infamous colonialism tweet. Rather than contriteness, she doubled down and, Churchill-like, became a limpet. The experience was humiliating for the new leader and hardly helped the partys chances of winning over suspicious black voters. Then, when she finally did retire in 2018, there came the barrage of further tweets which undermined the direction Maimane was attempting (unsuccessfully) to steer the party to. And now, this. A re-entry, Mahatir-like, to usurp power from the once-protg.

Why does she feel that it is only her who can save the party? Why does she not allow other, younger, leaders to stake a claim, if a competing vision is to be presented? Where has it ever ended well when former leaders believe only they have the answer?

The ego has landed. DM

Kalim Rajab is a director of the New National Assurance Company, SA's largest empowered insurance company. He previously worked in the diamond industry, and was educated at UCT and Oxford. He writes in his personal capacity about SA, current events, film appreciation and culture. Catch him on twitter at @kalimrajab

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After much introspection, I've decided to give in...... - Daily Maverick

Christmas is now eleven weeks away, so if you haven't started thinking about your travel plans yet, you better start now.

While it might seem like there's still ages to go until Santa shimmies down the chimney, we all know how quickly time flies in the build-up, and what's more, now is the best and cheapest time to book trains for the festive period.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan UK , a spokesperson for National Rail explained the importance of booking in advance.

They said: "Advance tickets are usually the cheapest way to travel by train. They go on sale from up to 12 weeks before the date of travel but you have to travel on the date and train shown on the ticket."

Virgin Trains then went on to reveal that it is the 'golden rule' to book in advance for the busy Christmas and New Year period if you want a seat, with a reduced amount of trains available and more people travelling.

"It will guarantee you the best fares and a seat reservation. We have a section on our website called ' Best Fare Finder ' which is always a good starting point for those looking to travel on our network," said the spokesperson.

MoneySavingExpert has also had a say on when the cheapest and best time to book train tickets for Christmas 2019 is.

In the weekly MoneySavingExpert email , the consumer website advised that train companies usually put their cheapest advance tickets 10-12 weeks in advance. The newsletter then revealed how 17 of the 30 firms have already released their best fares ahead of the Christmas period. Some have even released their best prices for up until the end of December, so if you're planning to travel and haven't started looking yet, there's no time like the present.

Trainline has revealed that Brits saved an incredible 19m by booking Christmas travel advance last year, with the average saving coming in at 58.71 per person.

People in Manchester saved the second most amount of money after Londoners, by totalling a whopping saving of 988k.

But the savings don't stop at booking in advance, as there are several other methods you can use to ensure you get the cheapest possible tickets to travel home for Christmas and New Year.

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TrainCarCoachPlaneI'm not travelling

There are now plenty of railcards available for people of all ages, so if you haven't got one, it's worth shopping around.

The railcards available in the UK are:

For full details of cost, benefits and more information head to the railcard website.

Split ticket tools are a great money-saving option for those with and without railcards. In a nutshell, you put all the usual details into them (i.e. where you're travelling from, to, your date of travel), and they'll work out the cheapest route you can take, and whether or not it's cheaper to buy one flat ticket or multiple tickets from different stations.

We suggest using the following split ticket websites:

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The cheapest time to book train tickets for travel during Christmas and New Year 2019 - Manchester Evening News

Last week I received a touching letter from one of my readers thanking me for writing informative articles. The reader also expressed concern about the future economically and wondered how to adjust to the increasingly risky situation. Therefore, I feel it should be my duty to suggest investment options, lifestyle adjustments and career choices for the upcoming economic winter.

But before I start I would like to digress to briefly express my concern about the Bank of Thailand's exchange rate management policy. In my view, the "right" exchange rates are the rates that support exports and other economic activities. Central banks should be able to determine the "right" exchange rates for their respective economies and manage the "market-determined" exchange rates to move closer to the "right" rates.

I will give an example. For the past three years, Thailand has consistently registered trade deficits with Japan -- averaging US$2.5 billion per quarter -- and yet the Thai baht has appreciated by 25% against the yen. How on earth does the Bank of Thailand expect Thai exporters to Japan to improve their production efficiency by 25% to keep up with the appreciating currency?

Based on chronic trade deficits with Japan, I guesstimate the "right" exchange rate for the baht-yen should be about 0.4 baht per yen, not 0.28 baht per yen as determined by today's market. The job of the Bank of Thailand is to close the gap between 0.4 and 0.28 so as to support Thai exports to Japan. By letting the market drag exchange rates beyond economic reality, the Bank of Thailand unknowingly destroys the export sector which accounts for almost 70% of GDP.

Back to our subject of surviving the economic winter. Economists have been talking about the global economic slowdown for several years, before today's US-China trade war. From 200 years of economic data, it is clear that the world economy has expanded twice as fast as it should have for the past 50 years. Overheating not only makes the world economy prone to crises, but also calls for big adjustments. The economic spring was over in 2015 and we are entering a long economic winter. As usual, the adjustment period is the most dangerous. A financial crisis can pop up any minute.

By the way, I really like the term "synchronised slowdown" by the new IMF chief, Kristalina Georgieva. You really get the picture.

My suggestions on surviving the economic winter will be divided into three areas -- investments, lifestyle changes, and career prospects. First, one has to arrange investments into three groups -- Risk Lover investment, Risk Neutral investment, and Risk Averse investment.

Risk Averse means an investment that can withstand the slowdown and bears no or low risk of capital loss. Risk Neutral means an investment that could have a capital loss of up to 20% during a tough time. Risk Lover means an investment that might experience 50% or more capital loss. Readers/investors can adjust their portfolios according to individual risk appetite and financial limits.

I am not a licensed investment adviser so I cannot legally advise readers on how to arrange their portfolios. But I can generally say that government bonds fall into the zero-capital loss category and bank shares are in the Risk Lover category. Property investment is also not a good investment choice as pricing of properties is based on the income potential. A slowing economy means less income for properties.

On the other hand, precious metals could be anti-economic cycle investment. Ask your investment adviser how gold performed during each economic crisis, namely, the great depression, the oil crisis, the Kobe crisis, the Tom Yum Kung crisis, and the Lehman Brothers crisis, then you decide.

Currency investment is always tricky, although it is my area of expertise. The golden rule is large economies withstand adjustments far better than smaller economies. But I advise people to avoid China, even though it is the world's second-largest economy, though I would need a separate article to explain why. Another key problem with investment in currencies is the technological change from paper currencies to digital ones. I have to discuss with knowledgeable people how digital currencies might affect the valuation of paper currencies.

Anyway, if anyone wishes to invest in digital currency, please make sure it is a US-backed digital currency. A Chinese/Japanese-based digital currency like bitcoin should be avoided. The US dominates the world economy with American dollars, and they intend to do it again with their own version of a digital currency. Should one hold cash? Cash is always king. The real question is in which currency. As I said before, big economies will fare much better than small economies during hard economic times. Therefore, capital will flow out from smaller economies to big economies. Thailand will certainly be no exception. It is estimated there is more than 1 trillion baht of foreign capital in Thai money and capital markets. If a large part of that flows out, the effect on the Thai currency will not be small.

Recommendations for life-style change? Three magic words: Save, Save, and Save. This is equivalent to saying keep yourself warm in winter. Furthermore, I also advise people to repay their debts as fast as they can. The outflow of capital from a small economy like Thailand will tighten domestic liquidity and inevitably raise interest rates. If one cannot afford to quickly pay back loans, it would be wise to replace floating rate loans with fixed-rate loans, and replace foreign loans with baht-denominated ones.

Despite the slowing world economy, there are bright spots for certain careers, particularly artificial intelligence based careers. Big data management will be in high demand. Businesses are collecting incredible amounts of customer data but few, actually none, know how to utilise it properly. I use Grab Food frequently. If I used their service yesterday, today I would get e-mails and text messages offering discounts on things I do not need. Why can they not analyse my food preference, budgetary usage, and ordering time to offer me things that I need? This is an example of inefficient use of big data.

It is not possible to summarise upcoming meteor-size economic challenges in one half-page column. I will continue to write as long as readers continue to read me. Of course, readers do not need to agree with my opinions. I am just happy that anybody bothers to read them.

Chartchai Parasuk

Freelance economist

Chartchai Parasuk, PhD, is a freelance economist.

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How to survive the economic winter - Bangkok Post

The Constitution allows a spoils system in the judiciary, as it empowers the president to nominate the head of such powerful bodies as the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court. This has always been a source of dispute over the political neutrality and independence of the judiciary.

The Moon Jae-in administration is no exception. Moons nominations of Kim Yi-su as the head of the Constitutional Court and Lee You-jung as a new justice of the top court are deadlocked at the National Assembly due to obstruction by opposition parties.

Then Moon chose Kim Meong-su, a liberal senior judge who now heads the district court in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, as the new chief justice. The nomination defied the expectations of many.

First of all, Kim overtook many of his seniors in the court. At 58, he is 11 years junior in age to outgoing Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae. There is a 13-year gap between their years of service. Nine of the current Supreme Court justices began their career before the nominee. No doubt, Moon sought a generational change in the top court.

If his nomination is confirmed by the National Assembly, Kim would break a 48-year-old tradition in which the chief justices post went to a former or incumbent justice of the Supreme Court. This certainly is in line with Moons efforts to break away from tradition and the old frame.

So the message is clear. Moon, who was elected with a pledge to reform each and every sector of Korean society, wants the nominee to overhaul the judiciary. To be fair, there is no reason to save the judiciary from reforms.

Generally, Koreans have a low level of confidence in the judiciary, as it has been embroiled in intermittent corruption scandals involving judges and judges-turned-lawyers, as well as political disputes. A recent poll found that only 27 percent of Koreans trust the judiciary, and an index on trust in judges put Korea at No. 39 among 42 nations that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Some recent controversies have also raised questions about the high-handed administration of the court. Yang, whose six-year term ends next month, had faced some judges demand to resign over the allegations that senior officials interfered with academic activities of a group of progressive judges and even blacklisted judges critical of the court administration and chief justice. In relation to this, a judge in Incheon is holding a hunger strike for more than 10 days.

All these recent developments should not be taken lightly and Kims nomination as the leader and the top administrator of the judiciary branch may well reawaken the nation to the need to reform the judiciary branch.

For all the need for reform, however, what should be guarded against is the possibility of the entire judicial branch of government being drawn too much to the left. Moons selection of Kim as chief justice should ring alarm bells in that regard.

Moon, who broke the consecutive rule of two conservative leaders, seems to have picked Kim mainly because of the judges progressive perspective. And it is easy to believe Moon and Kim will try to install as many progressives as possible in the Supreme Court, where 10 more justices will have been replaced by the time Moon steps down from office. Obviously, the top courts ideological balance, political neutrality and independence will be cast into doubt.

Article 103 of the Constitution stipulates that judges should follow the Constitution, law and regulations and their own conscience to declare judicial independence. Such independence is vital to protect the basic rights of citizens and ensure fairness, justice and rule of law in society.

The problem is past governments -- of the left and right alike -- have tried to interfere with the judicial independence in one way or another. The National Assembly should use Kims confirmation hearing to find out whether the nominee is committed to political neutrality and independence and how he will uphold duties imposed on the court by the Constitution.

Originally posted here:

[Editorial] Golden rule - The Korea Herald - The Korea Herald

Monterey >> As a new crew member of the Golden Rule Peace Boat and its educational crusade against nuclear weapons, Col. Ann Wright spent her first day aboard sailing out of Monterey Bay amidst a bevy of whales and dolphins.

Twenty miles south of Monterey, the retired United States Army Colonel and State Department official spotted a humpback whale 100 yards off the port side that was 60 feet long and breaching.

Wright, 71, joined fellow shipmate Helen Jaccard, who had begun the journey in the Pacific Northwest, and two other crewmates, Bullitt D. Bourbon and Wil Van Natta and spent the last three days in the Monterey Bay reaching out to anyone interested in the historic boat and its mission to preach the dangers of nuclear weapons and war.

The Golden Rule, a 30-foot ketch, was the first environmental action and peace vessel put to sea. In 1958, with a crew of four Quaker activists, it sailed from Los Angeles in an attempt to halt atmospheric nuclear weapon testing in the Western Pacific. While the boat never made it to its destination, with the crew members arrested in Hawaii, the voyage did ignite an international movement to stop the testing because of their determination to sail into a nuclear bomb test zone in the Marshall Islands.

In 2015, the historic boat was restored by the Veterans For Peace for a 10-year peace-making voyage across North America with the mission to promote a nuclear free world.

Im a great supporter of just a heroic effort to preserve a remarkable ship, said Wright.

Besides her outspoken views about the proliferation of nuclear weapons, Wright was one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in direct protest of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Theres the fear by us that some of our governments may use them for the destruction of the world, said Wright, noting the current frenzy surrounding nuclear weapons. So its a very opportune time for this boat to be on this educational voyage to alert people to their horrific danger.

Wright, who spent 29 years in the military and has been to North Korea on her own peace-making mission, noted the 122 countries that less than two months ago voted as part of a global treaty that nuclear weapons should be banned from the face of the earth. Participants did not include any of the worlds nine nuclear powers, including the United States.

For Wright, who also spoke at a gathering Monday night with about 30 people at the Monterey Peace and Justice Center, the sea life sightings on Tuesday were a bonus to what she described as a positive experience in Monterey. She currently lives in Hawaii.

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Monterey was a very generous port where the harbormaster encourages education boats to come in and we had a lot of visitors including international visitors, said Wright, noting the educational tours that were given on the Golden Rule.

We have to be concerned about the future of our world these nuclear weapons in particular still pose such a danger to us, said Wright. When nuclear nations decide theyre going to use them, theyre not just going to use one, but hundreds that will affect agriculture, food production, the atmosphere ...

Now, the boat is headed to Morro Bay and then Santa Barbara, Ventura, Long Beach and San Diego, where it is ending its current trip. The ship will stop at ports along the way.

Following the journey down to Southern California, Wright said the vessels next trip will be next year when it travels through the inland waterway of the Gulf Coast and then up the East Coast. Then the ship will likely travel through the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi.

Eventually, Wright said the crew plans to sail the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii and then up to the Marshall Islands where the United States tested nuclear weapons from 1946 to 1958 and where the Golden Rule attempted to sail in 1958.

Wright said the inhabitants there are still feeling the effects from those tests. She hopes the boats current mission can help prevent any future catastrophe.

It is something we need to acknowledge and face that these things are going to be the end of our earth and we as citizens have a responsibility to really hold our government accountable, said Wright. Theres a wonderful future for the Golden Rule as far as educating people about the danger of nuclear weapons.

Carly Mayberry can be reached at 831-726-4363.

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Golden Rule Peace Boat moors in Monterey on voyage against nuclear weapons - Monterey County Herald

Producers of the Trading Paint movie that stars John Travolta, Shania Twain and Tony Sebastian are scheduled to film a scene for the movie at a Hoover restaurant Friday, the owner of the restaurant said.

Nick Manakides, owner of the Golden Rule Bar-B-Q at 1571 Montgomery Highway, said the film crew for the movie is supposed to arrive about 7:30 or 8 a.m., followed by extras at 9:30 a.m. and actors at 10 a.m.

Theyre filming a scene in which a restaurant manager inappropriately touches the wife of a dirt track race car driver played by Sebastian, sparking a conflict, Manakides said.

Theres no word on what all cast members will be present for this scene, but about 80 cast and crew members are expected to be involved in filming the scene, Manakides said. About 16 of his employees are scheduled to be extras, he said.

He originally had hoped to play the restaurant manager until he learned what the scene was about and was told they needed someone with a different physique for the part, he said.

Manakides said theres only about two minutes of screen time scheduled for the shot and hes not sure how long filming will take.

He wasnt sure why they chose his restaurant, but the director of the movie, Karzan Kader, had been coming to eat there frequently for several weeks with the director of cinematography before they inquired about filming there.

Manakides said he thinks they didnt want a restaurant that looked too modern, and his restaurant looks exactly like it did when he opened in 1974. Another restaurant in Hueytown was considered, but his Golden Rule Bar-B-Q was smaller and more intimate than the restaurant in Hueytown, he said.

Manakides said the producers of the Woodlawn movie were supposed to shoot a scene at his restaurant when that movie was made but ended up going somewhere else because he was going to charge them a fee for shutting his restaurant down. This time, he decided to let the producers of Trading Paint have time at his restaurant for free, he said. Were doing it for the fun of it, he said.

The Trading Paint movie tells the story of how a veteran race car driver (Travolta) and his son, a fellow driver, (Sebastian), overcome family and professional conflicts and balance competition, ego, resentment and a racing nemesis to come out stronger on the other side, according to the International Movie Database website.

Much of the movie reportedly is being shot in the Birmingham area, particularly the Bessemer/Hueytown area, between mid-August and mid-September. The film is due out in theaters in June 2018, according to IMDB.

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Scene for 'Trading Paint' movie starring John Travolta, Shania Twain to be shot in Hoover Friday - Hoover Sun

Dive Brief:

The Marriott campaign is the latest indicator that brands are viewing video marketing as a category of its own with the goal to reach a variety of screens instead of thinking about video as either linear TV or digital. Marriott International has been a leader in innovative content marketing such as large-scale storytelling via its Two Bellmen branded short film series and tapping Snapchat for an unscripted original series.

By bringing together four Marriott brands under a single theme, this likely enables the company to put more resources against the effort than it could for any of these brands on an individual basis. Marriott recognizes that it needs a cross-screen approach and to deliver quality content to meet consumers high expectations these days. The challenge will be providing each brand with a strong enough personality on its own to drive bookings.

The Golden Rule campaign points to Marriott's willingness to take risks and try new approaches, an approach that has made it a leader in digital marketing.Starwood Preferred Guest, a hotel loyalty program run by Marriott, recently updated its smartphone application to provide mobile check-in at 22 U.S. hotels, the latest mobile check-in deployment by Marriott. The company was also an early adopter of iMessage apps.

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Marriott launches category marketing strategy with 'Golden Rule ... - Marketing Dive

Golden Rule recommended by Communities of Faith Victoria Advocate Most of us know the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The words may vary, but every major religion, culture and even those who identify as not being religious have a bottom line for how people are to treat one another.

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Golden Rule recommended by Communities of Faith - Victoria Advocate

PHOTO: Courtyard by Marriott is one of the four classic select brands featured in the campaign. (photo via Flickr/Mike Mozart)

Marriott International is taking a new approach to brand marketing.

Debuting the "Golden Rule" campaign Monday, Marriott's brand category approach focuses on the company's four "classic select" brands: Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Four Points by Sheraton and SpringHill Suites.

Together, the four chains comprise more than one-third of the properties in Marriott's 30-brand portfolio.

The Golden Rule campaign is the primetime television debut for all four brands outside of Courtyard's NFL ads, as well as the television debut of the Four Points and SpringHill Suites brands.

The multi-platform media plan will also see the brands advertised in cinema, in-flight and mobile entertainment. The campaign features a 60-second spot titled "Human" along with a trio of 30-second spots focusing on true stories of altruism involving real-life Marriott associates.

The spots will airon networks likeFOX, ABC and CBS during the campaign's first week.

Digital-only content highlighting real Marriott team members and guests from around the world will complement the ads, with a docu-series planned for later this fall.

READ MORE:Marriott Launches 'Hotel Countdown' Reality Series

"With these four brands comprising a third of Marriotts portfolio, we use our powerhouse status to celebrate human connections, whether its in Seattle or Singapore," Marriott's Vice President Global Brand Marketing, Paige Francis, said in a statement. "Beyond a campaign, this illustrates that the hospitality we deliver at these four brands can serve as a guiding principle of how all people should treat each other."

The campaign debuted in the U.S. but will expand internationally to Canada next month.

You can visit goldenrule.marriott.com to learn more about the campaign and view some of the spots.

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Marriott Debuts 'Golden Rule' Campaign - TravelPulse