  The stability of the Standard Model is determined by the true minimum of the
effective Higgs potential. We show that the potential at its minimum when
computed by the traditional method is strongly dependent on the gauge
parameter. It moreover depends on the scale where the potential is calculated.
We provide a consistent method for determining absolute stability independent
of both gauge and calculation scale, order by order in perturbation theory.
This leads to a revised stability bounds mH > (129.4 \pm 2.3) GeV and mt <
(171.2 \pm 0.3)GeV. We also show how to evaluate the effect of new physics on
the stability bound without resorting to unphysical field values.
