I am using now() to populate database to store current date time as modify time

I am using now() to populate database to store current date time as modify timestamp in DB. But it's storing value in GMT. How can I get value stored in LoggedInUser's timezone. For Ex: on 7/27/2015 at 8:20 PM EST it was stored as "2015-07-28 00:23:50" instead of "2015-07-27 20:23:50".
Another question I have is when I am using today() to default date value in form, after 8 PM in EST it's defaulting to next date. How do I handle this, to default to today in loggedinuser's timezone.

OriginalPostID-158832

OriginalPostID-158832