Your Annuity is FREE

The Best Stream of Income for Retirement is FREE

Your FREE “Annuity”

Insurers take $ Billions from our annuity plans

Inflation cuts payment value in HALF

Guaranteed annuity income ends at death

Insurers never return our annuity assets

Avoid these possible loses: http://www.amazon.com/Your-FREE-Annuity-Stream-Lifestyle/dp/1497438616/

Wall Street upset with Obama’s sanctions on Putin’s Crimea grab; GOP upset too few

Goldman Sachs has made at least $1 billion in investments in Russian companies and won a three-year contract last year to advise the Kremlin on improving the nation's image overseas and to help the country attract more investors. Exxon Russia oil deal gives Putin stake in Texas Gulf oil fields. Morgan Stanley plans to sell its oil-sales unit to OAO Rosneft, run by Putin ally Igor Sechin. Citigroup Inc. has a more than 50-branch retail network on the ground.

Will Big Oil have its way with our government again?

Did your long-term care insurer NOT PAY your claim?

Sometimes you need legal help getting claims paid because insurers’ fine print. Your facility must have a specific license and the appropriate personnel and care. You must have hospitalization confinement first. Insurers deny payment for light housekeeping or errands a caregiver runs for the policyholder. You forgot to pay premium.

Consider alternatives before you commit: http://www.amazon.com/Long-term-Care-Insurance-Updated-2013/dp/148274001X

USAA and State Farm Earn Top Customer Experience Ratings for Insurers

USAA and State Farm deliver the best customer experience in the insurance industry, according to the 2014 Temkin Experience Ratings, an annual ranking of companies based on a study of 10,000 U.S. consumers. USAA has maintained its position as the top-rated insurer for the fourth year in a row, earning a 78% rating and rank of 29^th out of 268 companies across 19 industries. This is also State Farm's third straight year in second place. Buy only what you need and save $22,000 over time: http://www.amazon.com/Vehicle-Insurance-Beware-Double-Coverage/dp/1480027634/

2013 bad weather was our fault

Extreme weather events in 2013 can largely be traced to global warming caused by human actions, stated in the newest Status of the Climate Report from the United Nations. Hybrid car? 2007 Prius $12,500 100K mi.            

More Women Than Men Outliving Their Resources, Surviving In Poverty

"Women tend to live longer, to have not worked in jobs that provided them with enough pensions and/or pay as much, so they don't put as much into the Social Security system," an observer said. "So, they're living longer with fewer resources and that's a problem with a lot of the women we see. They have problems making ends meet."

Men generally have careers that take them through retirement, Martinsen, director of the Area Agency on Aging, said. In their own old age, then, "women often end up, having families living with them or having to access financial support from them, or from the government for medical or housing subsidies," Martinsen said. Prepare for your future: http://www.amazon.com/Financial-Future-Insurance-mutual-funds/dp/149355204X/

CR looks at your hospital for quality care

In 2011, 722,000 annual hospital-acquired infections alone killed 75,000 patients, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday. Combining the raw data yielded a safety score of 0 to 100. Miles Memorial Hospital in tiny Damariscotta, Maine, came out on top with a safety score of 78, while Bolivar Medical Center in Cleveland, Mississippi, brought up the rear with an 11. www.ConsumerReports.org,

Medicare.gov/hospitalcompare also rates hospitals.

Long-term care insurance use fluid tests, interviews

Insurers are becoming more comprehensive in their underwriting since claims are showing up at earlier ages. Women are now charged more than men. The blood and urine testing requirement is becoming universal. Some examples of conditions that encompass the highest potential risk of morbidity continue to be: Diabetes; Osteoporosis; Arthritis. Personal interviews may be required too. Consider alternatives: http://www.amazon.com/Long-term-Care-Insurance-Updated-2013/dp/148274001X/

SCAMS           Why are we still paying $700 Billion a year for WWII deployments?

We are paying for 164,253 of our active-duty armed personnel to be in 150 countries around the world. We have about 50,000 in Japan and 50,000 in Germany.

Are we preparing for WWII again? There are 1,208,083^[1] armed personnel in the United States. Our taxes pay for about HALF of the WORLD’s military expenditures every year.

We just can’t afford to pay for everyone else’s defenses anymore.

DoD head Hagel proposes budget cut but still pay for Lockheed F35 plane failures.

AXA annuity caught misleading clients

A New York regulator alleges that AXA limited the returns of legacy variable annuity clients. AXA contract changes may have lowered the value of certain guaranteed benefits that are eligible for periodic benefit base resets; clients are only eligible for a benefit base reset when his or her account value rises, according to the regulator. If the changes limited returns, clients would lose the benefit base reset.

Obama sticking with 2010 law against tax evasion—banks fighting since 2010

As a new U.S. anti-tax evasion law is poised to take effect on July 1, the Obama administration has rebuffed requests by banking groups to delay implementation. 

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) will require foreign banks, insurers and investment funds to send the IRS information about Americans' offshore accounts worth more than $50,000. Banks failing to comply could effectively be frozen out of U.S. capital markets.

We bailout banks and hedge funds AGAIN

IMF provided 18 BILLION to Ukraine. This amounts to a bail-out for Russian state banks and Western funds accused of propping up the previous regime and for vulture funds that bought Ukrainian debt cheaply for quick gain. Unlike Greece and Cyprus, debtors will receive 100% payback. Tim Ash, from Standard Bank, said: “Ukraine has been the ultimate moral hazard play and it’s cavalier to expect taxpayers to cover this.”

Taxpayers buy $1 million propaganda supporting NJ Christie

Lawyers hired by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey at public expense issued their findings Thursday on the traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge in September, apparently engineered as a bizarre form of political revenge. To no one’s surprise, Mr. Christie’s lawyers have found his hands to be clean. He was without fault, they declared. This glossy political absolution cost the taxpayers of New Jersey more than $1 million in legal fees. We can now add this expensive whitewash to the other evidence of trouble in Mr. Christie’s administration. The report implies that his direct report Bridget Anne Kelly was distraught over a broken affair at the time of the Bridgegate. It also implies that the Hoboken mayor could not have been rebuked by the Deputy Gov because she was smiling at party.

“Sometimes, people do inexplicably stupid things,” Christie tells Sawyer.

You’re right, Gov.

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ 07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

Alerts

Guaranteed income for life

Retirement Income Annuity: Guaranteed income for life

Never outlive your assets

Never give up control

Assets grow to fight inflation

Inflation-proof your income for the rest of your life without giving up control of your assets. Reduce income taxes. Create your financial future:

http://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Income-Annuity-Guaranteed-Life/dp/1497337313/

Uninsured did not hear about ObamaCare subsidies YET

One-third of uninsured Americans plan to remain uninsured despite the Affordable Care Act's requirement that they obtain health insurance or pay a fine, according to a new Bankrate.com report. The most common explanation (given by 41% of respondents who plan to stay uninsured) is that health insurance is too expensive. However, a whopping 70% of uninsured Americans do not know about the subsidies that reduce the cost of health insurance.

Seventeen percent of uninsured Americans who will continue to go without health insurance say the reason is that they oppose the Affordable Care Act.

13% say they do not need insurance because they are healthy.

54% of uninsured Americans with annual household incomes between $50,000 and $74,999 intend to stay uninsured.

AXA Equitable mislead annuity buyers

New York's Department of Financial Services said AXA Equitable Life will pay a $20 million fine under a consent order following changes in its annuities that regulators say were not adequately explained and affected thousands of New Yorkers. AXA changed some investments that limited potential returns without adequate notice. Consider alternatives before committing to non recourse annuities: http://www.amazon.com/Not-Buy-That-Annuity-Guaranteed/dp/1466494573

Long-term care insurance premiums rise

John Hancock has asked regulators to raise the prices on its LTC business. If approved, annual premiums on those policies will rise from the current range of $950 to $2,500, to a new range of $1,246 to $3,280. Many, if not all, long-term care insurance firms have asked states to approve rate hikes. Experts say companies are trying to make up for incorrect assumptions made when long-term care insurance policies were created and sold. Check alternatives before buying eternal price increases: http://www.amazon.com/Long-term-Care-Insurance-Updated-2013/dp/148274001X/

Maximize your SS benefits

There is a "huge gap between what most Americans think they know about Social Security and the actual rules governing the nation's primary retirement program," according to this InvestmentNews article. It is costing the typical retiree as much as $100,000 in lost benefits ($250,000 or more over the joint lifetimes of a couple).  http://www.amazon.com/Maximize-Social-Security-Benefits-Retirement/dp/1495439224/

Beware of what your broker has in your portfolio—MLP are hot BUT …

Risks Mount for Retirees In MLPs

Because they distribute income to investors, MLPs rely on borrowing and selling shares, or units, to grow. Wall Street banks love MLPs because they earn fees on those transactions, said Kevin Kaiser, an analyst at Stamford, Connecticut-based research company Hedgeye Risk Management LLC.

In the past year, bank fees for MLP deals totaled $890.3 million, led by Barclays Plc with $126.7 million, Citigroup Inc. with $96.7 million, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. with $78.2 million, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

“MLPs are Wall Street’s dream,” Kaiser said in a phone interview. “They’re fee machines.”

Kaiser Foundation and SelectHealth ranked highest overall, J.D. Power survey

Top health insurers were rated by users in the 2014 Member Health Plan Study. Kaiser ranked highest for the seventh straight year in many states. Compare your insurer.

http://www.jdpower.com/consumer-ratings/healthcare/index.htm

IRS says scammers call, demanding payment NOW

"If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and uses threatening language if you don't pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn't the IRS calling," spokesman George said in a statement. The callers may have your SS# and fake IRS badge numbers, in addition to manipulating caller IDs, to appear more legitimate, officials say. Some also follow up with false IRS emails and with phone calls in which they pretend to represent the police or motor vehicles officials, TIGTA said.

The IRS generally contacts taxpayers first by mail or with personal visits from field agents, and it does not accept credit card information by phone, officials said.

SCAMS           Why are we still paying $700 Billion a year for WWII deployments?

We are paying for 164,253 of our active-duty armed personnel to be in 150 countries around the world. We have about 50,000 in Japan and 50,000 in Germany.

Are we preparing for WWII again? There are 1,208,083^[1] armed personnel in the United States. Our taxes pay for about HALF of the WORLD’s military expenditures every year.

We just can’t afford to pay for everyone else.

DoD head Hagel proposes budget cut but still pay for F35 plane failures.

Cheney cut 25% of DoD budget starting in 1990 as ‘peace’ dividend. Again?

G.M. chief executive, Mary T. Barra, has called an “unvarnished” investigation into why the company failed for more than a decade to alert regulators and consumers to the Cobalt defect that caused the death of 12 people. 

GM knew 2005 Cobalt ignition problem in 2004

1^st victim, Amber Rose’s death was apparently the first related to the defect, General Motors knew it had a problem in 2004 soon after the Cobalt replaced the Cavalier. GM made sealed settlement with family so no publicity. There was “at least one incident” in 2004 in which the engine was shut off after the driver “inadvertently contacted the key or steering column,” according to the chronology. 12 have died since. A G.M. engineer proposed redesigning the key head in 2005 but the proposal is ultimately rejected. Lori Queen was in charge of G.M.’s small cars at the time but says she doesn’t remember. Regulators ignore complaints in 2007. Ms. Barra, you don't need an investigation to know why GM never told us: MONEY

Same reason why GM seals the "pay for silence" money settlements to victims. 

Same reason corporations call us "consumers." 

Corporations are amoral and irresponsible. They never have to admit wrong doing. They never go to jail. They just pay a fine—a cost of doing business—and continue to do what they did. Regulators as well as courts don’t punish non-persons, as corps are called, with jail time. If you have ever been the recipient of their work, you know first hand that they don’t care about what they do and there is very little you can do and no one is going to punish them in any meaningful way. 

Did any corporate elite go to jail for the bank mortgage mess that nearly ended Western Civilization?

Insurer caught shorting Katrina victim using lies to win—no jail time

A federal judge has ordered State Farm Fire to pay $750,000 in damages, plus $2.9 million in attorney's fees and expenses, for defrauding the U.S. government on a Hurricane Katrina homeowner's insurance claim. Independent adjusters, the Rigsby sisters, who filed their lawsuit in April 2006, allege the insurance company minimized its losses for wind damage by blaming Katrina's storm surge, covered under the federal government's National Flood Insurance Program. Insurance companies adjust their own wind claims, and NFIP pays them to adjust flood claims.

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ 07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

Alerts

Wall Street advice wrong again

Wall Street retail investor advisors wrong again

Bob Seawright says “Morgan Housel recently dug through FactSet data on companies with the most buy and sell recommendations from Wall Street firms as of January 2013. He discovered that the companies with themost sell ratings that month outperformed the market by a median 25 percentage points, while those with the most buy ratings underperformed by more than seven percentage points.” They got it wrong!

Seawright shows that Wall Street analysts routinely forecast how the S&P 500 Index will perform. He listed the Wall Street forecasts from firms for 2013 with the percentage by which they missed the mark on a price basis. Summary: They missed by a lot.

Wall Street is just bad at knowing the future—don’t waste your money on advice, go with Warren Buffett’s strategy: http://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffetts-Investment-Strategy-Forget/dp/1484822900/

Tax credits reduce your tax dollar for dollar

Tax credits help reduce the taxes you owe. Some credits are also refundable. That means that, even if you owe no tax, you may still get a refund: EITC, Child care, Child, Savers, and Education. Credits are worth up to $2,000. Use the IRS free software programs to prepare and file. Quicker refunds. http://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File%3A-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free

Don’t forget the $2,000 credit for investing in retirement. Use your refund for $1 million.

http://www.amazon.com/Tax-Refund-Millionaires-Let-Uncle-Help/dp/149595644X

Should you itemize tax deductions?

Yes. Usually if you use a software tax prep it will do both so you max your refund. Definitely itemize if you have these things:

• Home mortgage interest
• State and local income taxes or sales taxes (but not both)
• Real estate and personal property taxes
• Gifts to charities
• Casualty or theft losses
• Unreimbursed medical expenses
• Unreimbursed employee business expenses

Obama budget limits SS benefit claiming strategies of the wealthy

Obama wants to prevent duplicative or excessive benefit payments through the disability insurance program and Social Security. “In addition, the budget proposes to eliminate aggressive Social Security-claiming strategies, which allow upper-income beneficiaries to manipulate the timing of collection of Social Security benefits in order to maximize delayed retirement credits,” the budget reads. Get your fair share now:http://www.amazon.com/Maximize-Social-Security-Benefits-Retirement/dp/1495439224

Retirees’ income gaps wider than workers—25% live near poverty.

Median net worth $170,000 is closer to average worker’s than average net worth $655,000. A few wealthy people exaggerate the real situation. Many retirees live in poverty: 11% of women and 7% of men.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/numbers-behind-retirement-income-gap-100000563.html

Lying to our car insurer is common but with consequences

A third of drivers lie to their car insurance companies, most often about how much they drive or where they live, a new survey from CarInsurance.com finds. Common lies: Annual mileage: 36.3 percent, Where car is parked: 32.4 percent, Names of drivers with access to vehicle: 25.1 percent, History of tickets or accidents: 20.5 percent, Gaps in insurance coverage: 19.2 percent, School grades, or teen driver’s grades: 18.9 percent, Anti-theft devices on the car: 17.4 percent, Primary type of use (such as business, school or work): 17.3 percent, Education level: 16.9 percent, Marital status: 16.9 percent, How long they’d been licensed: 15.8 percent, Major modifications to their car: 15.7 percent, Refresher or defensive driving courses: 14.4 percent. Men admitted lying 42 percent vs. women 27 percent. Drivers under age 30 were three times more likely to submit bad information than drivers over 50.

Obviously changing the zip code where you park can lower your rates. Can it hurt you?

Yes. The survey asked them about the consequences: Claim was denied: 33.5 percent, Premiums went up: 31.5 percent, Coverage was canceled: 25.4 percent, Sued for fraud: 7.6 percent, Nothing happened: 2.0 percent.

Moral of the survey: If you know you won’t have claim, you’re OK. Otherwise shop for rate, drop unnecessaries, discounts: http://www.amazon.com/Vehicle-Insurance-Beware-Double-Coverage/dp/1480027634

GOP gives subsidies to wealthy shore properties

GOP House passed legislation to curb some of the premium increases in the nation's flood insurance program and provide retroactive refunds for people who have had large flood insurance rate increases. If you live in a beachfront home, you may not have to pay more for insurance. The rest of us have had rate increases of up to 100% to pay for the losses. One NJ homeowner saw premiums jump from $674 in 2012 to $1,190 in 2014. This home is not near the shore nor has a claim in 20 years. Time to shop:  http://www.amazon.com/Homeowners-Insurance-Beware-Coverage-Policy/dp/1480100870

Employer health plans fall

The percentage of Americans who currently obtain health insurance coverage through their employers continues to drop, indicating an ongoing trend among benefit plan sponsors and HR decision-makers to shift costs to public and private exchanges. Four of five U.S. companies have raised deductibles or are considering doing so as health costs increase, according to a survey of more than 700 employers.

We have more time to obtain ObamaCare policies

The government changed its regulation of Obamacare to give consumers and states more flexibility to decide on their health plans, insurers more time to sign up customers and taxpayers a chance to avoid more costs. President Obama's health-care law is becoming more entrenched, with 64% of Americans now supporting it outright or backing small changes, according to a Bloomberg National Poll.

Buy only what you need: http://www.amazon.com/Health-Insurance-ONLY-right-policy/dp/1480125083

NM Med Ins Pool raising rates

Health insurance pool of New Mexico has covered the uninsurable for over 30 years. Now it is informing its 8,300 customers they face a 23.8 percent premium increase July 1. ObamaCare requires that insurers can’t refuse to insure the sick so premiums rise to pay for all illnesses. 

Tax Favored Health Plans

If you have a health flexible spending arrangement (FSA) at work, money you put into it normally reduces your taxable income.

If you have a health savings account (HSA) at work, money your employer puts into it for you, within limits, is not taxable.

Money you put into an HSA usually counts as a deduction and can lower your taxes.

Money you take from an HSA to use for qualified medical expenses is not taxable income; however, withdrawals for other purposes are taxable and can even be subject to an additional tax.

If you have a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) at work, money you receive from it is generally not taxable.

MORE: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Affordable-Care-Act-Tax-Provisions-Home

Employers dump health care benefits

The percentage of Americans who currently obtain health insurance coverage through their employers continues to drop, indicating an ongoing trend among benefit plan sponsors and HR decision-makers to shift costs to public and private exchanges.

Do as I say NOT as I do (or I’ll shoot you)

Florida man accused of shooting movie-goer for texting sent text himself moments before he shot man dead. In Florida, it’s called “self-defense.”

In other states, it’s called “murder!”

Buffett’s advice when buying real estate

Buy at price that almost assures gain over the long haul. No “flipping” for quick buck.

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2014/02/24/warren-buffett-berkshire-letter/

SCAMS           Why are we still paying $700 Billion a year for WWII deployments?

We are paying for 164,253 of our active-duty armed personnel to be in 150 countries around the world. We have about 50,000 in Japan and 50,000 in Germany.

Are we preparing for WWII again? There are 1,208,083^[1] armed personnel in the United States. Our taxes pay for about HALF of the WORLD’s military expenditures every year.

We just can’t afford to pay for everyone else.

DoD head Hagel proposes budget cut but still pay for F35 plane failures.

Cheney cut 25% of DoD budget starting in 1990 as ‘peace’ dividend.

GOP favors nuclear option for Kiev crisis

Sarah Palin offered unsolicited advice Saturday to President Barack Obama on containing Russian aggression, saying "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke."

Just think, she could have become the President of the United States!?

GM knew 2005 Cobalt ignition problem in 2004

1^st victim, Amber Rose’s death was apparently the first related to the defect, General Motors knew it had a problem in 2004 soon after the Cobalt replaced the Cavalier. GM made sealed settlement with family so no publicity. There was “at least one incident” in 2004 in which the engine was shut off after the driver “inadvertently contacted the key or steering column,” according to the chronology. 12 have died since. A G.M. engineer proposed redesigning the key head in 2005 but the proposal is ultimately rejected. Lori Queen was in charge of G.M.’s small cars at the time but says she doesn’t remember. Regulators ignore complaints in 2007.

You just never know.

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ 07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

Alerts available at http://dankeppel.blogspot.com/

Buffett's Vanguard retirement income funds

Warren Buffett’s Vanguard Funds for retirement income

+World's greatest investor's retirement advice

+Retirement income for life from 2 Vanguard funds 

+Avoid "high-fee managers" 

       Warren Buffett's will provides for his family by directing that his cash assets be invested in just two Vanguard funds. Former securities firm head, Ian Sender, explains Buffett’s advice:

http://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffetts-Vanguard-Funds-Retirement/dp/1496148592/

Let them die—the shocking GOP plan for constituents

Because Republicans in half the states have blocked the expansion of Medicaid, funds to public hospitals with large uninsured populations have been slashed. So far, at least five public hospitals have been closed this year and 5,000 hospital employees have been laid off nationwide. The closures are expected to worsen in the coming years. In Georgia, as many as 15 more rural hospitals may close "within months" and in Tennessee, which is putting off a decision on expanding Medicaid, almost half of the 61 rural hospitals in the state might face "major cuts or closure." This is a direct — and disastrous — consequence of Republicans' ideological opposition to Obamacare.

There was really no downside to extending Medicaid to cover individuals who earn up to 133% of the federal poverty level. The federal government is covering 100% of the cost of Medicaid for the next two years and 90% afterward. Columnist Josh Barro has pointed out the bind: "(W)hen Republican state officials decline to participate, they will have to explain to both medical providers and potential Medicaid beneficiaries that they turned down free federal money just to spite the President." And yet the 25 states that have indeed refused Medicaid expansion will soon find they're not just spiting the President but also their own citizens. Governor Nathan Deal (R) of Georgia thinks Reagan’s emergency treatment law is an onerous law which is costing too much money and wants Congress to repeal it and just let those poor people die. Reagan’s Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1986 requires that a hospital treat anyone in an emergency, regardless of insurance.

Is it Reagan’s “socialized medicine” or just humanity? America becomes 3^rd world nation—the very rich rulers and the very poor—Two Americas.

GOP hates it but ObamaCare works

Through the end of February, Kentucky’s health insurance marketplace, Kynect, has enrolled over 265,000 people in healthcare coverage since open enrollment started in October. In the month of February alone, 70,000 people signed up for a new healthcare plan. This has to be disappointing news for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who is running for reelection in November and is using the ACA as a major campaign issue.

ObamaCare subsidies vary

Some of the biggest federal subsidies will be required in portions of Colorado, Georgia and Nevada, where premiums are highest, according to a Digital First Media analysis of premiums and tax credits across 50 states, plus the District of Columbia.

Far fewer tax credits will be needed in places as Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and Tucson where insurance premiums already were among the lowest in the nation.

"Because there is so much geographic variation in cost, the government does have to pitch in a larger portion of premium in higher-cost areas to make coverage affordable," said Cynthia Cox, a researcher at the California-based Kaiser Family Foundation, who also has developed a national database on premiums and tax credits. Buy only what you need: http://www.amazon.com/Health-Insurance-ONLY-right-policy/dp/1480125083

How can Costco survive paying workers $21 an hour?

US corporations and our “elected representatives” say that corps can’t make a profit without $7.25 wage rates. Yet Costco has done it from the beginning. So paying non-living wages must be a choice not a necessity. And Costco makes it work in 187 locations around the world. The CEO is not greedy, taking only 48 times the average workers’ pay compared with over 700 times the pay at Wal-Mart and Target. 

Henry Ford was right—pay workers so they can buy your stuff!

Buffett says America’s best days ahead

Warren Buffett, top investor, told his shareholders that he has “always considered a 'bet' on ever-rising U.S.prosperity to be a very close to a sure thing." "America's best days lie ahead." Buffett’s firm owns 80 businesses, from retail to railroads, insurance to ice cream. Invest like the best:http://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffetts-Investment-Secret-Steeple/dp/1484189809/

Amica Mutual, Erie and Nationwide ranked highest in homeowner claims satisfaction, according to J.D. Power. USAA is best but only for military. Buy only what you need and save every year:http://www.amazon.com/Homeowners-Insurance-Beware-Coverage-Policy/dp/1480100870/

Long-term Care Insurance for home assistance may be overpaying

A study of LTCi claims shows that most (59%) pay for help living at home. Assisted living facilities are the least common care setting, though, with only 14% of all long term care claims put towards care at these types of facilities. Most claims pay for part-time worker assistance with basic daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, and getting around for short periods. Typical events are recovery from a broken bone at home. Consider all the alternatives: http://www.amazon.com/Long-term-Care-Insurance-Updated-2013/dp/148274001X

Credit Unions still offer free checking plus

Bankrate's 2014 Credit Union Checking Survey found that 72 percent of the nation's 50 largest credit unions offer a free checking account, meaning the account charges no monthly service fees or point-of-sale transaction fees regardless of the balance. As commercial banks take higher fees, CUs offer no tricks, no hidden fees, just plain service. http://www.ncua.gov/NCUAMapping/Pages/NCUAGOVMapping.aspx

Women at risk for retirement income

A new study outlines some of the underlying reasons why women are at greater risk than men of not achieving a secure retirement. Forty-five percent of women work part-time so are less likely to have workplace retirement benefits. Seventy-five percent of women who are offered an employee-funded plan participate in the plan. Fifty-five percent of women are saving for retirement outside of work in an IRA, mutual fund, bank account, etc. Only 35 percent of women use a professional financial advisor. Leah’s money book:http://www.amazon.com/Ensure-Your-Financial-Health-Wealth/dp/1466388293/

Obama to cut hedge fund manager tax subsidy

His 2015 budget includes tax cuts for the poor and cuts to subsidies for the rich. Hedge fund managers are allowed to call their paychecks a capital gain and so pay less than we do. Under current law, carried interest, or the profits share received by private equity managers, gets treated as capital gains, with a top basic rate of 20 percent as opposed to the ordinary income rate of 39.6 percent. Obama wants this change to pay for the $60 Billion in worker tax cuts. 185 people pay more for 85 million to spend more.

Will Congress ignore the money from lobbyist and help working people?

ObamaCare exchanges allow us to buy only what we need

Consumers shopping on the Obamacare exchanges are thriftier than the general public, with more picking health plans based on price rather than their choice of doctors, a study found. While the general public prefers more expensive plans that cover a broader range of doctors and hospitals, 54 percent of those who are uninsured or who buy their own coverage select plans that cost less, even if they have less say in providers, the Kaiser Family Foundation found in a poll released today. Only 35 percent of that group would pick a more expensive, broad-network plan. About 70 percent of plans on the public exchanges are “narrow” or “ultra-narrow” plans, according to a December study by consulting firm McKinsey & Co. The study also found that incumbent companies were offering three times as many narrow plans as they did prior to Obamacare. The narrow plans have also caught the attention of small employers and will soon become a staple of the industry outside of the public exchanges, Mendelson said.

Supremes want to limit our right to sue firms for fraud

A majority of justices are expected to side with companies that want to reduce their exposure to class action claims, but a 1988 precedent stands in the way. A pro-business Supreme Court takes direct aim at one of its landmark precedents Wednesday in a case that could make it more difficult for investors to prove securities fraud.

At least four conservative justices have made clear their desire to modify or overturn a 1988 decision that permitted class-action lawsuits based on investors' belief in market prices that were skewed by misrepresentations or omissions.

So GOP wants to cut regulations AND keep us from our “day in court.”

We have no redress if companies destroy lives and property.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2014/03/04/supreme-court-securities-fraud-halliburton/6017115/

401k plans with high-fees rob workers of their retirement

For a young worker, the fees charged in excess of an index fund entirely consume the tax benefit of investing in a 401(k) plan, according to a new study. We also document a wide-array of “dominated” menu fund options where the costs of fees so outweigh the benefits of additional diversification that rational investors would not invest in these assets. Dominated funds earn less than their low-cost menu alternatives by more than .60%. Move your assets to low-cost funds and earn over 50% more by retirement. http://www.amazon.com/Tune-your-401k-EARN-Tax-FREE/dp/1490591028

SCAMS           Why are we still paying $700 Billion a year for WWII deployments?

We are paying for 164,253 of our active-duty armed personnel to be in 150 countries around the world. We have about 50,000 in Japan and 50,000 in Germany.

Are we preparing for WWII again? There are 1,208,083^[1] armed personnel in the United States. Our taxes pay for about HALF of the WORLD’s military expenditures every year.

We just can’t afford to pay for everyone else.

DoD head Hagel proposes budget cut but still pay for F35 plane failures.

Cheney cut 25% of DoD budget starting in 1990 as ‘peace’ dividend.

Spies claim they are just “reading” the faces

US senators said British and US spy agencies showed a "breathtaking lack of respect" for privacy after reports they had intercepted and stored images from webcams used by millions of Yahoo users. The Optic Nerve program collected still images of webcam chats regardless of whether individual users were suspects or not. Webcam imagery, contained a significant amount of sexual content from more than 1.8 million Yahoo user accounts around the world.
 

UK papers report CIA hacking Senate committee computers

Now we have the ultimate sign of the end of American democracy: government spying on own oversight committee of duly elected representatives.

Wow—the conspiracy theorists are right—spies everywhere but on our enemies.http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/05/cia_senate_watchdog_spying_row/

Colleges where students are packing heat

GOP backed gun-toting students now put teachers in awkward position: how to outdraw a younger upset gunslinger. Where is Wyatt Earp when we need him?

IAN

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