“I wish I had learned more about financials”

 

Survey: “I wish I had learned more about financials”

Many respondents wish they had taken the time to learn more about financial products. We are all very busy and don’t get a chance to learn more about making and keeping money. And yet, for many, the amount of money we have later makes a big difference in our lives. I was lucky. After working a few different jobs, including managing a small health bureau in NYC government, I managed a small operation in a Wall Street firm. I had a crash course in annuities, mutual funds, and insurance. I learned about the products brokers and advisors sell to the public. The most important lesson I learned was which products to buy and which to avoid. I have put that information into short reads that most folks can follow and succeed with. Unless you are wealthy and need special tax advice, I found that the simple products are best. You can understand them and pay much less than those products and services with all the fees, commissions and charges my industry uses to get rich. Pay less; keep more.

Take your discounts: https://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Guides-Discount-Financial-Services/dp/143480593X

 

Is Impact Investing right for you?

Social and environmental focus while you grow your portfolio sounds good. But most companies you may support are not pure plays. For example, Ben and Jerry’s was famous for its social and environmental concerns but it is owned by Unilever of UK which has a questionable environmental history. Labels such as socially responsible investing and impact investing are often used synonymously, alongside other terms like ethical investing and sustainable investing. They usually refer to a similar idea: Using your investing dollars to make a positive difference in the world. But my idea of “positive difference” and your idea can be different. For instance, some investors with particular religious ideas may invest in companies like Hobby Lobby since they have a strong religious mission. One of those missions is Museum of the Bible, a non-profit run by the Green family. Internal staff had warned that some items bought by the Museum had dubious provenance and were potentially looted from Iraq. Several shipments of the artifacts were seized by US customs agents in 2011, triggering a years-long struggle between Hobby Lobby and the federal government that culminated in a 2017 civil forfeiture. As a result of the case, Hobby Lobby agreed to return the artifacts and pay a fine. 3,800 items seized from Hobby Lobby were returned to Iraq in May 2018. In March 2020 the Hobby Lobby president agreed to return 11,500 items to Egypt and Iraq. It may be better to “invest” in your local charity (tax deduction improves your return) and leave your portfolio with “passive” investment guides.

Dream and plan: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Robo-Advisor-Ultimate-Automatic-Management/dp/1537111957

 

Is a SPAC right for you?

This type of investment is in the news because Trump is using a Special Purpose Acquisition Company to raise funds for his promised media firm “Truth Social.” A SPAC is like a reverse IPO—managers raise funds from investors to speculate on some project in the future depending on the amounts they raise. A special purpose acquisition company, Digital World Acquisition Corp, had two hedge fund investments until it announced it was helping Trump, who was impeached after being accused of inciting the Jan. 6 attempted coup. At the announcement of the SPAC with Trump’s venture, its share price zoomed higher. SPACs, also known as blank-check companies, are created to raise capital from public equity markets and then use that cash to merge with a private company that has or will have an actual operating business. Thus the two hedge funds probably profited from the news by selling ahead of the actually work with Trump. As usual, most of us were not able to buy and sell at the right time to make a profit without prior information about this event. We are better off taking Buffett’s advice.

Follow Buffett’s advice: https://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffetts-Vanguard-Funds-Retirement/dp/1496148592

 

Is a 401k loan a good deal?

Yes, but. 401k money is your money. It may seem like a no-brainer to borrow your own money in a pinch. However, this loan is probably the most expensive loan you will ever take. When you take money from your future nest egg, you are taking giving up one of the most valuable things you own. You can replace the money you take but NOT the time your money is using to grow. Example: $10,000 missing from stock market growth for 30 years can cost you $198,373. That is how much more you would have if you left the $10,000 in a market index fund earning the average 10% per year. Your $10,000 earns dividends and earnings on reinvested dividends. Sure you could tell yourself you will pay the $10,000 back in a year, but few borrowers actually do. Many plans require repayment within 5 years. If you fail to repay there is a penalty plus income taxes. If your employment ends with a loan outstanding, you may have an immediate repayment demand. However, with the pandemic job upheaval, taking the loan was seen a necessary and that loan may never get repaid. Many will just start over when they are employed again. The loss of the time in the market can never be made up.

You may have to work longer. https://www.amazon.com/Your-Plan-Live-Age-100/dp/1548180793

 

Is your 401k robbing you blind?

If you have been able to continue to contribute to your employer savings plan during this critical time, congratulations. If you have been able to contribute more than the plan’s default savings rate, Double Congratulations. During this bull market, many have been lucky to double their plan balance. A simple low-cost index mutual fund has risen over 16% a year in the last 5-10 years. Others have not done as well because they used the default investment option of their employer. Usually the other options come with higher expense ratios, and thus have not benefited employees as much. Some firms have been sued because the employer options have been poor or compromised. Of course, employees can contribute more in order to gain a higher employer matching amount. However, the low-cost investment option usually provides a higher retirement balance than a higher contribution amount. The BEST strategy would be to pay the least fund and plan fees with the highest employer match. This combo—least cost; maximum contribution; highest match—helps you reach your retirement number faster.

Avoid high fees: https://www.amazon.com/Robbing-You-Blind-401k-fees/dp/1493588966

 

How you can hurt your credit score and report

Car rental: If you use a debit card, a rental company may check your credit history. Confirm the reservation with your credit card to avoid the unnecessary credit inquiry. Then, settle the final bill with your debit card upon returning the vehicle. Cutting credit card: If you close a credit account, you may raise your credit utilization ratio—percentage of your total being used—which is bad for you. If you use $5,000 of your total credit of 15,000 and then cut one of your other $5,000 cards, your ratio is now 50% not 33%. 30% is better. Missed payment: if you miss a rent or car payment, your delinquency may be reported to the credit bureaus. Disputed bill: if you are not happy with a bill, the vendor can ding your credit for failure to pay on time. Breach a contract: refusing to pay a membership you don’t want gives the company reason to hurt your credit. Unexpected bill: you need to negotiate a payment plan instead of ignoring valid assessments. Apply too many times: each loan or card application is a red flag to creditors. Just because you can apply does not mean you should. Each car dealer will check your credit if you are shopping so shop online first. Use credit wisely so you always have it for emergencies.

https://www.amazon.com/Money-Scams-financial/dp/1505437962

 

Why do we need to subsidize the billionaires?

Walmart family members have billionaire legacies from the founder, Sam. And yet, we US taxpayers must subsidize them to earn more. Why? For many years, we have had to provide food stamps (SNAP) and other financial help (Medicaid) to their employees to give them a living wage. Walmart employees receive $ billions in US food subsidies. About 70% of the 21 million federal aid beneficiaries worked full time, a GAO report found. This means the Walton billionaires would have earned less if they paid a wage high enough so we taxpayers did not need to make up the difference. McDonald’s was among the top five employers of Medicaid enrollees in five of six states and SNAP recipients in eight of nine states. Other notable companies with a large number of employees on federal aid include Amazon, Kroger, Dollar General, and other service and retail giants. Many employees are paid about $10 per hour or $400 a week BEFORE taxes. The federal poverty level is $26,500 so many employees of the billionaire companies qualify for US subsidies. Many employers pay NO taxes to cover this federal aid. Many wealthy people have already reduced their tax bill with tricks. We subsidize the rich since they profit from paying less than a living wage to most of their employees.

Socialism, American style: https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Socialism-Rich-little-people/dp/1535218584

 

 

**********ACCOUNTABILITY**************

 

 

Like 1776, this period is a test of democracy—We rejected an "American fascist" once

 

Our Jan 6 ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’

 

 

Extremists: “FBI Instigation of January 6th”

 

Bannon to Congress: F…You

 

Trump to Congress: F…You

 

Frmr military & police plan gov overthrow

 

TX attorney general: Biden overthrew Trump government:

 

Congress fails on voter rights

 

 

How Govt wastes our money:

One coal Congressman sends us into climate disaster: last chance before GOP deniers

VA GOP promises to keep kids from reading books the GOP doesn’t like: Trumpists win

One millionaire decides no wealth taxes: Biden plan to rebuild US collapse: Fair share?

 

Military spending increase after Afghanistan: $46 Billion wasted on broken systems

Wasted tax dollars: 4 agencies paid to do ‘intelligence’ failed in Afghanistan exit

Congress allows wealthy to avoid IRS tracking large transfers to avoid taxes

 

Congress allows drug prices to escalate even more: Our reps profit from the increases

 

SCAMS/SPINS:

Save the children: Delta “plus” variant more transmissible: Stop deaths at 750,000

Children lower risk of serious illness from COVID, but they are likely to spread it. 

COVID 19 is the sixth leading cause of death among 5-11-year-olds.

 

Judge: SW pilots must get vax so airline can make ‘safe work environment” per contract

BEWARE gov workers/police: they ignore vax mandate: we assume they have Covid

NYC police die from Covid still resist vax: 60 so far: NYPD workers dead

72% of unvaccinated workers vow to quit if ordered to get vaccinated

 

 

Kyle’s judge already decided case: victims must be called ‘rioters’ ‘looters’

TX man kills man parked in his driveway: claims ‘self-defense’ as car flees.

 

Fake messages to raise hate: prices, guns, Covid vax,

Fake Covid vaccination certificate purchased so folks can travel: BEWARE 

 

Steven Gallagher OH caught $1 million pump and dump "old-school boiler" fraud

Trustmark National Bank TN caught redlining loans Black and Hispanic neighborhoods

Ann Vick CO caught stole $3.2 million Ponzi scheme promissory notes option tradeing.

 

Hospitals caught overcharging routine procedure by label ‘emergency’ $16,221.26 birth

Fast food may contain plastic: health problems for old and young, reproduction etc

Employers caught winning all mandatory arbitration employee customer grievances

 

Flooding Earth's orbit with thousands of new satellites makes your next ride dangerous

 

HATE maker: Trump warned on social media that looters in Minneapolis would be shot.

Weapons were found in the cars of Jan 6 terrorists: Trump asked them to stop Congress

 

Jobs

Scams on employment opportunities: 16,000 folks claim fraud

Record number of jobs abandoned: business earnings skyrocket

Employers calling back workers they pushed out just a year ago: work for peanuts?

 

Who owns your account now?

Medicare Advantage: JD Power survey best plans

Post office: cash paychecks gift card: Washington, Baltimore, Falls Church, the Bronx

 

Miracles:

Coal burn or Car idling?: CO2 levels in the atmosphere reach a 3 million-year high

Drought-stricken California lashed by heavy rains, flooding and mudslides

Vaccine for breast cancer: trials begin for worst cancer type

 

We can apply for Medicare online: https://blog.ssa.gov/apply-for-medicare-online

We can apply for Social Security online: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/

We can apply for health care online: https://www.healthcare.gov/

 

Wisdom comes only thru suffering Aeschylus

 

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ   07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

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

 

How much of your credit limit should you use?

 

How much of your credit limit should you use?

Why is this question important to answer? Your credit score, which is used for everything from loans to rental agreements to job offers, is determined in part by your credit utilization—how much of your card limit you are using. Maxing out a credit card—having a balance equal to the card's borrowing limit—has a negative impact on your score. Folks with the highest credit scores often have (and use) multiple credit cards every month. So how much usage is too much? Most of us that pay all of our balance each month tend to have the highest scores. When I shop for a used car, I give the dealer permission to check my score. I know it is over 800 because I have been given a high limit but I don’t use it. When I bought a fridge recently, I paid with my credit card (to protect me if it didn’t work) and earned points. I had saved up before hand so I could pay off the monthly bill when it came due. Most credit bureaus do not cut your score if your ratio is under 30%. For instance, total cards limit $5,000, balance carried $1,500, ratio = 30%. People with the best scores tend to keep utilization under 10% for each card and for total credit card use, according to Experian.

Get the best deals: https://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Guides-Discount-Financial-Services/dp/143480593X

 

Is a South Dakota tax haven right for you?

South Dakota has become one of the most popular tax havens in the world. South Dakota offers everything a wealthy person setting up a trust could want. There is no state income tax or capital gains tax, so investment gains on assets placed in the trust are tax-free if it's structured correctly. Robust protections provide anonymity and shield assets from creditors and governments. And special provisions allow trusts established there to last forever, which means those assets would never be subject to the federal estate tax (40% for estates worth more than $11.7 million). However, the popular types of trusts used in South Dakota and Nevada have never been tested in a court of law. That means it's unclear if it would last. This trust, known as an incomplete gift non-grantor trust, or ING, could be challenged because the user is actually lying. They say they are hands off but they also claim they still have some control over the assets because the gift to the trust is ‘incomplete’. They claim they aren't tapping the annual $15,000 limit for gifts or the $11.7 million lifetime exemption before the federal gift tax starts to kick in. They claim a special ‘committee’ has to approve any payouts made to the creator of the trust.

Use the IRS approved tax haven: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Tax-Haven-Tax-FREE-working-Americans/dp/1482659441

 

How much tax will you owe for this year in April 2022?

With all the changes in income this year—unemployment, new job, child tax credit—etc, you may owe taxes that you have not had your employer withhold by December. So this calculator may help you understand where you stand: https://www.cvnb.com/calculator/tax-margin. Usually there is no penalty for under paying by December if you owe less than $1,000. If you will owe more, send in more by changing your W-4 with your employer or using this form: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040es.pdf. You can wait to complete your taxes before April 15 and ask for a waiver of the penalty. There are no guarantees of course.

Consider changes: https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/tax-law/603037/tax-changes-and-key-amounts-for-the-2021-tax-year

 

How to remove fake bad credit info from your credit report

Although one credit inquiry is not going to hurt your credit score it can affect your credit scores for up to two years. You may have looked for a new or used car or credit card or house, but that inquiry may also have come from some fake internet site or merchant trying to punish you. If you are not checking your credit report regularly, you will never know why you don’t get the best rate or rental deal. When you find the questionable hit on your report, don’t hire a credit repair firm. That may just add to your unfavorables. Use the online request form at the credit bureau to request bad info removal. Congress gave bureaus the right to ding you but not the responsibility to check data. You have to do it yourself. Thanks for nothing Congress! Around 25% of U.S. consumers found errors that could affect their credit scores in one of their credit reports. My report had data from someone in Long Island with my name and another from Maryland who stiffed a hospital and owed a lot of money. I filed the forms and got them removed after months. Bureaus don’t have a time limit on their failures. If they don’t act, use the sample credit dispute letters from the Federal Trade Commission. Let the FTC know about your dispute.

Show your child: https://www.amazon.com/Give-your-child-leg-manage/dp/1096505355

 

Is “personalized investing” right for you?

Headline: ‘Personalized Investing Coming Like a 'Freight Train'. If you were a broker/advisor this is sweet music to your ear. But guess what—this is just a marketing slogan for a sales person pushing the firm’s ‘selling list.’ And we get to pay through the nose for their guesswork. A Schwab employee said “investors were seeking an “even higher level” of personalization.” Yes, if your advisor asks enough questions about your situation and goal and objectives, they are bound to be able to find some securities that you personally will like. Yes, over time and through experience, your advisor should be able to assemble securities you feel meet your needs—but at what cost? Some picks will be winners and some losers and advisors don’t know. They can’t predict the future no matter how well they know your data. The reason passive investing has done so well for index users is that no matter how much you pay for ‘personalized investing,’ you may not do well. Warren Buffett who is not a sales person has proven that most folks do better without the ‘personal investing.’ The stats show you do better with an index alone.

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

 

What is your retirement dream?

Some folks working to attain or maintain their middle class status are now questioning the path to their retirement dream. The pandemic and the shift in steady wage growth and asset building have made some folks reevaluate their situation. If they have had to change jobs and start all over again in a new career, can they ever catch up to their dream amount? Traditionally we have planned our retirements around the expectation of combining a pension, Social Security benefits, and personal savings to provide sufficient income for later years. These days we change jobs, our employers don’t pay pensions, and wages have been flat since the 70’s. The median retirement savings of Americans between the ages of 55 and 64 is currently zero. For those with retirement savings, the balance is less than in the past. Many of us have turned to ‘professionals’ with mixed results. It is estimated that retirement savers lose $17 billion to conflicted advice each year. This is a staggering sum that has real world consequences for retirees. Regulators have failed to fix the situation. The middle class has given up assets to the upper class. Here is how: One analysis shows that over a 50-year investing lifetime, that 2% [total annual cost of investment advice and trading] will erode 63% of what you would have had. At $250 a month, that means you will have $660,000 instead of $1.3 million. Some folks have solved this problem by doubling the amount they save/invest. Some have taken John Bogle’s advice and cut out the middle person by using index funds.

Dream and plan: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Robo-Advisor-Ultimate-Automatic-Management/dp/1537111957

 

 

 

**********ACCOUNTABILITY**************

 

 

Like 1776, this period is a test of democracy—We rejected an "American fascist" once

 

Our Jan 6 ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’

 

 

Seditionist Bannon snubs Congress: jail?

 

Capitol police help hide terrorist

 

Trump sues Jan 6 Committee to hide terrorist ties

 

Trump’s Big Lie: repeat repeat eventually believe

 

 

How Govt wastes our money:

What is wrong with this tax system? Workers pay 33-41%; wealthy pay 0.00001-17%

TX mandates business cannot reopen business if require vax: TX to control biz operation

Coal lobbyists determine Manchin vote on Dem budget: Manchin gets $491,949 a year.

Manchin cuts: funding for child credit, elderly and disabled reduced/cut: WV loses 

 

Drug lobbyists pay 3 Dems to kill lower-drug prices bill: Schrader Peters get $1.6 million

We gave oil company that spilled in CA $20 million in subsidies: Socialism for the Rich

Rich don’t pay Social Security taxes: Avoid taxes when earning over $147,000 in 2022

 

Wealthy receive increase in SS benefits: $3,345 per month in 2022—avoid taxes too

Democrats scale back plan to raise more money from wealthy tax cheats: IRS lacks teeth

Sinema AZ Dem told lobbyists who give her money she opposes any tax on anyone

 

DINO Manchin and Sinema already in Republican Party strategy to end Biden promises

 

SCAMS/SPINS:

60,000 Air Force fear needles: barracks becomes killing zone: going for 800,000 dead?

FoxNews praised SW pilots “act of nonviolent civil disobedience.” But Cxl NOT for Vax

GA Cobb Co loosened COVID protocols: wave of children were infected: no school

Salem witch trials: Anti-vaxxers blame hospitals for not using malaria pills or de-wormer

 

Trump set up network to compete with FoxNews: ‘TRUTH Social’: Goebbels’ style

 

“I wish that I’d got the shot,” Dad tells Mom as he and wife die and leave 4 kids alone.

FL private school: quarantine students 30 days AFTER get vax: Crazy misinformation

American and Southwest employees with vax exemptions: still passing Covid to us

 

Infect and shoot: police fear needle vax and shoot before question: let riot proceed

Police refuse vax and die: 476 have died of COVID: 93 by gunfire since 2020 

 

Police deputized ‘vigilantes’: Kenosha protestors shot by terrorists helped by cops

 

Gunman ambush kills Houston police: others shot in the back; terrorist got away

 

Mark Forkner pilot caught hiding Boeing flight control error that may have killed 346

Ronnie Floyd SBC resigns fight over sex abuse investigation: pastors abuse 700 kids

GOP senator calls for senility test for aging leaders: Trump: don’t like pee from women

 

Redistricting means our votes won’t count anymore: TX puts Dems in smaller box!

TX following Poland’s anti-Constitution path: limit voting, abortion, gun control

Senate undemocratic: Wyoming voter has 68 times the voting power as one in California.

 

MD GOP Doctor Harris promising Covid treatment from horse pills via radio

NE GOP Fortenberry caught laundering Nigerian billionaire’s money via CA donors

JPay caught charging consumers fees to access their own money on prepaid debit cards 

 

Michael Moore caught stealing $1.5 Million using romance scam: gang hit lonely

Amanda Dawn Rains caught stealing $3.9 million with doctors for ‘pain cream’

Ravkoo Online Pharmacy caught $8.5 million fake COVID Drugs: Gov helped faud

 

Online brokers caught making trading into game enticing novices to fail

Facebook caught discriminating against U.S. workers in favor of foreigners

 

Facebook changes name avoid ills: new ‘metaverse’ virtual, games, fantasy, holodeck?

 

Fake news easy to mislead on shortages and mandate disasters: pick sources carefully

 

TurboTax stopped CA from letting tax collector bill us instead of doing 10 page $300 returns

 

Jobs

Most in demand: service jobs seeking higher wages

Young leaving jobs since pay level same as 1976 adjusted for higher prices: rich take all

200,000 shipping containers were backed up off the coast of Los Angeles: toys, cars, etc

 

Who owns your account now?

Why using debit card is unwise: $12,000 for 3 oranges then all purchases fail

Are you paying too much for homeowner’s insurance: average cost per state HI is cheap!

10 most commonly stolen vehicles: avoid most common mistake—leaving keys inside

 

Mortgage forbearance ends: payments restart: negotiate with servicer critical

Medicare Advantage plans added home visits for some: more choices drive Advantage

Streaming services cost $ hundreds; some are free but limited

 

 

Miracles:

CA has driest water year in a century: golf courses drink millions/night reduced price too

¼ Republican voters still believe Trump reinstated in WH before the end of 2021 Coup?

Covid vax technology, may be key to stopping cancers, autoimmune diseases, etc

 

 

We can apply for Medicare online: https://blog.ssa.gov/apply-for-medicare-online

We can apply for Social Security online: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/

We can apply for health care online: https://www.healthcare.gov/

 

Wisdom comes only thru suffering Aeschylus

 

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ   07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

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

 

How do you deal with your retirement risks?

 

When do you really need an advisor? What type?

Most brokers and advisors don’t know what to do if you have stock options worth millions of dollars. The right adviser can help you avoid a seven-figure tax bill when you sell them. Let’s say you inherited rental properties. A knowledgeable advisor can help you incorporate these income-producing assets into your overall investment strategy or help by using a trust that can shield them from having to pay taxes on the rental income or capital gains taxes. It is important to “know thyself.” Even financial do-it-yourselfers benefit from working with a qualified professional because they know the right questions to ask, fully understand the pros and cons of any advice or solutions an adviser offers, and have the knowledge to evaluate the results. Think of the fee-only advisor as the same as a lawyer. If you were accused of a felony, would you let your real estate broker handle it? You need a specialist. No matter the cost, you want someone who really knows the specific area of your needs. You can save money by handling most financial tasks yourself.  In fact, I found most people can save at least $3,000 a year.

Shop wisely: https://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Guides-Discount-Financial-Services/dp/143480593X/

 

How do you deal with your retirement risks?

Did you retire too early? The “average income of current retirees is only $38,515, according to the U.S. Census, and the average net worth is $170,516." Most of that net worth is in their home which can’t be used for daily bread. Did you plan on income for 20-30 years? What is your plan for trouble: a long illness, housing repairs, a sick pet, disability, and inflation? What happens to your income if the market falls 10%? Medicare will not cover an extended illness or disability. How does your emergency fund grow? Which assets are in it? The risk that hits us all is inflation—a gallon of milk in 1990 cost $2.78. It is now $3.68. Same size, same food. Costs usually double every 25 years on average. Taxes go up too. Can you manage your current property? Will Social Security be enough? Can you rely on family when you need help? Are they close enough?

Plan to cover the risks: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Plan-Live-Age-100/dp/1548180793

 

Two Americas: Super rich took Middle class assets

Middle class shrinks: Top 1% Of U.S. Earners Now Hold More Wealth Than All Of The Middle Class. The middle 60% of U.S. households by income – the middle class -- saw their combined assets drop to 26.6% of national wealth as of June, the lowest in Federal Reserve data going back three decades. For the first time, the super rich had a bigger share, at 27%. Middle class’s share in three main categories of assets -- real estate, equities and private businesses -- slumped in one generation. That made their lives more precarious, with fewer financial reserves to fall back on when they lose their jobs. This is no accident: it is by design. Our Reps in Congress voted a 2017 tax cut to give Super rich even more assets. Our government has been giving money (bonds and ETF funds) to their companies since March 2020. Their corporations receive more subsidies and tax breaks. Private jets are flying off the shelves. Their short trips cost $ millions. They buy shredded pictures for $25.4 million. Over the past 30 years, 10% of American wealth has shifted to the top 20% of earners, who now hold 70% of the total, Fed data show. Real wages stay at 1970 inflation level. The financially squeezed workers, tricked by a TV star saying “only I can fix it”, supported the transformation of America into a socialist state for the rich. The super rich take most of the chips in this version of socialism for the rich and we let Congress allow it.

https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Socialism-for-Rich-little-people/dp/1535218584

 

 

 

**********ACCOUNTABILITY**************

 

 

Like 1776, this period is a test of democracy—We rejected an "American fascist" once

 

Our Jan 6 ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’

 

 

Trumpist Bannon defied Congress: no arrest?

 

F. Hill: Jan 6 ‘Dress Rehearsal’ For Further Violence

 

GOP elected before Trump’s terrorists’ trials?

 

Capitol police leaders helped Trump try Coup

 

 

 

How Govt wastes our money:

Taliban: US to give aide “directly to the Afghans” how w/o troops/CIA/USAID? 

Regulator’s law didn’t stop robocalls in Jun: can’t keep a genius capitalist down?

Little Russia: TX bans vax mandate in my business: TX gov mandate against mandate

 

GOP, bank lobbyists stop Biden order for tax cheat info to IRS cheats owe $7 Trillion

US sends troops to 4 military bases in Greece for “stability and prosperity” $400 million

 

SCAMS/SPINS:

Chiropractors lead the Covid misinformation thrust as semi-medical professional experts

MO hospital workers quit rather than take vax: personal freedom to kill patients

Public health from personal freedom to choose vax? No, un-vax nurse may kill me

 

TX ends mandates: hunting, driving, med school, etc: personal freedom to kill your kids?

 

TX Allan West slams vax while hospitalized for Covid: irony lost on TX voters

Only 56% of Americans vaccinated: what are they waiting for? 725,000+ dead so far

Horse dewormer worked in Australian test tube cells with high doses: no human use found

One FL school sees 17 employee deaths since start of school from COVID-19: No 1 US killer

Florida county is fined for requiring employees meeting public to be vaccinated: 14 anti-vax fired

 

 

Trump and GOP will not run or vote in 2024 if election theft not “resolved.” Fantastic!

Most Rep voters want their dictator to take power 2024: 44% want Trump to be president

Real GOP or RINO litmus test: “was the election stolen from Trump”: hate for Dems

Grassley has taken the Trump Kool-Aid too: why? He used to have his own strategy

Pence in Hungary raising money for Christian nationalism: Trump’s legacy?

 

GOP head thinks Google, not Trump, “tries to control our thoughts”

GA voter applications shredded by officials: will democracy be preserved for 2024 vote?

Will voting matter anymore: redistricting reduces voter impact in close elections.

 

Fox: Google ‘conspiring’ with Biden administration to find sexual-assault suspects: WI kidnapers

 

British prince avoids the law: sexual assault allegations by American when 16: rich win

Larry A. Holley MI caught promising high returns Ponzi using trust in religion base: jail

American Advisors Group caught sell reverse mortgage with deceptive home estimates

How hackers capture our computer and money: ingenious plots catch us every time

 

Airline passengers bringing guns to the airport "huge problem" never seen before 

 

New Hack: email from USPS post office: “shipment has bad address” Fake Tracking # “US#######CA”

 

Jobs

Navy engineer caught selling sub secrets to the enemy: WWIII spy novel?

Nobel Prize for econ testing: raising minimum wage does NOT cut jobs

FL teachers quit rather than end up in hospital or bring Covid home to family 5000 jobs

 

4.3 million quit in August: better jobs or hours or retired early/live on the beach/camper?

 

Who owns your account now?

emergency-rental-assistance-state-by-state

Water shortage: 5000 golf clubs: each uses “1.2 million gallons a night” night rate lower

70 million see 5.9% increase Social Security benefits: can green beans $.50 to .74 3 wks

 

October 15 filing extension deadline: extension to file their 2020 tax return must file now

Most Americans going for cremation instead of cemetery: cost and ‘personal choice’

Cher sues Sonny over royalties from “I Got You Babe”: never enough

 

Miracles:

Merck tablet to treat mild-to-moderate patients of COVID-19: instead of horse dewormer

CA to ban polluting lawn equipment so peaceful neighborhoods again. Blowers 90 dBs

Meteorite crashes through roof of Canada woman’s home and on to bed: Ruth is OK

 

 

 

We can apply for Medicare online: https://blog.ssa.gov/apply-for-medicare-online

We can apply for Social Security online: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/

We can apply for health care online: https://www.healthcare.gov/

 

Wisdom comes only thru suffering Aeschylus

 

IAN

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