Showing posts with label HSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HSA. Show all posts

Friday, February 21, 2020

Where is your serious money?


Where is your serious money?
There are 3 kinds of money. What you use to pay your bills is one. Another is the money you add to your 401k, 403b, pension, IRA, Roth IRA etc for future use. Finally, there is the money you can afford to lose—Fun Money—$50 on bets/lottery every month, $1000 on that “category killer” your broker/friend tips you to. There is a thrill to losing $1000 that you never tell your family about. Very few talk about the THRILL of having saved $1,000,000 in their retirement account. We are all afraid of the consequences of people making assumptions about us from knowing that about us. We could be targets of a scam like the lady who lost $300,000 to a fake romantic liaison. We could become the mark for every legit charity in the world. We could find we have all these relatives we never met. We could lose almost all of it to one of the most ‘respected’ money managers on Wall Street. Actually, financial fees can take 63% of your potential nest egg legally.

Why ‘snoring’ is the best way to create wealth?
Warren Buffett’s favorite statement is about his strategy to grow wealth. He was commenting on his style of investing in his annual report to the shareholders of Bershire Hathaway. He says active investors earn less than passive investors. The investor return tracking-firm DALBAR found active investors earn 3.79% vs 11% for those who just buy and hold. ‘Snoring’ through market gyrations is hard to do but Buffett proves patience pays. “Low-cost funds beat high-cost funds in every single time period and data point tested” says rating firm Morningstar. Warren Buffett, world's greatest investor, says, “Most investors, both institutional and individual, will find that the best way to own common stocks is through an index fund that charges minimal fees.... Paradoxically, when ‘dumb’ money acknowledges its limitations, it ceases to be dumb.” Fight your market anxiety and let your money ride as Buffett does.

Which car insurer provides best crash claim settlement?
According to body shops that deal with insurers, Chubb and Erie Insurance both received A- marks. Insurers were ranked highest for getting the job done right and fast. Travelers, USAA Group, Nationwide and State Farm received C+grades. Farmers, Progressive Group, American Family, Geico, Liberty Mutual and Allstate received a C-.
On the bottom of the scale, Loya, The General and Direct General received D grades. No carriers got an F. Body shop owners gave higher marks to the insurer they had direct repair agreements with. Avoid vehicles with low crash safety ratings.

Is HSA good substitute for stretch IRA estate plan?
Not quite. It is useful to pay for an heir’s MEDICAL expenses but cannot replace living expenses as the STRETCH did. Anyone can make contributions into an eligible account holder’s HSA on their behalf. The individual making the contribution doesn’t have to be HSA-eligible himself; all that matters is that the account holder is. That means a parent could fund their child’s HSA annually, giving the child a tax-free resource that could be used to pay for current medical expenses or invested for the future. And, the parent’s HSA contributions are tax-deductible for their child, even if they don’t itemize their deductions. By contributing to their child’s HSA over time and letting compound interest and investment returns do their work, parents can provide a safety net for their child against any unexpected medical expenses. And since HSAs don’t have required minimum distributions, those funds can keep growing until they’re needed.


File your taxes for free
TurboTax and other for-profit tax prep firms are due to raise prices soon. If you have your documents, use your favorite software now and pay your tax due on April 15. The payment, if any, can be in April; the filing should not. The federal and state can cost you nothing at https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/. Another site has no cost or restrictions: https://www.creditkarma.com/tax. And remember you can always reduce income and thus tax by making a deductible contribution to your IRA.  


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

Like 1776, this period is a test of democracy—do we really want ‘low-IQMobster?



Mobster pardons another felon: “he has done so much in NFL football."
Another felon is released by our new ‘judge/jury’: “ridiculous sentence in my opinion”
More felons pardoned: lying and tax cheating OK now



Trump approves use of antipersonnel mines that 150 countries banned 30 years ago.
Trump makes immigrant asylum impossible: Guatemala becomes entry point.


Trump to allow mercury poisoning: “not need to limit harmful pollutants” in air.

“I am chief law enforcement officer of the country.” Nothing can stop him now!
We don’t need judges/juries anymore: Mob Boss will decide for US


SCAMS/SPINS:
Recall 300,000 Mercedes-Benz cars because of fire hazards of E-Class and CLS diesels 
Only 6% of US provide most of tweet fire-storms: modern gossips have too much time on hands

Medical industry ripping US off and Congress enables them: medical lobby  dominates Washington.
Census by internet: Same firm the destroyed IA creds may need to redo census?


Mark Pyatt ND caught fraud promised futures contracts trading fake docs; bought RV, jewelry
EquiAlt, Davison, Rybicki FL stole $170 million promised real estate; bought luxury for self.
Richard Cody FL caught concealing client losses he caused; faked statements
Brian Cige NJ attorney lied about fees: promised no charge unless he wins; then $271,000 bill.
Kern-Fuller, Sutter Upstate Law caught enabling high-interest credit to disabled veterans: unfair.

BEWARE: “copay accumulator” policy which raises deductibles and out-of-pocket max.

Romance scams most devastating and US can do nothing:

VA Senate supports sale of assault-style weapons and hi-cap mags: cause 4 Dems NRA cash.
Will you get to vote this year? GOP suppression hits a rut in FL
WOW: 50% of US report we have been targeted by money scams perpetuated by impostors

Ft Lauderdale closed for Spring Break: “You’re sh***ing me?” Even fish don’t go anymore.

Jobs
IRS may visit you at home for taxes if you are wealthy enough.
Trump wants to decide the Oscar winners from now on: doesn’t like what not understand.

America split in half: Places with $2.5 million ‘starter’ homes heighten our inequality.

Who owns your account now?
Bloomberg winning FL Dems: even a sexist, who can beat Trump, leads pack
E*Trade Financial to Morgan Stanley: Every investor is now private bank client—fees!

Miracle:
Trump makes deal with Taliban: Afghan troops may come home after 18 years!
Trump lands in Daytona in 2004 plane: Time traveler in chief or more lies.
Parents save child from CA mountain lion with fierce punch and shouts
Sure, play violin while we take out your brain tumor: great idea IF it works


IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ   07042
973.746.2014
Alerts 

Friday, September 27, 2019

Are you being scammed?


Best evidence you are being scammed
A cold call, unsolicited letter or email! Think of it. You have been ‘chosen’ out of billions of people to receive an offer that sounds too good to be true. If the offer requires you to send money to get money or if it is heavily charged with emotion, you can’t possibly make a rational decision by yourself. You need help—any friend or advisor can help. The money strategy is complicated but scammer sounds like they know what they are talking about. Even Harvard endowment fund is fooled by bad direct investments. Scammer has your detailed personal info so they must be authentic agent of govt agency. You find a charge on your credit card you don’t recognize. Credit card charge is small $1 and you ignore it. Check out how much info you can find on yourself on the internet—just type your full name. You will be shocked to see a lot more than you want floating out there. Most of it can be used to rob you. You should go after every firm that offers to sell your data. It is said that scammers can buy your whole profile for less than $100.

Will you have enough?
How do you know whether your investments will provide enough money for retirement? Your advisor may not be a financial planner or have access to the calculators that can make an estimate. You should do a little homework just to make sure you know how you are doing since your advisor is unlikely to be around in 25 years. Retirement calculators like Vanguard’s Retirement Income Calculator and Vanguard’s Nest Egg Calculator can give you a feel for your accumulation progress. The value of these kinds of calculators is that they include the Time Value of Money. For instance, if you are due to have a pension of $1,000 a month when you retire in 20 years, it is sobering to know that it will be worth about HALF or $500 a month in purchasing power. Inflation of 3% is assumed in Vanguard’s projections so you understand that if you use bonds or CDs paying 3% a year as your investments, you will have NO real gains in 20 years. Only stocks with 10-12% total return can overcome inflation. Compounding is the name of ‘money earning money on itself’ when invested in companies like those in a low-cost market index fund. Compounding is how you can reach a $1,000,000 nest egg by investing $250 a month for 35 years. It is TIME, not stock-picking that wins according to Warren Buffett. When you avoid high-cost advisors, you earn 11% not 3.79% the average for ‘managed’ money.

What you own in your 401k stock fund
Many 401k participants make their contributions to low-cost stock index funds or Target-Date index funds. What do you really own? You own shares of a fund that owns stocks that make up the market. You own them through your share of parts of these firms:
1          Microsoft Corp.
2          Apple Inc.
3          Amazon.com Inc.
4          Alphabet Inc.
5          Facebook Inc.
6          Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
7          JPMorgan Chase & Co.
8          Johnson & Johnson
9          Exxon Mobil Corp.
10        Visa Inc.
Over time, you receive gains and dividends that provide a total return of 10-12%. In this manner, you can accumulate $1,000,000 with as little as $16,000. All it takes from you is patience. As Buffett proved in his win over 5 hedge funds, no person or computer can foretell the future. Buffett used John Bogle’s invention to win: “Don’t look for the needle in the haystack. Buy the whole haystack!” And the haystack gives you more!

Are you willing to wait for your $1 million?
You can accumulate $1,000,000 with as little as $16,000. All it takes from you is patience. But most of us have no more patience. Three quarters of those surveyed said they believe the dominance of digital technology, such as smartphones and on-demand TVs, are to blame for this ever growing lack of patience. Respondents reported becoming frustrated after just 25 seconds of waiting for a traffic light to change. Life moves at such a fast pace, we just don’t believe that it is TIME, not stock-picking that beats expensive money managers. Very few of us believe that just by avoiding high fees and trading, you can earn 11% not 3.79%. The facts and actual results don’t make an impact on most investors. We don’t learn about compounding in school so we assume saving in a high-interest bank account is the only way to become rich. Actually, the rich keep 60% of their assets in stocks compared to only 18% for US. Fidelity studied their most successful investor accounts: Best were forgotten—never traded, hedged, rotated, or churned. If you were running a business, you would NOT sell (trade) it every 6 months or year. You would keep working it to be rewarded over time. Like Buffett, just buy and buy more: https://www.amazon.com/MasterClass-Buffetts-SIMPLE-Strategy/dp/1983485268

Is a Health Savings Account right for you?
First, you must buy a high-deductible health care policy from your employer: Deductible must be over $1,350 for individuals and $2,700 for families. Second, you need to have the money to establish and maintain a special savings account for your medical expenses. It is tax-advantaged so to help you, you must have sufficient income to need a tax deduction. Your employer can make the contributions for you. While your 401(k) contributions are subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes, contributions to your HSA are not. If you have HAS money left over you can let it grow year after year. After age 65 there is no penalty on non-medical withdrawals. Third, your HSA institution may charge fees. Fourth, depending on your medical expenses, you may pay more for health care coverage than using a traditional plan.

Converting IRA to tax-free Roth IRA?
You can amass a sizable tax-free income later in retirement by paying the tax due on your IRA, moving the money to a Roth IRA so that future earnings are tax FREE. There is no withdrawal penalty if you begin after age 59.5. However, after age 70.5 you must take certain annual amounts from your IRA so Uncle Sam gets the income tax you didn’t pay during all those accumulation years. It is called your RMD and it amounts to 3-4% of your overall IRA total. If you take it as monthly income, according to the IRS formula, be aware that the RMD must be recognized BEFORE the IRA conversion can take place. The RMD amount is first out in any given year. So if you take $2,000 a month as your $24,000 RMD, you can’t take $10,000 to convert to a Roth in the middle of the year.

Can you really save with ‘behavior’ car insurance?
Since everyone is different, we can’t tell without trying it. The app down-loaded to your phone records HOW you drive for 2-3 weeks. Hard turns and quick stop and go driving will dissuade from the low-cost rates. A quiz sets up the coverage you want. You get a quote: usually if you are an infrequent careful driver, you win. You must live in a state where it is available. Most large insurers offer some form of behavior-driven coverage. Savings depend on a host of other policy options.


**********
This period is a test of democracy—do we really want it or not?
Queen and PM unlawfully shut Parliament on crucial issue: Democracy challenged in UK too.

Trump gives Saudis our forces: we already gave them planes and missiles—let them fight

American’s income is growing farther apart: Average worker’s income has not grown!
More welfare to Trump’s people: $28 Billion plus wasted in global competitive market!
Each state wastes $ millions: claims it ‘created’ jobs: NJ shows how Christie did it.

What happened to Trump’s Taliban ‘deal’: $2 TRILLION wasted so far
Trump's wall is 'totally absurd': Congressman climbs over to show how easy to scale.



SCAMS/SPINS:
We can’t avoid tax on retirement funds just by not cashing check: ‘Dog ate it’ not excuse
Moscow Mitch plays both sides: give states money to ‘fix’ election machines for USSR.
Trump rolled back legal clock to the 1860s: Destroy 13th, 14th, 15th, Roe, Voting Rights


Six annuity sellers caught replacing deferred annuity with immediate: cost $1.8 million

BEWARE: Brokers pushing ‘calendar risk reversal’ options—bet only what you can lose
Hidden costs of ETFs: these index funds are not always cheaper than the traditional.
Chris Kubiak caught stealing from elderly clients in Ponzi-type scheme: 2 yrs jail time.

Sprint caught taking subsidies for low-income Lifeline service not being used
Chrysler Fiat caught lying about emissions AFTER gov indicted VW

Boeing 737 inspectors were NOT really qualified to test pilots: led to 346 deaths

BEWARE: your ETF could disappear: 25% have folded; 7% lost big; fees hurt
Joseph Pratt caught insider trading on clinical trial info w/o notice to Wells
Trump to cancel $235,000 Duke grant: not enough emphasis on his fav religions!

Jobs
Community College for the 1st year to get used to the routine of costs, class, study, work.

Who owns your account now?
ME to let customers decide which cable channels to buy: industry horrified by choice
Trump to end CA IRA: employers want to help workers save but broker fees left out.
Review: Vanguard new robo investing service is low-cost automatic investing

IRS is looking for your amended tax return: virtual currency needs new reporting.
Trump: broker/advisors beat you in any dispute: you can’t sue if you are mistreated
But Trump sues NYState—no mandatory arbitration for him! No rights for us!



Miracle:
Another 16 year old picks up VW for life: "I just thank God for putting me in the position and giving me the strength to do that."
Teach kindness: mindfulness and kindness actually alter the behavior of genes: mind therapy?

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ   07042
973.746.2014
Alerts available at http://dankeppel.blogspot.com/


Friday, June 17, 2016

Don's business is taking other people's money

Don’s business acumen is his greatest claim to be president … but
Atlantic City was a very good cash cow for me for a long time.” Trump’s experience in Atlantic City gives clues to running America as personal business. He put up little of his own money, shifted personal debts to the casinos and collected millions of dollars in salary, bonuses and other payments. The burden of his failures fell on investors and others who had bet on his business acumen according to R. Buettner and C V Bagli. “There’s something not right when every single one of your projects doesn’t work out.” “People underestimated Donald Trump’s ability to pillage the company,” said Sebastian Pignatello, a private investor who at one time held stock in the Trump casinos worth more than $500,000. “He drove these companies into bankruptcy by his mismanagement, the debt and his pillaging.” America cannot use Junk bonds to get out of debt. America is not a deal he can use.


Use your own tax shelter—your broker/advisor is retiring with his/her
Working people have their own tax shelter—the Roth IRA. The IRS § 408A is available from any large financial institution. You can contribute $5,500 a year to buy stocks, bonds, ETFs etc and let the assets grow tax-FREE. You can take money out FREE (contributions are FREE before 59.5 years; earnings are FREE after 59.5 years). You pay a little tax now (15% on $3,000 deposit) but NO TAX later (0% on $1 million). You deposit $99,000 total over 30 years and spend ALL $1,000,000 later. Even when they cut pensions and Social Security, you will have your million FREE of fed and state tax.

Fix Social Security by having everyone pay same 6.2%
New report says just have everyone pay the same percent of salary. But they limit it to $195,000 salary. Why the limit? Some wealthy Congressman set the limit in 1937. It is regressive and needs to be changed. Poor pay higher percent than the rich. Currently, they don’t pay anything on their salary over $118,500. Why should they get a break like this? They get so many others—deduct stock losses, 2nd home mortgages, mortgage insurance, rental property depreciation, investment expenses, business losses, salary deferral, retirement gains, etc. Social Security is the only income that the poor have: $1341/mo.
Avoid fed & state income taxes with IRS § 408A trust: https://www.amazon.com/Create-Your-Tax-FREE-Financial-System/dp/1466367466


Best investing strategy: Do Nothing—let compounding do the work
Fidelity study of which accounts did best: people who forgot their 401k and people who died. Best investment outcome for stocks long-term is to let the money work for you by compounding. Compound $9 a day to $900,000 in time. It can’t compound if you trade. Buffett: own the best businesses forever. It makes you wealthy. Traders only do well when they can move huge amounts of capital a short distance quickly. Most of us with brokers/advisors earn just 3.79% vs the market of 11% because we are afraid of loss or get greedy. Unless you know the next Amazon ($5,000 invested in Amazon ‘97 worth $1 million today), this is best deal. No timing, trading, charts, or broker/advisor.

Millennials don’t understand diversification, risk, long-term
18-35 year olds are saving but don’t think about the “not all your eggs in one basket” problem. Survey says 49% reported having an “aggressive” risk tolerance and yet 65% said market swings make them uncomfortable. 72% said that a portfolio was adequately diversified as long as it includes a broad range of stocks. “These folks think a long-term holding is five years” according to Bill Finnegan, AMG Funds. Perhaps young people have not gone through the depressions and recessions to learn.

What does the new fiduciary rule do for you?
Up till now, your broker/advisor/agent could make a lot of money from your retirement plans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB4LgkGXN8Y   They pushed variable annuities in particular because 6% of $250,000 makes their retirement sweet. Now they must “prove” that that rip is the ‘best’ for you. Most times they can’t because there are usually better outcomes for you (Not Them). However, it takes learning about your options and usually you don’t have a lot of time or knowledge. Low-cost always beats high-cost according to Morningstar so ask questions. Your advisor may not offer Vanguard or other low-cost options. They can still make big bucks from you by following an exemption (BICE) which requires them to claim they are acting in your best interests. So the new loophole is that if they don’t know any “low-cost is better than high-cost” products, they aren’t at risk. That’s like you telling the officer you didn’t know the limit was 25mph while you went 40. QED: Advisors are still salespeople.


Is home equity the way to finance retirement?
The fact that many homeowners have all their wealth tied up in their homes and the home has tripled in value over the last 30 years makes this strategy appealing. Consider the benefits and costs. Retirees are homeowners. Of those with more than $100,000 in savings, about 90% own a home, according to LIMRA. Among those with less savings, 70% are homeowners. The ability to access home equity can save you from being forced to sell other assets at the wrong time. "That is really going to improve a retiree's cash flow, especially for people relying on withdrawals from their savings because they don't have a pension," American College’s Hopkins says.
Make sure you have enough before you retire: https://www.amazon.com/Are-you-ready-retirement-worst/dp/149100266


Is an HSA right for you?
High-deductible health plans are becoming popular. Is investing in health savings account right for you? Contributions are tax deductible when used for medical expenses (you don’t need to itemize your taxes). Some employers match contributions. Unlike with flexible spending accounts, however, your HSA administrator isn’t obligated to verify whether withdrawals are for eligible expenses. HSA money withdrawn for nonmedical purposes is also subject to a 20% penalty if you’re younger than age 65. Unlike the Flex Spending Account, you do NOT need to spend the account by year’s end. Some states tax the interest earned in the account. After age 65, funds can be withdrawn for any purpose without penalty. However, income tax is due like IRA and 401k accounts. You must choose the HSA. Not all employers offer it. There is no medical threshold for tax deductions so every dollar spent is deductible.

Retirees and Self-employed pay their estimated tax electronically
You can use https://www.eftps.gov/eftps/ to pay your quarterly taxes for FREE. This system can be used to automate payments from your accounts. It can used to pay any IRS tax. There is no need to send paper by registered mail and hope it gets there in time. Your confirm is electronic by setting up a payment due date at least the night before payment is transferred directly to the Treasury. It is secure. It has a voice response system (1.800.555.3453) to make payments too.
Control your taxable income and tax payments: https://www.amazon.com/Pay-No-Taxes-Retirement-legally/dp/1507527977


Does our President need to be smart and truthful? Do they even care about truth?

            What does Trump’s National Socialism stand for?
Reinstate older white male value system: Make ‘WASP” America Great Again
Reinstate Christianity as the state religionbar all others from public office
Reinstate Christmas and Christian observance in schools, home, court, etc
Put up a wall, end trade, bring back repetitive “robotic” jobs back from low wage areas.
Cut regulation of all business activity, lower wages for women, pregnancy
Cut federal spending on health especially when control women clinics
Don will cut Medicare and SS benefits “if tax cuts don’t make big surpluses”
Cancel immigration for all from non-EU countries. Deport them
Limit rights of non-Christians, Muslims, gays, Indians, Asians, protesters, press
Increase debt and devalue debt. Let Mexico pay for the Wall by taxing imports
Create tariffs on imports so we pay $6,000 more for stuff we buy. Middle class tax.
Trade pacts are no good for us and no good for our workers.
Install state gov that cuts Medicaid, education, federal support payments, infrastructure.
Lust for executive power”—GOP House leader thinks Don wants to just snap fingers.
I could stand in Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” 
Don’s rallies begin with crazies denouncing supporters--thrown out as “protestors.” 
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” E Burke

Don: Voters don’t need policy position papers. “It’s just a waste of paper.”
            “They know you’re going to do a good job once you’re there.” Logic fails!
            I was right “I am trying to save lives and prevent the next terrorist attack.”
            I ban Wash Post and any media who aren’t “fair” in spreading my message.
            I accuse US soldiers of stealing money in Iraq—one answers--thieves were jailed.
           
Hill:  Hackers got my files on Don and my real constituency. Oh my words!
            Looks like 1964 all over again. Goldwater had similar message for racists.

Paul: ‘This is one of my big concerns:’ Don’s “lust for executive power.” He’s OK now?
            Don’s statement “is definition of a racist” but GOP has to go to dark side now.
            He said he could kill people on 5th Ave and not lose support—He’s right! Scary

Regulators are the only protection we have since we can’t sue anymore
            “It is nearly impossible for one individual to take on a corporation with vast resources.” (GOP bill requires impossible: every person in class action suffer “same type and scope of injury”)
               Supremes stop us from suing—State courts no longer available to sue corporations!

.Is it time for the big one in CA?
. Robert Olins CT caught selling stock illegally—fraud to avoid paying fine.
. Owen Li caught lying and cheating $57 million, confesses, and gets out of 5 yr jail.
.TN lawmaker giving assault rifle AR-15 as door prizes for fund event: after Orlando 2.
.Orlando gun store warned FBI: killer wanted body armor and more bullets.

We need regulation—GOP wrong—companies/cities wouldn’t fix bad products on own

SCAMS
Fake IRS caller ask students to pay a bogus student tax or face arrest or other penalties


Don and GOP deny warming. Greenland recorded its warmest temperature EVER: 75. Ice melt season began a month prematurely.

How our government wastes our money
US spent $10 million to learn kindness interrogation techniques wins, as per old Nazi
Taliban now holds more ground in Afghanistan than at any point since 2001.

Who owns your account now?
LinkedIn to MS. Is it worth $26 Billion? A website equal to HP or Marathon Oil in market value?

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
MontclairNJ 07042
973.746.2014
Alerts 

Friday, April 10, 2015

Will you inherit $11 million Tax-FREE?

Will you inherit over an $11 million estate Tax-FREE?
Are you one of the lucky families that will inherit over $11 million estate tax-FREE?
Our Congress just voted to give a BIG tax break to the 5,000 wealthiest families. Repeal of the estate tax would mean that the wealthy with over $11 million can create a family dynasty. None of these wealthy people works on a farm or would lose their farm if Obama vetoes the bill. We would lose $300 Billion in taxes and we must make up. The 5,000 would still have $ millions after state inheritance tax in some states.

You can create a legacy for your family that is NEVER taxed
Your heirs have the option to keep building your legacy for another generation. They can either roll your Roth IRA into their own Roth IRA or cash out the account without penalty regardless of their age. Your beneficiary can transfer your non-taxable Roth IRA into their own account, if they do not need the money for retirement. They can then designate the account for their beneficiary. This can be repeated for each generation. If any heir doesn’t do the transfer, your account needs to be distributed within five years of the death or paid out in equal amounts over their lifetime. 

Wealthy avoid taxes by NOT working
If you work, you pay taxes before you can buy food, housing or anything else. Not so with the wealthy. Look back to the 2011 Romney tax return shared by the candidate. Romney reported NO earned income. He actually paid more tax than required so that he could claim he was not one of the “47% of Americans who pay no income taxes. He called us “victims” who feel entitled to government handouts.” But we pay 33% on average—more than double his 14% rate.
Congress has reversed the American progressive tax system. The wealthy pay a smaller percentage of their income than we do—14% vs 32%.
Americans   

Is an HSA right for you?
A Health Savings Account is tax-FREE money when it is combined with a high-deductible health plan. The IRS defines HDHP as an annual deductible of at least $1,250 per person or $2,500 family. Your HSA is deductible even if you don't itemize deductions. The HSA is great if you don’t have high health costs but a large deductible can prevent you from getting the care you need. You can write off $3,350 ($6,650 family) in HSA contributions on your federal income tax for 2015, plus a $1,000 catch-up if you're 55 or over. HSA balances roll over year to year so you could earn interest. Unlike an HSA, you must use an FSA by yearend or lose it.

Is Free File tax prep right for you?
The number of taxpayers filing self-prepared returns increased nearly 6 percent by the end of February according to the IRS. It has authorized a number of online software firms to provide FREE tax prep help at http://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free. The cost of commercial tax prep has increased with new ACA forms added this year so you can save up to $500. And there are still organizations that can help seniors and non-computer users. AARP offers in-person FREE file: http://www.aarp.org/applications/VMISLocator/taxAideLocations.action

Will the IRS keep your refund?
You may find a hole in your bank account if you were spending your tax refund before it came. The IRS can take it for several “worthy” causes: Delinquent student loans, ObamaCare penalty and/or subsidy, past-due state income tax, past-due child support, etc. The Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service, which actually issues refund checks, will inform you by letter of the dirty details. If they made a mistake, dispute it. Hey, you never know.

You can turn your IRA required distribution into TAX-FREE money
Many people work after age 67—the SS retirement age—and by age 71 are receiving mandatory distributions from their IRAs, 401k, 403b rollovers, and other pensions. These retirement funds were never taxed so Uncle Sam wants to be paid. You can pay it and then never pay tax on the earnings again. If you don’t need the money right now. You can send your RMD, as it is called, to your low-cost mutual fund inside a Roth IRA. When you need the money later, it and its earnings will be TAX-FREE. This will lower the income taxes on your other taxable accounts and Social Security benefits. You pay less tax overall with Tax-FREE income.


GOP crazies
America’s future looks grim using the just-passed GOP budget blueprint:
Military spending increase to $612 billion so we can prop up 3 Middle East countries; and Japan, Germany and S. Korea don’t have to pay for their own defense departments.
CUT $431 billion from Medicare. Convert seniors to voucher-like program.
CUT $236 billion from the budgets of non-defense agencies—fewer people services.
CUT $1 trillion from food stamps and welfare and repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
CUT Medicaid $913 billion. Convert to state block grants to shift cost to states.
37 million people would lose health insurance, doubling the ranks of the uninsured.
Obama says “failure to invest in education, infrastructure, research and national defense.”
McCain says “not legitimate budgeting.”
Ken Buck, (R) CO says “It’s all hooey.”
 “I don’t know anyone who believes we’re going to balance the budget in 10 years.”

GOP President-to-be claims he is Hispanic to gain votes or impress Miamians?
Jeb Bush admitted Monday that he made a “mistake” in 2009 when he listed his ethnicity in a Miami-Dade County voter-registration form as “Hispanic.” The likely 2016 Republican presidential contender is, obviously, not Hispanic. How can you make a “mistake” since we answer “race/ethnicity” all the time? He did on March 6, 2009. Does Bush senior know Mrs Bush had a Hispanic son?
Can we see Jeb’s birth certificate? Is this another “oops, I forgot” GOP moment? Did he serve in the “National Guard” like W claims?

NJ Gov gives Exxon a break
Master ‘negotiator’ Chris Christie accepts only $225 M instead of $9 Billion and then uses the money to fill his budget gap and still can’t pay promised pension bill. Is this how the GOP will run the government? He is losing his shouting match in the polls.

74% of us have never calculated our monthly retirement needs
Also, 51 percent of retirees have never tried to determine if their current savings will be enough to last through retirement – though 39 percent assume what they have will not last 20 years – grim statistics indeed.

Do you know what you pay your broker/advisor?
A significant number of investors are in the dark about the fees they pay brokers, according to a new survey by a state regulator association. While most brokers/advisors charge annual fees to manage accounts, one-third of customers aren’t aware of the expenses, according to the survey by NASAA. The industry makes it hard to find the costs because they take as much as 63% of our retirement money in fees.

Long-term care insurance at risk
Genworth is weighing a breakup after steep losses on policies covering long- term medical care. GE is dumping its financial units so policy owners must contend with rising premiums and underwriting standards. Current owners may have some protection from state insurance funds. Future owners may be better off using alternatives.

Students lose coverage while in school
Some universities that provide health insurance to their students are stopping the practice, as they say the Affordable Care Act’s minimal essential health benefits requirements have led to unsustainable cost increases. Those that remain are turning to their brokers to determine the best way to continue offering coverage to their students.

SCAMS           Why are we still paying $700 Billion a year for WWII deployments? That is 27 cents of each dollar in taxes—the largest part of our money—and we aren’t even at war. We could pay off our debts and fix our schools, roads and bridges!
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 have wasted $398.6 billion so far on the F-35 program—they can’t fly safely.
We just can’t afford to pay for everyone else’s defenses anymore.
Japan, Germany and S. Korea can pay to defend themselves.
The War on Terror requires SEALS’ attacks on top terrorists at their homes. Iraq proved converting a nation to Western-style republic doesn’t work. The troops we trained ran away. We are wasting $4 billion a year on Afgan tribal rivalries; paying ransom to Al Qaeda; supporting corruption with our money.

LPL Accused Of Improper REIT Sales By NH Regulators
LPL settled a similar case with the FIRA paying $950,000 for supervisory lapses in the sale of direct investments. In December 2012, LPL paid $2.6 million to settle a Massachusetts case involving improper sale of nontraded REITs. Last year, LPL’s top executives saw their bonuses drop, due in part to the adverse impact of regulatory charges. No one was fired or jailed. Will they do it again?

Wall St Banks need bailout by US for bets on oil prices
The same ‘players’ insured the oil drillers that prices would not fall. Now they must pay $26 billion. When they claim they nave no money, we will pay because Congress lets banks gamble with our money.

IAN
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