Your Unbiased Advisor: Jan6 terrorist

Showing posts with label Jan6 terrorist. Show all posts

Friday, April 1, 2022

Best way to invest for retirement income

If you are like I was at my first day on the job for an employer, I had no clue about the company retirement plan. Yes, they gave me the papers but they were not in English—legal for lawyers. I could not decide which investment option to pick. I took the suggestion of the HR person and had them take 6% of my pay into a very conservative fund called a “stable value fund.” This was not a good choice at my age. However, they matched my tax-deferred contribution so I appreciated what I had. Investing at the same amount on a set schedule (payday) was good since I learned later that “dollar-cost averaging” is the best way to invest for the long term unless you have insider info like our representatives. Since no one knows whether the market will be up or down on any given date, it is best to invest on the same day every month. However, I did not learn until later that I should have chosen to invest in a low-cost stock market index fund instead of “stable value.” Stable value funds are for when you are IN retirement not when you have 35-40 to invest! After studying the most successful investors and fund managers, I learned that the best way to invest for retirement is to buy the shares of a cheap stock market index on a monthly basis for the same amount. “Almost no one who is operating honestly can maintain a persistent information edge over the millions of other smart investors who comprise the market.” As Warren Buffett says: "A very low-cost index is going to beat a majority of the amateur-managed money or professionally-managed money." Fidelity study of millionaire retirees confirms his advice.

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

Is real estate a good investment?

Recently, the investment industry has become active in purchasing homes for investment. So does this mean that real estate is a good investment for the most working people? Most folks who own their own home have seen the value of their home increase for a number of reasons. For many new working people, there are fewer homes that are affordable. And for many older working people, where would they go to live in order to cash in on the higher home values? In the East, many older homes have increased in value: Average home cost $250,000 in 1991. By 2020, it was worth about $800,000. As an investment, a single family earns about 4.5% per year; not counting the huge property taxes here. Not a great deal long term for properties in the metro areas. However, a low-cost mutual fund of real estate provides over 10% per year. A real estate fund includes all types of properties and is comparable to the stock market index which provides over 11%. Therefore, a low-cost balanced portfolio has helped many investors earn over 11% a year for a long time. Low-cost investing beats high-cost advisor investing.

Use low-cost funds: https://www.amazon.com/Vanguards-Top-Ten-mutual-funds/dp/150073909X/

Buffett’s secrets to NOT losing investments

Leverage—borrowing money to invest—creates a double gamble. Buffett: “If you’re smart, you’re going to make a lot of money without borrowing.” All debt does is increase your risk. So we don't buy most Closed-End Funds (i.e., CEFs). We don’t use our broker’s money. Margin debt can rattle your mind. “And an unsettled mind will not make good decisions.” You not only lose any gains, you may lose your equity. Better to concentrate on finding value and using the magic of compounding.

https://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffett-Millionaire-money-snoring/dp/1508887381

Will Social Security benefits be there when you need them?

Congress does not like to spend money for the important things. They like to give defense contractors, oil, gas and coal companies subsidies because that pays their election bills. They like to create tax loopholes so they and their friends do very well. They use insider information that is illegal for us to use. Since the Supremes 2010 decision to treat $ billion companies the same as you and I in terms of election gifts, Congress must do what these companies want. Because there are more old people and fewer working people, SS benefits will be reduced to 78% of normal benefits by 2034 according to SS trustees. Since Congress is unlikely to deal with this collapse of the single most important support for seniors before it is too late, older Americans will be faced with the poverty that existed before SS was created in 1935. Bread lines were daily work for many depression-era out-of-work workers. The wealthy could live overseas untouched and untaxed just like today.

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

New car insurance data may help you save

More accurate tools allow insurers to offer the safest drivers the opportunity to secure a better premium directly. With 45% of drivers willing to switch insurance providers for savings and 69% willing to share data for discounts, drivers can leverage an insurer’s lower cost of signing new customers. Usage-based insurance (UBI) means you can save if you drive fewer miles than the average driver. Your smartphone and other devices may save you even more because sensors can provide accurate risk-assessment. Better drivers mean lower costs for drivers and insurers. Your agent will not call you to cut the premiums and their commissions.

You must shop to save: https://www.amazon.com/Vehicle-Insurance-Beware-Double-Coverage/dp/1480027634

Have you taught your child how to make tax-FREE money?

Make sure you teach your kids how to create wealth the easy way. My parents were not investors. At my first job, I had no clue which investment option to use for my 401k contribution and company match. The HR person told me to put it into the 'safe' stable value fund. That was the worst choice at my age I learned later when I got my securities licenses. If I had followed their advice I would have ended up with $150,000 instead of a Wealth Reserve of $877,233 about 33 years later. I have used this 'Wealth Reserve' as I call it to have funds to buy low-cost insurance, to buy two homes and 5 cars with higher down payments or cash, and now to receive $2,500 a month in retirement supplement. Now your child can build an account that provides tax-FREE retirement income too.

Time is on their side: https://www.amazon.com/Give-your-child-leg-up-manage/dp/1096505355

?**********ACCOUNTABILITY**************?

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

The Path to Dictatorship: 2010-2030

Jan 21 2010 Corporations’ election-spending unlimited

Jan 6 2021 Direct assault failed: guns & bombs

Nov 8 2022 “Legal revolution”

Mo Brooks exposes dictator plot

GOP’s activist court

More coup conspirators ignore subpoenas

How Govt wastes our money:

Biden: wealthy to pay less tax than middle class instead of collecting what they owe

Trump Guilty of 'Numerous Felonies': lying about assets, tax evasion: 2024 dictatorship

Trump guilty: illegally obstruct Congress: his lieutenants ignore subpoenas: never jail

Will Trump and Jan 6 coup-attempt receive punishment: white-collar crime-free legacy

Ex-Im bank reauthorized 17 times: evidence that it is unnecessary: we subsidize Boeing

Russian sanctions not working: Oligarchs moving their assets to Turkey: US can’t grab

SCAMS/SPINS:

Biden wealth tax 20%; Average worker 32.9%: Buffett pays 17.7%; Richer pay 8.2% or $0

Wealthy have NO taxable income: Most wealthy use intricate legal/foreign centers for job/assets.

Hundreds of tax accountants ready to negate Biden new taxes: ‘double Irish’: audits down 72%

Rick Scott wants all to pay tax: start with big avoiders like Rick, Trump, his friends and others

FTC sues TurboTax to stop ‘misleading’ ads for free tax prep software: IRS free file

SEC asks advisors: act as fiduciary if taking hidden 12b-1 ‘wrap’ fees, wrong class fees

Apple & Facebook gave up our data to hackers pretending to be law officials: no warrant

Alpine Securities caught misusing customers funds, excess fees, no notice: defrocked

Naseem Mohammed Salamah caught stealing $968,000 promised diversify; ignored stmts

Edfinancial Services caught deceptive & misrepresenting forgiveness options to students

Michael Pellegrino Goldstone Financial sold notes from 1 Global Capital, a fraud

Hunter Biden $1 million deal China Energy: leveraging Dad’s history: bribery? Payoffs?

One dictator asks other for help in winning election again: What Putin gets from Trump

Prince Jared gave Jan 6 lawyers a piece of his royal mind: “truth and nothing but”

982,000 dead: 61% of unvaxxed are Republican: GOP trimming voters for 2024

‘No’ to anti-lynching bill: Andrew Clyde (Ga.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Chip Roy (Tex.)!

Price controls for drugs: do you have to be rich to be able to afford lifesaving drugs?

Biden gets to the root of our problems, finally: “Putin is butcher” Russia complains.

Putin “smash and grab” Swiss watches in retaliation for taking his ‘secret’ bank accounts.

Putin to take East Ukraine: split East & West like Korea N&S: Putin killed 2014 plane

Fake protection against nuclear war: temporarily protect potassium iodide price double

Fake “Top Doctor” Awards had chosen journalist: friends nominate anyone: Just $289.

Recall Skippy with steel fragments for your “daily iron requirement”

Ikea will pay you to get its old furniture back: some restrictions apply!

Jobs

600,000 cyber security jobs that remain unfilled: Cyberseek

Companies making remote work long-term for now: saves gas

Corporate profits rose 25% in 2021 yet 1/3 of workers make $15 hour: $2,400 mo. gross

Who owns your account now?

Abortion bans by state map: where can someone in need get help

I know, people, not guns kill but counties with highest gun deaths lack any controls

FL teachers become morals police for state gov: teachers become behavior monitors.

RIA Eaton Vance WaterOak Advisors to CI Financial Canada

Navy announced it will christen a future ship the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Constellation Insurance to Ohio National Mutual

Miracles:

Antarctica ice shelf size of NYC melts into Atlantic: a first in history: move inland!

Vampire bats are the only mammals that can survive on a diet of just blood.

Alliance for Public Health shows American assistance reaching patients in Ukraine war

Covid supplies and tests via website search engine: https://www.covid.gov/

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/

IAN

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

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

Friday, February 18, 2022

Unbiased financial leaders say use a fiduciary not advisor/broker

Flaw in ban on Surprise Medical Bills

If you have a medical emergency, you will no longer need to worry about a large bill from a doctor you did not choose—MAYBE. The 2022 “No Surprises Act” is supposed to protect us against most surprise out-of-network medical bills. For Good Samaritans who donate organs this has always been the rule. However, because of the complexity of dealing with 4 or more institutions regarding medical procedures and their medical billing procedures, you may get caught in a fight with bill collectors they sell the ‘receivables’ to. (Remember, bill collectors get paid to collect the debt they purchased, not to correct a mistake a previous institution made.) Also, know that our Reps gave some providers’ lobbyists a break in which charges are exempt from the law. The ambulance industry CAN charge you even if you didn’t pick the one the in-network institution uses. Another example: I just got a bill from a provider I did not pick. My doctor immediately called in his favorite X-ray person in the same building to do my X-ray since I was in need and the machine was down the hall. So in our medical system, each entity that provides something; anything; that can be coded (an aspirin, X-ray, swab kit, glove, cold/hot pack, etc etc) will add to our bill. If you look at your hospital bill, you will be shocked to find an aspirin can cost $30. If you insist on brand Tylenol instead, it costs more. A trip to the hospital can cost more than a bomb the Air Force pays to arm its fighters.

What we regret most

Regret: I wish I had done something or not done something in the past. In The Power of Regret, Daniel Pink asked 16,000 in 105 countries about their top regrets. People regret not building a strong foundation — that is, not saving money early, not being prudent," Pink says. "With financial regrets, they're less about not hitting a home run and more about not regularly getting on base." It is TIME in the market not brilliant advisor stock picking that builds wealth. No advisor can be right all the time so in the long run, you lose more than you gain. The average advisor-managed account earned just 3.79% vs 11% for a pure low-cost stock market index fund. It is the high fees and bad market timing that ruins your investment plans. Starting early, using your average tax refund or $250 a month in a low-cost stock index fund like Warren Buffett recommends provides your best chance of providing an above average retirement income.

Avoid advisor fees: https://www.amazon.com/New-American-Retirement-System-ReserveTM/dp/1461030072

Why unbiased financial leaders say use a fiduciary

A fiduciary is a person or organization that acts on behalf of another person or persons, putting their clients' interests ahead of their own, with a duty to preserve good faith and trust. Being a fiduciary thus requires being bound both legally and ethically to act in the other's best interests. This is the kind of person you want to handle your money and life choices. Otherwise you become an ongoing meal ticket for a salesperson and their firm’s owner. Fidelity owners, the Johnson family, have a net worth of 36 Billions. They did not get to that level working 9 to 5. They take fees every year from your savings and investment accounts (if your money is at Fidelity). On the other hand, Vanguard Group of funds is owned by its investors. You get financial products and services at cost: No middle person fees and charges. Low-cost stock index funds, like Warren Buffett recommends, provide you with your best chance of gaining an above average retirement income. Earn market rates of return not the Johnson’s rate. I don’t work for Vanguard. I moved my money from Fidelity because I earn more at Vanguard. They just cut their fees again—Target Retirement Funds—1/5^th the cost of others. I keep more!

Buy at cost and save: https://www.amazon.com/Fiduciary-Rule-BEST-dont-anymore/dp/1530980275

Another way wealth people make us pay their taxes

Passing on $ billions tax-FREE to the kids who never have to work and contribute to our society. Shale King Harold Hamm Is Passing Billions To His Heirs Tax-Free. If the kids don’t pay taxes on their $2.3 billions, we will be stuck paying for the courts, highways, airports, and armed forces they depend on. His lawyers carefully structure transactions so they benefit heirs but aren’t technically gifts at all. Thus no gift or estate taxes are paid. Yet he controls the company that provides the wealth. Filings show Hamm used an LLC and more than a dozen different trusts to complete the transfers. Phil Knight used a variety of techniques to move billions of dollars to his family tax-free. Eric Yuan transferred $6 billion worth of shares to unspecified beneficiaries for “estate planning” reasons last March. Late casino mogul Sheldon Adelson shuffled shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. in and out of more than 30 trusts to pass along at least $7.9 billion to family members. Cosmetics heiress Jane Lauder became an overnight billionaire in 2013 when she received L’Oreal SA shares worth more than half a billion dollars. Our so-called ‘representatives’ wrote the tax laws that let them pay NOTHING. You have one way to avoid paying THEIR taxes.

Use your legal tax-FREE account: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Wealth-ReserveTM-Tax-FREE-Investment/dp/1484954882

If you earn less than $100,000 a year, start investing NOW

The only way to have enough income in retirement is to start early. Why? Because most working people need time for the Miracle of Compounding to accumulate a large nest egg. It takes large contributions or a long time to have enough retirement assets to live on later. For instance, investing $250 a month for 35-40 years will provide a retirement income of about $45,000 for 30 years. You would need to triple that—or invest $750 a month—if you only have 25 years left to invest. If you wait to start, you will need $2,500 a month for 15 years to reach your goal. This assumes you can earn 10% a year on average in a low-cost stock market index account. This is the type recommended by Warren Buffett. If you rely on a high-fee broker/advisor, it may not be possible to reach your goal at their average of 5.19% annual earnings. Low cost beats high cost over time.

Use the Miracle of Compounding: https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Compounding-Turn-day-into/dp/1470176513

Take all your special 2021 credits to offset taxes

2021 was a difficult year for most working Americans. Take all your credits: Child and Dependent Care Credit was supercharged through the 2021 American Rescue Plan. Parents can receive a tax credit worth as much as $8,000 — nearly four times the previous limit of $2,100. The Child Tax Credit provided funds throughout the year but some families may have been shortchanged. The expanded Child Tax Credit, by comparison, provides $3,600 for each child under six and $3,000 for children between 6 to 17. The fact that the tax credit is also fully refundable is important because it could boost the tax refund that many parents receive this year, experts say. Tax credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions in a person's tax liability, versus deductions that lower a person's overall taxable income. Save the $300-$600 tax prep cost by doing your tax return using IRS-approved tax software via IRS free file. Or AARP free tax prep. Do not mail your return since IRS is still processing 2019 paper returns. I just got my refund!

https://www.amazon.com/Tax-Credit-Class-your-credits-ZERO/dp/1539462382

Social Security is the best annuity available

Insurance companies make a lot of money from annuities because you receive less than you invest with them. Yes, you are guaranteed payments for the rest of your life but unless you pay more now, your benefit will be cut by inflation over time. That means you receive less and less each month in buying power. At current levels of inflation your benefit will be worth about HALF the current payments in 20 years. Compare SS benefits: annual inflation protection—in 2022, benefits were increased by 5.9% at no extra cost to you. There is no policy charge, commission, admin fees, surrender charges, mortality expenses, investment expenses, or inflation rider fee. You can also create a low-cost income stream like an annuity to supplement your SS benefits.

Use the best: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Annuity-Strategy-Income-Growth/dp/1497532019

?**********ACCOUNTABILITY**************?

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

The Path to Dictatorship: 2010-2030

GOP guarantees itself a win

More subpoenas

How Govt wastes our money:

Ukraine the new Korea? Putin takes HALF (East of Dnieper) to save face at home

100 more incidents involving counterfeit parts in nuclear power plants in 2021

Manchin’s political veto gives friends $ millions in lobbying fees: making them wealthy

GOP asks truckers to come block highways in US: Putin hacker firm invites chaos

Another costly vacation: House returns to work Feb. 28 after Presidents Day recess.

IRS Adds Four “No Rule” Areas for Trusts Estates: wealthy avoid taxes; we pay their tax

SCAMS/SPINS:

WI Trumpers ban ballot drop boxes: WI supremes help GOP win elections

TX rejects thousands of ballots for primary: GOP secures win before election

Billionaire pays to oust GOP reps who voted to impeach dictator Wannabe: follow cash

Two MS whites chase Black FedEx driver in truck: 5 shots: another hate crime?

CA deputy shot Black homeless man in struggle for jaywalking arrest: no charges

FL former cop kills man in phone-in-theater dispute: ‘stand your ground’ defense

NYC employees comply with vaxx mandate or face losing their jobs: 940,000 dead

Employees don’t fight mandate for driving, guns, seatbelts, recycle, dog poop, taxes, etc

500 unruly passenger incidents first six weeks of 2022: GOP cancels US do-not-fly list

Is Putin trying to divide us again: fake Trump letter, fake crops, fake food supply chain

Zero Hedge, 1.2 million Twitter followers, published Moscow propaganda as truth

Volvo now owned by Geely, Chinese billionaire business magnate Li Shufu.

Fake ‘vintage’ goods sold are really new: ads for fake vintage stuff: get nothing

Russell Joseph Mutter caught $3.3 million financial fraud, fake statements 16 yrs prison

Mark Boucher, CA, caught stealing $2.2 mil by forging signatures, wire transfers, etc

Kenneth A. Welsh NJ caught stealing $1.9 mil fake wire transfers; arrest

CO elections clerk is sued after passing on voting data to groups behind disinformation

Royals pay up for Andy’s sex with minor accusation: it’s good to have Queen behind you

Hertz caught getting car renters arrested after mistakenly filing stolen vehicle report

Football $ 1 billion online gambling boom changes fans into transaction action addicts

NFL censured Super’s half-time show so some wouldn’t be offended: listen carefully.\

Email from Chase: review your contact info: but I don’t have a Chase account: scammer

Scammers reach $800 average take: can you spot them coming after you? Gov can’t

Chrysler now ‘Stellantis’ recalls 19,808 plug-in Pacifica Hybrid: charging fires

Tesla sued for killing driver when it ran into fire truck by itself: blinking lights attract

Sandy Hook families win $73 million vs Remington but Remington is bankrupt!

NFT marketplace shuts, citing 'rampant' fakes, plagiarism; so much for online only views

Trump and his two eldest children must comply with AG order to testify: take 5^th 500 X

Trump’s accountant: his businesses cooked the books, “inflated property values”

Trump threatens Clinton advisor with death for spying

Jobs

The adverts without the football on Sunday: vote on your favorite: $7 million/30 sec.

Some jobs can be done from anywhere if you have the right training or attitude

Citigroup head got 32% increase to cover inflation years in advance: live on $22 mil?

Least cost accredited college degrees: MBA, M Ed, MSIT

Who owns your account now?

Insurers push Congress to allow annuities as investment’s default: high fees cut earnings

“Americans can exercise Constitutional rights without hiring high-priced lawyer or lobbyist”

Investors not families buying up homes in critical areas in each city

New tax we paid to gambling industry: 2021 the highest-grossing year ever: $53 billion

4 free Covid tests sent to your home: https://www.covidtests.gov/

Some student loan cancellations: fraud rampant in some: DeVry ITT Technical Minnesota Business/Globe .

Miracles:

February 12: 49* at 8 AM northern NJ. Forty nine going to SIXTY! Warming?

Western US draught worst in 1200 years: hottest superbowl ever

This is how royals cut cake: stab down like killing a vampire

Space weather took out 40 SpaceX satellites: don’t look into the sun directly

Skaters using drugs OK as long as they use own script and grandpa’s and under age

MIT makes $4 water desalination machine: fresh water for the world

Eastern cities hit regularly with costly floods as sea rises faster next 30 years

Flowering plants multiplying in Antarctica as the climate crisis has warmed the summers

Woman Appears to Be Entirely Cured of HIV

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/

IAN

41 Watchung Plaza, B242

Montclair, NJ 07042

973.746.2014

www.InsuranceAdvisorsNetwork.com

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

Friday, December 24, 2021

Are Series I savings bonds at 7.12% right for you?

Have a great holiday

Are Series I savings bonds at 7.12% right for you?

Rates change with CPI every 6 months so you may be disappointed next May. However, this is a good way to ride the inflation wave if you believe inflation will be with us forever. You must use www.treasurydirect.gov to make an account and buy and sell ‘I’ bonds. If the proceeds are cashed in and then used to pay for qualified higher education expenses of the owner or a dependent in the calendar year of redemption, the applicable interest is tax-free. For now, this is a better deal than the bank CD offerings. There are some other rules so be sure to read the fine print at https://www.treasurydirect.gov/.

Another way we taxpayers make up for wealthy tax avoidance

Wyoming is another place for them to place their assets and never pay tax on the income. A Wyoming trust and layers of private companies with concealed ownership allow the world’s wealthy to move and spend money in extraordinary secrecy, protected by some of the strongest privacy laws in the country and, in some cases, without even the cursory oversight performed by regulators in other states. One analyst said, “Very few people know what you’re doing, basically.” In Wyoming, with the support of state lawmakers, the industry charged ahead, promoting a suite of financial arrangements to potential customers around the world. A former GOP member named Bunky said, “It’s friendly for business is the bottom line.” "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."

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

More funds cut fees for more profits

Investors finally realize John Bogle was right: pay less and earn more: Fund Managers Slash Expense Ratios Before Year-End. Vanguard said its changes would save investors an estimated $18.9 million: save more earn more. Vanguard is owned by its investors not private firm. Schwab cut fees and added $37.8 billion in new assets to its ETFs over the first 11 months of 2021. Higher volume; higher profits. Taking the Costco strategy works for securities too. Since almost every stock picker and hedge fund operator can’t beat the market averages over time, investors realize that paying more for less is a waste of money. Paying for marketing hype does not help them. Vanguard has become the center of self-directed investing. Bogle eliminated the middleman because they were not needed. Amazon, Home Depot did the same. If you followed Warren Buffett’s advice and bet on the Vanguard 500 Fund, you have earned about 30% again this year. You paid only 0.04% to own America’s top providers. Like Buffett, you have beat the professionals. Since 2013, your portfolio is averaging over 15% per annum. There is no reason to make it complicated and expensive.

Pay less; earn more: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Robo-Advisor-Ultimate-Automatic-Management/dp/1537111957

Is claiming Social Security benefits now right for you?

Before you apply for your benefits, check on your account. Yes, you need to make an account first. See if the SSA has all your earnings listed. If there is an error, you may receive less than you deserve. You need at least 40 work credits to qualify for benefits. Working longer at higher wages, even after attaining your full retirement age, means you can increase your benefits. SSA recalculates your benefits each year and uses the highest incomes you earned. If you start benefits early, your lesser amount is locked in. For your exact full retirement age, see the “Age to Receive Full Social Security Benefits” chart. Waiting to claim the maximum benefits means a lifetime of the highest amount per month—for 30-40 years. But you may need to start benefits early due to loss of work, illness, lifestyle change and personal choice. Instead, you may qualify for Social Security benefits under your spouse’s work record even if you are divorced. Your may qualify for survivor’s benefit. Another planning issue is tax on your SS benefits. Some readers must pay tax on 85% of their benefits. Another issue: In the years before you reach full retirement age, your Social Security benefit is reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn over the annual limit. Another issue: benefits can never cover all your expenses. You must obtain an estimate of monthly income before you retire at https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement. Plan ahead.

Maximize retirement income: https://www.amazon.com/Maximize-Social-Security-Benefits-Retirement/dp/1495439224

How much can you spend each month in retirement?

You know how much you will receive from Social Security, from a fixed pension, from a IRA via the IRS RMD table and a fixed annuity if you have one. What is your estimate? If you own rental real estate, equities and bonds in a cash account, bank and Treasury interest, you need to rely on projections. What are needed: sources that can be easily tapped to make up any unexpected expenses? Here are some readers’ suggestions. Home equity line of credit, Roth IRA assets, Savings bonds, collectibles and hard assets like land and gold coins. If you are lucky to have a family trust or legacy like Warren Buffett has set up for his family, your trustee can provide extra protection. Buffett has established in his will that most of his cash assets will generate gains via a low-cost Vanguard 500 Index Fund and a couple of years of income in a low-cost government bond fund.

Plan for no surprises: https://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffetts-Vanguard-Funds-Retirement/dp/1496148592

How the rich beat inflation?

Very few assets grow high returns that can be guaranteed. Long-term stock market returns average 11% so they are the classic inflation hedge. I bonds were established to deal with some inflation, but don’t always over turn rising prices. Usually the rich include folks who are careful with their money—that is how they stay rich. Some are very good at economizing and dropping expenses they realize they can cut. Most rich people maximize legal tax deferral/free investment accounts. They may shop diligently for the best price on all big buys. Some look for alternatives: paying for a streaming service instead of the rising cable bill. I have found that most people are wasting at least $3,000 a year on insurance and financial fees. They simply did not cancel coverage and products they no longer use. Most wealthy people use many strategies to control what they spend, including higher prices for everything. In short, they are careful about money. Investing $3,000 a year can produce a $1-2 million nest egg which can easily conquer inflation.

https://www.amazon.com/New-American-Retirement-System-WealthReserve/dp/1461030072

Why your advisor/broker cannot beat the index

How many advisors picked the right money manager or fund manager to beat the simple market index 27%? You can count them on one hand and they may have just been lucky. When you play Powerball, someone may win but usually not you. We call this gambling. In financial services, they call it ‘sophisticated algorithms’ or ‘smart analyses.’ The firm/ manager is paid for a lucky bet. But remember the Oakland A’s story in the movie Moneyball. The success could only be achieved by thinking differently, re-inventing a player’s worth and focusing on value. Ultimately, it relied on facts and fundamentals and disregarded the unknowable future. Despite its reference to money management, such an approach has largely been ignored by traditional asset managers who continue to look for an “edge.” Overly confident in their ability to pick winners, these managers promote themselves as if they have some predictive ability and knowledge of the future. No one has that. They have greed. This outdated approach fuels a portfolio pricing risk that can significantly erode your returns over time. Best: avoid high costs; avoid losers. Like the A’s, we should focus on the numbers—the known information—to avoid strikeouts in the market. A walk equals a hit. It is time and compounding of returns that make us rich.

https://www.amazon.com/Money-Ball-Investing-Winning-unfair/dp/1548831409

Great gift idea: tax-free ‘Wealth Reserve’ for their future

Help you child or grandchild get off to a great start in life: open a tax-FREE account for a secure future. You can open an account with them for $1000 and as they make contributions from earnings and holiday gifts, you can show them how their money compounds at over 11% a year. There are no broker fees, charges, or commissions so every $1 works for their future benefit. They never have to pay Uncle Sam either. This is a legal IRS tax shelter. It is the ultimate wealth management system for their whole life. A ‘Wealth Reserve’ is the New American Retirement System: all earnings are tax FREE.

Get them started right: https://www.amazon.com/Give-your-child-leg-manage/dp/1096505355

?**********ACCOUNTABILITY**************?

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

The Path to Dictatorship: 2010-2030

Trust and democracy die together

Trump in contempt of Congress?

Terrorist in coup-attempt gets 5 years

Terrorists had concealed weapons

Military with Biden or Trump?

Generals with Trump?

“How Civil Wars Start”

More Dems give up